noisy, feeling entitled, and..

"When we replace a sense of service and gratitude with a sense of entitlement and expectation, we quickly see the demise of our relationships, society, and economy."
 -- Steve Maraboli

the setting before was at the park, this time: in an airplane bound for manila from puerto princesa, boarding time 😉 june 10, 2018. 

view from my window seat
before our plane made it to the runway for take-off

when i reached my assigned row, a millenial couple from that country of the people who grabbed my map — but this reference is only useful if you already know the story at the park 🤪 — where was i? 

oh yes, in the airplane! 

a young couple were noisily discussing in their language about who, between the two of them, should take the still empty window seat along their row. i don’t speak their language but i figured out what it was all about because they were taking turns pointing to the window seat, their faces exhibiting eagerness to takeover but with hesitation upon reviewing & seeing the indisputable seating assignment registered on their boarding passes. 

play good music, that’s my cue! 

i politely interrupted their discussion by saying, “excuse me, i need to get there,” and using my hand to gesture towards the ‘hot’ seat of their conversation 😏. they had no choice but to stop their discussion. my presence meant they had to abort their takeover-the-window-seat plot. 🤣 they realized, too, that they had to stand and leave their middle & aisle seats temporarily so i can reach my seat. 

i saw the look on their faces when they realized that the window seat, which both of them wanted to take, was going to be occupied 😜. i’m glad that despite their disappointment, both of them stood up to make way for me and neither made an attempt to negotiate for 24F, the seat — i wasn’t inclined to give way to them anyway. 😅 i only give up coveted seats to impressionable kids, senior citizens, or PWDs, or in the interest of safety — NONE OF THESE apply to them nor the situation. 

they’re just noisy, feeling entitled, and undeserving.

note: i completed writing this while they were talking so noisily 🤯 beside me, while the rest of the passengers around us were just silent, the plane was going through turbulence, and the cabin crew and the captain took turns using the public address system to make important announcements. i could hardly hear what the captain said over the two inconsiderates’ irrelevantly loud conversation, which even got louder as the captain made further announcements 🤨.

map

"Inagaw nga namin (mga) isla n’yo, mapa pa kaya!"
 -- contributed by one of my friends

🙈🙉🙊

at some point in ashikaga flower park, i was preoccupied with trying to take selfies under the trellis of the double-flowered wisteria when two females approached and called my attention. with my left hand, i was holding the pamphlet-slash-park map, which was given to me by the personnel at the park entrance. held by my right hand was the selfie stick with my camphone. i had to stop what i was doing to properly acknowledge the presence of the two but even before i could complete a cordial greeting, one of them grabbed the folded-and-rolled pamphlet from my left hand! 😱 no words, no non-verbal plea, nothing but unpermitted taking of MY park map. 😱 i knew right away that they’re NOT japanese at all! despite my indignation 😠, i stood there trying so hard to maintain a tolerant facade 😳. as if they did not do anything socially unacceptable, the two started talking to each other while turning the paper over and over again, completely ignoring my presence 🤨. 

MY map of the ashikaga flower park

based on their interaction, the two of them got lost in the park 🧐 (note: ashikaga flower park covers a large area but it is not that large for two non-stupid adults to get lost in — there are signages and arrows. plus, park guests are given maps at the entrance.) 🤔 while they were carrying on with their conversation, it was obvious to me that they did not know where to go because they could not even figure out where we were despite the user-friendliness of the park map. 🤦🏻‍♀️ 

my first attempts at interrupting their conversation with an “excuse me” did not work but when they finally acknowledged that i was still around 😲, i told them “you are here” as i pointed our location on the map. then, they started resuming their discussion — as if i wasn’t there 🤷🏻‍♀️, as if i did not say anything helpful — while turning the paper once again 😵 and then back to the page with the park map before looking at me and telling me in a commanding tone, “how to get here?” 😱🤯

“from here, how to get here? (pointing at the park’s entrance on the map)” 😮👀 all along, they were figuring out how to go back to the park’s main entrance! (another note: the park map was drawn in such a self-explanatory way and the park pathways are easy to follow.) i told them to just follow the path. 

“how?” 

i pointed to the oh-so-visible path closest to us. they also asked where the park’s main entrance was 🤦🏻‍♀️. how could two people perusing a very-easy-to-understand map not know? 🧐 although i was tempted to lead them to the opposite direction because of their rudeness, i still pointed the correct direction. i got a thank you. i held out my hand to receive back MY map. the two of them hesitated and looked at me — maybe because they wanted to me to go with them to the entrance so they won’t get lost, maybe because they wanted to walk away with my map, or maybe because they didn’t trust what i told them; but whether it’s one or two or all of those reasons, i wasn’t inclined to go out of my way anymore to be of further help to them. it’s more than too much that i already still helped them even though they were rude, unapologetic, and dense.

note: this happened to me on april 20, 2018 and i got really pissed off that's why it took time for me to write about this. ang naka-quote ay clue sa kanilang bansang pinanggalingan. walang duda na doon sila galing; pati ugali sablay na sablay sa kalidad kahit nasa bansang hindi naman kanila. 

🙈🙉🙊

piled higher and deeper

"The early bird gets the worm,
but the second mouse gets the cheese."
--Author Unknown

x X x

"paranormal x-ray" for dental and facial structure imaging. what in the world is "paranormal x-ray"?!? :)

my "bangag" moment of the day (yeah, i know that it's just lunchtime and the day is far from over): i meant "panoramic x-ray" but i mentioned "paranormal x-ray" ...TWICE! parang pang espiritista x-ray lang??? hahaha. buti isa lang ang kausap ko pero super laugh trip pa rin. ang hirap maka-get over. hehe.

now, there's a worthy addition to this compilation which i made sometime in 2012...

