Our 2nd Year Anniversary

Lately it’s been a bit difficult at home because I have to be like a one man army in the house. I’m literally alone in this 50′s era old house and I’ve been on my own like a year now. Today in our 2nd anniversary, we actually planned of going out of town, but because of the election we’re stuck here in Iligan and I’m here cooking food, cleaning the kitchen, the house, then feed the dogs later while working in my pc.

In other days, I do the laundry, pay utility bills and etc, buy groceries and stuff for the house, while I juggle this with my work and studying more stuff in the hopes of becoming a graphic animator for Marvel or Pixar (Chos!!) in the years to come God-willing… But I’m not complaining because I thank God for the awesome blessings that He has given me especially to my beautiful and wonderful Leia whose helping me in the house whenever she comes over, encouraging me in my dreams, reminding me that I’m a kickass guitar player, poet, pianist and comic book inker (Char!!!) rebuking me in my mistakes, watching out for my diet and health, scolding me for eating too much and most of all for loving me despite my obvious deficiency in height and punctuality at times, occasional bloopers, hearing problems over Skype, and “minuscule” forgetfulness.

This day is a special day for us and especially for me because not only I have found the woman that I love but because I know that I have been found (hehe) by the woman who truly loves me albeit my irresistable increasing roundness full of oozing cuteness. Most of all I thank the Lord for you Pengpeng!!! You finally found me! I congratulate you! Aw hehe … bitaw I love you so very much!!! Mwahh!! Mag diet na lagi ko (I’m really going to diet).. as in! XD Happy 24th monthsary/2nd year anniversary!!!

p.s. I am so blessed to have a wonderful, supportive, beautiful, faithful and loving girlfriend. She’s my best and awesome travel mate, my best eating buddy (though I’m the one who ends up getting rounder) and most of all my loving companion. I thank God for her and I am looking forward for our great future ahead… more places to travel, food to eat and more awesome adventures! I love you Peng! :* <(“) <3 <3 <3

p.s.s. I know I haven’t been blogging much lately because of work (I’m now a video editor and a motion graphic artist) but I will be back soon. I got so many backlogs but I believe I can catch up.

Hello 2013! Hello Poetry Again!

Hello 2013!

I’ve been busy for the last couple of months even till now so I haven’t found the time yet to blog but I surely will blog again because my backlogs are piling like crazy.

I would like to greet this new year with a simple poem I wrote yesterday and posted it on my Facebook . I used to write lots of poems and have it all posted in my Facebook notes, but this year I would like to start posting it here. I’m also thinking of posting my old poems in this blog.

To be honest, I’m not even sure what kind of a style I have in my poems (free verse, prose?). I’m not really too technical about my poetry, I just simply right and express.

I hope you’ll enjoy this one.

Title: Why?

I looked at you

With a frozen stare

As cold and silent

Seconds envelops

The suspending air

My thoughts race

Like galloping horses

Driven by brave warriors

To their inevitable end

—–

But within this strained

Unflinching eyes

A man is drowning

With questions

Burning like charcoals

Heaped at the crown

Of his head

Questions that did not exist

Till one fateful day

I saw you with someone else

—–

Then silenced was interrupted

With a single question

Finally thrown into the air

Imagine the red sea

Splitting between us

I asked “why?”

One word, that can

Echo through a lifetime

Like a rod striking a rock

Yielding not water

But curdling blood

From a wounded heart

—–

If it does not birth forth

An answer that can

Bring peace and rest

To this restless “why?”

