My Birthplace

Two days ago (May 9, 2013), we buried our grandmother in Lun Masla, a humble barangay in Malapatan. I've been to this place several times for more than 20 years. Our mom used to take us here to visit grandma and grandpa and relatives, but lately I've been too busy with work that I skipped visits.

On my grandma's burial, I saw the town again. It relatively looks the same over the years, with some changes and a few more shabby shacks. It was another chance to see everyone in the huge family--my grandfather, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Family friends were there.

During the procession, the crowd passed by this old manor where grandma and grandpa (who is still alive) used to live. This is where I was born and used to spend summer vacations at. This house reminds me of the good old days.

Not so far from this house is a wetland that teems with water hyacinth. What was once a pond is now showing signs of ecological succession (or so I guess) and is now turning into a vegetation-covered wetland, more like a marsh. The townspeople of Lun Masla call this Lamak, and I don't know what that local word means. It was good to see this spot again.

We left this place again, but this town will always have a special place in my heart not only because this is where I was born but also because I have fond memories here.

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.

Partial Lunar Eclipse Seen from Gensan

I realized that only a few people are interested in celestial events, such as the recent partial lunar eclipse. Anyway, it wasn't that spectacular. Worse, it had to occur in the small hours of Friday, April 26, 2013. Charts indicated that the eclipse started around 2:03 a.m. Philippine Time, but I set my alarm for 3 a.m., around which time I would see the penumbral shadow of the Earth on the moon.

As the moon passes by the penumbral shadow of the Earth, its brightness decreases a bit, but untrained eyes won't be able to discern any difference. However, cameras can. Anyway, this part of the eclipse isn't so spectacular. Recalling the penumbral lunar eclipse on November 28, 2012, I can say it wasn't thrilling. Check out the photos of the Nov.28, 2012 eclipse here: 11/28/2012 penumbral lunar eclipse

The moon touched the umbral (darker) shadow of the Earth at 3:54 a.m. That's according to charts. 

According to EarthSky.org, the peak of the eclipse is at 20:07 UTC or 4:07 a.m. Philippine Time. 

Then the moon started slipping away from the Earth's shadow.

I called it a night at 5 a.m. Nothing really too spectacular about partial lunar eclipses, but I'm a bit glad to have recorded this celestial event.

Candles Still Burn in Gensan

As the power outages continue to wreak havoc in the homes and businesses in General Santos City, people have no recourse but to endure the inconvenience. There seems no definite schedule for the rotating power outages. We get our power cut off any time of the day, or so it seems. When it happens in midday, we have to endure the discomforting heat, occasionally punctuated by cloudy skies. Rain is priceless these days.

At night we have no other option but to light candles and burn oil lamps.

No one knows exactly when this problem will be over. I heard the city government and the South Cotabalo Electrical Cooperative had already gone through the first steps in solving the crisis, but I'm not exactly sure what these steps are. I heard about buying generator sets to alleviate the current problem. Long-term solutions ought to be laid out concretely for the public to know. Nonetheless, this seems a snag in our progress that's probably going to linger for the years to come.

I went to Reyes' Haircutters three weeks ago but was surprised they couldn't serve customers because of an outage. It's an example of how much businesses today rely on electricity to operate.

As the power crisis continues and people in the city have no choice but to light candles, I guess candle makers are seeing a business boon.

Khalil Ramos and Pokwang at KCC Mall of Gensan

My good friend gave me free tickets for another mall show that featured the budding, PGT-bred young singer Khalil Ramos and the comedienne Pokwang. Inside the venue we didn't have to wait too long. There were fewer games than usual. In the previous mall shows, games and front act performances would take about an hour or two, and the long wait can really irritate audiences.

This cute little kid won the mini-game they had before the show.

Of course, as soon as he appeared onstage, the people left their seats and gathered to the front to take a good look at or take pictures of Khalil using their small phones.

We felt that Khalil was a bit hoarse, but he sang his heart out anyway. 

Pokwang was fun as usual. It seemed as though people in the audience were more excited to see her. Everyone just stood on their chairs the moment the hosts bellowed her name. 

She talked about how she loved the energy of the crowd.

The usual recipe for mall shows involves picking a person from the audience and including that person in a performance. In the case of comedians like Pokwang, that meant doing silly things with the gullible person. In the last photo, you will see Pokwang attempting to kiss the guy. She, of course, didn't actually kiss him on the lips but on his cheek. haha

What the Likes of Enrique Gil Do to Crowds

My good friend gave me free tickets to a mall show that starred Jovit Baldovino and Enrique Gil. I got decent photos of Jovit, but by the time Enrique walked to the stage, everyone had stood on their chairs.

This was how the crowd was like before Jovit appeared onstage.

They're on their seats and perfectly poised.

When Jovit walked onstage, people stood on their seats, but I was still able to get some shots.

 The crowd became rowdy as soon as Enrique walked into the stage. These two shots the only ones I have of him.

These people are inconsiderate, but I can't blame them.

Here's a bonus video of Jovit's performance.