yosi kadiri

If you are a smoker and is contemplating to quit, moving to the UK, I'm certain, will make it easier for you to kick the habit.

Above is a picture of a vending machine that sells cigarettes. At £8 a pack, that's really pricey considering there are only 16 sticks inside the pack. I'm sure it's a wee bit cheaper if you buy your fags in the supermarkets but generally speaking, it's still expensive.

There is also a smoking ban in the UK. It's illegal to smoke in all enclosed public places and enclosed work place in the country. Offenders are fined and some may be taken to court too.

I quit 6 years ago. Back then I wasn't planning on quitting. I got ill and for 2 weeks I stopped smoking. When I realised that I spent almost £120 in the 4 weeks prior to my being sick, I had to at least try and kick the habit. Surprisingly, it was quite easy. I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms and any behavioral changes.

Whilst I do advocate freedom to choose how people live their life, ever since I quit, I developed a some sort of aversion to smoking. I do think about it sometimes though. After all I loved it when I was still smoking, however, I don't think I would ever go back to it. It's bad for the health, pocket and the environment.

By the way, you can't call yourself an evironmentalist if you continue to light a cigarette and smoke like a chimney.

Be smart, quit now.

the cove

The Cove is an Oscar-winning documentary that depicts in painful detail the horrors of dolphin fishing in Taiji, Japan. From the outside, the town seems to be devoted to the majestic creatures swimming off it's shores. Statues are erected, boats designed to look like dolphins cruise the shore, and a whale museum is the pinnacle of the town. But the small fishing village has a big secret. Every year from September to March, fishermen motivated by the multi-million dollar dolphin trading industry gather in this cove for the hunt. Slaughter, or perhaps massacre. I don't know which word is stronger.

Do not mistake my words as those of a hardcore animal activist. I am far from it. As a carnivore, I can't imagine life without meat. Even if the only fish I eat is tuna in a can.

I can only describe what wen't on in the cove as evil, pure and simple. As men, we've learnt enough about dolphins to know that they are probably the smartest creatures on earth. One only need common sense to know that they can communicate with each other and just like us they know pain. Watching them being gored to death whilst the young are made to listen to the agonising calls of their parents is horrifying.

There's a quote in the film that says, "If you're not an activist, you're an inactivist." I guess, it's easy and convenient for people like me to make strong pronouncements condemning acts of barbarity like this. After all, talk words are cheap. But I hope through this blog, I can spread the word and will eventually reach someone like Richard O'Barry, a former dolphin trainer who has since recanted and become the mammal's strongest ally.

To all the men and women who were involved in the making of this film, congratulations for a powerful, compelling and an absolute brilliant documentary and thank you for bringing this to our attention. I hope more people will see this film and become involved in your advocacy.

chile

When I was smaller, I wanted to go to America. It was a childhood dream that I realised almost a decade ago when I qualified for an international training program by Marriott hotels. For a year, I was based in Austin, the capital of Texas.

I loved the time I spent there. I met some wonderful people and earned some amazing experiences. There were beautiful places that I was fortunate enough to visit too. Travelling is so convenient. It was really good that one can just hop on a domestic flight and before you know it, you're in a completely different place. Such a diversity of culture and wide array of sights.

Another dream destination is Chile. I just fell in love when I saw pictures of it on The Amazing Race. The architecture looks awesome and the land just intrigued me. It stretches 4300km – over half the continent of South America– and encompasses a remarkable variety of landscapes. From the driest desert in the world (near San Pedro de Atacama) in the north to massive glacial fields in the south. Filling up the in-between are volcanoes, geysers, beaches, lakes, rivers, steppe, fjords, countless islands, and the Andes mountain range. Because of its amazing landscape and topography, the country has a varied climate. It's like the four seasons in one nation anytime of the year! I promise to visit Chile someday.

