here comes our Rain!!!

my sister finally gave birth to this tiny bundle last Jan. 24. a premie at only 33 weeks and only weighing 3.3 lbs. but i'm the one who just turned 33 and not my sister so she must be mine, mine mwahaha!

she will grow up and be a brat like i am and i will finally have a mini-me!! hehehe...

tourism in batanes

i'm not that much of a fan of guided tours and tour guides. it's almost always expensive and i find it too limiting. and i find tour guides too noisy, too madaldal. at most times, i just want to breathe in a new place and savor the novelty of the surroundings. i like it better when it is silent than in having someone who would talk endlessly about histories and trivia and more side stories. minsan nga pati kwentong buhay nila nasasama na din eh lalo na pag nauubusan na ng kwento. i guess sometimes they just don't realize that it's actually okay to not talk anymore. siguro naiisip nila na binabayaran natin bawat salita, bawat kwentong maibabahagi nila. yikes!

having said that we chose not to get a tour guide on our first time in Batanes, hindi din namin afford ang 350 per hour na charge nila, that includes the vehicle and the guide na. at unang pagtagpo pa lang namin nung guide ng sinundo nila kami sa airport, ang dami na niyang na kwento tungkol sa buhay niya. imagine, my only question was:

"manong, buti naman po at magaling na din kayong mag Tagalog?"

"ah, ang totoo kasi nyan, nung mga estudyante pa lang kami nung 1950s, bawal talaga kami magsalita ng wikang Ivatan. kailangan English, kaya palaliman kami ng English noon kasi nga may multa ang bawat Ivatan na salita na masasabi mo. May contest kaming mga boys laban sa girls noon, ang matatalo sila yung maglilinis ng classroom. eh ang pangunahing kabuhayan noong unang panahon eh pagsasaka kaya dapat para mas madami kang masaka maaga kang makaalis ng eskwela, kaya iniiwasan talaga namin na matalo. ang ginagawa nga namin noon ay ginugulat namin lagi ang mga babae kaya nakakapagsalita sila ng Ivatan bigla.

noong nagkaroon na ng mas madaming paraan para makaluwas nga Maynila, may mga natuto na ng tagalog. Yung nga lang pag nagtatagalog ka noon tatawagin kang mayabang kasi nga ibig sabihin nakapunta ka na ng Maynila. may iba kasi na ilang araw lang nakatuntong ng Maynila nakalimutan ng mag Ivatan. eh ngayon may cable tv na kaya may mga palabas na, may mga pelikula kaya ayun andami ng marunong mag tagalog."

(phew! hindi verbatim iyan at walang dagdag jan, baka nga may na miss out pa akong nasabi nya hehe)

lalo akong inantok sa kwento niya, to think that was just about 8am, kakaiba na ang pagka hyper nya haha!

we were in batanes for 4 days and it was just alright for us to get to see enough places on our own.


on our first day, we just explored the city proper on foot after having met our contact persons. the weather is wonderfully cool that walking around is such a nice activity.

LIGHTHOUSE/NAIDI HILLS

on our second day, we had work to do which was quite a leisure at the same time. our main business was to interview and take video footage of a model farm family and lo and behold, one of their farms was in a rolling hill in Tukon just near Naidi Hills and the lighthouse.


i admire how these farmers would get up early even in dead cold and plant rows and rows of corn on a slope. parang konti na lang gugulong ka na eh. i couldn't help but exclaim over and over again at how 3-4 of them farmers got to plant corn on those vast expanses. eh 60s to 70s na sina lolo at lola eh.

after visiting their farms, we took them to the lighthouse to take more videos. ang ganda ganda ng view, wow!


after wrapping up the interviews, we went back to the hills on our own on foot. yup, it's pretty walkable from the town proper. we stayed there and took pics till the sunset.

