the first time i went to Apo island 2 of my friends gave me a send off on the way home by jumping so near our small banka. at that time i was so delightedly shocked that i forgot my camera at hand.
now, for the second time, i never dared to forget my camera coz i know they'll be there waiting for me and i was right! and you know what the best part is? they brought their whole tropa along! how cool is that?!
i love my dolphins.
and
i love apo island.
and i'm assuming enough to say that i was the reason why they showed up. they are such intelligent creatures that they can sense i'm coming. i'm that special and that's how strong our bond is.
someday my beautiful sea friends i shall swim with you. i shall make it my mission. till then.
When you are living in a country with 7,107 islands, depending on how high or low the tide is, it makes sense not to go back to the same place again and again. But like everything else, there's always an exception, and that is Dumaguete....
I got acquainted with Dumaguete because of the pizza that my friend Gayle raved about. And as haughty toity as it may sound, I only went to Dumaguete to eat pizza - 2 SLICES OF PIZZA with a service water to be exact. This has nothing to do with my being a cheapow, I was just shamelessly poor and so were my friends whom I shared slices with. On the brighter side at least I got to taste the pizza, however, I can never tell if it was really that good because my tastebuds were constantly cleansed by the service water that I had to drink to fill my hunger. But if you must ask, the service water was indeed very satisfying...
Aside from the service water, what really draws me to Dumaguete is it's humble charm. For a T-shirt, shorts and tsinelas girl like me, I could totally blend in there. I laaahvet! Plus I left my heart in Apo Island so that pretty much explains why I'll always make Dumaguete as an exception to my self imposed policy.
****
May 22-24, 2010
KUMUSTA DUMAGUETE?....
This is the 3rd time I've been to the City of the Gentle People and the 1st with my goirls. Left the Cebu South Bus Terminal @ 7am bound for Lilo-an, Santander and arrived at Sipalan after a 15 min fast craft ride and finally reached Dumaguete City in time for lunch. Had a not so yummy lasangna at SANSRIVAL but was compensated by their uber famous delicious-Oh! desert - the Sylvanna.
Shortly after lunch and after abusing our hospitable host, tita Gwen, she then brought to us to the falls to cool our warm bodies. Made a short stop at the....
HOLY SMOKIN' ROCKS!!!
Literally that mountain of rocks were smokin' hot that it's boilin' water and smellin' nasty. I haven't seen anything like it. I don't know what the geological explanation behind it is, but all I know is that you're guaranteed a hard boiled egg in 15 mins. if you put an egg in its water. Amazing right? But the smell is really bad, but not bad enough to stop us from posing for pictures.
PULANG BATO FALLS
The rocks on this falls are of normal color and so are the other falls in the area where the warm blooded people swam to cool their warm bloods off. But I don't why among the many other normal falls we chose to swam in this...
murky looking falls that tasted a bit like rotten iron. Maybe we just wanted a different colored falls for a change or maybe we were just being selfish to want our own private falls so we didn't have to share it with others. Either way we got what we wanted. We were the only ones freely swimming and climbing on the rocks there. But weirdly enough, we were able to draw spectators among the locals and I only have 2 theories for that. It's either they were mesmerized by the bikini clad monkeys or they knew that that falls has sulfuric content and that we are nuts for jumping in there. Since it was too late to realize the possible dangers of the water, we just comforted ourselves with the fact that Dr. Wong's Sulfur soap is selling like hotcakes so there's no need to worry.
BACK TO THE CITY...
The city is such a small place that it would really be pathetic if you'd still get lost. That's also why I like Dumaguete because even if I still confuse myself with my right or left (that's how big time my sense of direction sucks!), I could still get to wherever I wish to go.
Since it was the last day of the Flores de Mayo, we encountered a parade of trikes on our way to the cathedral. They said that the city usually invites local artistas for their Sta. Cruzan, and we thought that the parade of trikes was already it, but our jolog hopes were immediately dampened when we found out that that was all there was to it, a parade of tricycles. At least we got a picture with the trike.
Day 1 ends
****
Day 2 begins
APO ISLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The main purpose of our trip was to bask in this beautiful wonder! I looooove Apo Island. My second time to be there and I have a strong feeling that I'll fall more madly inlove with it every time. It just takes my breath away!
I haven't been to the rest of the Philippines, but I can definitely say that this is my favorite island outside Cebu. The rock formations is SPECTACULAR! the crystal clear water is HYPNOTIC! and the diverse marine life is just absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
That makes this island so great is the number of activities offered. Being one of the best dive spots in the country and the world, I failed in my promise to go diving the second time I got there. Being a poor miser who's still saving for that diving license and being a cheapow who's allergic to the rates of their discovery dives, I settled for snorkeling which was very addicting.
Snorkeling even in the shallow waters of the island could easily make you forget about the human world. It's like being drawn to the scaly, thrilling and colorful world of fishes and corals. Much more when you're in the marine sanctuary wherein it is just bursting with marine life. It's a magnificent close encounter down there and if lucky you'd be snorkeling with a bunch of Pawikans (turtles).
