me, the wannabe diver

I went diving again yesterday. The last time was actually 21 years ago, that i had to take a "refresher course" in case i'd miss some important rules--like how to stay bouyant, reading and giving hand signals, etc.--that are real important while down under. We are so lucky to have a number of swimming pools in our little city for our practice session, and the Lagundi Reef, our marine sanctuary, is just a 10-minute motorized boat ride from the Poblacion beach. So, anytime we feel like going for a fun dive (or to the pros, an exploration dive!), we can always do so without having to worry about so many things like a vehicle to take all the scuba equipment, a place to stay, et cetera. And yep, the scuba things--the oxygen tank, wet suits, masks, fins, etc--are always there waiting for their next users. Thanks to the TCSLSCAI people who always accomodate me everytime I come around to pester them. Thank you, guys! :) And yesterday's dive was really good, it gave me a certain confidence I never had before, in fact, I am now ready for my next adventure. ;) Yeah, I got invited for a more daring dive this Saturday (the reason why I had to practice again). I just wish it'd be as fun as my other dives. I really wish!

---

Yesterday's visit to the Lagundi was also a chance to see Ana Escalante Neri, the cross (see pic on the right) that immortalizes her is now sitting among the corals of different shapes and sizes, exactly where she wanted to be, as while still alive she was always heard saying, she belongs to the sea. Fellow divers actually refer to the cross as Ana, like when they asked me if I wanted to see Ana once I get down there too...Of course, that dive would never be complete without seeing her! And I did not just see her, I touched her like we were tight like that (like the jellyfish and I like that. pakyo!). Oh, if only we were friends...

One diver, that guy who have dreamt of Ana thrice, showed me a quote from her that tells something about sincerity. It went like: You can never find sincerity in the face of the world, only in the deepest chamber of the heart, its calmness, the serenity of sincerity...or something to that effect. I'm not very fond of quotes but this one means something, told--on the third dream--by a person who has already died. There are actually more to these dreams...

So yeah, you should talk to him if you want to know his "meetings" with Ana.

bulgari

...in my purse :P

7 ways to make me happy

tagged by carlo. i tagged him first, pero gi-tag sad ko niya'g balik. pwes, i-tag pud taka'g balik, dhong! wahahha...

1. lying in the grass. just thinking of myself doing it already makes me smile. :) haven't done that in a long long time, feels so relaxing. i think i like to do it with a friend or two. yeah, like what christina and meredith (of grey's) did once...

2. having coffee with my friends. i don't care paying P120 for that moment with my friends. whip it up with a well-blended mocha frap, that already spells good time.

3. movie watching. can't live a life without this one. i think i was born to shell out some of my earnings for movies. and i don't care, it's my pleasure.

4. walking in the beach. or anywhere where there's no noise, not much people around. i like to really think sometimes, and unwind, and breathe.

5. eating. pizza, ginamos, buwad, puto, tinunuan nga utan nangka, etc. i love them all! :)

6. traveling. take me anywhere. to egypt for the mummies, europe to see the castles, or anywhere, for free. sa local scene, pwede ra camiguin, vigan, tagaytay, benguet (for the hanging coffins)...

7. scuba diving. the wonderful world underwater. i miss it!

i tag carlo, joya, feebee and juter. or all of you, happy people! :)

two words

life sucks!

her bitching...

Quoted from Malu Fernandez' article published in People Asia's June 2007 ish.

However I forgot that the hub was in Dubai and the majority of the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) were stationed there. The duty-free shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cell phones and perfume. Meanwhile, I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them.

While I was on the plane (where the seats were so small I had bruises on my legs), my only consolation was the entertainment on the small flat screen in front of me. But it was busted, so I heaved a sigh, popped my sleeping pills and dozed off to the sounds of gum chewing and endless yelling of “HOY! Kumusta ka na? At taga sann ka? Domestic helper ka rin ba?” I though I had died and God had sent me to my very own private hell.

On my way back, I had to bravely take the economy flight once more. This time I had already resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine in a sardine can with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while Jo Malone evaporated into thin air.

All in all, it’s been a pretty good summer. Jetting from the Aegean Sea to the Pacific may sound a bit pretentious until you wake up in economy class smelling like air freshener.

---

There are so many sites, tingog.com, for example, lambasting her for that bigotry. But is that really bigotry?

"I obviously write for a certain target audience and if what I write offends you, just stop reading,"--her answer to the complaints.

Exactly!

