The ActiveTalker

The Puerto Princesa Underground River (Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park) is among the 28 finalists in the search for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. To help it make the list, you can vote for the underground river by clicking HERE.

Please help the longest underground river in the world that has already been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1999 and declared as a National Geological Monument in December 2003. Benigno Aquino III, the Philippine president, through Proclamation No. 182, declared a promotion campaign to encourage the Filipino people to help in the campaign to make the Puerto Princesa Underground River be proclaimed as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

My mom and I went to the public market of Iba, Zambales earlier this day to buy fish for our dinner. Since it’s now the rainy season, it rained a bit when we got there.

I was disappointed.

The market had some puddles of water brought by the rain and the part of the market where you can find fish had water puddles that are dark-colored and stinks (that’s what she told me because I’m anosmic and she told me to just wait for her in front of another store).

The Iba public market burned last December 29, 2009. The tenants rebuilt their stalls on the same area, but unfortunately, it burned again last February 2011.

Back in 2010, going to the market was a burden, it was actually hazardous as the stalls were under two meters away from the main road (actually it is national highway). You always risk of getting run-over by a passing vehicle.

They’ve moved the stalls behind the old site and they have yet to pave the place.

Iba, Zambales is a first class municipality. A lot of establishments are emerging like mushrooms. If shopping complex, fastfoods, and other establishments provide ease to the people, why can’t the authorities make buying basic commodities like rice, fish and vegetables be easy? You have to walk far from the main road to get to your favorite stall just to buy these.

Now, the rainy season is here again, going to the market will be a harder task.

I hope the authorities can do something about this.

Today is World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), an observance celebrated anually every May 31.

Started in 1989, it encourages a 24-hour abstinence from all form of tobacco consumption.

Over 5million people die every year from tobacco-related illness, and some 600,000 people, including children, will die from exposure to second-hand smoke. Secondhand smoke is more dangerous than actual smoking because one could inhale the toxin deposits of a smoker.

Quitting cigarette smoking means continuing to live your life. Continuing to smoke means quitting to live.

As I was walking in our neighborhood this afternoon, I noticed some houses are infested with termites. To tell if your house suffers from termite infestation is when you see small piles of sand-sized droppings. If the infestation deteriorates, you can obviously see structural damages.

The kind of termite that usually infests a house are called drywood termites. These are common in the Philippines as they don’t require moisture or contact with the soil. Houses in the Philippines are usually made of wood or most of its parts are wood. The trusses of old (and some new) houses in the Philippines are made of wood making them prone to termite-infestation.

A common way method of termite-proofing wooden parts of the house is applying a chemical called solignum. It is derived from the Latin word lignum, or “wood”. The prefix “so” was probably derived from the international distress signal “SOS”. It was first used in 1894.

Another method used in the Philippines is applying used oil. I asked some carpenters why they apply this and they said it kills termites that come into contact with it, and it will repel those who come near it. It also repels water, thus, protecting the wood from water damage.

Even if new houses that has trusses made of metal are less prone to termite infestation, wood furniture inside the house are still prone. You can prevent termite infestation by making sure there are no cracks or crevices around the outside of your house, thus, preventing the termites from entering.

If you the infestation is already beyond your control, you can always call a pest control company.

Ever wonder if someone opens your facebook account without your knowledge or consent? This happens to people who shares their password with their girlfriend/boyfriend. They open their partner’s account to snoop in their inbox and/or friends list. Or worse, your password might be hacked or stolen if you have a virus or malware in your computer.

To keep other people from opening your account, you turn on a feature on your account setting.

Once you’re in the account settings, you can go Account Security:

You can turn on the feature that sends you an email or text message when an unrecognized computer tries to access your account. It even has this “Login Approval” feature that sends you a text message containing a security code that the unrecognized computer/device needs in order to access your account.

Always remember to sign out after browsing and NEVER save your password if you open your account in shared computers.

Last Saturday, we had an outing at the Magalawa Island in Palauig, Zambales. It was just a couple of minutes from our home town Iba, Zambales. From the main highway, it took us about 20 minutes of rough road trip to get to the drop-off point were took a boat ride to the island.

The sand is white (but not as white and fine as Boracay) but the place gives you a bit of a “homey” feel because unlike Boracay or Puerto Galera, it is not over-crowded.