Unless you live under a rock, you know that it was hit by a devastating earthquake today- 8.8 on a richter scale which went on for at almost 90 seconds- that to me is unimaginable. For the last couple of hours, I've been glued to the telly as I watch the news unfold. Experts are saying that the magnitude of the quake is so massive that practically every country in the Pacific Rim is affected because of the tsunami triggered by this great seismic acticvity. I hope majority will be spared.

To the two Chilean visitors of my blog, I'll be thinking of you and your beautiful country. I pray that you all are safe and that your nation will rise from this adversity.

it's -3°C outside

I am getting bored of this winter weather. For almost a week now, the whole country has been covered in snow and it doesn't look like we are going to get any break from it in the next few days.

Of course, I am at home. Unless, absolutely necessary, only fools would venture outside. The roads are slippery and dangerous. In fact, three people from work had been in separate car crashes in the last fortnight.

But the views are still awesome. Here are a few from my window.

let it snow

And snow, it did!. The heavens dumped several inches of snow late Thursday - early Friday which resulted to this.

I am probably the only adult in the Kent area who is amused and delighted this has happened.

What a lovely way to greet me good morning.

My street. Or what's left of it.

Maidstone was on a standstill. This is a view of my neighborhood.

I didn't mind the fact that it was a nightmare hauling my monkey ass to work today because of the beautiful scenery.

Mc, you would've loved this. 'Di bale, we'll have our winters coming real soon.

Buried in ice.

Snow monkey.

black saturday

On Saturday, 26th of September 2009, the Philippines was hit by torrential rains that resulted in massive and fatal floods. Almost 17 inches of rain fell in 12 hours on Saturday, more than the average for the entire month of September. The waters rose to more than 20ft within a few hours.

The photo was taken by my brother at the condo complex he lives in Manila. My siblings were marooned for almost 24 hours with no water and electricity; they got off easy.

I am overwhelmed with sadness when I see pictures and watch videos of the aftermath of the storm. When Ketty sent me the message last Saturday, I really didn't pay much attention to it because the Philippines get at least 20 typhoons a year and Manila isn't exactly a stranger to flooding.

No one will ever be prepared to a disaster of this magnitude. It is futile to start pointing fingers and play blaming game at this point. But it will also be foolish to forget that there was an inadequate and inept response from the government.

I am sending my prayers to those who lost anything and everything. It's hard to imagine what you must've been going through. I pray for strength to help you get back on your feet. This too shall pass.

Prayers and a few quid to spare are the best I can do for now.

If you want to help, please click here. If overseas and would also like to make a donation, online contibutions can be made through Kapuso Foundation and ABS CBN Sagip Kapamilya.

kontra mina

Below is the official letter to the Editor from Godofredo Mintu, mayor of Sablayan, which appeared in today's issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

There is no doubt that large-scale mining operations, like the one being undertaken by the Aglubang Mining Corp. in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, cause irreparable devastation of farm lands. This was pointed out by the regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture in a July 7, 2009 letter to Environment Secretary Jose L. Atienza Jr.: “The Municipality of Sablayan is one of our major rice- and corn-producing areas in the province and we believe that any major mining operations would greatly affect the agriculture production and endanger social economic conditions in the area. With these, we are supporting the Honorable Mayor [the undersigned] in asking your help to preempt any mining activity in the municipality.”

Recently, as a result of Typhoon Jolina’s onslaught, Sablayan experienced heavy floods, landslides, soil erosion and scouring which rendered its national highways impassable for several weeks and caused huge and serious damage to crops, livestock and property, plus “opportunity loss.” Undoubtedly, large-scale mining would deplete Sablayan’s remaining forest and vegetation cover, aggravate river and coastal deterioration and increase incidents of landslide, soil erosion and, possibly, wipe out its forest cover.

It is for this reason that all of Sablayan’s 22 barangays and its Sangguniang Bayan are opposed to Aglubang’s mining operations and they have expressed their opposition through their respective resolutions and through a municipal ordinance which bears the approval of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Occidental Mindoro.

