Earth Hour 2013

My family took part in the tree planting activity as part of the Earth Hour celebration. Planting trees is a rewarding activity especially when you see the seedlings grow bigger each year.  It's our own little way of helping Mother Earth and contributing for the future. 

Last night countries around the world joined forces to observe the biggest environmental event for the year - Earth Hour 2013. We switched off our lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.  The darkness signified the people's concern for the planet. 

Lovely Dragonfly

When I was young I used to chase dragonflies.  These fast flying insects are amazing to watch in the air but they are more captivating when they land to rest.  When they stay still, you can appreciate their brilliant colors and their lovely transparent wings.

Dragonflies were so abundant when I was young. Dragonflies flying among the flowers and plants used to be a familiar sight but not anymore. Today it's a treat to see one flying in the garden.  Some say pollution has caused the dragonfly population to dwindle.  That's a sad thought. I hope these beautiful creatures will be resilient and be able to withstand the effects of modernization.

Photo Hunt :: Mother

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The blue whale is the biggest animal on earth. This is a model of a baby blue whale displayed at the mall. Just imagine how enormous the mother blue whale is. I don't think there's room at the mall for such a giant creature.  A big blue whale can measure up too 100 feet long and it could weigh as much as 150 tons. 

Here's a little trivia: A blue whale's heart is about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.  Its aorta is big enough for a person to crawl through. Incredible!

A blue whale is a wonderful mother. It will do everything it can to protect its calf from harm.

Advance Happy Mother's Day!

Photo Hunt :: Black

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This is a black rhinoceros beetle. It's called rhino beetle for short.  Males usually have large horns which they use to fight other males during mating battles.  Rhino beetles have amazing strength. They have the ability to lift up to 850 times their own body weight. Just imagine that! In some Asian countries, rhino beetles are used for gambling. Beetles are placed on a log and the first one to knock its opponent off is the winner.

Koi Action and Water Taxi in Nuvali

Nuvali is a nice and refreshing place where you can dine, relax and unwind with family and friends. Aside from restaurants, it also has a multi-functional lake, outdoor trail and wide open spaces. Visitors can feel close to nature because of its green surroundings.

Nestled at Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Nuvali is becoming a favorite place by many. 

A great activity that you can enjoy in Nuvali is fish feeding. Fish feeds are sold for P15 a pack.  Take note that only Nuvali fish feeds are allowed.  So don't make a mistake of throwing a piece of bread or chip in the water.

I've seen Koi ponds before but this is the first time I've seen a lake with a massive number of Koi. Adults and kids will surely be delighted by the overwhelming abundance of Koi swimming and eagerly hoping for Manna from heaven.

The moment you drop some feeds in the water, the exuberant Koi will swim frantically to get some of that coveted treat.  It's an amazing display of fin flapping and fish tail movements. You might even see one or two Koi doing a cartwheel in the air. No kidding!

Perhaps the Koi are doing it on purpose so that you'll go back to the booth to buy some more of those feeds. ha! ha!

I surely fell for it because I went back to the booth several times to buy fish feeds.  It was worth it because my son had a great time feeding the overzealous Koi.

Fish feeding at Nuvali is from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM daily.

Riding the Water Taxi is another fun activity for the family.  The short boat ride costs P30 per head. 

Enjoy the refreshing wind on your face and watch birds flying nearby.  Expect to feel gentle water splashes as the boat makes a turn.

After feeding the Koi and riding the Water Taxi, my family settled for appetizing snacks at Conti's. Hubby had halo-halo, Yohan chose chicken empanada while I enjoyed a slice of Bananalicious Pie.

It was an afternoon well spent.

Enchanting Mornings

I finally saw the bird that sings on the tree in front of our house every morning. I only hear it sing in the early hours of the morning. I love waking up and hearing it sing a soft and almost enchanting song. I have always wondered what the bird looks like. The other day I caught a glimpse of it. It is a small black bird with white markings. I have no idea what kind of bird it is but I appreciate how it positively starts my mornings.

Yohanism #31

When we were at the beach we found a small hermit crab walking along the beach. I hurriedly picked it up and showed Yohan.

Yohan: "Mom, let me see! Let me see! What is it?"

Me: "This is a small hermit crab just like the ones you saw on TV. "

Yohan: "It's so cute! Let me get my pail..."

Yohan hurriedly got his empty pail and filled it halfway with sand. I placed the hermit crab inside so Yohan could observe it. He lost interest in making sandcastles and spent a lot of time looking at the little hermit crab in his bucket.

When it was time to go back, he asked ...

Yohan: "Can I bring it home? I want him to be my pet. I'll put it in the aquarium."

Me: "Sorry, you can't bring it home. It might die. Besides, you can't put it in our aquarium because it needs salt water."

Yohan: "That's easy. I'll get some salt water from the sea and bring it home."

He seemed to have a counter remark to every reason I give him so I decided to tell him a real story...