14 ways to make me happy

AT least one person has told me to junk this pair. It’s faded, more bruised than it already was since it was bought almost a year ago. I understand their concern, especially that I’m supposed to be presentable in all ways because of my work. Presentable to boys is what they are actually trying to tell me. Pre.sen.table, my ass! I am not that, I can never be that. And I am what I am, no one can change that fact, that even my mother has long given up her case on this issue, so you can now forget your dreams of seeing me in stilettos and some skinny jeans and whatever you call those top things that I can’t imagine myself buying, never mind wearing them. Ghad! I am a low-maintenance person; I live comfortably with my kind of shirts, jeans, sneakers, slippers, and boy legs, thank you very much! So I’m not throwing this one pair yet. Well, unless naay donations diha. Tee hee.

Speaking of donations, my birthday is coming up again (the third one for this year) and I need some stuff to make me a little happier. ;) Oh yeah, I am always asking for some things, but what can I do, I am just a timawa, who thrives on donations. So here’s my not-so-complete list:

1. white ukay-ukay shirts. I like their fit, really. They’re comfy, good for my Sunday leisure walks in Poblacion, and pangsimba na rin.
2. a laptop. This is so mahal I know, and I’m not asking it from anybody who can’t afford it, so please don’t yell at me, I’m just making a list here!
3. a new cellphone. I don’t care if it’s not the latest model; I just need a new one to replace the one I have here before it finally goes away. It’s dying, fyi.
4. a sling bag. I know someone who can donate one. Hoy, ikaw! :D
5. a gameboy or any portable game sets (PSP ba kaha). A good company while I sit on the bus on my way home, or for long travels.
6. a portable AM/FM radio. The smaller, the better. This is for news monitoring (I’ve been looking for this for a while already, just can’t find it.)
7. a Starbucks mug. Before ko makakawat og usa. Hahahah!
8. a snorkeling set. I really wish to have one, as in, really have one before the Camiguin trip. 9. anything that has a tennis racket on it. a brooch or a pendant, perhaps. Wala lang.
10. Chocolates. Pwede ra daghanon. Bahala!

11. DVDs or VCDs or CDs. Anything that can make me high on music or movies.

12. a gold bar. HAHAHA!

13. a pig. I think I like to have a pet again.

14. tsinelas. palagot sa kontra.

People, this is just a list. Don’t take it seriously, please. Thank you.

pictures from the south

The Northern part of Cebu boasts for its vast rice fields, sugarcane farms, virgin bukids, and Titay's.

Liloan's Titay's. A welcome stop-over to make wiwi (their CRs are clean), and if you are not in a hurry, might as well want to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee or an ice cold coke nga parisan og init nga meat roll (fresh from the oven jud!) or puto (we call it bingka sa Talisay). Or mag-take out for pasalubong, if you like.

Bogo City. A good three-hour ride from Cebu City. You have to pass by Mandaue City, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, Danao, Carmen, Catmon, Sogod, Borbon, et cetera, to get here. The first time I was here was several years ago, and I remember feasting on the sights of the many ancient houses that dotted this little town. Bogo, the municipality, was actually a craddle of ancient homes. I wonder where these treasures are now though, as they weren't there when I came back last Wednesday to see them again. Or I might have missed their location. Sayang!

Spot It. Must be the reason why feebee had to warn me not to eat just anything while in Bogo. So mao ngali. Hmmm....

give me chocs!

Minutes ago, I gave one of my Dewberry tarts to an officemate, who happened to stop by my cubicle, and shortly after the massage session she gave me (oh yeah, I held her up for it), another officemate/friend offered her big bar of Cadbury chocolate to me, plus two chocolate-coated marshmallows. So that’s exactly what they mean when they say, “When you give to the Lord, the Lord will give you more.” Although I’m not saying my officemates and I are lords. Don’t be ridiculous! It's this, in a place--where everyone eats anything edible regardless of who owns it (so better keep your food in your drawer locked!)—like ours, free food, which means no more coercing (or worse snatching) to be done--is always a welcome treat. I give because I know that makes someone happy, I take because I want to be happy (no threats included, I swear), the give and take rule lang bitaw. So you see, eating, no mater what it takes to get to this part, is always a happy thing. :D

The Cadbury, one packet of Dewberry tarts, and two mallows. RIP.

the piso-piso shopping

The following items were shoplifted from Unitop Tabunok:

A "dim night lighting" lamp for P32

A Clip-on book lamp--P27

WTF is happening to this world???

*breathe*

Just yesterday a friend admitted that she’s already into that thing with her boyfriend. That’s quite normal these days, and I have no problem with that or whatsoever. I don’t really care.

