ANNAlysis

Since I spend more than half of my time on or by the beach, having sturdy flip-flops is essential. I’ve been a loyal user of Havaianas since high school (which was 7 years ago WHUT!). My closet has probably held more than 20 pairs, give or take. I’ve lost a few pairs along the way–naiwan sa resort, hiniram ng kaibigan na hindi na binalik, pinamigay kasi bigay ng ex-boyfriend… (Uy. Joke lang yung last.)

When I received an invitation to go to the launch of Make Your Own Havaianas (MYOH) at a time and place I would be in Manila, I rearranged my schedule. I’ve been wanting to go to this annual event for years, but I was always out of town or doing something else. Last night, I finally got to go, and with one of my favorite people in the world, Ma.

Upon entering, we were given our press kits and the You + Havaianas design template. The latter is a nationwide contest inviting people to draw their own designs. The winning one will be part of the next collection.

Since I have no artistic talent whatsoever, I skipped the drawing part and explored the venue. This year’s theme is “imagination,” so the venue had the following details:

A hot air balloon made of Havaianas

And lots of cupcakes by Sonja (which I think were only available during the launch).

The eco geek in me noticed that they used paper straws, wooden forks, and glass cups/bottles for the drinks. I wonder if it was a conscious decision to go for biodegradable/recyclable materials. Nevertheless, I thought that was very cool.

The procedure for making your own Havaianas is to open the guide and 1) check the color of the soles, 2) check the color and style of the strap (metallic, slim, regular), 3) check your size, and 4) add charms (optional). The charms this year were adorable: sun, stars, rocket, owl, hot air balloon, bike, etc.

Then you proceed to the counter where there are assemblers waiting and ready for your design. The Havaianas assemblers Ma and I ended up with were hilarious. The young, gorgeous girls were Richie and Shane. Since Ma and I are pretty talkative, we quickly discovered that they were on their third year of being assemblers and that they were incoming freshmen in De La Salle University. At this point, they started singing the school hymn that Ma and I sang for a good 13 years of our lives as Lasallians!

For my first pair, I chose the Dan Matutina-designed soles, as part of my advocacy to support Filipino designers. This is the first time that Havaianas collaborated with a Filipino designer, so this is a must-have! This design is available only in the MYOH 2013.

For my second pair, I wanted something more basic. I lost my gold pair a few years back. Ma got brown ones, since she lost hers too. (What is BURARA?) We ended up getting matching charms of the astronaut and the rocket!

I strongly recommend going to this event with a friend, so you can keep each other company for what goes next: lining up to pay! I think it took more than 10 minutes. There’s a short hallway leading to the cashiers that has no air-conditioning. Luckily, we ran into Thysz, a good friend, marketing genius, and Deputy Mermaid. We talked and laughed and brainstormed until we got to the cashier.

That’s one of the bonuses of the event — running into familiar faces and long-lost friends! I ran into Monique of TRAVEL, Toff of Chalk, and the forces behind the New Media Factory. Seeing Rissa Artadi always leaves me a little bit starstruck.

After paying, our flip-flops were slipped into these bags, which I absolutely loved. Gave me ideas for future events, hihi. These will be my shoe bags for traveling from now on!

Make Your Own Havaianas runs from Thursday, May 2 at the Rockwell Tent and until May 5, 10 AM onwards. Don’t miss it!

My trip to Cambodia almost didn’t happen due to my own carelessness. Lesson learned: triple check the expiry date of your passport. It must be valid for at least 6 MONTHS, okay? Thanks to the efficiency of the Department of Foreign Affairs-Manila, I was able to get my passport extended for a whole year on the same day I went there (i.e., the day of my flight because I had been in Cebu). My passport renewal appointment (which I did online) is scheduled this month na rin. #praning #neveragain

My Cambodia trip was meant to happen. Ma, Abet, Donna, and I had been dreaming about it since, like, high school. The girls, Ike, and I planned it months ahead. It would be my 24th country in 24 years, and another item crossed off my “25 things to do before I’m 25” list.

