hail may

"We could never have loved the earth so well
if we had had no childhood in it."
--George Eliot

"just like that, i'm up in the clouds..."
nice pun i have for a title, eh?

that's my way of saying i love the month of may -- eventhough it could never topple down december's position as my favorite month of the year. weeeeeeeee... it's may already!!!

what better way to start it than with a heartwarming and fun activity with the family?


kinhas time with the family:
this is definitely a happy dose!

so for those wondering what swake is, up there it is!

fresh swake is quite an exotic gastronomic delight. it looks yucky and repulsive to the uninitiated but, trust me, its edible parts are very tasty! it really gets me excited everytime i see one of them on my own. not only do i get the right to eat my own find (eheheh), discovering a swake under a sea rock or amidst tangled seaweeds makes me feel like i'm an accomplished manginhasay!

ok, i have to scurry. i just dropped by to post stuff like that.

there's a long way to go 'til the end of may. who knows what experiences and adventures i have up my sleeve to mark this month? hmmm...

'til my next blog entry!

about the first image: a late afternoon seascape photo taken on may 1, 2007 at rupagan, bacolod, lanao del norte during low-tide.

trip lang

"The simplest questions are the most profound.
Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going?
What are you doing? Think about these once in a while and
watch your answers change."
--Richard Bach

the "me, mine" photo collection:
from diliman to corregidor to davao to samal
to lanao del norte to cagayan de oro to...

...because wherever i go, there i am.

saturday high

"So listen, touch, and look around - in the air and on the ground. And if you watch all nature's things,
you might just see a fairy's wing."
--Anonymous

i did it again! i did it again!

i went whitewater rafting again. yes, i've just had my second whitewater rafting adventure and it hasn't been a year since i had the first one. so how's that for some summer fun?

whitewater rafting. challenging rapids. cagayan de oro river. easy and hard paddling. happy adventure. wonderful time with friends! woohoo!! high five!!!

i'm tempted to just let the pictures do all the talking but...

last saturday, i got reunited with my p6 friends and with them, i got to navigate through cagayan de oro river's 14 whitewater rapids again. the last time i went whitewater rafting in cagayan de oro, i was with my ids99 gal pals, yoni and haniko. the fee for the adventure then was PhP1200 per head, now it's down to only PhP500. cool deal!


whitewater rafting adventure assembly area
divisoria, cagayan de oro

as early as 7 o'clock, our group was already in divisoria, cagayan de oro city. we -- randz, naoms, kuya eli, ma'am edith, mikmik, ma'am jinx and her twin sons, and i -- were all excited and quite ready for the day's great adventure!


04.28.07 looking ready and just waiting

04.28.07 signing the waiver as if it's a qualifying exam, haha! :-)

04.28.07 we're going, going, going...
from divisoria, our rafting outfitter, cagayan de oro whitewater rafting, inc., took us all the way up to brgy. mambuaya -- the adventure starting point. but first, we made a stopover in macahambus.


04.28.07 macahambus adventure park and us!

04.28.07 3 p6peeps in macahambus: naoms, val, and randz
mambuaya is quite far from cagayan de oro's city proper. but the trip going there is far from boring. as the jeepney goes further uphill and through the narrower country roads, the scenery that unfolds outside the ride is breathtaking.


whitewater rafting adventure starting point
mambuaya, cagayan de oro

when we arrived at our destination in mambuaya, the place was already bustling with activity. there were a lot of other people who decided to also experience whitewater rafting that day. good thing, there's room for everyone there. there was excitement all around and the sight of many other people did not diminish in any way the beauty of the place. there, i really felt that it was a wonderful sunny day -- definitely fit for an awesome adventure with friends!

what fun!!!


04.28.07 wish you were here!
after donning our safety vests and putting on our safety helmets, we were given a brief orientation on the exciting adventure that lay ahead. then, it was time to board the rafts and we soon started our way down the river and paddled through the rapids.

randz, naoms, kuya eli and i shared a raft with our guide, reynold -- if you've seen GMA7's kay susan tayo's feature on whitewater rafting in cagayan de oro earlier this month, you've seen this guy -- yes, he's had his tv exposure! ma'am edith, mikmik, ma'am jinx and the twins boarded another raft with their guide, jund.

despite the dangers of getting the camera wet, i brought the gadget on board our raft. there was no dry bag in sight so i placed it, along with my cellphone, inside an ordinary plastic bag and kept it in my safety vest's pouch. hehehe.


04.28.07 snapshots of us while navigating through calm waters
navigating 12.32 km of cagayan de oro river in a raft and conquering all 14 major rapids (and several minor ones) was exhilarating! from the first to the last whitewater, my friends and i enjoyed the adventure a lot -- as you can see in the pictures, all the good and happy feelings are written on our faces. our whitewater rafting experience was worth all the "mishaps"!

mishap #1
there were times that our guide permitted us to go overboard to happily swim in the river and to allow the relatively strong current to carry us downstream. of course, everytime we were given permission, overboard we went!


