Wednesday, July 30, 2008

OPLAN NUNAL

I carried it for more than 27 years. With the charm it brings, underneath it is a threat that can make me loose my vision and harm my sinus. So, I finally decided to have my rapidly growing mole removed a month ago and have it biopsied. Accompanied by my fiance who was more nervous than I am...hehehehe... all good! Big thanks to our physician friend for the FREE SURGERY and pain meds! Dr. Ben Datu Dalandag rocks!!! cheers!


From Cateel With LOVE...

From our 4-day business holiday last week in Bukidnon (Saturday until Tuesday night), we stayed in Davao for a day (Wednesday) and went back packin' again with Rica's relatives on Thursday morning to Saturday evening.

DESTINATION: Cateel, Davao Oriental
TRAVEL TIME: 10 hours (via Compostela Valley) / 12 hours (via Mati)
DURATION: Thursday until Saturday
PURPOSE: Fiesta back in the roots

Rented a Nissan Urvan to bring us there and luckily we had a driver who really drove fast. So, the usual 10/12 hour drive is cut short by 3-4 hours. Unfortunately, since the road isn't paved yet, there are areas where we have to go down from our van just to get through and walk like 30-100 meters (exercise!) -- me and Rica along with Tita Nilda (wife of Dr. Hansel "Jun" Magno of Brokenshire Hospital) situated at the back seat endures all the humps and the rattles of the van's poor shocks. What a nasty drive! But, that's just not it -- the driver just doesn't know how to avoid the holes...tsk...tsk...so we end up battered and pounded after the travel.All good now! Now we know what kind of vehicle to bring next. hehehehe...

Anyways, Cateel is simply a lovely place and where "DINABAW" is widely spoken -- something that I really want to learn. Got the chance to see different sites like Aliwagwag falls, their beach and experience how they do the "fiesta" over there. One phrase about Cateel, "GALEEEEET SILA SA LECHON!!!!!!!!" hehehehe...It is a place where you can use the crispy, tasty and mouth watering skin of the lechon as your plate and have rice as your sud-an. Imagine how spoiled we were there...we were basically served with lechon every meal (aside from the crabs with colossal snappers and prawns). Truly, no one's starvin' in this side of the country ug dili uso ang high blood diri! We had total of 4 lechons plus 1 bring home pa! hehehehe... (lechon paksiw? - naa pa stock hangtud karon yo!) hehe..

As the folks and locals would say over there, "waya na chemical!" kampai!

FYI (from Wikipedia.com): Cateel is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Davao Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 28,655 people in 5,731 households.

Cateel is the home of the Aliwagwag Falls, located at barangay Aliwagwag. It is a towering waterfalls considered by hydraulic engineers as the highest in the country and regarded as one of the most beautiful falls in Mindanao. It is a series of 84 falls appearing like stairway to heaven with various heights among the steps ranging from 6 to 110 feet. One step is measured 72 feet and another is 67 feet. Overall Aliwagwag Falls is 1,110 feet of cascading energy and 20 meters in width. All these in the midst of virgin forest. River at the foot of the falls. 13 rapids to cross.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Magic in "Magic Farm"




Just got home from a 6-hour bus trip from Cagayan de Oro.

My fat-ass sore.
I'm standing up while doing this blog.
The sharp and narrow curves of the road still tingles.
Everything feels like a "coming from a boat ride" light-headedness experience.
"King Without A Crown" by Matisyahu still plays in my head.
My mouth still tastes like chilli-HOT Nagaraya.
I can still smell the bus on my shirt.

But underneath all the physical "senses overload" realm I am experiencing...
lies the TRANQUILITY and EXCITEMENT I enjoyed in a place called "Magic"...
something where the human body cannot contain nor take away from my substantial form...

My heart screaming softly to bring ourselves back.
And surely we will.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Growing Up as a "Gadi" and a "Guino-o"







I can still vividly remember when my mom brought us here in the "Land of Promise" with a disguise of spending summer vacation here. We were trapped and never went back to school in the Capital since then. That was '87. The time when Manila was so hediously unlivable. With the street protests and rallies we were witnessing, the "NO CLASS" declarations of my former University, kids being forced to wear the yellow ties and ribbons; singing the song of "Magkaisa", Manila was definitely not a place to raise kids.

