What's Keepin' Me Busy

I am collecting memories again. Copying (without permission) photos from friends' profiles and saving them in my lappy. And I will soon be able to update my profile in Facebook as planned. I know, I know...so much for vowing not to migrate to Facebook. I can't help it. No one is using Friendster anymore these days and everyone else is using Facebook. Plus I find myself logging on to Facebook more frequently than in Friendster so I figured, I might as well save myself the hassle. So goodbye Friendster...it was good while it lasted.

Finally

I am FINALLY reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 'Love in the Time of Cholera'. I FINALLY bought my own copy. I FINALLY ended my silly hope of finding its first edition in book sales (I did not want the Color Purple incident to happen again and this was why I prolonged my agony in buying my own copy. For those who did not know the Color Purple incident, here is a little light to your dark tunnel. I bought my own copy of Alice Walker's 'The Color Purple' years back but while browsing through the treasures at a book store that sold second-hand books, I discovered a FIRST EDITION copy of the same book, original cover in paper back. Imagine my frustration. I decided to keep the copy that I originaly had, which cost me more, and sincerely hoped that the one I found at the bookstore will fall into good hands. Sigh.) Anyway, I put an end to my misery by walking into Powerbooks and grabbing my own copy of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's book and paid Php245.00 with closed eyes. I know, I can be quite a cheapskate sometimes. Well, I will go back to reading the book now. Mwah!

Once Upon A Hateful Time

A friend of mine posted this poem on his old blog after our biggest fight. When I first read this entry, I wanted to strangle him but now I can barely keep my seams from bursting. Funny, how time can change our reactions toward something (we're back to being friends by the way). Amongst all the poems created for/about me, this one has a special place in my cruel but fat heart as it was the most honest (it struck an unlikely chord)and it was the only one which was the most loathsome. Hahaha. However, I would not want to have another poem written by another friend with the same theme addressed to me (as this would then only simply mean that I have not matured at all which I strongly oppose to).

A word of advice to the readers: Try not to take every word literally, okay?



Thursday, September 16, 2004
R.I.P.: Rot in Piss by Bjorn Eding

Tell me, deity, who you are
coz today I can't with all that scar,
that nose flaring at stinking guts
and eyes that have murdered flat-footed mutts.
I'm sorry if I can't invite you in
I have my own life now, I must begin.

You speak for hours on end of your ideologies
I hope you open your ears to my apologies.
But you grip my scruff instead and beg I sympathize
FUCK YOU! I'll just spit it at your beady eyes;
You arrogant, self-reassuring WHORE!
I'll be damned if I can't get you on your four.

Weak, you slowly crawl to reach for my dick
oh, and I thought it was me whose head's gone thick?
This may not sound as good as your wicked rhymes
I better write down fuck you three(3) more times.
By the way, thank you for those nights spent in your arms bitch
I'll send the flowers you ask of me down this ceramic ditch.
Rot in piss...Witch!

Thanks 'bai! A toast to fancy words written to cause temporary minor discomforts (which we do not mean to last forever). See you when I see you.

Happy 28th

I am waiting for the day to end. Unlike other people who like to celebrate their birthdays with cakes and balloons, I opted for a quiet day instead. A quiet day so I can scrub off items on my to-do list. Besides, I have already celebrated my birthday in advance.

To-Do List:

1. Go to the hospital and get my left hand checked (the doctor told me that I have carpal tunnel syndrome and that she will be requiring me to get 10 therapy sessions as well as an EMG---good thing I am covered by my insurance company)

2. Go to the grocery store (bought the much needed toiletries)

3. Buy the Christmas Tree I promised (I was so amazed how cheap my Christmas tree was!)

4. Get laundry from Goniva's (Finally! they were almost 3 weeks overdue)

5. Get nails done (French tipped --- I don't know why it's called that way...I'll check on the net for the reasons later on)

6. Download more songs for my itunes account, specifically Yano, Eraserheads, Rivermaya, Introvoys, Green Day, Cynthia Alexander, Queen, John Lennon! (sadly I only got the songs from the first 3 bands, I will download the songs of the others on another day)

The day is coming to an end now. I am officially 28 years old. Thank you to all my friends (who remembered and bombarded my Facebook profile with comments/greetings) as well as to my family (even though my big brother had to be reminded first).

Lastly, for your amusement, I loaded the video of my honeyboo singing happy birthday, taken at Tokyo Joe's this afternoon. Enjoy!

Umang

I am proud to say that I have great friends (as many as the adversaries that I have collected through the years) and my 'Umang' friends are one of them. I am contented in saying that they will always be there when I cry for help (which is more often than never) and vice versa.

