2010 Musts

1Q

- a. Renew Professional License (side trips to: Boracay (with Makay on her long way back to Manila from a rather long holiday) and Bugasong (with the Ybuts of Pojo))

- b. Secure an EPEC Certificate (for whatever good it will do me and Machinehead - my partner in crime for this adventure to lalalaland)

- c. Open a "Norway/2012 London Olympics Project" Bank Account with Dr. Mae

- d. Secure a copy of Birth Certificate from NSO (I'm wondering if it still necessary or relevant to my plans)

- e. Enrol in a profitable crash course (Housekeeping; other ideas welcome) with Diana

- f. Perfect the art and science of baking oatmeal cookies and empanada

- g. Explore the possibilities Down Under

2Q

- a. Install Broadband at new house (as soon as it is ready for occupation)

- b. Relocate Cable (same condition as above)

- c. Apply online for ESL job/s to augment income (8:00-10:00 PM classes)

- d. Expect Philhealth Reimbursement (all because I had the misfortune of getting sick and hospitalized on a long holiday)

3Q - will depend on the outcome of the 1Q/2Q plans

4Q - will depend on the outcome of the 1Q/2Q plans

A Holiday Gift Idea

This year, I have dabbled into a little bit of culinary activity. However, due to budget and time constraints, I only managed to bake three trays (about 4 dozens of 3-in diameter oatmeal cookies for Christmas instead of Empanadas. I got the recipe online but i used brown sugar instead of white which rendered the cookies with a better color and a perfectly chewy texture. I had to make do with using the drippings tray as the tin I bought wouldn't fit inside the oven, even when placed diagonally :( It was an instant success at home that there's only 20 pcs left to be divided to my planned four recipients for 'sampling'. For tita Liz and Tita Florence P, who share my passion for needlework, I added 15 pages of my all time favorite crochet patterns.

At the Valencia's, a family I've known forever to be creators of good food, my gift was met with positive remarks. It was the only encouragement I needed to invest on tins on the next opportunity that I am solvent.
It's not original but it did not diminish the pleasure derived from it.

It was a busy day. In fairness work has nothing to do with the extreme fatigue that gripped me. After my shift was over, I rushed to EWB to get some cash. The transaction would have taken only less than 5 minutes to complete but the staff gave an appearance of being busy but their talk of christmas plans gave them away. That taken cared of, I went into the motion of walking through the construction supply stores along Lacson looking for self-drill screw #7 without any idea about what I was supposed to buy. All the while I thought I was looking for the electric drill, drill bit and actual screws. When I had enough, I gave up the search and rushed to the nearest Chowking outlet and had a small serving of Halo-halo while waiting for my Crispy noodles and sis' chao fan. My disposition improved and I was set to go to the next stop, Citi Appliance. I waited outside, eating the crispy noodles out of the cup only to learn 20 minutes later that sis was inside all the while. After hours of debate, we settled for a green exterior color to complement the brown asphalt shingle roof; and cream hued latex paint for the interior so we won't be troubling ourselves about what furniture to match. We picked up ceramic tiles for flooring as well, snatching glances at the wooden parquet which we had our eyes on from day one. We just consoled ourselves with the thought of using the same for the attic rooms and left the store in peace. Well, not until Richard came to fetch us which is 30 minutes later than what was agreed. Traffic, grrrr!

certified room painters

BFF's house is almost ready for occupation. Well, except that even after two changes, she decided that she no longer wants the blue paint in her room. I don't know where her inspiration sprung from but she decided that we'll paint her room together during the weekend. She mentioned that the painter charges at Php 250 per day and didn't give an estimated number of days to get the job completed.
On Saturday, after an hour of discussion ( that meant I have already picked seeds for my vegetable patch and some soil-less media in which to grow them), we bought 2 4-li cans of apricot white latex paint, 2 rollers and a pan.
We both woke up late the following day. My excuse? Well, sis and myself spent most of the night watching Star Trek and A Boyfriend for Christmas finishing off two bags of cheesy popcorn:)
Heights don't bother me provided I'm securely fastened on to something. Now we know where the P250 per day figure...reaching out for the ceiling cornice. The exercise looked easy but try getting on the scaffold and look down at the hard surface that awaits belw. Even with 'Ta Poy and BFF holding the scaffold, still beads of perspiration still raced on my face just thinking about what can happen if I lose my footing.
It took us two half days to finish the room to our satisfaction. How it looks now was a far cry from the sad blue hue that it donned for a month. Job well done!

Sigh...

