Top 10 Things to Do in Dipolog City

Located on the western part of Mindanao, Dipolog City – dubbed as the Orchid City – is a surprising mix of the antiquated and the contemporary, of the quaint and the urbane, and of the peculiar and the generic. And although it still exudes that charming provincial vibe, Dipolog City is by no means your archetypal provincial capital. (Image: DipologCity.Gov)

Zamboanga del Norte's seat of power may still not be at a stage where I can compete with the heavyweights like Cebu, Davao, or Cagayan de Oro. In fact, people would sometimes frown on Dipolog and depict it as being no more than a ‘transit town’ to other parts of the island; it is, after all, the gateway to Western Mindanao. But the city deserves more than a second look. And with the numerous things that’s brewing up around the city, it wouldn’t be too far before we would see Dipolog battling it out for tourism and economic supremacy with its more affluent neighbors.

More than the uncomplicated lifestyle and the laidback atmosphere, the real jewel of Dipolog is its people – the Dipolognons. And although the Dipolog that we know today is a far cry from the sleepy town that it once was, Dipolognons have managed to preserve the unhurried pace and the unpretentious charisma that endear the city to locals and tourists alike. And coupled with the flexing of its tourism and economic muscles brought about by the influx of visitors and the resurgence of businesses, Dipolog is one of the most attractive places to visit – both for business and for the pleasure.

Here’s my list of the Top 10 Things to Do in Dipolog City. And because I believe that it order to fully appreciate the beauty of a place, every tourist has to experience the many simple things that Dipolog has to offer.

Halloween Trivia and Fun Facts

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! And since I already got my hands full with everything that's gotta do with Halloween, allow me to just re-post an article on Halloween Facts and Trivia that I found very entertaining. Enjoy! And Happy Trick-or-Treating!

Halloween Trivia and Fun Facts

Because of the unknown, Halloween is the one of the most captivating holidays, often celebrated by both adults and children. The element of surprise makes it fun and unpredictable. Enlighten yourself with Halloween trivia and fun facts to enjoy the holiday even more. Take the trivia and make a quiz for your next party!

Halloween Holiday Trivia  

• Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
• Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
• Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings.
• Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.
• Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.
• The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
• Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.
• Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.
• Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.
• Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
• Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.

Staring Cancer in the Face

I’m not an expert on Cancer. In fact, I am far from being one. I am just a son who lost his mother to Endometrial Cancer, and I am hoping that less family will have to experience what my mother and my family had gone through in the course of my mom's year-long battle with the big C. Mom was the first cancer patient in the family - and definitely will be the last!

A couple of weeks ago, I posted an entry about my Mom’s battle with Endometrial Cancer. It was just one of those posts that I occasionally churn out in hopes of getting people to notice something. I blogged about how wonderful my mom was and how naïve I was about Endometrial Cancer. Heck, I didn’t know what an ‘endometrium’ was.

As soon as the post went live, I invited some friends to read it and I subsequently decided to go on with my daily routine. A few days after that, someone named Kaz commented on the post and an emotional light bulb exploded. It turns out Kaz is one of the amazing women behind Womb Cancer Support UK. And after a few correspondences with her and her comrade Debbie, I knew that I have to do something myself.

To tell you the truth, like most people (my age) that I talked to, I was clueless. I didn’t know where to begin or where to start. I realized afterwards that I don’t need to be an expert on Endometrial Cancer. Otherwise, I could just go back to school and study Oncology. We don’t need to be experts. We just need to be aware that Endometrial Cancer exists and that it kills people. Awareness drives us to take action, to take the first step, to know the risk factors and symptoms of Endometrial Cancer, and to educate ourselves on how we can cope if one of our family members is at risk or is battling this disease.

Oct 5 is World Teachers' Day!

We are all teachers in one way or the other. But there are a few brave souls who are willing to sacrifice their time, energy, family, convenience, and even security, just to serve the greater good. Hats to all the strong men and women who have been tirelessly nurturing and educating people for generations! You are, indeed, our heroes.

Let’s show our love and appreciation for Ma’am, Sir, Prof, Teacher, Miss, Madam, Misis, Doc, Dean, 'Cher, Dude, Pre, Your Majesty, Mare, Pangga, Binibining, and Ginoong today. It’s World Teachers' Day!


P.S. My Mom and my Grandma were teachers, and I am very proud of them.

No To CyberCrime Law!

I stand against Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 as it is a violation to Article III Section 4 of the Philippine Constitution that says "No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, of the press..." The said Act, which took effect on October 3, 3012, criminalizes online libel and gives the government unnecessary and excessive powers over its citizens as the Act empowers the government in having the blanket authority to shut down websites. This Act curtails free speech and stifles the very essence of democracy. The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 also clearly and shamelessly ignores the United Nations declaration that internet freedom is a basic human right.

I stand against Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, and I stand in congruence with the position taken by my fellow bloggers in their petition to nullify Sections 4(c)4, 5, 6, 7, 12 and 19 of Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime law.

Sec 4 criminalizes online libel, while Sec 5 penalizes the abetting of commission of cybercrimes. Sections 6 and 7 include all crimes in the Revised Penal Code under the Cybercrime law and increase the corresponding penalties to one degree.

Sec 12 authorizes state agents to collect real-time traffic data, while Sec 19 grants the DOJ the power to shut down websites that contain harmful data based on prima facie evidence.
(http://www.rappler.com/nation/13633-bloggers-file-petition-against-cybercrime-law)

I am Dan, and I stand against the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

When the Ocean Calls

“The sea is emotion incarnate. It loves, hates, and weeps. It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can't.” ― Christopher Paolini, Eragon

 

©Dan Adriatico Aleta

Guess Who Got a Gold Star!

When Wax was called to the stage to accept his Gold Star award, Joey and I noticed two little girls in ponytails intently watching him as he was climbing up the stage. (We learned afterwards that those girls were his classmates. Anyway.)

When his name was called and was subsequently presented with a Gold Star Award for Outstanding Academic Performance, one of the girls immediately crossed her arms and shot one eyebrow into the orbit. In typical telenovela contrabida panache, she told her friend "Bakit siya Gold Star at tayo Red Star lang?"

Her cohort replied, "Baka nagkamali lang si Teacher."

Girl 1, obviously irritated by the circumstance, said to Girl 2: "Tingnan nga natin sa Bulletin Board. Nagkamali lang ata talaga si Teacher. Hindi pwede yun." So off they went to the bulletin board and gasped when they confirmed that Legaspi, Job Joachim really made it to the list of Gold Star awardees. In fact, he is the only boy in this class to receive such distinction.

When Wacky came down from the stage, he was quickly approached by the mini-contrabidas, "Bakit ka Gold Star?" they chorused. "Ewan ko," the little boy answered, "...baka dahil magaling ako." That shut them up.

I'm all for humility, and we need to teach kids how to be humble. But at that moment, I just said to myself What the heck, let these girls have it for once. So proud of you, Wax.