three cities, eight people

N who set our itinerary and made sure we covered them, providing the background to some of the things we were seeing and visiting, taking pictures of me so that I won't repeat my experience from last May, sharing his own story and that of his culture, being kind enough so that I wouldn't have to spend extra unnecessarily, thus, letting me experience what I wouldn't otherwise have had if our paths hadn't crossed

R & J for welcoming me and making sure I was comfortable, not hungry and able to go around, allowing me to stay in their place, sharing their own stories of living and working in a different city with a very different culture. My stay would be different otherwise. I see the advantages of staying with one's fellowmen in a foreign country. I'm also inspired to try and live on my own far away from what I've been used to growing up. Someday. 

G and your stories. You've opened up from the onset, probably because you had no preconceptions about me. A no holds barred, frank conversation and your perceptive insight plus your willingness to take me around - I'm actually amazed at the person you are. Too bad that your final plan didn't push through, but I look forward to seeing you again when you come back. I do hope things turn out for the better for you. 

A, so glad to be able to talk to a fellow Filipina during the more than 11-hour trip. Offering a lot of information about the places and conditions you've been working in for the past eight years with no pretensions, I do hope you pursue traveling just for the sake of it. I know I will. 

O, experiencing Saigon through your and your friends' experiences is something, especially since it's nearing Christmas. Totally helpful and also not averse to sharing your own stories, I'm so glad you still accepted me to stay with you even though you'd be more comfortable without me in the picture. Hehe. Many thanks. You're the epitome of a very good CS host. Thank you, once more. 

M & G, if R instilled in me the desire to live overseas and work, you guys have inspired me to actually take longer trips to fully explore a certain place or country. I loved your stories and I hope you both will be able to come visit the Philippines. Best wishes and good luck with the rest of your travels. 

Though I only stayed two days in each place, getting to know all these people made me feel like I've accomplished so much more than those four days spent in a single foreign city back in May. I am thankful for the people who welcome travelers all over the world and pay things forward. In time, I shall be able to do the same too. 

Cheers to traveling and living!

image from http://www.tourismontheedge.com/places/asia/how-to-pack-smart-for-a-backpacking-adventure-through-asia.html

surfing with Surfista Travels

My mind is still a blur. So many things I want to talk about. But for now (thank goodness!) it's kinda settled on last weekend's events.

Finally got back into the water I was. And if coming up with 10 sentences about the supposed life of Ronnie 'Poks' Esquivel, the one-legged surf wonder of La Union using the clause connectors wenn, als and weil for my German assignment - cracking up those sentences while waiting in line for my ride and onboard the FX and the jeep to school two days after - and shoving up beautiful surf photos along with the sunset as my ideal bedroom view - coming up with as much respect for the beauty and that kind of life as my basic Italian could muster (yes m'dears, I cram a lot, unfortunately) - doesn't count as BEING STOKED, I don't know what is. Of course that would not be the entirety of it. I'd rather be riding waves until I could no longer stand up if only a beach was just in my backyard. No, what a weekend of surfing and being with people who love the beach and the surf did was inspire me to look up more stuff about it. And that's when I found some tributes to and a video of Poks. I've never known him nor seen him, but somehow, his zest for going on inspires you. It's just sad that he had to die so early. He's just two years older than me in fact. So all that exposure had to translate to something. Rather than make 10 sentences with different topics, I challenged myself by making all those 10 sentences tell a story about him. I managed. I hope my professor liked it, or at least appreciated the effort I put into it.

This was my fourth surfing trip and my second time in La Union. It seems there's a trend. First in Baler in January, then February in La Union, then back to Baler in May and finally November in La Union. If I could, I could've gone with the next trip to Baler. The next trip will probably have to be next year though, January I hope.

I was lucky to get a last minute slot to this La Union edition of Surfista Travels. I thought I won't be surfing this year for sure. Thank you to that person who gave up his/her slot. You made my weekend!

On email and on text, I can feel the warmth flowing from Surfista Travels owner and coordinator Elaine Abonal. I was actually amazed to find out that she only started Surfista Travels January this year. When we were in La Union in February, I saw an ad of Surfista in San Juan Resort's Surf Shop and I thought it's been existing for years. In fact, it has only been less than a month that she started operating. Amazing.

Elaine checking to see how we were doing  before our first surf lesson

After everyone's sleepiness had worn off and we've had time to warm up to each other a bit via a McDonald's breakfast and a memory game (great way to remember each of our companions!), we're ready to start our lessons. First surprise: sunscreens from VMV Hypoallergenics and rashguards from Hurley. Of course, I knew there'd be these freebies, but it's still exciting to actually receive them. Sehr kühl! Only the rashguards were just for our temporary use but hey, I finally got to wear a rashguard that had a great fit *big grin*.

Hurley rashguards and VMV's Armada

We checked out our rooms and the ladies' Family room was huge. It could house up to 12 people but there were only five of us. It was airconditioned and had two bathrooms as well. There was a TV set, but we didn't have time to check out what it had to offer. Who would, right, when you're in La Union and there are lots of interesting companions and the beach to occupy your attentions? And we had a terrace! It's really nice.

So surf's up. The waves were a bit small and CALM. That's fine by me. I'm having trouble with big waves. In fact, my first few tries on the board, I still couldn't manage to stand up. My instructor Michelle was still so very patient. And in between waves, we talked about life and surfing. She's my first female instructor. Luke finally (woke up?) came out and he was taking pictures of us. When I finally got to stand up, I almost ran into him on my board. Maybe that's why my first photo standing up in a board had that angle haha. He was also gracious enough to give me more pointers, like remembering to slide my left foot more forward, right where my arms were lying  (I'm regular-footed) and bending my knees for better balance. I didn't think I'd have this chance to talk to him, moreso him giving me pointers. It's so nice of him.

