all-expense paid overnight accommodation na, choosy ka pa?!

what's not to like about:

1. a free overnight stay in boracay?
2. at a well-known resort/hotel?
3. with free buffet dinner and breakfast?
4. inclusive of all transpo expenses?

sounds perfect, right? but i would like to borrow carlo aquino's infamous line in the vilma santos starrer, bata, bata, paano ka ginawa?

AKALA MO LANG WALA! PERO MERON! MERON! MERON!

we were supposed to be back in manila hours ago. thanks, but no, thanks to seair's i-don't-know-if-it-can-be-called-customer complaints handling, we are back here in la carmela for an extended overnight stay. that is, just 6 hours from checking out this afternoon.

looking at the fun part of it, the extra 1 day vacation seemed to be indeed a good thing. what was hard for us to accept was the way the problem was handled. allow me to let you in on what happened.

our original caticlan-manila flight was set at ETD 1620hrs, and boarding time was set at 1605hrs. we were at the crampy caticlan airport as early as around 3pm, and have completed the tedious manual checking in process as the baggage x-ray machines have all conked out. since it seemed the aircon was not enough to cool down the entire place, we decided to stay at the smoking area (which was, ironically, had a decent working ACU) and endure the time bathing in second-hand smoke while waiting for the boarding time call.

at around 3:55pm, we left for the waiting area. no call for our boarding time was announced at 4:05pm. what we kept on hearing were individual names being called to go to the check in counter, one at a time. at 4:15, fritz decided to inquire about the flight, but he was told there is going to be a delay, and they promised to announce through the paging system. which they did, and they even promised to make another announcement after 20 minutes. which never came.

at shortly before 5pm, i heard my name being called to report at the check in counter. upon arriving there, i was told that they will be arranging for our overnight accommodations as the flight has been cancelled already. the irony of it is that out of the 30+ passengers of the flight, there were only 11 of us who were left. apparently, for the passengers that were called before us, special arrangements have already been made for them to be able to go back to manila.

everything that ensued next was an exchange of complaints and non-sense replies. or at least, that is what it seemed to us. they cannot satisfactorily explain the reason why there are only 11 of us left, and how they decided who leaves and who stays. it was as if they ruled our lives and they had all the right to decide for us. and the argument lasted for more than 2 hours.

unfortunately, to cut the story short, we really never had any options but to stay, because of these reasons:

1. our flight was the last seair flight for the day
2. the other airlines are fully booked
3. caticlan airport doesn't operate/allow flights beyond 5pm
4. taking a manila flight via kalibo was out of the options as the flights are fully booked as well
5. the one who should be calling the shots for seair was nowhere to be contacted

well, i just hope my boss is reading this. and i hope this gets an approval for a half-day leave tomorrow.

and you know what, i just realized another thing tonight. it was sooooo difficult writing your blog with fingers crossed.

10 little known things about me

hello blog! long time, no see!

evonne, an officemate, recently wrote something about wanting to try to revive her blog. we had a chat about it, and told her that i share the same feeling. i miss putting my non-sense thoughts into something retrievable and shareable too. lintek kase ang mga micro-blogging sites like twitter and plurk, hirap na akong mag-isip ng maisusulat na mahaba-haba.

so when i revisited this site, muntik na akong sumpungin ng hika. spiderwebs and dustmites galore. hahaha.

now equipped with the drive, yung ideas na lang on what to write ang kulang. what to write... what to write... what to write...

*long pause*

ok, how about going more personal? hmmm... this is a bit of a challenge. you definitely know how we celebrities value our privacy. but let's see. with the emergence of the various social networking sites, and with me joining the bandwagon, uso pa ba sa akin ang word na privacy? so i'm taking the challenge by trying to come up with 10 things about me that people don't know about, or is probably known to only a few.

let the countdown begin!

1. choco wacko. i'm a sucker for anything with chocolate. ice cream, cake, candies. name it, and i won't have second thoughts about trying it. nag-start akong maging cautious about losing weight talaga last january, pero when i attended a gathering wherein may choco fondue, nakalimutan ko kung anong ibig sabihin ng losing weight.

makes me think, i haven't tried that chocolate frog from harry potter's world yet. san ba makakabili nun?

