<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348</id><updated>2011-12-21T11:22:41.482+08:00</updated><category term='trek'/><category term='recycle'/><category term='Energy'/><category term='people'/><category term='news'/><category term='reduce'/><category term='org'/><category term='vegetables'/><category term='place'/><category term='musings'/><category term='Baguio'/><category term='advocacy'/><category term='reuse'/><title type='text'>kalikasan.net</title><subtitle type='html'>Sharing my experiences, information, and views to the global Filipino and the rest of the world.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>26</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-3926370488362824910</id><published>2009-01-29T17:28:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2009-01-29T17:38:27.354+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='people'/><title type='text'>The blight of open pit mining</title><content type='html'>I was browsing magazines at the Wellington City Library awhile ago when this news article on the cover page of Canada's ThisMagazine caught my eye.  It was a story on the open pit mining at Mt. Canatuan in southern Mindanao.  Taking on the disaster at Marinduque's Marcopper which was operated by Placer Dome, it is disheartening to learn that it is happening all over again at Mindanao.  The health of people in the area are in danger due to poisoning, the effect of which not only affects this generation but in the next as well as mothers pass on dangerous minerals to their unborn child.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And to add insult to injury, the supposed employment possibilities for the local folk are not happening.  Open pit mining is really work for heavy machinery, and not a lot of people are needed for such an operation.  And so, as the profits are carted off Philippine shores, the local fishing and farming industry takes a hit, and the poor becomes even poorer, if that is even possible.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more about this in &lt;a href="http://www.thismagazine.ca/issues/2008/11/glitters.php"&gt;Alex Felipe's All that Glitters&lt;/a&gt; article at ThisMagazine.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-3926370488362824910?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/3926370488362824910/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=3926370488362824910' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/3926370488362824910'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/3926370488362824910'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2009/01/blight-of-open-pit-mining.html' title='The blight of open pit mining'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-7003830428051250341</id><published>2009-01-18T10:52:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2009-01-18T11:00:51.117+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='advocacy'/><title type='text'>Do the Green Thing:  Stay Grounded</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SXKbIgHnUzI/AAAAAAAAFJc/rwX_Mkr2yww/s1600-h/capture13.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 203px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SXKbIgHnUzI/AAAAAAAAFJc/rwX_Mkr2yww/s400/capture13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292463082476884786" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This month's Do the Green Thing "challenge" is to stay grounded.  That means no boarding the plane for the holidays.  Planes can churn out loads of C02 in the atmosphere.  Sure, lots of cars also do.  But in this case, the C02 is dumped high up in the atmosphere, giving it a lot of adverse effects.  If you avoid that plane trip, you save as much C02 as a year's worth of heating and electricity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So head on over to &lt;a href="http://www.dothegreenthing.com/actions/stay_grounded/why"&gt;Do the Green Thing&lt;/a&gt; and make your C02 savings count!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-7003830428051250341?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/7003830428051250341/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=7003830428051250341' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/7003830428051250341'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/7003830428051250341'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2009/01/do-green-thing-stay-grounded.html' title='Do the Green Thing:  Stay Grounded'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SXKbIgHnUzI/AAAAAAAAFJc/rwX_Mkr2yww/s72-c/capture13.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-3559115005472938045</id><published>2008-12-29T16:06:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2008-12-29T16:14:54.756+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='recycle'/><title type='text'>Build a worm farm</title><content type='html'>One of the nice things here in New Zealand is that gardening seems to be a popular pasttime, with many areas green with trees, lawns and abuzz with colours from flowers.  Access to seedlings and gardening materials are readily accessible through gardening specialty stores and shop sections.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We saw this worm farm in Bunnings Warehouse in Porirua.  Kits such as these make recycling even more interesting, educational, and engaging.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SViFD7UzfkI/AAAAAAAAFAA/-4B6Hq1ENjE/s1600-h/canoworms.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SViFD7UzfkI/AAAAAAAAFAA/-4B6Hq1ENjE/s400/canoworms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285120465230331458" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-3559115005472938045?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/3559115005472938045/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=3559115005472938045' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/3559115005472938045'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/3559115005472938045'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/12/build-worm-farm.html' title='Build a worm farm'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SViFD7UzfkI/AAAAAAAAFAA/-4B6Hq1ENjE/s72-c/canoworms.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-4430734042173518912</id><published>2008-12-23T18:44:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2008-12-23T18:44:45.896+08:00</updated><title type='text'>Merry Christmas, from my family to yours</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SVDAWG5_WeI/AAAAAAAAE-g/buerzzcu7To/s1600-h/xmas.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SVDAWG5_WeI/AAAAAAAAE-g/buerzzcu7To/s400/xmas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282933848949086690" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-4430734042173518912?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/4430734042173518912/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=4430734042173518912' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/4430734042173518912'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/4430734042173518912'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/12/merry-christmas-from-my-family-to-yours.html' title='Merry Christmas, from my family to yours'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SVDAWG5_WeI/AAAAAAAAE-g/buerzzcu7To/s72-c/xmas.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-6386291935018440485</id><published>2008-12-18T15:32:00.004+08:00</published><updated>2008-12-18T15:48:57.414+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='news'/><title type='text'>The biggest full moon of the year</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SUn6UBnzmaI/AAAAAAAAE9Q/9T90XWxCd2k/s1600-h/DSC_0753.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SUn6UBnzmaI/AAAAAAAAE9Q/9T90XWxCd2k/s400/DSC_0753.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281027260008339874" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This news is already a wee bit late, but the biggest full moon of the year was spotted last 12 December, as reported by &lt;a href="http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/09dec_fullmoon.htm"&gt;NASA&lt;/a&gt;.  Were you able to see it?  Apparently, it was best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.  Sadly I was not able to see it as well. :-(&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But a good friend shared his photos in our mailing list and I was amazed by the detail he was able to capture of the lunar surface using a Nikon D90 with 18-200 VR lens.  I asked permission to post it here.  The moon was no longer at its fullest but it's still an aswesome sight.  Enjoy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SUn6TzcSx-I/AAAAAAAAE9I/Ldp5S3teX3U/s1600-h/DSC_0748.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SUn6TzcSx-I/AAAAAAAAE9I/Ldp5S3teX3U/s400/DSC_0748.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281027256201955298" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Photos courtesy of John Paras.  Check out his photography work at &lt;a href="http://www.johnparas11.zenfolio.com"&gt;zenfolio&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;script type="text/javascript" src="http://del.icio.us/feeds/js/networkbadge/watson?icon=s"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[cross-posted at www.nickballesteros.com]&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-6386291935018440485?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/6386291935018440485/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=6386291935018440485' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/6386291935018440485'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/6386291935018440485'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post.html' title='The biggest full moon of the year'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SUn6UBnzmaI/AAAAAAAAE9Q/9T90XWxCd2k/s72-c/DSC_0753.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-8628656934814058388</id><published>2008-11-04T06:58:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2008-11-04T07:00:33.179+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='recycle'/><title type='text'>Go to town with your recycling</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SQ-CR6F2TvI/AAAAAAAADcQ/kn1BNLvg2Lc/s1600-h/IMG_0717.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SQ-CR6F2TvI/AAAAAAAADcQ/kn1BNLvg2Lc/s400/IMG_0717.