I had a number of rides then, one of them with me going all the way to the shore. There were also times when the board was turning and I couldn't control it. Hmm. The last time I did that in February, I was pretty conscious of my body doing it. This time, it was just the waves. It was still sweet being able to ride again. How I missed that feeling. Then the hour was up and before lunch, we've had an opportunity to take pictures with Luke himself.

We've had time to get to know each other, and enjoy the beach some, before our second afternoon session. First, we've got a theory lesson. Oh yeah, it's only with Surfista Travels that you can have these. Now I have a bit of an idea on what to call those waves and those breaks. Plus some surfing etiquette (I know Carla, sorry na sa drop in *smiles*) and more safety tips it wouldn't hurt to remember. And lotsa stickers! Thank you sponsors :)

stickers for Surfistas!

Unfortunately, Michelle was still teaching another student so I got Ronnie instead. First off, we jogged with Elaine leading us. 'Twas good, needed it to get the blood flowing. Then Luke himself led us in stretching. Then he told us to paddle out to where he was. This is it. Time to strain those arm muscles. The last time I paddled so hard was in May where all we did was paddle (no joke, little to no waves that time). Then when we  were all gathered, he told us to sit, then turn our boards around back to the shore (which I also did a lot of in May, haha) but it seems I still haven't gotten the hang of it. Then he told us to race to the shore or our instructors, whichever came first. Unfortunately for Miawesome and I, we were having trouble getting our boards forward so Luke kindly gave us a push to get us on our way. Now with regular instructors, you don't normally get these kinds of insights if you were a beginner. Surfista Travels is unique like this. You get a taste of the different aspects of surfing.

Ronnie was very helpful with my stance and my standing up (still can't pop up as Luke suggested) and still managed to ride a number of waves. Also found out what Hang Ten entails. Turns out there's even a Hang Five move. Wonder when I'll be able to do them too. Our hour ended soon enough, but not before I twisted something in my butt whereby I had to stretch and/or let it rest a bit, and then we had a chance to witness a magnificent sunset. I've never had many experiences seeing the sun go down, and this I think, is the biggest I've seen so far. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take a picture of it. It's really, really lovely. That's why sunsets in La Union are so special.

Elaine then shared to us what the folks at La Union used to do every Fridays. Everyone would be at the beach picking up trash. To give back for letting us experience surfing in San Juan, we did a cleanup as well. I know there are a lot of smokers but I was very surprised to find that most of the things I was picking up were cigarette butts, not plastics. Everyone oughta be more responsible, that includes the smokers. Put 'em away where they ought to be, that's in the trash bins. Loving the beach doesn't equate to leaving your trash lying around. Everyone should know better.

butts on the beach: these we picked up from just a square meter of sand o.O
photo from Surfista  Travels

We tried out a place across the road for dinner. Urbiztondo Grill was the name if my memory serves me correctly. It's a pretty big place and they've got a wide selection of items, although don't expect everything to be available. I was looking forward to inihaw na talong at maalat na itlog for dinner but sadly, the eggs were not available so I just went with laing. It was a pretty big serving of laing though so it would be good for sharing. We also had buko water, straight from the coconut itself. Then we gathered around for some games and kwentuhan afterward. We had a killer game introduced to us by cool Ghoul, unlike the killer game I knew where the killer had to blink at the person he wanted to kill. This time, there was a moderator and everytime someone was killed off, everyone would vote who they thought the killer was. It's a race to nail the killer or else everyone among the civilians dies. It was surprising to find out who the killers actually were, or who would single myself out as the killer. And I kind of had a hurrah moment when my hunch that Ghoul was the killer was correct. It was surprising to find out that Bam6 had this naughty (Vice Ganda-like) streak in him once he's a bit inebriated. Asha also had her physics notes with her for an upcoming exam, so I was equal ways disappointed and satisfied that I no longer remember/still remember some of the concepts. Ha, physics was so four years ago.

I awoke the next morning to hurting arms and thighs. And true enough to what everyone was saying the day before, indeed the wind has picked up and waves abound. In fact, a number of surfers were already lined up at the Point, where Elaine says the waves are very nice and which she sadly couldn't ride due to an ear infection (thus, I am reiterated with the fact that it's not so healthy to clean one's ears so often). There were also a lot of people on the beach, and probably a lot more students that we had to go in by batches because there weren't enough instructors to go around. Since a longboard (longer than the soft tops I used the previous day) was available, I decided to go with it, given the turbulence of the waves. I haven't had much success with this type of board (thus, my resolution to lose weight. Alas, pre-LU, I haven't had any chance to do so and so...) I'm not sure if it's just my weight or just getting the balance right - muscle memory and all that's needed to get me to stand up on it - but I realized later that I may have had better chance riding the waves had I chosen to go with the shorter soft top. Anyhow with Exson determined to make me ride, I persevered. Indeed, I had a hard time. Others around me were able to ride. Me needs a lot more practice. I finally managed one but it was a bit short-lived. Still, it was decent given the waves we were working with. Battered a lot we were. Ribs will definitely hurt the next day. It's part of the surfing experience after all. Then the hour was up. Oh! I couldn't bear not taking advantage of the situation. After all, I'm not sure when I'll be able to go back to the water. So I asked if we still had time. And I went in for another hour of surf lessons. The waves were bigger than ever. I've had many close shaves with the board, one of which was me feeling my leash graze my neck. I'm glad it didn't wrap itself around my neck and tumble me hard with the board. Probably lost my senses there as Exson told me I fell in front of the board. Not safe. First time that happened as well. And I was reciting mantras. That I'll ride a wave. And I was SURPRISED that I indeed rode the one that came immediately after I started reciting it. I was so amazed at the universe conspiring to let me achieve what I wanted to do. I waited for the whitewater to recede, hauled myself up, put my feet on the board and voila! I was riding. I was just amazed at the power of words. Unfortunately and surprisingly, the water hollowed out someways and I lost my balance. And that was my last ride for that day. Succeeding mantras hadn't worked. Eventually, my body succumbed to tiredness and I couldn't even haul myself up. At least I know I can actually ride a true board. I'm grateful that my instructor was patient and encouraging.