We have been friends since we were freshmen in high school and although that may not be long enough for some people (since others may probably brag about still remaining friends with their sand-box playmates up until now), in my standards however, what I have with my Umang friends is long and strong enough to withstand the blows of time. Trust me, we have been through everything --- change of jobs, losing jobs, migrating to new places, adopting new boyfriends or discarding the old ones, weddings, sexcapades (not applicable to everyone...I had to add this comment because some of the members are claiming to be virgins), frustrations...endless frustrations, hate mails, secrets, etc. Yes, we have been there. Even though we hate each other in some instances, we love each other just as much.

Why Umang? Well, it was originally 'Unicorns' (I know, I know --- sounds yucky...please point your fingers to the culprit who goes by the name of Ghedi) but we changed it to Umang after hearing a classmate mentioned the word jokingly. Umang is a Visayan term referring to tiny crabs (No, I am not referring to the vaginal disease)...literally crabs or at least tiny 'whatchamacallits' belonging to a family of crustacean which were rumored to eat shit. I don't know if this is true but it didn't really matter because it sounded better than the 'Unicorns'. (Dear friends, please do not deny that you were former members of the Unicorns club as I have proof ---- the Christmas card created by RJ before, the same one with our signatures on it).

With no further adieu, let me introduce you to the Umangs! I am quite sure you will like them. Note: I wanted to upload the funniest photos but unfortunately, the ones below are the funniest I can find that are stored in my lappy. I will try rummaging through some old pictures on December and update the photos then. I am positive that I am bound to find some interesting, candid shots hidden away in that good-old-trunk of memoires.

April. Location: Cebu City, Philippines. This girl is my best friend and she never really thought of making me hers. I just decided one day when we were Sophomores in highschool that she will officially be my bestfriend and there's nothing she can do about it. A lot of people thought that it was odd. Why? Pring (as we fondly call her) was more like an introvert in high school. She preferred quiet, little nooks where she can read books and contemplate (don't ask me, what about but I am quite certain they were important). And like her nooks, she was also well-behaved, quiet (too quiet in most times) and was someone who played by the rules. We were complete opposites. But that was then, I think our roles have shifted now. While I have mellowed to the point of becoming an old maid, she is now learning to test waters and play with fire. I need not to say more for fear of having to deal with the fury of the chinese cat lady or worst, get my throat slashed.

Ceangy. Location: Davao City, Philippines. Tall. Dark. Hands...errr...beautiful. If there was anyone in the 'kada who you can always count on for a good-old-fashioned night(day) out, it will be Ceangy. Trust me, she will be there 24/7 like a customer-service hotline, only much better. You can drag her just about anywhere in the archipelago (and hopefully abroad this June) without a single complaint as she is the type of person who goes anywhere...just as long as it's fun, fun, fun!!! She has the sunniest disposition in our group and we just hate it when she is depressed. So snap out of it already.

Icholle. Location: Davao City, Philippines. When we were in high school, she was our baby. She was not the youngest in the group (because the youngest in truth was actually Ceangy) but we thought of her as the most delicate and the most naive especially when she started flashing those dimples coupled with unguarded, supposedly innocent eyes. We thought that we needed to protect her. Now, I suppose, she is the most mature. Happily married with her own mini-me at hand, she is the perfect picture of marriage bliss. Count on her to give you the most logical advices in terms of love, life and money. Our sweet Icholle, the baby is now the mommy. Hehe.

RJ. Location: Cayman Islands. Pastels. Flowers. Candies. Skirts and dresses. Headbands. Giggles. Tote bags. Fairytales. Everything girly and cute is equivalent to RJ. If God played a prank by showering most girls with male hormones, this girl knew about it and decided to ward them off by brandishing a pink (with a shade of purple) umbrella whilst softly broadcasting "Ghedi!Ghedi!Ghedi!" She outsmarted God that day. She is also the neutral zone of the kada, likened to sugar when the coffee was too bitter or the wall between the two Germanys in the past. By not taking sides, she can provide two perspectives without even knowing it.

Rhodo. Location: St. Kitts. She is probably the only person in the group who still belong to the category: Normal. Everything about her spells sanity and while the rest of us, crawled our way into our shells to bawl over childish defeats, Rhodo is our grace under pressure. She is as stable as Mt. Everest and will not budge when she has set her mind on something. Her principle is as simple as black and white, there are no gray areas. A no is a no and if she agrees with you, you could never ask for a better ally. Watch out or she'll give you the 'pinkie'.