There's also rock climbing for the adrenaline junkies and the lazying in the sand for the, well, lazy. I like the fact that the island is well protected and that there is a visible cooperation between the leaders and the community. The fees are also well regulated from the banka to the entrance fees and etc. It only gets annoying when there are locals following you around for the fees of this and that. If they could just package all the expenses together then it would be a lesser hassle for the visitors, especially those on a budget like... must I mention who?!
Again, I LOOOOOVE APO ISLAND, and promise-cross-my-heart-hope-to-die the next time I go there I would definitely be diving.
****
FOOOOOD
Only in Dumaguete will you find the places that I am about to give a thumbs up.
1. Cafe Antonio. The self proclaimed best in city, is quite true. Among the other food place I've been to it's this quaint homey cafe that made the most impact on me. I'm not a foodie person so what really attracted me to it was the ambiance and the price (again cheapow talking!).
2. Manang Sioning. For a night, I had something in common with the Silimanians. I ate the pink barbecue of Manang Sioning. Initially, the yet to be grilled pink colored BBQ was not very attractive but once it's grilled and served, it's oh sooo yummy! I have to say that it's even better than the ones at Larsian in Cebu.
3. SANSRIVAL. The home of the famous pasalubong ng Dumaguete, Sylvannas. I don't have a sweet tooth so I'll just recommend this place to those who has one.
Then Mama Mia, still for desserts and coffee and Hayahay for the weekend drinking session.
But personally, there's only one food that I would highly recommend, that is ....
BALOT @ Boulevard
Now this is the food that is distinctly famous in Dumaguete. Just walk around the boulevard and you'll always find the balot hot hairy and waiting for you. eeeewwww2x! people must really cure their eeeewwwwness by trying one of these. YUM! ;)
FIGHTING SCENES
I don't know how it got started but Gayle and I got addicted to the fighting shots. From the park to the port we always had to have the fighting jump shots. Or you could say that wherever Kymoi and her cam is, we always had to have those jump shots. Thank God for your clickin' timin' talent moi.
SALAMAT OPSIMAS
Gayle Opsima, please extend my deepest thanks Popo Opsima, 2 tita Opsimas, and your little sister tita Gwen for accommodating us. Fine I'll hitch you, thank you tooo! ;) Your hospitality certainly made us stay on the budget. haha. Thanks muchos!
****
7,000++ islands more to go...so where to next?... ;)
all it took were two precious letters to make me cry... "L L"
Abing repeatedly said my name on skype for the first time this morning.
That was a priceless moment considering that we are continents apart and interacts only once a week through video calls. Am glad that she recognizes me, and I could only hope for us to have a great relationship despite the distance. I can't wait to hug and spoil her. But as of now, I'll just have to content myself with her blowing virtual kisses. MWAH! MWAH!
Lav ya my dearest niece.
You make me look forward to early Sunday mornings ;)
Only God knows why he didn't give me the talent for singing and only him knows why I try too hard to have that talent. But for whatever it's worth, at least my lack of talent was compensated by some hardcore GUTS to sing my heart out without any sense of humiliation and with complete disregard to the bleeding ears of the sympathetic people around to me. In short, call it happiness at the expense of others. ;)
Since I know that I am helpless and beyond repair in that aspect of my life, I could only wish to have that voice stealing power of Ursula in Little Mermaid. I wouldn't steal Ariel's voice coz it's just way too Disney for me and reality is, nobody sounds that way (or maybe I just haven't met them yet). Anyway these are the voices that I would definitely steal...if ever...
1. PINK
It's not just the hairstyle. I soooo wanted to be like her in high school, but I only succeeded in the badly maintained hair cut. My Pink-ish attempt failed because I didn't have the voice and the stamina to keep up with her pop-rap kinda style. I could barely catch up with the lyrics of her songs that 75% outside the chorus, I just mumbled my way. Good thing others weren't into her coz I'd be like a total "pa cool cool" wannabe, which embarrassingly is half the truth. At least am past that stage.
I love that edginess in her voice, and how it can blend with rock, pop and rap. She's my teeny bopper idol who is the only cool one worth mentioning, while the others, I strongly deny.
~~*~~
2. JANIS JOPLIN
Iconic. She just blows me off. Her voice would definitely take you back to the flower power Woodstock era. AMAZING. She's so rockin' effortless and her pleasantly raspy voice is just distinctly unique and very sexy. If only I sounded like her I wouldn't be blogging this moment, I'd be out doing gigs or better yet, have others blogging about me. hehe... silly wishful thoughts.
But there can only one rockstah and a fan between us, and I don't have to say where I belong in that picture.
~~*~~ 3. ADELE
How can she be younger than me and sound like that?!!!! I hate her! kidding... I love her. She's my current fave and my LSS. There's just something soulful about her raspy voice that makes her songs heartbreaking. Unfortunately, I just discovered her lately so I didn't know that her singing chops was already old news to the world. But I was born yesterday so forgive me if I go gaga over her.