Look at that! Less than 15 days towards the new year and I barely made 30 entries for this year. This is pathetic by any standards.
Looking back now, besides the fact that I have unsubscrbed from my wired broadband six months ago, admittedly, there seems to be very little to write about. Shuttling to and from the house daily eat up most of my time. Thinking even adds to my stress, I usually nap during the one hour trip from the house to the office and back. Only when I bring a bag do I get to update my journal and even that seldom happen.
Help me wish that everything will change for the better in the coming year...that is...resurrect the storyteller in me.
For now, I'm going to get a massage. Cheers everyone!

Action from the U16 Qualifiers for 2009 at Panaad

phil v. indonesia

the philippine team

Revisiting Mambukal

where the girls were while i was still in transit from work

waiting for everypne to finish with the morning ritual

smallest pineapple that i have ever seen

waking the koi's up on our way to brekkie smorgasboard courtesy of the Daños

trying hard not to get pissed with the driver going down at a snail's pace

finally at domsat...happpiness immesurable after a luncheon feast

Alone and Lost in a Big, Strange City

That is how my 4-day visit in Penang this week has ended. Since I wanted so much to pass through the celebrated Penang Bridge, I opted to take the bus while sis flies to KL. I thought I got all the instructions right until I found myself at a bus stop not 5 kilometers away from the Petronas twin towers. Nobody told me then that the airport is still a good one hour drive from the city. It might have been hunger (it was already past 5 pm and my last meal was porridge, fries and coffee from Mcdo back at Prangin Mall at around 10:30 am), but I thought the driver heard me right when I told him I’m paying RM18. When he confirmed that he agreed to RM80, I tried to haggle and asked if he’d take me at RM50. We did not settle into the amount that is good enough for both of us so I asked him to drop me at the nearest bus stop and gave him RM10 for the gas.

The scary thing was that I have no idea where I was except that across is a school and the good thing was that 5pm is still light at KL. To buy time and think about strategy, (I had none at that moment except calling sis as if it would somehow make things right). I absentmindedly bit into my stale burger while trying to get enough air into my lungs. I was already panicking and I can feel that I may pass out if I would allow it to happen.

I’ve never been as excited as seeing another soul in the waiting shed on that rather deserted place. But the disappointment that followed after she articulated “Melayu” (as her way of telling me that she could neither understand nor speak English) set my heartbeat to an unusual rate again.
The school guard on duty was the next person I bothered with my dilemma but he doesn’t know any better. The last person I approached appeared just as I was about to leave the guardhouse. Not only does he speak English well, but he gave me precise instructions on how to get to my destination. From the bus stop, I should take Bas 32 and pay 2RM for Puduraya Bus Station. From there, I have to take another bus to KL Sentral, still for 2RM. KL Sentral have buses that ply the KLIA/LCCT route for RM10.

I alit just across the spot where I disembarked from the Penang-KL bus just over an hour ago, with the huge Maybank building looming overhead and the Puduraya bus station just straight ahead. I’ve seen the same building earlier but I thought sis meant that I should take a taxi from there to the airport when what she meant was that if I get down anywhere away from the bus station, I should get a taxi to get to it…waaah. It’s pretty messy.

I have been at the same place more than two years ago but held no remembrance of the place so I went with the flow of people who entered the building. I scanned the destinations of each platform (24 in all) but nothing said KLIA/LCCT. So I looked for a man in uniform and got my answer. The ticket counter was downstairs and the bus doesn’t go down the station anymore to pick up passengers so I had to wait on the loading/unloading section of the street just outside the terminal.

The encounter with the person who sells tickets is a bit scary though. I think that was a pick up line. He said, “You are Filipina? I like Filipina.” Waah! And when he went out of the booth and tried to chat me up, I struggled to keep a straight face and tried to be not too friendly anymore. Thank heavens he got a message. He ignored me (but not too soon for my peace of mind) and started talking animatedly with a colleague on a walkie-talkie and was laughing a lot…maybe about me, thought my near paranoid mind. The bus was 15 min late (I was scheduled for the 7:15pm trip) and was nearly at my wits end with the person’s unhealthy stare and equally unhealthy speech when I saw the bus with the number that matches one on my ticket.

I learned a few kilometers later, that I’m going to be the trip’s only passenger. Imagine the trauma that I’ve been through the whole one-hour ride. Add to that sis’ sms that said, “Do not sleep”. I think my “fear” was so eloquent that the driver felt it. Though I sat on the first row, he never bothered with small talk. He smiled when I grabbed my bag as soon as we approached the parking space next to the airport food court and briefly told me to wait until he turns off the machine. He must have thought, “Poor girl”.