- calcu, letter blue, atbp. - 

ang mga sumusunod ay totoong nangyari recently, magkakaibang instances naman pero... basta... read on. pumi-PhD na yata ako sa pagiging bangag.

eksena 1: calcu
isang umaga sa R&D cube

ako (habang tinampal-tampal at kinakamot ang braso, may something itchy) to teammate 1: oist, pahingi naman ng calcu (sabay turo sa isang malaking bote ng green cross isopropyl alcohol). 

teammate 1: ha? (magbubukas na ng drawer, kukuha ng calcu kaso natigilan) pakiulit.

ako: pahingi ngang calcu. pahingi n'yan (turo sa alcohol).

teammate 1: anong sabi mo, calcu?

*bwahahaha* *tawanan*

oo nga naman, ang layo ng calcutor sa alcohol. anoveh. tsaka ang calcu, hinihiram lang, hindi hinihingi.

eksena 2: kape
isang umaga ulit sa R&D cube 

ako (kararating lang) to teammate 1: tara, kape. igib. (igib ang term namin sa simpleng pagkuha ng tubig sa pantry.)

teammate 1: tara. igib.

niyaya din namin si teammate 2. ready na sila agad. 

ako: wait lang. (kumuha ng something sa pocket ng bag) game! (sabay kukuha na lang ng mug at tumbler.) 

teammate 1: kala ko ba sabi mo kape. bakit toothpaste ang bibitbitin mo?

so tumingin ako sa something na kakukuha ko lang sa bag -- shucks, toothpaste nga! (tsaka, ang mga sachets ng kape ay naka-store sa drawer ko at hindi sa pocket ng bag.) wow lang!

*bwahahaha* *tawanan* 

eksena 3: after last LSS (lean six sigma) class

sa hallway palabas ng planta 

teammate: kumusta naman kayo sa taas kanina? (ang class ay nasa second floor)

ako: ok lang. activity namin kanina ay related sa motivation and personalities. letter blue ako.

teammate: ano 'yon?

ako: ang letter blue personality, ma-technical, kelangan ng detalye, mabusisi

teammate: letter blue? parang alphabet lang?

ako: (pause) shucks! hindi letter blue. color blue.

teammate: sabi mo letter blue. narinig ko.

enggggkkkk. walang bawian! letter blue kung letter blue!

*bwahahaha* *tawanan*

ano ba, val, pang-ilan mo na 'yan?

eksena 4: password

isang hapon sa R&D cube, break time na dapat 

teammate: break.

ako: tara. kelangan ko din kasi ng password.

teammate: ano? password? para saan?

ako: kelangan ko ng password!! (sabay pakita sa ATM card) 

teammate: ha?

tengneneng! ang gusto ko palang sabihin ay... kelangan kong mag-withdraw. ang labo!!!

*bwahahaha* *tawanan*

eksena 5: orange

team weekend bonding sa shell tabangao 

ako (papunta sa kitchen counter, nadaanan si teammate 3 na nagsasalin ng orange liquid sa transparent na baso): wow, orange! (sa isip ko orange... juice.) ano 'yan, sprite?

teammate 2: huh?

teammate 3: hindi. royal.

teammate 2: kitang orange, tapos, sprite?

ako: ha?

teammate 3: hindi 'to sprite. royal tru orange 'to.

*bwahahaha* *tawanan*

ako: oo nga, no? ba't ko nga ba sinabing sprite?

ohmaigulai. pinagbabayaran ko na yata ang pambabara ko kay sir mel noong minsang tinawag n'yang spaghetti ang macaroni. aba, hindi pwede. hahaha!

eksena 6: listerine

after lunch break 

ako: (may kinuhang maliit na bote sa bag, binitbit sa ladies room. kru kru. binuksan ang bote kaso...) hmmm, ba't kelangan kong i-flip ang listerine cap para mabuksan?

tumingin ako sa bote at nanlaki ang mata. shucks! muntikan na!!! ang hawak-hawak ko ay... bote ng green cross sanitizing gel na sinalinan ko ng rubbing alcohol. disclaimer: di po ako suicidal. nag-autopilot lang.

when i shared this to my teammates, ayun, bonggang tawanan na lang ulit. wag ko daw sarilinin problema ko. haha.

07.06.12 isang matinding note to self: umayos ka.
ang green cross sanitizing gel na sinalinan ng rubbing alcohol
ay hindi listerine. (--,)

bus ride

Never say, "oops." 
Always say, "Ah, interesting."
-- Author Unknown

12th of february 2014: on board keifuku bus (京福バス) #12

my 3rd bus ride in fukui city

on a daily basis, i either walk or use my bicycle to get to the places where i need to be here in fukui city -- even if reaching my destination means i have to walk for twenty to thirty minutes or more, rain or shine, with snow on the road or without. i rarely need to ride the bus or the train and taking the taxi is not an attractive option. if the bus rates start at 200 yen (it's just 100 yen though for the limited routes of the community bus), taxi flagdown rates start at 650 yen (note: 1 yen is equivalent to ~0.45 philippine pesos. so, do the math and spell expensive). 

last month, when i needed to reach fukui station with my travel bags, i did myself a favor and studied the fukui city bus and train routes plus time-and-fare-tables. fukui city public transport timetables are available online and offline but they are published in japanese and mostly kanji. however, if one is familiar with the kanji characters for the departure and arrival points along a public ride's route, the system is very easy to follow and nobody gets lost in translation (or frustration? :P)!

by the end of my first public bus ride in the city, i was impressed with the reliability and efficiency of the system!!! i could have been equally impressed with myself, too, except that i committed a booboo just before i alighted the bus: i inserted my fare into the wrong coin slot :D lelz. i let out an involuntary "hala?" and my face went @.@ when i saw my two 100-yen coins being ejected in rapid succession by the machine as twenty 10-yen coins. the driver said, "ここ (koko)" and pointed to another slot. with a sheepish smile and a "ごめんなさい (gomennasai)" followed by a quick "ありがとう (arigatou)," i collected all twenty 10-yen coins and dropped them into the right slot. 

since i learned from that experience, everything went well with my 3rd bus ride in the city. ^_^ 

koko means here. gomennasai means sorry. arigatou means thank you.

