Pobreng Alindahaw...

Malipayong Pasko

2011-12-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

Gesëende Kersfees Een Plesierige Kerfees Rehus-Beal-Ledeats Gezur Krislinjden Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah Feliz Navidad Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun Selamat Hari Natal Zorionak eta Urte Berri On! Shuvo Naba Barsha Vesele Vanoce Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou! Feliz Navidad Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth Pace e salute Rot Yikji Dol La Roo Mitho Makosi Kesikansi Sretan Bozic Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok Glædelig Jul Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast Merry Christmas Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo! Gajan Kristnaskon Ruumsaid juulup|hi Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!Hyvaa joulua Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar Joyeux Noel Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier! Bo Nada Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr! Froehliche Weihnachten Kala Christouyenna! Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara! Mele Kalikimaka Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova Shub Naya Baras Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket Gledileg Jol Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah Nollaig Shona Dhuit or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut Buone Feste Natalizie Kurisumasu Omedeto Mithag Crithagsigathmithags Sung Tan Chuk Ha Natale hilare et Annum Faustum! Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu! Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto Priecigus Ziemassvetkus Linksmu Kaledu Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar Sreken Bozhik IL-Milied It-tajjeb Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa Meri Kirihimete Shub Naya Varsh Merry Keshmish God Jul or Gledelig Jul Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu Maligayang Pasko! Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie Feliz Natal Sarbatori vesele Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom Hristos se rodi God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År Sawadee Pee Mai Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Srozhdestvom Kristovym Nadolig Llawen Cestitamo Bozic

The other side of Hongkong

2011-10-18T03:19:00.000-07:00

HONGKONG, Asia's ultra modern city, skyscrapers, chic, OFW's, vibrant, tachycardic pace, cultural melting pot, Disneyland, Ocean park and is synonymous to shopping! Coming from a small sleepy town in the Philippines made me awed and enthralled by its concrete jungle.

This is my second visit and was treated to appreciate the other side of the island where majority of the mass tourists dared not to tread, not by a local but by a Frenchman who got a dented heart over HK. We flew to HK from Cebu via AirPhilippines availing of its promotional seat sale. After settling down in our hotel, the adventure begun...

DAY 1 : Cheung Chau

Cheung Chau in Cantonese means long island, its one of the famous weekend getaways among the locals. A quiet fishing village but its population can be doubled during weekends and holidays. Its about 30-55min ride from Central. Tai Hing Tai is the main road teeming with restaurants specializing mostly on seafoods. Baccarat Seafoods Restaurant is located at the far left end of the main road near a small plaza. Whetted our appetite with garlic grouper, 2 orders of steamed scallop in ginger with vermicelli, rice and a bottle of Chardonnay for a total of HK$500, not a bad price for HK standard. It was sumptuous!

A few meters away from the restaurant is the Taoist Pak Tai Temple built in 1783 dedicated to the sea god. One can leisurely walk within town passing some villages. We hiked up to the hill captivated by the beautiful seascape. The hiking trails are paved and properly marked so one has a reason to get lost.

We were not able to cover the rest of the trails as my feet were sore from the series of ascents and my unprepared body becomes weary...need to get back to my former form :).

Day 2 : Old Kowloon
Kowloon gained its notoriety during the British period where drugs, crimes and other illicit activities abound. Part of the area was a walled city just like our Intramuros and was demolished in 1993 converted it into a park. Walking around the area will give you a contrasting glimpse from the other districts.
Due to Kowloon's close proximity to Kai Tak airport, building constructions were limited by flight paths. Compared to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon resulted architecturally in much lower skyline.
Nine dragons is the literal translation of the city name. Kowloon side has escaped some British influences, traditional Chinese restaurants abound in Kowloon City like the Chiu Chow cuisine, originated from the city of Swatow in the coastal region of Guangdong where seafoods,goose,ducks are eminent features of this cuisine. Had my fill with fresh water eel stewed in brown sauce...heavenly taste!We hurried up to Tsim Sha Tsui and witness the amazing symphony of lights. This is the most touristy part of Kowloon.

DAY 3: PAK TAM AU TRAIL

Took the MRT from Central station to Diamond hill, a bus to Sai Kung and another bus to Pak Tam Au trail. We got off by the park and started treading the paved trail. The area is blanketed with the greenery of a second growth forest in contrast with the concrete jungle of the main city. The 2hours hike can be bloody to the uninitiated but the scenery will pay all the sweat and the grunts as you reached the breathtaking Ham Tin beach. Considered to be the best beach in Hongkong...its a perfect tropical beach sans the coconut trees and the maddening crowd.

In Search of Padada

2011-08-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

The name Padada is thought to originate from the proverbial Padada tree which is a mangrove specie. Being born and raised in this town for god knows how long, I never had the chance of seeing this particular tree. Heard it through the grapevine that it once abundant around the area and the biggest one once stood in the now Guihing Elementary School.

My curiosity of decrypting the truth from the myth heightened on my visit to Gensan. As we all know, the city's old name was Dadiangas and some folks still use it and little did we know that Dadiangas is a thorny shrub with a scientific name: Solanum torvum. Saw the shrub myself!


Dadiangas

Manila derives its name from Nila because the shores of Manila Bay were once teeming with this shrub. Nila is commonly called as the indigo tree. (Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea).