But, this is a friend! And her case is different! She’s doing it with her second-degree cousin. Jesus Christ, of all the millions of men of this country! We've already foreseen it, as she sort of brought herself there--closer to where he is. Pero ingun ana man jud na’ng gugma, di ma-ispeling. But that is still a shocking revelation. Plus the fact that by submitting herself to this guy she has somehow trapped herself forever in this incestuous relationship. I mean she’s a woman, free and smart, and yet stupid. Excuse me, that is just an expression.

So what's my problem? None. It's her life, but then again, she's a friend. We met last night, and being her friends, we told her she and her boyfriend could go out of the country and get married there. That’s how practical we are, but I still believe that what she allowed to happen is still the stupidest among all the decisions she’s ever made. But of course, it’s her life.

So I woke up this early to discuss her life here. I don’t know if she still passes by this blog though. And if she does…you can kick me in the butt next time we meet.

Here’s my take:

Section 1 of Article 38 of the Family Code prohibits marriage of blood relatives up to the fourth civil degree or first cousins, so meaning, pwede ra ang second cousins. One good example: Mikey Arroyo and his cousin Angela. However, there are scientific reasons like a high risk of producing abnormal babies, for one, that surround this issue. And that although it’s already been made legal—both by the Philippine law and the Catholic Church—we can’t still extinguish the fact that this is still incestuous.

So it is legal already, but what about the kids? Granted they are physically normal, with the kind of culture we have here, I don’t think their lives will be the same as those born by unrelated parents. Hence, the best option, as suggested by many, is to leave the country and start a family there, if you really want it. I heard some states in America even allow first-degree cousins unions, might as well join the mob.

We had a neighbor before who screwed up with his mother's younger sister (his aunt), who is a little older that he is. They are married now (although that is still void as such union is prohibited by the same code), but they have since transferred to Timbuktu. Seriously, they are now living just down the road where their neighbors don’t know what they are, making them far from the prying eyes of their old neighbors. The only problem they have now is how to tell to their three kids—who fortunately have no signs of birth defects—their story. Because even if you have already settled down in some cozy place with your cousin-partner, there are still other matters to consider. Like, your children. Do they have to know the story or what? That's probably the toughest part of this relationship. Siblings who are also cousins and things like that...Yo!

You see, this is really hard for those into it, especially to you, friend. And I don't understand why you've kept it going all this time when you know it's never peaceful there. All right, it's love. Jesus! Pero I’m sure tiguwang naka kahibalo naka’s imong gibuhat and all its consequences. If the news had only sunk in while we were still in that coffee shop gahapon, gikarate na ngali tika.

I’d love to throw my support to all of my friends in need and even those who are not basta feel lang nako, but I don’t think this one needs some supporting. In the first place, I’ve never been supportive of this relationship from the start. Goodness, you can pick up a prosti, a macho dancer, or even a same sex partner, ayaw lang jud na’ng paryente. That’s still ickish! And that’s a friend there I see wasting her life with her cousin. Yeah, you are so wasting your life, friend. Or I maybe just too blind to see that you’re happy. But that’s your life, bahala ka!

sinamang palad

nagkatag ang shits ug pisti 'rong adlawa. a bad day for me! not that i figured in an accident, though, or worse raped, ginoo! di sad siguro ingun ana kadimalas (I'm not giving any hint here, so please...).
so ang estorya, i was sent this morning to Dalaguete town to cover an event there. im always around to take that "extra mile," as what our boss has been telling us to do for us to overtake our biggest competitor. so anyway, i did not only take an extra mile, i took hundreds of miles to do my own overtaking. solo, take note! not a photographer was available, so my own cam came in handy, as it has always been since it has been known that i own one (duh! but it's an extra income, my dear :P ).
the place is two hours away from Cebu City. that's like a repeat of some songs from my 512MB ipod bec it only contains enough to last somewhere in Carcar. Carcar is already far, you know. pero heck! i would do it over and over if i had to being one of the few comforts available to me while inside the van since i could not talk to anyone there, because i don't know them. you know, nanghitch ra ko. or i was invited to share the ride because i was a "guest" to that event.

the journey going to the place was fine, although i was not comfortably seated pero okay ra, nanghitch ra lagi ta.
we got there at 10am, but they had to start the event at around 11. then the proper event, and later on the speeches. 1,322 speeches all in all, i ran out of ink!
it was almost 1 when we had our lunch. if we did it quick, in my thought that time: we would be on the road in 30 minutes. in 10 minutes i was already done, all set to go home. but the people, who i do not know (except for the fact that they are connected to this person, and this person is connected to me, and like that...so i had to tag along with them. see, i had no choice!), were taking their meal forever! nahuman nalang ko'g interview sa mga tawo, nangaon pa jud sila! and after that, they had picture taking, while i was there in a corner of the room swearing under my breath (if they could only hear). i had to tell them that my deadline was almost up, and when i did they were just like "kevs!" and went back to their picture taking and some more socializing with the other people there. yati!