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264569733582573298" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-8628656934814058388?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/8628656934814058388/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=8628656934814058388' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/8628656934814058388'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/8628656934814058388'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/11/go-to-town-with-your-recycling.html' title='Go to town with your recycling'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SQ-CR6F2TvI/AAAAAAAADcQ/kn1BNLvg2Lc/s72-c/IMG_0717.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-2846647175516340703</id><published>2008-10-14T06:25:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2008-10-14T06:27:07.627+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='reduce'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='recycle'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='advocacy'/><title type='text'>Rubbish collection, New Zealand style</title><content type='html'>One of the first things we learned about living in New Zealand is their rubbish collection.  Rubbish is more commonly known in our country as garbage.  So if you're having a conversation and you hear them declare that what you're saying is a load of rubbish, it's not a compliment. Bwahuhuhu!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For an orderly rubbish collection, you need two things:  a council bag and a kiwi bin.  Council bags are huge, yellow plastic bags where you place your non-recyclables in.  It costs around $9.00 for 5 pieces, and can be bought at grocery stores (ask for it at the counter).  You are allowed to load up to 15kg per bag.  More guidelines are printed on the bag itself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SPPDgOMstkI/AAAAAAAADOU/07GhkMwANxo/s1600-h/IMG_0487.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SPPDgOMstkI/AAAAAAAADOU/07GhkMwANxo/s400/IMG_0487.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256760148406089282" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SPPDgPesnrI/AAAAAAAADOc/9QkGrc6s9UQ/s1600-h/IMG_0488.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SPPDgPesnrI/AAAAAAAADOc/9QkGrc6s9UQ/s400/IMG_0488.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256760148750016178" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Next is the kiwi bin.  If you're renting a flat, your landlord should give you one.  But if it's not available, you can buy this for $10 at the Library.  It's a green, plastic container into which you place your recyclables such as paper and bottles (plastic and glass).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SPPDgK4ZdvI/AAAAAAAADOM/b_cS7Nc9WG4/s1600-h/IMG_0168_edited.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SPPDgK4ZdvI/AAAAAAAADOM/b_cS7Nc9WG4/s400/IMG_0168_edited.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256760147515635442" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is a schedule for rubbish collection; you need to ask about this  from your landlord, neighbor, or from information centers such as the library.  In our case, it's on Mondays at around 8:30AM.  We bring out our rubbish after 5:30PM on Sunday.  The collection team for general rubbish collection is different from the recyclables team.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SPPDgLOTzmI/AAAAAAAADOE/QpYd-mi6RAI/s1600-h/IMG_0055.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SPPDgLOTzmI/AAAAAAAADOE/QpYd-mi6RAI/s400/IMG_0055.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256760147607539298" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I believe that this method of rubbish segregation works because you have a visual of where to put your recyclables and non-recyclables.  And since collection is once a week, people are motivated to dispose properly of their refuse or else they'd have a smelly kitchen or backyard.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Supporting the rubbish collection scheme are campaigns to make your own compost out of biodegradable stuff from the kitchen.  Some gardening stores even offer tutorials and you can buy your supplies from them to start and sustain a worm farm of a compost heap.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The council bag and kiwi bin concept may not work in our country, but we can still follow a similar theme in garbage segregation and actively support backyard composting.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;script type="text/javascript" src="http://del.icio.us/feeds/js/networkbadge/watson?icon=s"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[cross-posted in &lt;a href="http://www.nickballesteros.com"&gt;watson.online/&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-2846647175516340703?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/2846647175516340703/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=2846647175516340703' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/2846647175516340703'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/2846647175516340703'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/10/rubbish-collection-new-zealand-style.html' title='Rubbish collection, New Zealand style'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SPPDgOMstkI/AAAAAAAADOU/07GhkMwANxo/s72-c/IMG_0487.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-4056297283194094456</id><published>2008-10-12T18:19:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2008-10-12T18:38:17.505+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='advocacy'/><title type='text'>The Starbucks Irony</title><content type='html'>Starbucks is one of the more popular cafes around, and it has launched initiatives for providing clean, drinking water to impoverished countries.  An article was written about this in &lt;a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2005-08-02-starbucks-usat_x.htm"&gt;USA Today&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The irony is, the same company is being criticized for wasting huge amounts of water.  Here in New Zealand where a large number of areas still has drinkable tap water, this is indeed cause for alarm.  Starbucks outlets have something called a dipper well where water continously flows during work hours at the rate of 10 liters a minute.  This translates to 113 million liters a year in New Zealand alone.  Read more about this at &lt;a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/4720086a7693.html"&gt;Stuff&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While the water left running is apparently for sanitation reasons, there has to be another way to clean up utensils and not let the milk foam build up.  We do not have a limitless supply of drinking water.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-4056297283194094456?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/4056297283194094456/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=4056297283194094456' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/4056297283194094456'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/4056297283194094456'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/10/starbucks-irony.html' title='The Starbucks Irony'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-2196960460492166353</id><published>2008-10-08T13:43:00.005+08:00</published><updated>2008-10-08T13:50:18.233+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='reuse'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='recycle'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='advocacy'/><title type='text'>eDay 2008</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SOxKDmmwlHI/AAAAAAAADMA/N8mOjXyHrJM/s1600-h/eDay.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SOxKDmmwlHI/AAAAAAAADMA/N8mOjXyHrJM/s400/eDay.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254656290997703794" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Started in 2006, eDay was a community initiative with the goal of emphasizing the environmental impact of electronic trash.  Many of these include outdated computers and printers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;eDay provides a venue for an organized effort to pool resources in collecting electronics trash and informing the public that such waste does not belong in landfills where they can pose hazards.  Many of these can still be reused and recycled.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.eday.org.nz/"&gt;eDay&lt;/a&gt; is currently being observed in New Zealand only.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-2196960460492166353?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/2196960460492166353/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=2196960460492166353' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/2196960460492166353'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/2196960460492166353'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/10/eday-2008.html' title='eDay 2008'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SOxKDmmwlHI/AAAAAAAADMA/N8mOjXyHrJM/s72-c/eDay.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-1456304812435316863</id><published>2008-09-12T10:51:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2008-09-12T10:51:22.772+08:00</updated><title type='text'>Leaving on a jet plane...</title><content type='html'>I have not been able to update recently because we are in the midst of preparations... my family and I are bound for Wellington, New Zealand on Sept 16.  Malapit na... wish us luck!  More information &lt;a href="http://www.nickballesteros.com/2008/09/kindness-of-friends-and-strangers.html"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-1456304812435316863?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/1456304812435316863/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=1456304812435316863' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/1456304812435316863'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/1456304812435316863'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/09/leaving-on-jet-plane.html' title='Leaving on a jet plane...'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-1793486781351682739</id><published>2008-08-26T19:31:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2008-08-26T19:32:59.650+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='trek'/><title type='text'>Escape to Cagbalete Island in Mauban, Quezon</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcPdRBbyI/AAAAAAAADBg/OYA7Fysd2ks/s1600-h/IMG_0315.