So that was my story. What’s yours?

Penang Hill

Midway through the trip and the marked change in the air temperature was felt already. It was a welcome respite from the stifling heat of the city.

The vans on both ends teemed with tourist that getting a decent shot of the passing train at the opposite track or getting in/out of the tunnel was next to impossible.

“ Baguio !” This was overheard from Koreans in the group, when we reached our final stop while the cool place reminded me so much of Murcia .

The restoration is not well in place yet. They could learn a thing or two about landscaping from my tennis coach. But the view of the city from the top was breathtaking. Imagine how it looks at night.

We didn’t wait for dusk though as two trips were cancelled and there’s dinner to catch at Gurney Drive . The train on display at the zenith of penang hill which I thought to be a replica was the actual coach used between 1923 – 1977.

Wii Tennis

Advantages:

- Playtime is not subject to weather condition (provided that you own one).

- Game practice is not dependent on the coach’s availability (you can always play against the system generated player)

- No need to invest on pricey rackets which upgrade is more frequent than salary increases can cope up with

- When boredom sets in, try bowling, golf or boxing instead

Disadvantages:

- I have to go to Bagonawa to play (because I don’t own a console)

- Unless some good soul from the USA will lug one home, I wont be able to afford one if I buy locally.

- There is no looker coach to ogle.

Note: Warm up exercise is still essential. My right arm is still smarting from last Monday’s exertion.

“Love in the time of Cholera”

It’s absurd how the weather or how a film ends affects one’s disposition. After watching “Love in the time of Cholera” (while the pelting rains and strong winds beat the hell out of the acacia overhead), a great sense of depression set in.

When allowed a certain degree of liberty, the mind travels the road back in history, reliving memories and the might-have-been which were better off left in its current state of near obscurity.

The film, based on the novel of the same title by GG Marquez, struck me as the story of Florentino’s love for Fermina which transcended time and circumstance. His wait lasted 53 years, with the intervening time spent trying to forget (if I may add, without success).

If “love is an illusion” can be translated to “thank you”; and if the feeling is mutual (as it seemed), then there is only 38 years of waiting left.

hitting the hard court

"I am an Athlete

My sport is tennis

It is my first love

And it will be my last"

In my case, tennis is not my first love. Swimming was. Soccer ranked next. But definitely, it will be my last.

It was some five years ago when tennis became a means to an end. The need was so dire, it necessitated cutting off on some of the essentials to feed the malignant appetite of the inexplicable madness.

Unlike soccer, it only needs two players to get a game going and it isn’t at all difficult to find a willing partner. Just utter anything that has something to do with losing weight. It usually does the trick.

It’s funny how easy the game is like when watching from the baseline. But it is entirely a different matter when wielding a racket and being on the receiving end of the ball.

I started to receive formal instructions in June. The coach of choice is “kumpare” Jet of course. All issues considered, meeting him once a week sounded right (twice, maximum) so the lessons began on the week the Sta. Rosa assignment ended.

The first meeting was disastrous as expected. After being conditioned to receive balls only when it’s threatening to make a goal, this time there’s no time to neither choose nor wait. The balls just kept coming. One hour seemed forever especially when excitement beats preparedness and essentials like water is forgotten.

Coach was late during the second meeting. Well, he is a father first, Coach nth (?). The wait was bearable though. One of the seventh day pastors who came by invited to hit some balls. The exchange was a welcome one and my backhand got better.

Rain beat hard for almost three weeks and playing was impossible. Eating became an alternative. What was lost in two weeks (2 kg, ahem) looked like it didn’t go anywhere at all. But the skies seemed to have cried enough and decided to make up for the days when this piece of earth was cast in gloom.

Last week’s third session witnessed a great change in my forehand. That followed after observing pastor’s wife returning the balls with ease from the baseline. It basically involved swinging the arms casually. The perfect brush was inspiring; it was already 8:30 A.M. when we called it quits. That meant practice lasted almost two hours with minimum breaks (used only five balls).

The heat was shortlived. Well, it's season has passed, that's why. Thank heavens for wii. The game requires the same amount of effort. Unfortunately, nothing can substitute the fun (-) of the real thing.