The people of Occidental Mindoro, and more particularly of Sablayan, prayerfully appeal to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Secretary Atienza to disallow the entry of Aglubang Mining Corp. into our town, in order that our town may continue to be the food basket of Region 4 and provide our people and the rest of the country the more than 300,000 metric tons of rice it produces every year.

—GODOFREDO B. MINTU,
municipal mayor,
Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro,
mayor.mintu@gmail.com

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In support of the growing oppositon to the Mindoro Mining Project, The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines posted this position on its website:

Mining has always been repugnant to the residents of communities surrounding the mining sites. And this is true in the case of large-scale nickel- mining operation on Mindoro island which is being strongly resisted by the local folk. They fear the venture would cause environmental havoc. Indigenous peoples, farmers, fishermen, political, religious and civil society leaders in both Mindoro Occidental and Mindoro Oriental are calling for the immediate cancellation of the permit granted to the Aglubang Mining Corp. to extract nickel over an area deep in the mountains totaling 9,720 hectares.

The government approved in 2001 the mineral production sharing agreement of the Aglubang Mining Corp., a subsidiary of the Crew Minerals of Canada. But the Department of Environment and Natural Resources revoked the agreement as quickly as it was granted because the authorities found out that it posed a grave threat to critical watershed that would adversely affect farming, the livelihood and even health of the people.

In canceling the permit, then Environment Secretary Heherson Alvarez said that the Mindoro Nickel Project was one case where sustainability was bound to fail. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is fully aware of the situation. Her administration is committed to create wealth without sacrificing the integrity and vitality of Mindoro’s natural systems. What does it gain the nation to be short-sighted and merely think of money, when an irreparable damage to the environment will cost human lives, health and livelihood capacity of our farmers and fisherfolk, endangering the food security of our people?

But the move to shelve the nickel- mining venture turned out to be only temporary. In late 2005, the Office of the President reversed the DENR decision revoking the Aglubang’s mining permit. The Canadian firm’s president Jan Vestrun trumpeted that there was a change in attitude of the government of the Philippines towards mining, from that of tolerance to active promotion.

The government’s turnaround defies logic because the very law invoked by the project proponents—Republic Act 7942 (Philippine Mining Act of l995)—expressly provides in Section 19 thereof that among the areas closed to mining activities are watershed areas. Since the area covered by the Mindoro Nickel Project is within a protected watershed reservation, where is the justification to reverse the cancellation of the mining permit?

It is an undisputed fact that the Mindoro Nickel Project does not have an iota of social acceptability on the part of the Mindoreños. Without the consent of the people as required by law, the mining venture is deemed illegal and the mining permit issued to Aglubang Corp. is void from the start.

The public opposition is reflected in separate resolutions adopted by the municipal council of Sablayan, Mindoro Occidental and the town’s 22 barangays expressing their vigorous opposition to the mining project. In an open letter to President Arroyo and Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, Sablayan Mayor Godofredo Mintu said any major mining operations would greatly affect agriculture production and endanger social and economic conditions in Sablayan which is one of thee leading rice and corn-producing towns in Mindoro.

Recently, according to Mayor Mintu, a killer typhoon battered the province, causing heavy flooding and landslides that damaged crops and rendered the national highway impassable for several weeks. He warned that large-scale mining would deplete the town’s remaining forest and vegetation cover, aggravate river and soil siltations that would cause an an ecological disaster.

------------------

Economic progress at the expense of the displacement of indigenous peoples, food security and environmental destruction is, to put it simply, wrong. I am proud of the Provincial and Municipal governments of Occ. Mindoro and Sablayan for defending the interests of its people and its natural resources. Notwithstanding the pressure from powerful forces and resisting tempting offers (some of which from the National Government, I am certain), your efforts are truly admirable and greatly appreciated.

If you chance upon this blog, please do me a favor and spread the word. Help us save my hometown from further destruction.

chapter 3: on the third day, we climbed again

Here's the last part of the buhol-bohol trilogy.