2. cats. i recently watched the staging of Cats at the ccp, featuring our very own ms lea salonga. incidentally, i'm a cat lover myself, back during my childhood. of all the cats that we had, my favorite will always be Maxi. or Max. his mom, barely a few days' old kitten then, came to our lives days after kuya regie passed away. must have been by divine intervention.

Max got his name from, uhm, the late Max Alvarado (RIP). his fur was a combination of black and white, with some of the black covering his jaw, kaya nagmumukhang balbas-sarado sya. get the story behind the name?

gusto ko ulit mag-alaga ng pusa, kaya lang mahirap yata dito sa place ko ngayon. kawawa naman kung iiwan ko sya mag-isa araw-araw. i'll probably get one, and have my nephews take care of it in the province. now, that's an idea!

3. 16. no that's not age. late bloomer ako, so virgin pa ako nung 16 ako, ok? 16 stands for 16 pounds. since i started running in late april, that's how much i've lost until mid-august. (insert applause here.) darn! i'm so damn proud of myself i am patting my own shoulders right now, left hand on right shoulder, right hand on left.

honestly, i had been in my most disciplined state ever, diet- and exercise-wise. come on, if you're reading this, you are probably my friend. shouldn't you be proud of me too? tara, let's celebrate. buffet lunch at dad's?

4. nunal sa talampakan. sabi ng mga supertitious fellows natin, sign daw yan ng pagiging gala ng isang tao. totoo ba ito sa akin? parang hindi naman. (ang kumontra, lulumpuhin ko. wala akong pakialam kung may nunal ka rin sa talampakan.)

seriously, i really love travelling. i love nature. i love the beach. i haven't tried trekking, but i wanna try it.

ang totoo nyan, sa sobrang hilig kong gumala, may mga sinalihan na rin akong promos na travel ang premyo. malay natin, di ba?

5. masarap sa loob. para sa mga nag-iisip ng bastos jan, shame on you. this post is related to no. 4. marami-rami na rin naman akong napasyalan at napuntahan, but the truth is, hindi pa ako nakakalabas ng pinas. yung lumang passport ko, nag-expire sya ng walang stamp ng kahit anong bansa. kawawa naman, di ba? muntik na akong bumili ng stamp pads nina pooh at mickey mouse, matatakan lang sya.

hay, ang ugly ng truth na ito. pero sabi nila, the truth shall set you free daw. sana may mag-sponsor ng free lakwatsa ko. hindi naman ako pihikan. kahit yung star cruises lang.

6. pampamilya lang, hindi pang-sports. if any of my cousins would be reading this, please correct me if i'm wrong. but as far as i know, parang walang nahilig talaga sa amin sa larangan ng sports. i mean, as players. sure, we do watch ball games, boxing matches, and all, pero not one of us became good sportsmen. believe me, being un-sporty is one of my biggest frustrations.

as i have mentioned above, i started running early this year. the other week, i attended the badminton clinic sponsored by the office. i hope it's not too late to start to be sporty.

i'm glad that some of our next gen are now into sports.

7. i'm a fAnne! ok, this is a bit of an overdue confession. i like anne curtis! i Followed her on twitter, i Liked her facebook page, and if i have time, i watch showtime because of her.

this fascination, i think, started when she took on the role of celine in abs-cbn's drama series Maging Sino Ka Man, which, to date, remains my favorite soap opera.

i must confess though that i have not went out of my way to the moviehouses to watch her movies. but if she asks me personally, face-to-face, i'll probably do it for all her succeeding movies. that is, if i don't die when we meet.

