goodbyes and shrek 2
tonight is my sister leiya and sophia's last day here in Maryland. They'll be flying to Ohio early tomorrow morning. I was too engaged in all the babysitting and playing and shopping that i completely forgot they're already leaving tomorrow. the next time i'll be seeing them will be at least a year from now. i'm really going to miss them, especially sophia, especially now that she has grown close to me already. i'll miss hugging her and reading her books and watching playhouse disney with her. haa.. it just saddens me to think that i have no choice but to see her quickly grow up through pictures my sister will send through email, and when she sees me again a year from now, she will have no idea who i am anymore.. why is it always harder to part with kids?
manang leiya and sophie
clockwise: me and toby [o diba ang lapit ng kulay namin. mwehe]; my sister, me and nong with the kids; me with sophie and toby; my sister and i with the kids
* * *we watched shrek 2 awhile ago with nong and benjo, by the way. it was loads of fun. hehe. nong thinks it's better than the first. i can't compare the two; it's like each one has its own character. the second one has more adult humor though. donkey even made mention of the "miranda rights", which i only learned in law school. hehe. but i think the kids love it just the same. benjo liked it so much.
Labels: family, sophia, toby, trip
rugrats
it's already 11 pm, and i have to type quietly unless i want to wake up the whole household. i wouldn't want to spoil the only part of the day when all the kids are asleep and we can surf the net or sleep peacefully without anyone disturbing us. 7 hours from now, the rugrats[and i'm referring to the three kids - benjo, sophia and toby] would be up and about again, running [or in toby's case, crawling] around the house, grabbing everything they see and putting them in their mouths, spreading saliva on practically anything, bumping their fragile heads on walls, tugging their little hands on their parents' shirts.
grabe. i never realized taking care of children was this hard. thanks to my babysitting shifts, i've learned the baby's whole day routine. i've helped feed them, change their diapers, and, most importantly, amuse them when they're on the verge of crying. and by "amuse" i mean sing nursery rhymes, do hand tricks and strange sounds, lend them cellphones to chew on and let them make a mess out of the contents of your handbag. between babysitting and dishwashing, i would, without question, choose the latter. in babysitting, you should be really patient, and should have high tolerance for high pitched wails.
case in point: our trip to my sister's friend's house awhile ago turned into a disaster. well, maybe not totally, but almost. toby was uncomfortable in his car seat, so he wouldn't quiet down the whole time. he was under my care, so i tried reading him a book and singing every song he knew, but none of the things i did did the trick. when sophia heard her cousin cry, she would cry also. benjo was complaining already because of the noise. to add to that, mama wasn't feeling so good due to her high blood pressure and diabetes, so we had to attend to her also. toby threw up several times in the car. when we reached our destination, i felt like throwing up as well. i get motion sickness often, even in cars. my siblings did all of the work to calm down the kids, but i felt exhausted anyhow. i don't think i'll ever gather enough energy to do what they're doing - taking care of the children + working + maintaining the household. note to self: when - or rather if one crazy day i decided to get married and have a family, i will raise my children in the Philippines, where i have a strong social support system [aka, manang lina and the other trusted helpers hehehe j/k]to help me. i don't think i'll be able to survive [not much anyway] raising children alone or with just one person.
anyway, tomorrow's another day, so i have to turn in now because the kids will be waking up in a few short hours. after this is all over, i'll miss them so much, though. someday, when they're all grown up, i'd probably wish i were back to that time when i could still hug them without them feeling embarrassed or awkward about it, or when a nursery rhyme would be enough to make them giggle for seconds.
Labels: family, maryland, trip
i came to the US expecting a relaxing and stress-free vacation, but so far, my 2-week stay was anything but. i've had more relaxed days during our thesis nights back in 4th year college [hehe,
puro kain at tulog lang nina di & jenny], and a part of me [a teeny weeny part] actually wants to go back to law school [bwaha] and just study cases and codes peacefully at home. in a span of how many days, i've been transformed into a nurse/dishwasher/driver/
yaya, and it is not the kind of lifestyle i've been used to during my whole 22 years of existence. the last time i came here, toby and sophia [my brother and sister's babies, respectively] were not yet around, and benjo [my brother's other son] was still too young to go against his elders' commands intentionally and throw bugs at other people for fun. also, mama wasn't suffering from hypertension then, so she didn't need much assistance before. yes, it's a whole world of chaos here, but at least i'm getting some excitement, some fun and a few nuggets of wisdom here and there. here is the rundown of what happened since we arrived in Maryland. the unexpected twists and turns do not surprise me anymore.