Because of a heavy downpour when we visited Bohol's most popular attraction on the first day of the tour, we decided to go back to the Chocolate Hills again some other time. And so on our last day, that was what we did. Just after 8 am, a coach picked us up and once again journeyed to Carmen, the site of what most describe as one of the World's Geological Wonders.

The Chocolate Hills is a sight to behold. Spread across 50 sq kilometers are some 1,200+ cone-shaped hills in the middle of Bohol Island. And just off Carmen's town center is the largest hill where an observation deck was built where tourists can gaze and marvel at the spectacular scenery. Here, all of us had a blast as we took the wackiest shots of ourselves as we jumped and posed against the hills as our backdrop.

Geologists have long debated about the formation of the hills, resulting in various ways the origin of the Chocolate Hills are stated or explained.

One legend has it that the Hills came about as two rival giants threw rocks and boulders at each other for days. Exhausted, the giants forgot about their meaningless conflict, became friends and left the island without cleaning up the mess they made. The hills are testimony of their great battle.

Another myth tells the story of Arogo, a young, powerful giant who fell in love with Aloya, a mortal girl. When she died, Arogo shed thousands of tears and when they dried up, they formed the Chocolate Hills.

As far as the eyes can see, the Chocolate Hills are not really made of chocolate, but they do look good enough to eat. But we didn't. Instead, we headed back to Tagbilaran and had a quick lunch at the Island City Mall before catching our plane back to the capital.

Our 3 day tour would've been stress free if not for the minor hitch at the airport. Our return flight to Manila via Cebu Pacific was scheduled to depart at 1355. At exactly, 1310 I was at the check in desk only to be told by the attendant that we were "late" for check-in and as consequence, one of us was bumped off the flight in favor of a chance passenger. Boy, did he piss me off.

Let me just say, I am not one to complain. Being in the service industry, I've had numerous experiences when I was yelled at and accosted to for doing my job. I know what it's like to be at the other side of desk. And so it really was hard for me to argue with that poor chap at the check in counter. My point was, they should've realised that as a group there was no way we'd let one of our party be left behind. Especially since the next flight was at least 24 hours away. And the fact that for the 15 of us it was immaterial that we were "late" because they still would accommodate us on the flight.

And the nerve of them lecturing us on time management when their plane wasn't even there when this was all happening. The plane landed in Tagbilaran almost 10 minutes after we were supposed to take off at 1405. Taking up the cudgels for the family, I, with Lorraine, argued with the entire ground staff of the airline. Ang aming dugong Batangueño ay nag-aalab, we held our ground. All for one, one for all, was our battle cry. And after more than 30 minutes of wrangling, the supervisor relented and let us all in to the flight.

Albeit short, our 3 day Boholiday was very memorable. We had lots of fun visiting beautiful places, eating the most delicous food and spending the most precious times together. Travelling with some of the people you love the most was truly fulfilling.

On to our next trip...

no to mining

Mindoro's natural wonders are under threat from mining. I am one with my provincemates in opposing the proposed Mindoro nickel project of Intex Resources Philippines Inc. I fear the damages this development will cause to the people of Mindoro and the environment will be massive and irreversible. This is personal because my hometown is the site of the project. Experts believe it will cause destruction of critical watershed affecting the food supply and security of the island. It will also invariably evict the Mangyans from their domain. Please help not to let this happen by spreading the word. Thanks.

bohol-buhol

A Batangueño family is like panucha, sweet with a lot of nuts!

Together with only 14 members of my maternal family, the missus and I went on a three-day tour of Bohol. It was a trip that was planned for months and one that I was particularly excited about. You see, I was really bummed out that I couldn't join my parents and siblings on their trip last February, so I was mighty glad we were able to travel with them this time.

