r&r « another day in kate’s twisted paradise

Pop Art Ba Ito?

Last week, my friends and I went to Anawangin and Capones Island to enjoy the long weekend of our dear nation. Of course, it was FUN!

I was not as camera addict as I was during my first trip to Anawangin, plus the camera I used extensively – Kodak V1253 digicam – gave me images with red strips, so there I got only a few really good shots.

Some of the few good shots I had was taken with that digicam. It’s almost heartbreaking to send them to trash. Thanks to Adobe Photoshop, the interest of my friend Shei, plus some tutorials in the web, here are some of them.

The cast of the Capones Island-Anawangin Zambales February 24-25 Trip:

Donald, the organizer

Kate kulet, hindi halatang makulet

Roland, pwedeng mag-swimming instructor

Ed, the master

JD, the law student

Bebang, still my favorite subject

March 3, 2008 Posted by Kate | anawangin, capones, drawings & images, friends, photos, r&r, travel, zambales | | No Comments Yet

5 out of 5, and more

The UP Rifle Pistol Team is another reason for me to apply for the graduate studies in econ. Huhuhu, deadline of application is on Monday, yet I still don’t have a decent essay of why I want to apply and I still don’t have recommendations. That’s another story.

Last night, I went to UP Fair with Marcie, Bebang and Ed. Not as so fun as it used to be. (Maybe because I am — and should be — losing that college feel already; or that I don’t know the bands — it’s fun to hear Kadangyan from a distance, anyway; or that there are less activity booths this time.) But, still FUN (despite some heightened personal arguments on my way home — and that’s another story again.)

How would I not enjoy it when I was able to shoot five out of the five tiny targets of the UP RPT in their rifle shooting booth?! The last time (and that’s the only time) I tried shooting in their booth was about four years ago, where I missed only one target.

The RPT member who guided me was Ina, a sweet young lady who somehow managed to pressure me to shoot all the five targets. It almost felt like forever trying to find a comfortable position or stance or whatever to shoot the last standing little piece of wood shaped like a super small animal (was that wood?). By that time, my hands (and arms and legs) were already shaking and hard to control from the weight (and pressure) of that heavy rifle. I managed it. Ang tagal nga lang. Whoa!

So I got a bullet keychain. Yabang!

P.S. Ina, did I remember your name right? Peace!

Astig pa rin ang UP Fair

I maintain another blog for the trips, event, celebrations and whatever happenings around me in this country. Prior to my (re-)posting of the 2008 UP Fair schedule, and that’s for about two months, my blog had an average of only four pageloads per day, or 292 in all. After that and until now, for only about two weeks, my blog got 742 hits or an average of 62 pageloads per day! ‘Recent keyword analysis’ proves that the sudden upsurge of pageloads is due to ‘up fair schedule.’

Oh, di ba?! That’s how UP Fair is loved. That’s to show that probably, it’s the only topic I’ve posted that many people think is worth posting. I’ll still write more about anything, anyway. I can’t be stopped! Hahaha!

February 16, 2008 Posted by Kate | UP, celebrations, environment, r&r | | No Comments Yet

The Pawikan Craze

In spite of everything, I joined the 2007 Pawikan Festival!

Click here for the full article.

Elison Hotel, Balanga, Bataan. This was where we stayed for the night.

While waiting for the Walk to start.

The Walk for a Cause, joining the force of the LANDBANK in Bataan, with scenic view feasting my eyes and senses.

At the Conservation Center in Nagbalayong.

A little baby pawikan in the hands of a young lady.

Bebang’s Chikiting waiting for the mini bus in Nagbalayong plaza.

In the old mini bus that we rode on our way to SBMA.

QUICK INFO

Transportation:

We took a cab — P105. Cheaper method — Take the MRT and alight at the Taft Station. The bus terminal is at the north-bound side of EDSA.

We rode the Genesis bus to reach Balanga — P136. In Balanga Genesis terminal, we took a tricycle to go to our hotel — P24 at P8 each.

From Balanga to Morong, we took the bus ride arranged by the tourism office. That was a long one-hour ride for a hungry person like me.
Accommodation:

We were supposed to camp in Morong. However, at 11:00 PM there was no transportation available anymore to get us there. Hence, we stayed for a while in a local hotel. Courtesy of the Bataan Tourism Office, we were booked at Elison Hotel.

The hotel was quite expensive for our budget — P1,350 for the three of us.
That’s an air-conditioned room with two beds, with an extra cushioned folding bed, cable TV, hot water, a couple packs of bath essentials and a nice comfort room.

Food:

For the Thursday dinner, we had Jollibee.

For the Friday breakfast, we had small ube breads in packs of 6 — P6 each or P12 for the two packs.