Me: "You know when I was young, I went to a beach where I saw a lot of small hermit crabs. I brought around 10 of them home. I placed the hermit crabs inside a big jar with salt water and sand I got from the beach. The hermit crabs lived for a few days but they slowly died one by one. I felt very sad when that happened."

Yohan was quiet.

Me: "Do you want that to happen to your hermit crab?"

Yohan: "No, mom. I want it to live. Can you help me free the hermit crab?"

Me: "Sure."

Yohan and I walked away from the crowded area and found a clear spot where we put down the hermit crab. We watched as the tide came and the hermit crab was gone. Yohan looked a little sad so I immediately kissed him and told him...

Me: "I'm so proud of you!"


Related stories:

Feathers in Distress
A Butterfly's Journey
A Butterfly's Journey Part 2

Fun Earth Hour 2009

Earth Hour (Philippines)

This year my family and I decided to take an active role in Earth Hour. At exactly 8:30 p.m. we turned off the power at home, lighted some candles and enjoyed chocolate fondue in the lanai. :) I'm pleased that some of our neighbors also switched off their lights to Vote for Earth.


We had a wonderful time. My hubby taught Yohan how to make shadow animals. Yohan learned how to make shadows of a dog, bird, bat, snake and a goat. He was impressed when his Dad made a shadow of an elephant. We laughed when Yohan asked his Dad if he can make a star fish. Ha! Ha!

Here's a short video of Yohan's way of celebrating Earth Hour.

We switched the power back on at 9:30 p.m. I'm happy that my family took part of this momentous global event.


edited: March 29, 2009 (11:22 a.m.):

You can read about other bloggers' take on this by visiting Bloggers Care For The Earth Link Love Chain.

Renny - Norway
EastCoastLife - Singapore
A Changing Life - France
Bill - Arizona, USA
Heart of Rachel - Philippines
Life Ramblings - KL, Malaysia
Marzie - KL, Malaysia
Jean Chia - KL, Malaysia
LifeCruiser - Stockholm, Sweden
Henny - Indonesia
Teacher Julie - Philippines
Alice - Malaysia
Jade- Singapore
Jane - Philippines
Noemi - Philippines

Photo Hunt :: Yellow

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I've shared this photo on my blog some time last year but not as a PH entry. I decided to post it again because it fits the theme perfectly.

I love sunflowers because of its huge and bright yellow blooms. In fact, I have a small collection of sunflower items. It's my dream to see a field of sunflowers someday. My hubby surprised me with three sunflowers last year.

Weekend Snapshot #65

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Beautiful Garden Blooms

We had a nice lunch at my MIL's place yesterday. My MIL has a green thumb. Below are just some of the flowers in her garden. How was your weekend?

Yohanism #29

Yohan and I were watching an episode on Animal Planet featuring lions and their preys. Lions are one of the top predators in the food chain but they have their share of ups and downs. The program we were watching showed a small family of lions with very young cubs. A large group of buffalos ventured their way and began attacking the cubs. I hate seeing poor defenseless animals getting hurt.

Me: "Yohan, give me the remote. I can't watch this part."

Yohan: "Don't worry mom. I'll just cover your eyes with my hand."

He did cover my eyes and I waited for that part to be over.

I'm happy to say that all the cubs survived that attack. The adult lions decided to move their cubs to a safer place.

3 Word Thursdays #13

meme rules:
*photo must have 3 words in it
*post your photo on your site with a link
back to Ma Vie Folle (or grab button)

Tell Me Why is a book featuring answers to hundreds of surprising questions. It's an interesting and fun book for the whole family.

Why does a giraffe have a long neck?

The giraffe is the tallest of all living animals. The strange shape and build of the giraffe is perfectly suited to enable it to obtain its food. A giraffe only eats plants, so its great height enables it to reach the leaves on trees which grow in tropical lands where there is little grass. (p. 60, Tell Me Why)

Weekend Snapshot #57

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Residence Inn Zoo

This is a continuation of my Tagaytay post last week. After my family's wonderful brunch at Breakfast at Antonio's in Tagaytay, we went to Residence Inn Zoo (a special request of Yohan). My little boy is an animal lover and he had a terrific time with some critter close encounters. Here are some highlights of our zoo visit...

Yohan's pony ride.

Sssssssss ...

Scary!

It was our first time to feed a live tiger cub with milk.

I will also use the last photo as Camera Critters #31 entry this week.

Friends Are the Flowers ...

"Friends are the flowers in the garden of life."
~ Mary Engelbreit

Thank you very much Alice for this beautiful photo. I love it! This picture easily brings warmth to the heart. Thank you for thinking of me.

Alice captures the beauty of nature and her surroundings through her lenses. Visit my friend Alice to see more beautiful images.

Photo Hunt :: Sad

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I saw this frame at the hospital when hubby donated blood. It's sad that this moth's journey in life is over. I hope that it had a fruitful life.

Camera Critters #21

Hi friends! I posted my Camera Critters #21 at my other blog. Have a nice day!