In My Library: James Michener - Alaska

"To the north lies Alaska, the vast, untamed land that master storyteller James Michener now reveals in all its awesome, sweeping majesty. The native peoples of Alaska have spent millions of lifetimes confronting the most fearsome elements of destruction-- the bitter winds of Mother Nature, the unlimited might of the great armies of the world. Here are the men and women who tried to tame the land, seize its bounty, and lay claim to the elusive spirit that holds native and visitor alike.'

'In a novel that ranges from the near-forgotten past to the highly technological present, from self-defense to self determination, here is Alaska's emotional, and at time violent, history. It is a stirring portrait of a human community living on the edge of the world, claiming a bold heritage of survival against all odds."

The reason I'm a Michener fan is because I get to learn a lot about a history of a place I never knew existed, or an event I never that happened. The challenge is to identify fact and fiction, but he interweaves the two seamlessly. What I'll never forget from this book is the story of the gritty men and women during the gold rush. I also get to learn that in the distant past, there were prehistoric animals called mastodons. I thought there were only dinosaurs.

This is the fourth Michener book I've read, and  this is not going to be my last.

On Being the Light

On Letting Go

On Life's Decisions: Abraham Maslow

Demonetized Philippine Bank Notes in My Collection

Currency: One Peso.
This paper bill was used as the medium of exchange during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines between 1942-1945.It features the Rizal monument in the Luneta Park, now Rizal Park.
Year: 1943

Don't Step on the Ducks

Three women asked St. Peter at the the Pearly Gates for entry, but got a surprise condition: Don't step on the ducks.

"What have we got to loose?" the three agreed. So they signed the consent form-- and the gates opened. The place was more than they expected. Eye has not seen nor ear heard the joys that the Lord prepares for those who loved him.

There were also ducks all over. A week later, one lady got careless and trampled on a duck. In a split second, St. Peter appeared. Without word, he handcuffed the erring lady to the ugliest man they've seen and left.

Three days later, the second lady squashed a duck. In a split second, the same drilled happened. Only this time, the other end of the handcuff was uglier. 

The third woman became very careful. Months passed without incident. Suddenly, St. Peter appeared with a strikingly handsome man.

"Is this a reward?" the woman cooed.

"I don't know about you lady," the man said. "But I stepped on a duck."

On Change: Tim Rohn

On Death

" Death is not the extinguishing of life.
  It is putting out the lamp because dawn has come."

- Rabindranath Tagore

" Be a rose which gives its fragrance even to those who crushes it."

- Imam Ali

On Being Positive

"I will love the sun for it warms my bones; 

  yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. 

 I will love the light for it shows me the way; 

  yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. 

 I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart;

   yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.

 I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due;

  yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."

- Og Mandino ( from The Greatest Salesman in the World)

The Sinulog Grand Parade

Every January, Cebu City celebrates the Sinulog Festival, which is in honor of the child Jesus or the Sto. Niño. It culminates every third Sunday of that month with the Grand Parade that is  full of pomp and pageantry. Aside from experiencing culture, the occasion is also good photo ops for photographers, the tourists and the locals. Some of the participants are from other provinces. The floats and costumes evolve so there is always something new for everyone year after year.

 The Costumes

                            

                           

Truth of the Matter

Here's another joke emailed to me by a friend:

There were two evil bothers. They were rich, and used their money to keep their evil ways from the public eye. They even attended the same church, and appeared to be perfect Christians.

Then, their pastor retired, and a new one was hired. Not only could the new pastor see right through the brothers' deception, but he also spoke well and true, and the church membership grew in numbers. A fund- raising campaign was started to build a new assembly.

All of  sudden, one of the brothers died. The remaining brother sought out the new pastor the day before the funeral and handed him a check needed to finish paying for the new building.

I have only one condition," he said. "At the funeral, you must say that my brother was a saint." The pastor gave his word, and deposited the check.

The next day, the pastor did not hold back. "He was an evil man," he said, "He cheated on his wife and abused his family". After going on like this, he finally concluded, "but, compared to his brother, he was a saint."

On Making Things Happen

"A head full of fears has no space for dreams."

- Anonymous

On Being Positive

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light."

- Aristotle Onasis

On Making Your Mark

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead 
where there is no path and leave a trail." 


- Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Cross Stitch: Two Mustangs

I finally completed this design called Two Mustangs

* Design size: 15 x 11.25
* Cloth: Aida #10
* Thread: Anchor
* Number of colors used: 21

TV Series Quotes: Dracula

On Life

" We are like pencils. The best part of us is inside. We make mistakes, we erase.
 But we become a better person as we are sharpened."

- Anonymous

On the Truth

"A lie may fool someone else.
 But it will tell you the truth:
 You are weak."

-Tom Wolfe ( The Bonfire of Vanities)

Loboc, Bohol

Loboc town in Bohol is a place popular for its floating restaurants and the angelic voices of the Loboc Children's Choir. But other than those popular attractions, only a handful knew that this place has a lot more to offer than what they are known for.

The man-made forest

A part of the stretch of the man-made forest is located in this town. Just a few year's back, this area has been made as one of tour stops for photo ops. As a kid, I've travelled this road in the 90s to visit my grandparents who lived several towns farther. I remembered that the forest was lush despite the trees getting older. I also remembered that there used to have monkeys that would jump from tree to tree which was always a child's delight. Sadly, there are none of these in recent times.

A recent development in this town is the zoo which they sweetly named ZooColate Thrills, a shout out to Chocolate Hills, Bohol's main attraction. Their collection of animals are not much, but to those who rarely go to zoos, anything would be a delight. They have three Bengal Tigers and one of them is named Tiggy. They also have a monkey, a civet cat, a set of eagles, a pony, a turtle and an ostrich. There's a guide that will go with your group as you roam around the zoo to introduce you to the animals.

After the the zoo trip, we passed by the Loboc River where the floating restos ply. However, during the time that we went there, no restaurant passed.

We then proceeded to Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park. They they offered a zipline ride and and a cable car ride.The ride is to go to the other mountain an have to pass above the great Loboc River. None in our group were dauntless enough to try it, but we tried out the cable car. The ride is just like one to two minutes, but it sure feels like more than that. Even if my mates were screaming their hearts out, my knees were still shaking. The ride is totally safe, but the harness/ seat belt did not stop my mind from thinking that in case we fall, that would be the last of us. The P350.00 fee was for a two-way ride, and when we finished the ride, it seems that we'd wanted to try it again. We did not.

Loboc is about an hour's ride from the capital,Tagbilaran City.

Loboc River - the route for the floating restaurants

At the zoo. This train is actually just for photo ops. 

 Tiggy

The Animals at the Zoo Colate Thrills

The Cable Car Ride- notice how far they've come from. The girl in black is not afraid of heights.

And its our turn for the ride. We were going to that speck on the other side.

That is where we came from. We disembarked from the car and has to turn around 360 degrees for the return trip.

This is what we saw from up above. Aside from the restrictive belt, I was too scared to move even a bit to take pictures.

The Loboc church building was ruined by the October 2013 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the region.The church is one of Philippines' oldest.