kiddie art for my nihongo class

"All cartoon characters and fables must be exaggeration, caricatures. 
It is the very nature of fantasy and fable." 
--Walt Disney

on the 16th day of january 2014, our sensei introduced us to some imaginary animals (そうぞうのどうぶつ; souzou no doubutsu) in japanese stories. since mermaids and something similar to the abominable snowman were included in the そうぞうのどうぶつ sheets that she distributed, i decided to write about the manananggal when she asked us students to draw and write about imaginary animals in our respective countries.

this is the work that i shared to my sensei and classmates after about fifteen minutes of thinking, drawing, and writing...

impromptu drawing-and-writing activity output
this photo shows that i can still draw and write like a kid. :) hahahaha.

this is the rough translation of what i wrote:
"this imaginary creature lives in the village. in the morning, it's human.
in the evening, its body is cut in half.
the upper part of the body has wings. the wings are large and black.
this imaginary creature is called aswang. another name for it is manananggal.
this imaginary creature is bad. the eyes, teeth, and face are very scary.
the aswang likes various types of people. and, (the aswang) eats them."

i wanted to mention blood and exposed veins and internal organs but, until now, i don't know yet the nihongo words for those. i wanted to write more but... see, this is what happens if one's nihongo skills are very limited: stuck with simple statements and simple words and forced to an abrupt ending.

p.s. my drawing shows an aerodynamically-challenged manananggal. ;-)

experiencing more of batanes: stranded in itbayat, stranded in batanes

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly
find out how far one can go."
-- T.S. Elliott

lure of the home of the winds, lure of the north

batanes is at the top of my list of dream destinations in the philippines and it's been there at that top spot since i was 12 -- since, uh, years ago when i didn't know yet how or when i was gonna get there. i just knew then that it's the place to be!

when i finally experienced batanes for real in february 2010,  i found it so perfectly wonderful -- over and above my best expectations, making me hunger for more and even more -- that i made it my personal goal to invest in visiting batanes every succeeding year of my travel life.

kat and mati -- the travel buddies i had for my first ever journey to batanes -- were also as taken by the place as i was and made a similar commitment: visit every year, experience more and more of batanes, year after year. bound by the same batanes dream, we came  to call our trio of pinas flashpackers as the batanes flashpackers.

in may 2011, our friends tony, onad, shella, and helen joined us on our second trip to batanes. having toured most of batan and sabtang islands in 2010, we allotted more time for experiencing itbayat island -- the largest of the three inhabited islands of batanes and the northernmost inhabited island of the philippines.

our group of seven in itbayat island

of the three islands -- itbayat, batan, and sabtang -- itbayat is deemed the least accessible. by boat (locally called falowa), it is about 3 to 4 hours away (depending on the boat speed, waves, and the wind conditions) from basco, the provincial capital; by six-seater small plane, it is just about 10 minutes away.

choosing the mode of transportation to get there is mainly up to two things: one, one's resources; two, the kind of thrill (and bragging rights!) being sought. at P450 per person, the falowa ride is way cheaper compared to the plane option, which will cost ~P1300 per person, assuming the full seating capacity is met. they say you haven't really been to itbayat if you haven't experienced a falowa ride being continuously rocked and lapped by the unforgiving waves of batanes. the plane ride can also potentially churn one's insides and tax one's heart to the point of rupture -- batanes is home of the winds and being in a small plane intensifies the feeling of daring the air. :D so, you see, choosing between traveling by boat and traveling by plane to get to itbayat is really a choose-your-own-adventure slash choose-your-own-thrill deal.

for our group of seven, the falowa ride was the logical choice. a good call on our part, it was. on our way to itbayat, the sea was abnormally calm -- the water surface even looked glassy -- and the trip was easy on the senses. the vomit bags i brought with me were left unused and none of our energies were unnecessarily drained. little did i know that it was a manifestation of calm before the storm :D

we spent two adventure-packed days in itbayat -- survived the waves, got to chinapoliran port where we half-jumped our way out of the ever-moving-here-and-there docked falowa, hitched a ride on the patrol car of the local police, toured the itbayat municipal proper, went hiking to the ancient burial grounds, got awed by the sight of the cliffs and di'nem island, entered torongan cave, walked the streets of barrio raele, visited the itbayat airport (more like an airstrip), trekked to paganaman port (there, i bathed in batanes' share of the south china sea), settled in the itbayat municipal guest house -- our hometel, walked around the municipality of ibayat some more and interacted with the locals (we entered traditional houses and we even got an invitation to attend a wedding reception. nice!), checked out PAG-ASA's weather monitoring station up the hill, went spelunking in northern sarokan cave, got rained on and muddied but still went up mt. karaboboan with its 360-dgree viewdeck (and stayed there until just before total darkness set in, completely turning day to night). we were to leave itbayat and return to basco the morning after. BUT...

bebeng happened. we woke up to an advisory from our contacts that PAG-ASA already classified batanes under signal no. 1 due to typhoon "bebeng" -- the coast guard disallowed sea travels and the air transportation office was also strict with the flights. we were 'officially' stranded.

“To explore the unknown and the familiar, distant and near, and to record in details with the eyes of a child, any beauty, horror, irony, traces of utopia or Hell.”

-- Dan Eldon

vivid memories of being stranded in the northernmost province of the philippines: the good ones, the ugh, and the in-betweens

storm signal no. 1 in batanes
it could have just been another summer morning with slightly stronger winds in beautiful batanes. maybe. if only there wasn't a storm signal raised over the entire batanes group of islands and if only it wasn't the month of may, a known summer month in the philippines. but bebeng was a freak tropical storm. it entered the philippine area of responsibility during the early part of may.

seriously, a storm in early may? a tropical storm in summer? what really weird times! and, of all times, it really had to happen while we were there in batanes, between the south china sea and the pacific ocean, there in northernmost itbayat -- 40 kilometers from basco, more than 860 kilometers away from manila, more than 280 kilometers away from the mainland with aparri, cagayan as the reference point, and just a little over 200 kilometers from the southernmost tip of taiwan. yup, yup, we were that far and away when we got stranded. :D

some of the locals told us that it was only the second time that a storm signal was raised in the area of batanes at the height of summer and the first one was already a few years ago.