[Food] Trip

23 July

1400-1500 –enjoyed a cup of Kuppa Sumatra Brew (with cream and raw sugar) and nibbled a brownie (with a generous walnut topping) at Silay International Airport to kill time

1525-1635 - Aboard Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 478 trying to catch some zs…the ample leg room plus sans trouble getting out of the seat to the wash room is well worth the additional Php 200

1635-1700 – Zipped through Roxas Blvd on the airport yellow taxi, which cost me twice the usual taxi fare

1700-1900 – Browsed through NBSs treasures and bought 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (Tagalog version) and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

1900-2000 – lounged (on a cushioned wicket chair) at the lobby of Robinson’s Ermita reading Jules Verne while waiting for Carmela

2000-2100 – Dinner at Manukan, where we had sizzling squid and tokwa’t baboy plus 12 oz cola

2100-2200 – Dessert at Café Breton back at Robinson’s. I had cappuccino and two varieties of crepe (la pinay ~ mango filled topped with a scoop of ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce and gwen ha du ~ topped with a reddish jam which sweetness was tempered by the cheesy saltiness of the crepe)

2200-2300 – took a taxi to NAIA, argued with the guards who did not live up to their org’s theme to SMILE, and waited for Mae to get her bags

24 July

0000-0400 – sat around the sofa table inside room 1012 of BSA suites trading love stories or the lack of it, attending the homecoming in two years or not, generally catching up in between gorging on lemon dew and watermelon bites, assorted chocolates, nacho chips dipped in chilli salsa and sipping red wine

4000-0600 – hit the sack for the much needed sleep while the two got busy calling people around the globe (Jen in UK , Kuya Bong in Riyadh etc), carmela left for her meeting for monday's SONA

0600-0730 – slowly downed the complimentary breakfast (fish fillet, salad, watermelon garlic rice and juice)

0730-0745 –walked from palanca to ayala ave in search for 'our' building

0745-0800 – cappuccino at fiorgellatto on the ground floor of Ayala Life building

0800-1000 – mae met with issy of Fulbright under closed door while I read both Inquirer and Star broadsheets waiting for them to finish. wow, she contemplated about handing me a fulbright application after hearing that i came from elbi (that's good enough for me)

1000-1200 – lunch at Barrio Fiesta along dela rosa consisting of ‘kare-kare’ for 4, fried chicken (half), plain rice for 4 with bess (mae's friend from uts)

1200-1245 – walked around greenbelt and glorietta, each lugging a laptop bag after checking out of the hotel

1300-1340 – taxi trip from BSA Suites to Centennial terminal

1400-1640 – after checking in, nursed another cuppa (Delifrance), read a page out of Jules Verne, chatting…waited, generally

2030 – home finally, dinner is "tilapia" stewed in coconut milk and unlimited rice

First five…

There is a growing trend of my being the last to know about the goings on in the entertainment world. Had bro not told me about the davids’ concert in MOA and friend Makay about MTV exit, I would have missed attending both events. Today, an agent informed me during a call that my all time favorite band, Bamboo, is in town for Tanduay’s “first five” nationwide concert tour happening at the old airport just across the office. My!

Knowing about whom to get in touch with served me well…colleagues Jireh and Johanna. It was already 9pm when I got back from home after a short bonding with sis and pooh watching wolverine on dvd and the airport was already teeming with people when I arrived. As soon as I have deposited my stuff somewhere safe, armed with my vitamin C bottle, camera and some cash, I went in with the throng of bodies going through the narrow entrance which opened to the tarmac.

It took me ages figuring out how to secure a ticket. A man in uniform informed me that tickets are issued in exchange of 10 caps of the intoxicating drink that is sponsoring the concert. That posed to be a huge problem. Where on earth can I secure 10 caps at such a short notice especially when I wasn’t drinking at all?

At the parking lot I saw a man peddling some tickets for Php 50 apiece so I left the concert scene (Rico was already performing) and sought for the person in question to no avail. I went back inside dejectedly and was resigned to just listen to the concert at the back near the entrance to the VIP turf. Not completely relying to the information from the guard, I asked two girls who were just about to enter the gates as to where they got their tickets. One said they had a neighbor working at the plant and asked if I had company. When I said none, she gave me the ticket she had on hand. Boy, this night was mine to keep.

When I finally get to join Jireh, Johanna and Ronnie, Sandwich frontman Raimund was entertaining the crowd with his antics. Eraserheads alumni never cease to amaze me. After tonight, I will only need to see Buddy and Marcus, and still hope to see all four of them perform together.

Sandwich was followed by 6 cycle mind. Some songs were familiar but I only managed to sing along with their Eraserheads number.