Big talent and still young. Haaaay... kids these days! how fast time flies that I suddenly became the talentless tita.
~~*~~
Just a little bit of edge, a little bit of raspy sound. That's all I prefer for me to sing with my head held higher than where it is now. But since I was designed for another purpose, I just hope for God to bless those people with ear plugs, because for as long as I am here and is still trying my hardest, they are really gonna need those plugs.
Because unlike others, he is a man of vision and we have seen his vision come to life through Subic. Think about the economic boom and number of jobs created...
Because unlike others, he was able to sweeten the global image of the country with his WOW PHILIPPINES campaign despite the kidnapping out break. Think about pride restored...
Because unlike others, he has been at the front line of every disaster that stroked our dear nation therefore truly knows how it is to feel the plight of the victims? Think about real empathy...
Because unlike others, he doesn't play on the shades of gray. With him it's only a matter of whether he's against it or for it. Think about the strength of character...
Because unlike others, he hasn't given hazy mumbling speeches to please the crowd. He just knows what he wants so he simply gives nothing but his piece of mind. Think about the political will...
Because unlike others, he has never hired a showbiz personality to pitch in for him thus, making him the only one with the decency to treat the Filipinos as intelligent voters. Think about confidence in the people...
Because unlike others, he was the only one to recognize that the only way to accomplish change is to start from within. That Filipinos should be ambitious enough to reach greater heights and be assertive enough to materialize those ambitions. Think about reality...
Because unlike others, I could go on and on raving about him and then hope that others would be wise enough to realize that without any B.S. and sugar coating, this guy in red could really make a great deal of change for the better.
If he was able to create Subic an economic hub when he was still a low ranking official...
And capture the real essence of this country in just a short period...
IMAGINE, WHAT MORE HE COULD DO WHEN HE BECOMES THE PRESIDENT?
1. Candidates who makes politics their family business. I disgust nepotism in public office therefore I encourage everyone to ditch the candidate whose family names we've had to bear for the past yearSSSS! Seriously, when did democratic leadership ever become an inheritance?!
2. Candidates who are shamelessly exploiting the poverty slogan. Their cry of empathy for the poor is not only utterly fake (especially when they are riding in luxury SUVs and wearing that thick solid gold bracelets while shaking the calloused hands of the poor) but also downright thick faced! Only them can make the drama queen Judy Ann Santos seem underrated. Unfortunately, people just love those shitty soap opera kinda thing.
3. Candidates who can't get enough greed, despite being repeatedly attached to anomalous transactions, or worse proven guilty of corruption by court. Yes, am talking about ERAP and his lapdog son JINGGOY. But then again, people thrive on the drama so much that they draw a very thin line between the reel and real. Oh well, it's either that or those two are just heck of a fine actors, after all they had years of practice in playing heroes to the dim witted in the screen. Just to add, there are alot of ERAP and JINGGOYs in disguise all around, so yes am also talking about those filthy names.
4. Candidates who are semi auditioning into showbiz. Only in the Philippines would the political campaign turn into a talent showcase. Sure... what better way to impart your message than through a song and dance number?! But if you don't have the talent then might as well just hire the pros, and we voters, might as well also just cast our votes on those paid artistas. It shouldn't be more complicated than that!
5. Candidates who are litterbugs. Of course they paid some dumb head to post their unrecycable(?!) posters everywhere, thinking that everywhere is not a NO POST BILL zone. Nonetheless, these candidates should be responsible for the actions of their hired dumb heads. I tell you there is nothing petty about this practice because this would only reflect on the kind of candidate they are. That #1 they don't actually give a shit about the environment with all the paper and plastic waste they are contributing (despite their promise to be the staunch crusader of the environment), #2 they don't have a strong control and discipline of their minions (how much more when they get elected?!), and #3 they care less except for the vanity of seeing their faces plastered on the trees and private properties. 6. Candidates who doesn't have the backbone to make a stand. When the choices are only a matter of YES or NO there shouldn't be an answer of NO COMMENT or silenzzzzzz. People should worry when their candidates starts to speak like this coz it only means two things: no.1 that they don't have the political will power and no.2 they're protecting either someone else's sorry ass or their own sorry ass.
7. And most importantly candidates who disturbed my sleep early in the morning with their irritating campaign jingles serving as my alarm clock, and to think I don't have one. Noise pollution a great thing to consider for they disrupt the innocents' moment of peace.
Think carefully about your candidates. BE BLUNT. That's your right!
around noon... Mr. Sun greeted the cebuanos with a big....
HALO...
It was amazing! and you can't help but say halo-oh! back to Mr. Sun, even if it literally means blinding yourself from staring at him. But then who wouldn't wanna miss this moment when it can only happen once in every 2 years at different places and on a cold weather? The fact that it happened here in Cebu on a very hot summer was definitely worth a snap shot...
and my highest jump to sky came prepared. A sentimental heart gotta do what a sentimental heart gotta do... freeze moments.....ayeeeee.....
