Gimikera Is In
Your resident gimikera is here to share her expeditions in this journey called life.
For the first time, Filipinos were able to join the Amazing Race-Asian edition. Leading the pack is sexy actress Aubrey Miles.
Aubrey Miles competes in ‘Amazing Race Asia’
http://www.yesmagazine.com.ph/latestnews/aubrey-miles-competes-in-amazing-race-asia
SEXY star Aubrey Miles is part of the Asian edition of the award-winning US reality TV show Amazing Race—a competition wherein ten teams contend in various countries for the grand prize of 100,000 US dollars (five million pesos).
Aubrey Miles (whose real name is Aubrey Sandel) is partnered with model friend Jacqueline Yu while the husband-and-wife tandem of Ernesto and Jill Lopez comprises the other Filipino team included in this multiple Emmy Award-winning reality game show.
In a phone interview with YES! Online, Aubrey said that she felt intimidated by the other teams competing in the Asian edition of this highly successful reality show. “Na-intimidate ako sa mga teams na sporty-looking…[mga mukhang] mas malakas [sa amin],” admits Aubrey.
She compares the Asian edition with the US edition that was shown previously here in the country. “Wala naman kaming conflict with other teams kasi ang mga Asian people, very sweet…friendly. Di tulad sa US edition, parang seryoso masyado. Everything is fun,” sums up the star, whose last movie was Exodus: Tales from the Enchanted Kingdom.
Although she could not reveal the countries and the challenges that she went through, she did mention that she was gone from the country for two months and that the Amazing Race Asia will be shown on the cable channel AXN by early November.
Prior to the competition, Aubrey just went to the gym regularly in preparation for the physical demands of Amazing Race Asia. The 26-year old actress describes her best friend, Jac, as a good team player. “Wala kaming naging conflict since we’ve known each other for six years.”
The Amazing Race utilizes progressive elimination; the last team to arrive at a designated checkpoint leaves the game. Along the way, there are challenges that the team members must complete in order to finish the course.
American-born Chinese actor Allan Wu is the host of the Amazing Race Asia.
Last October 1, I was able to join my first birdwatching activity courtesy of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines.
Equipped with my rented binoculars (for only P50!), trusty hat and loads of sunblock, I set off to meet some of the 150+ resident bird species of Metro Manila.
Our original plan was to tour the American War cemetery but due to the devastation caused by typhoon Milenyo, we headed to the Heritage Park in Fort Bonifacio instead. We weren’t too disappointed since there was a nearby creek that attracted quite a lot of birds.
We stopped by a small pier and the birdwatchers (or birders for short) set up their telescopes (or scopes for short) so we could see the birds up close.
One of the first birds we saw was a yellow bittern that posed for a long time across the river banks. When I used my binoculars, it was quite hard to identify the yellow bittern but by taking a peek at the scope, I could clearly see its yellow eyes and striped body. We were even more amused when the bittern would look up the sky whenever an airplane passed by.
Over the next few hours, we saw a little heron, barn swallows, pipits, bulbuls, kingfishers, brown shrikes and even fruit bats! During that time, I learned how to focus binoculars, describe (quite vividly, I must add) the exact location of a bird and enhance my powers of observation.
Aside from birdwatching, I also liked observing the birders and seeing their excitement whenever a new bird comes into view. There is a flurry of questions–how large is it? what colors do you see? where IS it??!!
By the end of the event, I met a lot of new friends (both human and winged creatures) and acquired a new hobby that could prove to be a natural thing for me. Anna, who introduced me to this activity, says that I’m a quick study compared to other first-timers. =)
I tried putting my Kodak DC 3200 in front of a scope and this is what I got. At the middle of the viewfinder is a spotted dove that is resting on top of a tree stump. My digicam couldn’t capture the spotted markings of the dove nor could it capture the delight that one feels when watching birds in their natural habitat instead of seeing them behind a gilded cage.
For more information about upcoming birdwatching activities, feel free to visit the website of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines at:
