I woke up this morning and looked out the window to see... blue skies! Sun, glorious sun.
It's been 6 long days of rain and no work for me, the three day weekend turned out to be a SIX day weekend! Wow, if I had known I could've gone and flown off to somewhere sunny... like the Kadayawan Festival in Davao. *sigh* Oh well... it was a productive weekend inspite of the stormy weather.
I wonder if they'll still keep praying the Oratio Imperata ad Fluviam Petendam? There you have it, ask and it shall be given unto you.
I guess the rainy season has officially started at long last.
Anyway, for now, sunshine and clouds and a nice clean breeze. Even the fur-kids are basking in the mud.
And so it ends.
Friday evening the bookshelves and display windows of bookstores were overflowing with the seventh installment of Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which came out yesterday.
I was meeting Adri after my class to rush and buy a copy, when to my delight, he already had a copy waiting for me all wrapped up. (And the book cover and dust jacket was yellow!) Yahoo!
I spent the entire night reading, and before the sun rose this morning, it was done.
I didn't expect any less from the story.
A million and one thanks
To Ed, who in 1999, gave me my first three books.
To Vir, Peng, Joy, Kenneth, Charles, Jackie, Gay, Glen, Barri, Frances and Paolo who gave me the fourth.
To Michael, who even gave me Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.To Peng again, who made sure I had the fifth and sixth books on the day they came out (the sixth book greeted me at the Daly City Post Office). And Mike who also gave me the fifth book. And Edna, who gave me the illustrated version of the sixth book.
And finally to Adri, who gave me the seventh and final Harry Potter.
I love all of my books, none of which I had to buy.
Good things must end. I will miss Harry.
Birdfestival na!
We launched the 3rd Philippine Bird Festival: Sugbu - Just Watch, Don't Catch at the WBCP 4th Anniversary Party last Saturday evening. Here's the press release printed in the Inquirer from the same day. Logo made by the talented Arnel Telesforo (http://ternelus.multiply.com/). Download more Sugbu Birdfest wallpapers here.
3rd Philippine Bird Festival goes to Cebu
The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines is holding the 3rd Philippine Bird Festival - Sugbu, Just Watch, Don't Catch ! a 2-day event to raise conservation awareness through the promotion of bird watching and the responsible appreciation of nature.
The logo of this year's bird festival is the Cebu Flowerpecker, a species found nowhere in the world but Cebu. This species was thought to be extinct until chanced upon by a visiting amateur birdwatcher in 1992.
Now on its third year, the Philippine Bird Festival will be held at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino on September 21, 2007 and at the Olango Island Nature Sanctuary on September 22, 2007.
The festival at the Waterfront Hotel will feature lectures, photo exhibits, film shows, art activities and face-painting for kids. The Bird Festival will culminate with the 2nd Philippine Duck Forum where conservationists and the academe will discuss the status and local efforts to save the endemic Philippine Duck.
On the second day, delegates will head for Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary. There they will witness the arrival of the first migrant shorebirds from northern Asia and hold joint activities with the island community.
WBCP Vice President and Festival Chairperson Alice Villa-Real said organizers hope to raise awareness of the diversity of Cebu bird life and promote conservation of threatened species and habitats on the island. Schools are encouraged to participate and admission is free.
The idea to hold the festival in Cebu was conceived early this year and has received support and encouragement from conservation organizations and business sector. Among the organizations that are participating in the festival are the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, WWF-Philippines, Center for Environmental Awareness and Education, Isla Buiodiversity Conservation and Kaakbay CDI. The Wild Bird Society of Taipei (Taiwan), the Asian Raptor Research and Conservation Network (Malaysia) and the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand have already confirmed their attendance. More organizations are expected to sign up soon.
"The 3rd Philippine Bird Festival is a watershed event for bird watching and environmental conservation in Cebu," said WBCP president Michael Lu. "We are officially launching the bird festival during the Club's 4th Anniversary on July 14. On behalf of the Festival Committee, I encourage and invite members and friends of the Club to register their support for the project."
The 3rd Philippine Bird Festival is sponsored by the Mirant Foundation, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Cebu City Mayor's Office, Sulpicio Lines and WWF-Philippines. For sponsorship enquiries, please contact Festival Chair Alice Villa-Real (Manila) at pathway93@yahoo.com or 0917-5397861 and Nilo Arribas, Jr (Cebu) at ph_photo_97@yahoo.com or 0906-5851881.
For school participation inquiries, please contact Ms Evelyn Nacario of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation at ENacario@rafi.org.ph.
I was able to slip in a little vacation time before school started, just one last hurrah before the summer is completely over.
Siquijor (2nd time) and Dumaguete (3rd time) revisited; but did some things differently this time. Spent the night at Coral Cay in San Juan, stayed overnight too at Forest Camp in Valencia. Had an unforgetable Mt. Talinis encounter, and my favorite: the calm, peace and serenity of Balinsasayao Lake.
Birding was not as productive as I hoped it would be (three cheers for the flame-templed babbler), the vacation a bit more stressful than I anticipated, drank and smoked a bit more than I thought I would...
Still, friends are friends, company was good, lessons were learned and it was time truly well spent.
I have been enjoying this view of the fire tree in full bloom outside my bedroom window for several weeks now.
I love the sight of fire trees are in bloom! They always, always remind me of an Amorsolo painting. Also, when the trees are in bloom, I am assured by visits from olive-backed sunbirds, hovering and hopping from flower to flower. The almost leafless branches also make it easy for me to see the woodpeckers creeping along the trunks, pecking and trilling away.
Another sight I can see from my window is the golden shower, also in bloom at the same time as the fire tree. In the mornings, the dripping yellow flowers are a-buzz with bees sipping nectar.
Amorsolo didn't paint golden showers in his paintings, I suppose they are quite new introductions? Anyway, when I was younger, it would be golden shower flowers I would offer to Mary during the month long novena.
Sometimes I wish we also had space for a banaba tree, or had planted one across the street. And I always remember the palawan cherry tree at Albert Hall or those lining the driveway of the Manila Seedling Bank. The former lavender, the latter pink. Wouldn't that be a beautiful sight?!?!? Orange and yellow and lavender and pink all at the same time!
(Palawan cherry trees take ten million years to grow though I think, and there's no more space in my mother's garden for 2 more trees. I'd better think of a place to plant them all now, wait twenty or so years... and enjoy them in my old age!)
It has started to rain in the afternoons, a sure sign that summer will soon be over. Winds before the rain would send flowers falling to the ground, much to the delight of my niece.
The rains will soon strip my bedroom view of yellow and orange, and the colors will carpet our garden and driveway instead.
Until next May...
