Sunday, September 23, 2007
Week Past 09/17-09/23/07
Fri 09/21 was my day off. Time to mow the lawn. This past week's thunderstorms and cool weather has been helping our lawn grow faster compared during the height of summer. The pest control guy from Rove also came for their quarterly pest treatment. I showed him what happened to the plants I planted at the back. My suspect are moles or gophers eating the leaves and worst the roots. I just hope they grow back next spring.
Fall and Baguio
Sun 09/23 is the start of the Fall season. The calendar states:"Autumn Begins". Not that I'm complaining but there are days when we're still hitting the 80's when it's dupposed to be in the 60's or 70's. Enjoy it while it lasts. I remember one TV station weather forecaster mentionig that this year may be a mild and less snow winter. He was referring to a 10 year trend. Again, I'm not complaining. It would be sweet if the temps would be constanttly in the 60's and 70's. Baguio residents, you don't know how lucky you are. A pity, lack of planning and good leadership is slowly "killing" (if its not dead yet) the city. It's natural resources are being depleted with its commercial developments. The city can only take in so much with very limited resources especially its water supply. The smell of pine trees as you start to ascend the zig-zag road is all but gone. Uncontrolled logging and kaingin farming is taking its toll. The salubrious climate or environment it was known for is a thing of the past. It was a joy to walk along Session Road now you can smell diesel fumes from vehicles clogging the street. It was the place to be during summer for its cool climate. Now you don't want to be there crammed with people and traffic gridlocked. I have many fond memories of the place. It is where W and I spent our honeymoon. Unfortunately the hotel (Hyatt Terraces Plaza) where we stayed fell victim to the tragic earthquake that occurred in 1990. It should have prodded the local officials to envision and implement an urban plan that would sustain the city's future growth and development on the way to its recovery. Seventeen years later, the city is groaning. It's overweight, it can't carry itself. But its lure to the lowlanders is still there albeit diminishing. I remember in the late 80's one Friday night while enjoying San Mig at Aberdeen Court's Cafe de Chine in Quezon Ave with three of my drinking buds. Out of the blue around 12:00 midnight we decided to drive up to Baguio. So we paid our bills and away we go. We reached Burnham Park around 4:00 am. It was chilly considering we were not dressed for the location. We parked and caught a shut eye then toured the city during the day. Afterwards we continued with our San Mig at Burnham then drove back to Manila later in the afternoon. The allure of Baguio. But even then, looking back, it was starting to wane.