Chicosci’s turn was the most eventful. It has been raining on and off and was almost midnight. Everyone’s impatient and couldn’t wait for Bamboo to take the stage. Well, we all have our ways of coping. Well, some weren’t that good at waiting and started to get a little rowdy (confounded by the chemical reaction of the alcohol in their brains from the rum that they imbibed). Well, Miggy (that cute vocalist) was a ‘little upset’ about some people in audience (which we couldn’t see being located right next to the dais :D), which escalated to his throwing profanities back at the ‘crowd’. That went on at least once in between their numbers and the guards had to finally take the kibitzers out of the concert grounds).

When Bamboo’s turn came, the crowd came alive and were either banging their heads or jumping up and down just as Bamboo did as he performed the 6(?) numbers on their repertoire. I did not get a high five from the main man when he jumped off the dais and pacify the screaming fans but I reached out my arm as far as it can go and managed to fleetingly press his right arm…a feat i wasn't able to make back in Sinulog...hahaha!

What a night! More than it being a fan’s dream night, it meant reporting for work sans sleep.

Laguna and Lucban Old Stone Churches...etc

liliw (st. john the baptist)

nagcarlan church (st. bartholomew)

nagcarlan cemetery

...text and more pictures to follow :D

The MTV EXIT Concert at MOA

The MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) campaign is a multimedia initiative produced by the MTV Europe Foundation to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking (wikipedia.org).
I got lucky. Bestfriend Carmela got us tickets to the event.
we were late. for practical reasons, i availed of the company shuttle which left the office at sometime past 3 p.m. what i did not anticipate was the side trip to bacoor to drop off a colleague. so the trip took 2 hours. on the other end, makay was also caught in the middle of friday traffic that by the time we met up at figaro (in moa), i already bought myself a new running shoes (for my scheduled tennis lessons when i get home) and was nursing a tall size of coffee frap while reading 'life of pi'.
from having to wait in qeueu to get to the concert grounds, we were directed to a different gate after we presented our VIP tickets. after passing through marquees selling dinner (we had complimentary pasta, chips, deep fried fish fillet and iced tea), we climbed a short flight of stairs towards a platform and claimed two seats on the second row.
this is the first concert where i get to see the famous bands get together for a cause. not as up close as i would have wanted them to be though (but can i just be grateful for once?)
we missed a number of bands perform, 'parokya ni edgar' included. thankfully, we were just in time to see ely (who i never get to see during the eheads heydays even when they performed at elbi), gary v (who renderred a fine number with son gabriel and sponge cola) and bamboo whose appearance was a perfect ending to the show. sigh!
of course, i paid attention to the cause of the event (seeing bamboo and ira was a welcome bonus). after all, i have a sibling who was set to work in the middle east before the month ends.

program launching at cocomangas

gash! it was a far cry from the launching at mo2. the place was too crowded for comfort and the volume of the sound system was defeaning. but the early birds seem not mindful about it. our group dominated the narrow dancefloor (and the tables that surround it as well). cocomangas is favorite hangout of the party people around san pedro area. it is located behind as a respite from non-stop gyrating, the emcee called in four males (3 of which were from our group) for a beer drinking contest which sean won hands down. the girl's turn followed but with a little twist. they had to dance around a guy while they finish off the entoxicating brew. the boys had a blast. but i was uneasy. well, i was hungry, for crying out loud. the waiter passed by me three times without so much a gesture of recognition to the food stub i raised in his direction. after a tad too many attempts without success, i gave up and nursed two bottles of almost warm light beers on an empy stomach. andrea came shortly after we arrived. after the much anticipated meeting and the endless "photo shoot" that followed, we went back to our respective groups.when we had enough, we left and convened at macdonald's, olivares to quell the hunger pains :D while we waited for the hotel shuttle which jen arranged to pick us up.

Sta Rosa...we've finally arrived

i thought, it would never push through. the trip information came only a day before we were due to the site. but the knowledge about the trip being a reality, dawned on me when i checked my bank statement and the CA amount sitting on it, during my days off.

Now that we're here (jorge, teenee, tin, jan and myself), the wait and the delay was well worth it. Well, despite the wrong information about breakfast being inclusive in he room accommodation (which we readily availed on our first morning), we are glad that Manila Southwoods Manor is our home in the next three weeks

Being an SME feels like being a celebrity. People wanted to have their pictures taken with us. That's one good thing about Sta. Rosa. They made us feel very welcome.

At the end of the day, to SM we go and have dinner together and goof around for a bitforgetting all bout our sore feet , before finally taking the long trip back home to the hotel .

