Tinagong Dagat

A week before the scheduled climb to Kanlaon, it was reported to have spewed smoke and ash. When the news came in, I was busy with my routine morning stretching at Tito Ben's house in Iloilo. That was very disappointing as we all felt ready to go at the time.

A week after, the climb restriction has not been lifted so we explored other options. Tinagong Dagat stood out from among the destinations.

Expectations? I had none. Judging from the only climb I've had in ages, I thought there was nothing to worry about.

We instantly gelled with John Rey and Larizza. They were a couple from the wide circle of friends of Kz and April. They have been through this trail a number of times and that was enough assurance for us. Going up, Campuestuhan was our jump-off point.

It was a perfect November morning. The clouds rode low in the skies with a sure promise of rain. Yet barely ten minutes into the first climb, rivulets of sweat ran down my face as well as the rest of my body. It was a steep one and it literally took my breath away.

An hour after a rather leisurely uphill walk passing by the water reservoir, the arduous climb began. It was exciting until my first leg cramp surfaced. Four cramps after, we found ourselves facing the ominous boulder. Without any rope to hold on to and some 10-kg additional weight on my back, our pace was slow. I dared to look down to see how high we went and I started to ask myself why on earth did I even think of taking the trip. Then, it was too late to go back and going downhill has always been my waterloo so we plodded on.

A good four hours have passed when we finally arrived at the campsite. There were handful of tents scattered around the dry caldera and all the good spots were occupied. After setting up our tents (for the first time after purchase), we shared our packed lunch reliving what has transpired on our way up.

Sleep was difficult. The air was biting cold. The howling wind that constantly shook our tent and the strange forest sounds were disconcerting. Johnrey's horror stories about mountain climbing over dinner did not help either.

The morning after, KZ and I found ourselves in one corner of the tent, apparently trying to get warm. It was a fine day. Most of the climbers were up and ready to go. We scouted for a better place to set camp with shelter from too much sun above and the wind on the sides. One of the campers helped us move our tent. He looked a lot like King ( a colleague from Teletech) which is no wonder as I found out later that they're actually brothers. Small world.

We only brought a day's supply of water so we had to fetch some for cooking, coffee and drinking. John Rey took us to the source where the water was crisp and sweet and flowed freely. It was too shallow for dipping though so we just made do with a sponge bath.

Goal: Climb Mt. Kanla-on

It's been twenty-five years since I have climbed my first and last. It was at Mt. Makiling on a holiday during the period when we had our month-long orientation as college freshman.

I have always wanted to go and relive the thrill. The problem lies with not having the 'right' company to go with or the right equipment to maximize the benefits of the experience.

Early in November, an invite from Khey-zee's extended network reached our end through the social media. Everything went in a blur. Our permits to climb Mt. Kanlaon was secured with nary an effort on our part save for wiring money for the registration.

As part of the preparation, I enrolled in a weight-loss program with Herbalife (which cost me a lot of money) and we started an hourly Zumba after work to shed some poundage and add some flexibility to our sans-exercised bodies.

Answered Musing

When you ask for something, something, be specific.
Yesterday I was muttering, "Get me some coffee! Get me some coffee! Get me some coffee!" while in the middle of high-level multitasking (checking exam paper, printing exam paper, harvesting crops in farm heroes) activity.

No sooner than I have forgotten my mid-afternoon musing that I  was startled at being asked, "Would you like to send for something?" Thinking that the question was about last week's , I replied that it has been taken care of and marveled at the initiative.  The second time I was asked the same question, it came with specifics like he was buying coffee and  that  I might wanted a cup as well.

And before he left, he asked me for a twenty 😊

Box Warming

It wasn't without much effort that I got "everyone" in my room for two hours to signal my long overdue moving back at mother's.

 I may lack in a lot of things but I'm gifted with a sister (with all her flaws) who thinks only about what's best for me. So she got this room built for me, attached to the old room that I designed a long time ago which turned out to be ridiculously small.

Since sis did not order the cake which I intended to share with Sum's 1.5th, we made do with Pistachio ice cream to finish off a perfect rainy day fare, tinolang manok.

The rain was a blessing. The get together lasted for three hours with us talking, lazing, eating and them bullying me.

It was as I wanted it to happen 😉

1st National Quality TVET Forum - Day 1

The key is timing.

I had qualms about presenting my budget for the trip and was immensely relieved at the fact that it was approved with no questions asked. The catch though was that it was approved only barely two days before the event that by that time, the airfare was already more than the price that I quoted. And so, it was decided that I leave a day early and take the bus early.

It was in the summer of 2013 when I last passed by DSB and oh, how the landscape has changed. More houses blocked that divine view where the Tañon Strait waters looked opalescent from afar.
I have no photos to show for it as my battery failed at the terminal.

