Divisoria madness (!)




One weekend, Bucky, VC and I braved the Divisoria xmas madness despite a serious threat of migraine due to lack of sleep (we played poker the night before). Scared of the jeeps and getting lost, we left early, like 7am. We almost got lost, thanks to my navigation skills (or the lack thereof), but were able to arrive in Divisoria before 8am. Thankfully, there was more than enough parking in Tutuban Mall when we arrived.


We rushed to Mall 168 since it was the only open place early in the morning. The air was still crisp & cold, but the streets were already getting busy, shoppers eagerly rushing to 168, street hawkers hurriedly setting up their wares. It was a first for VC, and also for Bucky after 4 years, and they took it in full-blast. The mall itself was in frenzy. Besides tinderas and shoppers haggling, there was also a dragon dance going around the whole building that made the place livelier. We left 168 Mall at around 10am, by then, the streets have gone alive. People were literally swarming everywhere. With much bumping & smell of human sweat, we crossed the alley going back to Tutuban Mall.


I promised myself not to spend too much, which after less than a hour, gleefully broke. The lure of discount shopping was just too much. I consoled myself in the fact that I was able to buy a lot of stuff and Christmas gifts with just a little money. As compared to shopping in a normal mall. Nothing beats Divisoria.

Playing poker ...





at Eric’s house. I lost 2 rounds = P100 cost for the night.

We started playing poker last September, I think. Bucky was so eager to play. He learned the rules by watching World Poker Tour on tv, and playing party poker. Anthony, Nina’s boyfriend, had a set of chips so we organized a game, with only Anthony having the most experience. Ever since that first game, we played every Friday, inviting more and more people to join. The most regular players are me, Bucky, VC, Anthony, Nina, Eric, Dino S. Recent additions included Cris Cabigao and gf, and Melissa. We used to play at Good Earth Roasts in Rockwell, but tonight, we decided to have the game at Eric’s place’s rooftop. The waiters have been showing meanness, mostly because we don’t give a tip, unlike Peachy’s group which gives P200 tip per night aside from the buckets of beer and food.

The game bores me most of time, making me impatient and not mindful of my hand. But I do appreciate the interaction of the players and reading betting behavior. It just takes too long sometimes. We usually start at around 9pm and end at 3am the next day. Kakapagod at puyat. I have only won one game ever since we started, mainly because of my impatience.

Christmas Parties!

I was stressed out last Christmas. I wasn’t complaining that there were too many parties to go to, it’s just hard to get up the next day, especially if the party was held during a weekday. We had one for our group, then for the whole IT, then for the whole Smart. In hindsight, I feel grateful for a very fruitful year with S. The company had been very generous for the past year.

The S&P was surprisingly fun. Our theme was “The Prom”, so we brought our dresses, makeup, and high-heeled shoes. The newbies prepared funny presentations, which bought the house down. There was the prom king & queen awarding and, of course, the exchanging of gifts. I got a wireless mouse & keyboard! The tequila and beer were overflowing. I was to go home with Moby, who was drunk and seriously dressing a crush on Ms. Beautiful. After finding him dozing off at the female’s dressing room, we went home, together with Collie. I found out the day after that he doesn’t remember how he was able to drop Collie and how he got home. Crazy dude.

The IT Xmast Party’s theme was “Rockista”. So there was a competition for best Rockista get-up. Newbies from different IT groups also made “presentations”. Even newbie manager Sir Jay Sulangi, donned on a madonna-inspired outfit! It was fun cheering for our newbies and watching them making a fool of themselves. Hahaha!

Smart Corp xmas party was much funner because of the bonus announcement. Harharhar. IT dept bagged the 2nd place of the Christmas presentations done by the employees. There were celebrities (I had a pix taken with Maverick and James, a hottie ex-Smartee Pinoy Idol contender!) and NLN!

Lola’s 75th Bday Party!

I went home to Kidapawan last Nov29 to celebrate Lola’s 75th bday. Attendance was required since 75 na, Diamond year na daw. So even Lola’s siblings residing in Luzon went home: Mama Del, Manay & Tito Noli, Nene Linda. Those already in Davao also went: Daddy Lando & Mommy Kates plus Ate Ping, Ate Jen & kids, Tita Lisa, Lolo Pogi & kids, kaming lahat, Daddy Toots & Mommy Len, Tito Leo & family, Aunty Mimi & family. Basta ang daming tao. We went there using our “new” old 1996 Mistubishi Lancer. Thankfully, Dad did not make me drive because I didn’t have any decent sleep the whole day due to my horrifying overnight experience in the airport. I had a non-revenue ticket because I was running out of money.

We prepared for the party the next day. Aunty Neneng, Aunty Mimi, Tita Lisa, Mama Del, Og cooked the food, while most of us prepared everything else: the “stage”, the dining tables & chairs, cleaned the house and minded the children.

Visitors started pouring in at around 11am and out at around 3pm. By 4pm, we were already packing up. Dad, mom & Onch went home because of work & school, while I decided to stay for another night. Spent the night watching dvd with the kids. I realized that they were growing so fast and I missed most of them growing up.

CAMOTES ISLANDS (Cebu, Nov 2006)

Camotes is composed of 3 major islands in the north-east part of Cebu. “Four islands comprise the Camotes group: Pacijan (San Francisco town), Poro (Poro and Tudela towns), Ponson (Pilar town) and Tulang (an island barangay of San Francisco).” For more details about Camotes, go to http://www.camotesresorts.com.ph/.

I have mixed feelings for Camotes. I like it for being simple, for having kept its provincial appeal, for the very clear waters, interesting beaches and variety of terrain. However, the main problem I saw was the lack of infrastructure (electricity, telecoms, public tanspo) within the island. I guess that’s part of the charm. I just wished that our trip was more comfortable. But all in all, I had a great time in Camotes. View my Camotes photos. View my other Cebu photos: Bantayan and Malapascua


Camotes essential: sturdy booties

Day 1
Taxi to port – P150 (for 2 pax)
Ocean Jet fast craft boat from Cebu Pier 1 to Poro Port – P250/pax (032-2557560), bought roundtrip tickets in advance
Habal-habal from Poro Port to Santiago Bay Resort – P150/pax (032-4203385)
Santiago Bay Resort – P500/rm/day
Dinner at Santiago Bay resort – P350/2pax

Day 2
Breakfast – P200/2pax
Whole day habal-habal rental (inc driver) – P500/day/2 pax
Whole day gas expense (resort-Danao-Mangodlong-resort) – P200/trip/2pax
Lake Danao: Green Lake/Blue Lake registration – P15/pax
Lunch at Mangodlong Rock resort– P400/3pax (same telnum as Santiago Bay resort)
Dinner at Santiago Bay resort – P400/2 pax

Day 3
Habal-habal from Santiago Bay resort to Poro port – P150/pax
Boat from Poro port to Cebu city Pier 1 – P250/pax


Day 1

> Pre-departure preps. From Hagnaya, we arrived in the North Terminal at around 2pm. Bucky felt that worried that we wouldn’t have enough time to unload our stuff, have lunch and buy some supplies. So when the first cab came in, we immediately hailed it. Problem was we hailed it at the NO LOADING zone, hence, a police man stopped the cab. Good thing that Bucky had his IBP card, presented it to the police, and made an excuse that he was in hurry to go to a meeting. The cop bought it and we were free to go.

When we arrived at Bucky’s house, we unloaded dirty clothes, pasalubongs from Bantayan, bought groceries & medicine, and withdrew additional money. I was finally able to unload half of my luggage. After our errands, we took a cab that would take us to the port. There was heavy traffic when on our way to the port, good thing that we left early. The port pre-departure area was surprisingly clean and comfy. There were even restaurants inside. Taxi = P150/trip

> Trip from Cebu to Poro port, Camotes. We took the Ocean Jet fast craft boat from Pier 1 to Poro port. There was only one trip per day, which was at 530pm. We had to decide between the time of arrival against length of travel time. Since we didn’t have the luxury of time, we decided to get the 2-hour trip via the fast craft. I found out in the internet that there were other slower boats which take around 4 hours. Since our departure date was Nov2, meaning, there would be a lot of people trying to get a ticket on the departure date, so we bought our round-trip tickets even before we left for Malapascua. Ocean Jet ticket = P250/pax.