Crisscrossed Roads

I think I am doomed. Serves me right for wanting too much and not knowing when enough's enogh. A long time ago (hehehe...well...sometime in March), I received a call from the big boss asking that "If you were sent to another site for five weeks, is there anything that will hold you back from accepting the assignment." Well without much thought I replied, "If I were a turtle, it's akin to asking if I would like you to throw me into the river. There nothing else I would have liked to do".
After the schedule has been moved countless times, I was summoned for the first time in the big boss' cube and that was to sign a memoradum of understanding regarding monetary matters involved in the training. So that kept the hope alive. But there was more surprises that day, Within the hour, an even bigger boss summoned me and offered a reports analyst position that will be vacated asap (that meant goodbye to taking in the undeserved yelling and cursing for the rest of my tenure here).
Yes, that had me thinking. But when I had to make a decision, unfortunately I may have made the stupidest one. I was greedy, and embarrassed by being so, I only relayed the message, that I want to take the trip first before accepting the position (if it is still available when I get back).
Now, looking at the status quo, I seemed to have lost both. And I say it again, "serves me right."

taken by surprise...but a welcome one

Almost ten years after lolo (lolo pidong) passed away, just about the same time since I last went to bugasong and saw my paternal cousins , we were able to see each other again. Admittedly, we're not as close to them as we are with mom's relatives but our recent common loss (we lost tito buddy in January changed that. We talked like we havent grown up on separate islands (them in panay and us in negros).Negros, they said, was out of their itinerary but since they were already in iloilo, they decided to take the 1.5 hour roro trip and the 1 hour land trip from bacolod to our humble abode. They were already close to home when we got the news.

We don't usually stock food in the fridge, the public market being only two blocks away. But since it was already late to buy, we made do with the canned kind, augmented with stewed beef and pork kebabs.

As for the accommodation, Jiggy was tasked to book one. But when we checked later, the place was already booked for the night. Apparently, he talked to only one of the tennants and not with the caretaker herselft whom I found to be staying in the room on the far end of the building. Well, at the state that he was in, it was too much to hope for. He had already imbibed a fair amount of alcohol from a birthday party he attended earlier in the day. Luckily, Comfort Inn was available. Despite the fact that it took a lot of patience to speak with the caretakers, at least they had a place to stay in as it's impossible to fit them all either at sis' house or at the olds' place.

Everyone was up by 5 the next day. Breakfast was al fresco at Auntie's and we had boiled crustaceans (crabs and shrimp), bananas and watermelon which is just we need for the trip to the boondocks.

Destination was Guintubdan. Sis deemed the place to please a different crowd. I thought the same but couldn't think of any other place to bring them given the time constraint. At our first stop, which is the Pavillon, Nanay and Auntie had to stay at the main building while we explored the place. The much advertised 300 steps down to the waterfall was not manageable with the three toddlers on our charge so we just stayed a bit at the viewing deck and took pictures of our visit.

I was getting desperate by the minute seeing that they didn't seem to enjoy so I suggested to hike up to the dipping pool. Well, since i couldn't very well take a dip and take the trip home dripping (like we - sis, bro and myself - used to during our weekend trips to ara-al with dad when we were yet kids), i just relished in soaking my feet in the cool spring waters.

Going back at the drop off where we parked the car, the sight that greeted me alleviated my worries. Everyone but bebing and bombit were busy choosing plants from the display on the side of the road. They bought so much that when we finally went back down, there was very little room at the backseat .The city is working on making Guintubdan commercialized. I wonder what other products they are going to sell. I hope not the natural bonsai which I overheard the locals collect and sell to tourist :(

For future reference, I asked the lady at the Pavillon a copy of their room rates, etc.

Visitors Center Entrance Fees

Adult Php 20.00

Children 10.00
Room Rates

Executive Rooms 1000.00

Annex Rooms 600.00

Small Rooms 400.00
Rentals

Picnic Table 100.00

Beddings 50.00

Small Tent 150.00

Big Tent 200.00

another candle on my cake

brownies' silvanas and homecooked vegetarian pizza

pug at the beach

we all fretted and worried.