SABTANG

when we asked the tour guide about Sabtang, he said that we should take the earliest trip at about 6am but we have to hire a boat back at PhP1500 as there are no boats anymore coming back from Sabtang. i didn't want to believe it because i did my quick research about the place already. i asked a local to validate such info, ang sabi lang niya eh huwag daw kami maniwala doon. there are always trips coming back just that we had to make it to the port by 12 or 1pm because there might not have anymore trips later than that.


early the following morning we headed to San Vicente port to wait for our boat which would take us to Sabtang. the trike ride cost us P160 one way. another option was to ride a jeep but it was still pretty dark so we just opted to hire a tricycle instead. the trip to the port was just about 30 minutes.

it was still quite dark when we got there, we were too early! the boat finally arrived at past 7, we were there just before 6am hehehe...excited!


a local helped us to contact someone from the tourism office in Sabtang, a tour guide was assigned to us and even offered us a ride. yun nga lang ambulansya ang service namin. oh well, that's better than nothing right?

Manong Boy, our guide is actually very nice. and he was patient enough when we'd choose to just take pics and look around instead of listening to all his stories.


our route was just the Savidug-Chavayan-Nakabuang areas as we were pressed for time. the boat which took us from San Vicente is set to go back at 1pm so we had to make it back to the port by then.

we saw the old vernacular houses, the ruins and the idjang fortress).


here's the story for this idjang:



up there is where a tribe lived and their land is much coveted because of their steady supply of water. pag may mga nagpupumilit na aagaw ng lugar nila binabato lang nila to which i commented:

"wow, may batuhan na palang nangyayari noong unang panahon. yun nga lang, ga kilong bato, aray!"

sabi naman ng officemate ko,

"mas madali siguro kong may text na noon, sasabihan lang nila ang mga kasama nila ng,

"d2 na sila, redi na u?"

"yes, redi na me!"

ayun batuhan portion na hehehe.

pasensya na, pampawala lang ng umay ba haha!

we passed by the bukana (i forgot the Ivatan term) just before we entered Chavayan town and it was truly breathtaking. sabi nga nila, comparable na ito sa mga European views. you'll see vast grasslands sloping off to some rugged cliff and dropping to wild waves down below. nakakatakot tingnan pero sobrang ganda!


Chavayan town is a UNESCO nominated site. you'll see more traditional Ivatan houses and makers of the vakul or headdress.


from Chavayan, we went back to town and stopping by at some beach (argh, nakalimutan ko din ang pangalan!). compared to our next stop which is Nakabuang Beach, the sand here is softer and finer and the beach more calm. nag swim ang kasama ko while i just walked around and took pics. malay ko ba naman na may chance pala magswim, akala ko sobrang malamig eh.


from there our final destination was the Nakabuang Beach, true enough there were more corals than fine sand. masakit sa paa at malalaki ang alon. medyo nakakatakot nga mag swim. okay lang mamulot ng corals though o kaya mag picnic.

we got back to the port by 12 and had lunch prepared at the canteen. we had coconut crabs for the first time. ang sarap at sulit! for 250 per head, the meal already consisted of the crab, some sweet and sour white snapper fish, sauteed cray fish in oyster sauce and some mixed veggies plus mineral water and banana for dessert. yum!


our tour guide only asked P200 for the registration including his services and the vehicle. bisita daw kasi kami ng bayan, yey!

the boat trip back to San Vicente was another P50 each.

on our way back we have aready contracted our trike driver to come back for us and take us this time to the southern part of Batanes.

he was already waiting as soon as our boat arrived on the port. our first stop was Ivana town which had the famous Honesty Coffee Shop. we had coffee and rested and freshened up a bit after the quite wild boat ride.

then we went on to Uyugan town and the Songsong Ruins. Songsong is now more like a ghost town which was destroyed in the 50s by a tsunami. most of the locals were relocated to a town in Bukidnon called Frankfurt. they were transported there by a US ship which was called as the LST. this is the same ship which supplied them with basic food and other basic commercial goods to alleviate the scarcity of food back then.


from there we passed by the Loran Station Ruins in Alapad, the Itbud community and the other breathtaking views of the Marlboro Country. I was expecting for wild horses kaso wala pala. madami lang cows. shy daw kasi ang mga kabayo, so most likely totoo yung rare sightings of the wild horses in Nights of Rodanthe hihi.



masaya magpagulong gulong doon at feel ko na ako si Catherine at hinihintay ko lang ang aking Heathcliff.

pwede ding Dawn Zulueta na hinahanap pa lang si Richard Gomez.

on the way back to Basco we passed by the Mahatao town, checked out the church, more old houses and the white beach area.

we then stayed a bit a a view deck just before Basco to wait for the sun to set.


we were brought to Seaside Lodge for our much needed rest. the fee for the tricycle tour was just about P500.

oh, and we had a lobster dinner waiting for us at Doque's Grill. P500 lang for one kilo, wow!

PROMOTING TOURISM

on our 4th and final day, we got to interview their very young mayor (who is only 32) for more testimonies about our model family. off cam, we also discussed their plans for promoting tourism. would you believe it, wala silang tourist center! i was asking for a map or a brochure kasi, wala pa pala talaga. we suggested that they make at least some rough sketches and directions on paper just like what they have in Sagada. kahit hindi colored or they could sell it for a minimal fee sobrang helpful na iyun. and to have more accredited tour guides at standardized fees. pansin ko lang kasi, parang andaming outsiders na gumagawa ng packaged tours kaya ayun, most of the places you'd go eh yung mga nababasa din lang online or sa mga libro. wala gaanong inside info. i asked some local tour guides kung kilala nila itong mga travel groups, hindi daw. eh sobrang mahal pa naman ng travel packages!

i'm not out here to try and kill these booming industry, ayoko lang ng sobrang rip off. sabagay, it does take special talents and skills to research, prepare itineraries and look for contacts in every step of the way for each trip to be succesful. ganun talaga eh, business lang.

what i'd like to impart is that DIY trips are also very feasible, mas mura pa. we met a couple there, a Swedish man with his Filipina wife who just rented a motorcycle and went around the towns on their own. their guide is mainly the Lonely Planet and asking people around. mababait ang mga Ivatans, they are very helpful and very courteous. bihira naman ang mapagsamantala.

we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and walking around. i took pics of the many inns and lodges and food places around the area. dito ko din natanto na masarap pala ang kwek kwek haha! kumain din ako ng sorbetes sa tabi tabi and got to talk to more locals along the way.

theirs is such an easy and simple life and the weather is so favorably cool.

yun nga lang daw, wala pa kasing bagyo. pag bumagyo bawal talagang lumabas unless signal no. 2 pa lang na which they call as a banana typhoon, kasi saging pa lang ang pwedeng patumbahin. pag ganun even the kids could still go out and play, yay!

Batanes is such a gem as it is, sana wag sila masyadong mabigla in the influx of more tourists. at sana makabalik pa ako doon soon. haaay.

Batanes...finally!

finally pushed through with or Batanes trip. we first scheduled last week of November last year via Asian Spirit/ Zest Air. unfortunately the Basco trip was indefinitely cancelled because of aircraft permit issues. we had it rescheduled to Jan. 19-24, airfare then was at barely 6k roundtrip. when i called them up a week before the trip i was told that their flights are suspended due to some accident in the caticlan runway a few days back, WTF! their flights will resume on the second week of February but of course we could no longer wait for that as we have deadline to meet.

i had to ask for a refund and book at Sea Air, the lone airline that flies there for now. and oops, the airfare is now at a hefty price of 12k roundtrip. haay buti na lang business trip ito haha!

i have to say it must be the roughest plane ride i've ever had. the dornier which took us must be some decades old and i could almost feel all the creaks and groans of it's body as the engine loudly hummed. and though the scenery was totally breathtaking as we approached the runway near the foot of Mt. Iraya, i could not help but wince in pain as air pressure wanted to pop my eardrums out.



we landed with quite a loud thud and i almost wanted to hug everyone else for having a safe and successful arrival.



it was cold, but it wasn't as cold as i expected. i was prepared for some more wintry weather but eek, the sun's rays still hurt my skin even if the breeze was pretty cold.


we were met by our sundo from Seaside Lodge who welcomed us with a beam. we checked in, had breakfast and slept. ang sarap sarap matulog, ang lamig, ang tahimik! it was so quiet i could here footsteps on the corridors and the breeze softly banging the windows outside. i must have slept the rest of the morning and even begged to delay our appointment to 130pm so i could snooze some more.




we met a few of our contacts that afternoon and scheduled our interview for the following day. and we had the rest of the afternoon to explore the nearby places of Basco. i walked around the town area and just took pictures. it's the usual set up of a square and around it are the mayor's office, the church and the school, wala pang jollibee eh. milling around the vicinity are children of different ages and locals and workers who never fail to give us a smile and a hello. i bet with this small town feel, they know almost everyone around.