Bucky was harboring a headache while we were waiting for departure in one of the restaurants. It may have been caused by fatigue or heat or both. I was feeling tired myself. We had been traveling for more than 8 hours already without a decent siesta. We both took Bonamine, which made Bucky sleep during the whole 2-hour trip. I wasn’t able to sleep though. The seats were very cramped and we had to cram our luggage in our seats with us. It was a little scary traveling during the night because I couldn’t see any land or any indication that we were actually going somewhere. I was also not sure how long the travel time was so I didn’t know how long the agony would be.

> Trip from Poro port to Santiago Bay Resort. It was 730pm, I think, when we arrived in Poro port. And to my great disappointment and surprise, there weren’t any public vehicles, as in multi-cab or jeeps, going to the resorts. There were only small habal-habals (scooter/motorbike) that was supposed to fit 3 passengers plus luggage. I didn’t arrange for a van to pick us up because it was very expensive (P1,000.00/trip) and I assumed that there would be at least jeepneys waiting for arriving passengers. Well, it turned out that I was wrong. Having no choice but to ride the habal-habal, we took the 1st driver who approached us and immediately discussed the price. It was agreed to be P150/trip/pax. I still couldn’t believe that 3 people (driver, me, bucky), two of whom were fairly large (meaning me & Bucky), plus our luggage (2 backpacks, 1 shoe bag, 1 tote bag) could fit on the scooter seat. The ride was pretty uncomfortable for me as I was squashed between the driver (who had a nasty BO, which I didn’t notice when we were still haggling for the price) and Bucky, plus our luggage. After I got the hang of just hanging between them, I began to notice how much of a probinsya Camotes was. For miles, I could only see crop (corn, I think), several distant houses with no light, and darkness. From Poro port and the main barangay to Santiago Bay resort, there wasn’t a single street light. For most of the trip, the light only came from the moon. And the wind was very cold and it was a clear night. The trip was a new experience, a little uncomfortable, but strangely … romantic. Habal-habal = P150/pax, maximum of 2 passengers (excluding the driver).

> At Santiago Bay resort. We arrived at Santiago Bay resort at around 8pm. The trip took about 30 minutes. As I had expected, there was a brown-out so there wasn’t any light. From the road where we got off, I could already see the white-sand profile of Santiago Bay, even in the darkness. We were greeted by an old gwardya and were led to the candle-lit restaurant cum reception lobby. To my great surprise, our reservation, which I made even before I left for Cebu, was not communicated to the resort staff. I only reserved for a standard room for 2 pax, all of which were occupied according to the resident senior staff. I told her that I made a reservation to a certain someone thru their telnum (see above). She had the right sense to offer a bigger room for the same price. Otherwise, I would’ve given a bitch fit, considering that I was really tired, hungry, and dirty. We dumped our stuff in the room and went down the stairs leading to the beach. It was beautiful and serene in a strange way, having only the moon as our source of light. Even though it was dark, we could see that the water was clean and clear. I went into the shin-high water, tempting myself to take a dip. If not for exhaustion and fear of swimming alone (Bucky was about to fall over), I would’ve done exactly just that. I had been wanting to go night-swimming but never got the chance to in Malapascua and Bantayan. Having nothing else to do and beginning to feel really tired and hungry, we went back to the restaurant for dinner.

I was surprised to see that the prices in the menu only ranged from P70-100 per ulam which were already good for 2 people per order. Both of us wanted a heavy and hot soup, but they didn’t have any stock so we ended up ordering 2 ulam of whatever they had and rice. They didn’t have any stock of drinks, as well, except for water. The food was worse than the food in Kota Beach resort. Purya-gaba. But having no other choice, given that we didn’t know if there were other resorts nearby, there was a brown-out, and we were both very tired, we finished half of what we ordered and went back to our room and washed up. Before we slept, the electricity thankfully came back. So we didn’t have to suffer the stuffiness and mosquitoes. Bucky slept at around 9pm, he was very drowsy from taking Bonamine. I had to list our expenses for the day so I slept an hour later.

Oh, there’s also no SMART signal in the resort. GLOBE signal is strong, however. At least, there’s at least one. The place isn’t totally isolated from the rest of the world.

Day 2

> 1st Sunrise in Santiago Bay. We started our first official day early. It was just around 530am when we got up and changed into our swimming gear. It was a little cloudy when we woke up so the pictures weren’t as good as I expected. Though the effect of white sunlight bursting out of the dark clouds was eerie but strangely serene and beautiful. Like God was going to appear in the sky anytime.
We explored the resort and found a several viewing decks. The place felt very peaceful and quiet. After about 30 minutes, we went back to the restaurant for breakfast, which was thankfully better than dinner.

> Swimming, exploring Santiago Bay. After breakfast, we hurriedly went down the stairs leading to the beach/bay. The tide was high, the water was clean and surprisingly warm. The beach was dotted with so many dead big, purple jellyfish. The sight was a first for me. Bucky kept on saying kadiri! yuck! but was always trying to get near them to take pictures. Jellyfish must be pretty stupid creatures.

We explored the part of the beach under the rock/cliff where the resort was built. There were small pool areas which the resort must have made minor improvements on. After taking pictures under the cliff, we waded into the larger part of the beach. There was a cove just beyond the cliff of the resort which Bucky wanted to swim to, but it looked very far and we’d have to cross stretches of grassy shore (which I couldn’t stand) so we put it off until the tide receded.

> Green Lake & Blue Lake Parks at Lake Danao. At around 9am, the habal-habal driver, whom we contracted the night before, arrived to take us around the island. Since we only allotted half-day for the trip, we decided to go only to Lake Danao and Mangodlong Rock resort, which were also managed by the same owner of Santiago Bay resort. The first leg of our habal-habal trip was not as uncomfortable as the previous night. I guess I got used to being squashed between men on a very small scooter. The trip took from Santiago Bay resort to Lake Danao took about 40 minutes. The resort was at the Pacijan island, while Lake Danao was a little farther north of Poro port in Poro island. So the trip was longer. We passed by the same road we passed the other night.

Our first stop was the Green Lake park. It was a little patch of manicured lawn and shrubs, plus semi-concrete lakeside viewing area. The sky turned overcast while we were at Lake Danao, giving the lake a greater sense of stillness and mystery, as though the lady of the lake has hushed everything up. Not even the wind was rustling the leaves. We took several pictures and then headed off to Blue Lake park, which was at another part of the lake that we reached after a 10-minute ride. Registration = P15/guest (driver not included).

Blue Lake park had better viewing decks and sitting areas/huts. There was a mini-dock floating at the edge of the lake. A utility person was cleaning the vicinity of the lake when we arrived. Another group also arrived just shortly after we did. After taking several pictures at the dock, we followed a path that led to a covered sitting area already occupied with guests. By this time, a slow drizzle passed of the lake so we were stuck in the sitting area for about 30 minutes. Bucky & I dozed off for a little while unintentionally. The drizzle made the whole lake look darker and more sinister. Our driver informed us that there was a mini-island at the middle of the lake and we could rent a bangka to get us there. I was also told that guests can do fishing in the lake and have the staff cook the catch. We decided against the other activities, both knowing that we couldn’t afford the time and the expense. We made our way back to the parking area and left for Mangodlong Rock resort.

> Lunch and swimming at Mangodlong Rock resort. Mangodlong resort is also in Pacijan island. So we went south again towards Santiago. The clouds finally let up and gave us sunshine. By the time we arrived Mangodlong, I was squinting from the brightness of the sun against the white sand beach. It was just sad that the resort built the restaurant on top of a very large part of the beach. There was lesser room for people to relax and sunbathe. We, together with the driver, had lunch at the ‘abominable’ restaurant, then hit the water. Lunch = P450/3pax.

The resort was surprisingly full of day-guests, like us. Most of them occupied the day cottages atop the big rocks just a few feet from the shore. We explored the rocks and took some great photos. Thanks to the now-cloudless sky, the pictures turned out great. There were a lot of jellyfish in Mangodlong also. And of course, Bucky took their pictures again, sans yuck! and kadiri!

At around 2pm, we showered then headed back to Santiago Bay.

> Exploring the un-named “cemetery” cove. The tide was so low that we were able to walk under the cliff/rock of the resort to get to the cove which Bucky wanted to go to earlier. Thank God for booties, we didn’t suffer any cuts from walking on the sharp stones. Upon approaching the shore of the un-named cove, we realized that it was a cemetery. It felt abandoned and dirty. There was another cove behind the cemetery cove but we didn’t explore it anymore, fearing that the tide would go up fast (and we’d have to swim back. Yikes!) and assuming that there was nothing to see. So after taking some pictures, we made our way back to the Santiago Bay beach. We passed by many starfish and corals on the shore.