8. bloodsuckers. of late, i'm so hooked into The Vampire Diaries and True Blood. not so much with the Twilight saga, pero pinanood ko na rin. i don't know, pero nakakaadik talaga itong mga series na ito.

siguro, what made me hooked to these series is the idea that vampires are just there, mingling with ordinary people like you, and celebrities, like me. dati kase, vampires are portrayed differently in movies and tv; now they're out in the open.

what i'm sure of, yung istorya talaga ang sinusubaybayan ko, not the stars, as opposed to my fascination with Anne. saka na siguro pag nagkabati na yung front teeth ni anna pacquin; may gap kase sila until now. but hey, i also find nina dobrev hot. kung sya naman ang kakagat sa akin, hindi na ako papalag.

9. food. kahit pa nagpapapayat ako, i never really hated food. i still pig out every now and then, eating what i want. minsan nga buffet pa. kaya nga siguro ako lumaki ng husto dati dahil sa katakawan.

during my childhood, lumaki ako sa masasarap na luto ng aking dalawang lola: si apung ciana at si lola virgie. my paternal grams was into native desserts, like ginataang halo-halo, ginataang mais at palitaw. ang lola ko naman ay mahilig sa masasarap na ulam. escabecheng isda, beef liver steak, bopis.

kasabihan na, pag kapampangan daw masarap magluto. kaya kapag fiesta sa amin, dumarating yung mga pinsanin ni erpats para magluto ng masasarap na ulam. kaldereta, asado, arroz valenciana, lumpia.

living on my own for some years now has taught me how to cook. marunong naman akong sumunod sa instructions sa product labels at cookbooks eh. haha. but i still miss my inay's cooking, especially her chicken asado, sinampalukang manok, champorado at tuyo, at ang bopis na minana nya pa kay lola.

ayan tuloy, nakakagutom.

10. 600. ayan, obviously hindi rin yan edad. unless i'm a vampire. (last na kase, kaya parang dapat summary na. ) well, yan ang grado ng mata ko ngayon , both eyes. i started wearing glasses when i was in 4th year high school. malakas ang ulan noon, charo, at sabik na sabik na ako sa aking asawa. joke.

again, nag-umpisa akong magsalamin late nung high school. basta, bigla na lang nagbabaan ang grades ko nun. (asus, naghanap pa ng rason!) hindi ko kase nababasa yung sulat sa blackboard, kaya hindi ako makasunod sa lessons. (naks, at talagang kinarir ang alibi!) ayun, it turns out, 250/225 na pala that time ang grado ko.

i wore glasses until mid 1995, tapos nag-umpisa na akong mag-contacts. so far, nag-stop na sa 600/600 ang vision ko since then. 

ayan, nakatapos ako ng 10 items. i survived the challenge! next time, 20 items naman. we'll see. siguro pag inalikabok na ulit itong blog ko, or pag napanis na yung mga pagkaing nabanggit ko.

2009 Rodelicious Awards

The year is almost about to wrap up. But before it does, I want to announce the categories for the first ever Rodelicious Awards, the most prestigious, most coveted and most abso-freakin-lutely delicious award-giving body in my universe.

As follows is a partial list of the categories and the awards that are at stake this year. This list of categories is intended for the author's workplace side of his universe. (Whether there is a next installment of the categories is still yet to be seen, depending on his appetite for writing.)

1. Ako! Ako! Lagi na Lang Ako! AwardThis is given to the most conceited people around. Feeling pinagiinitan. Or feeling pinaguusapan lagi. Or laging target ng mga projects. Pasensya na po, trabaho lang. At least for the last one.

2. Umayos Nga Kayo Diyan AwardThis award goes to two or more persons or groups of persons who always choose to oppose. Yung tipong ultimo kulay ng papel whether off white or beige, pagtatalunan. Hay. Ikaw ba naman ang umattend ng meeting na laging referee ang role mo. Utang na loob, umayos kayo.

3. Bibo si Daddy, Bibo din Kami AwardI will give this award to the teams na talagang isinasabuhay ang quality objectives ng grupo. Credit should be given to the lead, pero nonetheless, kung hindi nya nakukuha ang cooperation ng team, wala din. At dahil jan, tuwang-tuwa ako sa inyo. Kudos.