Our evening flight was about an hour delayed, but like I always say, mas okay na ang delayed flight kaysa delayed period. The Siem Reap International Airport looks like one of those function halls you would have your wedding reception in. We were happily greeted at the exit by our tuktuk driver Mara, who would be our most loyal companion throughout our weekend.

We stayed in Hotel 1961, a boutique hotel/art gallery/souvenir shop/cafe run by a lovely Filipino couple from Bacolod named Loven and Faith. They, along with their most accommodating staff, added so much life to our trip. Each room was designed with love and great attention to detail. Ike, Ma, Donns, Abet, and I all love art, so we were lucky enough to catch the opening of an exhibit called “The Space Inside/Outside.”

The morning of Day 1 was dedicated to the Angkor National Museum to contextualize our journey. We then bought the 3-day pass so we could pace ourselves and not get “templed out.”

This UNESCO World Heritage Site, which holds over 1,000 temples, has beauty and poetry in every corner. There are trees growing over, around, and inside the temples, a good reminder that nature can and will take over if we let it be.

Unless you’re a history buff, it’s best to have a local guide to explain all the carvings and shape of the structures. Here we are with our silly guide, Polyn.

There were lots of beautiful doors and windows that we took advantage of.

Last stop of Day 1 was Angor Wat to catch the sunset.

Because we are all audiophiles, we brought wireless speakers to add a soundtrack to appropriate moments, from tuktuk rides (e.g., “Genie in a Bottle,” “Return of the Mack”) to the sunset (e.g., “Waiting in Vain” by Annie Lennox and “Kissing” by Bliss).

From seeing Angkor Wat at twilight, we went back for dawn. (Competitive) photographers were there as early as 3 or 4AM to capture that epic Angkor Wat sunrise. We arrived past 5 and were satisfied with the view from the second row. We met a friendly Singaporean who coincidentally was planning a dive trip to Malapascua, my current home. HOW SMALL IS THE WORLD. I gave him my contact information, so I hope our paths cross again!

We spent part of the afternoon in Bayon, which we all agreed was more overwhelming than Angkor Wat. The structures lord over you. I imagine it would inspire artists to sketch or paint or just create!

Stolen shot of a tourist

We couldn’t go up Baphuon because we ladies were in shorts above our knees and sleeveless tops. They no longer allow tourists to use sarongs as coverups. We took photos outside instead.

Check out Abet, who’s wrapped in a scarf because she’s afraid of “choco batok” a.k.a. BLACK NAPE.

On our last day, Polyn was no longer available to take us around, so we went on our own.

We especially loved the Phnom Bakheng temple. We were already on the way out when we saw it and told Mara to stop. This requires a 10-15 minute hike of steep steps, but worth every huff and puff. My thighs hurt the next day.

Aside from the temples, one of the best discoveries of the trip was, well, EACH MEAL! Khemer cuisine is way underrated, perhaps because it’s been overshadowed by its neighbors (Thai and Vietnamese). Luckily, I got to talk to my friend Icy who’s in the restaurant business, so we got the best recommendations for food. A must is Sugar Palm Restaurant and their amoks and salads. I didn’t get to take any photos because we were all enjoying the food too much. I would seriously go back to Cambodia just to eat there. We had dinner in Viroth’s, which is fancier than others. It was the perfect way to punctuate a hot, dust-filled, sweaty day in the temples. It looks like a beach bungalow you’d want to spend your Holy Week in.

We were on Pub Street every night, which is cleaner and more organized than Bangkok’s Khao San Road and not as sleazy as Malate. We didn’t go clubbing, but instead stayed in the bars/restaurants beside the clubs so we could enjoy the music and still be able to hear each other. We also had really, really good pizza.

Being the unapologetic tourists that we are, we wore our Angkor Beer shirts on the way back to Manila.