may 24 - the scariest night of my life. yes, something actually beat my horrible UP law school, american idol-worthy interview. last monday, at around 10 pm, we rushed mama to the hospital due to extremely high blood pressure. blame it on the unsteady plane landing from ohio.. we were already in our pajamas when mama complained of feeling weak; the medicine for hypertension she took earlier didn't take much effect. my sister checked her bp, and it was 230 over 80 [in non-technical terms, it was unusually, dangerously very high]. my brother, sister and i brought her to laurel medical hospital, leaving bennen, nong's wife with the three kids. when we got there, i was disillusioned by the kind of treatment we received. i always thought that since we're in the US, everything is so organized and efficient, and mama will probably get the best care she deserved. but nooo.. the secretary at the emergency room didn't pay much attention to us since she couldn't even sense it was an emergency. anyway, after some serious talking from my sister, she finally accommodated us, but we still waited for a long time before mama was able to see an actual doctor since there was a long line of emergencies before us. it took how many hours again before mama met her doctor and before she received the results of her laboratory tests, and another hour before she was given insulin for diabetes. my sister had to leave early, so i was left in the ER with my mom the whole night. it was just scary; it was the first time i was confronted how serious my mom's illness actually is. i always say that everything's going to be ok, nothing's going to happen to my mom, but at that time, i couldn't assure myself of anything good. i realized how fragile life is, how weak people are, that most of the time, even the best medicines are powerless in saving people's lives. the whole time, i felt that my brother and sister also felt the same - just as scared, just as sad. i felt that if it wasn't for the adrelanine rush, i would've burst into tears already.
the whole experience was also awkward, because we weren't home. we may have been at a more sanitary and technologically-advanced hospital than the ones in the Philippines, but it still didn't compare to a hospital with a warm, Filipino atmosphere.
mama's ok now; she had a recent check-up with a doctor here in Maryland who told her to change her diet completely. i realized lately that the whole experience may have served a purpose. if such an attack occurred in the Philippines, we would've left everything to our doctor relatives, and we would only do as much to alleviate the situation. probably we also would've been more complacent about the whole thing, thinking that since mama is in best hands, she would be alright eventually, which was my mentality before. after the experience last monday, i was able to witness the repurcussions of mama's illness first hand. for the first time, i felt that mama needed me, that there was no one else to help her, that i had to do my best to help her cope with the situation. i felt that i have an ongoing responsibility to assist her with what she's going through and that i can't always leave everything to people who are 'more able'. i would never realize these things if i didn't sit beside my sick mom for almost four hours straight, falling asleep every now and then in a very cold and uncomfortable room, waiting anxiously for what the doctor has to say, praying for her recovery.
* * *ikea. last tuesday, we went to ikea. it's a superstore for any furniture, accessories, etc. for the home, and everything is just uniquely designed, cheap and practical. the set up of the store reminded me of lomo - both uses minimalist designs but still come off as striking. 'makes me want to change the whole set-up of my room into something more simple. after a few years, i finally got tired of my moon-star-and-sun theme. i want a contemporary beach theme, whatever that is. i want blue and white as the color motif - blue background with just a few white accessories that look as if they're jumping off the walls. and i know you're not interested anyway. hehe.
* * *flying whatevers. if you go to Maryland right now, you would notice flying locusts/secadas everywhere. the whole place is just infested with them. gawd they look like flying ipis. imagine them crawling on the ground, getting smacked on the car's windshield, flying towards you. ugh. and benjo collects them and puts them in his pocket. agh. the clincher is, they hibernate for 17 years and only come out after that long period. wow. they picked such a perfect time to stop hibernating. :p
Labels: family, maryland, trip
hehe. 'saw the link in
weki's blog.
totoo yung part na sleepy. hehe.
Labels: quiz
random thoughts..
tonight is our last night in ohio, because tomorrow, we're flying to maryland. i'm sure going to miss the peace and quiet here; the red brick houses and facilities, the wide, grassy lands [where every block is a potential golf course], warm, straight-from-the-oven krispy kreme donuts. hehe. maryland is a different place altogether, but just as interesting. i'm also excited to go there. man. leiya and sophia are coming with us, by the way.
kawawa naman si patrick, maiiwan dito. hehehe.
we're watching shrek 2 tomorrow! i'm so happy. hehe. i think it will be the last movie i'll be able to watch this summer. when i get home, it's back to law school for me.
argh. i'll have to confront law school again. my mind is still in summer mode. my mind even keeps playing "summer breeze" over and over since yesterday [LSS from the gap commercial. wow, the power of advertising. hehe] i've been buying nothing but summer clothes since i got here. the fact that when i get home summer will be all over just keeps slipping off my mind..
