Hi Everyone!

Today, I would like to introduce you to a special friend that is only found in the Philippines…the Philippine Tarsier. I, first, became interested when I saw the Lemurs in the movie Madagascar. Dada told me that we had our own similar Lemur call the Philippine Tarsier. That’s when I really became interested in my new animal friend.

Mama and I have done some research on the Internet on my friend. I like the Tarsier because they are so small and have very big eyes. The Philippine Tarsier, (Tarsius syrichta) is very peculiar small animal. In fact it is one of the smallest known primates, no larger than a adult man’s hand. Mostly active at night, it lives on a diet of insects. Folk traditions sometimes has it that Tarsiers eat charcoal, but actually they retrieve the insects from (sometimes burned) wood. It can be found in the islands of Samar, Leyte, Bohol, and Mindanao in the Philippines.

The species is believed to be about 45 million years old, dating back to the early Eocene period, and probably one of the oldest land species continuously existing in the Philippines. The Tarsier was first introduced to Western biologists through the description given to J. Petiver by the missionary J.G. Camel of an animal said to have come from the Philippines. Petiver published Camel’s description in 1705 and named the animal Cercopithecus luzonis minimus which was the basis for Linnaeus’ (1758) Simia syrichta and eventually Tarsius syrichta. Among the locals, the Tarsier is known as “mamag”, “mago”, “magau”, “maomag”, “malmag” and “magatilok-iok”.

The Philippine Tarsier has a gray fur and a nearly naked tail. The middle finger is elongated. Head and body length are around 118-149 mm; It weighs 113-142 grams. Males are larger than females. In comparison with his body size, the eyes of the Tarsier are enormous. In volume, the capacity of the bony eye sockets, is larger than that of the brain case, and also larger than its stomach.

Tarsiers live in and around the base of tree trunks and the roots of plants such as bamboo. They can occasionally be found in holes at the top of trees. In Mindanao, Tarsiers appear to thrive best in second or third growth thickets along the coast and in the valleys. The Philippine tarsier is nocturnal; they hunt at night, exclusively for animal prey. At day time, they hide in hollows close to the ground. When kept in captivity, individuals may huddle together or intertwine their tails. They are believed to live in groups, larger than just one male and one female. The female appears to take care for the young exclusively: no male parental care has been observed. Tarsiers live exclusively on animal prey. Their diet includes primarily insects such as cockroaches and crickets, but may occasionally be extended with reptiles, birds, and bats. A Philippine Tarsier in captivity will eat live shrimp and fish in a bowl of water. Tarsiers can live up to 12 to 20 years old.

Currently, the Philippine Tarsier is categorized as a “lower risk, conservation dependent” species, which means that, although it is not yet categorized as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, it could qualify for one of those categories within five years if the present protection programs are stopped.

Outside the Philippines, a number of relatives of the Philippine Tarsier can be found, among them the Bornean Tarsier of Borneo and Sumatra, the Spectral Tarsier, the lesser Spectral Tarsier or Pygmy Tarsier, and Dian’s Tarsier of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Pygmy Tarsier, by the way, is considerably smaller than the Philippine Tarsier, while the Pygmy Mouse Lemur, found only in Madagascar, is now being recognized as the smallest primate in the world.

So, I hope you were able to learn about an exciting animal that lives in our wonderful country called the Philippines!

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Hi Everyone!

Today is a special day for our muslim friends around the world.

Eid ul-Fitr is the Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. In the Philippines, the day is a national holiday in recognition of the importance of the event to our Muslim citizens. Fitr means “to break” and symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period and of all sinful habits.

On the day of celebration, a typical Muslim family gets up very early and attends special prayers in mosques and in large open areas, stadiums, or arenas. The prayer is generally short, and is followed by a khutba (sermon by the Imam). The festivities start after the prayer with visits to the homes of friends and relatives and thanking the Creator for all blessings. The first Eid was celebrated in 624 CE by the Prophet Muhammad with his companions and relatives after the victory of the Battle of Badr.

 After a full month of Ramadan, a religious tradition of surrender and obedience to Allah where adult Muslims observe the difficult fasting from dawn-to-dusk fast, Eid ul-Fitr is indeed an important and joyful event with great religious significance. Muslims dress in holiday attire. After attending the special congregational prayer in the morning, worshippers greet and embrace each other in the spirit of peace, love, and brotherhood.

Eid ul-Fitr is a day of forgiveness, moral victory and peace, of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood, and unity. Muslims are not only celebrating the end of fasting, but are also thanking God for the help and strength that He gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control.

Here in the Philippines, with a majority Christian population, we have recognized Eid ul-Fitr as a regular holiday by virtue of Republic Act No. 9177 and signed on November 13, 2002. The law was enacted in deference to the Filipino Muslim community and to promote peace among major religions in the Philippines. The first public holiday was set on December 6, 2002. This year, the holiday is set for Wednesday, October 1, 2008.

Eid ul-Fitr is a time to come together as a community and to renew friendship and family ties. It is a time for peace as all Muslims in the world to devote the day to prayers for peace and well-being. We join our Muslim friends in these prayers. May the peace of the One God be felt throughout the land.

EĪd mubārak (Blessed Eid)!