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcPdRBbyI/AAAAAAAADBg/OYA7Fysd2ks/s400/IMG_0315.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238772949674192674" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Where can you be so close to nature that you can't help but feel awed at the sight before you?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Where shells big and small are not just washed-up remnants of a life they once lived, but are instead teeming with crabs seeking their protection?  Where fish hastily glide by while you tread on their waters, and brittlestars take refuge amongst the rocks as the water recedes in tune with the low tide?  Where else does the ocean become calm, breaking the surface with only the slightest ripple?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Where else, but in Cagbalete Island!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cagbalete Island is part of the expansive Quezon province of which my wife also hails from.  Last weekend saw us at this wonderful island, a place so remote from the main islands that it has no electricity and yet it can be reached in about 7 hours by land and sea (at least, that's what our experience was; in some sites the trip is .  Our meeting set at 3AM, I did not dare sleep as I might miss the trip.  I was at already at Wendy's Buendia a few minutes early  but some even arrived much earlier.  Our party complete, we headed for the bus terminal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here is our itinerary in a nutshell:&lt;br /&gt;3:00 AM - Met at Wendy's Buendia, then proceeded to JAC Liner (P216.00 each)&lt;br /&gt;3:30    - Bus moves for Grand Terminal&lt;br /&gt;6:15    - Arrive at Grand Terminal, take a ride at the Mauban mini bus (P50.00 each)&lt;br /&gt;6:30    - Mini bus leaves for Mauban (there's a mini bus departing every 30 minutes)&lt;br /&gt;8:00    - Arrive at Mauban, time to go to market for supplies!&lt;br /&gt;       Don't forget to buy ice!  For your fish and meats.&lt;br /&gt;       Villa Cleofas has ice boxes.&lt;br /&gt;       Electricity is available at Villa Cleofas at 6:00PM - 1:00 AM&lt;br /&gt;You may just walk to the bangka (ask for directions from the locals), or rent a tricycle (P30.00 per person)&lt;br /&gt;       Go to the bangka as early as possible to get seats you want (P40.00 each)&lt;br /&gt;Tip the persons loading your things if you ask for their help.  They are a jolly, helpful lot.&lt;br /&gt;10:30   - Bangka leaves for Sabang port in Cagbalete Island.&lt;br /&gt;11:30   - Arrive at Sabang port&lt;br /&gt;       There is also ice here and stores in case you forget something.&lt;br /&gt;       Villa Cleofas had a bangka fetch our supplies and two of our company&lt;br /&gt;       was also able to hitch a ride at the bangka.  P200.00&lt;br /&gt;       The rest trekked across the island for 20 minutes non-stop.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Welcome to Villa Cleofas!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;The Grand Terminal&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPYuVb_YmI/AAAAAAAADAY/PfO4z5Kmpw0/s1600-h/IMG_0290.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPYuVb_YmI/AAAAAAAADAY/PfO4z5Kmpw0/s400/IMG_0290.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238769082102145634" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The boat transports not only people, but also goods.  It was exciting because I do not experience this everyday and you get a feel for local life.  Their language is the deeper version of Filipino but you'll manage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPYuhXBTwI/AAAAAAAADAo/QT8OxznkuR0/s1600-h/IMG_0298.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPYuhXBTwI/AAAAAAAADAo/QT8OxznkuR0/s400/IMG_0298.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238769085302525698" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The island is in view!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPYu9rFeUI/AAAAAAAADAw/CODWpD4inTo/s1600-h/IMG_0301.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPYu9rFeUI/AAAAAAAADAw/CODWpD4inTo/s400/IMG_0301.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238769092902877506" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;Sabang port.  A dinghy will escort you to shore (no charge)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPZTDdfa7I/AAAAAAAADA4/6s7YAzcHQB0/s1600-h/IMG_0306.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPZTDdfa7I/AAAAAAAADA4/6s7YAzcHQB0/s400/IMG_0306.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238769712931761074" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;Trek time!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPZTSpOYEI/AAAAAAAADBA/C7WGg_V7s80/s1600-h/IMG_0308.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPZTSpOYEI/AAAAAAAADBA/C7WGg_V7s80/s400/IMG_0308.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238769717007507522" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Villa Cleofas!  to the left is the big cottage where we stayed, at right is the dining area.  We cooked our meals using their gas range and their utensils and plates with a rental fee of P150.00 per use.  We were charged 30 pesos per head for entrance fee as well.  If you don't feel like cooking, ask Manang to cook for you and tip her.  She cooks real well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPZTQueoEI/AAAAAAAADBI/p0u7nMPmbwI/s1600-h/IMG_0311.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPZTQueoEI/AAAAAAAADBI/p0u7nMPmbwI/s400/IMG_0311.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238769716492673090" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Low tide was upon us when we arrived...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcuPqCaTI/AAAAAAAADCQ/h7dw6dxIO_o/s1600-h/IMG_0333.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcuPqCaTI/AAAAAAAADCQ/h7dw6dxIO_o/s400/IMG_0333.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238773478596962610" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcub6GosI/AAAAAAAADCY/E7b_j8vIFm8/s1600-h/IMG_0334.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcub6GosI/AAAAAAAADCY/E7b_j8vIFm8/s400/IMG_0334.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238773481885573826" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Low tide here is dramatic.  The water literally disappears!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcPpx2T9I/AAAAAAAADBo/fIagzHrd5kc/s1600-h/IMG_0318.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcPpx2T9I/AAAAAAAADBo/fIagzHrd5kc/s400/IMG_0318.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238772953033101266" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcuJD3QQI/AAAAAAAADCI/EIzC2_597bE/s1600-h/IMG_0323.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcuJD3QQI/AAAAAAAADCI/EIzC2_597bE/s400/IMG_0323.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238773476826235138" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcPkOVl4I/AAAAAAAADBw/dXiszZpF5v4/s1600-h/IMG_0319.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcPkOVl4I/AAAAAAAADBw/dXiszZpF5v4/s400/IMG_0319.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238772951541979010" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I was at the shore when I took this shot.  Look how far away that person is already, and the water is still so shallow!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcPj-rbmI/AAAAAAAADB4/8FbUnqPy4y0/s1600-h/IMG_0320.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcPj-rbmI/AAAAAAAADB4/8FbUnqPy4y0/s400/IMG_0320.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238772951476301410" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The black speck beyond is bonsai island, which can be reached by simply walking at low tide.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPZTfMz4RI/AAAAAAAADBQ/R9V9DmoSjhs/s1600-h/IMG_0312.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPZTfMz4RI/AAAAAAAADBQ/R9V9DmoSjhs/s400/IMG_0312.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238769720377991442" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Stranded boats&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPZTmrEreI/AAAAAAAADBY/hmXoR3lCK-I/s1600-h/IMG_0314.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPZTmrEreI/AAAAAAAADBY/hmXoR3lCK-I/s400/IMG_0314.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238769722383969762" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The sea is alive!  Hermit crabs, polyps, brittle stars (pictured below), fish, and plants abound.  You have to tread around carefully and  observe them.  It's wonderful just walking around looking at the abundance of life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcP6bY1iI/AAAAAAAADCA/T-Z2B5JgV2w/s1600-h/IMG_0322.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcP6bY1iI/AAAAAAAADCA/T-Z2B5JgV2w/s400/IMG_0322.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238772957502297634" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;If you want to take a bath at the sea and you are at Villa Cleofas, I suggest that you don't swim in this area.  Too many living things taking residence here.  Instead, turn left from Villa Cleofas, walk 800 meters, and you will get to a river mouth!  The river is waist-deep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cagbalete as viewed from the cottage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcuctgoVI/AAAAAAAADCg/0SYZafEk6rg/s1600-h/IMG_0335.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcuctgoVI/AAAAAAAADCg/0SYZafEk6rg/s400/IMG_0335.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238773482101186898" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My comment about the place?&lt;br /&gt;It is certainly different from Boracay and Puerto Galera, where nightlife and abundance of people and entertainment are the highlights.  Also very different from regular beaches where all you get is sand and water.  Cagbalete Island is something else.  It's quiet, you get to commune with nature, here time takes a slow turn and you can enjoy the peace and quiet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The last time I have ever been to a beach with so much life teeming around me was in Marinduque 14 years ago.  I was on vacation all by myself and I was staying with my grandmother.  