Patty. Location: Metro Manila, Philippines. Patty was the big sister, the 'ate' in the group. Do you hear that tiny voice in your head that gets louder when you are about to do something naughty or stupid? In simpler terms, we refer to it as our conscience. That is Pat-Pat. She ensures that we are in line and if we go beyond the boundaries, she'll be right there to set us straight. She doesn't nag or bombard you with ideologies, she just has this subtle technique of making you realize your mistakes without making you look like a fool. She, like Icholle and JenJen (who I will introduce next) will also be catching the next flight to "mmirage-land" before the year ends and there is no one else in our group who was more than ready. It's about time.

Jen-Jen. Location: Idaho, USA. This girl is the most well-traveled in the group. She has toured the continents of Europe, South/North/Central America and a bit of Africa before settling to become a full-time wife to her beloved hubby. Jen-Jen was known for her laugh. When she laughs, everyone else in the room just laughs with her. It was the kind of laugh that can be considered as a temporary respite from everything else. I like to compare her to chocolate, she can be sweet if she wants to but she can also be bitter if she needs to be. Either way, she will never fail you when you ask her for support.

Tutet. Location: Dubai, UAE. She is the perfect epithamy of a 'to-do' list. She is like a long list of things to accomplish but mind you, that list has a lot of check marks now which meant that she has fulfilled some of the items she has listed down (not everyone can do that). She has been able to accomplish most of those things without asking for our help and with nothing on her back but sheer hard work and determination. The only downside is, we have not heard from her for a long time.

Kakay. Location: Cebu City, Philippines. Do not let her skinny body mislead you into thinking that she is the weakest link in the group. She is tougher than you think and the obstacles she has gone through can attest to that. She was and will always be the wild child in the group. Further, she is not just one tough cookie but also one cool momma.

Biyahilo - Bohol

I decided to add an entry to my 'Lakwatsa' chapter. Why? Because I though that my Baguio-Intramuros entry felt lonely. However, I have to set your expectations first before I proceed. The last time I was in Bohol, the year was 2006 and obviously a lot of things have changed such as fares, day tour/hotel rates, new spots to discover and alike. If you are wondering why it took me this long to add my Bohol trip as an entry? Simple, I was not maintaining a blog then (if I had, I have already deleted it) and I was too lazy to write about my trips locally and abroad. I discovered that writing such entries take time and energy. And since we are already in the topic of setting expectations, some of the facts that I will mention may not be that specific as my Baguio City-Intramuros entry and this is not due to my lack of care but because I just can't remember the exact details anymore.

Here it goes.

Bohol is located in the middle of the Philippine archipelago, specifically the Visayas Region, that can conveniently be reached by boat or plane. In my case, it was by boat. My friends and I took the morning trip and two hours after, the ferry docked at its pier. As soon as we were off the boat, we were greeted by eager drivers-cum-tour guides who offered their services for PhP2000.00. This offer included the van that will take us to/from our hotel and gas money for the various tourist spots we visited). Not that bad since there were 9 of us who chipped in on that rate. Please take note though that this rate was back in 2006 and it has changed. I heard from a friend who recently went there that the offer now is ranging from PhP3000-4000.00. If you will be traveling with friends then this rate is just fare.

From the pier, it was just a 20-minute ride to our hotel. We checked in at the Dumaluan Beach Resort in Panglao. The rate then was PhP1,200 per night but if you want to know their recent rates then you can check their website http://dumaluanbeachresort.tripod.com/home.html for more details. The booking already covered our free breakfast however try not to expect too much from that breakfast. But our rooms were clean and the sheets/towels were fresh which were all we needed. The best thing about staying there, the hotel was just right beside the ocean and Bohol is well known for having the best beaches in the country. You can enjoy long walks on its white sand shoreline that stretches as far as the eyes can see.

Anyway, here are the places that you should not miss if you take a trip to Bohol.

Loboc River Cruise. I think we paid PhP300 per head for our eat-all-you-can lunch while cruising along the river. You have the option to choose which boat you liked. There were some boats that cater specifically to vegetarians but it was a good thing that I was not in one of those as I was with friends who preferred to sink their teeth on meat. These local floating restaurants also arranged singers to serenade the guests while enjoying the food.

Tarsier. This is the only place in the country where you can see out in the open one of the smallest primates in the world - the Philippine Tarsier. We all know that because of its size, spotting them in the wild is quite a chore but the Philippine Tarsier Foundation has made it possible for tourists to see and touch the tarsiers. A little advice though, please avoid the tarsiers in the Loboc River area. (Those people have no shame at all! All they cared about was the money they were getting from showing off the captured tarsiers in cages or when they made decorations out of them in miserable make-shift habitats.)