with storm signal no. 1 flag already up and travel advisories against traveling already relayed, there was nothing for us "stranded seven" -- kat, mati, onad, tony, helen, shella, and me -- to do but to come to terms with being stranded and wait for our next opportunity to be out of itbayat island.

from flashpacking (backpacking with style) mode, we switched to survival mode -- day 1 of being stranded and the days that followed were spent avoiding boredom in between monitoring weather updates and travel advisories and looking for travel options.

survival by taking things in stride: doing the usual | biking, walking around, and playing house
day 1 was a fine day to be stranded. even with the storm signal already up in batanes (of course, including itbayat), there was actually no compelling sign of a typhoon being already in the area. the sun was up, the sky was still a beautiful blue with wisps of clouds. there was no rain. other than there was just something different with the wind, everything seemed like a normal summer day.

so instead of staying in and succumbing to nothing while waiting for the storm signal to be lifted up, we went out of our guest house and said hi to the sun and, at times, engaged in small talks with the people outside. we borrowed the mountain bike of kuya roger (our guide in itbayat) and took turns riding it around and around the municipal plaza, just in front of the house.

biking during storm signal no. 1 in batanes | around the itbayat municipal plaza

that afternoon, some of us walked to paganaman port. there, i finally saw a manifestation of the storm coming -- choppy water, which looked inviting and glassy just two days prior. with angry waves lapping at the cliffs and rocks, it was hard to believe that it was the same body of water i bathed and swam in during our first day in itbayat.

paganaman's share of south china sea:
looking glassy in good weather (left),
choppy in stormy weather (right).

the rains came that night and, when we woke up to day 2, raindrops were still falling and the sky was overcast.

from the inside looking out: outside the guest house at 6:10AM of day 2

the choppy water as seen from paganaman port on day 3 | storm signal no. 1

the afternoon sky and the choppy water as seen from paganaman port on day 3 | storm signal no. 1

our 2-day/2-night planned stay in itbayat got extended by 3 days/3 nights -- that's a total of 5 full days/5 nights spent in itbayat! over the next days after the planned stay, playing house saved us from boredom & starvation and made us productive despite the setback in our travel schedule. giving in to domestic activities helped us in keeping our wits: doing laundry by hand, frequenting the sari-sari stores to buy supplies and food ingredients (until we could already map where to go to buy this or that at best price), engaging in culinary adventures (with kat as the cook, onad as the able assistant, and the rest of us as the 'construction workers' who ate with gusto), dishwashing & cleaning the house, and sewing (my fave pair of travel pants got torn by some nail & required stitches).

cut off from our usual sources of comfort, we still managed to live well during our days of being stranded (although we also witnessed some moments of funny desperation, hahaha).

where we stayed: the municipal guest house of itbayat

on the sixth morning, we got great news -- that the falowas were already allowed to cross the sea again! the waves rocked the falowa that much all through our 2.5-hour ride to basco and i had to use two vomit bags, haha. on that particular day (and it was just another ordinary day in itbayat and in basco), the waves were really unforgiving -- a few seconds on board the boat proved to be already nauseating.

the scene outside our basco-bound falowa as seen from the inside

looking back on our experience (wow, almost one year ago already!), the top things that i am thankful to God for are:

the opportunity for immersion
we experienced a tropical storm in batanes -- a freak storm in summer at that -- and we had a taste of what it is like to stay put where you are, make do with what you have, and to survive like the ivatans do every time a storm signal is up in batanes. heeding the storm signal is important even if you're seeing sunshine and clear skies.

the people of batanes
they are really great people. they are helpful. they are hospitable. interacting with them especially during our extended stay was really a blessing.

we learned their way of life a bit more, having woken up for several straight days to the same church bell that they get to hear every 5am in the morning, watched the kids' softball practice sessions at the municipal plaza, and having seen them go about their lives storm or no storm.

our guides, jacklord labrador (in basco) and roger doplito (for the itbayat leg), looked after us and kept us posted of developments.

knowing my travel buddies even more
because we got stranded in batanes together, i saw our group dynamics and how we are individually when we are put in situations beyond our control. (it's particularly amusing when the quirks get magnified, haha.) 

our being stranded in batanes affirmed my agreement with this line: "if you want to get to know someone, take a trip with them." i realized (and it's good to know) that when we are forced to go back-to-the-basics, we can still live with each other and become one another's keeper.

experiencing more, learning more
sure, being stranded is inconvenient -- there are supposedly daily grinds to deal with elsewhere, jobs to mind/bosses and clients to appease, loved ones who worry and who need to be assured, lost income opportunities, appointments which aren't supposed to be missed, the list goes on. however, the worst of times can also be the best of times to grab opportunities and to end up having more than the usual, going beyond what's planned.

we got stranded and had our stay extended beyond our will -- first, in itbayat because of the storm and, second, in basco because of insane rebooking options given by SEAIR (that airline!) to most of its stranded passengers in batanes that time.

while waiting for things to turn around, i was able to:
(1) experience taking the public land transportation there: jeepney ride from abad street to ivana/mahatao junction plus a tricycle ride to diura fishing village
(2) walk beyond diura fishing village under the heat of the sun and to the fountain of youth (racuaydi nakavajayan), a fresh spring water source.

the infinity pool of racuaydi nakavajayan and the pacific ocean

the water flows to an infinity pool, which was strategically placed to provide an illusion that it's part of the pacific ocean.

now, the ugh part!
we learned that our 10th of may basco-manila SEAIR flight got cancelled due to typhoon bebeng. a flight cancellation due to bad weather -- very understandable; something we accepted. what's not understandable: SEAIR left it up to us to contact them to ask for the status of our flight and even forcibly rebooked our basco-manila flight to 17th of may. this, despite the fact that they were already able to resume their manila-basco and basco-manila flights by 11th of may. "forcibly rebooked" as in SEAIR did not give us any better rebooking option and was being unmindful of our schedule.

