For some reason, my blog hasn't updated itself despite numerous postings. I will continue to add to it however, in the hopes that Blogger will fix itself and that everything will be all set when I get to Sydney. In the meantime...
My last weeks in Cebu were pretty eventful. When we got back from Malapascua, JR & I filed a leave for the entire week so that we wouldnt have to go to work every day. I ended up going to work about 3 out of 5 days at least. Prior to Malapascua I had been to the doctor - a nice chinese guy at chong hua medical - for my ulcer, triggered again by ice cream and wine (not together, just a 24 hour gap in between). The last week in Cebu, Maui came home with a cold she caught from one of her agents. The next day, she was on antibiotics and I had finished two packs of tissue. A few days later I still felt like shit so I completely missed Sinulog.
Sinulog weekend, the big festival and highlight of Cebu happened on the second weekend of January. The roads were all closed for the event and everyone had to literally walk around everywhere. Banana, Grae & Maui all walked to and from work, still a considerable distance. My friend Joseph walked from Ayala to Crossroads to IT Park to several other places and back again. Grae took some pretty great pictures of the parade. JP walked 7 KM and the rest of the boys posed for pictures with various floats. That night everyone came over for a pseudo despedida. Banana cooked pasta and chicken parmigiana and JP (the L2) bought KFC Chicken. Ashley and Jun, visiting from Manila also came along. We spent a lot of time just eating and taking pictures. Im pretty sure there was some Tequila present but I dont think anyone drank it. We tried to watch the fireworks in Ayala but they were mostly blocked by the building in front of us so we had to content ourselves with reflections on the glass. The evening ended early since I was still tired, so early that Oka and company missed it, even if they passed by later on.
My Side Trip
The next day I left for Davao on an overnight trip to visit my dad. I flew Cebu Pacific, on this tiny plane where my ears got so clogged I couldn't hear a thing for a while after. Dad took me straight to Paradise Island, this resort on Samal Island, 5 minutes away on a ferry. We hung out, ate inihaw and shrimp (dad ate a whole lot) and I took a dip in the clear, clear water. There were fish and starfish, right there. We also saw some houses that belonged to famous people as we came in on the boat and he pointed out the island where the famous Pearl Farm was located.
When we got back to the City, I went to check into my hotel, the Marco Polo while Dad went off to work. Davao is like a small town that became a city. It also surprised me that there were a lot of people speaking tagalog, although Dad says its because it is a regional center and they get a lot of government officials from Manila. Also Japanese tourists golfing. They have holiday taxis just like in Cebu and another "brand" called Maligaya or Masaya. That was cute. My hotel was right in front of where dad worked. Later when he was done we met up and he showed me around there and we had dinner at a chinese dimsum place in gaisano mall. He then toured me around Davao by driving around the one street that went around the entire city. We covered the entire city in about an hour. Then we went home and I excitedly proceeded to watch tv, having been tv deprived for a while now.
The next day, I had breakfast at the hotel where the bacon tasted just like danggit. Then we headed over to the bank to deposit some of the money for my trip. The girl there made us write down every single one of the serial numbers on the money before finally saying that, oops, not all the serial numbers can be verified you have to have it checked in the Central Bank in Manila so we'll only let you deposit half. Gee, thanks a lot. We were off to the airport right after that and we hung out at this cafe - that also happened to provide the food for the pilot's snacks - before I departed. It was sad to say bye to my dad but he promised to visit me.
Eating my way through Cebu
My last days in Cebu were really just spent eating and eating. Chelsea from the office sent a list of all the great places to eat and I made it my goal to go through all of them. That's how we ended up in Casa Verde, this chinese restaurant, Darras & Bowler for my birthday, and Guiseppe's. JR and I loved Guiseppe's so much we ate there twice in one week.