We had a wonderful time. For not only I enjoyed the scenery but I savoured my company. Douglas Coupland wrote a book entitled All Families are Psychotic and he could've been writing about us. We are insane! Funny insane. And I love them. Didn't they say insanity is hereditary and that people get it from their kids? Ha!

Anyway, we haven't even left Manila when chaos ensued. We travelled in two groups to the airport, the bagets and the forgets. But for some reason, Ketty and I found ourselves with the latter. We were in my parents' vehicle being driven by the driver to the wrong terminal! That got the other group worried. They were ahead of us and was already waiting at the the brand spanking new NAIA III. After a few minutes, we arrived at the terminal and went in immediately to check in.

At the counters, some of us had an issue with excess baggage. One of them was my Ninang who packed a blanket in her luggage! No wonder she was overweight (pun not intended). It elicited laughters from all of us.

Our plane to Tagbilaran was due to depart at 0825 but we didn't leave until an hour later because GMA was also scheduled to travel that morning. Talk about major nuisance.

After a flight of more than an hour, we arrived at the City of Friendship. We were welcomed by leis and were immediately ushered into a coaster. It was only when I heard a woman introduce herself as the tour guide did I realise that the tour was on its way. She went on to tell us facts about the province and the city which she deliverd proudly. Our first stop was the site of the blood compact between Sikatuna and Legazpi. It was a quick stop which only enabled us to take a few pictures.

We then travelled to the small town of Baclayon to visit its church. The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is the oldest in the province and one of the best preserved in the country. It has a museum which showcases centuries-old religious relics, artifacts and other antiquities. A 15 year-old lad who very much sounded like a 40 year old spinster showed us around. My cousin Rain gives an uncanny impression of him which amused my Ninang Emma no end.

We were informed by our guide that Boholanos are very religious and extremely conservative. Worldly matters and vices do not escape the vigilant eyes of the church and the clergy. There was even a strict dress code being implemented at the church.

Time flies when you're having fun and before we knew it, it was almost noon. Lunch, however, was an entirely different experience. We were treated to sumptous meal aboard a floating restaurant as we cruised the picturesque Loboc river. I've already told you how we eat, so it really shouldn't surprise you how the 16 of us killed the buffet table. There were at least a dozen dishes but the Adobong Kangkong, Fried Chicken, Pork Barbecue and Pancit Guisado, to me were the stand outs.

Because we took the boat from Loay, we travelled upstream. The whole trip lasted about an hour but none of us mind because we enjoyed the lush green landscape. Thousands of trees lined up the banks which covered any sign of civilisation. It was really an amazing way to commune with nature. Tip: Take the cruise from Loay town as the views are more scenic. And you will never see anything except,trees and more trees. Boats from Loboc, we were told, will pass by houses and establishments thus spoiling the view.

Somewhere along the river was a stop over where a group of Ati tribesmen entertained the tourists. These tribesmen has become a some sort of tourist attraction themselves as they perfomed, danced and posed for pictures. My Nanay must've been confused by the goings on around her when she thought they were a group of Indians. We were probably there for half an hour and it was time to go back.

A skip and a hop from the jetty was The Clarin Ancestral House. The 167 year old house is now a museum housing family collections that date back to the American period. I'm hugely fascinated by the bahay na bato and find the old Filipino heritage houses romantic. Ketty likes them too and we plan to build our own bahay na bato one day.

A visit to Bohol wouldn't be complete without the sighting of the cute tarsier. Although, we only saw a few, the big eyed little creature mesmerised us all. Ketty captured it in mid-wink.

It was then time to head to the world famous Chocolate Hills but not after we drove through the man made forest and brief visit to the butterfly sanctuary in Bilar town. My younger cousins, being teenaged girls couldn't contain their excitement when we entered the butterfly pavillion. I cannot, for the life of me, understand the allure of these insects to young girls.