Contrary to what I feared, the tide was still very low when we got back to the beach. The tide has receded so much that even the grassy part of the bay was only waist-high. And since I wasn’t very fond of sea grass, Bucky and I just sat down at the shin-high water and waited for the water to come in and the sun to set. Both in vain. The water didn’t come back and there was too much clouds so we didn’t have any Camotes sunset pictures. The thick white clouds and the almost-setting sun gave an “alien” feeling to the beach. If you’d just shut out the walking noisy Koreans nearby, it felt like being in another planet. Bucky got so bored waiting for the sunset that he started catching small crabs on the sand. He managed to catch one, which we took pictures of, and set it free. Dehydrated, exhausted, almost-sunburned and having given up on the sunset and the tide, we slowly made our way back to our room to shower and get ready for dinner.

> Dinner & masahe. We had another blah-dinner at the resort. But it didn’t really bother us anymore because we were so tired. After dinner, paying for the room, and playing a round of chiki-cha, we retired in our room and called the masahista. Bucky went first while I fixed our stuff. We were going to leave very early the next day to catch the 6am trip from Poro to Cebu. Bucky fell asleep more from exhaustion than from the masahe. When it was my turn, I also got very drowsy but not because of the masahe. I don’t think the masahista knew what she was doing. Masahe = P250/pax/1hour

Day 3

> Trip from Poro to Cebu. We woke up very early next day, around 4am. Having been unable to night-swim, I planned to swim at 4am. I went down to the beach, and to my dismay, the tide still hasn’t gone up. So I was resigned to do some final packing and waiting for the first burst of sunrise. When we left Santiago Bay at 5am, the sun hasn’t fully come up. By the third day, I had become an expert in riding the habal-habal. I wasn’t scared of bumps or sudden curves on the road. On our way to Poro, we passed through cliffs overlooking the bay. By this time, the sun had come up and the color it painted in the sky was beautiful. When we arrived in Poro port, the sun has fully come up and was bursting with yellow and orange hues in the sky. And this sight was directly in front of the port. I hurriedly took pictures before boarding the boat.

The boat trip back to the city was the beginning of the end of my great Cebu adventure. I was so thankful that a magnificent sunrise ended it. A sign of great things to come.

BANTAYAN Island (Cebu, Nov 2006)

Bantayan is an island at the northwest part of Cebu. It is supposedly the “egg basket” of the Philippines, as such, the island was given dispensation or exemption by the Vatican from fasting during the Holy Week. The center of the Holy Week celebration in Bantayan is the centuries-old church built in 1580. It is also home to the more delicious variety of danggit and other salted dried fish.

As for me, Bantayan is an island of great beaches, sunrise & sunset. Among a million other great things. View my Bantayan photos View my other Cebu photos: Camotes and Malapascua

For more information on resorts in the island, click on http://www.bantayan.net/ or http://xoops.bantayan.net/modules/xyp4all/topten.php?hit=1

Disclaimer: Prices, activities, schedules, telnums, etc. were valid when we were there. This info may have changed as of reading.

Summary of activities & expenses:

Kota Beach Resort – P770/room/day

There are other bigger & newer cottages. Prices range from P1,500- 3,000/cottage. Good for 4-6 pax/cottage. See telnum below

Day 1
Jeep from Maya pier to Don Pedro – P25/pax (see my Malapascual blog)
Tricycle from Don Pedro to Hagnaya – P50/trip
Boat from Hagnaya to Sta. Fe – P140/pax (see telnum below)
Tricycle from Sta. Fe pier to Kota Beach resort – P50/trip
Lunch/Dinner at Kota beach resort – P150-200/meal/pax

Day 2
Breakfast in Kota beach resort - P120-150/meal/pax
Tricycle to Sta. Fe beach club – P20/trip
Tricycle to St. Bernard beach resort – P40/trip
Lunch at St. Bernard - P150-200/meal/pax
Dinner at Marisquiera – P170-200/meal/pax

Day 3
Breakfast in Kota beach resort - P120-150/meal/pax
Trisikad from Kota to Ogtong Beach resort – P20/pax
Entrance fee at Ogtong – P100/pax
Lunch at Ogtong - P150-200/meal/pax
Trisikad from Ogtong Beach to Kota beach resort – P20/pax
Round-trip tricycle fare from Kota to Bantayan town market – P300/trip
Danggit – P80/250grams
Dinner at Marisquiera – P170-200/meal/pax

Day 4
Breakfast in Kota beach resort - P120-150/meal/pax
Trisikad from Kota beach resort to pier – P20/trip
Boat from Sta. Fe to Hagnaya – P140/pax
Bus from Hagnaya to Cebu City – P85/pax

How we got there:

> From Malapascua island, we started our way south going to Bantayan Island. When we arrived in Maya (see my previous blog about Malapascua), there weren’t any busses going south to Cebu, so we boarded a jeep for Bogo. It would take us a little over 1 hour to get to ‘skina (“eskina”, which means “road”, I think) Don Pedro, get down, and ride a tricycle to Hagnaya port. Jeep P50/pax. Tricycle P50/trip.

If you’re coming from Cebu city, there are busses in the Cebu North Terminal with signs “Hagnaya”. There are also “public” vans/v-hires and cars for hire for a more comfortable trip.

> It was just 30 minutes before departure when we arrived in the Hagnaya port. It felt like the Amazing Race. Good thing that the boat (Super Shuttle) wasn’t full and we were still able to get tickets. I was surprised to see that there were 2 other lines operating between Hagnaya and Sta. Fe. The boat trip took about 1 hour. As expected, the trip was uneventful. There were noisy Korean kids running around, and a B-movie was playing in the TV. I started shooting the profile of the island when didn’t appear too small in the camera screen, and I could see the white shoreline.

Boats from HAGNAYA (Cebu) to STA. FE (Bantayan Island)

1) Super Shuttle (032-2323150) 1 hour, P140/pax
Hagnaya To Sta. Fe - 7:00 Am / 10:30 Am / 12:30 Pm
Sta.Fe To Hagnaya - 8:30 Am / 12:30 Pm / 4:00 Pm

2) Aznar Fast Craft (032-4352065) 30mins only, P168/pax
Hagnaya To Sta. Fe - 8:30 Am / 11:00 Am / 3:30 Pm
Sta.Fe To Hagnaya - 10:15 Am / 1:30 Pm / 4:30 Pm

3) Island Shipping (032-4352078) P168/pax
Hagnaya To Sta. Fe - 6:30 Am / 9:30 Ma / 12:30 Pm / 1:30 Pm / 5:30 Pm
Sta.Fe To Hagnaya - 5 Am / 7:30am / 9:30 Am / 11:30 Am / 3 Pm

Day 1:

> It was around 12 noon when we arrived at Hagnaya port. Unlike other ports I’ve been to, the water around the port was actually clean & clear. From the Port, facing the island, we saw Sta Fe beach at the right side of the port & Kota beach at the left in all their “white” glory. I was ecstatic. If we didn’t have our luggage, I would have jumped into the water immediately. Haha! Exaj.

> From the pier, a lot of tricycle drivers, habal-habal (scooter) drivers, vendors and jeep barkers were trying to get us to hire them. We took a tricycle and were at the resort in less than 5 minutes. Tricycle P50/trip.

> Check-in and lunch at the Kota Beach Resort (32-2542726/2545661). We dropped off our bags in our room, which was dismally old & crummy, but nonetheless clean, and went straight to the beach. The brightness of the sun reflecting on the white beach took my breath away. Parang kumikinang ang sand. The beach was beautiful. And there weren’t any people loitering around, which made it feel exclusive. While waiting for our lunch to be served, Bucky & I took a gazillion pictures along the shore.

The bottled water was so expensive! A liter, that costs P20 in the grocery, costs P60 in the resort. Crazy! We only knew the day after that a small market about 200 meters from the resort sold cheap bottled water, and was open 24 hours. Lunch P150-200/meal/pax. Room P770/night.