When I arrived from Davao, JR picked me up so that we could go buy guitars. I had to handcarry the money that the bank wouldnt deposit and it was quite an amount so I had it folded in my bra - half in each cup so that it would be even. So there I was walking around Cebu with stuff in my bra, which everyone else found totally hilarious. JR and I went to the road where they sold guitars. Roy and Maui met us there and Roy helped us test and pick the guitars. I kept taking pictures and MMSing them to my best friend Joey, who was getting the guitar. After some deliberation I got him a nice mahogany dark guitar. That night, we had a farewell dinner at Guiseppe's with JR, Maui and Grae.
Getting Home, Somehow
The next day was full of sad goodbyes from my boss, Chie, Maui and everyone else in my house. Hugs went around. I also left my last legacy to the house: naming the second mouse Fletcher, in the spirit of Smith of Sex in the City Season 6 (which everyone in the house watched), where they used a last name as a first name. Maui vowed to eradicate both Gordy and Fletcher before they multiplied further, but in the meantime it was bye bye to them. Prior to this I took a lot of pictures in the office to say goodbye (see previous). Oka also came over and we all finished the bottle of wine that Maui and I had gotten in Darras & Bowler but had forgotten to take to Shang. It was pretty good.
JR came to pick me up promptly after lunch. Oka helped me get all the stuff into the taxi cab and that was no easy feat. JR and I ended up sitting precariously in the cab with one of the three guitars (JR had 2) poking the back of my neck the entire 45 min to an hour. When we got there we tipped the cabbie extra and then off we went to check in. Because we arrived only an hour before - just in time as usually by then they give the seats away - we ended up with seats in the back. We paid almost 2K in overweight, which we were prepared to pay. Everything was so heavy. While we were putting the bags in the security checker thing, someone stole JR's cart and we had to share. It was really heavy. When we got home, we wrestled with the luggage until we got it all set.
When I got to my house I found all my cousins there and that Joey had already arrived to pick up the guitar. And since I had picked up Jen from work, she was there as well. My cousins from Australia, Andrew & Lara were there and mum was hosting a dinner with all the other cousins. It was a fun bonding experience. Afterwards they all went out for drinks while I went to bed so that I could... go to work the next day.
And that was my Cebu adventure.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
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Malapascua
We went to Malapascua on the weekend of Jan 7-9. If you'd like to see more pictures, email me and I will invite you to view my Webshots album.
It began early. Maui and I are of the belief that Lance was a tiny bit overzealous and didn't have to call us to wake us up that early but nevertheless, he didnt know what we did - that the bus waits to be full before it leaves. So naturally the boys were early and a little pissed that we were late. The four hour bus ride passed by quickly enough, to me, as I slept the whole while, waking up every now and then to find that the person sitting next to me had changed. Jason had arrived the day before just to come along to Malapascua and we had all spent it watching Ocean's 12 and Harold and Kumar (again). He and Roy spent a lot of the time just standing there on the bus -which at certain points was relatively empty - swaying and swaying and swaying.
We got to the last port, Maya, a gazillion stops (you should really see the picture) later and disembarked. We paid five pesos per person to get on a tiny boat that rowed us out to a bigger boat, which cost another ten/twenty bucks to get to Malapascua. The view was great and it was wonderful to be out in the sea air and off the bus. We got there in about 30 minutes and got a hotel right away. We stayed at Blue Water. I got the quiet room with JP, Lance & Jason while JR, Roy, Maui, Grae & Russel got the other room.
Of course the first thing we did was eat. We discovered Ging-ging's, courtesy of Mang Claudy, one of the local touts who also later arranged for our motorbike adventure, with cheap food. Malapascua is relatively undeveloped. There is no electricity after a certain time, the food is cheap and very few of the resorts have airconditioners. Ours didnt. There are no cars on the island, just motorcycles, and most of the people are simple fisherfolk. Most of the tourists are also German and it is especially popular for Diving. It is technically Boracay ten years ago, although the sand directly under the water off the shore has a lot of coral and algae.
