My Blog

I took part along 43 other individual in the Community
Emergency Response Team under the auspices of the Department of Homeland
Security and the Citizen Corps. Basically we were trained to assist and if needed
conduct our own disaster assistance program. The topics was varied from basic 1^st
aid , triage , light search & rescue ,fire suppression emergency medical
operation, disaster psychology and even terrorism. The instructor was very witty
in delivering the topics. We discussed and trained to work in uncertain and challenging
situations of a disaster. We were even issued our own disaster response kits complete
with vest and helmets courtesy of the U.S.
government.

Basically it also
allowed me to meet other community members that’s in the even of be called to
service will be my teammates.

We even had a simulations were we shown a realistic as possible conditions we will work under. I  volunteered to lead the search teams. We had "victims" pulling us , shouting and even crying (great acting) in a dark room. Luckily but it’s really due to my team we passed our assesment for our task .

After all the training we did we had skills that we wish we
would never have to use. But if it did I am glad that I am part of that group.

Grotto on a Sunday.

Today I went diving to Grotto considered to be one of the
best cavern dives in the world. How you would get to the dive site is something
of a challenge. We had to descend 125 steps or about 75 meters down to the cave
opening. We were not in the water yet, we had to be burden with our dive gear
which we had to put on before we went down the steps. So here we are carrying about
75 pounds of weight down some steep wet stairs going to the entrance of the dive
site. Once I hit the water after my entry I saw immediately underwater the blue
hue of light which the grotto was famous for. I was almost hypnotized by its beauty.

  We descended to 100 feet where I saw a large
snapper which stood out among the cascade of marine life going around which I
am sure was large enough to be serve as dinner for 5 people. Luckily for him
Grotto was a marine sanctuary. The problem of deep dives is that you consume
air faster. So after a few minutes of playing around and doing some skills. We headed
back. I saw a 4 foot shark cruising beside us but it stay pretty much far from us.
It was more afraid of me then I was of him.

I felt like an astronaut weightless and seeing colors and sights
that seemed out of this world. After stopping for our safety stop at 15 feet for
3 minutes we ascended to the surface. We then had to ascend the steps up. I was
tired yet very rewarded with that dive.

We then headed to a place that served 1 dollar tacos with
cold drinks while planning our next dive that afternoon.

The view

It was just on of those days during work. I was just doing a room inspection of one of our rooms. I walked towards the balcony and seemed to be drawn to it. I opened the glass doors. The cool breeze of the sea simply hits you. Sure I do miss winter once and a while especially the activities you can do like ice-skating or cross-country. But you see views like this
I simply wanted to jump into the clear sea. But I wont cause I was 10 stories high hahahaha. The view simply brought a oasis of relaxation especially during a day of work. Its those simple pleasures of life when you simple stop and enjoy things that wake up your senses.

So once in a while stop and enjoy life even for a minute