> Swimming, exploring, siesta-by-the-beach, playing cards. Our vacation in Bantayan Island officially started. We checked out the west side of the island, which was to the right of Kota beach. Mejo mahaba pala ung beach so we only walked as far as the last resort we could see. There were Budyong & Yoonek beach resorts in this stretch. The sand wasn’t as fine & as white as Boracay, but it was clean, and it had the “proven?al” appeal. And also unlike Boracay, there weren’t any flashy resorts, malls or stores, no pesky masahista and vendors. The locals, especially the children, were friendly, and most of the time, curious. I guess they were more curious of our camera and tripod than of us. The Budyong-Yooneek shoreline, was peppered with old and beaten wooden outrigger bangkas. When we were strolling, children were helping their father and/or eldest brother untangle the fishing nets. It really felt like the probinsya: simple, quiet though friendly, and humble.

> After taking our first sunset pictures in Bantayan, we had a blah-dinner at the resort, showered, and retired for the night. It was a very tiring day. I also felt the first pangs of sunburn on my shoulders that day.

Day 2:

> Catching the 1st sunrise in Bantayan. The resort was more beautiful during sunrise than it is most of the day. Even though it was a little cloudy, the sun rose out slowly, radiating the whole blue sky with hues of orange and yellow. The tide was high, the water unusually warm, and the whole place was … still.

> Exploring Sta. Fe. After breakfast, which was the only redeeming meal in the resort, we decided to explore the island further. We hired a tricycle for a trip to the east side of the island, where Sta. Fe Beach & St. Bernard resorts were. Sta. Fe Beach resort was disappointing. The pictures from the internet were very impressive, but when we got there, the resort was small, though the beach was nice, considering that it was very near the pier. We just took some pictures of the “watawats” (as Bucky puts it) and the beach, then decided to go to St. Bernard at Barangay Ocoy. We took a tricycle again, which the driver charged us P40. Little did we know that St. Bernard resort was just a short walk away. St. Bernard resort was a narrow lot with about 10 circular concrete huts. The resort was kinda disappointing also, though I expected it to be not really nice because the huts were inexpensive. We walked further east from St. Bernard and came across a quaint beach house, a deserted-looking hut, and a shady empty lot with vines & little purple flowers. By this time, it was very hot and windless, so we took a dip. Like Kota, the beach in Sta. Fe had a long, grassless shore, that during low tide, you’d have to walk far before the water reaches your chin. Total tricycle fare = P60 (2 trips: Kota to Sta. Fe, Sta-Fe to St. Bernard in Ocoy).

> Lunch at St. Bernard resort. We went back to St. Bernard Resort for lunch. I had the sizzling lapu-lapu, while Bucky had pork snitchzel. The food was OK, way better than Kota Beach resort. The serving per meal was for 2 people, but we finished both our meals. Why do we get so hungry at the beach? P150 – 200/meal/pax.

> Walk back from St. Bernard to Kota Beach resort. We were so full after lunch that we decided to walk back to the resort, even though the sun was freaking hot. Figured that it was also a good way to explore the Sta. Fe beach, and get rid of all the calories we downed from lunch. There were a lot of houses, bangkas & mothers screaming for their children to quit swimming and have lunch. We passed by a barangay, crossed the pier, and reached the Kota-side of the shoreline. The tide was so low that we could see thousands of mini-crablets (yes, they were smaller than crablets, hence mini na, crablet pa), crawling frantically back into their holes when they felt us approaching. Initially, I thought they were dirt, or pieces of wood washed ashore. And then they moved & disappeared in the sand. When we reached the beach by the lagoon, we couldn’t help but take a dip. It was just so inviting! The water was clear and the shore was grassless, besides, the sun was up, it was so hot and we were sweating like pigs because of the long walk. By the time we got back to Kota Beach resort, we were hungry again. After merienda, siesta, more swimming & picture-taking, it was sunset again and time for dinner.

> We had to go out in search for dinner because the food in the resort wasn’t good. Most of the trisikad drivers recommended a Portugese resto near the mercado or market. So not knowing where else to go, and not wanting to eat in the resort, we ended up hiring a trisikad for Marisquiera. It was a big, open-air resto, with native/local furniture & design mixed with European, not just Portugese, flags, shirts, and what-have-you. It was a rather eclectic mix. Even the cuisine, the customers, and the owners were … mixed. The food was way better & more “exotic” than the food in Kota and St. Bernard. We wanted to try so many foreign-sounding dishes but we could only order 2 different meals. Bucky had a beef meal with fries, while I had the red curry chicken. Both meals were very spicy, we ended up downing beers and 2 pinipig crunch ice cream bars. I didn’t care about my dieta anymore. I was praying that I’d lose all the calories from swimming & walking around the island. Feeling guilty for eating so much food, we just walked home back to the resort. We played a round of chiki-cha by the beach while waiting to get drowsy. While we were at the beach, we could hear a group of people in one of the cottages playing poker. Bucky couldn’t help but be inggit coz he knew that VC and his friends were playing poker in Manila during that time. We didn’t have poker chips so couldn’t play on our own. After 3 rounds of chicki-cha, we got sleepy and went back to our room to retire for the night. Dinner = P170-200/meal/pax.

Day 3:

> We saw the best sunrise on our 3rd day in Bantayan. We also met a cute kid named Valerie, and her mom Rosette. After breakfast we decided to go to Ogtong Cave & resort.

> Ogtong Cave & Resort was farther up in the island. We took a trisikad & were there in around 15mins. The resort was on a low cliff that extended to a beach. The resort was clean, nice and well-kept. It was owned also by the owner of Sta. Fe Beach Club. Ogtong cave was actually just a little hole in the ground/rocks that had a fresh-water pool. The resort made a staircase down to the underground pool, and attached lights on the overhead rocks so that people can swim towards the farther end of the pool. It felt creepy when we first came in because the pool was kinda dark and full of shadows. Good thing people were already there when we came in. The water was cool and surprisingly very clear. And there were small fish! It was hard to gauge the depth of the water because it was dark, we ended up banging our knees and legs against the rocks on the shallow parts. There were also parts in the pool that became suddenly deep and slippery. I wouldn’t recommend it for unattended small kids who don’t know how to swim.

We had lunch after our refreshing dip in the cave. I had the best chopseuy in years. Bucky also raved about his grilled beef tips. After lunch we went around the resort, took some pictures, and went down the beach. Like everywhere else in the island, the beach in Ogtong had a long grassless shore of pristine white sand. It was also low tide when we were there, but that didn’t stop us from wading in the cool, shallow waters and taking some more pictures.

Bucky & I were so amazed by the underground pool at the cave that we decided to stay there for another hour. Swimming in the fresh-water pool was a refreshing break from the salty beach.

> Trip to Bantayan town, market, & Bantayan church. We went back to Kota beach resort, showered and prepared for our trip to Bantayan town proper. We hired a tricycle who agreed to take us there and back for P300. The trip to the town took about 30 minutes. We passed by barangays, the island cemetery (which was very crowded with visitors and vendors), old houses, and stores. Bantayan town is a small and quiet town, with a plaza, church & market all within walking distance from one another. Our first stop in the town was the market. We bought danggit and other varieties of salted dried fish, for which the town was famous for. After we bought our danggit, we went to Bantayan Church. Besides being famous for its age (it was constructed 1580, I think), it’s also famous for its Lenten activities. The whole Bantayan was given dispensation or exemption from fasting by Vatican. I guess that’s one of the reasons why the island is especially busy during Lent. It was so quiet in the church when we got in that I couldn’t help but whisper. I even felt hiya about taking pictures for a moment. I said a little prayer, also asking permission to take photos. It was amazing to see how old the church was: the walls were made of blocks of coral stone, the big church doors looked heavy and old, and the design in the glass windows looked very aged too, though I don’t believe that they were installed since 1580. After taking photos, we went out to light candles and offer prayers. After all, it was All Soul’s Day.

> Catching the last sunset in Bantayan. It was just before sunset when we arrived at Kota from our trip to Bantayan town. The last sunset turned out to be the best in our 3-day stay in the island. We swam and took pictures by Budyong beach until it the sun was totally gone.

> Dinner at Marisquera again. Since we weren’t able to taste the other exotic-sounding dishes the night before, we decided to eat at the Portuguese restaurant again. We had pork Bitoque, pinakbet, and beer.

> I wanted to go night-swimming but Bucky & I were so tinatamad to change and shower again. So we decided to pack our bags because we had to leave early the next day.

