@Mitochondria in January 2022

My first post for the year 2022... Our new year began last night! The Philippines was one of five countries to celebrate the New Year with countries in the same time zone, including Singapore and Malaysia, as well as parts of Indonesia and Australia! These countries are 5 hours ahead in the UTC or Universal coordinated time zone. China is also with the same time zone, but Chinese New Year is celebrated on February 1st. The small Pacific Ocean islands of Line Islands (part of…

The New Year's Eve celebration to welcome 2022 was only three days ago... Time really flies by swiftly! And now it's already the third day of January and I still haven't posted the photos I took on the last day of 2021.😜 To be honest, I must admit that we became ill following the celebration. We had common colds and body aches, so we had to rest, mostly sleeping all day.😪 I just read the news that Metro Manila will be placed on an Alert Level 3 from January 3 to 15 due to…

These are additional shots I took on the last afternoon of 2021, taken concurrently with my pics of a silvery sky on my previous post which were taken on the western side of the sky one hour before the golden hour. These photos, on the other hand, were taken on the eastern side of the sky. This spectacular cloud arrangement is fleeting. At first the arrangement was more orderly and beautiful but within 2 to 3 minutes, it gradually disintegrated and 10 minutes later, it…

These photos are next to the pictures I posted yesterday. I took a snap of them only a few minutes or less than an hour apart. This was the last sunset in the year 2021 and I was overjoyed to have witnessed it! I didn't expect the western sky to have turned out so lovely... The brilliant rays of the setting sun on the horizon created spectacular yellowish to peach hues that blended harmoniously as they were reflected on the altocumulus clouds. It really made the sky scene…

I just wanted to share our simple collage photo from New Year's Eve... I just hope, it's not yet too late!😉 Since we are a small family of four, we did not prepare much food. Our main dish was roasted chicken, known as 'litsong manok.' We bought two of them because they are the boys' favorite. As a conservative Christian, we don't believe in superstitions or traditions, just like what they say that it's bad to serve chicken or any bird during the new year because the chicken…

When I went to our local market last week, I passed by the fruit and vegetable section. There were lots of fruits on display... perhaps because of the approaching new year. They were so beautiful to look at which delighted me to take snaps!😄 First, I'd like to share this photo of Calamansi fruits with you. They look so green and fresh... I bought 1 kilo for only 60 Philippine pesos (about $1.20 US dollars). Calamansi is always present in our kitchen because it is our…

Amidst the Omicron threat, this morning I braved again to go outside. Since people were scared of the warning from Omicron news, there were only a few ones seen outside walking. I stopped by a small bakery shop to buy some 'pandesal' (Filipino bread roll) and cinnamon bread. Then I went to a nearby 'talipapa' (small market) to buy vegetables such as broccoli and carrots and to see if any calamansi fruits were already on sale. And guess what, the first stall I went to had a…

My first pics of the sky this year were taken four and two days ago... It was just astounding to see these big fluffy white clouds above me while walking down the street at noon time. The January breeze was a little chilly, but the sky was sunny bright blue, with clouds sailing above like big ships!🛥️ For the past three consecutive days, the sky has been as bright and beautiful as this...😄 These giant clouds are called cumulus 'humilis'. They are usually referred as 'fair…

Here are my first 2022 cat photos, which I took two days ago. I found a stray cat in the shade of the bougainvillea flowers near our gate,🐈🌸 and next to it was a parked motorcycle with a padlock.🔒You see even the motorcycle was on lockdown!😁 And this cute kitty didn't seem to mind! She was snoozing peacefully, enjoying the beautiful weather. I took a few shots, hoping not to wake her up or scare her away. She was awakened, but she didn't mind me taking photos of her and just…

On the same day as my previous post about my first sky and cat photography.... Here was the sunset during that afternoon! The sun wasn't visible because it was obscured by dull, gray clouds. These were stratus clouds that resembled fogs. However, some light rays from the sun did escape, producing faint glowing lights that were reflected in the overcast sky as yellow and pink hues! You see, clouds are very important as the sun dips below the horizon because they serve as…

After less than an hour of my first sunset pic on my previous post, here's comes the moon! My first moon photo for this year! It is shaped like the letter C hanging above the western sky with the planet Mercury below. How did I know it was Mercury? Because it was not as bright as Venus and it was smaller! I just read on EarthSky.org that it is in fact Mercury, the elusive little planet ... https://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-planets-jan3-jan4-jan5-2022/ Can you spot it in my…

Continuing on my moon chronicles, here's my moon flower photography 30 minutes after the waxing crescent moon on my previous post. The altocumulus clouds has just disintegrated and dissipated. So you can no longer see the 'corona'! Of course, I'm not referring to the Corona of Covid-19! But to the "lunar corona" or halo!😁😇 To add a twist to my moon pics, I took a snap of it with some bougainvillea flowers in the foreground! And, voilà, the moon hasn't become so lovely and…

Today was an unexpectedly beautiful day! I was sipping my morning coffee at my study table when I heard sounds coming from the tree outside our window. I went to investigate. As I gazed out the window, I noticed this white male catto on a branch of the 'langka' or jackfruit tree next to our old house.🌳🐈 He was so cute with his white fur and black specks, he's trying to grab the jackfruit leaves, I wonder why, he might perhaps eat them? Yum yum!😋 So I took out my cp and began…

This is the moon an hour ago... It is in the waxing gibbous phase. It means that the moon has passed the half-moon stage and is increasing in brightness until it reaches the full moon stage. Gibbous is a Latin word that means "humpbacked." It describes the convex shape of the moon. Tonight the illumination is 98%. Tomorrow night will be 100%, that means the brightness will be complete, hence it is called a full moon.🌝 The sky was clear and bright a while ago, albeit cloudy…