their national road is littered with boats. it was getting colder as the night slowly crept in. everything was just so serene and peaceful.


amidst this rustic feel though, i managed to find this Italian spot for some pizza and beer. it kinda felt odd having to write again on paper and to top it all, there was brown out when i was on the midst of blogging something down.


okay, tomorrow is another day. i will have to finally jot down my itineraries with more pics and contact numbers. just that right now. i'm still so overwhelmed with everything. and i'm afraid bringing in too much tourists in the area might only destroy the beauty of everything in there. haha! ang damot ko daw ba!

ang pagjejebs...

ay maaring maihahantulad sa pagba-blog.

tila masakit sa tiyan at di ka mapakali. lagi kang nababagabag at natatanto mong kailangan na talaga siyang ilabas. paikot-ikot ka sa kinaroroonan mo, maaring sa pagkakaupo, pagkakatayo, pagkakahiga, kahit habang naglalakad. ramdam mong kailangan na siyang itakbo bago tuluyang bumulwak at kumalat.

at hindi ka maaring gumawa ng iba pang bagay hanggat hindi mo ito natatapos.

sa sandaling ikaw ay makaupo na sa wakas at tuluyan nang mailabas ang lahat ng nasasaloob pakiramdam mo ay unti unti ng gagaan ang iyong pakiramdam at maging maaliwalas na ang iyung pagmumukha.

hanggang sa kinahuli-hulihang ire at patak.

phew!

ayan, pwde ka na uli mag ipon ng mailalaman. pwde na uling magpakabusog sa karanasan at mga katuturan.

hanggang sa muling pagjejebs, este pagba-blog!

honesty is such a lonely word...

this little shop off some small town of Ivana in Batanes opened up in the 80s and is mostly unattended. a pricelist is posted at the wall along with instructions on how everything is supposed to be self-service and the customer can just pick up the desired product to purchase and drop the payment on some box. there is no provision for change so one must give the exact amount or leave the rest as donation.



there is nothing much to see here but a few trinkets as souvenirs and basic snack items as biscuits and junk food and coffee.


last december some news broke out that this little cafe got looted out by some unidentified men. apparently it was the second theft incident for the store but they would rather not report it to the police as they tend to mute it anyway.

true enough we asked some people around town and they don't even know about it. and somehow they have become quite nonchalant about petty crimes and lawlessness these days. perhaps there is really no such thing as a zero-crime community in this day and age.

in spite of that though i still can't help but be overwhelmed by the peacefulness of the place not to mention the warmth of its people. just about anybody would stop by on their tracks and greet you. little kids could just run around the street and feel so safe. i was thinking that this must be the best place to rear Xan, wow, i would not need to lock him up our gates and there won't be any need for me to worry about his safety wherever he chooses to run and skip and play about.

i realize how therapeutic this trip has become for me. there is indeed no such thing as a perfect world. no such thing as utopia. evil still abound even in the most serene places. but seeing the goodness in the eyes of those i've met and known even for a short while only makes me want to still believe in the intrinsic nature of man to do and be good to one's fellow. there will always be hope anywhere and everywhere.

out of boredom

it's past 4am and i can't sleep. my mind is teeming with thoughts.

i would have to say that i have indeed gotten older. age has finally caught up with me. i can feel it creeping in. i now realize that the world i am standing on is not as sturdy as i believe it was. i once thought and believe that nothing much could affect me. i have always been too arrogant, too proud, too nonchalant. i have always considered myself as some golden child, that nothing unfortunate could ever happen to me no matter how carefree i could be.

after that hold-up incident on my birthday night i have to admit i am forever shaken. i will always be scarred. it is mostly after that when i have opened my eyes and saw harsh realities around me. they finally hit home. all these police reports news which we mostly consider as crap now matter.

on my first day here in manila after last holidays vacation i didn't go out to jog around campus. well it was really cold, but most of all i am still scared shitless. i still have the image of some guy in a red jacket and a red cap poking some gun on my face.

when i went home that night, i saw a kid snatched something from some older guy and ran. the guy ran after him and oh, how i was praying so hard that he'd get caught and be mauled to death, i don't care. i must have been shivering when i got home. not from the cold but more from fear.