Interestingly, I haven't slept lengthily during the trip. It tempted me to go down and stretch some muscles at the bus stop but without a camera to get busy with, I opted to sit the break in. San Carlos held some surprises of its own. Ticketing offices moved inside PPA and the space outside the gates served as "sikad" terminal. That meant passengers no longer had to deal with scalpers and fixers or endure the heat and cold (depending on the weather) to get tickets. And for the twenty pesos that I paid for the terminal fee, I managed to charged my phone, just enough to get a picture of the ferry that brought us across.

With no idea where the bus will take us, I just sat still and watched it cruise by the South Bus terminal, UC Main, the Pier before I realized that we were heading towards the North Bus Terminal.
Noticeable was the fact that there was no signs of PUJ along Osmeña and the volume of commuters waiting for a ride was oddly many. The answer to which I gathered from the taxi driver who was so impatient about getting back to the city, he dropped me off at Gun-ob.

While waiting for instructions on how to get to Genesis Subd., I walked around the shops outside Tamiya. It was only my first day so I was very careful about not getting tempted with footwear on sale.

Trike Driver agreed to take me to Genesis for P50. Wow! Given the many turns that we took, I will never be able to get back to it if I were to get a taxi and issue directions. Getting a local transport was a good call. Inside the rather small village though, we enlisted the help of the guard-on-duty. I went past the house, nevertheless made it home at around 9 with dinner waiting for the hungry traveler on a tight budget.

Rain Turns Three

Of all the things that I have to thank for these days, foremost is to find Rain unshackled from the bondage of a nasal cannula, finally.

Since birth, the ambient air could not sufficiently keep his blood oxygenated, so we had to keep a tank in his room and keep him tied to it 24/7 at a certain pressure level. He consumed an average of two tanks on a weekly basis that I have already made inquiries about getting an oxygen concentrator. The cost jolted the bejesus out of me and had me resort to prayer instead.

Most of the time, he is confined inside their room. By the middle of his second month, the good doctor deemed him ready to get off the oxygen at an  interval of six hours. Last week, he was completely off it.

To mark this marvelous blessing, we celebrated by adding an expensive dessert and elaborate picture taking to complement a rather sparse dinner.

All is well.

The Key Conundrum

The thing about partnering with a very busy person is that you need to be constantly prepared. Weekends must be freed from routine to cover for the absence of the other. The storm last week saved me from taking the seemingly weekly trip to Silay for policing during regular shift and screening the applicants when the sun is up.

This week, I have no excuse to offer.

Since I was bushed from Thursday's activities which started with walking Choco to the Badminton venue (where Glen and Alexis were already, measuring the width of the court), fetching Summer and bringing her to the pool to watch the swimming competition, spending an unusually long lunch at Jade Restaurant with JD, Kz and Omil, swimming with the same bunch at the Hilltop Resort and updating my office desktop's OS into Windows 10, I was out of sorts when I woke up late this morning. With Coco to feed, laundry to wash, floors to mop and yard to sweep among other preparation for my night out of town, I honestly forgot to secure my house keys thereby managing to trap myself between a locked house door and a padlocked gate. Fortunately, I had my phone with me.

The first thing that came to mind was to ask sis for help but another naughty idea caught up with it and I ended up doing the latter.
I sent Glen a private message on Facebook of the circumstance. His unbelief was amusing I was afraid he'll ignore my SOS and leave me "imprisoned" until sis wakes up and rescue me herself. He said "How on earth did you let that happen?"

And so I waited. It seemed interminable. My relief was audible when I heard a trike stop by the gate. He opened the padlock himself before he handed me his keys for me to get mine inside the house. As I handed his namesakes for him to use for the day, he offered an excuse that it took him long to get a trike going my direction.

All is well.

Who doesn't love surprises?

That act of thoughtfulness nearly killed me. Yesterday, I stooped really low for a scoop of ice cream which I never got. Today was an improvement, by a vast margin.

It being a Friday, I had the office for myself and Ann who picked up where we left off last night with the bingo card production. In the hopes of fast tracking the generation of random number, I had Glen join us to figure out how the array formula works (making sense of it made me lose sleep last night).

It was a tough nut to crack that even with two programmers working on it, we still ended up using the classic Randbetween function and patiently manually replacing the duplicates.

The tedious activity was dotted with remarks that made everyone laugh at my expense. Well, there's nothing new to that.

As for me, I attended to my classes at the appointed hours of the morning.
When I came back down after my last class for the day, I found a cup of coffee sitting on Jen's desk. My heart began to constrict with disappointment at being left out again until he came down and asked in general why I wasn't given the drink. Apparently, the bevy was for me and everyone failed to mention it.