Labels: family, ohio, trip
sophia's 1st birthday!
the original plan was to go to cleveland, visit the rock and roll hall of fame and go to the six flags/waterpark amusement park. but because of mama's condition, we just cancelled the trip and decided to spend sophia's birthday here in dublin.
we had lunch first at a jap restaurant [shi chi (?) i think], then had our photos taken at target, where we unsuccessfully tried to make sophia smile at the camera. after that, we went shoe shopping [well, mama did. it was probably the fastest cure for her high blood hehe]. we bought gifts for sophia at toys r us. on the way home, there was a thunderstorm, thanks to the very erratic weather [earlier, the sun was shining brightly without any hint of rain. it was the same yesterday]. there was even hail. it was freaky. anyway, we came home in one piece and sophia opened up all her gifts.
right now, my feet are tired. we spent how many days going around the place, shopping. i can't believe i'm saying this, but i'm tired of shopping. a part of me wants to go to some historical or scenic place where we can just sit down and take pictures or enjoy the view. but then again, that won't be very therapeutic for mama. hehe. besides, i don't think i'll stop shopping until i buy a nice pair of adidas sneakers and an abercrombie shirt and an old navy pair of jeans, etc etc. hehehe. about the adidas pair, well, there's an entire story attached to it. i bought a white pair from the clearance section yesterday at a DSW store in easton. unfortunately, when we went home, i realized the size i got was bigger. we decided to trade it in for a smaller size at a DSW branch closer to our place, so mama set it aside when we got home. i found out later on that patrick threw it at the waste disposal, mistaking it for trash. he was able to retrieve it anyway. however, when we got to DSW, they don't have a stock of it anymore. we called the other branch, where i bought it, but they said the last pair they had was already sold. [cringe] when will this ever stop?? i hope i could get a nice one in maryland. hay.
and i'm babbling again. heehee. these are our pics:
this was at steak and shake, taken yesterday. we also ate at krispy kreme yesterday and today, by the way. i ate a total of 6 donuts yesterday. hehe. addictive calories. argh.
this was at the japanese restaurant, at lunch
sophia enjoying her gifts.
tv news: i watched american idol yesterday, and jasmine trias was out of the show. also, i watched morning girls with kris and korina. bwahaha.
Labels: birthday, family, ohio, sophia, trip
more firsts this summer
eversince i arrived in ohio almost a week ago [actually, eversince the summer started], i have done several substantial things for the first time. aside from being in this state and seeing my pretty little niece sophia for the first time, it was also my first time to actually be responsible around the house and stop being apathetic when it comes to household chores. back home, of course i [like most middle class people as lazy as i am hehe] would leave everything to the maids. i could stay inside my room the whole day and still be able to have 3 square meals and have washed and pressed clothing ready in my closet. here, i have to actually help around, wash the dishes, do [some of] my own laundry, carry the grocery bags, set the table, cook [hehe i have neil to thank for this one]
without help from anyone, etc. without maids, it's difficult not to care. although sometimes i feel like i'm burdening others than helping them because of my relatively lagged speed in doing things, it still makes me proud to perform some household chores here and be able to say that i am not entirely clueless [at least not anymore hehe] when it comes to running a household. before, i used to envy some of my friends because their minimum to non-existent reliance on maids. but now,
kaya ko rin naman pala yun. hehe. someday, this will all be useful. all of this makes me feel like an "extra challenge" contestant - 20 something girl pulled out of her
walang pakialam lifestyle and placed in a situation where she has to fend for herself all the time. hehe. 'makes me inspired to learn how too cook other dishes.
naks.today, i drove here for the first time [to patrick's work and to the mall]. in a way i'm glad that man.leiya and patrick asked me to, since i don't think i would ever get the opportunity to do that, considering my parents' paranoia. i was apprehensive at first, and i was probably trembling inside while driving even if i've had my license for 5 years already and i'm driving the same kind of car i'm usually driving in the phil [the old crv], for the reason that i don't know how to drive with rules and that they're really serious about following them. in the phil.,i'm not even aware of any strict rules; the only standard i follow is using the seatbelt. other than that, everyone can have his/her own way. [especially with the conversion of intersection with stop lights into u-turns all around the city thanks to mr.bayani fernando] you can change lanes whenever and wherever you want, there is no such thing as right of way, and getting caught by an mmda officer does not mean anything at all. maybe it just means having to shell out a few hundred bucks, but there's really no strain on your future driving capacity. here, a single violation could lead you to jail; and no, there are no tongs or lagay [which, i think, is very dignified] or other easy ways out [not that i'm wishing there was]. point is, i don't want to violate a law here because i would be in deep crap and i don't want that to happen. but, it was an enlightening experience to drive on such an orderly road that i want to become a good driver wherever i go. i hope i would be familiarized with the traffic system here through our stay; that is, if mama still allows me to drive. i dont' want her blood pressure to shot up. hehe.
i also joined the american idol bandwagon when i watched an almost complete episode for the first time awhile ago. usually, i would just listen to a few comments and change back the channel to nickelodeon where spongebob is being aired, but this time, i actually finished the entire show. maybe because they're down to the last three already, and everything's getting tensed. well, it was entertaining, and i was seriously contemplating the thought of voting through text until laziness hit me. results will be out by tom., and surprisingly, i look forward to it.