Day 4:

> Breakfast at the resort & taking pictures of the last sunrise. We woke up at 5am again to catch the sunrise by Budyong beach. Took great pictures.

> Back to Cebu city. We had to catch the 830am boat to Hagnaya (see schedule above), and catch the earliest available bus to Cebu City so we would have enough time to unpack, change bags/clothes, and buy food & medicine for our trip to Camotes Islands. We were able to buy tickets for the 830am trip. Trisikad = P20/trip. Boat = P140/pax.

Thank God, the next bus for Cebu city was airconditioned. The trip was better compared to the one we took with the non-aircon bus to Maya. There was a stop-over in one town where passengers were given time to pee, stretch, and buy some lunch. We had 3 hotdogs and 4 puso for lunch. And we ate it on the bus because there wasn’t enough time for a sit-down lunch at the karinderya. Bus Ticket = P85/pax.

> After around 4 hours, we arrived in the city, got into a cab (which was stopped by a police because we loaded the taxi at a no-loading area. Buti na lang, lawyer si Bucky at nasindak ang police), went to his house, dropped off dirty clothes and other unnecessary stuff, had lunch, bought groceries and medicine for my allergies (I think I ate too much eggs), and left for Cebu Pier 1 to catch our 530pm trip to Poro Port.

Total Expenses: P8,406.00 (for 2 pax)

I had such a great time at Bantayan that I plan to take my family there for a vacation when I have the money. The place isn’t too expensive and not too far either.

Next stop: Camotes!

MALAPASCUA ISLAND (Cebu, Nov 2006)


Here is a chronicle of our adventure in Malapascua. The entry below contains activities, prices, and other details that might be useful.

Just an aside, we used my Olympus SW720 water+shockproof “caseless” camera. I cannot ask for anything more from a camera. We had so much fun using it during the whole trip! Imagine, a camera that you can take anywhere, without worrying that it’ll get wet or banged around. Even strangers would look surprised when they see us taking the camera into the water, or throwing it around. Amazing! View my Malapascua photos. View my other Cebu photos: Bantayan and Camotes

Disclaimer: All info in the entry below was valid & accurate during our stay there. Prices, routes, schedules, etc. may have changed as of reading.

We start at the farthest/northernmost island in Cebu, Malapascua. It's more famous for its dive spots and sightings of thresher sharks. I'm no diver, but I'm still very glad that I visited this tiny island. The water was clean, the beach was quiet, you could sleep under the shade without a care and there aren't too many pesky peddlers around.

For more details on the island, go to http://www.malapascua.de/

How we got there:
> Went to Cebu City North Bus Terminal

> Got in CERES (or any) bus with sign "Maya via Bagay". This took us to the Maya pier where bangkas going to the island are waiting. Aircon at 8am (P85), non-aircon every 30mins (P70).

> It's was low tide at the Maya pier when we arrived, so the big bangkas going to the island are too far from the shore. We were transported by mini-outriggerless-bangkas or "taxis" to the big bangkas. The water is only about knee deep high, but we'd have to walk very far and risk our stuff getting wet, so we opted for the water taxis. People being ferried by the water taxis stay still for about 5mins, otherwise the taxi could turn over. P10/pax.

> The big bangkas wait for at least 10 people before leaving. The fare was paid at a booth in the pier. P40/pax.

Day 1:

> Check in at Palm Place. It's about 250 mtrs away from Bounty Beach. Not beach front, but not too far naman. We didn't mind the distance so long as the room and CR/shower were clean. The staff was very helpful too. There was no electricity when we arrived because the generators are only turned on from 4pm-6am (of the following day). P500/day/rm.

[For information on other resorts, click the link above.]

> Lunch at Blue Water Resort. The food took so long to be served! Around P150-P200/meal/pax.

> Picture-taking, beach-bumming, swimming . Though not as fine as Boracay, the sand in Bounty Beach is so clean & white. There’s lots of sea grass along the beach though. I guess that's part of its appeal. There are large grassless areas in the water where Bucky & I swim. I'm scared of swimming by the grassy areas Imagine not knowing if there are creepy crawling creatures that you can't see in the grass. Yikes!

> Dinner at La Dolce Vita. This is a restaurant owned by an Italian couple who fell in love with the island and decided to make it their home for 6 months every year. The restaurant is in a beach opposite of Bounty Beach. It's like being transported to a GB3 resto with a beach for a view. The food was great, too. We had a meaty pizza, chili-garlic spaghetti, and red wine. Around P200-300/meal/pax.

> Massage at the cottage. After dinner, the aleng masahista came by. After an hour under the magic hands of the masahista, the whole day felt perfect: beach, good food, and a relaxed body before going to sleep. What else could I ask for? P250/hr/pax.

Day 2:

> First sunrise in Malapascua. We got up at around 530am to catch the sunrise. It wasn’t such an effort because we slept at around 9pm the previous night. Who wouldn’t, after the very relaxing masahe?

> Breakfast at GingGing’s Eatery. To get to this place from the beach, we looked for the “Sunsplash” sign/arrow. A narrow road leads to Sunsplash Resort & Resto and to the houses farther into the island. We reached a clearing and dirt road and La Isla Bonita Restaurant, turned left at the dirt road, walked a little farther and saw the sign. The food in this place was cheaper and as good as, if not better, than the most of restos at the beach front. A lot of people eat in this place, especially during breakfast and lunch. Yummy mango pancakes! P100-150/meal/pax. We also had our distilled water-bottles refilled here for only P10/liter. A new 1-liter bottle bought in the beach front costs around P35-50. Bucky & I drink at least 3-4 liters of bottle a day, so we saved quite a lot, enough, I think for a merienda.

> Snorkeling around the island. A lot of “canvassers” approached us during Day1, asking if we wanted to go snorkeling. The prices were usually P600 for a half day trip, no matter how many you are. The max num per trip will depend on the size of the boat. We agreed to the price when a lone Italian tourist, named Silvio, agreed to share the expense with us. So P600 was divided into 2, for which Silvio will pay P300, and we pay the other P300. Mask rental was P100/day/pax. We started snorkeling at the Coral garden. There were lots of corals, but some, if not most are dead. Well, at least they looked dead to me, comparing the corals to those in Pandan Island. There were only a few, small fishies. The next stop was the Blue Coral garden. Madaming blue corals dun, not too many fish, and super strong currents. Bucky was getting mad at me because I wouldn’t leave his side. The dead corals looked scary! I couldn’t help thinking that a sea monster might suddenly appear and eat me. Hahaha! The next stop was the supposedly sunken Japanese ship. It didn’t look like a ship, but the skeletons of a boat (I guess) were there. Dami na ring corals na nakadikit. It looked scary. The last stop was at the islets (I forgot the names) seen from Bounty beach. It was already lunch time so the tide was low. We hadn’t anticipated the depth of the water so when we jumped from the bangka, we hit the stones & corals. I was wearing my booties when I hit the water & stones. Sharp rocks cut Bucky’s right foot. Good thing that sea water is a natural anti-septic, so we didn’t worry about infection. Those cuts made me worry, not so much because of infection, but because it might ruin the day for Bucky. Thankfully, he got over the pain quickly. The corals were more alive in the islets, and there were more fish than the 3 previous sites. Total expense for the snorkeling was P250/pax.

> Lunch at Cocobana Restaurant. After a very tiring morning, both of us ate full meals, plus mango milkshakes. The Thai chili-basil chicken and weird-sounding-sausage meals were great. That, or sobrang gutom lang kami. Goodbye, half-rice/low-carb diet. P150-200/meal/pax.

> Picture-taking, beach-bumming, swimming, siesta-by-the-beach. After snorkeling and a filling lunch, plus the cool sea breeze, we couldn’t help but be drowsy. With just our sarong & a spot under the shade of the coconut trees, we had our siesta. We woke up after about an hour, then further explored the east-side of the island. There were more resorts: Sunset, Exotic. There was a large clearing/ grassless beach were we swam & took pictures the whole afternoon. Thank God for the great weather.

> Dinner at La Dolce Vita. We wanted to try the other dishes we couldn’t order the night before. We had the platter of assorted cold cuts, spaghetti pomodoro, and a pork-in-tomato sauce meal. Everything was superb.

> Happy hour at Blue Water resort. We finished dinner at around 730pm so we had more than enough time para masulit ang happy hour. Actually, the only available drinks are gin-sprite and rhum-coke. Hahha! But 3 orders (of buy 1 take one) were enough to make us tipsy. We had drinks by the beach, with only a lampara and drinks on our table. Bucky & I just talked the night away until we got tipsy and sleepy. P80/order (2 glasses/order).

