Ohohoy!

Cagayan de Oro is synonymous to white water rafting:The adrenalin pumping activity that sets you rapidly going down stream and holding on to dear life with a paddle. Derived from the word “Kagay” which means river and “Oro” which means gold. As per the old folks’ tale, the river that separates Cagayan and Bukidnon, did have gold back in the day. It might as well be so as river rafting seems to be one of the major tourist attractions of the city and various outfitters’ bread and butter.

I have had numerous river runs with the Redrafts, one of CDO’s pioneers in the sport. I progressed from being the official entertainer to an extra paddler. Entertainers throw in fun facts, trivia, occasional jokes and whatever stories they can muster to keep the energy level up when passing steady waters. Extra paddlers come in handy for a relatively weaker team (group of old folks and or kids). I have come to know that the integral part of rafting lies in the hands of the river guide who possesses the skill and knowledge to get their passengers through the activity safe and sound but more than the expected criteria, they too must be very good in assessing a team of rafters.

Each participant will be given a helmet, a paddle and a life vest. Once everyone is fully equipped, the designated speaker/senior guide will gather all the participants and brief them on safety precautions and demonstrate the right way to paddle.

MEMORABLE AND VERY USEFUL TIPS:

If you fall into the water, do NOT try to swim, just float facing down stream, relax.

Your river guide is trained and equipped to get you at all costs.

IF YOU PANIC, YOU DIE.

Briefing is also the time for the senior guide to assign a guide to a particular team of rafters. The more daring guides are usually assigned to the equally daring team. It’s incredibly scary until you’ve passed the first rapid. The water looks so intimidating you’d want to back out soon as you see it. Lesson learned: when the guide screams “LOCK YOUR FEET, SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!” you better do so. I was so overwhelmed I forgot to shut my mouth. I ended up swallowing a good amount of murky river water. I was more relaxed though after the my first taste of a decent rapid.

The usual river run starts at Aura, which brags of 14 rapids that’s perfect for beginners. The more adventurous ones can start at Ugyaban with an additionall 7 wilder rapids. Either way you get to enjoy varying rapids from levels 1 to 3. In between the blurry battle with the rapids is a relaxing sight seeing activity where the guide’s people skills come in. It’s like watching National Geographic live! You come across giant fossils of clams (apparently the river used to be part of the sea), snakes, caves, naked locals bathing, lava rocks (where the locals wash their clothes, get it?) and a wide assortment of trees, animals and flowers.

Towards the end of the activity, the guests have an option to take one last challenge: To climb and jump from a 18 ft rock aptly called “the graduation rock”. It’s not much to look at from a spectators point of view but it’s way intimidating when you’re at the peak and looking down at the cheering crowd below you. Even scarier is the guide’s warning to never swim to the left as the current will take you tumbling like a piece of laundry in a washing machine. Some climb up and jump. Some climb up, wait, then jump. A number climb up, wait, wait some more and finally climb down. At least there’s something to look forward to the next time they go rafting.

As with any water sport, the 3 hour activity just leaves you so damn hungry! The Redrafts offers packages that include food. Food package includes a variety of barbequed treats like chicken, shrimp and tuna belly, fresh fruits, steamed rice and a bottle of Cagayan’s unique blend of Pinakurat (local vinegar made from coconut and spices) served picnic style by the river replete with white and red checkered table cloth. Everything prepared just in time when you get off the raft and ready to devour almost anything. Nothing beats capping an activity with a well deserved sense of accomplishment rewarded by a very well prepared local gastronomic experience.

For reservations and inquiries call Lyle X (Redrafts) 09179045298 or Rex 09228973175

Gadgets are becoming even smaller with manufacturers finding ways to create smaller components giving the word “handy or portable” a new meaning. Take for example Torque’s latest product, the ES-5HD, one of the smallest HD video camera in the local market. It claims to have an 11 megapixel maximum still resolution for its digital camera while for its High Definition video recording, a maximum of 720p/30 frames per second. The ES-5HD has a 64MB internal memory with an expandable storage up to 16Gb SD card slot. I only have a 1Gb SD card that usually give me about 25 to 30 minutes of HD videos, for the D1 video resolution (PAL/NTSC), it will give you about a little bit over an hour worth of videos.