Nila/Nilad

After some nights of cyber sleuthing, all tracks and scents lead me to debunk that PADADA is a myth but indeed a shrub or a small to medium-sized evergreen tree reaching 5-15 m, rarely up to 20 m in height. Its scientifically called Sonneratia caseolaris with a common English name as Crabapple Mangrove. It is widely distributed in the entire South and South East Asia charateristically habituates along river banks and tidal areas with mud banks, often in upstream estuarine positions of rivers subjected to large volumes of freshwater run-off or with slow-moving brackish or fresh water and as far inland as the salt water floods.

Padada

COMMON NAMES: Crabapple mangrove, Mangrove, Orcha, Kirilla, Kinnai, Berembang, Padada, Pagatpat, Pedada, Pidada, Perepat, Bedada, Bidada, Bogem, Pagapate, Hikaw-hikawan, Bunayon, Tapoo, Tamoo, 'am'-pie, Lamphu.

Human uses: the young fruit is sour and used to flavour curries and chutnies. When ripe, the fruit have a "cheese-like taste" and is eaten raw or cooked. The pneumatophores are converted into corks for fishing net floats by shaping them and boiling them in water. The timber is not much used as the salt in it rusts iron nails and screws. Medicinal uses include various parts of the fruit for haemorrhage and coughs. It makes poor timber but is occasionally used in salt-water piling. The pnematophores are used for making wooden soles of shoes.

Other sources named S. caseolaris as Pedada or Padada but its name differ from country to country though. Pagatpat - familiar? , was mentioned as one of its common names above which can be misleading but both belong to the same genus which is Sonneratia, the latter's specie is Alba as characterized and differentiated by its white stamen. Ever wonder why we don't see fireflies in our town? The extinction of this plants is the reason because Sonneratia are host trees to firelies.

Looking at the town's official seal, there is an iconic tree in the middle presumed to be the Padada tree. Wouldn't it be fitting to have a live iconic symbol of our town as a testament of our pride?

Unlike Maynila and Dadiangas, Padada is a new name replacing the old Limonzo. Where on earth does the word Limonzo come from, why did our forefathers named it as such?......ABANGAN!

WeTcHaMaKoLiT!

2011-06-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

The biggest wakeboarding park in the Philippines is smacked right here in Davao. It is situated in barrio Tacunan, Mintal. About 35min from the airport. Nestled in some elevations and back dropped with the majestic Mt.Apo and lush green landscape, a perfect getaway to transiently defragment your cluttered mind, Its picturesque surrounding will stimulate your latent artsy energy to paint or just doodle. To the camwhores, be sure to have terabytes of memory and pimp your pics on FB in nanosecond for the world to see. Yes they have WiFi. If you want to hone your skills in freezing those action packed stunts, you will be in a perfect place.

A whole day package only cost 800 pesos and entitles you for unlimited wakeboarding with gears included. It will be a day of torture to your limbs for the uninitiated that you will have to summon your massuese/massuer when you get back to your home or hotel, don't even think of extra service!

Grab

your

tickets

fly

DAVAO

ASAP

Bong Mal

2011-06-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

Bong Mal is a B'laan tribal enclave in the remote hinterland of barrio Kimlawis, Kiblawan in the province of Davao del Sur. The community is circled by mountains and is mantled by fogs on early mornings and late afternoons. The forested areas are mostly on the summit of the surrounding mountains giving a pastoral landscape below accentuated by verdant greens. Its sobriquet is coined from two B'laan words "Bong" (big) and "Mal"(water/river) thus it means big river which is located down the hill. The area is bordered by Tampakan, South Cotabato and Colombio, Sultan Kudarat.

The once rustic settlement have seen troubled days as it was a war zone between the military and the insurgents, banditry, tribal and marijuana war. Beset with strife and inaccessibility to immediate government support, the people armed themselves in the defense of their ancestral land and from the lawless elements. Its violent past have impregnated a gun culture in their consciousness. With a population of 600 people, 80 guns were accounted but unlicensed according to LTC Alexis Noel C. Bravo, Battalion Commander of the 27th IB. If half of the population are women and children, 26.6% of the males have guns.

Upon the invitation of the 27th IB Battalion Commander, I was able meet the two key tribal personalities who are at odds with each other. Though their conflict may rather be personal but it created a major tension in the community and even allegedly disrupted the operation of the giant mining firm. Not any other government agencies can pacify the warring parties except for the Armed Forces of the Philippines through the command of LTC Alexis Bravo of the 27thIB.

By securing peace within the community, the 27thIB launched the creation of the Barangay Defence System to strengthen the peace and security of the area. At least 250 men willingly volunteered and signed up with the program. The tech savvy army personnel brought technology to the boondocks and made instant ID to the fascination of the tribal folks.

P E A C E

LECHE

2011-06-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Death of Magellan

For three centuries of Spanish tyranny, the Filipinos are the only Iberian subject who doesn't speak the language to the surprise of some foreigners. It isn't because my forefathers slew Magellan and as a consequence, Español wasn't taught but rather due to the benevolent assimilation campaign when tyranny in the country was handed over to the Americans. The "Kano" brought shipload of Thomasites expurgating everything Spanish thus, it made us "the only english speaking country in Asia", had faith wasn't twisted, we could have been "the only spanish speaking country in Asia".