Baclayon Church. This church is the oldest church in Bohol, dating as far back as 1596. However its current structure as how it is today was started in 1727. When we went there, there was a funeral so, out of respect for the mourners, we did not really go inside the church to take pictures. Let's just say, we took a quick peek inside and went directly to the museum where the curator(I forgot her name) sternly advised us not to take photos. What we saw: hymnals in latin supposedly using paper made of animal skin, vests with threads made of gold, old ivory statues and of course, the infamous 'tribuna' where the tight-ass important people in the Spanish period prayed without being seen by the commoners.


Blood Compact Site. This is the spot where the First Treaty of Friendship was sealed by Legazpi and Sikatuna. The event is referred to by the Tagalogs as 'Sandugo'. Once there, we saw 5 sculptures created by the Boholano Artist Napoloeon Abueva and as soon as we stepped up on the dais, we were treated with the generous view of the Bohol Sea. In front of the site, we found shops selling all kinds of gift items which and knick-knacks that the city was known for and you can haggle your way into purchasing the items at the most practical price.

Sadly, these were all the places that I was able to visit while I was in Bohol. I never got the chance to see the most celebrated attraction - The Chocolate Hills because my friends were in a hurry to go home (They were not too excited to see it since they have actually seen it before) and I was also scared to roam the outskirts of the city on my own. I plan to go back to Bohol next year and the Chocolate Hills will definitely be the first in my itinerary. Also, I have heard of the newest attraction they have been promoting which is part of EAT Danao (Eco-Tourism Adventure Tour) program that highlights a unique zip line amongst others.

Until my next visit then.

An "L" On My Forehead

Oh okay, I will admit it. I sometimes (take note, sometimes) love being the center of attraction or a topic of a particular gossip but I will also admit, that I hate it just as much.

Yes, I know. There I go again --- strengthening my advocacy for contradictions. I just can't help it. Today, was 'Loser' day. I typed my name in Google and guess how many results I got? 3! First was a link that will automatically direct readers to the blog I am maintaining (which is this one), second was with Flickr and the last was with Facebook. That was it. Nothing more. No articles. No videos. And you can probably call this moment, a moment of wallowing in self-pity. I am technically insignificant. And the realization made me feel small and worthless.

I asked myself these questions:

Have I really wasted years by doing nothing with my life or with the gifts that I have been given? Answer - YES. Proof: undermined capabilities by simply working as an Outsourcing Evaluator who can do better and stopped performing for practicality sake.

Am I really that unimportant? Answer - YES. Proof: typed name in a search engine and found nothing or reflected on events and current activities and discovered nothing significant.

Did I ever make a positive contribution in somebody's life? Answer - UNDECIDED. I will have to ask people and maybe, just maybe, I'll be lucky and get an honest answer.

So how do I fix this? Simple - start making a difference. And start now!

Kseniya Simonova

Another great find. On my last 'My Cup of Tea' entry, I featured a Pantene ad from Thailand and now, I am featuring an excellent sand artist from Ukraine - Kseniya Simonova. I wish producers would feature more people like her. I am so tired of seeing aspiring singers, dancers and actors on live television whose talents are just borderline mediocrity.

Another Promo Fare

Yes. I took advantage of another promo fare of Cebu Pacific. The last time I was lucky enough to book one (or two) was March of this year when I decided to go to Baguio (Note: No direct flight to Baguio City, we took the bus from Manila). Back then it cost me 400 plus and of course, we braced ourselves for the usual delays. Wait, let me change that, DELAYS! I needed to type it in bold as this is what Cebu Pacific is also known for. However, I am not complaining. In fact, I am quite thankful that this budget airline is making the regular 'Juans' happy.

Just recently, I was able to purchase a roundtrip flight from Cebu-Hongkong for only Php1034.00! Yes, the piso fare is not entirely a piso fare but it sure beats paying for a plane ticket (same route) for Php10,000 at other airline companies. And yes, I might need to brace myself for the unavoidable, specifically, delays or lost luggage but that is alright. I have 7 months to prepare myself since I chose a flight on June, 2010.

I just have this one observation to note though. When I purchased my tickets last Saturday, there were still open slots for the piso fare but minutes after, all slots were gone. The Cebu Pacific ad said 100,000. Question: are all the other 'Juans' of this country really as anxious to get a vacation as I am or is there really some truth to the 100,000 seats marketing ploy? I'm just wondering, I never thought that the slots will run out that fast, as I am talking about minutes here and not hours after.

I am happy to have been able to purchase the ticket. Now, I can take my vacation next year. Hahahahaha. Talk about prolonging agony - do I sense a masochistic urge by doing this? I like to say no but I am not entirely convinced.

Oh well, that is all for today. Ciao for now.