In hindsight, the trip was a little bitin. We didn’t get to do the hot air balloon ride over Angkor due to unfavorable weather conditions, bike around a larger area, visit the Landmine museum, or see the ruins on the other side of Siem Reap. But with the direct flights from Manila to Siem Reap (and my soon-to-be new passport!!!!!!!), it would be easy to plan a trip back sooner than later :)

I once wanted to have a separate blog for my environmental advocacy. I began a Listen to the Eco Tumblr account and lost interest almost immediately. If I kept two separate sites, I’d have little content to post on BOTH this one and Listen to the Eco. Being an advocate is not my alter ego after all, it’s part of who I am, and it’s embedded in my lifestyle.

So today, I’d like to share with you volunteer opportunities for Save Philippine Seas. #segue We’ve been SO lucky to have a dedicated army of sea-tizens. 2013′s looking very busy already, so we’re going to need even more merfolk around the Philippines.

WWW.SAVEPHILIPPINESEAS.COM

The official website of Save Philippine Seas

Bloggers/writers – to cover and document marine-related events and issues

Graphic artists – to create infographics and publicity materials

MONTH OF THE OCEAN (MOO) – May 2013

MOO is an annual program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources every May. SPS will be the partner organization for nationwide events and programs for MOO 2013.

Project/event assistants – to assist in logistics and volunteer mobilization

Photographers/writers – to document different events

Marketing assistants – to help SPS look for and secure partners and sponsors

PAWIKAN WATCHERS

Pawikan Watchers is a training program through which volunteers from different parts of the Philippines will be trained on the biology and ecology of sea turtles and Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB)-approved guidelines for handling sea turtles.

This is exclusive to people who live in areas where sea turtles are known to nest or feed, such as Bataan, Naic, Davao, La Union, and Palawan.

Upon completion of the training course, the volunteers will be given a toolkit to monitor and evaluate marine turtle rehabilitation centers and programs. With the partner facilities, they will be submitting reports to PAWB regularly.

Artists For Nature will be holding an evening of arts and music to support Pawikan Watchers. Three of my favorite things: arts, music, and environment! We hope to see you in Conspiracy on January 19, 2012. I’m gonna get to watch Flying Ipis for the first time! Hi, Deng!

SeaNN (Sea News Network)

SeaNN is an independent reporting network focused on news about Philippine beaches and seas. The Facebook page-based “newscast” is from Monday-Friday at 9-10PM.

Reporters and respondents – preferably based in coastal communities outside of NCR

Right after I arrived from Korea at past midnight, I headed to Quezon Avenue for the Save Philippine Seas x Dolphins Love Freedom mural. I was supposed to tweet something like, “Headed to Quezon Avenue for work!” but that just sounded wrong in so many levels.

Over a hundred dedicated volunteers brought the sea to the concrete jungle we call Quezon City. It was a private-public-planet partnership. Many thanks to our friends at Human Nature, Binalot, Davies, Starbucks, and Manila Water, MMDA, and DENR-PAWB for the support.

The man on the boat is Dolphy. No joke! Photo by Kage Gozun.

Light at the end of the tunnel. Literally. Photo by Eric Joseph Avena.

That’s me (well, my hair) at around 2AM. Photo by Kage Gozun.

With the MMDA truck. Photo by Dino Leoncarlo Calderon.

Dolphins Love Freedom with our friends in MMDA. Photo by Dino Leoncarlo Calderon.

MMDA officers helping us out. Photo by Nix Nicolas.

You can read more about the project on Interaksyon (“Bringing the Ocean to Quezon Avenue”) and Rappler (“Passage into the Philippine Seas”).

We have similar projects coming up! Join us! We won’t bite… Unless you want us to ;) Visit our volunteer page to let us know how you can help :)

“EARTH” spelled without “ART” is just “EH.” We at Save Philippine Seas would like to invite you to “Sa Asul O Sa Itim?”, an art exhibit which features oil and mixed media artworks focusing on marine environment issues like destructive and overfishing, coastal infrastructure and tourism, and mismanagement of fisheries.

One of my teammates at SPS will be speaking during the opening, yey! I’ll be out of town from April 26-May 8, but I’ll definitely swing by to catch the last few days of the exhibit.

For more information, visit the “Sa Asul o Sa Itim” website.