We had lunch and I was able to talk to the others and get to know them more. Found out about Nomad Manager Jen who is spearheading a site for Filipino cultural creatives promoting mindful living at Muni.ph. Then there's Xavier who's a freelance photographer and who collects film cameras. Completing the ten are Lea, Asha's older sister and also a returning Surfista, Roma who's an Elaine and Luke superfan (she got the merch before even joining any trip ^_^) and Mia and Lawin (both first timers). Hans was also there who after living in Surigao only got to experience surfing recently with Surfista Travels.

We received our certificates and after a few more pictures with Luke, Marj and Roger (*wink wink*), we finally got on our way back to Manila. But not before stopping by another McDo site in San Fernando for the traditional Surfista sundae.

That was a weekend full of great fun and stoke. Cheers to more STOKE in the new year!

tales of the vending machine

coffee-scented stamp from Brazil /
photo from https://www.facebook.com/Nescafe

There was a girl who, when she discovered the 14-peso Cafe Mocha by the office's Nescafe Vending Machine, took to it like Bethany Hamilton to surfing or men to big boobs, sugar level at two (maximum is five). She loved to pair it with some discounted Triple Choco Boom from Country Style, available at the office building's ground floor two hours before closing. That was chocolate heaven, and the almost bitter, not-so-sweet Cafe Mocha complemented it well. There would be times when she needed some heat (the office AC was too cold) or some wake-me-up (she hadn't had enough sleep). Times like these, she was headed to the chill lounge at the other side of the office floor to have her brief fill of that delicious, hot, brown liquid. Then she'll be set for the rest of the shift.

There was a time when said girl had no coins with her, unable to foresee that she may need said delicious, hot, brown liquid before her lunch break. The machine was picky with the P20 bills (should be the old edition and then a bit worn), and well, she simply had none on her that time. So she borrowed coins from the teammate sitting beside her. Then when she finally got her money, decided to pay her. Said teammate refused; said she'll just get it when time came that she needed the money. So pocket the money the girl did.

Some days after, she was psyched up to drink a cup of said delicious, hot, brown liquid when teammate piped up, I need my money now. Of course, she had no choice but to fork over those coins - the only coins she had on her to be able to drink drink that brew at her upcoming break. So move the coffee drinking time she did to her lunch break.

Lunch break came and she was finally able to drink said sought-after brew after a trip back to her locker two floors up. While still savoring the rest of her free unpaid time, Kras Nummer drei came in and went straight to said vendo machine, by which she was seated. Said Kras inserted his P20 bill, machine promptly ate it up and coughed it out immediately. He looked to her and asked whether she had change. As it turns out, after buying various stuff for her lunch she did have. It was P1 shy of what he had though, but he said it was okay. So exchange money they did. And he got his brew, thanked her and went on his way back to the floor.

A few moments later, Kras Nummer eins came sauntering in. There were a few people by the vendo, still awaiting their own brew. Girl was looking straight ahead at the glass window to the scene in front of her, though they were only buildings. Kras Nummer eins, in his striped polo and semi-slacks, hadn't recognized her yet as her back was to him, but when he looked at the window as well, made eye contact with her and waved at her reflection; she waved back. No words exchanged. People finally vacated the vendo machine and he inserted his P20 bill, which machine promptly spat back out. It's not recorded who spoke first, but they exchanged comments about the vendo machine's caprice. She mentioned that the new edition bills weren't usually accepted; he said it usually has to be crumpled a bit first, with a bit of boasting in his part. So crumple his bill he did, to no avail. She remembered she still had another bill in her pocket, not the one Kras Nummer drei exchanged with her, and gave it to Kras Nummer eins. He apologized for the crumpled bill, took hers, and successfully had his brew. Flirting she was not, but enjoy the exchange she did, loudly replying to his thanks as he exited the lounge, while others she did not know were still inside the room.

And thus it was that the first vendo machine incident gave rise to this encounter with Kras Nummern eins und drei und sie war sehr glückich. Kras Nummer zwei she hadn't encountered at said vendo before. But she'll be fine with just having more encounters with Nummer eins at said vendo.


Note: originally started/thought about writing this am der 18. Oktober 2012.

my Battalia Royale 3 experience

our access passes which I got at Moonleaf Maginhawa

BR3 bandana - comes with the
suvival kit

September has been a whopping month of plays for me. I've never watched or will watch (Phantom of the Opera in t minus 3.5 hours) so many theater performances in a month. After September 2nd's hilarious Potted Potter ('One must live and the other shall die' voiced by Dumbledore a number of times, much to the despair of Harry and the chagrin of the audience, is FTW!), I managed to find a last minute companion in my sister last night for Sipat Lawin Ensemble and friends' rerun of a loose adaptation of the Japanese novel and film of roughly the same name: Battalia Royale 3.

When I came home from work after my Thursday shift, I had even thought about rewatching the film, just to refresh myself on the details. Well, once BR3 started, I realized I didn't have to. Though many of the subplots in the film were included in the play, I find that (even though I was awed by the film), the play was so much better because everything's much more raw. I can see the conflicts going on in the characters' faces, hear the emotion in their voices, see the nuances of their body language. The details of the characters' lives are also much more real since they're set locally, and these kids' lives are akin to what modern day high school teens are doing. They even have facebook profiles to boot!