4. Highblood Moment of the Year AwardSa trabaho, hindi maiiwasan ang mga eksenang nakakapagpataas ng dugo. Pasaway na katrabaho. Emails na hindi maganda ang choice of words. Ugaling nakakairita. Naku, mukhang andami kong pwedeng i-nominate. Haha.

5. Suspense-thriller Moment of the Year AwardMga pagkakataong nagiiwan ng bitin feeling, na hinaluan ng mala-roller coaster na emotions. Yung mga eksenang naghihintay ka ng specific na announcement na maaaring makaapekto sa yo, at hindi mo mawari kung kelan darating ang anunsyong iyon, kung darating man. (Teka, ako lang ata ang nakaka-relate dito.)

6. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder AwardEto na ang panahon para koronahan ang mga taong ang drama eh absent kung absent. Walang paki kung may mga project na hindi matatapos. Or schedule ng audit, pero itutuloy ang bakasyon sa Palawan. In fairness, matagal nang naka-book ang flight na yun, as early as March. (Nag-explain daw ako bigla. Haha.)

7. Ginawa ang Salitang Angas Para sa Akin AwardAngas na nagkatawang-tao. Whether positive or negative ang implication, para sa inyo ito.

8. Ang Dali-dali Lang Niyan AwardPara sa mga taong kung makapag-comment tungkol sa trabaho ng ibang tao eh kala mo kung sinong superhero. Madali ka jan! Eh kung ikaw kaya ang pinaglalaba, pinagpaplantsa, pinagpipintura ng kisame at pinagme-memorize ng alphabet ng pabaligtad habang nagkakandirit pero naka-high heels! Tumigil ka.

9. MI ang may Hawak ng Solusyon sa Lahat ng Problema AwardHindi ko alam kung anong droga ang nasinghot ng ibang tao, pero hindi po totoo ang sinasabi nilang hawak ng team ko ang lahat ng solusyon. Hindi kami kailangang um-attend sa lahat ng meeting, kase for all you know, umaakting lang kami. (Obviously, kase puro kami artistahin.) Minsan may tinatawag tayong common sense. Gamitin natin ito.

10. Pramis, Draft ko Lang Ito AwardBakit nga ba may mga emails tayong nare-receive na feeling natin eh aksidente lang na napindot ni sender ang SEND button? Merong punong-puno ng tantrums. Merong isinulat ng ubod-emosyonal na galit. Merong mala-formal theme ang dating, yung tipong pagbalik ng titser sa estudyante eh para na syang coloring book kase andaming kulay pula. Pero ganun pa man, maraming salamat sa inyo, kase hindi matatawarang tuwa (at katakot-takot na tawa) ang naidulot nyo. Hindi nyo lang alam.

Nomination is now open. Hurry now and send in your nominees!

To send in your entries, just type AWARDS<space>[CATEGORY]<space>[Nominee]<space>I am such a gullible person<space>[Favorite color]<space>[Favorite day]<space>[Enumerate all 7 dwarfs]<space>ON and send it to your seatmate's mobile number. Bahala kayong mag-away pagkatapos.

the good in goodbyes? yes, there is!

flashback, may 2, 2002. i wrote the article below and emailed it to my office friends. the next day, around 3 people from other divisions na nakasalubong ko told me, "i liked your article." it was apparently circulated among my friends' network of friends as well. that should have felt good, however, it was not enough to cover the sadness of the announcement that day: the company that we're working for is closing down.

that news simply meant we had to say goodbye to a lot of things we've come to enjoy, love, and live with. especially friends. for an ambitious undergrad who's about to lose his job, this also brought the fear of the unknown.

fast forward, august 2009. i would say that the lowest times of your life could bring out the best in you. but i guess, only if you would allow it.

sharing this with you guys. i'm tempted to edit this to improve on some parts, but decided to keep it as is. i just took out the lyrics part.

*.*.*.*.*.*

7 Years

Have you heard of South Border's latest release, entitled 7 Years? If not, just read the lyrics below. It's a sad song about a love affair, which, after counting seven long years for its existence, it had to end. A classic example of the saying that everything, either good or bad, whether we like it or not, really must end.