boo, SEAIR. when our original flight schedule was may 10 and you resumed flights on may 11, did you really think it it was sensible to rebook your passengers to a may 17 flight? seriously, a one week gap?! the arrangement you made for us was very convenient for you but what for us? the convenience which that move provided your part was drowned by the inconvenience that you forced us further into -- unfavorable weather conditions made us stranded in itbayat;  the unfavorable rebooking option you gave us made us stranded in basco. i admire the level of consideration you afforded us and i'm, of course, being sarcastic. we're not the only ones -- you also had other passengers who experienced the bad because of your brand of customer service.

i already ranted about this matter a year ago and i do not wish to again go through the negative process of being pissed at SEAIR for what happened. we're NEVER flying SEAIR again, anyway. somehow there'll be a way for us to be back in batanes, just not with SEAIR.

i'm ending this post here. after the jump, you can read my compiled rants on SEAIR, in chronological order. you can also check the web for more complaints about them.

p.s. representatives and defenders of SEAIR, should you find your way here, please do not bother asking me to take down this portion of my post just to save your name -- i have a copy of the formal complaint against SEAIR which our group filed and submitted to the civil aeronautics board (CAB) as well as a copy of SEAIR's unsatisfactory reply; i might end up resending them to you to remind you of our experience and all the inconvenience we had to go through. i suggest that you focus your efforts on improving your customer service.


------------------------------------

thanks but no thanks, SEAIR

.o0 (thank you, SEAIR, your customer service badly needs major improvement. i’ll see you in my blog soon and you’ll be reminded how powerful a tool blogging can be. thank you for forcibly rebooking us to may 17 when our orig basco-to-manila flight sked was may 10. thank you for not bothering to contact anyone from our travel party to inform us that our flight got cancelled; never mind the fact that your we ‘cannot-be-reached’ excuse is so lame because even my mobile phone did not lose its 3G connection -- yes, the mobile network signal remained & still remains to be that good. thank you for allow|ing us to be stranded here in batanes without checking on how we are. thank you for leaving it up to us to call you to check how you are. thank you for making it clear what ‘most reliable service’ means -- i didn’t know until now that it is equivalent to NG as in no good. thank you for not being helpful at all. fly us back to manila before this week ends; it’s the least you can do, no buts, no ifs.) -- the acerbic may 12, 2011 note i posted in facebook | basco, batanes

 

world-class mag-bigay ng rebooking ‘option’ ang SEAIR. harharhar, kung tao lang si ‘option’ mabibigti yun for sure sa matinding kahihiyan. just in case SEAIR opts to continue to miss the point, let me set this straight: we deserve better treatment from them. their seats are expensive and we are not so-so customers.

tsk, just a few months ago, for my love for batanes i was willing to be SEAIR’s customer for life. with the treatment we are getting from that airline now, i take that back. i love batanes (but SEAIR? weh!). i love batanes period. ooops. p.s. SEAIR should not make that an excuse to keep me stranded here ’til may 17. i love batanes in a healthy kind of loving way. 

you may ask, how about SEAIR? my answer: can you please tell them to invest on sense of urgency and customer service upgrade pronto? there. their expensive prices and level of service suffer a mismatch. -- may 12, 2011. posted in facebook | basco, batanes

maganda naman ang weather. SEAIR resumed their Manila-Basco/Basco-Manila flights on May 11. so di ba, unfair ang May 17 ‘option’ (hindi talaga siya totoong option kasi they forcibly rebooked us to that date. napaka-ekis na move on their part.) -- may 12, 2011. posted in facebook | basco, batanes

naku, wag nila kami tinitipid. wag kami ang magsuffer kung gusto nila magkuripot, customers kaming binayaran ang expensive services nila kaya mag-step up sila. we’re definitely the wrong people to let down. -- may 13, 2011. posted in facebook | basco, batanes

on the bright side, very helpful ang local guide namin na si kuya jack, siya na gumagawa ng paraan para may makasakay kami ng planes on or before sunday. he’s really going out of his way to help us out of this situation, something SEAIR is not doing. siya pa mismo tumatawag sa amin; as for SEAIR, kung di namin (or through our representatives in manila) sila tatawagan, we won’t hear from them. no exag there, yan talaga ang situation, pinababayaan lang kami. helpful din ang mga locals na nag-g-give way para kami muna ang makabyahe. grateful ako sa mga ivatans. baka nga mag-via tuguegarao na lang siguro kami, another airline. -- may 13, 2011. posted in facebook | basco, batanes

since di naman nila (SEAIR) kami tinutulungan, kami na lang gagawa ng paraan para makauwi na kami; di kami ewan para hintayin pa ang may17 --  may 13, 2011. posted in facebook, basco, batanes

i’m glad to be back in manila ahead of the may17 rebooking that SEAIR shoved our way. we do not owe it to that airline’s efforts since they did not bother to contact us anyway. i’m grateful for the people of batanes because they're the ones who facilitated for our flight out to be sooner than later, they stepped up to make up for SEAIR’s negligence where our situation is concerned. SEAIR owes the people of batanes big time; that airline has no right claiming to be the country’s premier leisure airline if their ‘brand’ of customer service is a big insult to the standards of quality. --  may 14, 2011 (10:47am). posted in facebook | manila

it’s may 17 today and SEAIR is still ignoring our posts -- no reply, no effort to follow-through or something. they remained consistent on being indifferent and refusing to care. -- may 17, 2011. posted in facebook | batangas

 i still ♥ batanes!

not your story

"I am convinced all of humanity is born with more gifts than we know. Most are born geniuses and just get de-geniused rapidly."
--Buckminster Fuller

i'll tell you what's stressful.

it's when you've done more than your fair share of laundry by hand, cooked food and ate what you cooked, washed the dishes -- the house chores, you know. then, having done all that, you rewarded yourself with a trip to the mall -- you went straight to the old spaghetti house and ordered food for two (you didn't mind what the busboys were probably thinking about your impossible appetite, you're able to pay for your order anyway) and ate again. then, time for some shopping since it's been awhile since the last time. after that, you're on your way home carrying all the stuff you bought -- brown paper packages wrapped in your arms. la di da la di da. that kind of "all is well" and "everything is blissful, nothing can go wrong" mood. nevermind that it's already dark and you're on your own -- you're all soaked up in that good sunday evening vibe as you walked the few blocks going to your apartment. then, of all times, all the dogs in the neighborhood went barking. OMG!!! your entire body instantly betrayed you -- you can deal with anything but NOT dogs, real or imagined, seen or not seen; as long as you're aware they're THERE (for crying out loud they're DOGS!!!), you're afraid of them.

i'm sure there are those of you who can easily say, "that's nothing..." blah blah blah "wala 'yan sa lolo ko..." blah blah blah. go ahead, indulge yourself, that's okay with me. humor me ;-P see that title up there? gotcha. haha. i'm not sorry if ever i wasted your time.


