Earth Hour 2009 (8:30-9:30 P.M.) 8/28/09

It is better to light just one little candle than to stumble in the dark.

After watching Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth for my Advanced Ecology studies at the University of the Philippines, I felt the urgency of the need to lessen the damage people caused to our environment. The melting ice caps of the Arctic region, the Polar bears that were drowned because there were no more ice bergs to rest upon, the different forest fires; these and many more are obvious evidences of natures deteriorating condition. Here in our place, in Catmon, Cebu, Philippines, the green house effect is quite evident even at early hours of the morning. As I was riding a bus going to school at six-o’clock in the morning, I felt like it was already ten-o’clock because of the scourging heat. Our place used to be a very cool one especially in the early hours of the day.

Why should we be affected by this phenomenon? No, I think we don’t have to answer that stupid question, but this other question: Why don’t we start doing our share in saving our very own Earth? It’s not too late yet. We can still do something to reverse the situation.

I was so happy to turn off the electric lights last Saturday. I voted for Earth that night and I hope that the campaign Earth Hour 2009 reached more than one billion people in 1000 cities around the world. We need the humankind to take a battle on Global Warming. The Earth is our only home. So let us save it before nothing can be done anymore…

Teaching Drama

A self-photograph from my old phone, inspired by the Stage Musical, Chicago.


Cristy Martel receives her Best Actress trophy.


Pearl Joy Celades showing her emotion on stage.


Japhet Villaber with his award winning performance.



In my wildest dreams, I want to become a famous stage actor in Broadway! Yes, I want to share the stage with Lea Salonga, Hugh Jackman and Merryl Streep. It's an impossible dream, but dreams are for free. So Mr. Ares, dream on!!! LOL

I am an avid Drama fan, musical or just pure spoken lines. I think many people love to hear radio plays, watch soaps on TV and movies on DVDs or in the big screen. But for me, the best shows are performed live. I mean if you watch actors performing live in front of you, you will also be infected with the adrenaline rush they are experiencing. You can feel in the air the excitement and the other emotions they are showing.

As what Hugh Jackman announced during the 81st Academy Awards, "the Musicals are back!" I was so elated to hear that. My love of musicals started when I had played Rolf of the Children of Mary, Catmon Unit 1992 production of Rogers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music. From that time on, I tried to grab every opportunity to watch musicals on stage or just any type of drama.

As the English teacher, I'm always looking for strategies and methods to deepen the educational experience of my students in in their classrooms as well as outside of it. To help my students understand and appreciate Drama better, I organized the English Drama Festival 2009 last March 20, 2009 for my five English classes. It was really fun! My students were all enjoying and we presented an instant entertainment for everybody.

I had gained new insights about the mechanics of Drama and how to make better productions in the future from our Drama Festival. I discovered new talented students and I encouraged them to perform and participate in the different academic as well as in other extracurricular activities for the next school year.

I will really miss this batch!

Curtain falls...