I would go to the beach almost everyday for 2 weeks and swim around by my lonesome.  I loved it.  The water so clear, and in the afternoons, the setting sun would cast rays of light underwater....&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I felt the same thing for Cagbalete, although I did not have the chance to swim a lot.  I would have wanted to stay longer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Villa Cleofas staff are also very kind and helpful.  Their website is at &lt;a href="http://www.cagbalete.com/"&gt;www.cagbalete.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These photos came from my iPhone.  I will post more photos from my friends' cameras some other time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[cross-posted in &lt;a href="http://www.nickballesteros.com"&gt;watson.online/&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-1793486781351682739?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/1793486781351682739/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=1793486781351682739' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/1793486781351682739'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/1793486781351682739'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/08/escape-to-cagbalete-island-in-mauban.html' title='Escape to Cagbalete Island in Mauban, Quezon'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SLPcPdRBbyI/AAAAAAAADBg/OYA7Fysd2ks/s72-c/IMG_0315.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-3099862415549844993</id><published>2008-08-14T12:58:00.004+08:00</published><updated>2008-08-14T13:11:18.589+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='org'/><title type='text'>Birdwatching, anyone?</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;Ever wanted to take up an alternative hobby that requires outdoorsiness without the  rigours of jogging or trekking?  Why not take up birdwatching?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Luckily, an organization for this hobby is now alive and well in Manila.  Be amazed and discover how flourishing communities of birds live in and surrounding areas of Metro Manila.  There's nothing like going out there and having a first-hand experience at nature appreciation to see how Nature enriches our lives and what we must do to ensure that these will still be around for the appreciation of future generations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For more information on birdwatching and membership guidelines, visit the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines at &lt;a href="http://www.birdwatch.ph/"&gt;http://www.birdwatch.ph&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SKO9qSeLM4I/AAAAAAAAC-4/ammeKPZeqj0/s1600-h/Picture-13.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SKO9qSeLM4I/AAAAAAAAC-4/ammeKPZeqj0/s400/Picture-13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234235726145205122" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-3099862415549844993?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/3099862415549844993/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=3099862415549844993' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/3099862415549844993'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/3099862415549844993'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/08/birdwatching-anyone.html' title='Birdwatching, anyone?'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SKO9qSeLM4I/AAAAAAAAC-4/ammeKPZeqj0/s72-c/Picture-13.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-2650392977467716512</id><published>2008-07-30T18:51:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2008-07-30T18:52:59.502+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='place'/><title type='text'>Katibawasan Falls in Camiguin Island</title><content type='html'>Camiguin is truly blessed with rich natural resources, and it has a lot of water-themed tourist spots that entice locals and guests alike to dip into pools and spend the leisurely time away from the hustle-bustle of city life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Katibawasan Falls is located at the foot of Mt. Timpoong at Mambajao.  There is a wide, parking area near the entrance where souvenir stalls vie for your attention to purchase shirts and trinkets. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8WKh1fI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/EjeUwgcSI0A/s1600-h/IMG_7325.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8WKh1fI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/EjeUwgcSI0A/s400/IMG_7325.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228754970909726194" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Upon paying a minimal entrance fee, a short walk to the falls increases your anticipation as you hear the roaring waters and catch glimpses of the falls between foliage and trees. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBEu7csf0I/AAAAAAAAC2Q/ya75Lh3Uvyc/s1600-h/IMG_7293.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBEu7csf0I/AAAAAAAAC2Q/ya75Lh3Uvyc/s400/IMG_7293.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228754740399865666" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBEu_8DWII/AAAAAAAAC2Y/_emsIdILJs0/s1600-h/IMG_7296.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBEu_8DWII/AAAAAAAAC2Y/_emsIdILJs0/s400/IMG_7296.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228754741605128322" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The path eventually takes you to a ridge and beyond, a breathtaking view of Katibawasan Falls!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBEu_QFFtI/AAAAAAAAC2g/MFMs39NF5Ak/s1600-h/IMG_7298.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBEu_QFFtI/AAAAAAAAC2g/MFMs39NF5Ak/s400/IMG_7298.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228754741420693202" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8S8LnAI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/9PyKZLJ8wrU/s1600-h/katigbawasanfalls.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8S8LnAI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/9PyKZLJ8wrU/s400/katigbawasanfalls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228754970044242946" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's a majestic sight!  Measured at a drop of 250 feet, I have never seen a waterfall with such height!  Cameras clicked feverishly as people scrambled for the best location. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Actually, we did not intend to swim but the water was so inviting!  And so take a dip we did.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-cold-d-d-d-d-d-d-d.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8EvCDnI/AAAAAAAAC24/26tDbxMo9ZE/s1600-h/IMG_7318.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8EvCDnI/AAAAAAAAC24/26tDbxMo9ZE/s400/IMG_7318.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228754966230994546" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Eventually you get used to it somewhat, but then when you leave the pool, it's even c-c-c-c-c-colder-r-r-r-r-r-r.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8PJPEGI/AAAAAAAAC3I/ImMr2J3dd2I/s1600-h/IMG_7320.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8PJPEGI/AAAAAAAAC3I/ImMr2J3dd2I/s400/IMG_7320.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228754969025253474" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;My emote moment. Heh&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBEvPznZwI/AAAAAAAAC2w/gO5zmVvKSew/s1600-h/IMG_7310.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBEvPznZwI/AAAAAAAAC2w/gO5zmVvKSew/s400/IMG_7310.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228754745864709890" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It made me wonder how the top of the waterfalls look like.  It's amazing how the water topples off the mountain wall like it's coming from nowhere.  It was beautiful, enchanting, and relaxing all at the same time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8HsolXI/AAAAAAAAC3A/rfj80_MekZk/s1600-h/IMG_7319.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8HsolXI/AAAAAAAAC3A/rfj80_MekZk/s400/IMG_7319.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228754967026242930" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBEvDO38ZI/AAAAAAAAC2o/TCFnyxiDql0/s1600-h/IMG_7302.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBEvDO38ZI/AAAAAAAAC2o/TCFnyxiDql0/s400/IMG_7302.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228754742489379218" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Related Links:&lt;br /&gt;Wonderful photos at &lt;a href="http://linophotography.com/katibawasan-falls/"&gt;Lino Photography&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Camiguin Island information by the &lt;a href="http://www.hawaiianwebmaster.com/attractions.html"&gt;Hawaiian WebMaster&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[cross-posted in &lt;a href="http://www.nickballesteros.com"&gt;watson.online/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-2650392977467716512?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/2650392977467716512/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=2650392977467716512' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/2650392977467716512'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/2650392977467716512'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/07/katibawasan-falls-in-camiguin-island.html' title='Katibawasan Falls in Camiguin Island'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SJBE8WKh1fI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/EjeUwgcSI0A/s72-c/IMG_7325.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-8236262428380763669</id><published>2008-07-22T18:58:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2008-07-22T19:01:18.531+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='musings'/><title type='text'>Life finds a way</title><content type='html'>My parents planted these onions and to protect them from the chickens, they surrounded these with some bits of wood.  Lo and behold, the sticks have started sprouting leaves as well!  In the words of Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park), life finds a way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SIW9cvjdWWI/AAAAAAAACzs/6APGtLfpDuc/s1600-h/DSC_0146.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SIW9cvjdWWI/AAAAAAAACzs/6APGtLfpDuc/s400/DSC_0146.