BR3 ID-style access badge

They also made out the most of the grounds of Museo Pambata by utilizing different areas, and it's the audience who have to move around to see what's happening. At the beginning, we were split into three groups, hence, different groups of people witnessed different things. Towards the end, anybody could choose whichever they wanted to watch. If you have friends with you, it's better to split up so that you can talk about what you saw afterwards and fill each other in on what happened to the other characters. My sister had to leave early and so I didn't have any eyes on the others as I stayed by Julius, June and Lakhi in the Third Man story arc. I was particularly hooked on them because the class vice president Jessica was leading one group and she seemed straightforward and righteous enough that I didn't doubt she'll lead her companions towards the path she deems right. Now Sebastian Kiriyama on the other hand was a type of person I don't really like when I watch - the spoiled, rich, user-friendly type who most often speaks English (what's happening to Filipino youngsters, really?) and has a band of girls with violent tendencies following him. I did like the nerdy guy from the film who tried to deactivate the collars that broadcasts their location and would automatically kill them if there was no winner. He was also the class president and you know there's something between him and the girl the moment she entered their lair. Plus he was so serious at the beginning, promising himself that he will do anything to survive. Since they weren't so popular at the beginning, I stayed to witness what the bouncers called "Poledance Massacre." It was not so much of a massacre since there were only the other two and there was no pole, but the song did stick to me. The Nemeses arc was also very popular as Kakai cunningly almost made it to the end, making a mortal enemy out of Victor, who easily became an audience favorite. Victor also had a major fight scene with cute but a bit deranged Kalil, as they were both skilled in martial arts. With smoke machines and a well-choreographed battle, well, what's not to like? And everybody knew who to root for right away. And guess who won? The most righteous of them all, who at the very beginning made a stand that they would not participate in the game by not fighting, by trying to get out of it alive. One just has to make that choice in that split-second or else die in the hands of someone who has decided to play the game and win.

BR3 rules - heed!

The whole time, the audience is aware that they are spectators in the game. We were even given the choice to stop or continue with the game. And the audience almost unanimously voted to have one of the students live, only for Fraser Salaman, their teacher to shoot him as soon as he was released.

It's a good thing it was not raining. Different performances have different scorers - I believe tonight Brigada will be the one providing the live score - so it's definitely worth it to watch again. I'd also wanna watch again if only to know how the others were snuffed. It would be interesting to find out the circumstances that caused the others to finally kill their classmates. Or how only the three survived for the final showdown at the end *wink wink*.

A different viewing experience as the audience ran around the place, witnessing the effects of the pressure of knowing only one of you has to live after eight hours, gore and skin - I bet there's a lot to interest every boy and girl out there. It's rated NC-17 though. So check the age and fitness or tiredness level of the person you're bringing hehe. Side note: did see Manix Abrera and Miro of Stonefree among us.

[Edit: 09.25.2012 | 5:50 AM]

Here is a picture of Alab. It's his card that was included with the survival kit I bought. The survival kit contained a flashlight, a map of the grounds, a glowstick (which I lost somewhere) and a bandana. I never did see Alab. I found out from the PR person's tweet that he's in fact good in disguise. Him and Sophia - who apparently is popular in class -  make me want to see it again. Well, besides finding out how the Lighthouse and Kiriyama famillies were decimated, Alab included. [end of edit]

And is it just me or did the performers look like they could really look like genuine high school students? Does this mean I'm old enough to get to the point that I could see them that way? Haha.

Either way, it's only until next weekend. So when you're not doing anything more important tonight, or next week on Friday, Saturdays and Sunday, go buy tickets!

colors and the Italian football clubs

Learning languages is such an eye-opener. Like last week, after we did an exercise on adjectives in my basic Italian class, it dawned on me that the nicknames for the Italian football clubs were so simple - they were based on the club's colors! Like Bianconeri are for Juventus' black (neri) and white (bianco) stripes. And AC Milan are called the Rossoneri because they're black and red (rossi). I realized this when I saw one of my teammates wearing the Italian national team's jersey with the words gli azzurri on the collar in training that aftenoon. So yes, it's an articoli determinativi check and now I know they are called like how the other national teams call themselves: the French are called Les Blues, the Spaniards are La Furia Roja, the Dutch are the Oranje and even my school UP are called the Fighting Maroons.

It used to be that when I'm reading Italian club football news, I get confused as to which team the article was  talking about because of all those nicknames. I did get a bit of a handle on them, but soon forgot them. Now, I know what they would be talking about as long as I know the team's jersey colors. Now, the next hurdle would be getting to know their home stadiums. They also like talking about San Siro (this is Juventus' home stadium, right?) and the others, like how iconic the Bernabeu and Camp Nou are in Spain and all over the world.

Calcio. Miss playing and watching it.

Yes we got AC Milan's rossoneri stripes but the ones in white and black are from Udinese Calcio

edit: 7/29/2012:

I'm wondering what celeste  means now. Is it something similar to skyblue? The Uruguayan and Argentinian national teams both have the words in their nicknames, one only known as Celeste while the other one is known as Albiceleste. To the Spanish-English dictionary then...

a most enlightening Friday with friends

Friday,
a prelude to better things to come - 
namely a weekend
of sport or adventure,
catching up with friends, 
eating out,
meeting new people, 
historical and photogrpahy delights - 
before plunging into another week of work and school.

So it was futsal Friday, and then it became Friuli Friday, so that in its entirety, it was friendship Friday.

It's been awhile since I hit the courts of Maginhawa with FC Sikad members, and the other day was a good time as any to make it into a regular habit. My accuracy in passing was off, I made defensive mistakes and didn't overlap enough to make the most of the attacks instigated by our talented midfielder Atet; but I wasn't as out of breath as I thought I'd be, and I've made some lucky saves when I was on goal. That's enough for now, after maybe a year of non-practice or any other physical activity that involves running. I did leave an hour earlier because I'm due to meet with friends. But I hope to see the guys and gals again next week.

I've been craving for pizza for a few days now, and had my first taste of it before I went to futsal practice. It was just a slice; and I've already agreed with Fati and Joyce that we're going to Friuli that day - Fati misses their pasta, and I've been craving for some pizza for a few days now and the price at Friuli never hurts even if you order both and more. There were only three of us and about five plates of food laid out on our wee table.

