After dropping off Michelle and Jeanne at the airport, we went to a nearby range. Unfortunately, it turned out to be not the range we were looking for. As the range in question is on the way home and it was almost lunch, we dropped by a nearby mall for lunch and a bit of shopping. When we finally got to the range, we were warmly greeted by the range master who proceeded to show us their packages. We chose one that will allow us to try a pump-action shotgun, an MP5-A4 clone, and a 1911. The range master proceeded to quickly run us through the manual of arms for each and then it was time for some rather early New Year’s Eve fireworks. It was my first time with a pump-action shotgun and I finally experienced firsthand the legendary kick. I’ve tried a real MP5 before and the clone looked, felt, and shot the same way. The 1911 was your usual 1911. But all three were lots of fun!
Read More
First, Facebook bought Instagram. Next, they started blocking access from third-party apps including Twitter. Finally, the debacle with their Terms of Service. Sure, they backtracked but such things kinda leaves a bad taste in your mouth. That’s three strikes, so I decided to take a stand and deleted my Instagram account. Instagram was and is still a great idea but I just personally won’t be using it anymore. Goodbye Instagram. It was fun while it lasted.
On the way home on the province for the Christmas vacation, we visited Camiguin, an island a few kilometers off the tip of Northern Mindanao and on the Bohol Sea. It much much smaller than Bohol to the north. Less known but just as picturesque.
Upon arriving at the Cagayan De Oro airport, we took a cab and met up with the rest of the family for a quick breakfast before heading off to the port to grab a fast ferry (but longer) from Cagayan De Oro to Camiguin.
We arrived at Camiguin port close to noon. After checking in and unpacking, we had lunch at the hotel before heading off to the beach. Unfortunately, the waves we’re strong and high. We joked that it wasn’t a swimming beach but rather a surfing beach. We gave up and just went back to the hotel and went swimming at the pool.
The next day, we loaded up to the hotel’s van and toured the island:
- Mantigue Island – unfortunately the waves were strong and we were advised not to proceed to the island. It was too bad because, along with White Island, it’s one of the best attractions for swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving.
- Giant Clam Sanctuary/Kabila Beach – a giant clam sanctuary. Some kids will show you around and give talks about clams and the sanctuary. It also has a really nice beach with white sand.
- Moro Watch Tower – a Spanish-era watch tower facing the Mindanao coast. On it, sentries watched for the approach of Moro boats. It also served as a refuge for the townspeople.
- Camiguin Seafood Restaurant – Camiguin has several seafood restaurants. We had lunch at one: J&A Fishpen Resort and Restaurant
- Gui-Ob Church Ruins – the ruins of a Spanish-era church that was destroyed during the 1871 volcanic eruption.
- Sunken Cemetery – a cemetery that sunk during the 1871 volcanic eruption. It is now marked by a monument with a large cross.
- Soda Water Pool – one of the soda-tasting pools in the island. The water tastes like diluted soft drinks.
- Walkway to the Old Volcano – a walkway to the old volcano :P There’s supposed to be some stations of the cross along the way up. We we’re tired so we didn’t go up anymore.
- Ardent Hot Springs – one of the hot spring-fed pools in the island. Well-developed and popular (read: crowded). But it was quite tempting after a long tiring day and we took the plunge.
We left very early the next day due to an incoming low pressure area which threatened to disrupt the ferry schedules. This time, we took the shorter (but slower) ferry to Balingoan. It’s a RORO (roll on, roll off) ferry so we chartered a van that picked us up at the hotel, rolled on to the ferry at Camiguin, and rolled off the ferry at Balingoan. After an hour or two drive, we were already back in Cagayan De Oro and home soon after.
Tired of One Thing? Well here’s something different: Two Things. Over the weekend I watched the 1982 version of The Thing, followed by the 2011 version. That’s not actually accurate, the later movie is actually a prequel. But I started out with the earlier one. It’s on the same vein as Alien but a bit more down-to-Earth, literally. It takes place in a remote Antarctic scientific base where a dog ran into while being chased by what seems to be hunters on a helicopter. Things got a little hairy and the hunters ended up dead and the dog adopted by scientific team. Things got worse from that point when they discover a burned out base, found an alien ship, and the dog turns out to be quite a bit more than a dog. Quite a suspenseful sci-fi thriller.
Rating: 3.5/5
The 2011 version is, as I mentioned, a prequel. Some scientists have discovered an alien ship and a frozen alien somewhere in Antarctica. They took the frozen alien back to their base and, well, things got hairy and worse from that point when they discover the alien isn’t dead and that anyone can turn out to be quite a bit more than what he or she is. In the span of the movie, the mysteries of the first movie was slowly unraveled. But less mysterious doesn’t necessarily mean less suspenseful. Not as original as the umm original but still a suspenseful sci-fi thriller. Plus the effects (and acting) were better.
Rating: 3/5