i had dinner last night with some friends and on my way home we passed by some mob and i automatically locked the cab door. there was a car accident and a lot of people milled around. i on the other hand was afraid that some guy would open my door or break the windows. i told the driver to just go on and rush ahead.

sigh, it is never easy. i know some people had it worse. that this is but part of the harsh realities of life and it should not stop me from still believing in the goodness of man. maybe because i have been sheltered too long. or i have only been exposed to the best, most goodnatured of people. i blame it on my profession then. but now i know i just can't breathe in all the good news all the time.

i saw the curious case of benjamin button tonight and cried on the first 5 minutes. a man longing for his son who he lost to war crafted a watch that turns counterclockwise in the hope of bringing his son back. that must be love in its truest sense.

and it must be love which made a Creole lady keep some abandoned monster of a baby for herself and rear him till the very end even with his most bizarre characteristics. and it is the love story between Benjamin and Daisy which weaves this movie as a whole. I can't help but be reminded of Forrest and Jenny. a kind of love which is forever enduring and understanding no matter what the circumstances are. and each character has their own important story to tell about living and loving.

I say life is after all never boring. and this is quite a revelation for someone like me who in my younger years would always complain about being bored and feeling empty. life is indeed so rich and people's lives are all interesting. and since most of our lives get to intertwine anyway our life becomes as enriched as everybody else's.

when i left the cinema, all i really wanted to do was kiss Xan and tell him how much i love him and how sorry i am that i couldn't be there when he might need me the most. i realize now that at least i am actually capable of loving. that i know how it is to really care for people. that i could utter words of prayers for their safety and well being just about anytime. that night on my birthday, i could not bring myself to scream or fight back because i fear for the safety of my nieces and my nephews. i realize that night how much i love them and how much they mean to me.

i was talking to a friend tonight and he was telling me how lonely he is. i so wanted to tell him to go back to his family, to treasure his kids, to feel what love really is all about. but of course i could not. i after all don't know everything still. sometimes all we can do is listen. and pray for things to get better for everyone else.

it is indeed a tough world. it maybe harsh but it can still be beautiful. all we really have to do is be stronger and believe in the greater power of love. because as Momma Queenie would aptly say. " You never know what's comin' for ya!"

perhaps my dancing days are over...

got home almost 5am this morning from some dinner/drinks/dancing/coffee with great friends. after some riotous dinner and drinks at pier one at the fort some of us trooped down to metrowalk for more action. we ended up at elbow room where some of us had a couple of rounds of billiards while we took pics just about everywhere.

and when some of us decided to call it a night, a few of us stayed for some partying at decades. the place was teeming with kids, i could barely breath from the smoke and i truly hated the hiphop/rnb music.

okay, for some little bit of history (okay, like a decade ago), i used to be a constant fixture on the dance floor hihi. i'd go crazy over night outs that involved booze, great dancing lights and music, and a dance floor regardless if it's that wide or cramped. oh well, the cramper the better actually. sometimes my friends or even my brother would have to pull me away once i start dancing with strangers girls or boys wehehe...because in actuality, i don't really care who i dance with. out there on the dance floor, it's really just me and the music and that heady feeling of moving and swaying with the music.

i've had my fill of dancing on ledges and on top of the chairs and tables. i remember going up to some table in streetlife-makati just to be able to face the band and dance with them...wehehe...i've got equally dancer-ous friends and company as well. there was this one time at dencio's near abs-cbn when a waiter approached us when we started dancing near our tables, bawal daw kasi resto iyun at hindi disco! eh bakit naman kasi nagpapatugtog ng danceable hits!

we used to call it "going to the disco" now they call it "clubbing" or "partying". but you know what, it's still the same thing. people gyrating and bumping bodies with their partners or with strangers, breathing the same smoke that's wafting in the air. swaying to the same moves from years back. and moving with some remixes that sounds just the same anyway eek!

oh well, maybe i could have appreciated it more had they play house/techno music. i can't stomach the likes of mariah, rihanna, beyonce, etc. really. sorry.

i've to admit though that some bones in me did shiver in excitement as soon as i stepped into the floor once more. it's like coming home but it's not really the same thing anymore. malabo, pero basta yun. baka kasi tumatanders na lang talaga ako.

speaking of...here's my only birthday pics which was taken from my camphone. lecheng holdaper iyun, sana naman i upload niya birthday pics ko para i grab ko na lang.