Then it will be forever damned

Damned within this

Very mind and soul

Haunting each sleep

Bringing pain

To lovely memories

Of you and me

—–

And then

You asked

For one last kiss

Which I did not obliged

Because it will

Feel more like

A thank you and goodbye

Merged into one final gesture

Of loveless torture

—–

I will not allow you

To drive the final nail

So I walked away

While you chased behind

For that one last kiss

I thought…

Keep the nail

I already have two

On both hands

And a crown of thorns

In my head

Spare my feet

So I can walk away

And let my pain die in peace

—–

I stared ahead

A future of uncertain worth

Leaving behind a

Worthless certainty

And then

As I crossed the street

A flash

In a split second

There was no more street

—–

I stared again

Confused and shaken

There was no more street

What was once Shoppe 24

And a dusty street

With pixelated vehicles

And faceless kids

Across me

Is now a window

Without the misty

Glow of sweet sunrise

Kissing my face

—-

A hospital?

No,

Am I in heaven?

A heaven deserted?

Or is this Gehenna?

The accursed place

Outside Jerusalem

That turns out to be

A nice garden for picnic

—-

Where am I?

I realized

I’m still wrapped in an

Old blanket sheet

Instead of strips linen

Soaked in spices

Protecting me

From the post Chrismtas Season

And New Year’s Eve

Cold spells

—–

I mindlessly rose up

From my bed

And walked

Like coming out

From a stone tomb

Like an automated

Zombie

Obeying the commands

Of a bladder in full

—-

Then I realized

I had a journey

That exists when our eyes

Move rapidly

Like jumbled neutrons

Electrons and protons

In a billiard table

Creating a vortex

Fertile for the alternate dimension

To thrive and bring

Temporal bliss or despair

—-

Maybe the sandman

Lost to the boogeyman

In a game of chess

Still the word “why?”

Lingered like a souvenir

I brought from that

Alternate heartbreaking dimension

I went back to my bed

Wondering “why?”

—-

After almost an hour

Of fruitless pondering

I slipped again

Into the vortex

And found myself

With you beside me

In a foreign land

Smiling happily

My heart

Resurrected

Our love

Intact

A world

where the word

“Why?” exist

Not between us

But outside us

Staring at us

Chasing at us

But never conquering us

Then I knew

Why…

This is the alternate dimension

I would like to permanently bring

For you and me

—–

Yobz2013

—–

p.s. today is our 20th monthsary so me and Leia will be having a simple date later. Thank God for an awesome year ahead!

Happy New Year!

Typhoon Bopha/Pablo

Last year, we were devastated by tropical storm Washi/Sendong. Now, at exactly the same month, this massive monster is heading our way a couple of hours from now. This one is way bigger than Sendong and this is a full blown category 3 typhoon!

Rizal Park 2012

Here we were at Rizal Park when we were in Manila last month. This was before we went to Manila Ocean Park which is just right across Rizal Park or colloquially called Luneta, Luneta Park. Rizal Park is a perfect place to unwind, great for family picnics and get into a friendly duel with fellow Escrimadors early in the morning, if you are an Escrima practitioner.

It has a rich history from the execution of Jose Rizal (Philippine national hero), declaration of independence from American rule to the political rallies of both Ferdinand Marcos and Corazon Aquino. The latter sparked the EDSA revolution that toppled the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

Rizal Park is located along Manila Bay and it is also adjacent to the old walled city of Manila called Intramuros. Quirino Grandstand is also right across Rizal Park where Manila Ocean Park is also situated.

Jose Rizal Monument back

La Madre Filipina

Jose Rizal Monument front

Philippine Flag Pole (at 351 feet is the tallest standing flag pole in the nation)

Part of Roxas Boulevard

Eric and Enna’s Wedding 10-19-2012

Enna’s my friend since we were 5 years old. She’s been one of my closest friends whom I could confide to whenever I get depressed about something. Yes, we’re like siblings from a different parents. I’m also close to her parents and her siblings as well. Finally her day has come and she tied the knot with her first love Eric (I call him Michael) who is also my high-school barkada (circle of friends) or clique.

The wedding is simple but super elegant and their vows are tearjerkers “sniff.” Congratulations to both Eric and Enna Cue!

