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Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines, is normally an escape for Filipinos against the summer heat. But since drought is currently ravaging the country, the mercury level of the thermometer may reach 31 degrees Celsius in the coming days according to Wilson Locando, a weather specialist from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (PAGASA).

On April 6, 2010, the temperature rose as high as 29.1 degrees. The unusual high temperature in the Baguio would post a big threat the city’s tourism. Thousands of tourist visit Baguio for its cool climate. If becomes permanent, the number of tourist visiting the city may drop. There are certain fruits and plants that could only be grown in Baguio. If the high temperature brought by the droughts continues, the plants and fruits may be ruined. The hottest temperature recorded in Baguio was at 29 degrees Celsius on April 22, 1990 and April 4, 1981.

But Baguio is still the place to be for those who want to escape the scorching heat. The temperature during the late afternoons and early morning are still within an average of 14 to 16 degrees Celsius. So you could still enjoy the cold winds of Baguio despite the droughts.

In my opinion, this is the best comedy movie of 2009. If you enjoyed watching the movie “Old School”, then you’ll definitely love this movie.  This movie is a perfect depiction of a Bachelor party gone wild. The phrase “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” is very much applicable.

The temperature has been high in the last few months that on most days I take refuge in air condition malls located near my residence. I have never considered purchasing an air conditioner but I am starting to think that it is becoming more of a necessity rather than a luxury. Yesterday the temperature in Metro Manila has reached 36.1 degrees Celsius. A month ago on March 6, temperature has risen to 35.8 degrees. The highest temperature in Metro Manila was recorded on May 14, 1987 and was at 38.5 degrees Celsius.

The Philippine Atmospheric,  Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has forecasted the temperature would reached 35 to 36 degrees Celsius until the weekend and reach as high as 37 degrees all over the country within this month or on May.

If the temperature is high in Metro Manila, it is nothing compared to Tuguegarao where temperature is expected to reach as high as 37 to 38 degrees Celsius in the next four days. The highest temperature recorded in the Philippine is at 42.2 degrees Celsius in Tuguegarao on May 11, 1969

Just before coming to work, I travelled from Pampanga to my office in Quezon City. I expected that it would be a lot cooler in the province compared to Quezon City but I was wrong. It was hotter there despite that there are more trees. I think the problem is that there is only a warm breeze there.  I hope that the temperature would go down as soon as the drought ends. It has really been difficult to commute lately. I wonder how it would be if the Global temperature rises and when the day comes that a 36 degree temperature is a natural occurrence in the Philippines.  An increase of a few degrees would post a lot of problem to a lot of Filipinos. How I wish this drought ends soon.

When Zeus’ master bolt was stolen, the finger points to the usual suspects, the Demigods. Demigods are the half human and half gods and are the only one capable of stealing other god’s power. Percy Jackson is the son of a human, Sally Jackson and the God of the sea, Poseidon.

Percy is unaware of his lineage until his substitute English teacher and a Fury, Ms. Dobbs attacks him. His Latin Teacher, Mr. Brunner and his best friend, Grover Underwood rescued him by defeating the fury. Soon Percy finds out that Grover is a Satyr and has been assigned to watch over him. He was brought to a training camp for Demi Gods lead by Mr., Brunner, a centaur named Chiron. But before entering the camp a Minotaur captured his mother and was brought to underworld.

To rescue her mother, Percy had to agree to accept the help of Grover and Annabeth Chase, the demigod daughter of the Goddess of wisdom and battle strategies Athena. Together they travel around the United States to find Persephone’s pearls so that they may exit the underworld safely. But before leaving they needed the help of another demigod, Luke Castellan, the son of God of thieves and travelers Hermes. Luke gave them a map that shows the location of Persephone’s pearls, flying shoes and Luke’s portable shield.

In their quest for the pearls, they had to fight Medusa, the snake headed creature that could turn any being to stone just by her gaze. They eventually defeated Medusa and brought her decapitated head along. They also had to face the hydra to acquire another pearl.  Using Medusa’s severed head; they defeated the hydra by turning it to stone. The last stone was in Las Vegas, in the lair of the lotus eater. The lotus eaters have the ability to trick their prey in staying in their lair. Their victims lost the sense of time and reason. With the help of Poseidon, Percy realized that it was a trick and they eventually escaped with the third pearl. 

They entered the Underworld and was confronted by God of the Underworld Hades. Due to a series of events, they found out that the thunderbolt was hidden in Luke’s shield. Persephone got his hands on the thunderbolt and used it against Hades. Percy finally rescued her mother and was ready to leave the underworld. The only problem was that there are only three pearls. They had to leave Grover behind since the Percy, Annabeth and Sally Jackson had to use the three pearls to escape the underworld. They were then transported to the top of the empire state building, the entrance to Olympus.

But before they could enter Olympus, Luke showed up and tried to stop Percy. Percy won the battle and was able to return the thunderbolt to Zeus just in time to prevent the war between the Gods. In the end, Percy had to return to camp and harness his Demigod powers.

Since I haven’t read the book, I would have to say that the movie is quite good. Most people who have read the book were pretty disappointed. But then again there are only a few movies which are based on a book that has really met the expectations of those who read it. Even though the story is loosely based on the Greek Mythology, I still recognized the similarities in the storyline. The special effects are great. But overall, I would say that the movie is quite okay. It is a movie I don’t mind watching a couple more times. I would have to get a copy of the book to make a better comparison.