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225791244132505954" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-8236262428380763669?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/8236262428380763669/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=8236262428380763669' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/8236262428380763669'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/8236262428380763669'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/07/life-finds-way.html' title='Life finds a way'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SIW9cvjdWWI/AAAAAAAACzs/6APGtLfpDuc/s72-c/DSC_0146.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-7172831187843190689</id><published>2008-07-07T22:13:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2008-07-07T22:26:00.398+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='reduce'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='Energy'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='advocacy'/><title type='text'>DoTheGreenThing's July Task</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SHIllbHspjI/AAAAAAAACro/BkvsBMLdIQE/s1600-h/greenthing.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SHIllbHspjI/AAAAAAAACro/BkvsBMLdIQE/s400/greenthing.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220276242941257266" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The task for this month for DotheGreenThing members is quite easy to do:  when you're done using an electrical appliance, uplug it!  Putting it on standby doesn't help either, so make sure you turn it off, or better yet, unplug it. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So what things do we usually take for granted that's just plugged in there on standby while we think it's not guzzling any electricity?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1.  The computer.  Yep, we love using the computer in the office and at home.  And there's quite a considerable amount of time that it spends just sitting there, playing a screensaver no one's watching anyway.  Better unplug the thing.  You save the life of the laptop's battery in the long run, and you save up on electricity bills at home.  Take note of even the peripherals:  printers, speakers are the most common.&lt;br /&gt;2.  When you are nearly done with ironing clothes, unplug it.  There's enough heat left for the hankies.&lt;br /&gt;3.  Microwave ovens.  When you see the time flashing away, it's feeding on electricity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;About the only thing I can think of which cannot be unplugged is the ref.  What an awful waste it will be for spoiled food.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So go on ahead and register at &lt;a href="http://www.dothegreenthing.com/"&gt;Do The Green Thing&lt;/a&gt;.  It's a fun way of being green, and you can count your C02 savings!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-7172831187843190689?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/7172831187843190689/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=7172831187843190689' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/7172831187843190689'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/7172831187843190689'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/07/dothegreenthings-july-task.html' title='DoTheGreenThing&apos;s July Task'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SHIllbHspjI/AAAAAAAACro/BkvsBMLdIQE/s72-c/greenthing.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-9133346382901836625</id><published>2008-07-03T19:24:00.004+08:00</published><updated>2008-07-07T22:27:46.277+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='place'/><title type='text'>A snail on a rainy day</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SGy3UETkd8I/AAAAAAAACpY/TRGJG71955c/s1600-h/DSC_0141.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SGy3UETkd8I/AAAAAAAACpY/TRGJG71955c/s400/DSC_0141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218747623596652482" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;A snail on a rainy day near my parent's home in Crystal Cave in Baguio City, Philippines.  Something so simple, and yet something increasingly not so commonplace anymore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-9133346382901836625?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/9133346382901836625/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=9133346382901836625' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/9133346382901836625'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/9133346382901836625'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/07/snails-on-rainy-day.html' title='A snail on a rainy day'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SGy3UETkd8I/AAAAAAAACpY/TRGJG71955c/s72-c/DSC_0141.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-5330846212663924250</id><published>2008-06-24T18:43:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2008-06-24T19:03:08.254+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='reuse'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='reduce'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='recycle'/><title type='text'>Recycle your cans</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SGDQHP6XhLI/AAAAAAAAClQ/N35Z69nqdAY/s1600-h/IMG_0431.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SGDQHP6XhLI/AAAAAAAAClQ/N35Z69nqdAY/s400/IMG_0431.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215397191444038834" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cans are one of the more useful things that can have a second life after it has served its primary purpose.  A little creativity can go a long way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Did you know... that it takes a can of soda 20 years to recycle itself (which basically means rusting away and turning to dust).  A lot of these end up in the landfills.  Let us do our share in recycling cans.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I learned the above trivia from the TV Show Planet Green on National Geographic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here are some things you can do:&lt;br /&gt;1.  Sell it.  Soda cans are bought by the kilo.&lt;br /&gt;2.  Bigger cans may be &lt;a href="http://www.nickballesteros.com/2008/03/planting-season.html"&gt;converted into pots for your plants&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;3.  Decorate medium-sized cans with art paper and use as pen containers.  Just make sure that it's the kind without sharp edges.&lt;br /&gt;4.  Cover the milk can and slit a hole through its lid.  Voila!  A coin bank.&lt;br /&gt;5.  Punch a hole through the bottom of two cans, tie a cord through these to interconnect these cans, and you get a phone system!&lt;br /&gt;6.  Buy your powdered milk in foil packs and re-use the cans (although the foil packs become unwanted trash too. Hmmm).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With a bit of creativity, let's reduce the amount of trash we produce, starting with cans.  And it's even fun doing projects with your kids!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-5330846212663924250?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/5330846212663924250/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=5330846212663924250' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5330846212663924250'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5330846212663924250'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/06/recycle-your-cans.html' title='Recycle your cans'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SGDQHP6XhLI/AAAAAAAAClQ/N35Z69nqdAY/s72-c/IMG_0431.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-9032482249136149822</id><published>2008-06-19T13:27:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2008-06-19T13:45:38.365+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='news'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='advocacy'/><title type='text'>A Salute to Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto</title><content type='html'>When I saw the news some time ago about Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto initiating actions for the removal of the unused fish pens in Taal Lake.  She makes complete sense in this action, because she was not only thinking of the rehabilitation of the lake itself, but of the livelihood of the people as well.  This is in contrast with DENR Head Atienza who wants to dismantle all the fishpens in one sweep.  Where will that leave the people who are dependent on the lake?  It's just making one problem while trying to solve another.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She revealed in the TV interview that the movement in the local and national environmental agencies were slow to take action and so she initiated the movement.  But she will only have the unused fishpens dismantled at this initial stage, and is likewise in active participation with local groups to find alternative sources of livelihood for the people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And although the Tawilis, a freshwater sardine found only in Taal Lake and is one of only 2 species of its kind worldwide, was not mentioned, they might not know it but this will help the fish thrive in the lake.  The Tawilis is currently a threatened species due to overfishing and setting up of fish farms in the lake, competing with the finite food supply of the Tawilis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I salute you, Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto, for your environmental actions!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Related link:  &lt;a href="http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080513-136309/Vilma-Santos-seeks-other-livelihood-for-fish-cage-operators"&gt;"Vilma Santos seeks other livelihood for fish cage operators" at inquirer.net&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-9032482249136149822?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/9032482249136149822/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=9032482249136149822' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/9032482249136149822'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/9032482249136149822'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/06/salute-to-gov-vilma-santos-recto.html' title='A Salute to Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-5449227825502081897</id><published>2008-06-04T01:00:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2008-06-04T01:00:01.708+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='place'/><title type='text'>Manila Ocean Park</title><content type='html'>We visited Manila Ocean Park last April.  