It is but timely that I write about (and share with you) the longest affair I have ever had. Yes, it's been seven years too. My affair with Innodata started March 27, 1995. Or maybe a few days earlier if I should count the days allotted for the exams, the interview and the contract signing.

I could still remember the essay question in the exams: "How do you see yourself in 5 years?" Blame it on the youth's idealism, my answers were more of the assertive type. Not just because I wanted to impress the people at the recruitment section, but because I was really full of high hopes with this then would-be relationship. Luckily, at least 80% of what I foretold I was able to achieve. Among others, I was promoted, I am earning a 5-figure salary, I am self-sufficient, and somehow, apart from meeting my needs, I was able to obtain some of my wants. On the contrary, I am still single today and I have yet to finish my college degree.

If only to give credit to whom it is due, what I have become today and what I have achieved I attribute to my having an affair with Innodata. Would you believe me if I said I was wearing a 29-inch waistline denim when I first reported for work? Seven years after, I am proud to say that my waistline is 5-inch larger, thanks to the daily doses of MTP's and the now-defunct Recto's viands. I can only imagine my taste buds holding their placards asking for a
change in my diet. <smiles!>

When I was seven years my junior, I was only equipped with the most basic knowledge in computers. I barely knew that there are a lot of ways to create a document other than WordPerfect. I was not even told that a mouse is not just a synonym for rodent. Was I that ignorant too to think that adobe was merely a type of brick or clay? Or that AC/DC (ACDSee) is just a colloquial term for a bisexual?

During the course of the past seven years, I was introduced to Bill Gates (not personally, though) and his Microsoft. No, they were not third parties to the affair. They merely acted as accessories to it. I have learned that one need not be a nerd to be able to use a computer. I have gained basic knowledge on how to utilize softwares such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and lately, Outlook. I have learned to reach out to others faster through e-mail. I have met virtual friends through mailing lists and even tapped my knack for writing. This one, for example.

I admit, just like in most relationships, there were times of trials before when I felt that I wanted to get out of this affair. Pressures would come every now and then. Thus, every now and then, too, I am tempted to break free. But my love for Innodata have always taken the best of me that is why this relationship still exists up to now.

The past year saw the most tumultuous stage of this affair. Nevertheless, I kept holding on, hoping against hope that we will overcome the problems that we were experiencing. I even consented to travel to another facility just to help the organization in transfering its projects. I traded one semester (my last one, supposedly) in school just for this purpose, keeping in mind that I am doing this because I love my job.

Despite of all this, I could sense that nothing has changed. Or maybe there was, but not for the better. What was a beautiful love story before just turned out to be a suspense-thriller now. Lately, it has become a roller coaster ride for me. After all the loops and turns, I am pretty sure the ride will end, but I just can't predict when. And I am more sure that I will endure the ride, so until then, I will remain holding on.

Believe it or not, I am not a pessimist. I just know trouble is near when I see the early warning signals. Will this affair finally end after seven years? Probably. I could see it coming. But then, whether this affair will end sooner or later, I am thankful that it ever existed for seven long years. At least, it was not a one-night stand.

@>~ @>~ @>~ ~oOo~ ~<@ ~<@ ~<@
                 RODEL & INNODATA
                       1995 - 2002 (?)
@>~ @>~ @>~ ~oOo~ ~<@ ~<@ ~<@

P is for Palawan

...at P as in Pugante din. oo, pumuga (tumakas) ako sa ISO surveillance audit namin sa office last week para mag-Palawan adventure.

in fairness naman sa akin, this Palawan trip has been conceived months before the audit sked was finalized. i even alerted the concerned (ehrm, bosses) that i am on scheduled VL on the dates that they were considering for the audit. patigasan na lang ng ulo ang labanan, sa isip-isip ko.

anyways, as i have committed naman, i ensured that i've got my assignments (for the audit) covered before i go on leave. photo-finish yung review (and re-writing!) and approval ko ng procedures, guidelines and forms. mga 80 plus lang naman yun. tapos ibinilin kay essen to represent the team during the audit. (i even got periodic updates on the audit through SMS while i'm away. thanks essen!)