Day 3:

> Breakfast at GingGing’s Eatery. We woke up at 630am for an early breakfast. We still had to prepare & pack our stuff before leaving.

> It was time to leave the island. The first bangka to leave Malapascua for Maya leaves at 8am. The “terminal” is at a booth along Blue Water resort. It was also low tide when we arrived in Maya, so we had to take the water taxis again to get to the pier. Big bangka P40/pax. Water taxi P10/pax.

Well, some good things have to end. I hope to see you again, Malapascua!

Next stop: Bantayan island!

Updates, updates, updates...

So what's been happening lately?

- Hooked with the high school drama series One Tree Hill. I never knew that American high school students had so much ... angst. I wonder if what the series show really portray real life. If it does, well, it's very disturbing. But I think I can relate to Haley... the disturbed part, not the teen part ...










- Season 3 of Club 650 Volley has started. I'm still with Fusion, Season 2 champion team. Naks! The organizers changed the rules this season: instead of game wins as basis for the standing, they made a point system such that each won set scores 2 points, and each lost set scores 1 point. Each game will only have 3 sets. At the end of the eliminations, the points are added up and the teams are ranked. Then the top 6 teams will go the semis, i think. Anyway, the rules & standings are in this link www.club650.com
















- Spanish Film Fest last Oct 3-15. As much as I wanted to watch all the movies, I wasn't able to because of work, we were late and the tickets was sold out, conflict of schedule, i didn't get any invitation to a Barcelona (a Pinoy film set in Barcelona). Oh well, too bad. There's still next year. That is if I'm still here. haha! The only film we were able to see was No Sos Vos, Soy Yo. It was about a man in his midlife, struggling to find happiness and himself after being dumped by his new wife. Bucky liked the movie. It was funny, realistic and not sappy.

- Poker! I finally played my first round of poker last Saturday. Anthony & Niña sponsored the game. VC & his friends came to play too. After a while, Tatot & Dino came. After losing 1 round, Dino played again and won. Bucky & I both lost. Well, it was our first poker night. Practice, practice! Another round of poker this friday. Let's see if there's improvement.

- Losing weight. I didn't drastically lose weight, but my slacks aren't too tight anymore. Hurrah! I must've done something right. Have been trying to stay away from "white" food, like rice, bread, pasta, ice cream, crackers, chips & softdrinks. Will try very hard to keep this diet. Pero I've been daydreaming about buffet. Spirals in Westin to be exact.

- Jaja's baby is 2-months old already and she went back to work na. The baby looks like his dad. Undeniable.

- I haven't seen Paula in months, except for that post game 2-hour dinner with her & Jaja at Libis.

- Mac is incommunicado, at least to me. I wonder what he's doing in UK. envy. envy.

A Pleaseant Suprise ...

A little while after I joined Smart almost 2 years ago, I realized that I got the short end of the stick, having negotiated my pay to fall below my expectations. But since at that time, I just wanted to get away from AIU, I took the bait, open-eyed, even if I knew it would kill me.

So I traded less money for less stress. Which did I prefer? I thought I wanted money, rationalizing that I still had my energy and my youth, that I could take the beating in AIU. I didn't want to go back to AIU but at the same time depressed that I wasn't earning as much as I wanted. So I felt powerless again.

The funny thing is AIU and/or Headstrong wanted me back. But my pysche and my body took such a beating that just thinking of working in AIU again gave me migraine. I didn't seriously think about returning to AIU when they were calling me just months after I joined Smart. When there was an opening again around Feb this year, I went through a series of interviews, first with HR, then with a project manager, then with the VP for Dev. I think everything went fine until HR wanted to have a copy of my payslip before they make the final offer. How offending could that be?

At that time, my pay had already been restructured (thank God!) to reflect the acceptable market rate for my experience & skills (acc to HR) so I got a considerable increase. I also increased my asking rate, knowing that they don't pay OT and the workhours are very long and the workload demanding. Maybe they didn't believe me. But I got so turned off that I kept ignoring my nice ex-PM's effort to talk to me. Ayaw ko ng mapasubo.

Sooooo, I was stuck with Smart. Why did I even contemplate leaving? I felt unappreciated by my own group head, that the interfacing manager was picking on me, that I was less of a person because I do not understand SAP the way a developer understands it, that what I do is just the "bullshit" part. Even with all the snags, I tried appreciating the world I was in. There were snags along the way, but hey, that's life. It's not perfect, and it's often not fair. But it's the only one I've got. So taking things as they come, I felt more at peace with myself. Maybe I was expecting too much of myself.

And then I was informed early this September, that I was being upgraded to "Sr. Software Devt Analyst". The title doesn't really matter to me. But the validation of the hard work & the crap & bullshit I had to take made feel better. Being the realistic & pragmatic person that I am, I wasn't exactly thrilled about the upgrade. Things at work will be the same. I'm guessing now that it might get more demanding because people are expecting more from me. But what the heck...

I can't say the same is true for the way I feel about my salary. I can't wait to see my new payslip! Fervently crossing my fingers that the increase will be substantial. (Yelp!) When I see my new pay, I will start thinking again about leaving for Singapore. So far there are 3 things that will affect my decision:
1) the pay there is twice my pay here
2) I want to experience living in a different country for once & be independent from anybody, including Bucky
-i have to do this before getting married, which will be in the next 3 years max. so if i plan to live abroad for 2 yrs, I need leave next year)
3) the risk of losing Bucky

So far, I'm still torn between what I want and what I fear will happen if I leave. Bucky said himself that I shouldn't live in fear of things that are yet to happen. I shouldn't live in fear of losing him.

I have 6 more months to think about these. And so we shall see.

PUTIPOT Island!

I was finally able to go to Putipot Island last Aug21. It was a long weekend in honor of Ninoy's Death. Bucky, Eric, Melissa, and I decided to celebrate it in Putipot. As if.

The only bad thing was the weather. It was rainy & gloomy. But even that didn't stop us. Eric wanted to get out of the city also (but that's another story).

We left Manila at 11pm and arrived at Candelaria, Zambales at around 3am. We checked in at Dawal Beach Resort (0919-5730952. For other resorts, click Zambales resorts), slept till 8am and headed for the island around 9am.

Putipot is a very small island. You can walk the whole shoreline in less than 30 minutes. We took it for more than 30 minutes, stopping to photograph anything: fallen tree trunks, coconut trees, rocks, flowers, bugs, what-have-you using my new water+ shockproof Olympus SW720. The trip to Putipot was its debut. I could only pray that it was indeed waterproof. Thank God, it was.

Our lunch was cold & greasy grilled liempo, chicken adobo, eggs, softdrinks, and beer. Da best. Kahit ma-sebo. The rain kept interrupting our meal. We had to stop when it rains kasi nagkakasabaw ang pagkain. However, the rain did not stop us from enjoying the greasy meal. Si Melissa ang pinaka-huling natapos. Buuurp.

At about 3pm, the bangkero arrived to pick us up. Our visit was short, and a little uneventful, but I had a great time. "Uneventful" in a beach was what i needed.

If i could just go to Putipot every weekend...






At Dawal Beach resort in Candelaria

Blogging

I finally figured how to expand the text width of this frigging blog. It took me so long, thanks to my web page writing illiteracy. Am vowing to start learning HTLM-reading/writing. There's a cheap reference book worth P395 only.

On to some other things...

I'm finally out of the cold-flu zone for this year. Was bedridden for 2 weekends, 2 workdays, and went to office wheezing & sneezing and feeling down right rotten. I couldn't take the day off because I don't want colleagues to think that I always succumb to minor illnesses. Heck, if I can just tell them all to fuck off. While I'm out of the zone, others are just getting into it: Paula, Collie, Bucky (just got well mid-week). I sympathize.

After almost a month after I bought my scanner, I''m almost done scanning all of my college pictures. Here are some samples:

Freshman CERSA Open House














Subic

Puerto

I posted all my college pix at http://admu2000.multiply.com

How I miss the carefree days of college. When the only complications in life included the lack of allowance, where to watch a movie or have a drink or rather drinksss without worrying about the hangover until your head is pounding the next day, the next paper to be submitted, the finals you haven't quite studied for yet miraculously passed, the 730AM classes, your crush, and all those other stuff you took for granted.

