Saving Soft-Shell Turtles in Quezon

My childhood friend Zeus Bascon invited me to go to a road trip with his family over the weekend. It was a long and fun drive to Quezon from Sta. Rosa Laguna. The plan was to have a picnic there.

I was already at their place at 7am which isn’t bad since I live 5 minutes away from their house if I were driving a car. His mom said we start by 7am and I hate being late at any event.

When I came over last Friday I took the bike with me instead of the car, my 10 year old cousin gave me a bike since he bought a new one. Now I have a small bicycle altered to accommodate my size.

The handle bar and seat were heightened so I could pedal and maneuver the bike comfortably and it was also painted chrome.

I stuffed the bike in my trunk in case the terrain in Quezon is good enough for biking. Unfortunately I was unable to use it since the place was too rugged and mountainous. There was absolutely no way of enjoying my mini bike in the area, such a shame.

It wasn’t easy to drive to the place especially if you’re carrying 5 other people in my really old car, or my mom’s car, the back seat was packed with 4 people making it very hard to go uphill and I think after the trip I would have to get Ula, the car, checked. I should have told them not to overload the car, I thought there would only be two people at the back.

Since the stereo was busted we resorted to improvising, so the song we all sang to was…

Classic.

I cooked spaghetti with mushroom and tofu, I already know that I can’t eat whatever they’re having since the diet of a vegetarian is typically unheard of in Filipino families. But thankfully they’re starting to realize that I don’t eat meat anymore. Someone cooked fried eggplants, I was grateful.

Tiaong was a mountainous place in Quezon and people there speak in a rather funny accent that is almost similar to the people of Batangas.

There where overwhelming amount of vegetation and trees. There were corn shrubs, a few of them I accidentally run over since there was absolutely no road to follow. I also happen to rear a coconut tree but since the terrain was absolutely incorrigible it was a miracle I was able to park somewhere.

There was also a river at the northern end of the place so all of us have decided to take a look.

Floating plastics, foil wrappers can be found on the side of the creek and on its surface. I have never seen a really clean river in the Philippines so I wasn’t surprised although there were fishes and soft-shell turtles living in the river.

Unfortunately they are in grave danger since the people around the area heartlessly shoot them. We saw a man fishing with a spike like equipment and he didn’t even let a small fish, about 4 inches long, go. He shot the poor creature, as though it would really fill him up when he eats it. I think a boiled sweet potato would have filled his stomach more and he wouldn’t have to bother swimming around, not to mention having to endure the searing sun.

While playing my double-reed harmonica in an upbeat tune which Zeus said sounded like Huckleberry fin-ish but I aptly named the tune “An Ode to Maria Makiling” (A fairy, nymph or deity in Laguna – particularly in Los Baǹos) we marched from a hill to the river banks and started to dip our feet in the shallow part of the river, feeling the strong cool stream.

The sun was too harsh so I retreated under a shade of tree and sat on a boulder, playing continuously with the harmonica just at the side of the river bank.

It wasn’t long when we heard a sort of explosion not too far from the river.

“That’s a gunshot” said Zeus’ sister and later on, her husband came in saying someone was shooting a turtle on the other side of the river. Dismayed by such news I quickly stood up and placed my harmonica at the back pocket of my denim shorts.

I saw Zeus dragging a log near the side of river, saying he could do something with the beautiful log. It seems that he wants to take it home to Laguna and take it to the car. I told him he’s not carrying that 60 kilo log to my car and he should just leave it here and come back for it next time.

“It’ll be gone by then” he reasoned.

“Tie it to a tree” I said.

He asked his brother-in-law to help him carry the log but it proved to be heavy. “There’s someone shooting down turtles at the other side of the river, we need to stop him. Drop the log, it’s already dead but the turtle is alive and we need to save it!” I told him.

“Fine.” He said, dropping the log and the two men followed me uphill to the other side where the shots originated.

Upon reaching the other side of the river, we had to go downhill but it was too steep. I was waiting for Zeus to dash down but it took him a while to figure out how he could go down the bottom unscathed. I followed quickly after, dashing below and not a bit troubled by what would happen.

If I had to shield the turtle with my body – in a heartbeat I would, although my heart does have the tendency to skip beats.

The new ground was near a cliff where there were tall weeds and shrubbery, a little bit of clumsiness and we'll definitely fall on the river. Not knowing what you’re stepping on will increase the possibility of plummeting down the river below.