wap-a natagbaw ang mga inatay, namutos pa jud! and it took them another several minutes to complete the job. that was like an agonizing wait in my part considering that i still had 3 stories to write, a friend to meet (which was cancelled, maayo nalang!), a meeting with our boss later in the afternoon; and it was already almost 2pm! pwede man nila puston tibuok dalaguete, but on some other time, nga dili ko kuyog! sus! they don't know how a single minute is important in a journalist's life. char!

but at last, nakasabot siguro sila nga pwerte na nakong hiloma, they decided we should hit the road. good!

we had an additional passenger in the van, a guy, who talked a lot, laughed a lot, clapped his hands a lot, and chismoso to the nth power. imagine the noise with his doing all these things every now and then...grabeh, nabungol ko's akong music!

leason learned: Don't go out on a Friday!

Ouija, this is really horror!

Starring Judy Ann Santos, Izza Calzado, Jolina Magdangal

I think it’s a lot better than The Grudge and The Ring series combined, although this flick uses some of the scenes—the wall crawling ghost, for one--from these two movies and from some I can’t remember. And although the ghost reminds me of Samara minus her trademark shiny straight black hair, the execution of every scene where she (Magda) is there (it is aptly played by a girl I don’t think has ever played any role before not even on TV, which is just as well as the stranger to his/her viewers the actor for a scary movie is, the more convincing his/her character becomes) is done skillfully that her presence alone can already generate screams from the audience (based on their behavior tonight). It’s that scary (and funny too, as every scream is always followed by a burst of laugher, a good segue to prevent heart attack. lol!), that a boy two seats at my right blindfolded his eyes, and seeing that he was clearly not enjoying the movie his parents had to escort him out before the first half was through.

Well, in my case, I almost lost my voice from screaming and laughing out loud, I even forgot the discomfort of my creaking seat (the very thing you get from an 80-peso ticket!) because practically every scene in this movie is that engrossing. Plus the fact that it shows Camiguin’s underwater cemetery—which I’m hoping to personally see soon--is more than enough reason to stop complaining for having a rocking chair, which I’m never a fan of--for a movie seat. For a first directorial assignment (for a full-length film, I mean) Topel Lee did an amazing work here.

The actors. No doubt they are all good. Jolina is still kingkoy—that scene where she hides in the blanket while the ghost is hovering around her room, that is really hilarious. And guess what happens next while she’s inside the blanket? Mm-hmm.

So I had fun. Hopefully the part 2 will be this good too. No talks about the sequel yet, but director Topel Lee has not “killed” the real ghost here, so it’s really bound to come back. I hope. Well, let’s see.

sikat ang Pinoy!!!

ladies and gentlemen, the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center inmates performing their own version of "Thriller." Before it hit yahoo, it was already in youtube. Ingun ana na siya kasikat.

the headline

"Olango birds get stiff competition: 4 Japs filming beach sex fall"


That's TF's banner for today. It talks about four Japanese nationals caught making sex video somewhere there in the island of Olango. Leche, ari jud sila magpatuyang. But the brighter side of this story is they did not include Pinays as "stars" of this whatever film they were making. Grabeh na biya ang mga scandal rong panahona: CDO scandal, Cebu scandal, et cetera. Not to mention those porno mini movies starred by Filipinas, exploited by some foreign nationals. Mga animaaal! Kabaws lagi ta!!!

the comment

below is the e-mailed comment i received for my article on HP7 that came out in TF last Monday (see post below this entry). although i've read some things about it already, this still surprised me in a way...like hello? daghan pa mo? come on, we are already in the digital age for goodness sake!

Hello,

I read your comments about JKR issued by Freeman today.
First of all, I ask you if you are a Christian. If not then its ok for me.
However, if you are a Christian, then I would like to tell you something?

There is no point of arguing about the art and skills of JKR when she wrote these HP stories. She was genius in this field (as a novelist). However, she was allegedly a confessed anti-christ person. She even worshipped Satan rather than any other else.

She purposely wrote the the HP stories for the children. From here, the children will learn somewhere in this world about sorcerers, atheism, paganism, etc.. Children will think of non existing God.

This is only a warning to our children and to us. Not to accept the stories of HP to our daily lives. Please take ponder on the purposes of JKR, why she wrote this HP stories.

TF Reader

And my reply...

i really dont know why some people would like to associate religion or Christianity, for that matter, with the Harry Potter series. but then again, everyone is entitled to his own opinion.