There’s this new Facebook application (read: VIRUS) that is fastly becoming popular because it floods my Facebook timeline and friend’s wall posts. The application posts a message like this:

“In order to PREVENT SPAM, I ask you to VERIFY YOUR ACCOUNT. Click VERIFY MY ACCOUNT right next to comment below to start the process…”

Once you click it, you will be granting it a permission to post on you and your friend’s wall. And instead of preventing spam, the more it’ll spam you and your friend’s wall. It’s a scam that spams.

You can still revoke the apps’ permission to post on you and your friend’s wall if you have already clicked it. You can go to your account settings by clicking the Account tab > Account Settings > Application Settings. Just find the application on the list of applications you use and click delete (the “x” at the other side of the list). You can also use this to delete applications you don’t want to post on your wall automatically, like the Daily Horoscope and etc., and even games like Mafia Wars, Farmville, Texas Hold ’em Up, etc.

Just a reminder, don’t just click on apps you see posted on your wall. Before you do, verify if it’s safe. You can always always google it for information.

The other day, I saw on the news the story of a mother and her 7 year old child who got hit by an oncoming bus when the crossed the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue. They died on the spot. The bus driver surrendered to the authorities and was charged of reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide.

This is something I don’t agree about the law. Although they were killed in the process of crossing the road, they weren’t supposed to be there in the first place. It is strictly prohibited to cross main roads like that, but some Filipino people are just stubborn, and still cross the road.

Filipinos have a lot of excuses why they still cross the road despite the presence of a number of pedestrian overpass. Convenience is one of the few. It will “save” time if they cross the road rather than walk for a couple more meters toward the nearest overpass. Some find it “too tiring” to climb up and down the overpass. If it’s on a stoplight, they find it “too boring” to wait for the green light, and sometimes, they tend to take advantage of the light volume of incoming vehicles.

Illegal places to cross are literally laden with warning signs such as an approximately 5-by-3meter sized sign. And sometimes, the authorities put metal barricades on the center island to prevent pedestrians to climb up and cross the street. But sadly, the Filipino pedestrians are “wise” enough to make a “passage” wide enough to pass through the metal barricade.

Now, if they got hit by an oncoming vehicle in the process of breaking the law, the driver is held responsible for it. My question is why? On a major thoroughfare like EDSA, Quezon Ave., Commonwealth Ave., etc., the vehicles have the right of way and the pedestrians have no business crossing it. They are law-violators, and if they die in the process, they should solely be held responsible for it. I am also a pedestrian and I know when or where to cross the road. Road safety practices are not limited to drivers, but also to pedestrians. So always obey the laws of the road to be safe.

It’s summer again, and the Philippines, being a tropical country, it is quite hot. So the locals found ways to cool themselves by making coolers. These are made with/from ice and are usually sweet.

The king of Filipino coolers is the Halo-halo, a mixture of sweetened ingredients (sweetened coconut, ube halaya or taro, nata de coco or coconut jelly, sweet corn, mung beangs, sweetened banana, jelly, jack fruit, etc. with evaporated milk and sugar) topped with ice shavings and sometimes with ice cream or custard.

Another Filipino cooler is the popscicle ice pop, popularly called “ice drop”. When I was a kid, they used to call it “ice buko-beans” (as it comes with coconut at mung beans). Nowadays, it comes in different flavors, cheese, chocolate, etc.

An alternative cooler (and cheaper) is the ice candy. Its a frozen fruit-flavored juice that comes inside a tube-like plastic.
The usual flavors are orange, strawberry, grapes, avocado, and sometimes it’s flavored milk or chocolate.

Ice candy

Travelling EDSA takes a lot of time, especially if its a rush hour. It’s actually a quarter to go before 10 and its a Friday night. In the Philippines, a lot of the guys come home from work at this time. If you drive your own car, its a painstaking ride. And if you’re a commuter, taking the bus is a big sacrifice, imagine being stuck in traffic when all you want to do is relax at home.

The Metrostar, popularly called the MRT 3, is a great (but a little less convenient) alternative for commuters. You can go Taft Avenue in Pasay to EDSA-North Avenue in less than an hour. You just have to bear cramming inside the coach. And sometimes, its very hard to get out because a lot of undisciplined passengers hurrily enters the train even if there are still passengers getting out. The upside is, its quite cool inside the train.

If you wonder why it’s called MRT 3, you have it all wrong. There’s no MRT 1 nor 2. I don’t know why its called such, but one thing I’m sure of though, is that it opened its doors to public during the administration of former Philippine President Joseph “Erap” Estrada.