Pizza Marinara at Friuli Trattoria

Joyce had Spaghetti al Pesto and the Buono Verdure pizza (both for vegetarians) while between Fati and I, we shared a Marinara pizza, Spaghetti a la Puttanesca and ravioli. Suffice it to say that we were already quite filled up even when only half of the stuff was gone. Everything was a good choice, except maybe for the ravioli. This was also my second time trying out their Marinara, and it's still as good as ever. I love the combination of saltiness and sweetness - nothing overpowering the other. And at P195 for eight slices, it's a steal. I also like their pesto sauce better than most of the others I've tried in malls. True pesto sauce is made from olive oil, and I don't appreciate my pesto being too dry. It was over these that we've taken turns regaling tales about yes, the male species that are coloring our lives at the moment. It's a good thing they're open until 2 am. It has only been about two weeks since we last saw each other, and then there were all these things happening. It's a good thing we didn't need to hurry and we had all the time to finish our stories.


We were walking back to Philcoa to catch our respective rides home, when the conversation turned to stuff about relationships - which is more important, dedication or passion, and the like, and when Fati invited us to have a round or two of beer at Sarah's, we obliged. After all, we've never drunk together before, so in the spirit of spontaneity, we made a go at it. And I did remark earlier in the evening that kwentuhans become better with alcohol involved. That's what happened the last time I was at Sarah's. And I guess it works the other way around as well; kuwentuhan makes downing beer a lot easier. Or maybe it's because I've developed some tolerance for the bitter taste through the years (which is a bit improbable given that I've rarely had beer when I used to go out regularly with another trio of people).

I decided to try something new, and had the Super Dry with Fati. And we asked questions about ourselves, and what we want to have in our relationships (two of us are so-called NBSBs), and Joyce had inputs from a spiritual and communal mindset while Fati had inputs from an anthrological perspective. It was all so enlightening.

stripped the label off my bottle of Super Dry

It's a good thing when you realize certain things about yourself during the course of the conversations. I did bring up my dream lifestyle in a previous post. I'll be living with my little one in a house by the surf. And I just realized and/or proclaimed with finality on the13th of a July Friday night that my ultimate dream is becoming a mom. Since that post, I've had this image in my mind of me holding a toddler looking out our window to the sea. It's something that I'm sure of, but I never really knew where it came from. It started out as a concept. And it evolved into that image. And that's my ultimate dream, because by then, I'm thinking I've done all the other things I want to do.

And so with some more banter (i.e. them telling me that a guy (married and with a kid at that) doesn't text you from afternoon till midnight for nothing) and other revelations over a second bottle and Joyce's first, we ended the Friday night knowing more about each other. Just like the last time, we were one of the last ones to leave - the caretakers have already cleaned up the other tables. 

Joyce's light and my first time trying out the 'Tatay Beer' with Fati

It's a good thing I have these two ladies to have these kinds of talks with. I just realized now where Joyce got the name Ladies' Talk which is what she calls our regular meetups. 

I do hope to make some advances on the relationship front, if I may be so bold to declare. 

But what counts more is having these ladies to share stories with until we grow old and have achieved what we set out to do. 

last day of June

It's the last day of the first month of my being an official student once again, and I have only one post to show for it (this!). It's been awhile since I last wrote, although I've had many ideas coming and going in between days - I even have two semi-written pieces sitting on my drafts right now, but I never did get around to finishing them. Nothing to show also in my handwritten diary, and even my planner is barely written on (which often acts as a record of things that have happened instead of things that are supposed to happen).

I'm enjoying the internet during the wee hours of Saturday morning because finally, it's a weekend, it's two days' break both from work and school and I'm not jaunting elsewhere this early (which I did last weekend and the weekend before last which were fun, but I never did get around to writing about them, though I had planned on it).

So many things going on and which I've wanted to share, or at least keep a record of. Like the changes at the office and hmm... towards whom my attention has been riveted for the past weeks now (and may I just say that these past three specimens I've liked come from the same sort of complication that I wouldn't want to be in if I could help it);  the sights and sounds along Aurora Boulevard in Cubao at 3 AM; getting home and then eating or reading one moment then the next, finding myself groggy with the sun already up and I wouldn't know when I transitioned from being awake to sleeping and everything is just a matter of four hours;  scuba diving one weekend and still not getting the knack of mask clearing and equalizing - going back to Anilao for the first time in eight years and sleeping under the stars, then two weekends after finally getting to see the Hundred Islands in daylight and enjoying it and who says you can't enjoy the beach in June; despedidas and New York;  meeting new and younger people in class once again (one who graduated from the same high school I did and is part of my old org) and saying hello to old friends from German class and yes, finally having a definite direction as a European Language student (after the second try) and all the other choices and non-choices that came along with that decision;  pleasantly finding out all about our language major professor;  Germany fumbling again in the last four of a major tournament (why, oh why?);  hurdling the first major thing that is the Italian articles (why do you need four? why?).

A lot. Somehow, I've managed to outline them but time won't be enough to talk about them. I have other ideas as well and tasks to do. Weekends aren't enough I know. But oh well, cheers! This is life. I chose this. I wouldn't have it any other way right now, but if I can, I'd like to be able to add a few more things... just a few like futbol/futsal, fitness training, and more time to write - letters, postcards, diary entries and this blog while planning and saving up for Brazil 2014 :)

As the Italians say, ce la fai!

Everything in the name of all things wonderful...

An image from the abandoned resort beside Scubabro, where I experienced the underwater again after some oh, 8 years

on ... love

From the description of a self-portrait of one of my workmates:

If you find yourself in love with a person who does not love you, be gentle with yourself. There is nothing wrong with you. 

Love just didn't choose to rest in the other person's heart. 

True.

+ + +

And a little over one year after the incident, it's finally over. One day, I thought about my feelings (after one particularly scary view into my emotions - scary because of how intense it was but without the rationale to back it) and questioned my motives. And then I realized I've seen the last of writing lovelorn entries... at least about the particular person who occupied my mind for some months.

That quote was a good way of looking at that one year.

