Mother Nature gave me a gift!

Today, Sunday, this afternoon after my illustration of a chick on a nest for our writers group's supplementary literary page was printed in a Davao newspaper, Mother Nature gave me a gift!






The awesome gift was just that, a fluttering chick fresh from its nest that I perched right in my very hands! During those amazing, ethereal, infinite minutes, I befriended the chick that eventually allowed me to pick it up, it then flew somehow on my shoulder, from which I perched it up again in my hands, and I savored every precious second of this unforgettable moment!












We gazed at each other, me acting elated and overwhelmed, and it acting curious, and as the afternoon sky finally loomed overhead, my friend chick chirped excitedly as if to translate, "hey it's really gonna be late, and I really hav'ta go!" and off my little friend flew, as butterflies suddenly appeared and fluttered everywhere.

I'm gonna call my little feathery friend as Swswt! And haha, you have to whistle to pronounce it!

(I was listening to this music from a French internet radio station while blogging it, and even if I don't understand its lyrics, the language of music is universal and this did express the elation I felt during that awesome moment, so I decide to embed it too)

Je Te Donne (Live) - Jean-Jacques Goldman

live band interactive

This is a live band performance in a resto-bar located in Rizal Street. The singer on the pic however, was my highschool batchmate who rendered a song for my birthday as the band got interactive with the audience. His performance was energized enough to wake my other batchmate up who had previously dozed off from booze, and earned applauses from other audiences.

The resto-bar also offers free wifi.

free wifi!

This hotspot is located a block away from the front entrance of the popular People's Park. It's a bit of a tranquil part of a downtown area just a walk away from a large downtown mall. Just try chasing the hotspot signal located near a small hospital.

agong house

Just a few hundred meters from Camp Sabros, also in Kapatagan, Davao del Sur, is an eccentric-looking residence built by a popular Davao based artist. It is called the Agong House with its shape inspired from an "agong," a musical bronze drum usually used by most indigenouse peoples of Mindanao. The house is a sculptural work of art in itself, with added practicality of providing living quarters in it using the principles of organic architecture. It used to be a private resthouse of the artist, but throngs of curious onlookers just cannot be prevented from entering the compound and interacting with this Art.

Virtually the artist made the whole compound into one giant canvas, with sulptures, other artworks and even a big slide incorporated into the landscape, and made interactive for everyone. The place so inspired my Aunt that she sang spiritual songs upon leaving the place. This is a recommended place to visit together with Camp Sabros. Assuredly it makes the 2 hour trip from Davao City somehow complete.

swiss alps?

Guess I really need to post pics outside the city's outskirts. I already added up "outskirts too" in the blog theme. Some nearby places just can't be left on the sidelines.





This one is taken from the Swiss alps...NOT.

It is actually in Kapatagan, Davao del Sur particularly in Camp Sabros, known for its ziplines about 2 hours drive of scenic overlooking mountain ranges that culminates with a magnificent view of Mt. Apo, the country's highest peak.

In the camp one takes a zip ride of his/her life amidst pine trees and cool mountain breeze thousands of feet above sea level. It used to hold the record of the country's longest zipline, but it is contested by another zipline in the city that claims to be the longest in Asia. Now they're trying to get back again, this time with attempt to challenge that record.

highway sculpture

Here's a massive sculpture under construction along the Marilog highway just hundreds of meters from the waterfalls. The statue portrays a member of one of Davao's indigenous tribes, sitting in "lotus position" and holding the famous fruit that Davao is known for, the Durian with a symbolic figure of a child on it. There are also other interesting sculptures beneath the statue to stimulate one's mind.

interesting waterfalls

This interestingly shaped waterfalls is, interestingly also, still part of the city's vast boundaries. It is located in cool Marilog district, about an hour and a half drive from the downtown area and elevated at about 3000ft.

high resort

This popular mountain resort along the mountain range boundary of the city at nearly 3000 feet above sea level and offers breathtaking views of the Davao landscape as well as its surrounding islands and the Gulf. Its pine tree filled sprawling compound offers various attractions such as pool and cottages, trips to its organic farms, some resident peacocks, and a zipline among others.

high-end construction

This high-end subdivision project is, literally, just that. It is located high above at around 3000 feet above sea level, at the edge of the city's western mountain range boundary. The place is known for stunning panoramic views and cool mountain climate as evident with the profusion of pine trees in the area. Although it is many kilometers away from the downtown area, the place is still part of Davao City. Despite the looming global recession, the city seems to be on the upswing for construction projects.

mushrooming condo

Condominium projects are mushrooming in the city after the succesful stint by a developer some years ago due to rising demand of such investments. This condominium construction is located in the western tip of the downtown area,advantageously located near government institutions, the bustling downtown, parks and a museum. The city has among the highest number of approved building permits in the country.

2nd chinatown arch

This is the city's 2nd Chinatown arch progressively worked in 3 days duration. It is being constructed full blast in time for the Chinese new Year Celebration.

Davao will celebrate the country's first Chinese New Year Festival as the Mayor signed the executive order that created an executive committee for the said event.

The city also has the country's biggest Chinatown, covering about 50 hectares of the downtown area.

free wifi!

This spot is on a popular mall south of the city, in Ecoland area.

chinatown street

This is one of the major streets in Chinatown district. Davao City's Chinatown is considered to be the biggest in the country in terms of land area. It is also gearing up for the country's 1st Chinese New Year Festival that will run for a week, replete with nightly cultural dances and songs, as well as night market.

The city's firecracker ban however, will still be imposed. Instead, revelers will be watching fireworks display via widescreen live from China.

season in malls

Malls in the city were flooded with shoppers and strollers during last year's holiday season as they watch feature shows and avail of bargain prices from price offs and midnight sales.

christmas party

Christimas parties often abound everywhere in the city during the season. Here, a small party was being held and the emcees facilitated some parlor games to entertain the guests. A game was in progress with a winner required to be the first to bring anything the host may fancy so as to win a gift price.Previously, the object the host wanted was to bring a denture, which was eventually won by a senior lady.