Mt. Malaraya

My second mountain!
In this climb last June 22 '09, I officially hated ropes and had enough of bugs for a lifetime, but renewed my love for buko juice!

Wakeboarding (or something like it)

Our visit to the world-famous CWC.

The visit can be described in one word: bitin!

Coral Red Beauty

My apologies, I understand that we should have not touched this coral much more remove it from its natural habitat. 

I will try to wash my hands of this crime by saying that I have no knowledge of it. I went up the boat after snorkling and found our boatman with the coral in his hand. I won't deny I was happy to see it, my fascination apparent in the number of photos i took of the poor creature. I asked Manong to put it back but he said it was dead the moment he lifted it out of the water.

I vow to not let this happen again under my watch in any of my travels. It's the least I can do to help protect such a rare beauty.

I am truly sorry for offending Mother Nature and all that love her wonderful creation!

A mad dog for Slumdog!

I freaking loved Slumdog Millionaire! I hope this love spreads like rabies and everyone gets to see this marvelous picture. The film offers bursts of laughter, intermittent pangs of pain, flashes of realization but always with hope. The hope that makes you root for the brothers (Jamal’s indomitable spirit more than Salim) to pull through each and every misadventure. The same hope you’d like to have for yourself that there is a good reason why you do the things you do. The only question is whether India’s most famous saying, “The truth will always triumph,” rings just as true for you as it does with Jamal, the main protagonist in the film.

The musical score also scores and is simply right on. It gave each pivotal moment in the film the perfect feel. Slumdog’s story was heartbreaking four times. The death of Jamal’s mother which gives us a peek into India’s history, a history not so far from our own history of intolerance and violence. Not long after loosing his mother, Arwind’s light is put out. Arwind is a fellow slumdog who sings well and for that, was blinded to double the pity and the alms out in the streets of Mumbai. Next was a brother’s betrayal. Jamal’s older brother Salim falls into the depths of greed and the hunger for power. He takes Latika, Jamal’s one true love, by force. A betrayal Jamal would not have the chance to forgive until the very end. Lastly, Jamal meets Arwind again years after that sad episode. His heart broke upon the sight of him and says, “I’m sorry.”

Slumdog, with all its dramatic moments, ends as ultimately uplifting. As critics say, it is the “feel good movie of the year.” And it felt good indeed. Great, in fact, that not even the dance production number at the end could change that. Whereas I would shoot down any and all films that insert such cheese, with Slumdog Millionaire (pardon the language), I fucking loved it!

Danny Boyle deserves a Best Director nod. He made the film with that signature edginess and grit all the while grounding it with the way of life that is India.

Slumdog Millionaire has Best Picture written all over it. Traditional favorites, The Reader and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button both prove worthy of the honor; Slumdog outruns them for having the loudest bark and the biggest, most relevant bite on our lives.