The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC)

We visited the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) in the Science City of Moñuz, Nueva Ecija, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture. This center was created in 1992 to promote researches and studies about the Carabao in the Philippines sponsored as a bill by President Joseph Estrada in 1992. 

The facilities were initiated for the study of the super water buffalo breding that could produce 4 to 18 liters of milk/day using gene-based technology. Philippine Carabao Center is now into massive cloning of embryos of a superior breed of Carabao following the unsuccessful transfer of the first batch of the cloned Carabao embryos early this year. The PCC’s target is to come up with the first genetically superior buffaloes using the cloning technology, but scientists said the statistically most probable, yet they least expected, happened, as the first batch of the clones experienced early embryonic death. We have seen breeds and cross-breeds Carabao. 

The center has different species of the dairy type from India, Bulgaria and some countries like North and Latin America. One of the things I remembered on our trip to PCC was watching the Carabao on their milk-collection area. It was a fun experience and Carabao milk, meat, and hide were just few things we had seen there. 

I invite everyone to visit the PCC to see Carabao breeding process and milking  in progress. The Center is also ideal for Educational tour and Research. -Shernan

Little Elephant’s Story

      One upon a time there lived a little elephant in the far, far away jungle. But this little elephant was not a good boy, and he was never listening to what his mother was telling to him. She was always saying : ” Be careful where you are going and don’t wonder around, because jungle is not the safest place to be!”, but he didn’t care a lot about what his mother’s talking. And, than one day he went to the river and the crocodile caught him. Little elephant tried to run away, but it was to late, the elephant already got him. He started to yell, and good thing was that his mother and father heard…not only they heard the little elephant’s screaming all the family did, so they all run to the rescue, and saved little elephant. From that day, this little elephant never was a bad boy and listened to his mother and became fine and big elephant! Always listen to your mothers! vedrisha 

Things I want to do Before I Die (My Bucket List)

All of us have dreams -- the wildest of which our own dreams cannot even fathom. We long to see more, learn more, and travel more. Imagine being able to say at the end of your life's journey: "Wow, what a ride!" 

 We keep an unending list of things we want to achieve, things we want to change, attitudes we want to cultivate. It is so great to take the time and really ask yourself, what DO I want? Creating and achieving your life list is about deciding what you really want-which means setting goals. 

As I got older, I still had it and now, perhaps of out necessity, but nevertheless, it is about time I crack my skull open to fish for things once lost. I realized there are so many things I want to accomplish in my lifetime. Call it a quarter-life crisis. I found that some of the things I'd listed I'd already done, which was kind of a neat revelation. And here they are.

1. Serve God, make disciples. Serve the people and the government

2. Write and publish at least one book
3. Spending a year with the minorities; volunteering at a homeless shelter or an orphanage; and mentoring  a disadvantaged children and youth.
4. Promote win/win conflict resolution.
5. Positively impact at least 10 people’s lives
6. Starting a profitable, location-independent business doing what I love
7. Having a million dollar investment portfolio to finance my life goals.

8. Establish my non-profit children’s foundation. - DONE
9. Exhibit my own paintings and artworks in a gallery

10. Date someone, get dumped, and remain best friends with them even though they broke my heart. DONE

11. Make my family proud and watch them enjoy life.
12. Learn to play an instrument well.

13. Wave to a stranger, smile and make them smile back. DONE
14. Go scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia
15. Lay down on railroad tracks, and take a picture of the sky.

16. See Starry Night and the Mona Lisa.

17. Drive and/or ride in a Corvette, Porsche, and Ferrari.

18. Travel around the world and take my parents on a vacation abroad

19. Make 50 people smile, in one day and take a homeless person out to eat-DONE

20. Go bungee jumping and kayaking through class IV rapids

21. Go to an African wildlife safari, try hang gliding and walk the Incan trail to Machu Picchu, Peru

22. Explore Antarctica and photograph an endangered species.

23. Experience the cherry blossoms in Japan

24. Find out where my ancestors came from.

25. Understand the truth behind the time-space continuum DONE

26. Give someone a total and pleasant surprise DONE

27. Ride a camel in a dessert

28. Visit the Great Wall of China, Egypt’s pyramid, Taj Mahal, Stonehenge and Explore Teotihuacan

29. Learn to fly a plane

30. Have a meaningful conversation with a beggar- DONE

31. Elect to a public office

32. Get interviewed by international media and publications like Business Week, Times Magazine, Forbes, CNN, etc

33. Realize the most beautiful, intelligent, funny, talented, compassionate woman you've ever met has fallen in love with you. (I keep pinching myself, but I'm still awake!)

34. Find someone who loves me unconditionally and Have a romantic dinner on a hot air balloon, and......

35. Get married to the woman I love and have a wonderful family life.

There’s a lot of impossible things to be accomplished but instead of worrying about when that wonderful days come I think it is best to work towards completing some simple yet spectacular things in my life. M. Russell Ballard said, “small events and choices determine the direction of our lives just as small helms determine the directions of great ships."So, what’s on your "bucket list" Shernan

King and Lesing Through the Years

Lolo Tangking and Lola Lesing's Golden Wedding Anniversary

( Felicidad Cayetano Gamo and Tancredo Aungon Fajutnao)

          What can be a more precious moment than the time when your better half enters your life? Marriage is considered to be one the most special occasion when two individuals get committed in a relationship forever. This Year, my Lolo Tangking and lola Lesing will be celebrating their Golden wedding anniversary.

         It will truly be an affair to remember because not many people make it through the first five years, let alone ten times that number. When lolo Tangking and Lola Lesing first met, Lolo lived in San Andres Romblon and Lola lived in Roma, Mansalay Oriental Mindoro.  Lolo was a small scale businessman then while lola was a simple barrio girl. ‘‘It has brought me joy and love that since our marriage, your lola Lesing has always understood the significance of our relationship, and in our family life, as she stood by me, she has been very devoted to the members of our family,’’ Lolo Tangking told me.

            They truly deserve to celebrate their fruitful marriage life. Imagine they have managed to survive a half century of life's ups and downs together. Over that period of time our grandparents builds a legacy that can't be measured in material possessions, but rather the lives they have touched through their love and faith. Learning from their story, the celebration will be a recreation of their love affair when they began their life together some 50 years ago.

       They have three children: Elcana (School Principal), Jemale (Agriculturist, Gov’t Employee) and Tancredo, Jr. (Electrician, OFW); 17 grandchildren; and 1 great-grandchildren. They raised and educated their children well and actively involved in overseeing their grandchildren.

This event is a reminder of the day on which our lolo and lola united in love to walk through the path of life with each other at all times, be it good or bad. (Shernan)