Another shot came and we were sure it was pretty close.

I looked around and saw the guy, whom Zeus’ father was talking to earlier.

I thought perhaps we can ask him where the guys shooting the turtle down can be found.

As we drew closer to his position, at the edge of the cliff – I saw him raise his arms holding a .45 caliber and fired a few more shots.

“I got it! It’s a big one!” the idiot said.

It was too late, I saw the turtle a bit smaller than a car tire sank at the bottom of the river about less than a 100 meters in distance. We were at the edge of the cliff and below would be the river, about 8 feet below.

“There! Saw that huge green shell sinking?” he said.

“Where?! Where?!” Zeus said

I was offended gravely. “Why did you kill the turtle?” I asked him.

“We eat them.” He said.

“Well, aren’t you going to get your kill?” I asked again.

“That part of the river is very deep. Deeper than the bamboos you see” he said, “I’ll just let it go and let it surface on some shore” he gave a smirk as though he felt he was so awesome.

It seems he has no plans of fetching his kill, he’s not planning to eat the turtle. He just shot it for target practice and he’s old enough to know that what he’s doing is wrong. He’s not retarded not to know, he has no excuse – he’s just an ignoramus who thinks we will be impressed by what he was doing.

Is he trying to tell us in a way that he has a gun?

“Poor creature” Zeus and I said.

We told the ignoramus that these turtles looked like pawikans or sea green turtles and they are endangered species but he said they are soft shell turtles (much to Zeus’ disappointed he won’t be able to get any turtle shells)

The ignoramus guy said “They are endangered in your place, but here it isn’t.”

Oh and that makes it right to shoot them? I thought, only a buffoon would reason that.

“At this rate they will be endangered” I said.

“Look there’s another one” the brother-in-law said, we all looked to the direction and saw a small young turtle about 8 inches in diameter. The soft-shell turtle reared its head on the surface of water to take a few breaths. We can clearly see its body on the water, wiggling its stubby fat legs to float.

The ignoramus guy once again aimed at the turtle and commenced on pulling the trigger.

“No!! Stop!” I was about to grab the gun from him but I halted when he looked at me very surprised and lowered his gun.

“If you’re going to eat them, I’ll give you money so you can buy food at the market. Just don’t kill them.” I said.

Imagine a guy around my age going to shoot an innocent poor creature that emerged from the bottom of the river simply to take amounts of oxygen in order to continue its harmless life but would only be shot down.

“Huh? What?” he said. He was surprised at what I said.

“How do they taste like?” Zeus asked.

“They taste like beef” he said.
Liar, I haven't tasted turtles but I don't think they taste like beef. Soft-shell turtles as what my office-mate told me were the turtles used in soup.

I didn’t have any homicidal thoughts against the man at that time but I do want him to stop, but what chance do I have when he has a gun and I only have a double-reed harmonica?

There was silence and the turtle after taking sufficient amounts of breath retreated back to the bottom of the river. The creature is safe for now, I thought to myself.

We left the guy at the cliff and I told him to not kill them anymore. He didn’t say anything and we left.

Zeus told me about cultural boundaries, that I can’t just tell people to stop what they’re doing if it has become part of their culture. Uh-huh shooting down turtles with a .45 caliber is very cultural, I wonder if they have a “Let’s shoot down soft-shell turtles” festival.

Then again, if it were, I don’t care if I’m crossing cultural boundaries if I could save a turtle’s life.

It is immoral no matter how I look at it.

Zeus said we need to educate these people and I agree, but I wasn’t in the mood to lecture the buffoon with the gun and tell him about global warming, endangered species and that shooting any living creature down is not right – when in fact he ought to know these things. Is that gun even registered?

“He’s not going to eat the turtle, he’s just practicing his aim” said Zeus’ brother in law.
True, how is he going to fetch his kill when it sank more than 10 feet below the surface of water? Would he really take the time to wait for it on the shore when that is so uncertain? How many more turtles has he killed and how many more will die?

No other living creature in this world has the capability to be such monsters than humans, all other animals will only harm a human when provoked or threatened. They would never ever harm anything out of pleasure. 

Hunting in several regions on earth would be acceptable. The English before would shoot down foxes since these animals harm their stocks and farms. They would collect the hunted fox and make use of its hide. But why shoot down a turtle when it’s harmless, it already has a slowed motion, why else shoot it?