with my banoffe pie and xan's birthday candle hehe...


belated habeerday to me!

great thanks to everyone who sent their messages via texts, ym, emails, friendster, multiply messages. for the calls and hugs and kisses and gifts and prayers and everything nice. i know i'll be okay because i'll always have all of you anyway. mwah!

trauma

i never thought it could happen to me or to us, not in my own town, in my own neighborhood and definitely not on my effin birthday.

we were havin such a great time on our night out, we were walking home when three men on a scooter stopped us at some darkened intersection cocked out a gun and threatened that if anyone of us moved or screamed someone would get hurt.

some guy grabbed me then went to my nieces and nephews to get their celphones and belongings. one of my nephews ran supposedly to get help but no one was around.

i had the presence of mind to throw my phone on the ground before the guy got to grab my pouch which contains the camera charger and some lipgloss and 50 bucks .

i had the rest of my money on my pocket.

there were some padyak drivers around the corner but they were not able to stop those guys on the scooter.

my niece screamed but i guess it was not enough.

they still got away with some of our belongings. i really just wanted to get the cam's memory card and sim cards back.

just the same i'm still glad we are all safe. i don't think i could ever forgive myself if anyone of my nieces and nephews got hurt. ****ngina 16-23 years old lang sila. ako na pinakamatanda and they were all my responsibility.

some birthday indeed.

just this afternoon the pressure cooker exploded almost on my face i had to step in the shower for a long time if only to soothe whatever burns i could have.

i'm still trembling. we are still in shock.

it's been hours and i still can't get over those images of how frightened we were. i couldn't even go to the kitchen or the restroom alone lest i'd see the image of the holdupper toting his gun.

i've been reading and rereading the many text greetings i got for today, read all the wishes and blessings and asked myself whatever happened to them prayers. i could only surmise that things could have been worse for us. someone could have been hurt or even killed. i can only say that the prayers and wishes actually worked on my favor and i cannot help but feel grateful to everyone.

i still can't believe how blessed i am. and even though there is still that gnawing fear in me i just can't help but marvel at the warmth of those prayers.

i was telling my niece, who was as frightened as i am, (darn it she's only 17!), that no matter how common or prevalent these incidents are it's still not the same when you experience it first hand.

that even if they didn't get anything at all, the trauma is still magnanimous.

i look back and yeah, we outnumbered them, we could have fought back or kicked and screamed. but what if some gun went off and one of us got killed. it is still never worth it.

i already miss our digicam. i could have been uploading pics already. we had so much fun, we had a lot of wacky poses there. it still has most of Xan's baby pics in it and most of the memorable moments for the past 2-3 years.

oh well, those were just materials things. i hope that these people could burn in hell right this very moment. and i hope that too they couldn't sleep a wink for the rest of their God-forsaken lives!

make it last...

THIRTY THREE
Smashing Pumpkins
Singingfool.com

Speak to me in a language I can hear
humour me before I have to go
Deep in thought I forgive everyone
As the cluttered streets greet me once again
I know I cant be late, suppers waiting on the table
Tomorrows just an excuse away
So I pull my collar up and face the cold, on my own
The earth laughs beneath my heavy feet
At the blasphemy in my old jangly walk
Steeple guide me to my heart and home
The sun is out and up and down again
I know Ill make it, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you
And for a moment I lose myself
Wrapped up in the pleasures of the world
Ive journeyed here and there and back again
But in the same old haunts I still find my friends
Mysteries not ready to reveal
Sympathies Im ready to return
Ill make the effort, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
Tomorrows just an excuse
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you

not just another birthday blog...

i have no idea why i have been having all these morbid thoughts the past days. there's this one nagging question that has been in my mind which is, "if and when i die right now can i ever say that i have lived a good enough life?"

Jesus died on the cross and eventually saved us all from sinfulness at thirty-three. At least we can all say that he was able to fulfill his life's meaning and has lived a good enough life.

and can i say the same for myself?

i have nothing to leave on but Xan, and i can't even say I'm a good enough mom for him.

am i ever a good enough daughter? sister? friend? lover?

am i even a good enough person?

adding another year makes me think about that. and it just sucks evaluating one's self as each year passes especially when i am not even able to answer it substantially.

oh darn it, tomorrow i'd just want to dance the night away and lose myself in the moment of being alive still.