some more pix... [hehe pasensha na sa pagiging conceited]
Labels: family, ohio, sophia, trip
shopping, et al.
hallo
wow, i get to blog more often here than i do back in the phil. so, i've got good news: i have a brand new digital camera already! we got one yesterday at best buy. check it out here [thanks nong, for the link]. yey! hindi na olats ang camera ko!! hehe. now i can proudly parade my camera without getting comments like "o, ba't nag-off agad? ba't ang labo? wala bang zoom 'to? ubos na agad yung memory/battery??" hah. *happy*
today, we went shopping for the first time. we went to Prime Outlets, a 45 minute drive from man.leiya and patrick's place. i wasn't as fascinated with Polo [RL] as i was before; maybe the impracticality of buying anything from Polo or anything equally priced has finally sunk in to my brain. i bought a 20 dollar shirt though, not for its brand but for its pretty rainbow colors. hehe. sophia liked it too; she kept on pulling it out of the shopping bag when we got home. there wasn't an old navy store anywhere in that outlet, but there was Aeropostale, which is now my most favorite store. it had a nice beach motif with surfer/beach wear [which i can't imagine wearing here because it's too cold]. and the nice thing was, everything in the store was cheap. i got a nice swimsuit [it was a two piece bikini. and no, i am not wearing it without a top/a pair of shorts. i don't want to get arrested for grave scandal. hehe] for only 5 bucks. i know, it's pretty late to buy swimsuits since summer will be over when i get back home, so i'll probably use it next summer, if ever we go to the beach again. i also got a decent shirt for 2.49. all in all, i was able to spend $30, but it was worth it, since i got 3 shirts, a pair of shorts and a swimsuit. we had to cut our outlet shopping spree short since mama didn't feel so good. we went to the doctor later on for medicine prescription for my mom.
just a note: sophia's sleeping on the bed now. hehe. she's such a cute and smart baby. she would definitely fit the role of sunny baudelaire in the 'a series of unfortunate events' book. they both even have 4 sharp teeth. hehe. i'm tasked right now of watching her while man. leiya and patrick are watching the NBA.
ohio's such a nice and serene place; maybe the filipino term maaliwalas would be more appropriate. it's different from the other states i've been before [wow, as if i've been to a lot. haha!]. there are planes all over, with clumps of trees here and there and country style houses with barns. aliw. also, everything's accessible - malls, hospitals, schools. and they're all made of red brick. hehe. ang babaw ko ba? pero aliw eh. who cares if it's not too commercialized? i'd rather live in a quiet place like this than try to survive the hustle and bustle of crowded new york..
chatting with neil now. HI NEIL! hehe la lang. :D
Labels: family, ohio, trip
finally...
i'm here in dublin, ohio. and believe me - getting here was not easy. it was an almost 24 hour trip; we had to change planes twice, i had to exhaust my arms with our big hand carries, i had to endure dizziness for almost the entire trip, and i had to listen to this little girl seated behind us sing a medley of "ocho ocho", "pamela wan" and "bulaklak". for a balikbayan, she picked up philippine
kajologan quite quickly. and also throughout the 16 hour trip from tokyo to minneapolis, this guy beside me kept talking to me in an unrecognizable language; i kept on answering with "ok" or "yes". 'turned out he thought i was thai. oh well. anyway, 'glad that's all over. i'm now in my sister's house in ohio, trying to get sophia, my very adorable niece, to laugh [so far only the spongebob squarepants shirt did the trick], and suffering from a terrible jet lag. mama and i woke up at almost 12 am last night and 'had a midnight snack of caramel cheesecake [it tastes like leche flan!
sarap!], woke up again at 3 am, then slept from 11 am till around 15 minutes ago. and i haven't had lunch yet. hay.
despite the jet lag, my 1st days have been ok - we ate dinner last night at cosymel's, a mexican resto near my sister and patrick's place [i ate a LOT. neil wasn't around to finish half the food. haha.. di bale neil, food trip tayo paguwi ko!], then just played with sophia the whole morning. also, best buy is just across the apartment, so we might just go there later and buy myself a decent digital camera [i wish]. right now, i'm chatting through ym with neil, rhem and nirvana.
i realized it has been quite a long time since i last travelled to another country [3 years. the last one was in 2001] - i don't remember the process that much anymore, the security at NAIA didn't frisk much back then, and the guys in japan didn't look like F4 members yet before. hehe.
i'll write again soon and probably post some pics.