So these are my photo-shots of the wedding. Unfortunately I couldn’t take a single decent photo of the newly weds during the wedding ceremony and reception because I’m not the official photographer and wedding shots are so hard. Wedding photographers are really skilled shutterbugs. I also didn’t want to annoy or disturb the official photographers with my flash so I took photos with the newly weds without a flash, but the results were blurry.

Leia, Chaychay, Odet, Junjun and Nanat

Leia and me. <3 <3 <3

The Bosses Bam and Master Poh! lol

The newly weds with close friends from high-school and work after the wedding.

The wedding was held at Xavier Estate’s Sports and Country Club, Cagayan de Oro City 9000. The place is really nice and the food was great, but the desserts were super amazing! It didn’t took long before all the dessert disappeared.

Congrats again to Eric and Enna!

p.s. for the first time I didn’t do much editing or post processing on most of the photos here especially my food shots. I just left it as it is straight from the camera. I’m starting to love photos with less to no editing at all especially on food.

Yoh Froze and Pepper Lunch

So it’s been more than two weeks since my last post. My super duper hectic schedule is keeping me from blogging. I still have to run after this post so I better make this quick or I’ll be lumped with more backlogs later on. Heck, I already got a lot of backlogs in the first place.

So let’s rewind the clock when we were still in Manila.

Before we actually hit the railway tracks to Intramuros, we passed by at Rustan’s Shangri-La Mall to buy some bottled water. If you’re planning to go hiking in the concrete jungle of Manila, arm yourself first with water because the sweltering humidity can render you senseless.

Before Intramuros: Yoh Froz!

Okay, so as we passed by their grocery section, our eyes laid on to something or more like froze with Yoh Froze. Perhaps it’s nothing special for the locals, but for us promdi’s (people from the province), it sure did piqued our curiosity.

It’s really good, healthy, not too sweet and tasted just right in my palette, but nothing monumental. Still, this can give you a moment of serenity and by the way, this is not an ice cream – it’s “frozen” yoghurt for those who don’t know. This is more fun than plain o’l Yakult.

After Intramuros: Pepper Lunch!

After Iligan to CDO to Manila to Intramuros in less than 12 hours, we were starving like zombies so we went to MOA or Mall of Asia to have our dinner at Pepper Lunch.

Beef Pepper Rice

Beef Teriyaki Pepper Rice with Egg

Yep, they served really nice hefty meal that was enough to make my eyelids heavy. I was so full and satisfied I wanted to sleep right there. Lol!

The food is basically jammed packed with everything that you need to raise your cholesterol up, in a good and satisfying way though.

Tip: If I remember it correctly, we took a ride to this compact MPV (they call it FX perhaps from Toyota Tamaraw FX, but what we had was Innova) turned into a bus/taxi hybrid for only P50 for the both of us from Intramuros to MOA. Way cheaper than taking a taxi and more convenient than taking a jeep or bus.  You can get this ride at Plaza Roma where the Manila Cathedral is situated.

Advice: The weather in Manila is like a show run by Loki (the Asgardian god of mischief) that bakes you in the day with so much sunlight, then when your all red with sunburn, he throws you a torrential monsoon downpour later in the afternoon as his way of being kind. So better bring an umbrella to protect you from the killer sun rays and heavy rain if your planning on metro trekking.

Cheers!

The Walled City of Intramuros

Seeing the thick walls of Intramuros seems to throw you back at the time when Spanish was the king of fliptop in the block. Yes, Intramuros is a piece of history slowly engulfed by the modern world within its walls. Jollibee, Macdonald’s and Starbucks are invading the walled city like K-Pop is to our airwaves like chocolate flavored oxygen or PSY’s Gangnam style is taking over YouTube by storm.. okay, stop!

So here we were finally at the oldest district and historical gem of Manila, with little sleep (woke up 3-4am just to catch up the bus going for CDO and the flight for Manila at 9am) and a bit tired from the long travel.

Kartilya ng Katipunan Shrine which is just across the entrance of Intramuros

I think this is a Spanish era horse carriage.