Now, I am looking forward to the time when I can say something like this lovely anecdote from Antoinette Jadaone:

“I used to think I love you more than I loved him, but now I’m not so sure,” I said, then he said, “Why?”, then I said, “The way I love you now, I don’t think I loved him at all.”

<3

kids with the pumped up kicks...

Finally had a clue to this song's title last week. Though I heard it wrongly, I still managed to find it... weee!

The first time I heard this, I loved it mainly because of the beat. So with what itty bitty clue that I had, I scoured the net (without much difficulty) and voila!

I am loving this live performance - besides sounding like the studio version, the pirate style trance beat they did before they ended the song was awesome. Love the energy, makes me wanna dance too.

/ All the other kids with the pumped up kicks / you better run better run outrun my gun / all the other kids with the pumped up kicks / you better run better run faster than my bullet / (repeat)

 

Code Red at Teahupoo = Fantabulous Surf

This is scary... but it's the stuff of my dreams :D

source: http://www.theinertia.com/surf/code-red-teahupoo/




And out of the blue, one surfer friend invites us all to go surf this weekend in Baler where we met, and just like that, I'm gonna experience it again. I hope there are waves, and this time, friendlier than last time. Surf's up!


For more inspiration (mine mostly), I'm sharing this photo by Moonshine and Saltwater who's based in La Union but shoots wherever there's surf:

Another pic by M&S. We were staying at Lola Nanny's resort last February, but I've not been to this vantage point. This capture is just awwwesome!

view of LU sunset from Lola Nanny's

photo diary - random

from somwhere in the tumblrverse

photo by moi, 01.07.2012 - for Project 365

#7. an open space in the 3rd floor, a playful young man, some loose firepowder, a new camera ready to shoot

photo by moi, effects by Little Photo for Android

vintage is <3 <3 <3 

waiting for a friend to show up. had nothing but my self and this new photo app on my android to work with. gazing out at the glass windows of 7-11, decided to shoot. ah...

sign on one of the dividers in a surf cafe in San Juan, La Union

indeed, brah!

from Down Under I think, featured in Liquid Salt mag

woah! to the nth power

Joyce and Clem
sharing about life decisions in the dim comforts of Sarah's Friday night crowd, booze, tofu and cheese sticks

the alcohol and nostalgia getting to me, I think, after insights on the filmmaking life and oneself

MV Logos Hope, 03.11.2012

on the other side - Manila Hotel and Superferry - seeing H U G E ships up close for the first time

Canadian MV Logos Hope crew member making shaped balloon toys for kids, a nifty skill

what do pandas think about?

Finally was able to switch on my PC after a long while and find this picture sitting in my drive, randomly saved from someone's tumblr site (apologies to whoever made this). I also am in the mood to post and write about some pictures (especially about something pretty recent), but I am unable to for I have no means of transferring them from my camera. 

So I'll just go with this. My awesome friend Joyce likes pandas. It hasn't rubbed off on me yet, being friends with her for some four years now, but I hope this one will brighten her day :D

#5. Andenken aus Japan

Heute ist mein japanische Freund aus Japan zurückgekommen. Er beschert vier Dingen für mir. Das erste Bild zeigt eine japanische Quittung. Ich verstehe nichts außer für den Preis - 41,380 Yen. Yen ist über zweimal die philippinischer Peso. Mein Freund, er heißt Masa, hat eine Kamera für mich gekauft. Ich habe ihn eine Kamera kaufen dort gebeten weil der Preis ist in Japan von 10,000 Peso billiger.

die Quittung für meine Kamera

eine postkarte zeigt die Himeji-Burg

Das zweiten Bild ist eine Postkarte während das dritten Bild eine Weihnachtskarte ist. Die Weihnachtskarte ist niedlich (Kawaii desu ne?). Es hat viele kleinen Weihnachtsmänner und die Frau einen Kimono trägt ist durch Temple Türen Zufußgehen. Die Gestaltung ist sehr japanische, aber westliche zur gleichen Zeit.

eine japanische Weihnachtskarte

Nissins Instant-Nudeln mit Currygeschmack

Die vierten Andenken ist das überhalb Bild. Letzte Mal, beschert er für mich Nudeln mit Meeresfrüchtegeschmack.So diese Zeit, ich habe Nudeln mit Currygeschmack gebeten. Curry ist ein beliebter Geschmack in das Land der aufgehenden Sonne.

#2. Dagupan City river cruise

I decided to try the River Cruise offered free by the city government of Dagupan before finally going back to my hectic life of work and school and a  lot of what-nots. The jumpoff point for the cruise was just a few minutes' walk from our home. So after staying overnight in front of the computer, sleeping for some three hours and then doing needed chores whilst dealing with the resulting headache, Mom accompanied me to try it out around 4 pm. It didn't start as scheduled but still, there were plenty of people then. I learned that usually, the barges were for 25 people. Since we were many that time, they had to deploy the 75-seater barge. I grew up in this city, but I've never really spent a lot of time near the rivers nor the beaches. Well, I've more frequently gone to the beach. So this river cruise was something for me. 

It was a peaceful ride, but I think it would've been more interesting if there were some interesting things which a guide could tell us about. They were just playing early 90s ballads. The first time my mom tried out the river cruise, they had a tour guide. So she was able to point out to me today part of the old Philippine National Railways (PNR) tracks going to La Union, a province north of Pangasinan. My foray into the Mangrove Forest in Sabang, Palawan also came to mind. Since Palawan is dubbed the Philippines' "Last Frontier," there were some sights to anticipate whilst learning about mangroves and their different species, such as cobras and kingfishers. No such thing here in Dagupan. Well, the cruise is free. Hopefully, the ones in charge may come up with something that'll make the cruise more worthwhile. Even though it's a  pretty simple concept, it's still a leap forward. We haven't made many strides even though our city is the oldest in the province. After the Bangus Festival, I think this is the next good thing in tourism that the government has done, all under the auspices of Mayor Benjamin Lim (he was reelected so hopefully, he'll be able to do more good). 

