l.y.n.K.s

Our little boy

Sometime end of March, Nikki and I decided to adopt a little boy. It was a mutual decision. We both took notice of the boy’s potential and competence. He has superb characteristics that made him stand out among the other kids in his group. We decided to take him with us and share the responsibility/pleasure of having him around.

Today, I want to formally introduce him to you. You will be seeing him tagging along with us most of the time.

If he happens to be around when we see each other, don’t hesitate to say “Hi” or give him a delicate pat. Our little boy is quite friendly. Besides, if we usually interact with you in the online world, chances are, he knows you already. :)

Labels: funny stuff, gadgets, new stuff, wala lang

posted by K.L.Y.N at 3:39 PM | 0 comment(s)

Rock the North!

Nikki and I, together with 4 other pairs are off to conquer the North this weekend! Yahooo!

Sobrang excited na ako sa first beach vacaton ko for this year. Hahaha, sobrang late na kasi kaya to the highest level ang excitement ko. =P

Laoag-Vigan-Pagudpud, here we come! ^_^

I'll post details (itinerary / pics) after the trip para naman maging guide sa ibang nagpaplan ng same trip. =)

posted by K.L.Y.N at 3:14 PM | 2 comment(s)

NEWs

New Year! =) Nikki and I just turned 3. We decided to celebrate our anniv at home and invited relatives over to celebrate with us. It was my first time (and probably Nikki's too) to cook for my family! I've long dreaded to cook for them because they are really great cooks (palagi lang ako taga-tikim! =P)! Buti na lang nagustuhan nila! =D We had Tuna Pasta Melt (simot! =D), tacos, Peach Almond jelly (palpak ng konti pero sarap pa din =P), and some fish balls and kikiam. It was tiring but when we hear their comments on how good the food is, it's all worth the effort! =) Another unique and fun celebration! ^_^ I look forward to the coming years and anniversaries! ^_^

New lappy! =) Around 2 weeks ago, we bought our own laptop - Acer Aspire 4935G. =) This may not be THE dream laptop, but I don't regret choosing this. The dream laptop is too far-fetched from what really need/can afford right now. I'm glad we settled with the practical choice. So far we're satisfied with the performance of this gadget, plus it's really nice to have a personal device that we can use when we're not at home. (but I still wish the dream lappy will go on 50% Sale on December =P)

New house! =) Last week, our family transferred to OUR OWN HOME! Almost 28 years after their marriage, my parents finally have a house to call their own. =) Quite a long wait, but better late than never. The house is not yet fully constructed. Believe it or not, up until now, we still have no roof. =P We're staying at the two rooms in the first floor. The cement division between the 1st and 2nd floor (they call it "slab") serves as our roof. The rest of the house in the first floor is exposed. Haha! It's like we're camping out, only the tent has canopy but once you step out, everything else around has the sky as roof. Hehehe. Some relatives call us refugees, but I call us a family. =) It feels like we're just starting out as a new family. I can feel our closeness now more than ever maybe because we're all in this "sacrifice" of living in an unfinished structure. We have the choice of staying at my lolo's house, but my mom was too excited to move in, and we all supported her. Besides, it's not a house we're trying to build, but a home. =) Open house man tirahan namin, close family naman kami. =P

Labels: family, gadgets, happy, new stuff, thankful

posted by K.L.Y.N at 3:34 PM | 2 comment(s)

Opposites really do attract =P

Nikki (3/30/2009 4:46:08 PM): akalain mong halos 5pm na
Nikki (3/30/2009 4:46:24 PM): e ngayon-ngayon lang ako nag-petiks
Nikki (3/30/2009 4:46:25 PM): :P
Nikki (3/30/2009 4:46:40 PM): mula dumating ako hanggang kung anong oras, puro trabaho
Nikki (3/30/2009 4:46:43 PM): >_<
Keilyn (3/30/2009 4:46:55 PM): akalain mong halos 5pm na
Keilyn (3/30/2009 4:47:00 PM): e ngayon-ngayon lang ako nagtrabaho
Keilyn (3/30/2009 4:47:02 PM): :P
Keilyn (3/30/2009 4:47:13 PM): mula dumating ako hanggang kung anong oras, puro petiks
Keilyn (3/30/2009 4:47:17 PM): >_<

Labels: wala lang

posted by K.L.Y.N at 4:55 PM | 0 comment(s)

FRANCISM

I am not a big fan of Francis Magalona, but I am a fan. Naaastigan ako sa kanya! I have always admired artists who do not just perform but inspire and influence as well. Francis M. is just one of the few Pinoy artists who were able to inject meaning into their craft. Admiringly, he was able to combine patriotism in his works, whether it be his music, his shirt designs or his web journal. His music is actually likeable, not like most rap music today where one will hate the lyrics/content as much as the beat.