Every day holds a surprise and I'm loving it.

PMS

It's that time of the month when I find myself cranky at one time and quite a dear the next. With almost everything in place for the inspection, I now have plenty of time in my hands, most of which I spend playing online games or annoying Glen.

Luckily, his fans apparently have dwindled, I think he's bored that he frequents the office now, if only to annoy me

He had ice cream today which he started eating in front of me (Yesterday he had vegetable rolls which he shared only with Jen). This time I stood up and made the motions of taking it (or the remaining half of it), wrestling his arms to get to the prize, with the students, Jen, John and Kz looking on. Lol!

He started with biting ice cream off the cone. When I insisted though, he licked the whole thing. By that time, Kz and JD were ready to for some late lunch, I left him to finish his dessert.

And it pleases me much that however mundane, he does take time to look at whatever excel problem I come to bother myself with for the day 😊

YOU: Tabula Rasa

Silly, yes, but I still get the chills up my spine.

Was it the cloudy skies or the fact that yesterday's the eve of the blue moon's appearance?

Whatever it is, the surprises seemed endless I was a little afraid it would end very soon and on a a very predictably awkward note. Thankfully all went well.

I don't ask for much. I'm quite happy with small gestures: a note here, a little help there, and maybe some jesting. Getting all three in one day is just perfection.

In plain language, I only wanted to say that every touch is felt to the core, every favor extended (whether solicited or freely given) appreciated, every confidence relished knowing that they're hard to come by these days.

Even the fact that my notebook has been wiped clean of data didn't even matter (Thank you Google for Drive).

BLISS vs GLOBE

Having well rested from a fruitless maiden voyage as a partner in an  entrepreneurial endeavor, I volunteered to mind Summer as long as her mum shows up to the annual campaign rally for the student council election. (Yeah, I am now very obliging to any activity that doesn't involve academics. Every opportunity to rest from brain work is now something that I look forward to with much excitement).

Summer and mommy arrived towards the end of the program when everyone was on their feet, dancing, shouting and shoving at  each other (with some busy eating the cupcakes that the candidates made for the occasion). The unusual large number of people convening in a cramped space and everyone towering over her, Summer was obviously disoriented and confused at the chaotic sight that instead of dancing to the music as she is wont to do, she just either stood on one side or held on to my legs until somebody noticed and picked her up. 

Excited. Anxious.

After so much waiting to get started, it finally happened today. Seventy-five minutes into the new day and we drew first blood. 

It was painful as expected. 

Getting a rejection is heartbreaking and this many in just an hour? Well, one could get used to this ;)

MC Restaurant

How long has it been? I cannot remember the time but the picture of how painstakingly we endured the heat of the sun going from pond to pond hoping to catch some fish, Tatay and I, is still vivid in my mind. I must have been talking and asking of questions then which scared the fish away. (Looking back now, I've been scaring fishes then already. Lol!)

Since I have been acquainted with the boys from Bacolod, I have long since expressed my great interest into renewing the experience. Opportunities have been presented before me many times but the chance of finally doing it happened just this week.

While our Muslim brothers are celebrating Eid Mubarak, we got busy and scheduled some interview and for a quick product training.

Since only three out of seven hopefuls showed up, we finished early and the free time that it brought us was just enough for some relaxation, i.e., fishing.

Toto and JD brought Kz and myself to MC restaurant which is located about a kilometer away behind the regional hospital. At four, the parking lot was full of cars, and the benches on one side of the pond teemed with people of all sizes. There were groups of kids, teenagers, families, couples, Koreans and some serious enthusiasts who even brought their own gear.

The mechanics was simple. The resort provides the fishing poles and bait. The customer pays for all the fish caught.

I made a production of hooking my own bait to the tilapia's great delight. As a result, I lost all of my baits on two occasions. But that did not prevent me from proudly brandishing two biggies before I had my fill of waiting and pulling. Among the three of us, we caught about a kilo and a half of fish which we had the staff grilled for a very early dinner.

Little Farmers Coffee

Yesterday, JM provided a welcome interruption to my rather tedious morning of reproducing duplicate and triplicate copies of the program registration papers that I busied myself with. It was to report that he and Peter discovered a kiosk at East where I could finally source out my coffee beans while both AusAid and USAid are out of stock. It's called Little Farmers Coffee.