A bear would never attack or scratch a human just so he could sharpen his claws.

After a while we went back home. I’m sure that guy has done it a lot of times and I’m not going to stand here thinking about those poor creatures getting shot for mere target-practice.

I will try to contact PAWS or DENR if I had to. Or even PETA, although I don’t really like PETA but the circumstance is asking for it. PETA is too extreme, too intense for my taste.

I don’t want to go marching down holding planks or sign-boards. I may need to consult my friends for help on this one.

There were people who killed animals and made fun of animals that spread all over the news like the kid who hanged a puppy by the ear and the one in UP who stepped on a kitty - those aren't even close to what I've witnessed. I literally saw an adult man gun down an innocent creature who has no chance of fighting back.

Anyway here’s a video for PETA from Bullshit (I love this show)

I have a lot of reasons why I’m vegetarian and when I was in college, torturing animals was the last reason why I was following this diet to heart but it doesn't exactly mean I don't care about animals at all - I just have better reasons in being a vegetarian than just mere compassion towards animals.
Please don't tell me to eat meat, I will eat meat if I want to - thank you.

Do watch the PETA Bullshit show and know more a bit about PETA who wants to shut down Manila Zoo.

Ken Breaks Up With Barbie

Click Photo to go to Ken's Page on FB

You said it Ken! I just received my Greenpeace newsletter and this was the news. It seems that the most famous couple are breaking up because Barbie is annihilating one of the most precious part of the planet – the forest, particularly in Indonesia.

What I like about Greenpeace is that they really target big companies to straighten up their acts with nature. I thought if I quit writing for this company I’m working for, I would apply for Greenpeace Europe, Coral Cay or the Asia and Europe foundation. But alas, I have to stay here since I have to focus on my writing career.

I didn’t bother with volunteering in Greenpeace Philippines because I’ve been to their office and well... I guess what they wanted was financial donations instead of my time. A college student such as I was back then, has only her time to give, it didn’t really seem worth it but a year ago when Zeus Bascon and I were hanging out at Alabang Town center, there was a Greenpeace booth seeking help and for new members (by member, someone who donates monthly or someone who donates, doesn’t matter how many times) the thing is, they don’t accept cash and since I have a sort of disorder that lacks the ability to say NO to anything, I gave out my credit card number that their organization don’t really accept. But they said they were going to see if it would work.

Unfortunately it got declined several times and the penalties that came monthly in my bills were enough to bury me alive.

So I discarded the old one and got a new one. No, I don’t hate Greenpeace PH for that. I just wished I’ve said ‘No’ back then, it would have saved me the trouble. Since it is in the past, I’ve buried it to where it belongs, six feet under the depths of my mind’s forgetfulness.

You too can help out and sign a petition for Mattel to stop destroying forests just to pack Barbie in disposable cardboards. Click here!

Deforestation speeds up Global Warming and makes it worse, not only that but 2012 is coming and the whole world might just explode to pieces, at least if the world ends on 2012 we'd have great forests and a tiny little bit of fresh air.

Don't forget to get your Angry Ken Profile Pic on his Greenpeace FB Page or the Unlike Barbie photo.

I think they are going to get back together and I shall count the days it will take for that to happen.

The Beet on Vegetarianism

A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.

LEO TOLSTOY, On Civil Disobedience

Perhaps I was quite the tree-hugger back in college, obsessed with preserving nature and saving the environment. Hardcore would be an understatement when it comes to saying that I was hardcore environmentalist, no… I was an earth warrior defending its dignity, pride and honor… or so I thought.

I started my vegetarian diet back in the latter part of my college years, when I even bothered to volunteer for this NGO that’s quite known all over the globe and even allowed them to garnish certain amounts from my bank account each month. It passed and after almost two years I went back to eating meat since my previous job required it and that something happened, something that changed my life forever (well, not really. I went back to my vegetarian diet eventually)

Something altered my philosophy about the world that I went back to being a careless citizen of the world who doesn’t care if the world is being damaged and degraded by our unfettered use of fossil oil, smoking and improper waste disposals. 

Imagine, back then, I wouldn’t surrender my clothes unless they’ve been worn for at least three days, I don’t wear them for three consecutive days mind you. I don’t flush the toilet, unless I really have to and I have tried desperately to avoid using paper towels, tissues and would keep a hanky handy always.

I left my car home and didn’t bother using it, if I can walk to the place of destination then in a heartbeat I would.