04.28.07 weehee!
there's this exciting part where the current directs the swimmer towards a wall of rock. randz gagged going through that part after a swimmer from behind him kicked him and the water pulled him downward -- he went underwater despite the safety vest he was wearing.

fortunately, he survived to tell his story. hehe.

mishap #2
kuya eli fell off the raft as we navigated through one of the rapids. i think he forgot to "lock" his feet. good thing, he was able to rejoin us without bruises and scratches. actually, it was a "haha" moment. as his body was thrown forward, he looked as if he wasn't going to fall all the way but he fell into the water, anyway. nyehehehe... kay nganong nagbinam-i?

i could still hear what naoms said oh-so-amusedly: "one down!"

mishap #3
while i was able to keep my camera dry, my cellphone got accidentally thrown into the water.

i went swimming in the river and survived the exciting wall-of-rock phase with both the camera and my cellphone secured inside the ordinary plastic bag i kept in my vest's front pouch. talk about being relentless and reckless! soon after we all got on board the raft again and felt the urge to take more pictures, i checked my gadgets -- minions, i call them -- and got so pleased that they're still dry after all. yehoo!!! so we took more pictures... posed for the camera... and in my excitement, my arm accidentally swept my cellphone away. the gadget fell where water freely seeped through our raft. yes, my minion went swimming, too! the consequence? both the front panel and the keypad got disengaged from the main frame, lcd panel's wet, battery's wet, internals're most likely wet -- definitely a very wet cellphone!


04.28.07 so what if my phone got wet? ;-P
mishap #4
at one point during the second time we were allowed to swim around, i had to struggle to keep water from going up my nose. i kicked the water hard and in the process, hit something else... hard. i soon had the idea what i hit with my kick when randz, who was swimming near me, shouted out in real pain, "aray! val---, imong nasipaan ang ako!! waaaaa... malumos ko dinhi sa kasakit!!!"

"ay, sorry gud. wala jud nako tuyo-a. hala ka, sorry. sorry jud."

not missing a beat, naoms said, "decide unsa'y buhaton, randz, scrambled or sunny-side up?"

i said, "taymsa. ngano diay? pila diay ang nadisgrasya? isa or duha? pwede man tingali scrambled ang isa tapos sunny-side up ang isa pa." hihihi...

randz told us to stop making everyone laugh. but he was actually the one who started laughing. and laughter is contagious, you know. besides, pain or no pain, it was a laugh trip!


04.28.07 hmmm... rafting models?
there were other "mishaps"-turned-funny moments. for instance, we got stalled in one of the major rapids because one of us forgot to paddle with the rest. instead of heeding the "forward" command given out by our guide, randz just kept shouting "woohoo" as our raft encountered the turbulent waters. result? the rapids got the better of us and our raft hit a rock -- hard!! all five of us in the raft were thrown forward and randz and kuya eli almost fell off. had their bodies left the raft that time, it would have been a second fall for kuya eli. hahaha!!!

most of the 14 rapids already have names: makabundol (so named because of all the rocks there and all the potential risks of bumping into them). washing machine (so named because the most fun manoeuvre in that part of the river is to make the raft go spinning). chris' drop (so named because a guy named chris fell there). pasyon sa dalit (just because. the guide did not explain why). kiss the wall (so named because the most likely mishap in this part of the river is hitting the wall). brave's way (so named because the other way is fit for the not so brave ones). bernie (so named because a guy named bernie lives nearby. in fact, we saw bernie sitting on the riverbank soon after we passed by!). paolo santos (so named because paolo santos fell there). surprise (so named because of the "surprising" nature of the rapids in that part of the river). amusing names.


04.28.07 our river adventure's final pitstop: kabula, cagayan de oro
after our rafting adventure, we -- mikmik and the twins, naoms, kuya eli, and i -- went wallclimbing. actually, the wallclimbing activity wasn't part of the plan. just the same. like our whitewater rafting experience, it sent our adrenaline rushing and we had fun, fun, fun!!


04.28.07 one challenge after the other: down the river then up the wall
noooooooooooooo, wallclimbing made my arms hurt!

i told naoms that next time she should remind me not to go wallclimbing after a 3-hour paddling/rafting adventure. it's too much for the arms.

a rafting adventure should be followed by another rafting adventure, not a wallclimbing session. hehe.


p.s.

(1) account of my first whitewater rafting adventure in cagayan de oro is here.

(2) my phone's still working. however, i'm experiencing problems with the navigation key as a result of the gadget's unfortunate encounter with water... here's hoping i'll be able to fix it on my own.

(3) some of the photos that appear in this post are from kuya eli's camera.