As our coaster drove past stunning scenes of the Bohol countryside, we noticed dark clouds in the sky. The guide said this summer brought rains in Bohol particularly in the afternoon thus making the Chocolate Hills look not chocolate anymore. Minty-colored, one of us observed. When we arrived in Carmen, it began drizzling. For some reason, all of us still climbed the 250 and so steps to the viewing deck hoping that by the time we reach the top, the rain would've stopped. Was I wrong? For it poured really hard. Drenched, we all left disappointed. 10 minutes after we left, the skies cleared and the rain stopped. Instead of going back we decided to return in the morning of our last day.

Our drive to the resort in Panglao Island was long and it was already dark when we arrived. We were billeted at the Alonaland Resort. Here for two nights was our home away from home.

To be continued.....

my beautiful hometown

They say absence makes the heart go fonder. My recent trip to Sablayan reminded me how incredibly beautiful my hometown is. A fact I may have forgotten and taken for granted having lived away from it for almost 5 years. Thanks to Ketty, whose fresh eyes helped me rediscover it's natural beauty.

Here are a few shots taken from my beautiful hometown. I hope that my pictures have given it justice.

feb freeze

"The heaviest snowfall to hit the UK in 18 years has brought travel chaos to large parts of the country. "

Picture of the workplace today.

This is the first time I'm experiencing winter weather this severe. Although the temperature hasn't dropped yet to extreme levels, the wintry conditions is dangerous as it is beautiful. Everything was white! I live nearby the hotel but going to work today proved to be a difficult journey. Most of the roads were covered with snow and because of this, a lot of the people at work stayed in at home. Thus, double the work for us who managed to come in. I actually helped out in the Accounts Office. Something I wanted to do for a long time. Just so I can have a clear grasp on the revenue aspect of hotel management. It may come handy in the future if I decide to continue a career in this industry. But in the present climate (pun intended), who knows what will happen?

april showers

The heavens dumped at least 2 inches of snow last weekend. I know, spring should've sprung up already. I guess, mother nature had other ideas.

I like a bit of snow because I don't mind the cold. The air actually felt refreshing and everything looks ... white! Clean and pure.

Here are a few photos.

blackout

Lights off please.

mabilis lang 'to. parang si-me-co.

* I have yet to hear a Christmas carol this year. If I were in the Philippines, this wouldn't have been a problem since some radio stations play the first Christmas carol on the 1st of September.

* Have you tried eating beer-battered chips? It's the bomb!

* Go for glory. To the Filipino athletes competing in the 24th Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, goodluck.

* GMA gets Medalla de Oro for defending human rights. They must be having a laugh?!?!

* Teatro Tomasino - the university-wide theatre guild of UST- will be staging "Twosome" at the Albertus Magnus auditorium on December 11 and 12. This twinbill production features Chris Martinez' "Welcome to Intelstar" and Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero's "Wanted: Chaperon" both directed by John Lapus.

* The Manila Ocean Park is already open. Have any of you been there yet? Any good?

* Finally saw Les Miz in West End. Ketty and I queued up three times (the last one at least for 30 minutes in bitter weather) to get tickets. Apparently, that weekend was very busy. The guy at the box office even told us how lucky we were to get tickets as the show was sold out. Unfortunately, the seats weren't together and with restricted view. It was a good show though. The performances were remarkable. Joanna Ampil's portrayal of Fantine was spot on. Her "I dreamed a dream" number was stirring.

* Did you know that we have to pay for a TV license here in the UK? A colour TV Licence costs £135.50 and a black and white licence costs £45.50. And you'd think they'll produce quality shows after that. Not!

* "Jack Bauer" begins his 48-day prison sentence. 48 divided by 2 is 24. Wala lang.

* Don't forget to switch off the lights when not in use.

balita

"Lapit mga kaibigan at makinig kayo
ako'y may dala dalang balita galing sa bayan ko
nais kong ipamahagi ang mga kwento at
ang mga pangyayaring nagaganap sa lupang ipiinangako."


































I am coming home soon.


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lyrics by ASIN. photos from yahoo.