2008 according to my blogs...

...and why i prefer to just stay grateful and not ask for anything more anymore.

Same rule as last year, copy and paste the first paragraph of your first blog entry for the month of January to December 2008 also put corresponding pictures from your 2008 albums.

JANUARY: lagnat-laki

Xan and i are currently not feeling so well. blame it on our endless trips to the stores and eating and walking out in spite of the rains.

FEBRUARY: missing KL

yeah, i actually miss the place.

i knew all the research and planning for the itinerary made me quite dizzy and unexcited for a bit but arriving at the city all bustling and crowded awakened the wanderlust in me.

MARCH: lustful thoughts

i am currently lusting on these...


APRIL: a semi-charmed life indeed

i'm at peace. and i just want to relish every single moment of it.

i still have a lot of concerns to take care of but gladly they are not enough to overpower this immense feeling of peace and contentment that's emanating my being right at this very moment.

MAY: dreamy

i've gotten the bug once more. i've been sniffing and sneezing for a few days now and my head is just so heavy to carry around. if only i could take it off sometimes and leave it someplace for a while eh.


JUNE: wanting for more

they say a grand vacation should be enough to satisfy all those longings you've had in life. when you're all weary and tired from our day to day issues we can't help but dream of going away and just frolic in the sun or even the rain.


JULY: unjinxed!

i had initial misgivings about watching this game, after all it's been years since i saw one live. and in those few games that i've seen our team has always lost. i've thought that watching our team losing over and over again has told me to just stop watching it live. there's more comfort in watching it on tv anyway with replays and comments most especially about technicalities and all. yeah right!



AUGUST: regressions

woke up feeling this great longing for some things utterly familiar to my system. i missed my mama's champorado with coconut milk which she usually serves on cold rainy days as this. and the endless chatterings with my young nieces and nephews. or just the smell of my old sheets and good old homecooking wafting in the air.

SEPTEMBER: good old bacolod

i've always loved this place. i once said to myself that i don't mind relocating and living here for good. its local charms, its serenity has always made me feel at home and at peace. it helps a lot too that my father came from the area. most of my relatives are still here enjoying their own piece of heaven.


OCTOBER: nurturing my animus

i spent my Sunday night to early morning of Monday watching the Godfather trilogy.

NOVEMBER: ilog, dagat, bundok, lawa

Oct. 26-31, 2008
Bohol-Dumaguete, Philippines
ako ay isang tunay na saksi! mayaman nga ang ating bansa sa kalikasan. naman, wala pang isang linggo nalibot ko ang iba't ibang anyo ng kalikasan. wahoo!


DECEMBER: around Hongkong in 4 days!

i was not too excited with this trip at first. the last time i went to HK was in sunny, summery July a few years back and it was really hot. we weren't able to go around much that time too because i was working thus HK didn't leave that much of a good impression on me.



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looking back, i don't really want to complain anymore. i realized i have been to four countries this year and had more exciting places visited once or even twice around the country. there were no major set backs really. and Xan is growing up into a more gorgeous little boy each day.

life has been good. and i still feel so blessed. THANK YOU!

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i just want to be richer and healthier rthis year. but with how much of a wanderlust i am, i don't really know how to attain that.

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i can't think of any great pet peeve this year except for that of MISS GANDA, clueless? how about singing payong, payong, eh, eh....

putanginga eh, eh mo yang sarili mo!!!

i mean please, when you're supposed to be that talentado then go make your own songs, sheesh!

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i was crazy of Up Dharma Down's Bipolar album this year, along with Metallica's Death Magnetic and Portishead's Third.

i discovered Haruki Murukami's books and cried over the stories by Khaled Hosseini.

of all the countries i've been to, it's Macau that i love the most.

and i just learned how to make banofee pie, yey!

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my heart is still uber red as ever ahihihi.

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okay, i gained weight this holidays but i was able to slip back into my size 24 jeans last summer yey! and i'll just work for that again in the next few weeks hehe.

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and Xan at barely three can now recite his ABCs and count from 1-10 and sing basic nursery rhymes, sing and dance to Taktak and distinguish his Mama, from Mommy and Mamang and Mamay, and meow-meow haha!

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Life is good.