...what if pets are not allowed?...what if the pug is afraid of the surf?...what if the pug doesnt like the sand?

but the thoughts were not necessary.

literary drought

~_0

copycat

talk about lack of originality. the justice system has not changed in the last 2000 years. last week, i've been reading about paul's rough journey from being christ's prosecutor to being christ's ambassador.

paul was brought to different courts to be judged and the process dragged for years. with felix alone, he was kept in custody for two years, then was passed on to festus, and to king agrippa after that. in all cases, the judges always choose the safe choice of not laying the judgement on the accused while seeking to please the majority by keeping the prisoner in check and pass on the responsibility to their successors. and paul, being once a pharisse himself was treated differently (was allowed visitors and to stay at his own rented place) much like our political prisoners at present.

there's also the matter of hiring an orator to speak in behalf of the accusers. talk about the power of speech: kudos or complaint, gossip or truth, it can make or break a man.

a late night

I slept over at diana's in bel-air last night. after work, she's supposed to drop me at the terminal on their (diana and andrea) way to lacson but somehow, i ended up going with them in search of someplace to eat despite the lateness of the hour.

we checked out bob's and uma's but both were already closed so we ended up dining at l'fisher's.
i had penne in tomatoes and pine nuts. i was disappointed with the simplicity of the meal at face value but i marveled at the taste that i even scraped the sauce off the plate with my bread :)

this is the first time i had stayed out since i moved up here from cebu.

patience (and desperation) pay

four days without the internet connection can be maddenning. i don't know why customers rarely believe when I tell them "i know how you feel".
anyways, right after american idol, i took a mug of coffee and took my place before the server, armed with the resolve to get the internet up tonight.
it wasn't as painful as i thought it would be, considering what i have been through in the last three or four days. what i lacked though is the keeness in observation in which LAN to share and not. i did it after some cryptic instructions from bro, which until now i wasn't able to decipher. i just went through the age old method of "trial and error". and voila! we are connected.

troubleshooting woes

i have been assisting customers get their internet connection up the whole day, yet back at the house, i have been struggling to get the wireless working. it started during the weekend. it was raining and diagnostics said it's an antenna issue and i needed to contact online helpdesk, which i didn't do (and didn't like to do). i didnt have much time then with dad at the hospital and mom being a bit under the weather. besides that, the monitor that was plugged to the server just flickered and sat there with a dark screen. at first i thought that it was a monitor issue until i tried plugging it to another PC and it worked. i tried connecting the three other monitors to the server and all behaved the same. bro said i needed to tighten the connection of the monitor to the video card on the PC. that's where i got lost and decided that the internet connection needed the break as much as i did.
so after getting the hardware rested for two days, i got the connection running now, but only on the server. i still have to figure out how to get the network up (it did run for a bit until i somehow deleted one LAN connection and plugged the cable on another port). Really tricky...

tail of the cold front

kilobytes boys...trapped in the illusion woven by the unusual cold that hit home on bro's birthday

twilight series

this by far has beaten my record in reading in succession four books of the same author non-stop; my first being dan brown's da vinci code, angels and demons, deception point and digital fortess. and who would have thought that meyer's "young love, sweet love" (discounting of course the fact that eddie is ancient despite his youthful appearance) would be it.

starting on the 7th of January, when i finally gotten hold of the books, i'm done with breaking dawn as of today. it meant not having much of a life though besides eating, going to work, doing the dishes, starting with the laundry (and find mom finishing it) and reading until i couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.

i'm not sure, but i suspect the stories' charm lies on the its distinct characterization of the vampires. it's almost everything opposite to what bramstoker, or ann rice has filled our minds with over the years: vampires turning more beautiful when hit by the sunrays instead of being burnt to ashes, vampires living in mansions rather than dark caves, vampires fraternizing with werewolves (that phase at will - unlike remus lupin) and humans...sigh...fantastic to the nth degree.

the movie helped. kudos to the casting director. i couldn't place any other faces that would best bring to life the three focal characters but pattinson, lautner and stewart as i read the books.

dinagyang 2008

'twas my first time to see dinagyang and i only caught the tail end of it. despite my resolve to start early, i had to ditch the idea of taking the first two morning trips as the duo that i was to take to the festivities were quite down after spending saturday hiking in mambukal.

good thing is that the last stop for the tribes to showcase their stuff was at freedom park and it's only about two blocks away from the pier. and along the way, there are a few photo ops for my visitors to enjoy.

slowly, catching the sentinels offguard, we (ye and mohammad-wireless SMEs from sydney) inched our way through the crowd to get a betther view at what the peope at the freedom park were enjoying. by the last three presentations, we already stood next to the drumbeaters. well, they have an expert for company.

foreground: muhammad, ye, ryan at jaro church

but when the event was about to close, i started to think where to bring them for lunch. the last time i have been to iloilo was when i got my first passport in 2002, following my brief attendance at UPV so i panicked a bit until ryan s. finally smsed and asked where we were. his instructions were easy to follow, take a taxi to miwd (metro iloilo water district buliding) to meet him there.

molo church

he took us at nato and helen's where we ordered sinigang na gingaw, kinilaw na tangigue, grilled squids, but my visitors only had adobadong mudfish. bad thing is that i never asked them first about their preferences. but it was too late. well, at least they both have something new to write about their stay here.