You must think I’m a crack pot back then but thankfully I didn’t look like a hobo, despite the abandon of ironing my uniforms. My friends refer to me as Korean back then because Koreans don’t iron their clothes.

For the love of nature I forsook meat, although my diet back then wasn’t as strict as mine to this day. I easily get tempted to eat Lechon whenever there’s an occasion but I followed the diet most of the time. I was a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian whereas today I’m simply a Lacto Vegetarian. 

Perhaps you would slap me with a steak if I tell you that being a vegetarian is easy, back then it wasn’t. I really had to exorcise myself to forget about meat back in college and at such an age of 19, that is something kids of my age won’t even dare think of. I even tried growing a tomato in a pot which I aptly named Kammy (Kamatis) but died since I wasn’t able to water if for two days.

Going for red meat is not my thing and would prefer white meat always. The process I took was from Pollotarian (Chicken eater) to Pescetarian (Seafood eater) to Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian then to Omnivorian then suddenly to Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian again then now to Lacto Vegetarian ( Taking off eggs from my diet, since I’m terribly allergic to them)

There are a lot of reasons why I went back to being a vegetarian.

One: Is that my acquired pilgrimage required it

When we eat animal meat, we take in their sorrowful souls. When they die, which is most probably in the most horrifying way, they emit sorrow since they are in pain and if you partake in their meat, you take in their sorrow. Eating meat agitates people, making them irritable and in constant worry. The negative energy is of course passed on to the person who eats it.

In my pilgrimage, we are required with emphasis never to cause sorrow.

Two: Is that I believe that the most effective protest against violence on animals is by not eating them.

I profess certain contempt to those who rally and tag me on facebook to support and fight against animal violence when they themselves can’t even consider not eating them.

Protesting against animal violence when you too eat animal meat is no more different than someone promoting peace by having a gun and shooting everyone she sees. Let’s just say you don’t eat dogs or cats, but why would the pigs, chickens, cows and others have to go through such tragic lives? Their animals too. 

Three: It’s healthy

The meat we eat now are stuffed with drugs to make them fatter and grow faster that the risk of getting sick today is higher than in the previous decades.

A huge company in the Philippines, a really huge one I can’t dare name it, has their chickens inside a 24 hour air-conditioned warehouse, since this type of poultry can’t stand the heat in the country and would pre-maturely die of heatstroke. It’s those featherless, headless chicken you now see in supermarkets that are wrapped in plastic and are placed in ice in the wet section. 

Four: You give a hand to nature by eating veggies and help prevent global warming

Believe it or not, you add more greenhouse gases by eating meat than by driving a car, what more if you do both?

Five:  When you buy something, you don’t just use it or consume it for its purpose. You vote for

It. If you bought a pair of jeans that was made in China and was made in a sweat shop with children as laborers then you vote for child labor.

It requires will power and discipline to be a vegetarian but it can be done.

This is Virka. She lives in Olongapo with my friend. My favorite dog among dozens of dogs in the household.

 I give Virka baths whenever I come over to my friend's place and walk her whenever I can. Dogs are nice pets but I prefer cats.

Coal is not our friend

I love commercials, they don't last that long yet they send out the message in only a few seconds.

Currently, our battle against coal isn't over. Facebook uses coal as their source of power, that means using Facebook would definitely add numbers to your carbon footprint and environmentalists would probably deactivate their accounts in protest. Which means I would have to deactivate my FB account as well and stick to my blog.

Share the commercial below to your friends on FB and LIKE the Unfriend Coal Page.

The GreenPeace Unfriend Coal TV Ad.

This is an online revolution. Join Us to decelerate Global Warming even just for a tiny bit.

Search for the best Vegetarian Restaurants (Manila)

For a starving writer, I barely starve, I also believe that the “Starving Writer Feeder’s” Club has something to do with it. I’m thankful for having a lot of friends who are very supportive of what I’m doing. I suppose it’s apt to say that I’m a struggling writer… I have my famished times too.

Recently I have been trying out Vegetarian Restaurants around manila. As a vegetarian, I find it a treat and a good way to expand my taste pallet. I cook for myself however, I would rather have someone cook for me and therefore a very good life partner would be a “cook”, otherwise I would have to spend time learning how to cook new dishes.