"learn from the Thomasites or the American Soldiers will kill you"

Not everything is lost as we can always hear some Spanish words incorporated in our language even with invectives without consciously knowing it. Take the word LECHE, it literally means milk in Spanish but why are we using it as an expletive? little did we know that it also colloquially means semen. In Cebuano we say "lecheng yawa" which translates to "devil's cum". Another cuss word is PUÑETA. We can often hear people say "ai puñeta" or "puñeta animal". The Urban Dictionary says "
This is derivative of the spanish word for fist 'puño', where la puñeta is defined as the thing you do with your fist. i.e. fisting off which is considered vulgar because it ellicits an image of a man stroking his penis with his fist to a point of climax". The most commonly used of all is PUTA as in "putang ina" obviously means "bitch" or "whore". Now that we know the etymology of this cuss words, we can now throw such expletives in a deliberate passionate manner.

Puto with Sikwate

Puto is a steamed rice cake, an all time favorite with tsokolate or dinuguan but it means "male prostitute" in Spanish. The sponge like cake we call Mamon is called Magdalena in Spain. Now, I found the connection, Magdalena connotes a "bar girl" in PH and Mamon means "big tits" in Spain, putting the two words together... "Magdalena's big tits" or "tetas grandes de Magdalena". When you see this muffin in Spain, don't ask for "mamon' or you be slapped or pierced with scornful look.

magdalena


mamon

Puto

Coño originally means vagina, cunt or pussy. Often heard spoken in the Philippines as a curse or expression by Mestizos or by the rich people. Although this word has evolved with a different meaning, since it's usually heard from rich people in the society, the word "coño" now commonly refers to someone who's rich,wealthy,classy or brat or a manner of speaking, it could be in a negative or positive tone depends on how the word is used.

super coño

mega coño

Fort Sarangani...More than the usual!

2011-05-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

The province of Sarangani was once part of South Cotabato, it gained its provincial status in 1992 where Alabel is its capital. In spite of its infancy, it gained stellar fame and prominence through its legendary, world renown undefeated pugilist and congressman...Manny "Pacman" Paquiao.

But there's more to Sarangani than the Pacman like barangay Kamanga in the municipality of Maasim. It's 34 kilometers distance from General Santos city is a swift drive owing to its wide and well paved highway sans the traffic.

A must place to visit is Fort Sarangani, home of the 73rd Infantry battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Unusual as it is, but its not your typical military camp. Perched on a hill that commands a stunning view of the vast and tranquil Sarangani Bay and its environs. Through the initiative of its battalion commander, the camp exudes a resort like ambiance. Serenity Lounge is a guest house akin to the tribal long houses constructed from indigenous materials with bamboo floor. The recreation area is equipped with billiard table, cable tv and can be converted into a disco. It has a mini park impishly named Flirtation Park, a walking trail is made to wander around the vicinity and for those who are gung-ho about target shooting, a sizable shooting range is available. The hill nestling the camp is of coralline in origin that makes it a throve for bonsai material species.

Materials can be found around the slopes such as Bantigue,Kalyos, Balete and the likes. Currently they are cultivating the materials as an added income for the soldiers.

Down across the road is Lemlunay Beach Resort/Southpoint Dive. A 50m drop off wall just 10m from the resort, healthy corals, myriad fishes with some pelagics, pristine marine ecosystem will make it your next diving destination stop.
(http://www.southpointdiversph.com/)

Its free to visit the camp and they are willing to give you a tour. The magnificent view is priceless! I suggest you give donations for the upkeep of the place and do patronize their canteen.

How to get there:
Philippine Airlines fly from Manila to General Santos City and CebuPacific fly from Manila and Cebu Daily.

Hire a van/taxi from the airport to go to either Fort Sarangani or SouthPoint.

Yellow Bus and Holiday Bus ply the Davao-Gensan Route regularly. Public transportation at the Bolaong Terminal for

Maasim will drop you off in Kamanga.

A night in Puerto Princesa

2011-05-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

Spent a night in the capital city of the province of Palawan from El Nido en route to Cebu and Davao. Puerto Princesa is the gateway to the Philippine's last frontier, the city is also dubbed as the "City within a forest" but the crawling of steel and concrete buildings inside its core are obviously evident that its title would soon be a misnomer.

After the long grueling ride from El Nido, stepping inside Banwa Pension House invigorates the battered senses. Lush garden, homely atmosphere complimented by the accommodating and friendly staffs makes one feel in the right place. Just like most traditional Filipino homes - shoes,sandals or flipflops are not allowed inside. Its interior are embellished with tribal arts and decors with "Sungkaan" in the middle of the lobby and a free WiFi for the tech savvy. Five thumbs up for Banwa Pension House(http://www.banwa.com/)... a truly oasis within the city.

sungka

pic by Olay

We didn't pass the night without feeling the pulse of Puerto Princesa. First stop...KALUI- the most famous and best valued restaurant in town.Your Palawan visit won't be complete without dining in this cozy restaurant. Do make prior reservations(landline (048) 433 2580 mobile +63 928 753 9621) as the place is always packed with diners.CHAOLONG is also a must when one is in PP, its a Vietnamese beef stew noodles. Vietnamese stalls are scattered around the city owing to the fact that it once host to many refugees from Vietnam.

pic by Ellyn

chaolong

It was also the night hunt for the infamous TAMILOK

which is a worm-like mollusk found on rotting mangrove trees. Too bad KINABUCH ran out of supply for the night to the relief of our German friend. Weariness was almost taking its toll and one suggested to go some place to pump up the energy. We came across Ms Kookee or "Spukee" bar, the bouncer was a hot sexy chick geared up for a hot S&M. The only bar I knew in the country with four toilets for each sexual orientations. We danced the night away until we heard the bed calling.

pic by Dess

pic by Ellyn

pic by ellyn

pic by Ellyn

Woke up for Chaolong breakfast, head to the airport and flew to Cebu.