Aside from the usual Audio Video jack output, the Torque ES-5HD is equipped with HDMI for those who want to directly show their videos on their LCD screens at home. With its small size of about 100 x 57 x 17.9 mm, it easily fits the palm of your hand or in your shirt pocket. It’s almost the size of a regular pocket pc phone. Video quality is quite good if you compare versus the camera phones. But with its very portable size, video output seems to be a bit shaky. Not recommended for those suffering from trembling or pasmado hands. But there is a built-in stabilizer; the drawback using this feature is that it disables the digital zoom feature. Having that trusty tripod at hand will greatly improve your shots.

This is also useful on “spy” missions due to its very compact size.

Also the function buttons and the jack outputs are all located on one side of the camera, easy for those who have petite and cute fingers.

Picture resolution is good especially for outdoor shots. But for low light conditions, it just gives you dark or sometimes blurry pictures even with the use of the built-in flash. Video output is relatively good both for outdoor and low light conditions. Turning on the night mode function improves it a little bit except if you are shooting moving objects.

Sample outdoor shot taken from the ES 5HD during one of our out of town trips. Color registration is quite good

Indoor shot of the packaging taken from the ES 5HD

It also has a motion detect function useful for monitoring purposes. It stops recording when it doesn’t detect movement anymore. Perfect to spy on your nanny and kids if you are always in the office.

The ES 5HD can also function as a Web Cam so need to buy and upgrade from your Winnie the Pooh web cams if you have this camera. It also boasts its music player capabilities but it can only play mp3 files. Sound quality is average using the stock earphones, though you can use your iPod earphones for improve music experience.

For the price of the ES 5HD at P4,999.00, not bad with all the features you get in just one small gadget . Though not recommended for the discerning photo enthusiasts or videographer, but very useful for your everyday use.

I will have to reiterate my claims that change will not come soon for the Philippines despite what has happened the past few days. With the impending declaration of NoyNoy Aquino of his entry to the presidential race, I have seen in people a renewed hope that this country will change for the better. I have my doubts but we have to start somewhere. Of course it will change for the better as long as the Arroyos step down from power in 2010.

Corruption has been so deeply ingrained in the system of the country that change will take time. It will not come overnight nor will it come in this generation and probably even in the next. But I think everyone will have to agree with me that it has to come and it has to start now.

Right now the country is mired in a vicious cycle of corruption, injustice and moral degradation. What the country needs is a change of values and attitude. We cannot let the rich and powerful continue to control the system nor can we let the poor continue to make poverty an excuse. We need to teach the right values to our children and their children.

We need role models. I’m not talking about the dimwit yet arrogant noontime show host. I’m not talking about the self-centered gossip girl. And definitely, I’m not talking about the president from hell and her minions. We need someone who can be a good example of leadership (or at least not the one who initiates and directs all the dealings).

Our moral degradation is happening right now and with the president and her family spearheading it, we need to act quickly. We could at least stop it from getting far worse.  In 2010, the country votes for the next president. The country’s challenge doesn’t lie there. It lies in what happens after. She who will not be named will try to run Congress and use her vast ill-gotten wealth to change the Constitution and install herself as the Prime Minister of the Philippines. When this happens, I’m not betting my future on a convicted plunderer or a real estate magnate. I want an AQUINO on my side. I’m voting for NOYNOY…. And Kris, please shut up.

Just hours ago Liberal Party president and erstwhile expected standard bearer Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II announced that he is no longer seeking the presidency in 2010 and will instead throw his support for partymate Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III should the latter decide to run for the highest office in the land.

Rewind to a month ago.  Noynoy came out in the wee hours of the morning of August 1 regretfully announcing to the world the passing of his mother, former Philippine President and global democracy icon Corazon Aquino.  Considering Ms. Aquino’s year-long battle with colon cancer and the inevitability of it all, many had expected a usual mourning process sprinkled with tributes befitting a well-loved national leader. As everyone not hiding under a rock knows, Cory’s death did way more than sadden us.  It sparked renewed clamors for change in the country’s political landscape that, ironically, offers a dozen alternatives with not one showing genuine promise.