General Luna Street outside Jasper Classic and across San Agustin Church

Leia with an Intramuros Guardia Civil

The Papier Tole Shop along General Luna St.

Near Plaza de Santa Isabel and Foscon Shipmanagement (background building)

Iron bench in front of Intramuros Clamshell.

Intramuros Kalesa or Horse Carriage at Plaza Roma

WORD OF CAUTION

Beware of some Kalesa or horse driven carriage in Intramuros because some (I hope not all) of them just wants to rip you off. Okay, this is how they go:

• They offer you a tour around Intramuros in a Kalesa ride for P350.
• In our case, the kalesa driver didn’t told us that the P350 is only good for 30 minutes. You pay for the exceeding minutes if you want to continue, that is if you know about it and we didn’t.
• Yes, he kept asking me about the time, but never even bothered explaining why or telling us clearly there’s a 30 minute limit for the P350 price tag. His kalesa by the way doesn’t have a sign that says P350 for 30 minutes.
• What’s even bad, you won’t be spending all of that 30 minutes in the kalesa ride. The driver will encourage you to hop out and the check places, take photos or explore if you want to.. and that is included in the 30 minute duration. If you happen to ride in the kalesa for only 5 minutes and then spend the rest of the 25 minutes exploring  San Agustin Church, that’s P350 sir! What a sneaky dishonest wisecracks!
•  Of course, he won’t tell you it’s already time until its almost an hour where the driver will tell you, you’re almost an hour so why not finish the hour for a premium price of P700.
• What made me upset was not the price tag, but the way we were being ripped off. As far as I can remember, our kalesa ride in total duration didn’t even reach 30 minutes because most of the time, we were hosted to hop out, explore and take photos as long as we want to.
• So, before hopping in to any kalesa ride, clear things out first so you won’t get caught off guard.

Inside San Agustin Church

Top front of San Agustin Church

Along Sta Lucia Street and right across is part of the Intramuros Golf Course. You can see the Manila Hotel in the background (left bldg)

Sta. Lucia St.

One of the old Spanish era stone staircase near Reducto de San Pedro. There were actually two more people at the end step of the stairs but with the power of Photoshop’s content aware, they vanish into thin air.

Just beside the stone staircase is the entrance to the Reducto de San Pedro

Reducto de San Pedro – Reducto or Redoubt usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. -Wiki-

A perfect place to relax and contemplate about anything.

Plaza Romano and that’s the statue of King Carlos IV at the center with the famous Manila Cathedral in the background.

I’ve been here to Intramuros many times and even performed music way back 2003 when I was part of the music ensemble of IPAG or Integrated Performing Arts Guild. During those times, Intramuros was like the party center of Manila especially in the heyday of WOW Philippines done  by the former secretary of tourism and now chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross – Richard Gordon.

10 years forward, Intramuros looked lonely and depressed as if forgotten by the ghosts of yesterday and ignored by the smartphone generation of today. Intramuros is just like an everyday alley passed by locals like it’s just an extension of their backyard not worth gawking about.

I guess that’s what happens if you grew up within or outside the ancient walls. The historical luster continues to fade with familiarity just like the old walls itself with time and pollution. For promdi’s (people from the province) like us whose lives are moved by photos and t.v. clips of  Philippine history, we always see the sparkle in-spite an influx of modernity that is threatening our historical landmarks to oblivion.

None the less, Intramuros is a place you shouldn’t miss if your in Manila. Take a glimpse of it’s historical wonders as you walk along Spanish era streets and 400 year old buildings and ruins that still remain standing. Most of Intramuros original buildings were destroyed during World War 2 with only the Church of San Agustin surviving. So most of the buildings you see in the streets are just restorations and replicas of the past.

We were not able to explore most of Intramuros and we’re not able to get more photos, but it’s alright because that means we have a good reason to visit this place again.

Click here to know more about Intramuros

Veale otra vez!