The afternoon sun was pretty strong so that on camera, the greens of the mangrove trees and the blues from the sky which were also reflected on the water seemed so vivid. However, I didn't have much to go by in terms of composing a good shot. 

I asked my Dad what the name of the river was and he says, though he's not sure, that it's the Paronking river, which eventually connects with the Agno river. Anyhow, it's pretty wide. And here's what I captured as we made our way back to the dock in Dawel. On one side sits Silverio's restaurant, and on the other is San Marino Place, a subdivision which has some upper class American style house designs. Some are just adjacent to the river so they can have their own jetty port. How cool is that?

where we came from 

Below, the top part is the bridge connecting Arellano street to Bonuan. The barges don't venture across to the other side of the bridge where I believe fishponds abound. So that's what these two are probably on, earning their livelihood through the river. I don't know if those structures on the right have been there a long time or what they were for. These two seem to be living a very simple life. I wonder how it'd feel to do the same. It was close to 5 pm already when the barge made it's way back and yet the sun was still pretty strong, but it's not too obvious here.

banca by the bridge

Life's too short. We ought to appreciate the simple but beautiful things in life. Minna, have a beautiful 2012!

For ye 2012

Let go and focus on the more important things.

Start what you have planned. Finish what you started.

Work yourself more. Up the intensity. And don't forget to sweat it out.

Heed:

source:  http://www.jaymug.com/post/14474243536/success-by-r-collier   

And be consistent.
(edit 01.02.2012: an essential thing I forgot )

2012 is here. There's no time to waste.

an epic Saturday

It's been a long long day.

My last shift for the week started  Friday night spilling over into Saturday early morning. I replaced someone in a call so I had to look for another station not yet halfway into the shift. Before I could go back to my self-designated station (no station ownership in our account), somebody had taken over so I had to look for a new station to use. So I was in a relatively new environment; therefore, was not so calm in processing calls, but made it through. I also found out the results of my 2nd monitoring by the QA staff. Two perfect scores in a row now. Lately, I think I've really gotten the hang of relay. Most of the time, my speaking pace is just right and I don't panic too often when facing unusual situations during calls. So far, no instances of tardiness yet for this month so my stats are all good. And I did manage to find a redeeming sight for the night, however brief or late it was.

Then Maan, having been denied a birthday leave, was present  and treated us teammates to some yummy chicken, pasta and pizza breakfast after our shift. Not everyone in the team was present due to prior commitments, so there was plenty of food still left after first servings. I was really full of delicious food afterwards. Pepperoni pizza craving, check!

Picture taken by TL Rogie, edited by me. Maan, bday girl, is at rightmost

So my initial plan to zoom straight to the bus station was thwarted but it's okay, since there was a lot of story-sharing over the food we shared. When we were ready to go home, we were confronted by lines of people crossing streets and intersections. Apparently, they were already in line for Willie Revillame's show which will be taking place at the Araneta Coliseum, so we had to take longer paths than normal to get to our destinations. The lines snaked all the way to one side of Farmers Plaza going to EDSA and the other snaked all the way through McDo and then the other along Puregold going to Aurora Blvd.

When I got to the station, an air-conditioned bus was getting ready to leave. I promptly boarded it, but there were no more seats. Since I needed to get home already, I took the offer to sit in the middle aisle on small plastic chairs. This particular bus had its first drop off at Marquee Mall in Angeles, Pampanga where I was finally able to transfer to a regular seat. And the whole time, I was fast asleep. I also missed the next stop in Tarlac. But I was awake long enough to appreciate the sight of agricultural life in Tarlac, before transitioning into the semi-urban landscape of Rosales and Villasis in Pangasinan. I didn't see much of the way after that. We haven't even arrived at Urdaneta before I fell asleep again. And next thing I knew, the bus was already parked in the terminal, there were no other people inside the bus except me and the music still playing. So the trip was shorter than usual, taking only 5 hours given that this was a day trip.

We had pancit and goto for lunch. Then I started washing some laundry I brought home to ready them for the coming week. I also had a good conversation going with my mom with Karen interjecting in between. We talked about kids and how she mentioned that she and Dad would like to have a kid in the house, meaning grandkids and not adopted ones or another one of their own, how the Mislang females seem to be destined to be spinsters and about finding the right person to be with for a long long while. I also asked her about possible assets they could pass on and preparations for those if ever the need arose.

When I was almost done, they cooked fishballs. We ate them in the "garden area" where I also had orange black tea while Dad had coffee and Karen had hot chocolate with bananas. Then RJ said he needed to fill the gas on his motorcycle. I asked him if we could go to the beach and he agreed. The sun was still pretty high up so I was confident I could still catch the sunset and the pretty colors that go along with it.

We went straight to the so-called Japanese garden in Tondaligan beach. It was still lacking many elements to be called an authentic Japanese garden. There was a Japanese style alcove and a marker about the Japanese people who contributed to build the area. Also on the left part of the horizon, the sun was already starting to set. Playing with different exposures and light and aperture settings on the digicam, I had plenty of shots of the faraway sun  interspersed with silhouettes of the coconut trees whose leaves were swaying strongly with the strong wind. Then RJ and I went down to the beach. There were a number of people swimming, many of whom were kids. The wind was making waves crash every so often on the shore. Oh how I miss swimming in the beach. Hopefully, I get to do that next weekend. I was able to see the sun so quickly change colors to red and disappear behind the mountains and then finally leave the horizon.

Eventually, it became darker but there was an amazing reverse pyramid strip of blue sky down the orange and reddish glow cast by the setting sun.

When there were no more opportunities to take pictures and some serious talking was done with, RJ and I decided to go home. This is only my second time to ride a motorbike and as a passenger too. I was a bit nervous when we started the ride to the beach but I eventually got comfy. On the way back, I could see the stars in the sky. The speed RJ was driving on allowed me to savor a relatively cool and unpolluted air. I felt really close to nature after spending some time at the beach and now, this ride back under the open sky. In the distance, we could also see streaks of lightning appearing in different spots. There was one particularly humongous cloud whose back was being lit by lightning, but because of its size, we only saw the flickerings of light on the back of the cloud. It was refreshing for me to be riding through the streets from Bonuan to Arellano in the open air and being able to gaze at the wonders of the sky.