Tonight, after the vesper service, I walked from Maranatha towards Lopues with every intention to look up the coffee kiosk. It was located behind Cafe Bob's. At 7 pm, I chanced upon the owner who was busy refilling the labeled bean boxes. He was tall and fair with deep engaging voice that encourages conversation. I asked about the varieties the shop has on display. He asked me back on what I want with my brew. Automatically I said, strong but sans the bitter taste. He recommended the medium roast Arabica for that jolting strength and chocolatey taste. I bought 50 grams each of Kalinga and Benguet Arabica and the House Blend made of Arabica and Robusta with undisclosed ratio. My blend of choice will be decided in two weeks' time when I have sampled all of the stores beans.

Yes, the store sells with a minimum amount of 50g which varies from P29 - P44. One can buy whole beans or have them ground to suit brewing preferences. 

I had mine coarse enough for my french press.

BUS(ted)

Business activities in the cities of Silay and Talisay have been a part of my usual week activity of late and taking the bus is the most convenient way to go. The seats are comfortable and the schedule, reliable. 

It's a wonder that the north bus terminal's ticketing system could be so efficient and organized while that going down south is so horrific.  

Friday nights are a nightmare, with having to compete for space with students who go home to their respective cities for the weekend. With everyone wanting to get on the bus first, passengers scrambling for a seat on a running bus is commonplace. I am not a stranger to an exchange of heated words about who got to the seat first. 

When I am in a hurry and pressed for cash, I usually take the already packed bus and sit on the platform beside the driver right above where the engine is located. The heat emanating from it was naturally comfortable and the drivers would usually loan their bamboo backrest for me to sit on. 

In cases when I have money to spare, I find myself taking two trips aboard Hinigaran or Kabankalan and alighting at San Enrique for another bus or puj that head for La Carlota. At times, a passing Canlaon or La Castellana bus has become a natural option for me too.  

Others may have been as patient and ingenious as I am but who has the time for such trivialities. Why can't the Vallacar people sit together and share best practices in the business.  A consistent and organized system will benefit both their company and the people they serve (or the people that give them their business in the first place).

Pharming of Useful and Medicinal Mushrooms in the Philippines

(Fulbright Alumni Kibitzer)

The combination of being cooped inside the bus for ten hours, missing lunch walking under the mid-afternoon sun, climbing flights of stairs and fear of missing the trip home was a perfect recipe for a really early night and staying in bed a little longer the next day. That translates to arriving to the workshop late. By late, it meant making it only to the Q and A and asking a lot of questions which answers clearly were already made known during the discussion and demonstration. Thankfully the presentors from CLSU were accommodating and made no hesitations in giving an explanation all over again.

The Workshop was made possible by the collaboration of the Fulbright Scholars Alumni Association, Silliman University, Department of Agriculture, the provinces of Negros Oriental and Siquijor and some other private businesses. Mainly the workshop aimed to provide alternative means of livelihood to local fisherfolks during spawning season. Topics included organic farming, pig raising, mushroom growing and a lot more. Mushrooms are a favorite especialy of sis and myself and I tried to absorb as much information as I could given the very limited time.


Propagation


A. Tissue Culture. My niggling doubts on aseptically accomplishing this task without a laminar flow and an autoclave has been put to rest. I, however, need to ask for literature on the recipe of the culture media as well as the proper steps of sterilizing it. For now, I have two bottles of tissues to grow after I have harvested all of the first batch.


B. Spawn to Spawn. I have no clear understanding on how the small bags were prepared. I will have to update this section once I get a hold of the literature. Meanwhile, this is how the bags look like.


Production

After so many days after "planting" the tissues, the "spawn" is transfered to a bag of sterilized substrate (about 80-100g) which can either be rice hulls or rice stalks and sealed until it displays a healthy straw color.

Once that is achieved, one end can be opened to introduce moisture by misting twice a day and thrice if the weather is too hot. Mushrooms are ready for harvest after four or five days.

To harvest, simply pull out the mushrooms just enough to expose an ample amount of substrate for the next week's production.

I have yet to get started. Maybe, over the weekend.

Certificate of Good Moral

I don't understand why I endured so much to get my hand into this piece of paper. When sis went to meet Clara in Cebu last January, she lodged an application in my behalf. Now, six months later, I found myself with an invite to tag along for the Fulbright Alumni Conference at Silliman. That was an opportunity I was waiting for in order to claim it, or so I thought.

What I didn't anticipate was that the one-way trip would already eat up five hours and that only one bus was available on my way back. All the time I was debating with myself whether to stay the night and finally meet Matt or take the bus back to Dumaguete. All outcomes considered, I chose the latter.

Once in Cebu and looking at the volume of vehicles in standstill at the Landbank intersection, I decided to walk my way to USJR. It was a feeling of deja vu, walking from Colon to Carbon. The familiarity of the place evoked some sentiments I wasn't aware I had in me.