bukod sa audit, mejo kinabahan din ako na baka hindi rin ako payagan magbakasyon ng panahon. panay kaya ang ulan until monday, the day before ng alis ng grupo. not to mention, dalawang low pressure areas ang nagbabadya at that time na maging full blown typhoons. pero sabi ko nga, patigasan na lang talaga ng ulo. hangga't hindi cancelled ang flights, tuloy ang lakwatsa.

day 1

we spent day 1 with the subterranean river tour immediately pagdating namin ng palawan. the tour costed us Php1,500 each, inclusive of the boat rides, the permits, the driver and tour guides, and the buffet lunch. (da best ang chicken adobo nila, swear.)

the subterranean river really deserves to be acknowledged as one of the new 7 wonders of the world. it's a breathtaking experience with nature and its wonders. the paddle boat ride into the cave takes around 40mins, but only up to about 1.5 km inside, then back to the cave's entrance. mejo tinakot lang kami nung nakasalubong naming isang paddleboat, sakay yung bangkero at dalawang turistang babae. "magandang hapon sa inyo. anim po kami kanina." tinanong ko tuloy yung bangkero namin ng, "kuya, saang part dito ihuhulog yung kasamahan para magbawas ng sakay?" so far naman, kumpleto naman kaming lumabas.

we had a hearty dinner naman at bilao at palayok. the menu composed of seafoods and native dishes sa abot kayang halaga.

just before hitting the sack, we took a dip at the hotel's pool. we stayed nga pala at moana hotel, which was a few steps away from the airport. very convenient.

day 2

the itinerary for day 2 was the hunda bay tour. the package costs Php1,100 per head and includes, again, the driver and tour guides, the boat rides and entrance fees and the buffet lunch.

bale yung tour is composed of cruising around the islands, tapos stops sa tatlong islands, namely, starfish island, snake island and pandan island. along the way, we were introduced to luli, yung islang lumulubog pag high tide at lumilitaw pag low tide. reminds me of charlene gonzales during her Miss U Q&A.

starfish island was called such dahil marami daw starfish. true enough, nakakita naman kami ng anim. marami na nga yun. pero mas marami akong nakitang jellyfish. feeling ko magpo-protesta sila later on para baguhin ang pangalan ng island.

yung snake island naman ay tinawag na snake island dahil maraming snakes. nah, korteng snake kase sya, although that is better appreciated if you have an aerial view of the island. pero na-appreciate ko yung tigil namin dito dahil for the first time, nakapag-fish feeding ako. saya-saya. andaming isda, iba-ibang specie, iba-ibang size, iba-ibang kulay. and yes, we found nemo there.

yung pandan island naman, muntik ko nang pagkamalang starfish island. dito kase talagang maraming starfish pero yung specie na maliliit at payat. pero it was really as if nakatingin ka sa langit dahil andaming stars. ayaw mo man silang apakan, hindi mo naman maiwasan dahil sobrang dami talaga nila. anyways, ang kwento sa min, dahil daw dun sa maraming wild pandan naman kaya pandan island ang pangalan ng isla.

we were back at the hotel by 4pm. for lack of something worthwhile doing, napag-tripan naming pumunta sa katapat na salon ng moana. nagpa-hand paraffin si abby, nagpa-footspa si donna, at nagpa-highlights kami nina tracy at mae habang si jetroe naman eh busy sa kaka-picture. pero astig yung salon ha, kase may free drinks ang customers nila.

for our dinner, we explored rizal avenue at kumain sa 7B plates. again, seafoods and native dishes ang kinain namin. in our tinarantado-ng-adik look, dahil hindi maganda ang kinalabasan ng highlights namin. sobrang nabusog naman kami, pero pagdating ng hotel, nakuha pang tumungga ng isang the bar vodka. plakda sa bed pagkatapos.