For the early lunch, we had pasta at a local small carinderia in Nagbalayong — P10 each for the pasta (palabok and spaghetti), P5 each pancake, and P7.50 for a bottle of Cheers. Our total bill was P55 — very affordable. The people were very warm, too.

Wait for the full blast chronicle of our trip when Ed and Bebang finally upload our pics.

December 3, 2007 Posted by Kate | bataan, environment, friends, pawikan, photos, r&r, tourism, travel, vacation | | No Comments Yet

Pawikan Festival

I haven’t seen a live pawikan yet. If they were in the zoo when I was a little kid, then maybe I already had. Still, I love them. Probably because of some little facts I have learned from a training I had a few years back.

I am not from Bataan. I don’t even have relatives or close friends there (as far as I know). I just want to post here and share to the world that hey, we have a Pawikan Festival in the Philippines! (I received this invitation through my e-mail as I contacted them months ago — for work. Cool. Hehe.)

So check this:

THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF BATAAN

in cooperation with

BATAAN TOURISM COUNCIL FOUNDATION, MUNICIPALITY OF MORONG, BANTAY PAWIKAN, INC. and ROCKED

invites you to the

PAWIKAN FESTIVAL 2007

November 29-30, 2007

Pawikan Conservation Ceneter

Brgy. Nagbalayong,

Morong, Bataan

Introduction:

Established in September of 1999, the Community-based Pawikan Conservation in Bataan, Philippines depicts a picture of how big a small community effort translates development – man working for nature for a healthy co-existence not only for the present but for the future. A community of poachers and turtle egg collectors now transformed into marine turtle conservation advocates is continuously taking on the challenge of protecting and conserving the remaining Olive Ridley species, the smallest of the eight species in the world. For a long period, eggs of these endemic marine turtles were collected while some nesters were poached that served as one primary source of livelihood for the community. The meager income provided by the trade helped them to send their kids to schools, buy food, pay their debts among many others notwithstanding the damage they were inflicting to the balance of the marine biodiversity. Over time, nesters became fewer and the nesting season became shorter.

Now, after a few years of the project framed in an in-situ conservation scheme and highlighting the importance of community participation after a comprehensive capacity building work, the endangered turtles are slowly flourishing. This time, their fate lies in the hands of the people who use to exploit them now equipped with the awareness of their importance in the marine ecosystem, the community’s most important life-support base. Since 1999, the Bantay Pawikan had released more than 40,000 hatchlings back to the sea.

The Pawikan Festival

For the past years, the Bantay Pawikan, Inc. and the Morong local government unit have been conducting the Pawikan Festival during the last week of November. Now on its third year, the Bataan Tourism Council Foundation, Inc. in cooperation with the Provincial Tourism Office, had organized series of activities that aims to generate awareness and gather funds for the continuous development and rehabilitation of the conservation center. This symbolic celebration will hopefully bring sustainable progress to Bataan in terms of safeguarding the natural environment and unify people from all walks of life under the preservation program.

DAY 1 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES



7:00AM–12:00NN    STREET DANCE COMPETITION

                                      Morong Town Plaza



9:00 AM                 VOLLEYBALL   (Elimination)

9:00 – 10:00 AM        NATURE’S CAMP

2:00 – 3:00 PM           (Lecture & Film Showing)

3:30 – 4:30 PM

7:00 – 11:00 PM       PAWIKAN PATROLLING

DAY 2 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES



5:00 AM    ”SAVE THE PAWIKAN” WALK FOR A CAUSE  (Nagbalayong      Highschool to Pawikan Center)

8:00 AM   RELEASING OF PAWIKAN HATCHLINGS

9:00 AM   KITE FLYING COMPETITION

9:00 AM   BEACH VOLLEYBALL COMPETITION (Finals)

9:00 AM   SAND SCULPTURE COMPETITION

9:00 AM   PADDLE PAINTING CONTEST

10:00 -11:00 AM    NATURE’S CAMP

2:00 – 3:00 PM       (Lecture & Film Showing)

4:00 – 5:00 PM       Pawikan Conservation Center



3:00 PM                 BODY PAINT CONTEST



7:00 PM                 BEACH CONCERT featuring the CHILLITEES, SOUND and other MANILA ARTISTS



For any queries pls. contact the Provincial Tourism Office/ BTCFI Secretariat at (047) 237 4785/ 237 4476/ 0919 481 3959 or email: tourism_bataan@yahoo.com,  and look for Ms. Rochelle R. Palaypay.

You could also visit our website   http://www.bataan.gov.ph/ for downloadable forms and details.

Explore…Experience… and Enjoy… Bataan