It took me some time sto blog about this because this was also the time I sorely missed my Canon camera, which went kaput only a few weeks prior to this adventure.  My brother just arrived from Jeddah on this day and we decided to visit some noteworthy places before we head out to Baguio, where he will surely be staying put for the rest of his vacation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Each adult costs 400 pesos.  Whew!  That's a lot of money.  But if you think about it, it does not cost as much as the ones in HongKong and Singapore.  Well, perhaps it's because those abroad have carnival rides and other attractions in them whereas ours is an oceanarium with some human conveniences built in such a hotel, mall, and restaurant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Still, even at 400 pesos per head, the place was jampacked!  We had to wait two hours to finally have our tour.   Here are some photos to tell the rest of our story.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPODw9_exI/AAAAAAAACbA/ROeloEHrWWI/s1600-h/IMG_0655.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPODw9_exI/AAAAAAAACbA/ROeloEHrWWI/s400/IMG_0655.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232158250269458" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOEg9_eyI/AAAAAAAACbI/azE9BhSDPQo/s1600-h/IMG_0657.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOEg9_eyI/AAAAAAAACbI/azE9BhSDPQo/s400/IMG_0657.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232171135171362" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOEw9_ezI/AAAAAAAACbQ/Jd7w-S2V8kY/s1600-h/IMG_0665.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOEw9_ezI/AAAAAAAACbQ/Jd7w-S2V8kY/s400/IMG_0665.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232175430138674" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOFA9_e0I/AAAAAAAACbY/SAK8fXKVf6Y/s1600-h/IMG_0668.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOFA9_e0I/AAAAAAAACbY/SAK8fXKVf6Y/s400/IMG_0668.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232179725105986" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The first stage is the outdoor aquariums.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOFQ9_e1I/AAAAAAAACbg/Z27CS3FuQSU/s1600-h/IMG_0669.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOFQ9_e1I/AAAAAAAACbg/Z27CS3FuQSU/s400/IMG_0669.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232184020073298" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Here, the guests can touch the starfish.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOWA9_e2I/AAAAAAAACbo/k2AmrJZytbU/s1600-h/IMG_0671.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOWA9_e2I/AAAAAAAACbo/k2AmrJZytbU/s400/IMG_0671.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232471782882146" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Nemo (a clownfish) and Dory (hmm... forgot what species she is) are very popular with the kids and adults alike.  Upon entering, everybody would wonder aloud, "where's  Nemo?"  and shrieks of delight would come from people who sees the clownfish.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOWQ9_e3I/AAAAAAAACbw/yEWoxtb8kk4/s1600-h/IMG_0685.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOWQ9_e3I/AAAAAAAACbw/yEWoxtb8kk4/s400/IMG_0685.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232476077849458" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOWg9_e4I/AAAAAAAACb4/LPKvHHeTXtY/s1600-h/IMG_0688.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOWg9_e4I/AAAAAAAACb4/LPKvHHeTXtY/s400/IMG_0688.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232480372816770" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOWg9_e5I/AAAAAAAACcA/tE977k2tRSQ/s1600-h/IMG_0706.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOWg9_e5I/AAAAAAAACcA/tE977k2tRSQ/s400/IMG_0706.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232480372816786" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Very beautiful collection.  This one below, was amazing.  It was huge!  Its tank was kept cold.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOWw9_e6I/AAAAAAAACcI/z_9Od4AsOGw/s1600-h/IMG_0710.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOWw9_e6I/AAAAAAAACcI/z_9Od4AsOGw/s400/IMG_0710.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232484667784098" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The nautilus!  One of my favorites.   Did you know that this was the inspiration for the submarine?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOlA9_e7I/AAAAAAAACcQ/Cp9UgdowmuQ/s1600-h/IMG_0715.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOlA9_e7I/AAAAAAAACcQ/Cp9UgdowmuQ/s400/IMG_0715.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232729480919986" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The deadly lionfish.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOlQ9_e8I/AAAAAAAACcY/05nnraE4ESc/s1600-h/IMG_0722.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOlQ9_e8I/AAAAAAAACcY/05nnraE4ESc/s400/IMG_0722.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232733775887298" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOlw9_e9I/AAAAAAAACcg/92mq_Df1Tm0/s1600-h/IMG_0725.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOlw9_e9I/AAAAAAAACcg/92mq_Df1Tm0/s400/IMG_0725.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232742365821906" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;There was this section of the park where huge aquariums are located and schools of fish swim effortlessly in groups.  It was mesmerizing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOlw9_e-I/AAAAAAAACco/bW_kqIEkvws/s1600-h/IMG_0731.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOlw9_e-I/AAAAAAAACco/bW_kqIEkvws/s400/IMG_0731.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232742365821922" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This photo is dark because flash photography is not allowed.  And I think I just used my iPhone for this one.  When you enter this tunnel, you can no longer go back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This place goes through the largest aquarium in the park, with sharks and large fish and stingrays swimming above and beside you.  Beautiful.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOmA9_e_I/AAAAAAAACcw/3nm4lUtuam0/s1600-h/IMG_0737.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOmA9_e_I/AAAAAAAACcw/3nm4lUtuam0/s400/IMG_0737.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232746660789234" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Now I know why the parks in HongKong and Singapore had a moving pathway in their tunnels.  So that people wouldn't linger.  As it happened here, the people stayed for the longest time in the tunnel watching the fish swim everywhere, making this the most congested area.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We were lucky!  A couple of divers went in to feed the stingrays and a shark of sorts.  The stingrays would glide by the diver and they would insert the fish into the mouth.  I think it's the poor &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;galunggong&lt;/span&gt; that's the meal of the day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOtQ9_fAI/AAAAAAAACc4/P_Fap4KU3qo/s1600-h/IMG_0747.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPOtQ9_fAI/AAAAAAAACc4/P_Fap4KU3qo/s400/IMG_0747.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207232871214840834" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Manila Ocean Park is quite a spectacle.  I am glad that we have one now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But of course, some minor quirks:&lt;br /&gt;1.  As with the other bloggers, I am not too happy about the starfish-handling section.  For one thing, nature appreciation and conservation is all about letting them be.  I think that letting the people just touch and get those starfish out of the water is sending the wrong message:  that we can simply catch these starfish when we see one in the wild.&lt;br /&gt;2.  The aquariums at the open air area were quite blurry with green algae growth.  I think it's because they're under the sun, and it's making the algae grow more rapidly than anticipated.  Isn't this bad for the fish?&lt;br /&gt;3.  I was supposed to say, fake or dead corals as added decor (whoops! there, I said it) but understandably, it will truly be very difficult to maintain live corals in aquariums in such a huge environment.&lt;br /&gt;4.  I did not manage to look at the restaurant's menu but if there are fish in it, then wouldn't that be ironic?&lt;br /&gt;5.  The place was not yet finished at the time of our visit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It will be great to see the place completed and surely more attention will be focused on nature conservation.  But overall, we enjoyed the trip.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[cross-posted in &lt;a href="http://www.nickballesteros.com"&gt;watson.online/&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;script type="text/javascript" src="http://del.icio.us/feeds/js/networkbadge/watson?icon=s"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-5449227825502081897?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/5449227825502081897/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=5449227825502081897' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5449227825502081897'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5449227825502081897'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/06/manila-ocean-park.html' title='Manila Ocean Park'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SEPODw9_exI/AAAAAAAACbA/ROeloEHrWWI/s72-c/IMG_0655.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-5857524300626519236</id><published>2008-05-30T14:44:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2008-05-30T14:45:59.284+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='Baguio'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='advocacy'/><title type='text'>The threatened woods in Baguio City</title><content type='html'>This is the woods that is threatened by destruction because of enterprising, greedy humans wanting to build more and more buildings in the city.