After a hearty lunch we set off on our motorcycles. I rode with Lance. JR & Jason took a motorcycle each, Roy & Maui shared and JP rode behind Mang Claudy. Grae & Russel, having taken the later bus, had yet to arrive. Mang Claudy took us around the island, up and down to reach the lighthouse. Along the way, JR fell sideways into a ravine and on the way back Lance and I almost fell straight down into a bangin while going up a particuarly steep road. We got to the lighthouse and JP and I climbed on ahead, with everyone making side comments about my lack of coordination and the implausibility of me getting into hiking in Australia. I teetered a few times and there's even a picture of me almost losing my balance. We got to the top and of course, spent the entire time picture taking. Jason & Lance discovered a special way to take the picture, with someone lying on the ground so that you get the lighthouse in the background.
After the lighthouse we headed off to Los Bamboos, an exclusive resort which is far from everywhere else. We took pictures at the beach, where a group of children holding rubber strings up in the wind for the sound enraptured us with their Unicef like qualities. So sweet. So innocent. So picture worthy. We decided not to swim there and we headed back to our hotel where we immediately went crashing into the surf. On the way back, Roy and Maui tipped over and he got a big gash that later, back in Cebu City would require four tetanus shots just above his ass. Later that night we had dinner at Sunrise/set Cafe (?) where Jason had these gigantic shrimps.
The next day we all decided to go snorkling. Since we moved really slowly, we got to Ging-ging's pretty late for breakfast. I had a banana/choco pancake that was absolutely excellent. After breakfast we went off snorkling. The first place we went to had waves so strong that we were all swallowing water. I spent most of that time holding on to a rope near the boat. Even the strong swimmers got tired quickly fighting the current. The next site was much better. The waves were calmer and we got to see starfish and corals. The third site had a japanese battleship that sunk in world war two. It split in half and was so big we never got to see the end. We also saw numerous "Nemos". At the last site, the boys decided it might be a good idea to have some sea urchin for dinner. The idea was to use Russel's fisherman holed shirt as a net, which was actually possible. Russel is an excellent swimmer and can dive really deep, so she was supposed to be the one to get it but then everyone changed their minds, since they didn't want to be poisoned.
While Lance, JP & Grae had lunch at Ging-ging's the rest of us discovered the joys of Harry Potter Uno while having a late lunch at that cafe. It turned into such a heated battle that took literally hours since no one would win! It started out being JR vs Jason then it became Maui vs Roy and Russel and i were the only ones who were nice to each other. Who would have thought it would be so competitive? Russel won in the end and we resolved to play Uno again later on.
That night we decided to have a "fancy dinner" so off we went to La Dolce Vita. Initially we had wanted to go to La Isla Bonita but it was full. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the Italian resto was right on the beach and the view and the food were excellent. We took along Grae's new friend Barry, a Canadian who did logistics and transport for films in Toronto. We got good priced wine, 2 pizzas and various meat and pasta dishes. Jason and I shared a Tiramisu and JR shared his theory on how "if you dont know what something or someone is called you have to call it something. Therefore I will call it Squishy." So I met a nice doggy that belonged to the restaurant owners (who are really Italian) and it stuck by me all night and therefore I called it Squishy. JP couldn't tell what the piggy saltshaker was, and therefore it was also called Squishy. We ended the night by sitting on mats under the stars - the first time in my life i have ever seen the sky so clear - and talking.
The boys all thought of names for their future children (because we were trying to ask Barry why he was called Barry) with JP swearing not to name his son John and JR contemplating on Aoki for another daughter, if ever. The boys decided that it would be more possible for me to become a hiker than to be married, although because of my baby voice it would be possible for me to have children. (Thanks a lot.) Barry treated everyone to beers and he and Lance had a discussion on the finer points of flying a small plane.
The next day we all had breakfast at Ging-ging's again before taking one final dip and then a few last shakes at the cafe, with some Uno thrown in for good measure. Grae, using her charming personality got us a ride with a Japanese girl (the boys insist she was a trannie and previously male, i disagree) and her pinoy boyfriend on their banka. We split the bill with them and they shared the boat since there were no other bankas available. According to Grae the girl met the guy who was a bellboy in Plantation Bay. He's been touring her around the Philippines ever since and she's taking him back to Japan. The boys were all horrified because she was actually one of those pretty anime like girls and he was... well, i will just say dark because its the nicest thing anyone said about him.