*Oh and I joined my other vegetarian friends who came from Olongapo to Vegetarian Resto Hop and for two days we ate at several restaurants in Manila, I didn't have to spend much. Thanks Carlo and Clarice and hope your Vegetarian Restaurant in Olongapo would soon be realized. Good Wishes!!

Here are the reviews of the Vegetarian Restaurants in Manila. I must warn you that my reviews are subjective but I’m sure you are smart enough to know that people have differing opinions about everything. (In descending order, that’s right from “Great to Not-So-Great”)

Greens

Scout Castor in Tomas Morato, the place can easily be mistaken for a house, because it once was (the toilet even has a shower).

The place upon entering is canopied by green plants and a few trees.  And warmth surrounds the atmosphere of the interiors of the restaurant. A must try would be their Barbecue, coming in only at P75 a meal and the option of having red rice or java rice is available, so as not to make your barbecues lonely, includes a serving of their atsara.

I tried their Sisig, it wasn’t bad. The serving was good enough for two people and it costs P120 without rice. Their grilled vegetable wrap was good. I can’t wait to taste the rest in their menu. For desserts, they have vegan chocolate cake and other tasty treats, although some of them aren’t always available. Their Baklava is a nice match for tea.

They also have wifi, therefore it became my office for a couple of days and very nice toilet.

Pipino

Malingap St. Teacher’s Village. (Maginhawa).

Tofu Balls by Pipino

Go with tofu balls for the appetizers, they’re wonderful and excellent for sharing. I tried their Vegetable curry with Couscous. It was good but it became too tiring for my taste buds half way. The presentation was good, rice in the middle of a large plate then splashed with the vegetable and curry sauce, topped with 3 thin slices of tofu. Some green sprout was holding the 3 slices of tofu in place.

They have interesting dishes such as the demi-dried stuffed tomatoes and the Portobello mushroom steak, which are quite good and worth a comeback.

Their vegan lasagna wasn’t exactly what I would have a taste for the second time, it was peculiarly sweet and tiring halfway.

The place is decent and clean, although the people dining there are quite loud, as though they want to force the other people to eavesdrop with their comatose inducing conversations. Familiar doodles were on the wall and paintings probably coming from my friend Zeus Bascon’s circle of artists.

Smoking area at the back, not that it’s something I should be happy for. Clean and decent toilet is a plus.

Price ranges with meals have a mean of P200, pretty pricey for a writer who has an average monthly salary. I’ve dined there last January three times, once in three consecutive weeks.

Eggplant and Tofu Miso

Vegetable Curry with Couscous

Camote Fries By Pipino

Portobello Steak

Demi-dried stuffed Tomatoes

Nom Nom Nom

Timog, Quezon City

A great place to dine in and hang-out with friends, I remember my painter friend Zeus Bascon saying he will be exhibiting his works there or simply displaying some of his works. I liked the color combination of the place and the feeling when you’re inside. Artworks and interesting trinkets from young artists hung on the wall. The nostalgic designs of the tables and chairs can truly take you to another dimension as though in a dream.

They have their slab pizzas and tofu meal creations, I didn’t like their stir-fry tofu but the others were great.

Price rates are a bit higher than Greens but they’re a bit reasonable, though the toilet… hmm I don’t really appreciate. I really wish they could make it a bit better since the prices of their meals aren’t exactly pocket-friendly.

Ha Yuan

Timog x Tomas Morato? (I forgot where it was but I’ve eaten there a couple of times already)

This is a Chinese restaurant that’s vegetarian friendly. They have vegetarian siopao which is my favorite and their Cold Taho is very popular.

My friend suggested trying out their Lumpiang Ubod and to my surprise it was really good. The dish is always served fresh and with bamboo shoots too. They have a wide selection of mushroom and tofu dishes, which are always worth a try. They have a good selection of vegetarian meals and if you’re on a date with a person who’s not exactly a vegetarian, then this is a good place to take him or her, at least there would be something for you and the other person from the menu.

The place wasn’t so bad, there were vintage Chinese paintings (Which can be knock-offs) and the sound of the traditional Chinese bamboo flute music always seem to welcome me when I go there. Meal prices aren’t that expensive although they can get expensive too.  The vegetable siopao costs P35, which is a rather small size but the Lumpia is about P80 (I think) for a serving.

