2013 Supermoon Seen from Philippines

Supermoons happen each year. They are also called perigee moons because of their marked closeness to the earth compared with other full moons. A perigee moon can appear 14% bigger in the sky and 30% brighter. But to anyone's notice, it really doesn't stand out from any other full moon. Here are some of pictures of the June 23, 2013 Supermoon as it appeared over Gensan, Philippines. It was actually raining during that night, but the skies cleared up a bit and the moon showed itself though briefly. I took the opportunity.

Full Moon Rises Again

One nice thing about the full moon is that it rises so majestically over the eastern horizon just as the sun has set. For avid sky observers, it is such a dramatic scene. Well, it is a dramatic scene if you catch it. We don't always see a rising full moon here because of unpredictable sky conditions. Sometimes it's too cloudy to see it.

Here are some shots of the rising April full moon.

Another Photo of Last Night's Partial Lunar Eclipse

I took 59 photos of last night's eclipse, and there are only less than 10 good enough photos. This is one of them. I adjusted the exposure on post-processing, because I underexposed virtually all the images. No other photo editing was done. I took this photo at 4:14 a.m., shortly after the peak moment of the eclipse.

Power Outages in Gensan: A Lingering Inconvenience

Everyone has been complaining about the scheduled power outages, which are becoming more than just an annoyance for the people of the city. These outages affect so many small businesses in the city. I won’t talk about statistics here, because there are experts in the business sector that can give the details regarding how much the power crisis affects local business and local life in general.

The power crisis started to affect the residents in 2010. I remember having to deal with a 3-hour power outage that occurred 3 times a day. It was dreadful! Socoteco II then said it was due to water shortage in Lake Lanao, which was drying up due to dry spells brought about by El Niño. In the following months, the city suffered from frequent brownouts, although the situation improved the following year. Occasional power failures still occur.

Recently, the scheduled power interruptions are back, though less serious than they were in 2010. The people of Gensan can’t do anything but to bear with the crisis, as if there’s anything they could do. Sometimes you get dubious about the reason behind such power interruptions. Reported issues include power supply shortage, high power demand, preventive maintenance of power generating facilities, and so on. It’s really annoying, disabling, and distressing. Of course, my indignation is but one tiny voice that won’t be heard.

How long do we still have to endure the power crisis?

Kalilangan Grand Opening Fireworks

It's the 16th Kalilangan Celebration in Gensan. The soft opening happened on February 13, 2013, but no one seemed to care about it, because everyone anticipated the grand opening, which took place on the evening of February 22, 2013. Of course, the people who waited at Oval Plaza waited for the fireworks display. I had to stay at home because of my job and partly because of the weather. When we heard the first boom, we ran upstairs.