Contrary to what everyone is saying, Francis M. is not a big loss. Our country (not only our country's music industry) has benefitted a lot from this man. He has left a legacy. Time might come that his music will be outdated or his style outmoded, but the meaning that he was able to embed in his craft will remain.

God bless what Francis Magalona has left -- his family, his friends, his followers, his legacy.

Francis M. in his first performance at Eat Bulaga after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Uhh, yes, pinicturan ko ang TV namin dati lang para jan. Sabi sa inyo di ako big fan eh. :P

In that performance, he sang Super Proxy with Ely Buendia. They were both in recupration that time (Ely from his heart attack and Kiko from leukemia). Pinicturan ko din kasi gusto ko si Kiko, tapos gusto ni Nikki si Ely. :P Tsaka astig ang combination nila. :)

posted by K.L.Y.N at 12:16 PM | 2 comment(s)

I survived Sagada!

We conquered Sagada! ^_^ Nikki and I went there with his officemates (Bottom L-R: Joe-e, CJ, Noreen and Altair) last Saturday. They’re a bunch of cool and fun-to-be-with guys! =D Sayang lang talaga na halos 24 hours lang kami nakapag-stay dun dahil sa haba ng byahe! But there are plans to go back this June. Sana matupad! =D

I’m not in the mood to post other details (as always =P), just take a sneak peek of our Sagada adventure here. =)

Will update the album with pics from Joe-e and Noreen soon. =)

Labels: travels

posted by K.L.Y.N at 6:49 PM | 0 comment(s)

Mantigue Island -- now an I-Witness documentary

Last June, Nikki and I were able to visit Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin along with some friends. One of the highlights of our trip was a half-day visit to Mantigue Island, a small but amazing island a quarter of an hour away on motorboat. Our camiguin tour guide Kuya Roger Saturos was born and grew up in the island, as did most of the other residents. They were the ones who took care of the island. At the time of our visit, they were facing a big problem, because the local government wanted to relocate them into the mountainside and restore Mantigue back to its natural state (uninhabited) for day tourists to enjoy.

Kuya Roger and his family alone cannot counter the mandates of the government. It even came to a point that the Mantigue Elementary School (which was established through the sole effort of Kuya Roger) did not receive support from the government. The only thing they could do is share their story to the visitors of their Island with the hope that their story will be publicized. By making the story public, they might attract help from some organizations or even law firms that can help them defend their case.

We did what we can only do – help publicize the story. Nikki was able to send an email to GMA-7 journalist Howie Severino. To our delight, Howie and his team spent time looking into the story and he told Nikki yesterday that they will be airing the Mantigue Story tonight on I-Witness. ^_^

Hope you guys can watch and share this with other friends. This is the least that we can do to help. Also, if any of you plans to go to Camiguin and visit Mantigue Island personally, I highly recommend that you get Kuya Roger’s service as personal tour guide. He charges a reasonable price, and I assure you that he will take care of everything that you need while in Camiguin, and make sure that your trip is as enjoyable and worthwhile as it can be. =)

Kuya Roger Saturos contact details:
Email: roger.mantigue@yahoo.com
Mobile: 0920 230 6407


If you’re interested, here’s the detailed correspondence of Nikki and Howie:

On Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 1:56 AM, Nikki Erwin C. Ramirez wrote:
Good day, Sir Howie!

My friends and I had a vacation this past June in CDO and Camiguin. Part of our Camiguin tour was to see Mantigue, a very small island a quarter of an hour away on motorboat. Our tour guide, Kuya Roger Rogelio) Saturos, was born and grew up in that island, as did most of the other residents. He told us their story.

Mantigue Island used to be uninhabited. According to Kuya Roger, his grandparents were among the first settlers of the island. The first settlers made a living out of fishing. Up to Kuya Roger's generation, life in the island was very primitive. There was no infrastructure for basic utilities at all. The children had to go to Camiguin for their schooling. To go to the main island meant a hand-paddled boat ride that took 2 hours, one-way. There was no source of fresh water in the island, so they also had to ferry water from Camiguin as well, everyday.

They eventually got a power generator but, until the time of our visit, they still went back and forth for fresh water, luckily, on motorboats.

Another big improvement was the addition of an elementary school. Kuya Roger was the lone teacher for Grades 1 to 6. When we went there, he said that they currently had 17 students for all grade levels.

The problem was: the Camiguin local government wanted to evacuate Mantigue Island.