the rest of the afternoon, we spent going to the nearby old churches, molo and jaro. we also passed by the museum which didn't have much to show. only one thing fascinated me. the ancient comb made of animal bone which was intricately carved. it looks like something that a supernatural would wear...eerie.

at three, most of the crowds were walking opposite to where we were going. apparently, homebound to rest for the evening's events. exhausted and left with little else to do, we left earlier than planned.

a trip to remember

deceptive calm , belying the huge waves that crash on the concrete dike on amlan port. while the rest of the ports cancelled their trips, maayo shiping lines had already two round trips by noon with the 130 trip endangered of being cancelled. thankfully, it was only delayed by 30 minutes but the hour which followed it took almost an eternity to complete. being tossed and turned would be an apt adjective for it. the seesaw motion made a lot sick. i thought i was braver than the rest, until i found myself gripping the edge of my seat everytime i see us (the barge) on the crest of a huge wave. because when that happens, the cargo part of the ship (that is before us) slams down on the through of the next wave, causing the hull to shudder for several seconds. we took the waves head on as the barge that went before us went past the southernmost part of cebu.

this was truly a trip to remember. it started with a wrong information, about ceres passing the city at 340. it resulted to forgoing with sleep lest i miss the trip. it was a very cold morning. donning a sweatshirt wasnt enough i had to take a trip back home and grab another jacket to keep from shivering. it wasnt a good sign but i turned a blind eye and deaf ears.

after waiting an hout and a half in canlaon only did the konduktor announced that lite ferry cancelled their trips and began to refund our tickets. i needed to go so if going to dumaguete is the only way, so be it. the 5-hour drive was not anticipated, but a means to an end.

sumilon as seen from the santander coastal road behind the ceres fogged window

duolos is back, and i finally got a picture with it. it wasnt a busy night

tex-mex sunday

inspired by the tex-mex cookbook i spied on the shelf and boxes of all -purpose flour sitting for a month now on mom's pantry (which she doesn't know what to do with), i tried my hands on two of my favorites: empanadas and burritos.
while the dough for burritos is resting by the stove (instructions said to keep it warn), i prepared packets of empanadas. it was simple. for filling, i sauteed ground beef in a little oil, garlic and onion. when meat was tender, i threw in small cubes of potatoes and some green bell peppers. for a cup of flour, i was able to make 13 odd pieces, two of which made a filling snack already (with dad as a standard; i had 3 before i couldn't swallow a bite more, with sprite and coffee). nanay was gushing about it and that's good enough compliment, knowing that she's my worst culinary critic. of course i cut on pepper powder to suit her taste.
on my burritos, im keeping my fingers crossed. it was decided that we'll leave it for after dinner snack later. but it couldn't be bad. what could go wrong with cheese, beef, pepper, and tomato combo? can't wait to get dark now.
meanwhile, time to feed my soul with God's word :)

New Year, Novel Start

Wow!
Now that I work close to home (less than an hour's drive before the roads along Baliwagan, Marayo and Pahanocoy were subjected to rehab - yeah, DPWH and Congress have their hands full right now with the local elections looming just around the corner), I expected to spend a longer holidays with the folks at home like I did on Christmas day. I was able to avail of the authorized Leave of Absence, albeit unpaid. I should have known better than putting it all together in one week.
So, on New Year's eve, I reported for work...late. At the end of shift I tried my luck at waiting to be picked up from the bus stop just across the office. The sight of overcrowded PUJ (with about 20-30 passengers on the roof, No Kidding!!!) alarmed me that a trip to the terminal seemed necessary. When I got there, the crowd expecting to go home before 2008 ends was overwhelming but the terminal looked abandoned. Taxi drivers started to get abusive and offer to shuttle passengers to Bago at php 150 per head. I actually told him Php 150?!?! At that, he said, you will not be getting a ride from here. But I did not stay long there to know whether he's right or not. By that time my stomach already started to protest. It didn't do me well even more that firecrackers started to "crack" here and there. It's one of my all-time pet peeves :( So I took a PUJ and went back to the office. On the way, the national road visibility is already nearly nil from smoke.
After depositing my stuff at the baggage counter, i had a hearty dinner of cantonese, rice and ripe mango smoothie which had me feel lethargic all the time that I was watching the Pirates of the Carribean installment in the break room. Shortly after the opening credits of "At the World's End", I went my way to the Quiet Room, selected the remotest bunk, updated my journal and slept through the New Year.