Labels: family, ohio, trip
god save the queen of bad luck...
i know that previous statement is contradictory; but hypothetically speaking, if there was really a such a thing as
kamalasan, i shamelessly admit, i am one of the persons who carry quite a big burden of such. and i say
one of the because i am not discounting the idea that jenny or weki or neil also have the same level of
kamalasan as i do. hehe. anyway, the thing is, we were supposed to leave for the airport for ohio at this hour as planned; but due to
unforeseen circumstances/fortuitous events/in layman's terms,
kamalasans, mama wasn't feeling so good last night; 'turned out she had high blood, and it became uncertain whether she would still push through with the trip or not. i talked to her a few minutes ago, she said her blood pressure has levelled and she can go, but i don't know if my dad would let her. i honestly don't want to risk pushing through with the trip if it means compromising my mom's health. they were all telling me to go to US on my own, but my bratty self doesn't want to, because aside from not wanting to carry all the heavy luggage containing a wide variety of filipino food [would you believe, we're carrying a bunch of
tuyo and
rellenong bangus with us? one of the bags smelled really bad because of it. think smell of
tuyo plus the smell of oil of olay soap. yum. :P], i feel that due to my stupidity, i would be left by the plane. seriously. for some reason, i feel that my brain has deteriorated and i've become less attentive and agile, that i even think i am more capable before of travelling alone than now. maybe it is true that one gets more stupid as he/she grows older. or i wouldn't really know. so, i don't know what will happen now, and i know the lamest solution would be to put an entry in my blog, but for me that just seemed like the most logical thing to do.
right now, i don't feel anything. truth is tinatamad na ako umalis [if they force me to travel alone]. and i think i have to make a decision right this moment. hay.
anyway, for some comic relief..
this is the "Rules and Regulations" sign we saw at the room we rented at puerto. we especially liked no. 10. hwahaha.
Rules and Regulations
- Please deposit all important things because the management are not accountable for any loss of customer's belonging.
- Observe cleanliness
- We have an inspection/cleaning the room everyday at 10 am.
- Don't throw the cigarettes butts on the floor or elsewhere inside the room
- Please bring out all garbage to collect every 10:00 am.
- Vendor's are not allowed inside the room.
- Keys should be taken care of because you will be accountable for its lost.
- Don't leave anything outside the room before going to bed.
- Check out time is 11:00 am. Any extension of stay is subject for an extra charge.
- Any appliances that will be out of order thru your carelessness or neglegence of taking care, you are liable to shoulder the the [this is not due to my typo] repair, but in case that it is destroy due changes of current, you will not concern for it.
- Please observe silent from 10:00 pm till 9:00 am.
* * *
just a note: 4 years ago was my debut. i am getting old. [groans] wala lang.
Labels: kajologan, pilipinas, trip
harkadah goes to puerto galera!
[warning: a really long entry. i felt like writing an article.]
i'm finally back home, after living two and a half days beside the beach, eating nothing but grilled food, wearing only shorts, tank tops, and anything beaded or knotted together, and struggling without land transportation, total sun protection, and a sink [blame it on the cheap lodging. at least that saved us hundreds of pesos]. no, i was not a contestant for survivor; i spent my whole weekend with the harkadah - (well, 6 of us at least [me, neil, jenny, jenny's james, penny and weki]) at puerto galera. we've been planning to go there since last year, but we never pushed through with it due to foreseen and unforeseen circumstances.
i was surprised that my parents actually allowed me to go to another island with my friends. it was probably the most extreme thing they did for me eversince they allowed me to go to punta fuego with neil's barkada last january. but of course such benefit is correlated with my dad's erratic temper, so before and during the trip, i had to endure his inconsistencies ["i don't remember allowing you to go puerto galera." "you didn't consult me before you planned this trip."], his paranoia bordering on hysteria ["how's the security? do you see security guards/policemen around? ANSWER ME: do you see security guards/policemen around???" -> this one got me though; i spent the next 30 minutes asking assurance from neil and jenny that we were secure in the island. gawd, i HATE lawyers], and his other attempts to undo his "mistake" of allowing me to go ["i'm going to talk to all your friends about it." "someone was killed in boracay." "you should concentrate (eh?) on your US trip]. and the whole time, i felt like i am the most suwail child in the family since i'm probably the only one stubborn or bratty enough to go against what my parents want. it's just that sometimes my parents are overdoing it; i understand that parents can be paranoid sometimes, but i think a response of "i don't want to lose my youngest child" after asking my dad if i could go surfing in san juan is a bit overboard. and look, i arrived home in one piece. nothing to worry about.
enough about that issue already. here's my trip in a nutshell.
the good part. it was my first time to travel to another island in the country, so even getting off the boat on the shore of puerto galera was enough to fascinate me. the whole idea of having a lifestyle by the beach is a novelty for anyone living in the city. so, here are some of my puerto highlights:
- the atmosphere. the place actually reminded me of the movie, "50 first dates" [especially with the soundtrack playing occasionally], where everything's just so simple and laid-back. everyone is in cool summer clothing, much like the ateneo blue roast 2003 with the beach theme, and everyone is in a positive mood, since we all went there anyway for vacation. there were no idle moments; when we're not doing anything, we would lie down on jenny, penny and wex' sarongs and enjoy the cool sand and the peaceful sound of the waves; we would order halo halo or anything fun to eat; we would walk around the beach and take pictures of everything. the view was also breathtaking to the point of being majestic, when you think about where they really come from and who made them all possible. naks. my stubborn self again attempted to capture everything on film, but i have to accept the reality that some things are just too great to be encapsuled or reduced in such simple things as pictures.