day 3

we never really got to decide beforehand what to do on day 3. una, the city tour costs Php600 per head, tapos half day lang. parang hindi makatao. ang una naming usapan was we will explore the city by ourselves, sasamahan na lang namin ng tapang. over breakfast though, we decided to hire a van (with the driver syempre), pero wala nang tour guide. tutal wala naman kaming kahilig-hilig makinig.

after our busog lunch at mang inasal, dumating na yung sundo namin at direcho na kami with the tour.

we went to crocodile farm (kung saan pinagalitan kami nung tour guide naman nila dun dahil late daw kami. malay ba naming may oras pala ang pagpasok dun), to iwahig penal colony (at namili ng ilang pasalubong na produkto ng mga inmates dun), to ex-speaker mitra's ranch (kung saan kami inulan habang nagpipiktyuran), to baker's hill (kung saan nakahiga lahat ng mga characters on display like bugs bunny, snow white, et al dahil baka daw bumagsak sila sa lakas ng hangin kase nga umuulan. ang bukod tanging hindi nakahiga eh yung piratang nakalambitin sa bintana), to baywalk (kung saan tyinaga din naming magpiktyuran kahit inuulan kami) at sa cathedral (kung saan nagdasal naman ang mga kasama ko na wag nawa kaming ulanin paguwi namin ng manila the following day). come to think of it, naging Php250 per head lang ang cost namin. maraming salamat sa surf at naging wais kami. ambait pa ni kuyang driver.

ang 3rd dinner namin was at sari's baryo, kung saan matatagpuan ang pinakamalaking palayok sa buong palawan. (tingin ko lang.) nilubos-lubos na namin ang seafoods at native na motiff namin. the kare-kare was superb.

again, a short dip in the hotel pool bago lumaklak ng gsm blue naman this time.

day 4

our day 4 was kinda laidback. hindi na kami sabay-sabay gumising. abby and i had breakfast at jollibee tapos direchong tiangge-tiangge to buy the pasalubongs. mejo nahirapan akong mamili dahil bukod sa budget, i was also concerned with my baggage dahil naka-no check-in baggage ako na booking sa plane.

when we got back at the hotel, siya namang alis ng mga kasama namin to do their shopping. sinamantala naman namin yung mga huling oras sa pool, until lunchtime. tapos we had lunch at pizzito, na nag-se-serve ng pizza in cones. gusto ko sana syang i-try kaso nabusog na ako sa pizza at pasta na inorder ko.

by 3pm, we were at the airport already. our flight was delayed dahil kasagsagan ng lakas ng ulan sa manila. our original ETA in manila was 6pm, pero past 7 na kami nakarating. the good thing about it was that wala na ring ulan pagdating namin.

overall, the entire trip was quite pricey to think na discounted na yung airfare. ayoko na lang mag-compute. but then again, i would say that the experience was great, and i would not mind spending kung mag-e-enjoy naman ako once in a while.

~waiting for the next pugante adventure...~

kapitan sino

Rating: ★★★★
Category: Books
Genre: Other
Author: bob ong

this is the first time that i'll be doing a review. pinilit kase ako ni paul. at nagpapilit naman ako. hehehe. btw, thanks paul for informing me about the release of this new book.

i have always been trying to avoid writing reviews for the longest time. for me, the difference between a plain blog entry and a review is that the former could be as easy as relating an experience, such as a trip, a get together, a quiet time. with the latter though, you tend to give out more about yourself to your audience in the virtual world that is the internet. i don't know, ayoko lang sigurong masyadong maging open, lalo kung hindi naman lahat ka-close ko. (labo!) asus, kaya pala andaming kong pictures na nakahubad sa internet. hahaha.

anyways, it must have been some simple twist of fate that the first review that i'll be doing is about one of my inspirations when it comes to writing.