If I could go back to college, I would.

*sigh*

My new baby!



It finally got delivered last night. Thanks to Daddyo who was very patient with me. He was with me all thru out the "labor pains". Hahha.

Here as some of its some sweeeet features:

> shock proof (up to 1.5 m) - perfect for accidental bumps in the bangka, the table, bag, etc
> water proof (up to 3 m) - perfect for the beach, rainy days, wet fingers, snorkelling!
> 7.1 megapix (!)
> large LCD
> close up w/o blurring
> high speed sequential shooting

I LOVE IT!

If it's bought here, the unit costs P30,000.

But in Singapore, it only costs SGD700, which is about P23,300.00. And to top that, Daddyo got me a great deal! The SGD700 includes a 1GB XD card, XD card reader, and a leather case, and a generic extra battery, which totals to about P5-6,000.00.

Isn't that a great deal.

Reminiscing...



I bought a scanner for, what else, scanning all hardcopy images that I have collected over the years. Ever since I left college (which was 6 yrs + 5 months ago), I've wanted to organize my photos into a nice album. I only went halfway, because I found it too tiring.

Now, circa 2006, with all the advances in technology (which eventually led to prices of electronic stuff going down), I've decided to scan them instead and post it in my Multiply site.

Why? Because I want to share the photos. To everybody. Let the pictures be in the internet. One of these days, people that I've been with, new friends, old friends, lost friends, family, will see these pictures and remember that we've once been together, no matter how fleeting or ordinary. And then hopefully, they'll want to remember other friends they haven't seen or talked to in a while.

Then you get a warm feeling knowing that you've had friends, that you've lost them, that you can get in touch again.

All my college pix are in http://admu2000.multiply.com
All my post-college pix are in http://januskbm.multiply.com

Welcome, Baby Alan Rafael!



Another baby is introduced to the world. And one that came from someone I actually know. It's overwhelming. It made me face a reality that I can actually be pregnant and give life to another human being.

Another human being. Yaiks.

We bought baby clothes. What fun. I guess I can handle being pregnant if I can go shopping every time I get depressed, pre- or post-partum. Hahaha.

LETTING GO

The fist step to letting go is accepting the mistake. Whether the other party or one's own, it has to be acknowledged.

My mistake has been being too short-sighted. And selfish.

I was too intent on my pain that I refused to think about what the other person was feeling. For all I knew, the other person's pain was far greater than mine.

And so I have to forgive myself and let go. We make mistakes. But life goes on. We carry on. Hopefully becoming better persons because of our mistakes.

Hopefully.

NOT-SO-VITAL STATISTICS

I have gained soooooooo much weight. I'm bursting out of my jeans, shirts, undies, and what-have-you. And i refuse to shop for new clothes as it will not motivate me to force myself to fit into my now-tight wardrobe. I need the motivation. I need to lose weight. FAST.

So, starting this week, I tried a modified South Beach-Oprah diet: less carbs/starches and more lean meat, fish, and veggies. I'm mortified to be without fruits, so I still eat fruits daily. My current favorite is half-pineapple sprinkled with a little salt.

Also starting this week, I did at least 30-minute cardio exercises everyday. I only rested last Thursday. But I walked from the office all the way home, which is a 30-minute walk, so I guess that counted.

I've also made a promise to myself that my measurements would go down. So here's the baseline (never mind that the whole cyberworld will be privy to such private details. Nonetheless, like I said, I need the motivation. This shall keep me in line:

Left Right
Upper Arm 11 " 11" ----------> problem area!!!
Lower Arm 9.5" 9.5"
Upper Thighs 21" 21.5" ---------> problem area!!!
Lower Thighs 17.5" 17.5"
Calves 13.4" 13"

Waist 27"
Navel 30"
Lower Abdomen 33.2" -----------> problem area!!!!
Hips/Ass 35.5"

Weight 120 lbs ---------> problem area!!!


Inches were added to practically every part of my body. Except my frigging boobs. Oh well, they're God's gifts, so might as well be happy.

Will be checking next week if there is any progress. If none, I'll be forced to resort to appetite-reducing-metabolism-accelerator pills. I swear.

I am a woman with a mission.

Disappointments

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Just half into the year, and it is already riddled with disappointments:

A friend has deeply hurt me. And I have deeply hurt her.
My trip to SG was cancelled.
I did not get the post I felt I deserved to get.

There are some things I was in control. Others, most, I did not. And so I sulk here. Feeling the pain and loss. Hoping that in letting myself go through this, things will pass. Just like everything else.

im trying to live with disappointments and the thought and guilt that i've hurt some people i love. some things are hard to forget. some things are forever lost.

But i try to see what i still have and be happy.

I've still got Bucky and his love,
my family,
my friends and their support in believing that I didn't deserve to be hurt.

I still have my life and a chance to prove myself.

Atenista! *BLAG* (plagiarized -and some- from Mac’s blog)

This brought a wave of nostagia.

When we were young and carefree, OK lang mag-cut, masaya kahit walang pera o kotse o kahit nasa OM lang or nasa pool dahil sobrang init sa dorm, maglalasingan kahit di na makatayo or may pasok o paper due kinabukasan at umuwi sa dorm sa kalagitnaan ng madaling araw, manilip sa cervini for that certain cute guy using binoculars, maligo sa ulan, maligo sa covered courts kasi walang tubig sa dorm, makakuha ang 10/100 sa Math11, manligaw, maligawan, magmahal, masaktan, tumawa, malito, umiyak at matumba pero ok lang, find true friends, bumangon, mag-graduate na luhuan sa tuwa at sa lungkot...

the best 4 years of my life.

As an Atenenean (pronounced by the soe-sy ones and mocking ones as Arnean), I:

(X) eat at Manang’s - Pork chop! + magic suka (still mysterious up to this day) + patis = yum, nothing like it. Soup of the day – Munggo! I crave for these even after 6 years of officially saying goodbye

(X) learn the alma mater song - We stand on a hill…. Mary for your white & blue…Win or lose, it’s the school we choose!

( ) get on the dean’s list - Almost. 0.03 shy from that coveted academic distinction. If not for Caballa’s C+ (I think). Grrr..

( ) lie down and sleep on a bench along EDSA walk - why sleep on the bench when my bed and the lulling sound of the archaic electric fan are beckoning me from the dorm????

( ) be a TNT! - Never been a TNT for the college ACP, but was a CERSA-Orientation-Manila-Tour Guide.

(X) jog around the campus in the evening - and get swallowed up by the thick fog/smog surrounding the campus sometime February 1997

( ) visit the art gallery - we had one? Joke. Never been there. Too creepy for me.

(X) know at least one xerox lady, manong, or technician by name - shux, I forgot their names. But I called all the xerox ladies by “Ate”. Ehehe.

( ) get a Jesuit for a teacher - nope… too bad

( ) itch from higad bites - thank God, I didn’t make “tambay” in the quad!

(X) have gotten an F in something - Math 11 with Capistrano. It was a very humbling & terrible experience. But it taught me a lot.

(X) have taken a crap in school - In the dorm, which in the school grounds…

(x) watch a La Salle vs. Ateneo UAAP game - Of course. Win or lose!

(X) give a powerpoint presentation--never-ending…

( ) study in the Caf Upstairs - too noisy

(X) watch a T.A. play - Usually for philo papers…

(X) sit on the SEC ledge and watch the stars - And the sacred heart hill (which is no more), and the Bel field, and the football field, and the Eagle’s point (?)

(X) eat in Full House, Martha’s Kitchen, and Ken Afford - crispy pata, sylvannas, chopseuy, and the ever loyal Manong (who was still there even after I graduated. I think these 3 restos are not in Katipunan, or anywhere for that matter, anymore. How sad.

(X) sleep in the lib – oh yes, libreng aircon and peace and quiet. Libre din ang backpains

(x) visit Mr. San Andres---hhhmmmm…

(X) go to the chapel - constantly praying for strength & determination, so that I don’t get burned out or have a nervous breakdown, at least not before I graduate; thanking God for the great opportunity He has given me.

(X) have gotten a pebble stuck in your shoe/slippers in the middle of the quad - syempre, uso pa ang Birks and cute socks then. Pebbles tend to be attracted to those…

(X) cut class with your block to watch a movie -- Cut class. Period.