- shopping! i guess i carried along with me my impulsive shopping habits. i got mesmerized with all the choices and the cheap prices that i forgot to haggle. i bought two board shorts and a board skirt for only 150 bucks each. i bought my sister, brother and brother-in-law also. i was able to buy reversible shorts for nong and patrick for only 130 bucks each. here in manila, they sell the same shorts for around 400 bucks. and we don't even have much choices here. i also bought anklets/weaved bracelets. the anklets cost only 10 pesos for 3 pieces. and i thought 10 bucks apiece in baguio is already cheap. when we came back from puerto, mama of course noticed and looked strangely at my anklets, joking that she only saw such things tied on goats' feet. o k a y.
- snorkeling. this was probably the highlight of the entire trip. i was even thinking of not joining, but i decided to anyway since everyone else [except penny] was going snorkeling. we rented a boat [the phenomenal "king jhun". hehe] all the way to coral beach, which we rode for around 20 minutes. we were able to see the other beaches around the island. the weather was good also, well, at least good for jenny and me. it was drizzling inconsistently, but it wasn't strong enough to hinder us from riding a boat or snorkeling. jenny and i are satisfied with the weather since we don't want to get sunburned, lest we might look like negritas afterwards. penny and neil were disappointed; they really wanted to get a tan. anyway, about the snorkeling experience, we rented another boat that took us to where the nice corals are. and i rediscovered that the underwater is a different world altogether. sure, i have seen it from the discovery channel or even from finding nemo [hehe], but it's different when you see it first hand. everything was just so breathtaking that i wanted to keep my head down the whole time. we were like kids pointing at different sea creatures and other forms ["look! there's gil from finding nemo!" or "isn't that a blue starfish?" or, while pointing to a brainlike coral, "so that's where (place name of some stupid person here) left his/her brain"]. too bad we weren't able to bring an underwater camera. james even took off his life vest so he could go underwater, and he took out this blue starfish out of the water which we later on christened as "patrick [from patrick starfish of spongebob squarepants] jenny" [eh?]. there was this shallow part in the ocean where we could step on the corals. we had diving shoes on, but we didn't want to make use of them due to neil's traumatic experience with the sea urchins the other night. hehe. we had to leave because of me - i got too dizzy with staying in the water movement after too long. and i thought it could only happen when i'm actually riding the boat, the same way i got dizzy while we were on the boat from batangas. i hated myself for being such a spoiler. in the end, it was a good thing we decided to go back to the island, since there were probable signs of rain, and the boat person didn't want us to get stranded in the beach just in case the waves get too strong.
- food and atmosphere in selected establishments. generally, the food in puerto is plain, and there isn't much variety [they all serve grilled kebabs and any other grilled food], but some restaurants are worth trying. we spent saturday night in coco aroma, a bar/restaurant somewhere in the far end of the island. the place is relatively big, and it is a bit far from the noisy quasi-clubs and bars in the middle part of the beach. the atmosphere was also great, as compared to the other
carinderia-like restos we tried that are no different from structures like ateneo's manang's or UP's mang jimmy's or beach house. there was a band playing [it was open mic, so we kept on convincing jenny to go onstage, but she didn't concede. tsk], there's a bonfire outside, there were wooden chairs and nice african/hawaiian accents all over the place [i just couldn't figure out what the hell is a glass/china elephant doing there]. the choco banana drink was also great! neil and i were already full from consuming a big meal before that, but we decided to order one since penny recommended it. it was a bit pricey though, but it was worth it. another place we enjoyed was nikita. the resto's atmosphere reminded me of gayuma/likha-diwa; it was a very artsy fartsy place with reminders of bob marley all over. we only ate there for breakfast, but there tocino was good, and surprisingly, the service was fast. their choco banana pancake was also a good pick. for 50 bucks, it was definitely worth it. lastly, the halo halo in coral beach was, quoting from dozens of satisfied customers, the best. since penny stayed on the island [she didn't go snorkeling with us], she got intrigued when everyone else was saying how good the halo-halo was. and we proved them right. it was tastier and richer than the other halo-halos in puerto or even in manila.
memorable quotable quote: the kid onstage was singing, "i am burly breathing" by duncan sheik. heehee.
the best halo halo!