Cory’s funeral validated this collective feeling.  Political opportunists thus joined the cortege, knowing that the great outpouring of love lining up the streets leading to Cory’s final resting place might give them the mandate they desperately seek.  Some were more desperate than the others, choosing to go ahead of the procession to probably make their pomposity appear less obscene than if they chose to show off behind the truck carrying Cory’s remains.  Quite incidentally, Mar Roxas was among the first to arrive at the cemetery, a good three hours in advance of the cortege.  Apparently he never failed to make a grand display along the funeral route, gleefully waving at the throng as you suspect he would do if it were  the campaign period.  I will choose not to reveal who arrived after him as doing so might give her the idea that she was even worth mentioning.

As suggested in my previous article, Cory’s death also served as a springboard for the emergence of the perfect candidate in next year’s elections. Since op-ed columnists like Conrado de Quiros broached the idea, calls for Noynoy Aquino to go for all the marbles have snowballed, from signature campaigns to online petitions to the sudden turnaround of an administration mouthpiece.  Despite the show of support Noynoy remained reluctant, perhaps even more reluctant than his mother when she was asked to unite the opposition against Ferdinand Marcos 24 years ago.

Liberal Party chair emeritus and former Senate President Jovito Salonga endorsed last week a Mar-Noynoy tandem in 2010.  It was quite a disappointing suggestion from the man I once voted for president; you don’t use Cory Magic to install a vice president.  Salonga was just toeing the party line, of course, and it was just unfortunate that Noynoy shares the same political party with somebody who, so early in the game, had already spent millions in campaign ads, unabashedly telling us, “ramdam ko kayo” (”I feel you”).

Oh, so that's what he meant by "ramdam ko kayo, lalaban tayo"

It must have felt like a knockout punch when despite rigorous image building Mar still lagged behind in recent popularity surveys.  Some will say this may be the reason why he announced what he announced just hours ago. Whatever.  Mar’s supreme sacrifice removed all obstacles from Noynoy’s path as far as the Liberal Party’s selection dilemma is concerned.  Mar’s surprise move ran consistent with his slogan that, indeed, he feels his people and that he is not turning a blind eye to their preference for Noynoy. Lastly, and this may sound farfetched, Mar’s decision to give way to Noynoy put a closure to nagging questions of what-ifs between the two political clans, when once upon a time their fathers were in an eerily similar situation - the Liberal Party was in a quandary as to who between Gerry Roxas and Ninoy Aquino should be its standard bearer in the 1973 elections, the outcome of which was overtaken by events leading to martial law. If you believe in romance and destinies and intertwined relationships, rejoice: Mar Roxas has just given you something to slow-clap for.

Just hours from now it will be Noynoy’s turn to announce to the world what his future plans are.  Here’s really hoping he chooses his calling as well as he chose his parents.

Sonim Technologies just recently announced their latest product offering together with British manufacturer of all terrain vehicles Land Rover. The rugged S1 Land Rover, comes with a protective case made of Xenoy, a high tech polycarbonate material allegedly 20 times stronger than metal and offers outstanding performance in applications that are exposed to harsh conditions.

According to Land Rover, the S1 Land Rover is completely waterproof up to a certain depth, can withstand thermal shock (-20C to 60-100C), humidity and a 1.6 meter drop. Talk about durability! Most phones with a drop of 2-3 feet will leave you with a broken LCD or a new paperweight.

Confident with its durability, the S1 Land Rover was tested to its limit by having it run over by a Land Rover, roasted in an oven, soaked in beer, submerged in mud then have an elephant stand on the phone.

Launched last July 2009, it hasn’t reached our shores yet, but it will have a price tag of approximately P26,000 to P30,000 once its locally available.

Dubbed as the world’s strongest or toughest phone, it sports of the usual features such as Bluetooth, a 2MP Camera with flash, torch light, a built-in GPS, WAP browser and an FM Radio (might not be handy if you’re in Mt. Everest). It’s also equipped with an “extra loud ringtone” in case you need to find your phone under an elephant.