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The trees here are only slightly older than I am.  I remember back in grade school when the young pine trees were planted.  Then year after year, I saw them grow together into what it is now: a beautiful piece of greenery near the city.  It is relatively untouched because a wall surrounds it.  But now, it is in danger of being converted into another cemented area.  Won't the Department of Environment and Natural Resources do something about it?  Mr. Atienza, is this going to be another Arroceros Forest Park?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SD-hBw9_enI/AAAAAAAACZw/Iaj4AUZZHPQ/s1600-h/IMG_0590.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SD-hBw9_enI/AAAAAAAACZw/Iaj4AUZZHPQ/s400/IMG_0590.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206056745960438386" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SD-hCA9_eoI/AAAAAAAACZ4/F87MWNqu5n4/s1600-h/IMG_0591.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SD-hCA9_eoI/AAAAAAAACZ4/F87MWNqu5n4/s400/IMG_0591.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206056750255405698" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;A small tourism office occupies a portion of the woods.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SD-hCA9_epI/AAAAAAAACaA/SREdStxCGA4/s1600-h/IMG_0595.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SD-hCA9_epI/AAAAAAAACaA/SREdStxCGA4/s400/IMG_0595.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206056750255405714" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This photo was taken near the UP Baguio entrance.  The Convention Center can be seen beyond the trees.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SD-hCQ9_eqI/AAAAAAAACaI/NmAAgQPeUFU/s1600-h/IMG_0597.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SD-hCQ9_eqI/AAAAAAAACaI/NmAAgQPeUFU/s400/IMG_0597.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206056754550373026" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Technorati tags: &lt;a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Baguio" rel="tag"&gt;Baguio&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[cross-posted in &lt;a href="http://baguio-quezon.blogspot.com"&gt;Baguio-Quezon&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-5857524300626519236?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/5857524300626519236/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=5857524300626519236' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5857524300626519236'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5857524300626519236'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/05/threatened-woods-in-baguio-city.html' title='The threatened woods in Baguio City'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SD-hBw9_enI/AAAAAAAACZw/Iaj4AUZZHPQ/s72-c/IMG_0590.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-5787054168985232679</id><published>2008-05-28T14:54:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2008-05-28T14:54:32.850+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='advocacy'/><title type='text'>Greenpeace fears deluge of ‘e-waste’ with Vista</title><content type='html'>MANILA, Philippines -- The international environmentalist group Greenpeace warned of a potential “deluge” of electronic waste or “E-waste” as companies and individual users replace their computers to achieve compatibility with Microsoft’s new Vista operating system.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Greenpeace cited a study conducted by US technology marketer SoftChoice Corporation of inventory data representing 112,000 PCs from more than 472 organizations, which showed that “50% of the PCs inventoried are below Windows Vista's basic system requirements” and “94% are not ready for Windows Vista Premium edition.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read on at &lt;a href="http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=47298"&gt;Inquirer online&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-5787054168985232679?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/5787054168985232679/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=5787054168985232679' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5787054168985232679'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5787054168985232679'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/05/greenpeace-fears-deluge-of-e-waste-with.html' title='Greenpeace fears deluge of ‘e-waste’ with Vista'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-7544786836455419214</id><published>2008-05-22T13:55:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2008-05-22T14:03:37.746+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='news'/><title type='text'>Cordillera watersheds in grave peril</title><content type='html'>LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET—Watersheds in the Cordillera Administrative Region are courting an environmental disaster and the government is being urged to launch a major rescue operation to stop the further decline in the region’s forest cover and water resources.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read on at the &lt;a href="http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080521-137848/Cordillera-watersheds-in-grave-peril"&gt;Inquirer.net&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-7544786836455419214?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/7544786836455419214/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=7544786836455419214' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/7544786836455419214'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/7544786836455419214'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/05/cordillera-watersheds-in-grave-peril.html' title='Cordillera watersheds in grave peril'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-5198362718357674420</id><published>2008-05-07T18:12:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2008-05-07T21:14:15.516+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='advocacy'/><title type='text'>New 7 Wonders of Nature</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SCGC6UT5TpI/AAAAAAAACM4/aDEecASpiOs/s1600-h/Picture+26.png"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SCGC6UT5TpI/AAAAAAAACM4/aDEecASpiOs/s400/Picture+26.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197579383358443154" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The race is on to determine the New 7 Wonders of Nature!  The exciting part here is that we have three candidates for this prestigious recognition.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is undeniable that our country is rich with natural resources.  The downside is, we are consuming these at a rate faster than it can ever replenish itself.  Rainforests are dwindling, and a lot of species of water, land, and air are either threatened or endangered due to poverty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But with international attention accorded to our natural resources, we may be able to get help elsewhere in generating sustainable livelihoods and save our nature because in the end, it is us and our children's future that we are actually saving.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Visit the &lt;a href="http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/"&gt;New 7 Wonders of the World&lt;/a&gt; website and you get to vote for 7 candidates.  Don't forget our three nominees!  These are:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chocolate Hills&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tubbataha Reef&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In order to vote, you need to input your e-mail address, then vote for your 7 Wonders.  You can vote for a nominee only once!  Voting ends on 31 Dec 2008.  I will wait for a little longer to get more Philippine sites listed in there.  I wonder why the Hundred Islands is not listed there... what to do?  Nominate!  Request for nomination of the Hundred Islands too!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks and let us support our nominees!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-5198362718357674420?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/5198362718357674420/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=5198362718357674420' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5198362718357674420'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5198362718357674420'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/05/new-7-wonders-of-nature.html' title='New 7 Wonders of Nature'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SCGC6UT5TpI/AAAAAAAACM4/aDEecASpiOs/s72-c/Picture+26.png' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-1249098664433528509</id><published>2008-04-29T00:26:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2008-04-29T00:31:15.617+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='vegetables'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='Baguio'/><title type='text'>Bitter gourd goodness</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5gCB8qdI/AAAAAAAACHY/fyyxLXXZngQ/s1600-h/IMG_6939.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5gCB8qdI/AAAAAAAACHY/fyyxLXXZngQ/s400/IMG_6939.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194332073937906130" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When the bitter gourd (ampalaya) sprouted at the corner of our small plot of land, we were surprised.  In that corner, we throw kitchen biodegradable stuff and the bitter gourd must have been one tough veggie to have started to grow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I was following its growth for the first couple of weekends, coaxing it to climb the nearby coffee tree.  Soon my mother-in-law had strategically placed some wires to help it along.  I saw the stage where the small, yellow flowers were turning into the vegetable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5XyB8qcI/AAAAAAAACHQ/MGFT1mTXY5w/s1600-h/IMG_6832.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5XyB8qcI/AAAAAAAACHQ/MGFT1mTXY5w/s400/IMG_6832.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194331932203985346" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I was not able to check it out for one weekend and so I was truly surprised when I was told that they were already able to harvest two good-sized ampalaya and had it for dinner!  