EL NIDO PARADISO

2011-05-07T00:59:00.000-07:00

name changed to preempt the actual person's fame

My trip to the enchanting El Nido was a case of double identity. It wasn't on a Jason Bourne's proportion but rather just a simple name switch enough to charge excitement.

I arrived Cebu on the eve of my flight to Puerto Princesa and met up with my friend,sponsor and collaborator. His recent hospitalization prevented him from traveling far, thus, offered me his ticket. Everything was well ironed out and handed me the ticket and of course the identification card with his name on it bearing my photo. I was him as i stepped inside the Cebu airport.

The flight from Cebu to Puerto Princesa was longer than i thought, the white caps on the sea below signal rough waters but it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of experiencing the allure of the Philippine's last frontier. The sight of the lush mangrove forest as the plane nearing touchdown bolstered the thrill. We met up with the other members of our Team B who flew in from Manila and together embarked on the long and not so comfy 6hrs van ride to El Nido as Team A was waiting for us while nursing their hangover.

Team B (pic by Ellyn)

Team A (pic by Aime)

pic by Aime

The site of the captivating karst islands dotting the bay greeted us with awe and was even swooned by its beauty watching it by the shore. Finally, the whole "El Nido Crew 2011" cast is complete and after exchanging pleasantries...time to celebrate one of the cast's birthday with a dinner at the Art Cafe. It's a fine cozy restaurant but ordering food with a big group will starve you waiting. We explored the town's night scene and hied off first to Balay Tubay, a music bar with live band playing all night. Its driftwood and bamboo interior added a feel of rusticity embellished with kitsch. A better place to hang out especially when options are non. Next stop was at the Asylum, a sleazy bar/discotheque inhabited by some "angels of the night", some free spirits and inebriated clients and also the place where the impostor was offered a juicy job pimping to the whities.

We woke up on an overcast morning and the choppiness of the water only afforded us to go on one nearby island.A pretty uninhabited white sandy area with rock formations, perfect to laze around with rum rum coke. Others went to swim across the short channel beach combing the other island.

pic by Ellyn

The night was heightened up when the boys took center stage and stole the show. The unrehearsed performance pulled it off so well to the delight of the audiences.

We brought our intoxication further to the guesthouse where our supply of rum was overflowing. Out of the blue, a stranger came by introduced to be a caretaker of an island and invited the crew over. We got hold of his number in case he was just drunk though we had a prior booking from Lagoon Tours.

the boys in the band

plying the trade(pic by Dess)

It's way to wake up spirit (tanduay) filled trying hard to capture the enthralling seascape by pretending to be sober. We checked out from the guesthouse to spend the night in an island and little did we know that the island we were on was the one the stranger owned or took care of. It was a perfect place to experience the Super Moon. The turquoise water white sandy beach is backdropped with lush vegetation and jagged edge limestone, every visual direction is a beauty to behold...a bewitching paradise to call our own, and true to its name, it is called as SERENITY BEACH.

pic by Olay

pic by Christian

The day moved on with the usual island hopping tour around the Bacauit Bay, mesmerized by its fantasy-scape karst islands that hide so many uninhabited white sand beaches, explored Secret Beach, which is a lagoon accessible by swimming through a small perilous entrance with jagged rocks and corals over hanged. It needs an average swimming skill and a good guide to get in and out of the lagoon. Lunch was at one of the beaches of Miniloc Island and headed to the Big and Small lagoons. Last stop was at the 7 commandos Island, the name still boggles me but is a picturesque spot worth a stop.

secret beach entrance by Ellyn

inside secret beach by Ellyn

Moalboal,Booze Cruise and Sinulog 2011

2011-04-19T03:05:00.000-07:00

I arrived in the land of Otap,Danggit and Lechon days prior to the grandest festival in the archipelago...SINULOG!

Whisked myself from the airport to Emall and met up with CSers Aime and Joanna for a two hours bus trip up south to the diving town of Moalboal. Its shoreline differ its topography depending on which part of town you are at. Bas Diot has its craggy cliffs, Bas Daku has its stretch of white sand while the Panagsama area is dotted with Dive shops,restaurants and resorts.

Though not a virgin to this town, Its laid back atmosphere, turtles, sardine run, awesome friends(Tom and Shayne) keeps you from coming back.

Why can't this trip be not a blast with Gringo and Allan Roy?. The cast made up an ingredient for a party...bring in the rum and the beer!. We were joined by some free diving students of Wolfgang and who happened to be Couchsurfers too.

Left Moalboal Friday afternoon and headed to the city for the Sinulog dinner organized by the Cebu group. Diverse Couchsurfers showed up at Vienna Koffehaus but majority were the Manila bunch. It was a prequel for the big event.

The CS Cebu group made the Booze Cruise popular, This year, it attracted 51 people both from domestic and international couchsurfers. All were packed in one boat in name Bacchus. A rum drinking contest ensued and moi bested everyone, romping the title away in intoxicated fashion. The party continued at Nate and Beena's house highlighted by the most sober Irish who brought down the house by his performances in the karaoke while the intoxicated audiences felt like sober.