10.09.11 chicken tequila pizza by TOSH

babbling to the void on a stormy day

"Give your stress wings and let it fly away."

--Terri Guillemets

today is a workday but it feels like a holiday. that's me talking (or more aptly, writing). i should have just stayed at home instead of doing what i did -- showed up at work -- and be like this -- lazy (and feeling guilty about it). haysss. bed! that's where i should be. after all, it's a very wet, very windy and cold, gloomy day. i should have just slept in. hihi.

outside, as i am writing this, typhoon pedring (international name: nesat), the 16th tropical cyclone to enter the philippine area of responsibility this year, is busy bringing in howling winds and scattering rain -- signal no. 2 in batangas; signal no. 3 is already up for places in eastern luzon. pedring's timing, projected path, and tendency to wreak havoc is reminding a lot of people of ondoy (international name: ketsana), that underestimated (read: initially underestimated) typhoon that caused massive flooding and shocking disaster in september 26, 2009. i'm throwing in memories of milenyo (international name: xangsane) of 2006, which entered the philippine area of responsibility and sowed destruction during the last week of september that year.

how could i forget ondoy and milenyo? i have blog entries about those two -- i was outside the comfort zones while they raged and i personally experienced what it was like to be out while they raged (but minus the traumatic imprints that they left on so many, many people).

booooo. i was hoping my entry after the "re-entry" (i'm making sense, right?) would already be about travels -- see i so want to go back to being able to blog about personally experienced travel adventures (along with their social, historical, and cultural implications, if any) but i've been postponing writing about my travels for so many, many months now and there's too much backlog already; i'm now finding it difficult where to pick-up and start. ugh.

yeah, i know. i better stop procrastinating.

right. so little time, so much to do. yet, i take time to boondoggle. no, don't tell me. i already told myself that. stop. then, start. bye bad habits. hello, good ones! yes and amen to that.



lightning strikes. i took this picture while spending time with friends
at guimaras's villa igang wharf on the 24th of september, 2010 -- just a year and three days ago.

i guess i'll be posting entries like this until i get my signature blogging groove back. ;-)

hello there, snake

24th of august 2007 | friday

it might as well be just my luck.

after my late morning bath, i ate breakfast, slept until past noon, woke up, changed my houseclothes with a black shirt and pair of denim pants, combed my messy hair, brushed my teeth, put on my contact lenses, went downstairs, pushed my feet into my trusty pair of tribu sandals, told my half-asleep mother that i was going out, got the house keys and shoved them into my bag, opened the wooden door, looked through the screen, saw something, opened the screen door, and, in split-second, i pulled it back. i slammed shut the wooden door, quickly locked it, and clutched my heart before i squeaked, "mamang, nakakita kog halas. naaaaaaaaaa! nahadlok kaayo ko." (ma, i saw a snake. naaaaaaaaaa! i got really scared.)

what could have been a very laidback la di daaaa la di da daaa daaaa i'm-on-my-way moment turned into an OMG moment. when i opened the screen door, i came face to face with an adult snake making its way to our doorstep. i really saw it on our doorstep!

because of the brief ruckus i made, my mother got on her feet and suggested that i open the wooden door again to check the whereabouts of the snake. with my heart still beating triple time, i opened the door -- the snake was no longer there.

my next-door neighbor (who also happens to be my cousin) called out if i indeed saw a snake and went over the fence separating our lots to take a look. my brave mother went out with handfuls of crushed garlic in her hands and threw them on our doorstep and inside the holes of the concrete blocks near it. i told her not to bother going anywhere near those just yet because the snake might have taken refuge there and might attack her. but as i've already mentioned, my ma is brave. she even poked the holes with a stick and disturbed the area the way she does during her daily gardening activities.

i got a huge, huge scare from seeing that venomous snake (it had the skin pattern of a cobra). my heart established a new 'normal' hearbeat rate -- faster -- and i went close to running a fever.

BUT i think it was a 'two-way' traumatic incident. i reckon the snake also had to contend with the trauma of having to deal with the frightening sight of me and my panic-inducing reaction. in that sense, we're quits.

for all the efforts, the meter-long snake could not be found. we have no idea where it went. we could not agree whether it's long been around to stay or if it's a temporary refugee looking for a cold place -- what with the relentless heat in the fields at the backside of the compound.

in the meantime, all seems to be well. the naughty cats in the neighborhood still come around to 'play' in our kamalig. so i say, all is well. global warming be damned. PLEASE, please, don't make me see another snake that way again -- with my own two eyes and with nothing between us. it's too much for one heart. really.

big tree

the bus came to a stop. through the bus window, i saw this big old tree which really fascinated me. it looked like acacia but it also looked like mahogany. i'm not sure which of the two it really was, but it was standing tall, imposing, and attractive. i felt it would be good to climb it. i thought, "the tree's mine if i could reach the first big branch. i could claim it as my own."

i set out to climb the big old tree. this, despite the fact that my tree-climbing experiences had only been limited to climbing guava, cacao, and talisay trees that don't really grow so tall.