neil and i eating [devouring? hehe] the choco banana pancake
- of course, the harkadah. yes, we were still our crazy selves, so we still laughed uncontrollably for the most worthless reasons [like teasing penny that she looked like a mattress because she had a bed cover for a blanket, and she was covering whole body from head to toe with it. we didn't even know how that started, but it was enough to make us laugh probably for a whole 20 minutes]. we didn't need alcoholic drinks to make us act all drunk and crazy. hehe. during the boat trip, we kept on calling the boatman, who was actually named lito, "jun" because of the name of the boat ["king jHun"]. he was probably pissed at us already, but we just kept on forgetting what his real name was. hehe. and we kept on laughing at all the signs with wrong grammar around the place. i know it's mean and evil to laugh at other people's mistakes, but we just couldn't resist when we saw the signs [as in, "mais con yellow" when it's supposed to be "hielo" or "hulf steak" as in "half steak"]. we also played the neverending card game of "bluff" when we weren't at the beach. too bad the others weren't able to come. i'm also proud to announce that there weren't any kamalasans throughout our stay [well, except for the time neil got 17 needles (are they even called needles?) from the sea urchin, there were no stars for two nights because of the cloudy sky/rains and there was a blackout as soon as we arrived the island. hehe]
the infamous "king jhun" [pronounced: "juhun"] boat
a candid pic of penny habang natutulog. hehehe
the not-so-good part. i've always wanted to go to puerto galera since i've heard nothing but all out praises for it from almost everyone i know. honestly, i think it has been overrated. neil, penny and i [the first timers] were discussing about it, and we shared the same opinion. the place is nice and all, but i don't see why people single it out above everything else; there are other nice beaches around the country, but they don't receive as much attention. penny dispelled the notion that puerto galera is "poor man's boracay" because it cannot even come up to the standards of boracay. neil and i were also disillusioned when we couldn't find a single first aid station when he stepped on a sea urchin during our first day there. ["first aid station?
wala kami no'n dito."] whaaat?? how could you not have a first aid station beside the beach? they must have presumed that no one's ever going to get hurt that they didn't even bother to set up one. good thing we were able to find some people who were nice enough to help neil out [they said that the best remedy is calamansi or urine. but that's another story. right neil? hehe]. one more negative thing about the place is the food. i must admit, the food is generally cheap. the service, however, was terrible. we had to wait at least 30 minutes before our order arrives. maybe it's due to the poor facilities [i wouldn't be surprised if they only have one cook and one oven/stove per restaurant], poor management, and too many customers. also, most of the food we've tried are the same, no matter which restaurant you are. after a while, i didn't want to see another plate of grilled food again. i don't think there is even any competition; no one is struggling to even improve their services or menu a little. they are probably assured that no matter how bad their service is, people would still eat there anyway. also, if you're looking for a little peace and quiet away from the city, don't go there. since the island is not too big, everything is cramped together - restaurants,
tiangges, bars, etc. and it's pretty crowded anywhere you go. i even saw several familiar faces from school [UP & ateneo]. at night, they convert the establishments into bars and clubs, so expect loud music and drunk people dancing the night away. but, if you're really not into that you could still stay in a more quiet place, and that's what we did on saturday night. lastly, i didn't like the lodging. my friends have always told me that there are a lot of cheap rooms around, but i shouldn't expect such an extravagant place. i was kind of preparing myself for such, but i didn't expect that the room would be that bad [i.e., no sink, bad drainage system in the shower area, as in the sand practically stays on the tiled floor, bad location, occasional blackouts, poor lighting, as in only one yellow lightbulb, seemingly unclean looking bedsheets and pillows, irritating pink floral curtains, and the list goes on]. penny and i were even joking that it was like immersion all over again, but at least when we had our immersion we had a sink. hehe. but then again, we're probably just picky, because a lot of people i know are not complaining about it. well, to each his own. but if i were given a choice, i would honestly pick a different place the next time i go there. i just hope i would have enough money to pay for a better room.
when we came back from puerto, despite the bits of bad details, i realized that summer is coming to an end. it made me sad to face the fact that the next time we would go on such a trip would be at least a few months from now, or, more realistically speaking, a year from now, since everyone would be busy again with work and school. the downpour is not even helping. oh well.
you can view the entire puerto galera album in my sony imagestation here. [you need to log in] if you don't have an imagestation account, you can create your own account [it's free anyway] or just enter my username: lianner00 and password: lianner0. get ready for crazy pics. hehe. :D
Labels: beach, harkadah, pilipinas, summer, trip
summer updates and kamalasans
summer might be coming to an end for most people [for all students, at least], but for me, it has barely begun. blame it on the blasted oblicon orals due to which my summer vacation was bumped off to a later date than usual [april 12 =P]. also, my major summer trips are scheduled this May [last May 3-5: la union; May 7-9 (today!): puerto galera with the
harkadah; May 13-June 3: US]. i had fun within the first half of the summer though - i tried surfing, jazz dancing, went to the gym irregularly, met up with high school/college friends, watched
masikip sa dibdib starring rufa mae quinto and got majorly disappointed, turned 22, became an ukay ukay "entreprenuer" [haha. more details in the next paragraph], fixed all my freshman year law cases into piles [believe me, this is quite an accomplishment] and went out on several planned and spontaneous [unplanned; or planned a few minutes before] gimmicks with friends. it was certainly better than being stuck in law school.