We initially thought these were the baby bitter gourds but they were actually the regular ones.  Nice!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last weekend, I was able to see the plant.  It's growing rather well!  And the leaves are even bigger than the regular ones.  A couple of gourds were healthily growing along.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I was amazed.  I was actually spotted by the neighbor just standing there, staring at the growth.  She commented on how the ampalaya was nicely growing along.  They also tried to plant this, but did not have much success.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5XCB8qYI/AAAAAAAACGw/PDHUOPd0owU/s1600-h/IMG_0343.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5XCB8qYI/AAAAAAAACGw/PDHUOPd0owU/s400/IMG_0343.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194331919319083394" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just standing there, looking at the plant, made me realize how amazing the packaging of these veggies are.  You pick the fruit, throw the stuff that's not edible, and these things return to the soil, and the seeds even grow.  No wastage.  How incredible is that!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5XSB8qZI/AAAAAAAACG4/BWwd9JLofsI/s1600-h/IMG_0344.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5XSB8qZI/AAAAAAAACG4/BWwd9JLofsI/s400/IMG_0344.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194331923614050706" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our next experiment:  plant baby eggplants!  I bought these from the local market.  The seller said I should just have these dried, harvest the seeds, and plant them.  But my mother-in-law said that these were not yet ripe when picked, so the seeds are useless.  But still, I took some to Manila and have it dried there for experiment purposes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5XiB8qaI/AAAAAAAACHA/Nd1q9wSNwN0/s1600-h/IMG_0370.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5XiB8qaI/AAAAAAAACHA/Nd1q9wSNwN0/s400/IMG_0370.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194331927909018018" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5XiB8qbI/AAAAAAAACHI/gLMJaC193Ng/s1600-h/IMG_0371.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5XiB8qbI/AAAAAAAACHI/gLMJaC193Ng/s400/IMG_0371.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194331927909018034" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Technorati tags: &lt;a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Baguio" rel="tag"&gt;Baguio&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://technorati.com/tag/vegetables" rel="tag"&gt;vegetables&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;cross-posted at &lt;a href="http://www.baguio-city.net/2008/04/bitter-gourd-goodness.html"&gt;baguio-city.net&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-1249098664433528509?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/1249098664433528509/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=1249098664433528509' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/1249098664433528509'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/1249098664433528509'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/04/when-bitter-gourd-ampalaya-sprouted-at.html' title='Bitter gourd goodness'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SBX5gCB8qdI/AAAAAAAACHY/fyyxLXXZngQ/s72-c/IMG_6939.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-4020498115194968038</id><published>2008-04-24T23:06:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2008-04-24T23:31:26.997+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='Energy'/><title type='text'>Discovery Channel's Planet Green</title><content type='html'>Just last night, I was able to watch &lt;a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/"&gt;Discovery Channel's Planet Green&lt;/a&gt;, a TV show on our impact on the environment, what scientists are doing about it, and how we can be more green in our lives.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last night's episode was about renewable sources of energy.  The sun is still by far a powerful source of energy that we are not utilizing much of.  I should get a pen and paper next time I catch the next episode.  The facts and figures presented are simply amazing!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="fullpost"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then there's the use of hydrogen as an alternative versus fossil fuels.  Did you know that the sun is one big hydrogen ball?  Well, that's one of the concerns with hydrogen ... containing it and making it safe.  Well, one scientist in the US just discovered a way to do this.  It was by accident... he mixed aluminum with gallium to form an alloy.  Aluminum, when exposed to air, creates a film of aluminum oxide on its surface which prevents it from corroding.  Gallium strips off the protective layer. The scientist then accidentally dropped the aluminum rod into water.  This contact immediately resulted in a chemical reaction... the metal aggresively released bubbles: bubbles of hydrogen!  What a simple solution!  Tests are underway for this alloy to be mass-produced as pellets and then we can have hydrogen on demand!  All one needs is water to get to the hydrogen.  By end of 2008, we can see golf carts using this technology for starters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And then there was also a section on ethanol.  Here is a more complex story, because ethanol was being produced from corn kernels in Mexico whose people also use it extensively for tacos.  With the demand for ethanol came a price increase of corn, prompting the concern for sustaining both the environment and the basic needs of people: food.  And so scientist tried out ways to generate ethanol from biological waste products instead (wood shavings, vegetable and lawn matter).  What they came up with is a genetically-manipulated lacto bacilli that will turn these organic waste into ethanol.  Now, here is another issue in place, especially in our country where Catholicism has a strong influence and it totally disagrees with genetic manipulation.  But that is a different story altogether...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tune in to Planet Green on the Discovery Channel every Tuesday at 10PM for more mind-boggling green wonders!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Related links (didn't read these though):&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://media.cleantech.com/node/1205"&gt;Cleantech: Gallium and aluminum tigers in your tank?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.physorg.com/news98556080.html"&gt;Physorg.com: New process generates hydrogen from aluminum alloy to run engines, fuel cells&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-4020498115194968038?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/4020498115194968038/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=4020498115194968038' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/4020498115194968038'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/4020498115194968038'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/04/discovery-channels-planet-green.html' title='Discovery Channel&apos;s Planet Green'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772575638181253348.post-5787709247685438848</id><published>2008-04-16T18:42:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2008-04-16T18:43:47.954+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='Baguio'/><title type='text'>Back to the Orchidarium</title><content type='html'>We went back to the Orchidarium just last weekend top buy additional compost and herbs.  The pathway from the biking area entrance actually goes left and right; we usually take the right path which goes to the main entrance and the stores which we frequent.  But this time around, we tried the other path.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We were delighted by what we saw.  Landscaped areas!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;This is the entrance via the biking area&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SATGc9kXFtI/AAAAAAAAB9g/uofdLIsgweU/s1600-h/IMG_0890.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SATGc9kXFtI/AAAAAAAAB9g/uofdLIsgweU/s400/IMG_0890.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189490871503361746" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;The  left pathway leads to wide spaces and nice  landscape concepts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SATGddkXFwI/AAAAAAAAB94/lWSEq3o7w-c/s1600-h/IMG_0937.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SATGddkXFwI/AAAAAAAAB94/lWSEq3o7w-c/s400/IMG_0937.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189490880093296386" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SATGdNkXFuI/AAAAAAAAB9o/pxvHW5s_CHw/s1600-h/IMG_0912.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SATGdNkXFuI/AAAAAAAAB9o/pxvHW5s_CHw/s400/IMG_0912.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189490875798329058" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SATGdNkXFvI/AAAAAAAAB9w/p271LRD0hS4/s1600-h/IMG_0935.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SATGdNkXFvI/AAAAAAAAB9w/p271LRD0hS4/s400/IMG_0935.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189490875798329074" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read on at &lt;a href="http://www.baguio-city.net/2008/04/back-to-orchidarium.html"&gt;baguio-city.net&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7772575638181253348-5787709247685438848?l=inangkalikasan.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/feeds/5787709247685438848/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7772575638181253348&amp;postID=5787709247685438848' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5787709247685438848'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7772575638181253348/posts/default/5787709247685438848'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://inangkalikasan.blogspot.com/2008/04/back-to-orchidarium.html' title='Back to the Orchidarium'/><author><name>Nick Ballesteros</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NoTOWTAs1ow/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAJLA/1YASPDmeJbs/s512-c/photo.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wP8YbM3YjxQ/SATGc9kXFtI/AAAAAAAAB9g/uofdLIsgweU/s72-c/IMG_0890.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