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Technorati Tags: Allah, Eid ul-Fitr, Muslim Community, Philippine Holiday, Ramadan

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Hi Everyone!

I can’t believe that it has been raining everyday for the last 8 days!

Today, was the first day that the sun was shining and things started to dry out. This has been a very wet rainy season. My Dada has been sick the last 6 days with a very bad cold and “pink eye” in both his eyes. This condition has made his eyes very sore and there is a fluid that makes his eyes “glued” shut. He told me that his eyes hurts a lot and they are very itchy. He said I have to stay away from him because I can catch the condition. That is one of the main reasons we have not been posting the last few days. The other problem has been the electric service has been “up and down.”

In a couple of days, I will be making my 100th posting and on that day there will be a big surprise for all of you. I have agreed with Mama and Dada to do something new and you will find out then. So be sure to watch for this special posting in a couple of days. It will be a big surprise.

OK, enough for now. I hope that you are having a good week. I know that many of my friends in America have been in very bad weather with so much rain and wind. I have watched the flooding around the USA and it makes me sad to see people lose their homes. I will pray for all of you that things will get better real soon.

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Hi Everyone!

Well, I am happy to tell you that the flu has left our house. My Mama, sisters and I are over the flu and feeling a lot better. It was a hard few days and I hope that I don’t get the flu anymore.

This weekend, I was watching television and I saw that today there was a special day called Ramadan. I didn’t know what Ramadan was so I ask Mama what it is. Mama said that the best way for me to learn what it is all about was to look it up on the Internet. So Mama and I did some study on the Internet.

Ramadan is a special period of time (one month) that begins each year at a different time. This is because the religion of Islam uses a different calendar than us. This month is a period of time where Muslims do not eat, drink or smoke during daylight hours. They are required by their religion to be extra good to people and do things to help poor people. After the sun goes down is the time that they can eat and drink.

This special time is important to Muslims as it is a time each year to re-learn what it is to sacrifice and to know what it is like for poor people who don’t have food to eat. They believe that it brings them closer to God.

Muslims visit the Mosque every day during Ramadan, to pray together and study the Quran (Islamic Holy Book). As well as the five daily prayers that are said throughout the year, a special prayer called the Taraweeh or ‘Night Prayer’ is said during Ramadan. When the sun goes down at the end of the day the fast is broken with a meal called the iftar. After dinner, its customary to go out visiting friends and family who live nearby.

On the night of the 27th day of Ramadam, Muslims celebrate Laylat-al-Qadr or ‘Night of Power’. It is said that the Quran was revealed to Mohammed on this night , and God determines the world’s course for the coming year. Ramadan ends with a three day festival called Id-al-Fitr. It’s a time for friends and family to gather together in prayer, exchange gifts and indulge in large meals.

Mama said that almost 5% of the population of the Philippines is Muslim. That is almost 4 million people. Mama said that it is important to respect all religions of the world. She said that the common connection is a faith in a higher Being than us. She said Muslim people have a very strong belief in God and she said that is good.

I ask her about all the talk on the television that says Muslims are bad and they kill innocent people all around the world. Mama said that there is a truth to that but it is not all Muslims but only a small percent that believe in a different form of their religion. I hope that those bad people will stop what they are doing so we can all live in peace.

Well, I hope that all my Muslim friends will have a “Happy Ramadan.”

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Technorati Tags: holiday, Islam, Muslim, Ramadan, Religion

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Hi Everyone!

Today is National Heroes’ Day (Araw ng mga Bayani) which is a public holiday in the Philippines on the 4th Monday of August each year.The Philippines, on this day, commemorates the “Cry of Pugad Lawin” by Filipino revolutionaries called the Katipunan led by its leader (Supremo) Andres Bonifacio.This was the beginning of the end for the Spanish occupation of the Philippines.

The Philippines, like all countries of the world, has had many heroes in its history. That got me to thinking about the definition of a hero. I ask Mama “what is a hero?” and she said that we will start by looking up the definition of the word. Webster’s Dictionary states: “a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength.”

Mama told me that this definition is not quite correct as it doesn’t truly define what a hero is. Mama said upon closer examination, many more different qualities than just the above mentioned become apparent upon reflection.. Courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to try are just a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero.

Mama said there is another type of hero that almost no one is aware of. In the poorest areas of the country live people who have little resources or opportunities. All their lives they’ve expected to work hard and expected little or no success in life. Some individuals living in poverty with a strong determination to succeed work hard all of their lives with the single goal of rising up from their surroundings and circumstances to build a better life for themselves and their family; they are heroes. There are over 11 million Filipino Overseas Workers working in countries all around the world. They provide over 20% of the Gross National Income each and every year. They sacrifice there lives to provide much needed income to their families here in the Philippines. We call them our “modern day heroes.”

Mama said that everyone can be a hero each and everyday. She said that when we live our lives with the idea that we are here to help each other in every way possible we are heroes. When we help a older person across the street or give up our seat on a bus for an older person; we are a hero. When we help our friends with their homework when they are sick and can not attend school; we are heroes. I think that you get the idea. Mama said God teaches us that simple acts of kindness makes us better persons and that is really what being a hero is all about…being the best we can.

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Technorati Tags: heroes, National Heroes' Day, Philippine History, values

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