Sinulog day was cloudy and walked our way from Banawa to Mango to meet up with other CSers reveling in the festival. The heavy downpour marred the mardi gras but it did not dampened the spirits of the participants and the devotees alike. For us, it was a sign to start pouring in the Redhorse. As darkness crept the whole area transformed into a huge party place.

Of Festivals,Weddings and Funerals

2011-04-19T00:52:00.000-07:00

A week on January 2010 were packed like mackerels in a tin can with different emotional degrees of activities. From the hedonistic and bacchanalian party of the festival, to the sober matrimonial ceremony and to the not so melancholic vigils on the wake of my uncle.

PIT SEÑOR

Started my day early after imbibing lotsa beer and rum from the Sinulog pre party. The drizzle failed to dampen the street party spirit as people flocked in all the roads designated as the parade routes. The familiar visceral beat of the drums reverberates infectiously to the crowd and as much more to the parade participants as they swayed and gyrated tireless with such gracefulness and synchronization as they performed their own Sinulog dance interpretation, the PIT SEÑOR chant resonates in every corners. Nature connived as the sun appeared with all its glaring glory, more crowd poured in that it reached to a whooping 8 million people.

Sinulog is the mother of all the festivals in the country. The Sinulog dance is performed in honor and or in invoking favor from the patron saint of Cebu, the Señor Santo Niño. It has been an old practice performed by some women at the Basilica Minore de Santo Niño grounds and has become a big celebration and a major tourist attraction 30 years hence. Its religious significance which is focal to the celebration draw millions of devotees from all over the country.

A way to celebrate festivals is to be with energetic bunch like the Cebu Couchsurfing group. It was kind of reunion with Ryan,Josh,Gringo and the Cebu group after we had a blast last October in
Bacolod for the Masskara. CS people came in trickle to the supposed meeting place but was surprisingly barred getting inside clueless. We took a long and circuitous walk to Ayala Mall and met up with the Lawyer,Gringo,Ryan and Sean. Bought our Tanduay and came back to the rendezvous and was allowed to get in after much prodding but the rest of the CS peeps were denied the entry. We still manage to get a blast though.

As the rays of the sun was slowly devoured darkness, we started walking towards the buffet resto to fill our alcohol filled guts with food and then proceeded to Ayala Mall grounds to watch the awesome multi thousand pesos fireworks display. Party continued at the Outpost as everyone were infected with alcohol and the live music in total abandon and ended the night with some BBQ at the Larsians.

Silently left Sebastian's pad early in the morning to meet up with Josh and Gringo at the Cebu South Bus Terminal on our way to Moalboal to visit our good buddy Tom and Shayne. It was a two hours bus ride passing old towns, travel time passed quickly as have been engrossed by the beautiful landscapes along the way. The waters of Basdiot was so inviting that snorkeling is of priority than lunch. We swam the reef fringed waters looking for some turtles. Tom glided down with grace like an aquaman with gills and found his turtle friend. Panagsama is a barrio which is the center for the diving activities, restaurants and bars dotted along the coastline with diverse international choices. The boys were taking turns playing billiards while i wallowed my old time fav...Tanduay.

We headed back to the city after 2 days. Changed clothes in one of the toilets of Ayala mall and walked my way to Marriott for the wedding of my college buddy. It was an old dormant romance rekindled by the power of the internet. They were both based in the US but had no communications for several years, Eros became tech savvy and helped them find each other again over the world wide web.

Met up with my sister who flew in from Davao at Pier 1 the morning after and proceeded to Bohol for the wake of my uncle. The brunt of the week long intoxication has taken its toll and slept the whole afternoon in my cousin's house to wake up with more rum waiting as cousins arrived. A barrio of cousins were soon introduced which my liver imbibed gladly. On the funeral day, we had invitation for a fiesta at La Paz. We attended the funeral rites early in the afternoon until my uncle was entered into his eternal resting place.From the cemetery, we directly went to another cousins house for the fiesta, food and booze were overflowing but had limited time to partake 'em all as we need to catch the midnight boat from Tubigon to Cebu for our early morning flight home.

The rough landing of the airplane disturbed my deep slumber, disembarked safe but exhausted...time for a liver break.

MASSKARA Festival

2010-07-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Bacolod is dubbed as the City of Smiles and in every 3rd Sunday of October the city transform into an immense "SMILEY" party place.

The concept was impregnated during the plunged of the sugar industry in which the city and the whole of Negros Island was the vital player in the market coupled with the tragic naval accident of Don Juan which claimed the lives of 700 individuals including some prominent personages of the island. In order to pull people from the pervasive bleak and gloomy atmosphere, Masskara Festival came out into the world after a tragic gestation in 1980 and become one of the most unique and colorful festivals in the country.

Masskara is a portmanteau from the word "mass" meaning "multitude of people" and the Spanish word "cara" which mean "face". Thus, it means a Multitude of Smiling Faces as prominently seen by the ornately adorned smiling masks of the parade participants.

courtesy of Edgar Alan Zeta Yap

Lacson St. is the most walked street I've traversed in the country. From one end to the other even walk along twice in a night phewww! . A couple of nights prior to the street dancing, The whole stretch is closed and converted it into a big party place. Mass of people trooped each night for fun and revelry, live bands are strategically placed that bring a partyish ambiance. Great restaurants and bars dotted along Lacson, street foods, beer and booze are everywhere too. Last year, the city experienced the first ever Free Hugs campaign organized and participated by local and the Cebu Couchsurfers. I almost missed it though :).

