6 Million Dollar Home!

Super early Christmas gift from Danny! Woohoooo! Thanks, honey! :D

Zoobic Safari and Ocean Adventure

Two (2) places you should visit at Subic when you have little kids: Zoobic Safari and Ocean Adventure.

Zoobic Safari

Entrance Fees: PhP395 for adult and PhP295 for kids above 3 feet, plus [not really] optional charges as you go along the tour. Sweet! :D The Bird Thrill. This is where the tour starts. The Rodent World (eeew! :D)

First time I ever saw camels! Wee! :D Simba!
Then off to Tiger Safari, the Zoo's main attraction! You get to choose to bring your own car to get to other parts of the park or pay PhP50 per head to experience this tiger-inspired train..hehe. The weather was so hot, so thank you, but no thanks! :D This is the jeep that will take you to the tigers! For PhP200 each, you can buy chicken to get at least one tiger to come near the jeep. Don't worry, someone will do the feeding for you. :D

This one probably just had lunch... Aetas' Trail. Here you'll be treated with tribal dance performance by Aetas living in the area.
The Dragonfly DanceThe Monkey Dance (According to our guide, si Usher daw ng Zambales..hehe)Croco Loco. If I heard it right, the zoo's collection of crocodiles all came from Palawan.

Ocean Adventure

Entrance Fees: PhP500 (adult), PhP420 (kids, regardless of height..hehe), FREE (babies..hehe uli). The place is so hot and humid so I suggest you wear comfortable clothes and bring a fan..hehe. [Thanks, Mark for taking this family photo!]Ocean Discovery Aquarium (super dooper mini version of the aquarium at Manila Ocean Park) Dolphin Friends Show
Rap, Jump and Roll. We all enjoyed this show. Sea Lion Marine Patrol

You can visit Zoobic Safari and Ocean Adventure in one whole day, but if you plan to stay overnight at Subic, you can try By The Sea Resort, which is about 10 minutes drive from SBMA. The place is located, well, by the sea (hehe), has a swimming pool, a restaurant that serves good food, and is wifi-ready.

Vintage Photos

..because I am such a lucky girl, a friend gave me his copy of National Geographic's 100 Best Vintage Photographs, yay! Thanks Don, ang bait mo talaga! :D

Ondoy, Part IV: Supply vs. Demand

Brgy. Hagonoy, Taguig
06 October 2009

Taguig, still submerged in flood water

residents coping with the situationheartbreaking, isn't it? :'( - their house is probably still submerged in waterher turn to grab some sleep, maybe the 'pail of hope', as I call it..not everybody, however, went home filled with HOPE residents from another barangay in Taguig learned about our relief operations and flocked to the 'distribution area' begging for relief goods Unfortunately, we only brought relief goods for about 400 families/residents of Brgy. Hagonoy and this sight was just overwhelming!

We went home yesterday with mixed emotions. Sad, because of the still depressing situation of some of our 'kababayans' who were devastated by Ondoy. Happy, because we were able to bring smiles to residents of Barangay Hagonoy. Apprehensive, because we almost got mobbed by residents from another barangay in Taguig pleading for relief goods - but really, can we blame them for just wanting to survive?

I am still hopeful that with the enormous help coming from a lot of good-hearted individuals/organizations out there, the lives of all those who were affected by Ondoy will soon be back to normal.

One at a time. One at a time.

Ondoy, Part III: Reaching Out

I joined one of the distribution teams we had yesterday (02 October 2009) and we distributed around 400 pails of relief goods, bottles of distilled water and blankets/towels to residents of Bayanihan Village & Brgy. Tribu, Cainta, Rizal. Here are some photos I took:

Cainta residents swarming our container van loaded with relief goods - sadly, they were not the intended recepients of the relief goods we brought yesterday :(Residents running towards an arriving relief truck from another organization's relief operationsresidents of Bayanihan Village and Brgy. Tribu, Cainta and PEZA distribution team still recovering from Ondoy's fury It may look funny, but he probably wasn't able to save any of his clothes during the typhoon

si Lola..getting her relief goods, maybe for her grandchildren..For us parents, I think in these times of tragedy, we don't think too much about ourselves..

...we are more concerned about our kids, especially the little ones..

We don't want them getting hungry or sick..

..we don't want to see them lonely or scared..

...we just want them to be ALWAYS happy!We hope that the little help we brought gave them a little HOPE. Really, it was nice to see their happy faces and hear their grateful hearts.Yes, the 'distribution' was tiring...but very rewarding. :) Thanks again to all the sponsors/donors! God will surely bless your kind hearts! :)

Ondoy, Part II: Despair and Hope

"Tonight, I can write the saddest lines.
Write, for example, 'The night is shattered
and the blue stars shiver in the distance'." - Pablo Neruda

News about the damage and loss of lives caused by typhoon Ondoy really broke my heart. I feel so blessed that I wanted to reach out to the victims and help in any possible way I can. What amazed me was everyone's willingness to share their time, energy, and resources to those who were greatly affected by the typhoon. In our office, we started our own relief operations and we solicited donations from willing individuals and corporations. Here are some of the relief goods that we are currently distributing to affected areas:

Bigas and other basic food items Distilled Water
Detergent (and shampoo, soap, alcohol, etc.)towels and blankets to keep 'em dry and warm

All set for distribution :D
happy to help :D

Yes, there is always hope. :)