regarding the ukay-ukay thing, we held an underground garage sale for three days last week. underground, because my dad didn't know about it. hehe. so as soon as he leaves the house, manang would pull out boxes of old stuff and a long rack of clothes and display them in the garage, and we would post the neon colored garage sale signs on the gates. and the whole household conspired to make it possible - my mom, my sister, my nieces the maids, the drivers, even my aunt and cousin who live across the street. when my dad is on his way home, the driver would text the maids about it so they could fix up the whole garage as if nothing happened. it must have been such a funny scenario - like something picked out of a lame 80's comedy film or some mission impossible movie. hehe. the next time we do it, we're probably going to have surveillance cameras and radios just to preserve its secrecy. weki and i actually planned the whole thing. we had an ukay ukay sale before at her house, and there were a lot of items left, so we arranged another one so she could dispose of the boxes of junk left off from the previous sale. also, i desperately needed money. i was able to generate around 5 thou [excluding weki/neil's shares], enough for the la union and puerto trips. i didn't expect such a large turnout. even mama, auntie norvelle, kris and my sister were surprised with how much money we've earned that they've also contributed some stuff. we were supposed to hold a sale for only two days, but seeing how successful and lucrative it was, mama extended it until saturday. and she even bought some shirts from divisoria to add to the items. i felt quite guilty with the whole thing though - i think i should be giving away stuff i don't need anyway instead of selling them to others. oh well.
* * *about the la union trip..i - or rather we [me and the rest of the harkadah hehe] - have a life that would put lemony snicket's a series of unfortunate events to shame. i think this fact has already been proven way back when we were still in college, i don't think there's any need to re-establish it every time. but nevertheless, here's another story to further prove my point: jenny, neil and i went to la union primarily to learn how to surf. but when we reached san juan beach, the whole place was quiet and empty. apparently, there weren't any waves. i didn't know that was possible, since it never happened when we visited the beach before. honestly - and i'm not just saying this to make the entry sound more interesting - i never saw san juan beach as quiet as when we went there last monday. the Se-bay resort, where we used to stay, was actually closed. there were only around 6 people in the beach, and most of them were kids making sandcastles by the shore. being the stubborn kids that we are, we decided to rent a board and just practice paddling, and probably neil and i could teach jenny a little bit of what we learned last holy week on surfing. but before neil could ride the board, jenny got stung on the arm by this small jellyfish. we had to get out of the water and she had to get the sting treated. again, it was the first time i saw a jellyfish in san juan beach, or even knew that jellyfishes did exist in san juan. the person at the surf resort told us that there are a lot of jellyfishes around when the water's calm. no wonder. anyway, we went home, disappointed, and, on jenny's part, itching. we checked the beach morning and afternoon on tuesday and wednesday morning just to see if we could surf. no luck still. [as if that wasn't expected yet hehe]
on our last day [wednesday], i decided to take them to luna beach, the one where the shore is made up entirely of rocks of different shapes and colors. neil has been there before, but jenny hasn't. we collected stones for almost an hour, despite the piercing summer heat. since it was getting too hot already, we decided to go back to the car. we found the car parked near the shore area. before manong started the car, jenny and i were even joking that due to our streak of bad luck, the car would be stuck in the sand and we wouldn't be able to get out of there. lo and behold, our little "prophecy" came true. every time manong would step on the accelerator, the wheels of the car would dig deeper into the sand, making it more difficult for the car to move. apparently, the car is not capable of driving on sand since it is not 4wd. it took one hour and a lot of help from the locals residing in that place before the car finally reached a safe area. neil and some others who helped us pushed the car while manong steered the wheel. jenny and i, on the other hand, were helplessly watching on the shore. some folks were nice enough to lend us a big shade they usually use to block off the sun while the workers pick stones. we tried to hide from the sun the whole time while listening to ilocano kids in front of us making fun of everyone else. anyway, we were able to get out of the place in one piece, and now we're back in manila.
lesson learned: si jenny yung malas, hindi ako. bwahaha. or maybe the two of us create an "interaction effect" [we learned it somewhere in psych before...]
and in a few hours, we're going to puerto galera with the harkadah. yay! it's my first time to go there. we've had enough kamalasans already to last us a lifetime - i hope there won't be any in puerto. hay.
Labels: beach, harkadah, summer, trip