Kuya Roger says that the local government's reason was that they wanted to restore Mantigue Island back to its condition when it was uninhabited, in order to make it a premier tourist destination, which could boost the island province's income. They were told that the arrival of people in the island scared away lots of wildlife. They also brought in with them their garbage, which needed proper disposal. The local government promised to handle their relocation to a vacant mountain-side area.

Kuya Roger says that he understood the ecological reasons. However, he said that relocating hundreds of people off the island was not a simple matter. One of his primary reasons was the issue of their livelihood. They were raised and have grown up as fisherfolk, and they would not know how to survive in the mountains.

He asked us for help in trying to spread information about their issues. He said that they had no one to go to and ask for help in lobbying on their behalf, since the primary local government officials belonged to one political family.

I regret having put this off for too long. I did a little research on the Internet about this matter, starting with a simple Google search: http://www.google.com.ph/search?q=mantigue+island+relocation&btnG=Search&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&sa=2

Here is the top search result, an article which gives a much more detailed and impartial view of the issue: http://www.bulatlat.com/2008/09/mantigue-island-residents-charged-illegal-occupancy

Here's a blog of Eco Tourism students from Camiguin that contain several interviews with residents: http://cpscecotours.blogspot.com/

These next two are identical articles in government websites: http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=reader&rp=7&fi=p080425.htm&no=69&date=04/25/2008 [UPDATE: now I regret putting this off more -- I just checked: some of these links are dead!]

http://cagayan-de-oro-city.com/latest/local-execs-push-mantigue-s-rehab-press-settlers-to-relocate.html

Here's one, after a lot more searching/surfing, that was written by another tourist. She's Filipina and her blog's protected, but I was able to get a cached copy of her entry:http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:hFj47N1_fckJ:acornerofmymind.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/helpless-in-paradise/+http://acornerofmymind.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/helpless-in-paradise/&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=ph&client=firefox-a

[UPDATE: this was a wonderful blog entry! I regret not making a backup! Here's the original URL: http://acornerofmymind.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/helpless-in-paradise/ -- maybe you can contact the author and still be able to access the post.. I feel really, really sorry about this..]

Kuya Roger agreed to have a video-recorded interview and I posted it in YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=roger%20saturos&search_type=search_videos&search_sort=relevance

Kuya Roger Saturos, Camiguin Tour Guide (with English subs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPeAWO8iSIA

You can find a lot of recommendations for Kuya Roger's services as tour guide: http://www.google.com.ph/search?q=roger+saturos&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Here are our groups' pictures in Mantigue:

CDO-Camiguin - Mantigue Island (don't mind our vanity shots =p) http://picasaweb.google.com/necramirez/CDOCamiguinMantigueIsland

I don't expect you to take the time to explore this issue right away (though I'd be glad if you did), and I would appreciate it if you would forward this to fellow journalists who might be able to bring this issue some light.

Thank you very much,
Nikki Erwin Ramirez
---
P.S. I sent this to you, since yours was the first name I thought of when thinking of journalists who would be able to help, and yours was the only email address I could find.

--Howie’s response—
On Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 10:18 AM, Howie Severino wrote:
Hi Nikki,
You may be pleased to know we are airing our episode on Mantigue Island this Monday. Thank you for the suggestion!

NO MAN'S LAND
An I-Witness documentary (GMA7)
Airing Monday midnight: November 24, 2008, after Saksi
(Delayed by a day or two on Pinoy TV overseas: click here for schedules: http://www.gmapinoytv.com/program_guide - we're prime time overseas!)

For three generations, a close-knit clan of fisherfolk have claimed the tiny, white-fringed islet of Mantigue in Camiguin province as their home -- a prized piece of real estate in the tourism economy.

Now the government wants it back and return the island to its natural state for day visitors to enjoy.

The effort of local officials to relocate the residents, including amass arrest of the entire island population, has bitterly divided the community. Eerily evoking the group dynamics of the popular TV program Survivor, but with much higher stakes, family members threaten and back-stab each other over the wrenching decision to leave or fight for a slice of paradise.

At the center of the conflict is the tormented Romulo, who has finally decided to accept the government's resettlement offer and urge his neighbors to do the same. The rest of the clan, including his cousins and siblings, accuse him of treachery and try to discredit him.

Howie Severino and his team camp out on the islet and explore its hidden natural treasures, even scuba diving at night to accompany spear fishermen hunting precious food fish. They also see how the intensifying planetary choices between people and nature play out in a very small space.

Director: Jazel Kristen Villamarin
Executive Producer: Noi Cuanang
Writer/host: Howie Severino
Videographer: Egay Navarro
Underwater Videographer: Ding Cabreira
Dive master: Fra Quimpo

Labels: reaching out, thankful, vacation

posted by K.L.Y.N at 11:09 AM | 1 comment(s)