There was a discussion over some booze on how to address the people of Bacolod. Locals say its Bacolodnon or Negrense but by sheer Tanduay spirit possession was able to coined the word BACOLODEONS hahaha.

courtesy of Edgar Alan Zeta Yap

Interestingly, Bacolod and the Island of Negros have a lot of things to offer. Just around the city, one can visit the century old San Sebastian Church, the bustling market and the Manukan Country for the

sumptuous barbecue, Negros Museum, and the Lagoon. Further is the Ruins, sought to be the biggest mansion in the country during its time but was pillaged and ravaged by fire during the war.

courtesy of Edgar Alan Zeta Yap

Mambukal is a National Park cum resort where nature is as its best...Waterfalls, rivers, sulfuric ponds, hot springs etc. The city of Silay where the airport is located blast you from the past with its turn of the century buildings dotted along the center of the town, great to buy pasalubongs too. Heard Sipalay is a promising destination with its white sandy beach and captivating landscape. Gringo Falls which nestled along the mountains of Don Salvador is one of the reasons that haunts me to return to Bacolod.

courtesy of Gringo Benedicto

SADYA GID SA BACOLOD!

Sunog

2009-10-04T04:46:00.000-07:00

About 2:00PM today, A fire broke in the residence of a certain Barsalote along Mabini Street. The billowing smoke that rises up alerted the Padada townsfolk aka "usesero" and rushed to the scene as if another live telenovela was unfolding right in front of their irises while the people of the neighborhood where the fire struck were in great panic, children and women crying, men tried to quell the fire and help their neighbors to save anything surrounded by the apathetic onlookers. The adjacent house of Mang Elyo Olando wasn't spared by the voracious fire. It started to lick the house of Nick Lovitos but was spared as the firetrucks arrived.

If only every "useseros" would bring water whenever they rushed to a fire scene, they can make a difference than just watching the misery of other people with apathy.

Tanzania to Padada

2009-07-16T02:18:00.001-07:00

The father and son team's visit to the Philippines defies travel advisory warnings as they picked Mindanao as itinerary for their first visit to the country. The first leg of their journey was in Cagayan de Oro City and visited Iligan City as well. They hied off to the volcanic island of Camiguin and enjoyed the tranquil and the natural beauty of the island province. From the island, they went off to Malaybalay in Bukidnon, a land locked province in the north central Mindanao, famous for its pineapples and the Kaamulan Festival. Traversing through the heart of central Mindanao for some few hours by bus, they made it to Davao City. Met up with them for dinner, were supposed to visit the People's Park but Basti's energy wore off after the long bus ride had coffee at Tata Benito and met up with Brenda instead while Basti snuggled on a corner seat. They went to Samal island the following day with Brenda and Frances and visited the Bat cave and Haguimit falls. The falls has become popular that its kind of crowded on weekends, its totally deserted on weekdays though. They were able to visit the Philippine Eagle Sanctuary in Calinan the next day inspite the rain. Sebastian is a smart 6y.o. boy who speak four languages. Hearing travel tales from a child's perspective spiced up with Disneyish dash is equally interesting and totally entertaining.

Andres and Sebastian went with me to Padada for a day. Ed Dizon and his family treated us with sumptous lunch. We walked our way to the Municipal hall to meet up with the Mayor but he was at Barangay Almendras for the community immersion, Diana gave us a lift to get there but the Mayor has just left. It was like hide and seek and decided to proceed to Piape. We felt the breeze on the beach but its serenity was marred by the blaring sound of the karaoke machine and transferred to a much quiet place and Basti found his spaceship there. Went back to town and was joined by Ed in my shop for some coffee, cassava cake and conversations while the boy busied himself with the computer. The Mayor had called but they already left for the city to catch a flight to Cebu early the next day. They are in Cebu at the moment and be going to Bohol before heading back to Saigon.

Davao Adventure

2009-06-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have been longing for a long break with a blast after the psychological stress that April conflagration of my town bring and my prison like condition manning the shop. The universe seemed to connived with request from 3 people coming in June, one from Tom of Belgium whom I have known and traveled with last year and Shayne from Manila, Jason from the USA who was referred to me by Stewart(guest in Feb) and Martin from Czech Republic. It was Tom who arrived on the 8th of June to do his PADI Open Water Course while Jason was still in Batad, Boracay and Bacolod with Gringo. Martin was in Palawan, Dumaguete and Cebu. Tom was supposed to leave after finishing his Open Water course but was refused to fly due to his eye infection and need a week to recuperate, Martin came on the 15th and Jason on the day after. The three only knew each other while hosting them but instantly connected with a good vibe. We got a fun trip to Samal visiting the Batcave and Haguimit falls riding on habal-habal(mototcycle taxi) catching the fresh breeze of the wind while cruising the island road.

On our way to Padada, we dropped by Cebulan river for the water tubing. We could barely catch up with Martin and Tom during the long hike going to our starting point...blame it on the undies. Camera's battery was failing as we traversed the white water on the inner tube of a tire but still managed to take few photos. Before hitting Padada, Martin and Jason bought two gallons of tuba(coconut wine) in Cebulan and drank it after dinner with Ed.