There was a lot of drama. A lot of tension. A lot of confusion. A lot of unpredictable events.

We'll all just turn out to be "highly politicized".

Growing up from a family that stands at the side of the opposition, we were raised by my aunt Rita (our dad's older sister) by living the legacy of the true -- the good -- and the beautiful. We were brought up to oppose and to stand to what our elders believe. A kind of confidence where only "loyalists" can comprehend. Our family were good friends with the most powerful family that time until now. Of course we were there waving flags of the "RED WHITE & BLUE" and posting stickers in our bags with the "I heart Marcos" while most wave and decorate themselves with the "yellow ribbons, laces, shirts...name it! they tried to paint Manila yellow. It was fun but, I didn't understand why everyone was really banging each other. If you were 7 years old then, what would you think? I guess...you'd practically be just happy 'coz there ain't no school and more playtime.

Anyways, I'm left thinking now..."What if I grew up in Manila? What would I be now?"

Until now, I don't know why our mom personally brought us here. Maybe because she misses the life "down south" as what I am experiencing whenever I'm back in the capital or simply to be in control over her kids? I really don't know but I'm thankful. Though we usually had our usual summer vacations in White Plains in our Aunt Rita's house and be with our "lolo and lola" for the whole summer was simply our dream come true as kids lost in translation down South. I remember being dumbfound with the dialect here. I remember wayback in the old Ateneo Davao Grade School building classmates telling me, "kana siya oh, hawod kaayo!" demmit! WTF is that?! But, I soon understood through my Uncle Boy's (my mom's younger brother) local kids, Ate Catherine and Genevieve would always say the meaning. They were gracious enough to teach us 4 -- especially me! "Ang kulit ko kaya!"

I grew up here being proud born in Manila (status quo/"yabang" per se)...not until when I finally gained "mature consciousness". Though I can't deny it because the certificate prooves my point of origin, I'm still Dabawenyo by heart. Davao taught me alot. To live life and learn without any rush. To be simple. To appreciate the "overgrown barrio" life. To love the dialect and mix it with the Tagalog accent. To use "gani", "naga-", "lingaw", etc. hehehehe... DAVAO IS DEFINITELY PERFECT! The beach is just 15 minutes away, the grass is greener, the air is cleaner and the smell is sweeter! What else can I ask for? Though Davao also has its own hang-ups...what the heck?! It cannot outweigh the good memories I have in this place.

This is where I have established myself. This is where I truly belong.

Whenever me and my siblings usually talk about it, we would practically end up saying life is BETTER in this side of the country. And if I were to ask myself again who I have become if I grew up in Manila -- I'd rather not know. I love livin' down south!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

A Physician's Philosophy...(We're All Humans by the way)

Email sent to me by my friend Monex Sarmiento -- HAHAHAHA PARE! la ka pa rin kupas! lufeeeeeettt!!!

Read along and enjoy the humor of this doctor in Baltimore.



Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life, is this true?

A:
Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. . What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.



Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?


A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer
is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!


Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?


A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.



Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain, Good!



Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?


A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?



Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.


Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy?
HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!



Q: Is swimming good for your figure?


A:
If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.



Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about
food and diets.


And remember:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways with wine in one hand and chocolate in the other... body thoroughly used up, worn out and screaming:
"WHOO HOOO.. WHAT A RIDE!!!"




AND.....For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.

Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
HAHAHA!

Friday, July 11, 2008

To Filipinos Born in the 50s, 60s & 70s!!!




From Daphne's blog...im reposting it kasi SAPUL talaga e -- though I was born 1980 and Rica '77 -- what the heck! We still did that when we were kids. Back to the roots my friends...

"First, some of us survived being born to mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne and drank San Miguel Beer while they carried us. While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicine, ate isaw, and didn't worry about diabetes.

Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints, pati na yung walker natin, matigas na kahoy din at wala pang gulong. We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (lampin lang), and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no kneepads , sometimes wala pang preno yung bisikleta.

As children, we would ride in hot un-airconditioned buses with wooden seats (yung JD bus na pula), or cars with no airconditioning & no seat belts (ngayon lahat may aircon na). Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. (ngayon hindi na nakakakita ng kalabaw ang mga bata).