Another Vegetarian friendly Chinese restaurant is Mr. Ube (Binondo and another place in QC), they have vegetarian meals but the selection isn’t that diverse. I think there’s only one vegetarian meal there…

Corner Tree Café

Jupiter St. Makati

Koftas in Tomato Sauce

Quiet place and unlike Pipino, people who dine here are afraid others might hear their conversations, so they lower their voice a notch down whispering or is it just me seeing other people’s mouth move without a sound coming out of it? Anyway, I like them, they don’t make a sound.

Trying to remember what I ate, I believe it was Koftas with Tomato Sauce or Vegetarian Indian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with rice. I love everything with tomatoes and tomato sauce in them so this one won me over effortlessly. I’m a sucker for tomatoes.

Their Chili Beans was definitely something I would come back for. I loved chili con carne when I was a meat eater and I’ve been craving for some in the past months and finally I found a vegetarian version.

Their vegetarian lasagna must have been the best veggie lasagna I’ve tasted so far, definitely worth a try.

The interior of the café was simpler and has a more classic touch and I really find it a quiet and peaceful place.

The meals were pricier than Pipino, not to mention they have an exclusive service charge when their toilet, though clean, pales in comparison to what Pipino has. This must have been the priciest vegetarian restaurant I’ve dined so far but their dishes are wonderful, still it does not justify the price.

Bowl of Chili (Chili Beans)

Teriyaki Asparagus with Shiitake Mushrooms

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Vegan Chocolate

Starter plate (Dukka and white beans Humus)

Green Halo

Cubao Expo

Tofu Sisig

For a restaurant who claims to serve organic food and items, they wrap their to-go dishes and meals in a Styrofoam. Anyway, they’re the only vegetarian restaurant in CubaoX, so I usually order there.

I tried their vegetarian Burger Steak, it was blah. Their sisig wasn’t exactly something I enjoyed eating although their Basil and Mushroom sandwich was great, I just wished they’d remove the crusts of the sandwich.

I haven’t tried their pastas, perhaps next time I would. Prices are almost the same as Greens but a bit pricier and less than appetizing. I suggest they lower their prices, I could easily remake their sisig in my sleep.

The place looked as though there was no lone concept when designing the interior, my friends liked the wall color though. Dolls and empty bottles of what-nots where on display and also some water color artwork that were for sale starting form P6,000. I would like to call their interior design concept as “Chaos” or “Chaotic”.

No toilet, either the pay-toilet outside or you sneak in Alan’s Grill for their toilet.

Best pick would be Greens. For several reasons such as having a solid wi-fi connection, which makes it perfect for those who work remotely or the place is a really good one to hang out with. It’s very homey and all your favorite cooking has their vegetarian counterparts. Clean and decent toilet with shower and you can buy your vegetarian supplies at the same place. Prices are very reasonable, though I still can’t eat there every day.

I didn’t rate their service, as in how the waiters and waitresses were since I noticed they diversify their treatment each time I visit. Sometimes they could just be stressed or thinking about something and aren’t aware they’re pulling a scowl, I forgive them as long as they don’t do something funny with the food I order.

Other Vegetarian friendly restaurants in Manila

HEAT

I haven't tried the mushroom burger of HEAT since a friend of mine said that it's in Shangri-la Plaza, it was too late when I discovered it was in the hotel. They only have the Mushroom burger for vegetarians.

Mexicali (MOA)
Garden Burger and their Grilled Vegetable Taco are great - Always a reason to try again, other options are available.

Bodhi (Megamall, SM South)

A level below Greens, not so shabby, very good alternative.

Good Spirits (The Collective, Makati) 

They have the most amazing marble brownies.

Sophia's Mediterranean Cuisine (West Gate Alabang)
Reasonable, Good and filling. One of my favorites.

Pho Hoa (Alabang Town Center, Shangri-la Plaza)
Decent, not so bad.

I will expand the list next time, I'm always up for some new tastes.

Black saves energy!

I have forgotten where I got this from but a few years ago, I read somewhere that LCD and CRT screens (That means your monitor) use less energy or electricity when the images shown are in dark colors.
That is also one of the reasons why my blog design is in dark colors.

Therefore Google, one of the highly successful search engines on earth have created BLACKLE.COM
A search engine where as opposed to google, has black for background, cutting a bit on your electric bill. It also help reduce green house gas emissions. Collectively when a number of people(let's say half the planet) use it then it will have great effects and our efforts won't have been in vain.
I use it as my homepage. The url is www.blackle.com
Do your share for mother earth.