We made a courtesy call to Mayor Antonio Razonable on day two and he brought us to Seagull Firing Range as each fired an M16,9mm and a shotgun courtesy of C.O.P. Alex Razonable. We proceeded to Malinao and visited the samall traditional pottery industry, everyone had a dirty hand with no pots formed. Mayor offered his car to us and we proceeded to Kapatagan for zip lining at Camp Sabros and was awed by the works of Kublai at the Agong House and the chilly air of the mountain.

My birthday dinner was waiting as we descended from the mountain. Shared the lechon,kinilaw and sinugba with some Padada friends. Mind you, i got cake and a gift from my guests...sweet!. Party continued at the Virgin Forest. Jason made his concert while Martin was the backup dancer. Our quartet rendition of "We are the Champion" reverberates in the stillness of the night. Our party ended watching Jason teaching Martin the proper way of eating Balut. We were awake until 4am as Martin needs to get on a bus to the city on his way to Butuan. At 8am, we started moving to get to the city as Jason will catch his 2pm flight and Shayne for her night flight. me and Tom decided decided to get to Padada that night but the long wait and the jousting for the bus prompted us to get back to the apartment and had beer at Southpark instead.

Tom spent his extended time recuperating , waiting and killing soldiers in Padada. He was able to observed the normal rustic life of the town. Went up to Cliff Hanger Resto along the Davao-Gensan road on a motor bike to get the good vista of the Davao gulf and its environ. Now that they are all gone, all i have are the fond memories. Hope to see you once again guys and thanks for the cake and the gift...i still can't find the lighter hehehe.

Foreskin Massacre

2009-04-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

It's summertime in the tropical Philippines...pfff. A misnomer since our season is perpetually summer, hot and hotter is more apt to describe it. Hotter months is one of the most awaited time of the year as it equates long school break and some endless youthful adventures and partying. Its a celebration of life among denizens of the youthdom by unleashing their joie de vivre in sheer innocent abandon.

It is also a time for observing religious piety as the season of Lent falls on this hot and humid time. Penitents go to the extreme by indulging in actual mid day crucifixion, some walk a mile and flagellate themselves until their delicate skin can no longer withstand the lashing, breaking its pores and exposing its flesh in a bloodbath.

Like the theatrical mask, our summer has two faces. Like life itself, it is influenced by two opposing forces...Yin and Yang. While the rest of the juveniles are preoccupied with their to do list for the long school break, a certain segment of our pubertal species are on the verge of ambivalence on what the season may signify and on to what thing may come. Inevitably, nobody can escape the psychological and physical horror of this two faced summer bring....CIRCUMCISION. To the uninitiated, the gore of foreskin mutilation is a sought after ritual in the whole of the 7,107 islands that comprises the islands Philippines. A rite blended with religious frivolity and cultural superstition, osterized to perfection and uniquely call our own.

Peer pressure coercion and penile bashing are forces stronger than any tremors recorded in the Richter scale that inevitably cause the fall of the prepuce. You can summon all the saints and seraphims to valiantly face the axeman. There are two executioners that sets the stage for the ritual, one is the Manunuli(traditional circumciser) and the medical practitioners.

The Manunuli is not necessarily a shaman or a quack doc but usually are just the plain zapatero or barbero next door having a very keen skill for the trade. Illegibility for the ritual are boys who are able to pull their foreskin down the shaft, age is variable.

The cut on the prepuce is performed using a barber's blade (labaja) or balisong (fan-knife). The cut is guided by a "pakang," a wooden contraption carved from a branch of the bayabas (guava) tree, one end of which is staked to the ground . The other end, shaped to fit between the penile prepuce and head, is put in place with the lad sitting and straddling the pakang. The blade is then carefully placed on the prepuce for the dorsal slit and a single blow is delivered by hand or a wooden branch. Immediately, the mouthful of bayabas leaves being chewed is spit out and applied to the wound; to facilitate healing and prevent infection... a precursor to betadine.

A piece of soft cloth, about 5x5 inches, preferably white, with a small hole in the middle to allow for urination, is wrapped around the penile head and tied with cloth-strings.

The dressing is changed daily, after washing the wound with a concoction of bayabas leaves. (modern day betadine) Some apply fine scrappings from the outer coconut shell to the daily wound care. Recently, it has become common practice to apply pulverized penicillin tablets (obtained without prescription) to the wound.

Brace yourself... If unusual swelling(kinamatis) occurs, a termite is placed on the swelling to produce a puncture and subsequent draining. If infection occurs, a dog is made to lick off the dried pus, blood and debris. Another practice is the stringing off of dried pus and debris. Grossly bizarre!

Circumcision by a doctor is a status symbol back in time. But now numerous organizations be it civic,military or even church organizations "generously" sponsor mass circumcision by a doctor. This "noble' act is likened to giving mass vaccination and immunization to school kids cuing for their turn. It doesn't equate affluence though...

Recently, i have asked myself why am i circumcised out of boredom or for just trying to be cerebral on a next to taking a bath matter on a Filipino perspective. I took a free time machine ride with my readings which brought me to the temple of Khonspekhrod in Luxor, Egypt around 1360 BC and found a carving on the wall about a circumcision scene. From the fertile crescent, the Pacific Islands and all the way Down Under, prepuces has been falling off in numbers to some of the tribes. The ride also whisked me to the early Judeo-Christian- Muslim era where the foreskin mutilation became a sacred act. Jesus Christ, being a jew was circumcised. Jesus redeeming acts were kinda bloody as he sheds blood to save us from our sins. Our redemption emanates from circumsicion to crucifixion...OUCH!.