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle purchased from 711 (minsan straight from the faucet or poso). We shared one soft drink bottle with four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from his. Or contacted hepatitis. We ate rice with star margarine, drank raw eggs straight from the shell, and drank sofdrinks with real sugar in it (hindi diet coke), but we weren't sick or overweight kasi nga......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the streetlights came on. Sarap mag patintero, tumbang preso , habulan at taguan. No one was able to reach us all day (di uso ang cellphone , walang beepers). And yes, we were O.K. We would spend hours building our wooden trolleys (yung bearing ang gulong) or plywood slides out of scraps and then ride down the street , only to find out we forgot the brakes! After hitting the sidewalk or falling into a canal (seweage channel) a few times, we learned to solve the problem ourselves with our bare & dirty hands .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD's, no cell phones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, no Facebooks, and no Friendsters. ...... ...WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents. The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words..masakit ba ? pero pag galit yung kalaro mo,,,,ang sasabihin sa iyo..beh buti nga ! We played marbles (jolens) in the dirt , washed our hands just a little and ate dirty ice cream & fish balls. we were not afraid of getting germs in our stomachs. We had to live with homemade guns ' gawa sa kahoy, tinali ng rubberband , sumpit , tirador at kung ano ano pa na puedeng makasakitan. .Pero masaya pa rin ang lahat. We made up games with sticks (syatong ), and cans (tumbang preso) and although we were told they were dangerous, wala naman tayong binulag o napatay. Paminsan minsan may nabubukulan lang. We walked, rode bikes, or took tricycles to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them to jump out the window! Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment. Wala yang mga childhood depression at damaged self esteem ek-ek na yan. Ang pikon, talo.

Ang magulang ay nandoon lang para tignan kung ayos lang ang mga bata, hindi para makialam at makipag-away sa ibang parents.

That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professionals ever! They are the CEO's, Engineers, Doctors and Military Generals of today.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had failure, success, and responsibility. We learned from our mistakes the hard way.

You might want to share this with others who've had the luck to grow up as real kids. We were lucky indeed. And if you like, forward it to your kids too, so they will know how brave their parents were.

It kind of makes you wanna go out and climb a tree, doesn't it?! "

40 Tips For The Last Half of 2008

These are really very powerful. Implement whatever you can.

1. Take 10-30 minute walk everyday. And while you walk, smile. It is
the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you
have to.

3. Buy a DVR, Tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,
"My purpose is to ____________ today."

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga or stretching and prayer.
They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream mor while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food
that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan
salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least 3 people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new
and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires,
ISSUES OF THE PAST, negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are her to learn. Problems
are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like
algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a
college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Try & pay an honest compliment to someone you wouldn't normally.

18. LIFE ISN'T FAIR, BUT IT'S ALL GOOD! -- Life doesn't suck, I suck
life!

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years,
will this matter?"

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

29. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends
will. Stay in touch.

30. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

32. The best is yet to come.

33. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

34. Do the right thing!

35. Call your family often.

36. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
I am thankful for _________. Today I accomplished ____________ __.

37. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

38. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you
certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life
so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

39. Wear your SUNSCREEN!

40. Forward this to your friends! (I just did)

May your troubles be less,
May your blessings be more,
May nothing but happiness come through your door!

Peace and love to all!!!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

I'm Finding The Truth In Here...

Is it true that during PACMAN Manny Pacquiao's fight last Sunday,







the Philippines had 0% record occurrence of crime nationally?

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

We're neighbors with Gabby Concepcion!

Dili ni 'steer' pre!

woke up in the morning, made a cup of coffee and went out to the front lawn towards our 'Bali hut' to enjoy the coffee (robust and stimulating) courtesy of my ex-boss who's from Italy last week. Guess who I saw when I turned my sight at the left side?

I saw Gabbie Concepcion outside our house.



puchax! hindi naman ako nataranta or ano
ba?! Gabby Concepcion just smilin' at me and asking me to buy this whitening shit...




hindi nga sya umiitim kahit na nakababad na sya sa ilalim ng araw -- syets! epektib talaga! hahahahaha...

ito oh... para closer view! zoomed at 300%



thanks for Lucida...you made Gabby's day! hahahaha...