Last week, we welcomed a new kitty into our home. He's a one-month-old male ginger kitten. He wore a red ribbon around his neck with the Robinson's supermarket logo written on it. Nope, he wasn't bought or given away by Robinson's as you might think. Hehe!😁 Despite the fact that the red ribbon was very pretty that suited him to look like a gift! My husband saw this adorable orange baby kitty at their workplace and asked the caretaker if he could adopt and bring it home. He…

This was the start of the full moon on Jan 17. At 2 in the morning, I went out to my favorite spot on our small terrace to get some fresh air and do some warm up exercises. And, there the moon was hanging on the western to northern part of the sky on a cloudless night. Because it was obscured by the electric post, I went downstairs to get a better glimpse at it. The moon had now formed a complete circle in the sky, as it was 100% illuminated by the sun.🌕 The full moon in…

It's incredible that we can all see the full moon regardless of where we are on the planet as long as the sky is not obscured by thick clouds. And the January full 'Wolf moon' can last up to three days... Isn't that wonderful? So here are some more photos from last night's full moon, January 18, which had a ring around it due to the altostratus and cirrus clouds that were widespread high in the atmosphere. Well, the full moon is associated with a plethora of symbolism and…

This was our sky in this part of the world a while ago. Mr. Sun is having difficulty shining down because it is cloudy, with those large stratus clouds scattered around obstructing the sun rays, making the sky grey and dreary!🌥️ The temperature was 28 °C, which was neither too warm nor too cold because we have already adapted to it, unlike at the start of the Northeast monsoon, when such temperatures make you feel cold. Speaking of adaptation, this is one trait of survival!…

Yesterday, shortly after noon time, I went outside to photograph the sky with my Vivo smartphone.📱I'm not endorsing Vivo, nor was I comparing it to Oppo to see which one has a better camera quality... or am I really?🤔 If so, it wasn't intentional...😁 Now, which one do I prefer? Hmm, I'd rather have an iPhone! But I don't have any... Haha!🤣 Soon, when BCH skyrockets and goes to the moon, then, perhaps I can have one.. Yay! Anyway, here are some macro shots of a Bougainvillea.…

After taking macro shots of the pink bougainvillea yesterday, I tried to explore the little garden beside our gate in search of interesting subjects to photograph. There were no butterflies🦋, neither moths flying around nor caterpillars seen sitting in the leaves of the plants.🐛🌿 I thought perhaps they were also feeling the cold, which was why they weren't out in the open... or could they also be in quarantine? 😁 Joke! You see, we are still on Alert level 3 here in NCR or…

A few minutes after photographing Mr. Spidey🕷️ yesterday, here comes four baby grasshoppers🦗 busy munching on an Ashitaba plant leaf🥬 nearby. The leaf they were clinging to was almost gone, there was very little of it left after they had bitten all the edges. I rarely see grasshoppers, so seeing a foursome was such a great surprise that I actually shouted with delight!😀 Even the kids in the neighborhood came over to see what I was up to and began picking on the grasshoppers.…

This was a sunrise I've witnessed during the first days of this year. It was kinda amazing to see Mr. Sun glowing radiantly in the Eastern part of the sky. He was late though from rising during the cold early mornings of January and there weren't any clouds seen around in the sky to welcome Mr. Sun rising from his chamber. It seemed that the clouds were still having their hungover from their late-night revelry and partying with the moon... 😁😂And so were still fast asleep…

This was the sky scene that greeted me as the sun dipped down after the golden hour. A line of large stratocumulus cloud hovered just above the horizon in the western sky. A streak of yellow color had spread strikingly dazzling across the sky in a straight line between a sea of gorgeous peach hues that were reflected from the setting sun's brilliant glow to the nearby clouds. It's really amazing to watch the sky especially when there's a strange cloud formation. This…

This was the twilight the other day, actually it was the continuation of the sunset that I posted yesterday before it finally dipped down below the horizon and before the dusk set in. The fish-like cloud formation has gradually disintegrated and the sky has turned out to be as colorful as a painting.🖼️ This was not a common sight you see every afternoon at sun down. So, if you happen to come across a stunning image of the sky that looks like an artist has incredibly painted…

These are photos I took last December 2021 in one of the local markets in Barangay 176! Have you heard of Barangay 176? It was quite popular! Yeah, believe it or not, it is the biggest barangay in the Philippines and even the entire world.😀 This is a neighborhood in Caloocan on the city's northwestern outskirts. A barangay is a native Filipino term for a village, with an average population of 42,000 people. However, the population of Barangay 176 is approximately 261,000…

Happy Caturday everyone!🐱 I hope I'm not too late, as it's still Saturday in other parts of the world... I've been busy yesterday, so wasn't able to post. But here are some photos I took a while ago for caturday... I'm glad, at least it's up to date!😀 Today was so humid, it seemed that the Northeast monsoon had already ended, so I decided to go out and buy some cold softdrinks and 'chichirya' (chips) from a nearby 'sari sari' or variety store. As I opened our gate, one of…

This morning on Sunday, the weather was unbearably humid... I'd grown accustomed already to the cold weather we'd been experiencing over the last few weeks. Just like I used to with the temperate and cold climate in Baguio City during my college days. Now, with this 31°C, without an aircon, I was already drenched in sweat and always feel thirsty! The only thing keeping us cool in this heat is an electric fan! Yay! Since the electricity has become so expensive, I've sold our…