As a result of my not asking the lady guard where to go for my purpose, I wasted a lot of time in queue at the wrong window. I should have been finished in less than thirty minutes with enough time to spend with the Baguioros. Before I left, I went to visit the Graduate school office and I was amazed at the face lift of the rather drab hallway on the second floor which we found eerie back then. Now, it has been installed with a glass door, air-conditioner and workstations by the window. Students "studying" are a sight to behold. The new restrooms need mentioning as well. The experience is akin to that found in new the malls. Oh, how time have changed. Well except for my graduate course. The curriculum hasn't changed yet but I'm still mulling over my capacity to pay for P1280 per unit course work. Until then.

Cafe Lupe

Summer season in a very small TVI (Technical-Vocational Institution) can be very quiet and boring that the presence of Summer in the office (among other things) provided the much need diversion.

Following Ann's (one of the student trainees this term ) recent visit to the newest cafe in town, not to be left out, us girls went out to check it out. The store was located just across the fire station, between the Cortezes and Fernadezes home along La Paz St.

We took a seat on table facing the street. I ordered a white choco mocha, Jen a Choco Almond Frost and pesto pasta (which we helped finishing) and a mango shake for Kz.

Our verdict? My coffee did not disappoint but we were all in agreement that the almond frost tasted like a bad medicine.

I might be blunt at times especially if nobody checks me out. At one point during our stay I wasn't able to help myself from articulating what I had in mind. I questioned them about their menu. The poor young entrepreneurs looked quizzically at each other looking for the answer that I sought.

Well, they're new in the business and must still be in the painful process of perfecting the craft. We'll give them time to improve and revisit. Maybe in a few month's time.

Literal Rain on the Parade

Just like last year, but on a "grander" level, I broke my self-imposed tradition of not going to the Pasalamat Fair. That, or I am making a new tradition.

For the week-long celebration, I was present half the time and actually out and about for the street parade rain and all.


I think the decision was influenced much by the fact that Sis had a kiosk for their plants and garden accessories for sale and they welcome an extra hand to see about Summer. So after feeding my furry darlings dinner, I could be seen up and around the city plaza just to look around or mind Summer while her folks are busy with business.

Having not made any plans earlier with friends, I found myself wanting to see the parade but without company. I'be been doing things alone and I reckoned this is not the time to start acting dependent and needy. So armed with a point-and-shoot camera and plenty of resolve to get good pictures, I patiently walked around Ezperanza to get a good vantage point by the old Canlas' house.

Sun was already absent all morning. And as expected the rain pelted down in the middle of the street dancing. A little rain won't hurt but if I was to make it to its culmination, I had to be dry and warm. So I sought shelter at the kiosk which was already filled with refugees.

Commercialism has long changed a fine tradition that started from a mandate to promote tourism around the country by creating a festival that reflects the region's main source of livelihood. Then costumes are made of biodegradable materials which were painstakingly put together to create truly admirable pieces. Today most of the costumes are either made of fabric and other materials which ultimately end up in the trash.

Pasalamat Fun Run 2015

I was there.
I was Number 24.

It was a spur of the moment decision. Between house and the office, I barely had the time to look at the billboard outside for the schedule of activities. Going home last night, Jen mentioned in passing that a friend of hers is in town for the run set for today at 5 am. He wasn't sure if registration has been closed already but suggested that I go and see for myself.

Having set the alarm to go off by 4:00 AM, I was ready and out of the house by 4:30 AM. Unfortunately, no motorized vehicle was on sight, I decided to walk my way to the city plaza.

From the modest number that littered the space between the Mayor's office and the men's loo, I spied only three familiar faces: that of Richard's (Ginete who joined the 5k), Raymond (Tiyoy Edmon's son who is part of the committee and gamely took my picture) and Louie (Jen's runner friend who joined 10k).

3K Open was last to go. I was probably the most senior participant and ran alongside a four-year-old against 22 other under 13 boys and girls who seemed to fly by me.

Though I had sufficient exercise these past few days, this cold is my undoing. My breathing required more effort than usual. I found myself huffing and puffing only halfway through my first kilometer. That is besides the fact that I tried really hard to at least keep apace with the four-year-old which was futile. Apparently, his mother trained him well. She was telling me they were after the youngest runner award.

Mimi says it's not about winning but finishing what you have started. True. Hahaha. Just look at those running forms around me. Clearly, I still have a lot catching up to do in the determination and discipline departments. For now, it's more on participation and having fun.

TESDA Talent Showcase

The past weeks had finally caught up with me that the invite for the chance to see the Director General again in person held so much appeal.