(X) sign up for those institutional (i.e. difficult but brilliant) teachers: Ferriols, Dacanay, David, Manacsa, Ang, Escaler, Arcilla, Totanes, and many others - Totanes was the best History prof I ever had. He had to crunch in 2 classes in one time slot. Imagine us, close to 50 in a classroom with sliding walls. Fun!
(X) go to CERSA night - But of course.

(X) have eaten siomai rice - rice, rice, rice, rice…

(X) learn how to smoke - when I was about to have a nervous breakdown (which was often as the skill of cramming was perfected during college), I would puff (more like hit-hit-buga) while staring blankly OM. but never became a serious smoker, thank God.

(XXX) fall in love - With the greatest love(r) of my life.

(X) actually read the book you keep borrowing from the lib -but I can’t remember the title.

( ) play cards during your free timeI slept. - My bed was only a few buildings away. --- Amen!!!

(X) dress in business attirefor all those business/case/defense presentations. - Looking great but feeling like a zombie due to lack of sleep and overdose in caffeine

(X) learn to stay awake for more than 24 hours straight - DEFENSE.

( ) have gotten side comments from ASSOC - I didn’t care. I pretended they didn’t exist.
(X) take (and enjoy) Saturday classes - and 730 am at that!!!! Cruelty.

(x) go to your immersion - Urban poor. My pillow was getting drenched because of the leak in the roof, and I couldn’t move because I was sharing the bed with another immersee. Depressing.

(X) eat Food for Thought sandwiches - Ham and egg (as in sunny-side up) + P12 bottomless iced tea

(X) get a boyfriend/girlfriend

(X) take time to read the vandalism in the CR doors - Oh yes, esp the lib CR ones.... quite entertaining hehehehehe. --- I 2nd the motion.

(x) watch “Minsan Lang Sila Bata” and “Macho Dancer” for class - “Minsan lang sila bata”

(X) ate at a food fair - just to eat something different from the usual caf food

(X) do a last minute paperlike I said, skills in cramming and procrastination are perfect during college.

( ) have spent a lot for 1x1 ID pictures - Not really. More like grad pix.

(X) get exempted from final exams - History, philo, film theory

(X) attend a college mass - as if we could avoid it…

(X) promise to quit smoking

(X) play hide-and-seek in the mini-forest - and the whole campus as well. College people are scared of the school after dark. We, dormers, always wonder why…

(X) know where the best restrooms are on campus - During the years ending in 2000, those were the Lib, SS and SEC. --- true, true.

(X) join an org - CERSA, MISA, ACP Log Comm, ACMG

(X) allow yourself to make mistakes

(X) take summer classes - required. Either I take summer classes or extend 1 sem. Spanish at 2pm. Murder.

(X) admire the sacred heart statue in the evening - with the shadows of Jesus, melding into shadows that form the face of Mary. Some people find it creepy. I find it comforting.

(X) make a video for a project - video + some major ME elective. Bad idea. Good thing, we still passed, through sheer force and will power, I think…

( ) have a crush on a teacher - nope. But I’ve seen a lot of teachers (both male and female) get crushes on their students. Much to the chagrin for the rest of us normal beings.

( ) attend a Jesuit retreat (a must for everyone) - my 4 whole years in Ateneo was a very long retreat. Standing on the hill, and all that…

( ) have gotten a parking ticket - first, the car. Which was non-existent.

(X) come to school in your crappiest yet most comfy clothes - like everyday?

(X) learn how to use the Bayantel pay phones - just so I can call home and tell my folks that I’m still breathing despite being neck-deep with deadlines

(X) participate in school activities - Rallies, NAMFREL, blue roast, etc…

(x) catch the Blue Babble Battalion tryouts - that's Entertainment.

(X) date an Atenean - and his whole box-out team

(X) ride a tricycle on campus - Comm to Bel at 3pm during El Niño summer, are you kidding me???????

(X) find a tambayan (Soc Sci 4-eva, pubroom, Comm Dep) - the dorm was the best tambayan. I can be in my undies and just-woken up hair and nobody notices. Heaven.

(X) admire the marikina valley at night - Every night. So many couples have come together and said goodbye in this spot.

(X) go drinking along Katipunan - every Friday and Saturday. Like clockwork. Drink to the brink at Tias, pre & post grad gulps at Gills? Kung wala pa ang allowance, sa MJD.

(X) learn how to beg for a higher grade - Never.

(X) use your cuts wisely - Just cut. Period.

( ) volunteer to be class beadle - NO, I will not be a slave and teacher’s pet.

(X) had the worst lottery schedule for reg - Thus, I got Mariano for Philo, which turned to be a blessing; got Capistrano AGAIN for an ME elective, which turned out OK because my Math 11 grade turned out OK.

(X) admire the trees on campus - Everyday. Yep, everyday. Even during summer, with all the fiery red blossoms.

(X) have forgotten about your free cut and gone to that class - at least malapit lang ang dorm.

(X) eat in the ISO canteen - para lang di ako kumain sa Cervini Caf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

( ) be active in your org - I was neck-deep with CERSA, that I just existed as a member (in paper) in my other college orgs.

( ) have signed up on an ACP class just because the girl or guy u like signed up for it - Nope…

(X) get as many app forms as you can during the job fair - Like it helped.

(X) learn how to cram - Inevitable.

(X) sell tickets (or watch) an org-sponsored movie premiere - OO NAMAN. LECHENG CABLE GUY. --- Korek!

(X) save money to Xerox all of your seatmate’s notes - I think I made my own notes. Helped me memorize all that had to be memorized.

( ) have accidentally seen a make-out session - damn, I missed out on this… pero I’ve heard. And not accidentally. Thanks to the very masugid Blue Guards.

(X) check out the Meron Lagoon and Lambingan Bridge - Site of many an Eliazoan's debut, etc. etc.

(X) have dozed off in class in Bel right after a class in CTC/SOM/Comm. Bldg or vice-versa - Spanish class. Summer. 2pm. I slept right through my C+.

(X) learn how to work with groupmates from hell - Group mates???? What groupmates?????

( ) perfect the art of parking on campus - Park what?

( ) had a bad encounter with one of the guards on campus - They’re usually nice to girls, so I wouldn’t know.

(X) develop a love for sisig - I never new this kind of artery-clogging dish existed before I came to ADMU…

(x) learn how to pronounce “AEGIS” properly

( ) have used typing rooms at the library - Typing rooms?

(X) have reserved a classroom, AVR, etc. for a class or org function

( ) have asked the library for an endorsement to research in other libraries

(X) have lost a perfectly functioning umbrella

(X) have used consultation hours properly - for Philo, ME/CS electives

(X) Looked forward to lab breakage refund, in case you didn’t break any equipment - Oh yes! Lab breakage fee & dorm breakage fee. Of course, Mom and Dad didn’t know about this.

(X) visit the Guidance Officerequired and for processing of a horrendous “slashing accident” of a friend.

(X) and Infirmary - I constantly had psycho-somatic bowel disorders, so…

(X) learn to swear in different dialects - LINTE!

(X) ran in the rain (even storm) without a care in the world.

OLYMPUS 720SW: My new Obsession



"obsession" - ob·ses·sion; Compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea or an unwanted feeling or emotion, often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety. A compulsive, often unreasonable idea or emotion.

in my case, obsession because I still don't have the damn thing. I'm so in love with this camera. It's shock & water proof. Perfect for someone like me who loves the outdoors and the sea.

If I could just convince myself that it's worth buying. NOW NA...

To buy:
1) It's a damn sweet camera!
2) Personal reward for all the hardwork, for swallowing corporate bullshit for the past 6 years . I haven't actually bought something "big" for myself, except for my new cellphone now (which was subsidized, so it doesn't count. hehe.) and shoes. Travels are exempted. "Big" means more than P15K.
3) I can actually spare some dough for this cam.
4) I just want to have it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to buy:
1) I don't really need it. Besides, I can borrow VC's camera according to Bucky
2) I can use the money to invest in property.
3) I can share the money with my loved ones (esp Onchie and Bucky)
4) I use the money for travelling
5) I can use the money to save up for a car or a laptop or something else "bigger" that I don't really need.

So I guess, I'm buying it. =D

It's just a matter of When - Around end of June or early July
Where - Singapore c/o Daddyo. If I were to buy it in SG, it's P6K cheaper and the freebies are awesome (extra battery, card reader, extra XD card) worth around P3-5K.

[I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I'm buying it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]