After some dispute with the guys who had arranged for us to ride back to Cebu on a private vehicle that would not have fit all of us we decided to take the bus instead, which involved having to chase it for a bit. We slept on and off most of the way. Somehow the bus ride was longer than the one going there since it passed through Danao. We shared seats this time as there were a lot of people on the bus. Once we got back to the city the boys headed off to CnP Lechon while Maui and I ended up at home eating Chinese food.
The next day I took Jason to see the office and we all tried to persuade him (in vain) to stay until Sinulog. We had lunch at Oh George's where him, JP and myself pigged out on the yummiest food. (I want my Baby Back Baby Back Baby Back Ribs!) We ended up hanging out at home before he went off to the airport and back to Manila.
It began early. Maui and I are of the belief that Lance was a tiny bit overzealous and didn't have to call us to wake us up that early but nevertheless, he didnt know what we did - that the bus waits to be full before it leaves. So naturally the boys were early and a little pissed that we were late. The four hour bus ride passed by quickly enough, to me, as I slept the whole while, waking up every now and then to find that the person sitting next to me had changed. Jason had arrived the day before just to come along to Malapascua and we had all spent it watching Ocean's 12 and Harold and Kumar (again). He and Roy spent a lot of the time just standing there on the bus -which at certain points was relatively empty - swaying and swaying and swaying.
We got to the last port, Maya, a gazillion stops (you should really see the picture) later and disembarked. We paid five pesos per person to get on a tiny boat that rowed us out to a bigger boat, which cost another ten/twenty bucks to get to Malapascua. The view was great and it was wonderful to be out in the sea air and off the bus. We got there in about 30 minutes and got a hotel right away. We stayed at Blue Water. I got the quiet room with JP, Lance & Jason while JR, Roy, Maui, Grae & Russel got the other room.
Of course the first thing we did was eat. We discovered Ging-ging's, courtesy of Mang Claudy, one of the local touts who also later arranged for our motorbike adventure, with cheap food. Malapascua is relatively undeveloped. There is no electricity after a certain time, the food is cheap and very few of the resorts have airconditioners. Ours didnt. There are no cars on the island, just motorcycles, and most of the people are simple fisherfolk. Most of the tourists are also German and it is especially popular for Diving. It is technically Boracay ten years ago, although the sand directly under the water off the shore has a lot of coral and algae.
After a hearty lunch we set off on our motorcycles. I rode with Lance. JR & Jason took a motorcycle each, Roy & Maui shared and JP rode behind Mang Claudy. Grae & Russel, having taken the later bus, had yet to arrive. Mang Claudy took us around the island, up and down to reach the lighthouse. Along the way, JR fell sideways into a ravine and on the way back Lance and I almost fell straight down into a bangin while going up a particuarly steep road. We got to the lighthouse and JP and I climbed on ahead, with everyone making side comments about my lack of coordination and the implausibility of me getting into hiking in Australia. I teetered a few times and there's even a picture of me almost losing my balance. We got to the top and of course, spent the entire time picture taking. Jason & Lance discovered a special way to take the picture, with someone lying on the ground so that you get the lighthouse in the background.
After the lighthouse we headed off to Los Bamboos, an exclusive resort which is far from everywhere else. We took pictures at the beach, where a group of children holding rubber strings up in the wind for the sound enraptured us with their Unicef like qualities. So sweet. So innocent. So picture worthy. We decided not to swim there and we headed back to our hotel where we immediately went crashing into the surf. On the way back, Roy and Maui tipped over and he got a big gash that later, back in Cebu City would require four tetanus shots just above his ass. Later that night we had dinner at Sunrise/set Cafe (?) where Jason had these gigantic shrimps.