(warning! if you are not prepared for more spoilers about the book, stop here.)

dalawang taong sikad ang nakaraan mula nung lumabas yung pulang aklat ni bob ong. macarthur, that is. oo, ganyan namin tawagin kaming mga alagad ni bob ang kanyang mga akda. according to kulay. green, yellow, black, white, orange, red.

now comes his latest. kulay pilak this time, na pinamagatang kapitan sino.

true to what the author said in his white book, there will be a time na magsusulat sya ng libro na hindi ka-kontemporaryo ng mga nauna nyang libro kung saan mala-blogging ang style na ginamit nya, at kung saan din talagang minahal sya ng mga supporters nya dahil sa estilong ito.

samakatuwid, kung ang hinahanap mo sa libro ni bob ong ay yung mga tipong abnkkbsnplako o ang paboritong libro ni rodel, este, hudas, then the silver book is not for you.

the silver book tells about the beginnings and the endings in the life of a superhero. kung papano nya nadiskubre ang mga superpowers nya, kung paano nya ito pinilit na gamitin para sa ikabubuti ng mundo, at kung papanong ang powers na ito din ang naging dahilan ng kanyang kasawian. (ayan, spoiler alert!)

ang setting ng kwento ay late 70's hanggang 80's. dito sa bahaging ito ng libro nya ipinasok yung mga kakulitan kung saan mas nakilala si bob ong. kumbaga sa radio station, bigla mo na lang maririnig ang mga salitang, "hitback! (echo: hitback! hitback!)" or "where were you(!) when this song was... no. 1! (echo ulit: 1! 1! 1!)" habang binabasa mo yung libro. (a friend of mine read the book kasabay ko. hindi sya maka-relate kase mid-80's sya pinanganak. kailangan pa nya akong tanungin kung ano or ipakanta sa akin yung lyrics na binabanggit ni pareng bob sa libro.])

gaya ng orange at red books, isa itong nobela. or tipikal na kwento. may simula. may introduction ng mga characters. may plot. may climax. may ending.

at gaya pa rin ng orange at red books, hindi sya basta nagtatapos sa isang tuldok. kung susuriing mabuti, sa kabila ng mga sad endings ng mga librong ito, nagiiwan din sya ng palaisipan sa mga mambabasa kung papaano magiging applicable sa kanya-kanyang buhay at pananaw sa buhay ang mga pangyayari at ang mga sirkumstansya na nakapaloob sa mga kwentong ito.

in other words, maaari kong ihalintulad ang mga akdang ito sa mga akda ni rizal. payak, pero may malalim na leksyon, kahulugan at pakay.

maiksi lang ang kwento. kayang-kayang basahin sa isang upuan lang. unless mangawit ka at gusto mong tumayo. or humiga ka habang nagbabasa tapos bigla kang nakatulog. that doesn't count then. sa sobrang iksi ng kwento, mejo nabilisan lang ako ng konti dun sa development ng characters. hindi masyadong nabigyan ng bigat yung importansya nila. but then again, kwento ito ni bob. sino ba ako para mangialam. nakikibasa na lang e.

overall rating ko for the book, 4 stars. na-capture nya yung ideal values na dapat isabuhay ng isang taong marangal at may malasakit sa kapwa at sa kapaligiran, while at the same time, gusto nya ring ipahatid na kung walang pagkakaisa, ang isang mundong maayos at walang gulo ay isang kathang-isip lang.

M.Y.O.H.

henaku. nakigulo ako kagabi sa rockwell dahil sa tsinelas addict na si jay. sabi ko dati, hinding-hindi kikita sa akin ang havaianas na yan. jusko, tsinelas for one-kiyaw?! hindi makatarungan!

pero hayun, when in rome daw, do as the romans do. palusot ko na lang yan. natuwa naman kase talaga ako dun sa Make Your Own Havaianas event na yan. kaya hayan, my first pair of havs, black sole with red strap, with matching nationalistic pins: philippine map, Noypi and bora (basta beach sya, anubah.).

i wore them kanina during the service management workshop. when it was my time to present our group's output during the workshop, nag-side comment si taselle ng, "with his new slippers." na kinorek ko naman ng, "with his new, customized and personalized slippers." haha.

sa sobrang pagkamangha ko, may tina-target tuloy akong isa pang combination. royal blue sole with orange straps. aren't you reminded of something? haha.