We started late having had to entertain our lone enrollee for the week, travel was least to be desired. It must have something to do with the APEC Summit going on at the Capitol. I still wonder if it was a wrong call taking the Lacson route to the north bus terminal. From Singcang, it took us a good hour to reach The District.

Lunch was a simple affair. We had buttered chicken and chopsuey at L'Sea. Grace from Cadiz joined our group and our small talk somehow brought us to her offering her home whenever we decide to visit Carbin Reef. Sweet!

The good secretary arrived after all participants have showcased their talents. Hahaha! Judging by the number of politicians who came in with him, the opportunity for getting a picture with him was clearly nil. So we left after hearing his short but beefy message.

"TESDA for masayang pagbabago."

Pasalamat 2015 Opening night.

Evening date with Summer. Her second at Norma's.

Too late for the fireworks but never for a steaming cup of latte.

Balik Central

Whoa! I am creating a long list of firsts this year. Did I mention that after that survey gig at Guintubdan, Kz and I went to Roman to crash a wedding dinner which also happened to be the baranggay's fiesta? Well, that was a first for me (in ages) and that was dupicated today, this time at DSB. It is already part of Pontevedra which is separated from CACI by a short bridge.

The office denizens left an hour earlier than the usual lunch break. We were the first group to arrive with Cookie as our guide. Our destination was the Samuldes'. The matriarch of the family visited the office earlier in the week to personally issue the invitation.

The short ride was most uncomfortable. Traffic going in was thick, we thought it better to walk the rest of the way. Thank heaven for umbrellas.

Away from Rational Thinking... And into the blue...literally - Day Four

The three nights ended so soon. With cramming a lot of walking and talking and eating into this vacation equation, our bodies are deemed not ready for another day sitting inside the car. Yet, it is imperative that we leave. Routines await (and the stark truth of depleted resources necessary to make an extended day possible and enjoyable).

Promptly at seven, I was already downstairs waiting and decided to have a cup of instant coffee while at it. More waiting happened after we checked out. This time for the cab to pick us up from the inn and drop us off at the Cagban port.

Even with the same company, travel has vastly improved with us being entertained by the absurd exchange that we shamelessly eavesdropped at. And the obviously contrived jesting is much better than uncomfortable silence.

What needed heaps full of patience was the unexpected turn of events, like our ferry ride getting delayed by three hours. We passed time debating on sense and sensibilities, playing cards and getting pissed at each other. It was fun as we could make it.

Away from Rational Thinking... And into the blue...literally - Day Three

This day was sort of reserved for team building which ended up as an ultimate test of patience. Ready at 9:00 a.m., having to hurry back from Starbucks for the much needed caffeine, we waited until 12:30 for the boat to be ready. Imagine boating at noon and swimming with the fish in their sanctuary when the sun's heat is at its fieriest.

While helmet-diving was ongoing, we had the quickest lunch at Andok's (Porchop at P64).

It being my first to get around the island on a boat, I have no idea if the big waves were to be expected. Sans goggles to avoid seawater getting into my eyes, I stayed in the water for the briefest time and missed swimming with the fish which was the object of the stopover in the middle of nowhere.

Since nobody  expressed any interest on paying an additional P150 to enter the Magic Island, I wasn't able to cross cliff-diving off from my bucket list. Good thing I haven't explored the far end of Puka Beach yet, that last bit of the tour at least was fun.

While the girls grabbed some late lunch, I monopolized the room again. That meant more time in the bath and hogging the TV until sunset.

Rockets ran out of fries so I took Kz to Bite Club where I had beer with my "Burgerella" (P185 sandwich + 75 fries + 50 bevy).

Away from Rational Thinking... And into the blue...literally - Day Two

Like a thief in the night, I crawled in darkness and woke the girls up to catch the sun rise and have Puka Beach to ourselves. Puka Beach delivered despite the rather big waves with its spotless (sans algae) beach and water. It was quite different from how it looked from five years ago, notably the absence of puka shells from which it was named and the presence of souvenir stalls just outside the entrance. The key to enjoyment is, be there first and enjoy the beauty and serenity of the place.

After an hour, it began to rain and we left to join the group at the resort's shoreline which we had to ourselves, exclusively. The funny thing is the fact that I have clearly encroached a private party (read: swimming in underthings) that led to its early conclusion.

No sooner noon arrived and we checked in to our new home, St. Vincent's at Station 2 near La Carmela. The rooms were clean, air-conditioned with television and fridge.

Lunch, like last night's dinner, was a tough decision to make. Rockets was an option but it was too expensive for a burger. Reyes caught our eyes. I had fish while Kz ordered chicken. I wasn't too happy about it that I promised to make things right by having coffee after the meal. So, off we went to Real Coffee (P 120, which is now located at the beach front) for some caffeine and their most-talked-about "kalamansi" muffin (P60).

