Baguio-Quezon

Last weekend, we visited the Strawberry Festival in La Trinidad, Benguet, which is less than half an hour away from Baguio City. The festival features a market showcasing not just strawberry products, but crafts and other products as well.

Technorati tags: Baguio

Posted in: Benguet, celebration, fruits, La Trinidad on Thursday, March 27, 2008 at at 6:30 PM 0 comments  

On Good Friday last week, we observed the Station of the Cross at the Lady of Lourdes Church near Burnham Park.





Technorati tags: Baguio

Posted in: family, Lent, Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at at 5:26 PM 0 comments  

My first vivid memory of the Holy Week when I was a kid was when we did the stations of the cross along the Baguio Cathedral grounds back in grade school. Baguio City is not very traditional in the sense that the Pabasa (singing of the Passion of Christ) and the Dula (play) is not being performed. About the only observances I have seen as a manifestion of Catholic tradition are the stations of the cross, the praying of the rosary, Palm Sunday, and some Easter Sunday celebrations as popularized by the Americans. I realize it now that in Baguio, the Holy Week manifests itself as mixed influences from the Spanish rule and the American occupation.

Here are some photos of the Palm Sunday as we observed it last weekend.

Technorati tags: Baguio, Palm Sunday

Posted in: Cathedral, Lent on Thursday, March 20, 2008 at at 12:01 AM 0 comments  

His subject was one of the more interesting things in first year at SLU Boys High. He introduced us to Baden Powell - the founder of scouting - and taught us a marching song with the lyrics "walking with BP" in it. Though I was not a boy scout, the name of Baden Powell stuck and I imagined how it would have been great to go on camping trips and practice what is taught you on tying ropes and such in the great outdoors. As such, we were kept mainly in the classroom since we weren't really scouts. But still, this component of the Youth Development Program capturd my imagination.

Mr. Dick Kitma was the reason why Scouting became such an adventure, even if it was held indoors. He loved his job, and it showed in how he taught his students. His enthusiasm was contagious.

When I saw this in the Obituaries last weekend, memories of more than 20 years ago flooded back. He always had a smiling face and was one of the better teachers of his time.

Thank you, sir, for the lessons and for making school an adventure.


Technorati tags: Baguio, Boys High

Posted in: Boys High on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at at 12:32 AM 0 comments  

On 29 March 2008 the Philippines will join countries around the world as we literally "turn the lights out" for Earth Hour - an event that will fuel awareness on climate change and prove that when the people of the world work together, they can make a difference in the fight against global warming.

Earth Hour will take place throughout the Philippines from 8 to 9 in the evening on Saturday, 29 March 2008. WWF invites you to participate by shutting off lights for 60 minutes, organizing your own "lights-out" event or by forwarding this mail to your friends, workmates and family.

Launched in Australia on the 31st of March 2007, Earth Hour moved 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour. This massive collective effort reduced the city's energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour. With Sydney icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off and unique events such as weddings by candlelight, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, many major global cities are joining Earth Hour in 2008, turning a symbolic event into a global movement.

YOUR participation will go a long way in spreading the message that we, as individual droplets working collectively - can create an impetus far more powerful than the mightiest of rivers. For more information, log on to the WWF Earth Hour page at: www.earthhour.org.

If you want to learn more about how else you can help make Earth Hour in the Philippines a success, reply to this email or drop us a line at (632) 920-7931, (632) 920-7923, or (632)920-7926

Technorati tags: advocacy, Earth Hour

Posted in: advocacy on Monday, March 17, 2008 at at 1:01 PM 0 comments  

Last Sunday afternoon, good friend Leo texted us and invited us for a simple get-together for the night. We agreed to meet at SM at 7:30PM, where he would like to treat us at Cordillera Coffee. Hey, that's a new place. At least for us. And who wouldn't want free coffee?

It turns out that Leo was enticed by the shop's marketing scheme of having this set of coupons that you can redeem for discounts and freebies. So rather than using it by his lonesome, he's invited us along.

As we walked beside SM in the cold evening, Leo revealed that he has actually been to Cordillera Coffee before and unfortunately the service was not so good. He was hoping it will be better the second time around.

So how was the service, you may ask? Well... our food arrived on time, but there were mix-ups with our drinks. And then I asked for my fork a couple of times, we asked for water about 4 times, we kept asking for our bill until we grew tired of following it up and trooped to the counter instead to pay. The seats were only 40% occupied at that time. Just imagine how it will be during peak hours!

Our consolation: the cool evening air, strong coffee, and free Wi-Fi.

Technorati tags: Baguio, SM, food

Posted in: on Thursday, March 13, 2008 at at 12:05 AM 10 comments  

The University of the Cordilleras' faculty and admin in Baguio City held their annual family day last weekend. It was a circus-like theme, with clowns and acrobats performing to the delight of the kids and grown-ups alike.

Hmm... this clown reminded me of Stephen King's "It", unfortunately.

More photos at the Kaleidoscope blog.

Technorati tags: Baguio

Posted in: University of the Cordilleras on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at at 12:20 PM 0 comments  

Strawberries are in season! Perfect when simply washed and served plain, with a cream dip at the side. Baguio City is popular for this fruit.

Did you know that...
- the strawberry originated from the UK?
- the seeds are the actual fruits of the plant?

These, and other information, are available at Wikipedia.

I will definitely try my hand at making strawberry jam before it becomes off-season again.

Technorati tags: Baguio, strawberry

Posted in: fruits, strawberry on Friday, March 07, 2008 at at 5:05 PM 0 comments  

The Baguio City Athletic Bowl has admittedly seen better days. While the nearby tennis courts are more alive than ever, the same cannot be said of the track and field oval. The sandy pathway has been overrun by grass. Perhaps Mother Nature said, if you guys don't want it, then I might as well take it back.

Well, the local government wants the Athletic Bowl back. I have read in the local papers that the administration of Burnham Park (including the Bowl has been handed over to Baguio City. I did not know that the park was under the Philippine government! Now that's interesting. And the Baguio City government has plans to renovate the Athletic Bowl and turn it into a baseball field with multi-purpose areas for other sports. Here are some photos for posterity sake. Let's see what will be the outcome of the renovation, hopefully soon enough. With the cool climate, i'm sure the Athletic Bowl can be a premier destination for sports events.

Beyond the bleachers, one can see the University of the Cordilleras, and the SM mall.

Posted in: Athletic Bowl on Tuesday, March 04, 2008 at at 5:50 PM 0 comments