The next day we all decided to go snorkling. Since we moved really slowly, we got to Ging-ging's pretty late for breakfast. I had a banana/choco pancake that was absolutely excellent. After breakfast we went off snorkling. The first place we went to had waves so strong that we were all swallowing water. I spent most of that time holding on to a rope near the boat. Even the strong swimmers got tired quickly fighting the current. The next site was much better. The waves were calmer and we got to see starfish and corals. The third site had a japanese battleship that sunk in world war two. It split in half and was so big we never got to see the end. We also saw numerous "Nemos". At the last site, the boys decided it might be a good idea to have some sea urchin for dinner. The idea was to use Russel's fisherman holed shirt as a net, which was actually possible. Russel is an excellent swimmer and can dive really deep, so she was supposed to be the one to get it but then everyone changed their minds, since they didn't want to be poisoned.
While Lance, JP & Grae had lunch at Ging-ging's the rest of us discovered the joys of Harry Potter Uno while having a late lunch at that cafe. It turned into such a heated battle that took literally hours since no one would win! It started out being JR vs Jason then it became Maui vs Roy and Russel and i were the only ones who were nice to each other. Who would have thought it would be so competitive? Russel won in the end and we resolved to play Uno again later on.
That night we decided to have a "fancy dinner" so off we went to La Dolce Vita. Initially we had wanted to go to La Isla Bonita but it was full. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the Italian resto was right on the beach and the view and the food were excellent. We took along Grae's new friend Barry, a Canadian who did logistics and transport for films in Toronto. We got good priced wine, 2 pizzas and various meat and pasta dishes. Jason and I shared a Tiramisu and JR shared his theory on how "if you dont know what something or someone is called you have to call it something. Therefore I will call it Squishy." So I met a nice doggy that belonged to the restaurant owners (who are really Italian) and it stuck by me all night and therefore I called it Squishy. JP couldn't tell what the piggy saltshaker was, and therefore it was also called Squishy. We ended the night by sitting on mats under the stars - the first time in my life i have ever seen the sky so clear - and talking.
The boys all thought of names for their future children (because we were trying to ask Barry why he was called Barry) with JP swearing not to name his son John and JR contemplating on Aoki for another daughter, if ever. The boys decided that it would be more possible for me to become a hiker than to be married, although because of my baby voice it would be possible for me to have children. (Thanks a lot.) Barry treated everyone to beers and he and Lance had a discussion on the finer points of flying a small plane.
The next day we all had breakfast at Ging-ging's again before taking one final dip and then a few last shakes at the cafe, with some Uno thrown in for good measure. Grae, using her charming personality got us a ride with a Japanese girl (the boys insist she was a trannie and previously male, i disagree) and her pinoy boyfriend on their banka. We split the bill with them and they shared the boat since there were no other bankas available. According to Grae the girl met the guy who was a bellboy in Plantation Bay. He's been touring her around the Philippines ever since and she's taking him back to Japan. The boys were all horrified because she was actually one of those pretty anime like girls and he was... well, i will just say dark because its the nicest thing anyone said about him.
After some dispute with the guys who had arranged for us to ride back to Cebu on a private vehicle that would not have fit all of us we decided to take the bus instead, which involved having to chase it for a bit. We slept on and off most of the way. Somehow the bus ride was longer than the one going there since it passed through Danao. We shared seats this time as there were a lot of people on the bus. Once we got back to the city the boys headed off to CnP Lechon while Maui and I ended up at home eating Chinese food.
The next day I took Jason to see the office and we all tried to persuade him (in vain) to stay until Sinulog. We had lunch at Oh George's where him, JP and myself pigged out on the yummiest food. (I want my Baby Back Baby Back Baby Back Ribs!) We ended up hanging out at home before he went off to the airport and back to Manila.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Another Fun Interlude!
|
You Are the Very Gay Winnie the Pooh! |
Come on, he doesn't wear pants! And he's a little too obsessed with Christopher Robin |
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Uhmmm really?
|
You Are 30 Years Old |
|
30 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax. |
Intermission
"You must remember this, a kiss is still a
kiss". Your romance is Casablanca. A
classic story of love in trying times, chock
full of both cynicism and hope. You obviously
believe in true love, but you're also
constantly aware of practicality and societal
expectations. That's not always fun, but at
least it's realistic. Try not to let the Nazis
get you down too much.
What Romance Movie Best Represents Your Love Life?
brought to you by Quizilla
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