While everybody explored, I relished my alone time in the room either sleeping or watching NatGeo until it was time for dinner. As planned, we ate together at Villa Oro, not far away from the inn which probably had the cheapest buffet (P250, with bottomless iced tea) in the island. The key is to get there the earliest possible as I was not able to get seconds on the "bakareta". Dessert was a massive failure though (pink gelatin).

For a night cap, we had cheesy pizza with a few buckets at Paraw (my first ever night out) That was after a very long walk to Station 1 following a rather futile search for Astoria and endless photo shoot along the beach. Glen left with the alibi of grabbing a frap instead which left me in the company of Kz, JM, Marc and Peter until well way after midnight.

Away from Rational Thinking... And into the blue...literally - Day One

Four days and three nights may be perceived as long or short for staying away from home. That depends on a lot of things like company foremost, weather and budget of course.

The trip started on a shaky note, basically on one key aspect, which, to my circle was quite amusing. I was noted to be nonchalant where they were so concerned. I was quiet when they were rowdy. They were crowding to have their photos taken while I avoided the same. In short, I was just being myself. Lol!

Getting help from a certified traveler with many connections was a delight. Instead of having to endure long queues and necessary transfers, land trip was comfortable especially when I didn't have to worry about who sits next to me for the long haul. It was, however, a long and silent trip with my seatmate having said nary a word (yet ironically confident about not being shoved-off awake in the middle of r.e.m.) to me the whole time.

This is my fourth trip to Boracay and I had very little expectation this time. My only goal is to get as far away as possible from the things that I am so busy with for the rest of the year. And I got more than I bargained for.

I knew that for the majority first-timers, the popular choice was to stay close to the white beach. My obstinacy, however, made me choose isolation if only for the first night. Therefore, I got the group booked at Zoe Mei, a hilltop resort close to the very exclusive Bluewaters. As expected, we were the only guests and therefore assured of transportation to and from civilization. And that is beside the fact that it is only a 30-minute walk to Puka Beach, which to my memory, would cost P150 to visit from Manoc-Manoc (Now, trikes charge P550. That would get you to the depths of the sea helmet-diving already).

Light was already waning when we arrived at the Cagban port where we waited a good half hour for transportation. It was another half hour before we reached the resort where we spent only a few minutes to get settled and off to Station 2 for dinner and, sight-seeing and supplies. Breaking away from the group, I had pasta for dinner and shopped for cheap slippers.

A bunch of miracles

In the middle of a usual summer day in the office, I got an urgent call from sis about me needing to go and see about Kris. Earlier in the week, I visited the expecting mum and was awed at her girth. She looked like she was ready to burst anytime. So I told Gerson time and again to prepare a birthing box as the babies are coming out soon. But that fell on deaf ears. Sigh.

When the clock struck 12 noon, I hastily grabbed my bag and went home to fetch Princess and some clean towels. Since the couple are away and the gate reportedly padlocked, sis advised me to pass at the empty lot out back.

Surveying the birthing scene revealed four healthy puppies scattered in every direction with one which head and front legs were halfway through the wire mesh that served as wall of the canine house. Yelps emanated from the ground below from which four more wet things were recovered before the ants got to them.

I had only one hour to spare. Looking around, I found a toolbox which we emptied, lined with towels and newspaper where we placed the newborns, hoping that nobody gets over the makeshift "fence" until their "dad" comes home. 

Two Scores and One

Notable event: Total Lunar Eclipse, and the stars say:

The Sun is in Aries and the Moon is in Libra during the lunar eclipse on April 4. The ability to relate with others is temporarily out of balance. Relationship issues, obscure reality during this period. The need for compromise conflicts with the desire for personal autonomy.

This lunar eclipse will give you ample opportunity to see your reflection through your relationships. Individual experiences will vary from extreme to subtle. Others will either assist you to realize your goals or challenge you to relate to their needs and emotions. It is important to be clear about your relationship expectations.

This is an excellent time let go of old conditions, attitudes and behaviors. (LOL)

The aspects highlight an intense restlessness triggered by a desire to break away from tradition and at the same time there is a fear of change and/or the loss of personal freedom.

Patag

Way back at Lear, Patag has already found its way on my must-go list. The opportunity, however, presented itself just lat month. I wasn't even invited yet I have managed to join a very intimate group of the Sendicos and their extended family that included Junrey, Marc and JD who asked me to tag along.

The outdoors, whether the mountains or the seas hold an inexplicable amount of interest in me. The thought of hiking and bathing under the waterfalls had me up before sunrise and on the road even before breakfast.