as i started my way up, he -- who must have watched me as i got off the bus and followed -- also started to climb the tree. to each other, we're friends yet we've remained strangers and we climbed in silence. he reached the branch -- my chosen branch -- ahead of me and offered his hand to help me up. the next thing i knew, i was already sitting on my branch and enjoying the sights before me to my heart's delight.

he was there beside me... but to me, it was just me, the spectacular scene that being up on the tree gave me, my branch, and my tree. his presence wasn't getting in the way (even though i felt bad that he beat me to my branch. grrrr). when i sighed -- tired from the climb -- he gave my back a very brief rub. at that moment, even though we're strangers, we're friends. up there on my tree, we shared in silence an atmosphere of comforting strangeness and awkward familiarity.

then the time came for me to go down. he must have sensed it. he made his way down the tree ahead of me. i didn't follow.

although i so wanted to find my way back to the ground, my acrophobia kicked in the moment i looked down and became fully aware of how far i've gone up just to reach my branch.

he was back on the ground, perhaps watching, waiting for my next move, although of this i couldn't be too sure. i was more concerned about my safety. there was no way i could find my way down on my own.

i allowed my voice to break the silence. i called out for help and one of my able-bodied uncles came running. (now don't ask me where my uncle came from -- this was a dream and we all know everything is possible in a dream.) by some twisted stroke of genius, i figured it was easier to jump off from the tree and i only needed someone to catch me. so i jumped off from my spot on the tree and was caught safely by someone who was family. after seeing to it that i was alright, my uncle left, went on his way.

soon, it was just me, him, and my tree again. friends yet strangers standing in silence under the canopy of my tree and surrounded by comforting strangeness and awkward familiarity. i felt happy.

i walked away from the tree and back to the bus. he followed and walked beside me.

as we walked back to the bus together, i thought of what the peculiar smile on his face was trying to say through the silence. i don't know if it was "i was willing to catch you, you could have asked me... but hey, i'm glad you're safe" or "i'm glad you asked somebody else." i realized i don't really know him well. to me, he's a stranger but i also know we're friends.

something in the air told me he claimed ownership of the tree before i did. i wasn't able to pursue this thought though...

...because just as we reached the bus, i woke up.


---

just a few questions from here on...

what does it mean when one dreams of a big old tree? of climbing a big old tree? of claiming it?

and the bus, does it have significance?

is this a dream worthy of an interpretation? or is this just one of those... uhmmm... inconsequential dreams which my subconscious playfully created for me?

oh well. "goodnight, dear void."

truth be told, i don't have the ability to climb a big old tree without the aid of ropes and ladders. even with ropes and ladders, i know i'd still find it difficult and daunting.

my friends' reactions

say hello to my bruised left knee.
(i'd be lying if i were to tell you it doesn't hurt.)
i wrote:
sunday na sunday and naa koy disgrasya story... waaaaaaaaaaaah... nahulog ko sa IKOT jeep. naka-full stop ang IKOT, and panaog nako... i don't know what happened nganong instead na motamak ko sa ang-ang (step) panaog, nahulog ko diretso sa dalan --- think of diving on the street with my logbook and clearbook and bag. sakit kaayo akong lawas, naa koy upat ka abrasions na grabe jud tawon pagkagasgas kay nagdugo jud sila. for a moment, i thought i was gonna faint kay galisod kog ginhawa. tapos, syempre, gihulat ko sa driver and sa mga tawo (there must have been at least four of them in the jeep) so i voiced out to them na okay na ko. OKAY SA AKONG PAHAK, i could hardly hear my own voice coz i was out of breath and nalipong jud ko sa kasakit, pero i was determined to cross the street, and naka-cross jud ko...whew. tapos, it took awhile before nawala akong kalipong og sakit sa lawas (wala ra napakog akong ulo ba). at the moment of writing (2:30pm), about 5-10 minutes after the incident (ulawa oi, pero kiber mas importante yata huna-hunaon nga nasamdan ko), hapdos lang japun akong medyo lalom na mga garas sa right palm, left arm, and toes sa right foot. waaahhh... mura na sab kog nabiktima sa stampede sa nahitabo. anyway, okay ra ko. mopalit sa kog betadine kay mahadlok ko magka-impeksyon.

the reactions of my friends to this account show how crazy, cool, and thoughtful they are...

From: ilian...
Date: Feb 5, 2006 7:15 PM
Subject: [id...] PUTIK: ...MY ACCIDENT

naay nakakita nimo?! dapat nidagan ka. ulaw kaayo!!! hehehe... seriously, ok na ka? wala ra ba naigo imong ulo?

From: seal...
Date: Feb 6, 2006 6:48 AM
Subject: [id...] PUTIK: ...MY ACCIDENT

val, at least pag mahibalan namo na nahimo naka ug isa ka mad scientist, makabalo nami kung unsay hinungdan. hehehehehe. in any case, pag pa-check-up oi. ug val, feeling nako nag-black out ka kay kung madumduman nimo ang ingon ni pj... basin kulang ka sa sugar. hehehehe.

From: zeus...
Date: Feb 6, 2006 8:06 AM
Subject: [p6...] my accident

reading this makes me remember the SPVM 2002 accident (you had) in Cebu. ok ra na val. just keep your chin up! :-)

From: stick...
Date: Feb 6, 2006 9:18 AM
Subject: [id...] PUTIK: ...MY ACCIDENT

maybe its just old age creeping in. but then again, it may be that one of the passengers was once your student. and then stabbed you at the back without you realizing it. ^_^

From: njay...
Date: Feb 6, 2006 9:42 AM
Subject: [p6...] my accident

bang! ug unsay imong nakaon why ka nahulog? unsaon sad ka oi... ni tumbling na lang unta ka dayon ingnon nimo sila na "kaya niyo yun?" wahehehe....