Early christians celebrated the feast of Circumcison every January first from the mid 6th century until the 15th century for some reasons i did not delved. Hmmm it makes sense, we celebrate the feast of santo niño every January instead of the feast of circumsicion...sounds better though hehehe. During those time, there was a growing veneration of the holy prepuce believe to be the "one of the only concievable part of Jesus's body that he could have left on earth". At one time, pilgrims who came to venerate it were rewarded with indulgence that cut 10 years from purgatory...wow! I wanna be a Knight of the Holy Prepuce. Just like in good friday, a procession of the Holy Prepuce could have been done every January 1st and whoever saved their foreskins can carry it along the procession...makes me wonder what encantations are to be recited and what hymnals are to be sang, the church must have burned or kept it under lock and key hehehe. The supposed to be foreskin of Jesus was enshrined in the Church of the Holy name in Calcata, Italy kept in bronze door over the altar and displayed every January 1st. For four centuries, it has been the city's greatest treasure but somewhere in 1983, the specimen mysteriously vanished. Could this be the holy grail? could the templars be the knights of the holy prepuce? Well, it takes a Dan Brown to unlock Da Vinci's code again hahaha...too much petty musings!

This conjecture is going to be endless but the most important thing is that it shed light on my understanding why am prepuceless and why it is prevalent in my country. Cut or uncut, it doesn't matter, what matters is on how you use it!

Road Trip to Butuan

2009-04-05T01:13:00.000-07:00

After being inebriated from Ike Bravo's birthday, we managed to get up early for the long road trip to historic Butuan. The whole tuna which we were to bring caused some delay as the dealer was either deeply sleeping his ass off or refused to answer our calls from not having the fish. We decided to travel ahead and have the other party follow with the sought after pelagic fish.

An overcast sets the mood of the trip with impending rain from a distance. The landscape was sullen with traces of flooding from the previous nights. Rising water level alarmed the people living near the banks of Madaum with a possibility of evacuation. Water water water everywhere as we cruised along the Agusan provinces. Flooded homes and rice fields against a gray backdrop was the only visual foreplay that you can feast on. The gloominess of the whole scene can be a photographic inspiration but dared not to shoot under the drizzle for the sake of my camera.

We stopped for a lunch break in Bayugan. There was once a huge tree that stood in the same
area to which the resto that we dined in located. All of the wooden materials that was used to build the restaurant came from just one tree. Magkono or Philippine ironwood (Xanthostemon verdugonianus) is the country's hardest tree and the world's second hardest, heaviest and most dense tree. It takes two to four days to cut about a 70cm diameter of the tree.

Getting inside Butuan city proper is impossible without crossing the mighty Agusan river over a bridge. Nahhh not that bridge, the city has a new modern suspension bridge, with a span of 882 meters long. This 2.2 billion peso bridge is a new landmark of the city and one of the favorite places the Butuanons hang out.

Then came the Tuna... it was Lt.Col. Alexis Bravo's birthday, what a long way to eat the sashimi and to get the booze. A great time to mingle and interact with the nice and hospitable Butuanons. Satam got a heavy and respectable introduction from Alex but the brandy seeped through his system and blabbered drunkenly to the guffaws of everybody... Geezzz! i forgot his punchline, it has something to do with eggs. As usual, Richard was drowning himself with his official drink...Cali, waiting for its inebriating effect in futility.

We woke up the following day to observe the Fiesta of Libertad in honor of the Sto. Niño. Libertad is a district to where the Bravo's live, it is also one the most significant enclaves in the annal of the country's pre-Hispanic history. Heard about the Balanghai? its the pre-hispanic boat excavated first in 1976 carbon dated to be from 320AD, a year after, another boat was excavated belived to be from 1250AD and in 1986 an excavation reaveled a boat from 900AD period.(http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/8446/Balanghai.html). It was the most important archaeological findings that debunked the claim that we have no contacts with the outside world before the conquistadors came. A national historical and archaeological museum houses some of Balanghai relics which is situated in Libertad (http://www.piepenbrock.nl/history2.htm). This one museum visit induced us with a "Hardy Boyish" spirit that we sped our way to a bigger museum in the downtown area... it was closed on a Sunday to our dismay. While Satam went his way around town, Richard and I were so caught up with the piece of history/archeology we have discovered and proceeded to the old Hispanic church, some historical facts were plastered in the wall that stirred much of our interest with froth. Butuanon historians claimed that the first mass that took place in 1521 by Magellan was in Mazaua, Butuan and not in Limawasa...wheeew! digging into it gives me a head spin. So, off to the carnival.

We witnessed Sinulog not in Cebu but in Libertad hahahaha. It was a grand festivity participated by many contingents as far as Surigao. We stationed ourselves near the Mcdonalds to have a better view of the parade. It did not start as expected, rain was looming and ready to pour and wet everyone. I Left Richard and Satam waiting both for the parade to commence or the rain to pour to photo shoot the participants to where they were congregated. The rain didn't mar the street dancing as the participants were high spirited gyrating to beat of the drums soaked by the trickle of the rain.

Time constrain kept us from learning more of the past but it paved the opportunity to be back soon. Atay! murag na accidentally deleted nako ang birthday pic with the tuna.