Of the many treats that the place is known for, we only visited the falls that feed the dam and the shrine that was built for the many local heroes who died during the Japanese occupation.

National Parks in the Philippines face the same problem, accessibility. Going up, we waited an hour for the PUJ to fill. Going back to the city, we had to cut our party short to make it to the last trip at 2:00 PM which we nearly missed. The trip back literally was a breeze with the PUJ almost flying, I decided to keep my eyes from the blur of trees we passed by rather than risk losing lunch.

Graduation 2015

This year's rites made a lot of firsts.

First time at SMX Convention Center. Oh, well the building's new so it's to be expected. The accommodation was superb from the fresh smelling carpets, humongous projector screens (we didn't have to bring our own), hi-fi speakers to their able crew.

First to stay at MO2, San Juan and I didn't have to book my own room personally as everybody decided to go home after the celebratory dinner.

First to read during the mass as at the last minute the person assigned to deliver decided he wasn't fit for the job. As usual, I read ( the Prayer of the Faithful) too fast.

First to wear a dress in an event twice. Yeah, everybody voted that I wear the madam-ish kind which I paired with the peekaboo shimmering gold shoes that revealed dirty toenails which made an emergency trip to the mall to buy nail polish necessary.

First to really get pissed at something resulting to my elusive smile in ninety percent of the pictures.

Survey 2: Guintubdan, Ara-al and San Miguel

Summer can be a tad intimidating but where there's a will, there's a way.

Motivation plays a big part in the happy execution of a big task. So, to start off the scheduled second survey, there was this requisite stop at the Guintubdan spring for lunch. Having fun was foremost on the agenda and it was perfectly executed. Little did we know that the energy that we built up from swimming and eating plus the caffeine from coffee was necessary in our survival that afternoon: five kilometers walk downhill for roughly three hours.

To maximize the fun, the key is not to hurry. The catch was we missed the last PUJ going down to the city. It didn't matter then. It didn't matter now. What mattered most that we were able to finish what we have set to do, and more.

Sportsfest

Once every year, I get to wear my marmish persona and act the devil's advocate.

This time, though, I embraced the whole fitness character and let myself be swayed into into imbibing the sportsmanship spirit.

For a week, the Memorial teemed with occasional athletes who kept me company during my morning run. Talking wasn't easy when running so I kept pretty much to myself. 

At one time, I brought Coco (who was already foaming in the mouth after two rounds, I tied her to a post while I ran a little more only to find her walking with Glen) with me; at another time, Limbo (who gave me a hard time, as usual, running after moving objects).

Running for A Cause: Part 2

For the second consecutive week, I spent Saturday night in Bacolod in order to get to the assembly area on time.

Earlier in the week, Mimi got us registered at ABS-CBN. Enlistment cost P350 for the 5km that participated in. That included a running jersey, bib, and after-run snacks (arroz caldo, pan de sal, fitness bar, water - and taho that we bought from a peddler) which I enjoyed so much.


In comparison to last week's performance, breathing was a little regular that I made it to Ramos from the Capitol without stopping. That, for me, was a vast improvement.

I finished my 5k assigment in 46 minutes while Mimi clocked in 7th in her category. In both cases, we're both winners.

Survey 1: Brgy. Nagasi

A time comes when a certified office bum must go out and smell the flowers, even if it is just a small part of the whole thing.

While a host of volunteers got busy entertaining kids in the adopted baranggay, my team of five student council leaders braved the heat going from house to house getting high school graduates and college drop-outs alike sign our survey forms. With K-12 and TESDA's reprogramming, we need some strategy to survive as a business and stay relevant as a skilled-worker provider. 

It was hard work, amply rewarded by thoughtful parents of alumni whose houses we happened to pass by.

Many thanks to the families of Jared Montoya (CHS 2013), Mae Joy Jungco (CHS 2013) and Jeric Montoya (FCCCA) for the snacks and in helping us get around.

Run for a Cause

Yes, it was part of the plan but the invite came a bit too early and surprisingly. I got tagged on an Ad to run (organized by iRun Bacolod) for the 44 fallen SAF members on the second Sunday of the month. After having ran consistently for roughly a month and a half now, I deemed myself ready for a short assessment on the efficacy of my routine.

The event was scheduled to start at 5:15 so there was a need to stay in the city. And since I am running with Mimi, I spent the night at their house.

The funny thing is that we separated during the event with her running the 8.8 while I did the 4.4 km which turning point was at Kima's. They 8.8ers went first with Ryan Gamboa (whom I haven't seen since that UWeek in La Salle) leading the pack. As in college, I still had to tilt my head back to see his face. Hihihi!

Back into running, I finished what I have set myself to do with plenty of time to spare. That's reward enough for me.