From: hanik...
Date: Feb 6, 2006 10:02 AM
Subject: [id...] PUTIK: ...MY ACCIDENT

kulit luoya pud nimo oi... okay lang man kaha ka? naa lang koy nabantayan na pag 23 sumthin sumthin na gani ta... mugawas na jud ang atong pagka"clumsy"... sorry ha... :P karelate man gud ko nimo... anyway, ayo ayo... God bless...:)

From: ducot...
Date: Feb 6, 2006 11:49 AM
Subject: [p6...] my accident

Ayos na Val, pero wala man nay challenge! Next time, try ug step derecho sa dalan (skipping the jeep's "ang-ang"), and do that while gadagan ang jeep... As for now, I'd just say, may your wounds heal soon... :p

From: benj...
Date: Feb 7, 2006 1:24 PM
Subject: [p6...] my accident

For small people take small steps at a time. No rush. I wish i were there to catch your fall and hear you sing help me im falling back again. heheh. Ingat always.

From: jerms...
Date: Feb 7, 2006 2:07 PM
Subject: [id...] PUTIK: ...MY ACCIDENT

Oist, you should have your head checked. No, seriously basin naa kay concussion. Val, pag-inom daghan vitamins. Basin symptoms na sa mental lapses? Maybe should get more time to take some rest and give your mind a rest from all the stress around you. Don't multitask too much, I've been having problems with memory too, even thinking of a Friday as a Saturday and entered MSU IIT in shorts. Maayo na lang gani wala ko gi-sita sa guard (na shock siguro to nga nakadare ko ug sulod sa IIT nga gashorts). Anyway, gi-recommend ko... to take more Vitamins A, C and E and small Selenium supplements. Val, pag-ayo-ayo jug dinha.

From: hanik...
Date: Feb 7, 2006 2:27PM
Subject: [id...] PUTIK: ...MY ACCIDENT

ei val---! daghana ug gamahal nimo oi...:) pag-vitamins jud... actually dili man nato malikayan ning stress... pero kelangan gihapon nato ampingan atong mga kaugalingon...

From: ducot...
Date: Feb 7, 2006 4:28 PM
Subject: [p6...] my accident

Aguy noy! I smell something fishy... weeeewwwww.... hhhmmmmm... :)

From: bords...
Date: Feb 7, 2006 4:51 PM
Subject: [p6...] my accident

kaluoy pud nimo valentina.. dalaga na ra ba kaayo ka sa mga pics.. maayo na kaayo ka magpahiyom..... hehehe mawala ra ng sakit pag mag-inom ka ug redhorse.. hehehe. pahabol..... si ducot nagselos... ooooooooyyy... nagselos.... bwahahaha!

From: randz...
Date: Feb 7, 2006 5:00 PM

hoy kumusta na ka? nahulog na sab ka? ikaw na jud. ayaw kabalaka, magkinaunsa man gani val, we'll be around... TO LAUGH WITH YOU. hehe

see? see? my friends are crazy, cool, and thoughtful. well, most of the time, they're just cool and crazy. that's why they're my friends. their being thoughtful is a major bonus. mwehehe.

feeling the pain

catch me i'm falling... falling fast again. why do i always take a fall...?

i'm in pain. everything seems to hurt. nah. it's not what you think. this is not about falling in love and getting hurt. i'm sorry.

i fell off the jeepney. today. one moment i was just about to go down some step, the next moment my body hit the street so hard and my bag and my books got disengaged from my grip.

i don't know exactly why i fell. maybe i got disoriented when i left the seat and headed out of the jeepney. maybe i got a little bit dizzy when my eyeglasses moved and almost slipped down my face. maybe i tripped on the way out. maybe it's a combination of two or of all three. whatever. i fell off the only IKOT ride i had today and that's that.

it was kinda embarrassing. really. see, it was not as if the jeepney was about to speed off while i was going down. the IKOT was completely at rest and i shouldn't have fallen off... especially not in the manner in which i fell off.

what happened to me was like diving into some swimming pool. only, i happened to dive onto the street! with my logbook here. my clearbook there. my bag here. my eyeglasses there. pain everywhere. nestea plunge minus the welcoming water. nestea plunge, falling forward. nestea plunge... onto the street.

ding di ding. it's probably my most embarrassing experience here so far. imagine me and my things sprawled on the street as if we were kicked out of the jeepney. fortunately, not a part of my head hit anything -- my body took the impact. i heard the collective gasps of the remaining passengers and i just wanted the vehicle to leave right away so i pulled myself up and gathered my things together. only, it was too difficult for me to stand up. i spent some moments sitting down and voiced out to my audience (the concerned jeepney driver plus his remaining passengers) that i was okay.

of course, i wasn't okay!!! my voice could hardly be heard, i was out of breath and had difficulty breathing, and i was dizzy. my audience saw through me and the jeepney just wouldn't leave. badly wanting to be out of my seemingly helpless situation, i willed myself to stand up despite all the pain and dizziness. i then mustered the strength to walk across the street, towards our building. only when i was able to cross safely did the jeepney speed away. only when the jeepney sped away did i show the pained and embarrassed expression on my face. only after then did i assess the "damage".

bad scrape and some blood on my left arm. bad scrape and some blood on my palm. bad scrape and some blood on two of the toes of my right foot. geez. blood. geez. dust on my scraped skin. geez. ever. my pride got as wounded as my skin. embarrassing.

i went into the girls' room and cleaned the "damages" with running water. i felt pain, pain, pain, pain. five to ten minutes after the accident happened, i found myself in front of the computer, typing down "my IKOT story of the day" in a mix of bisaya and english and sent it out to two of my e-groups. still not feeling good about what happened, i posted my story in a forums board. i then told myself that "i'm okay" and "everything's all right", after which, i looked for betadine antiseptic and attended to my wounds again.

the accident happened early this afternoon. several hours have passed since then and i'm now convinced that i fooled myself when i said "everything's all right". all right gud tawon; all right sa akong pahak! apart from the abrasions i got, i also got a bruise on my hip and another on my left knee and my body is aching. my upper body hurts when i laugh or when i breathe deeply. napiang man tingali ko. (taym pa, unsa diay english sa piang?)

i can only hope that when i wake up tomorrow, i'll feel better.

sheez. painful. embarrassing. funny. why did i have to dive off some jeepney? maybe i'm being prepared for a would-be-career. maybe i'm going to be an action star. hala.