Then I mentioned the De Venecia highway and RJ suggested we go there. When we got to the point where we were supposed to turn back, he suggested we go to the City Mall which is at the end of this highway. So I agreed. We just walked for awhile, reaching the atrium. Then I decided to go into NBS to take a look at what type of postcards were on sale there. And I would say it was pretty serendipitous that we went in there because the branch doesn't only sell the new line of the Philippine Postcards brand which I see in bookstores here in Metro Manila. They also have stocks of pretty old postcards printed by the same company. But they were a bit more varied. Not everything had gorgeous pictures though, but at least, they had a feeling of authenticity to me. So off I went picking up some 11 old pieces. I was getting ready to pay for P150 or more for all of them when the cashier started ringing them in, and most of them were at P1.50 each. Some were at P3.24 or P4.25. The two P12 postcards I bought were the newly printed ones. So now, I have enough cards for the UNESCO Swap over at World in Postcards. I ought to go back there tomorrow and buy more stocks of the same cards for future uses and also for my own copies.

postcards and the Philippines

I was searching postcards on google a week ago to find out if there are any other businesses that sell or produce postcards in the Philippines, aside from the ones sold in bookstores which seem sort of unreal to me. I mean I know some or even been to some of the places featured there but I don't get a homey feeling from them. Not unlike how I imagine postcards from overseas are. They sort of bear the essence of the places or scenes featured (but don't take my word for it - I haven't been anywhere overseas). And the white backgrounds and borders and the perfect images seem to me to just focus on the commercial aspect of postcards. So that's what got me searching for one. And in the second page of search results, I find this guy, Bobby Wong Jr and his site Postcards from Manila.

He goes to different places all over the country - not just the usual tourist destinations - and captures scenes and landscapes that I rarely see in photos of our country. I never even imagined I could see scenes like those here. Just goes to show the naivete I still have regarding photography and that you only need to frame the scene right and capitalize on the effect of light and nature AND have to have good timing too to create photos that astound. It's a visual feast.

Salmon skies in Coron

The right timing of fishermen coming to shore and the late hour rendering this vivid blue scene

Even though I've never been to Batanes or the Mountain Province or South Cotabato, I still feel an affinity towards the scenes he has captured. The Filipino identity in his photos surges in my blood and the shots are not just some distant place detached from myself. I don't know if I'm making sense here. I just want to say that his photos feel familiar and even sort of remind me of home (in the country/Motherland sense) even though I have never been to these places.

Mr. Wong also sometimes tells how he was able to capture the scenes he does and even gives out tips that I only ever found out now. His pictures compelled me to read every writeup. I went through all of his posts during the latest hours of Sunday going into the wee hours of Monday. After that, I just wanted to go off to various points of the Philippines and chase my own sunrise and sunsets too. If you are going, take me along with you. Right now, I feel that all these planning beforehand wastes time when I could be living the moment already. Time is so freaking short and we spend a lot of time doing things we would probably forget, so he says. That's the bug brought about by his images biting me.

Just go anywhere. Look up, look down. And be prepared to marvel at the wonders of nature.

Oh yeah, I wanted to have the prints but the contact person hasn't replied yet. I wanted to give them to friends and engage in a bit of postcrossing myself and his pictures would just be wonderful to showcase the beauty of the Philippines.

All photos are by Mr. Bobby Wong Jr. Just head to postcardsfrommanila.com and you can have a copy of his images for free.

living the surfing lifestyle

Surfing Magazine April 2011 cover

From Surfing Magazine's April 2011 issue where these guys and Vans scoured Hawaii's North Shore for the best underground talent to be named North Shore Underground Surfer of the Year plus 25k travel bonus from Vans. The eventual winner was 35-year old Sion Milosky, a family guy who went through various occupations just to support traveling and indulging his surfing lifestyle. In order, they are "... Dishwasher, cook, pizza delivery, busboy, window screen repair, carpenter, commercial fisherman, boat repair, auto repair, waiter, bartender, welding and fabrication, gate builder." Besides regularly surfing, he owns and operates a welding company while raising a family at the same time. In fact, one of his pictures in the feature showed an amazing shot (a dream shot of mine, really) of him working the waves.

Sion Miloski, a few minutes after dropping his kids off at school

The caption for this photo reads: "A few minutes after dropping the kids off at school, Sion Miloski emerges from the pipeline mist." How's that for living the life? In fact, "he keeps his schedule flexible to match hours with the North Shore swell pattern - fast, fleeting and unpredictable." Here's the thing that killed me.

"My program is to get up in the morning, look at the waves, and decide: am I going to work today, or am I going to surf?" says Sion. "If it looks like a good day to skip work, I skip work, and I surf. Life's pretty good right now." You got that right Mr. Miloski, my man.

Now, while trying to get a copy of that picture I was talking about on the magazine's site, I stumble across this on the associate editor's column (my bubble burst, literally):

I was shocked. I mean I was just reading about him two nights ago (since I picked up my copy from Booksale, hence I get these a few months late, but nevertheless, I couldn't believe I'd find a gem among Booksale's stacks and at only Php 35.00), and then I read about this. Really sad. The sport is exciting, exhilarating, a dream as hell, but I guess many loved ones are lost as well. But as long as they've lived a full life, I'd bet they'd never been happier than where they were at that time. Rest in peace to all these surfers who I get to read about only to find out they've passed on.

Looking forward to my next foray in Booksale. Who knows, I might be able to snag the July 2011 issue next: 

... Surf's up. And I'm not in on it yet.

Credits: All photos by different amazing photographers are taken from the Surfing Magazine website. Quotes from the article North Shore Underground by Stuart Cornuelle