(4) dili lagi ko laagan. samoka sab ninyo oi.

i, prankster

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."
--Hal Borland

one badminton weekend | july 2006
metro manila

after a badminton session, our group trooped to metrowalk to have dinner together. we went inside one of the restos, chose our table and got settled. my friend A, who was seated beside me, put his car keys on the table and seemed to have forgotten about them as soon as we all got engaged in small group talks.

the prank
the prankster in me decided to play. i took A's keys, showed them off to my gal pals at our end of the table and shoved them inside my jacket's pocket. it was a prank i pulled off rather effortlessly.

it took awhile before A realized that the keys he put on the table were gone. the group scrambled to look for his keys under, around, and all over the table. of course, they were with me.

i must have played the part of the innocent rather nicely. A didn't suspect that i had them. this, despite the fact that i was the one seated nearest to him. instead, he accused J, the gal seated directly in front of him. he demanded that she return them to him immediately. at this point, J had no idea in whose possession the keys were. she did not have them and, therefore, could not produce them.

we soon had to change tables. A and i still sat beside each other and, J, feeling that she had to somewhat protect herself, sat next to me. i was the buffer.

i let on to J that i had the keys with me. at this point, four of us in our group of seven knew where the keys were. as for A, he was convinced that J had them although no one among us pointed the finger at her. he was just convinced that she was the culprit.

having been accused of something she did not do, J protested and asked why she was his suspect. why did he not accuse his very seatmate? she got offended that he pointed the finger at her. of all people, why her and why not i, right?

val, a prankster? never!
A took me off the hook by saying, "wala sa kanya. kilala ko 'yan. di n'ya magagawa."

oo nga naman. we've been good friends since we learned of each other's existence in 2003. we've had great times over paperless word and numerical puzzles during our group's busrides, and we've had good talks over trivial and non-trivial things in life. we're allies. why would he suspect me, right?

so you could just imagine how he turned red when i finally fished off the bunch of keys from my jacket's pocket and gave the keys to him.

he was really pissed off. i half expected he'd stomp on my foot, attempt to strangle me, or walkout. none of those. he's one of those guys i know whose ego level is sky high. i almost admired how he managed his anger that time. when he returned to his normal color and regained some tolerable level of coolness, he just kept silent and concentrated on his food. he's usually talkative.

after that, A and i never talked again. i have tried to make amends but, in all the times that i did, i only got ignored.

in fairness to him, he's just being true to his words. during the time he was looking for his keys, sinabi niya kasi, "kung sino man ang kumuha ng keys ko, hindi ko na kakausapin pa ulit."

siyempre, super ang ego n'ya, expected na paninindigan n'ya 'yon. hanggang kailan, hindi ko alam.

sabi naman sa 'kin ng big brother ng group namin, "wag mo nang isipin ang nangyari. it was just a prank. hindi n'ya lang matanggap."

oo nga naman it was just a prank but, still, it's one of those instances that i could really say i was at fault. ang laki pala ng tiwala n'ya sa akin. tsk. feeling ko tuloy i was the one who severed the friendship.

valuable lesson re-learned: if you already know that his ego level is sky high, do not offend the guy. maybe i should add this, too... there seems to be a trend: ayaw talaga ng mga math geeks na naiisahan sila. masyadong mataas ang kabayaran.

of course, i could be guilty of hasty generalization here.

...and no! i won't pull that kind of prank again. should you "lose" your keys (or any of your things) while in my company, don't accuse me. ;-)

four the record: a meme

"Do you have to love your job? No. Love your children, your spouse, and your country. Love your parents, your neighbor, and your dog. Loving is too important an emotion to attach to the way you make a living. But it's OK to strive for satisfaction."
-- Reader's Digest Asia, May 2006

i got tagged by bambit, so here's four the record...

FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD
1. science research specialist
2. university instructor
3. teaching associate
4. student assistant

wish i could put security guard, circus performer, armored vehicle driver and foreign diplomat to that list.

FOUR MOVIES I HAVE WATCHED OVER AND OVER
1. finding nemo
2. march of the penguins
3. rent
4. pirates of the caribbean

FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. diliman, quezon city
2. tambo, iligan city
3. bayug, iligan city
4. pala-o, iligan city

FOUR TV SHOWS I LIKE TO WATCH:
1. prison break
2. CSI and the CSI spawns
3. goong a.k.a princess hours
4. i-witness

FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON VACATION:
1. tangub city and misamis occidental
2. baguio and benguet
3. davao and samal island
4. iloilo and guimaras

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
1. ice cream
2. swake
3. pizza
4. bulad na pusit

FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1. batanes
2. hundred islands, pangasinan
3. swiss alps, europe
4. antarctica

FOUR PEOPLE WHO WILL ANSWER THIS MEME
1. babypink
2. javamiggs
3. the bread
4. clerihew


about the image: it's a photo i took of the strawberries in la trinidad, benguet on april 30, 2006 using my SE phone.

two sundays

easter sunday | april 8, 2007
cagayan de oro city

two old friends, meet again... wearing older faces...
two old sweethearts fell apart...

the last time they saw each other was about 33 years ago. she was 19. he was around 29. now, she's 52 and he's 62. who would have thought they'd meet again?

my mama recognized her ex-boyfriend the moment she saw him walk into the shop where we were. he was with his family. my mama came up to him and said hi. they talked like good friends. he introduced her to his wife and their 22-year old daughter. my mama and his wife talked as if they're old time pals but it was actually the first time that they saw each other.

33 years! that's quite a long, long time.

again, who would have thought they'd meet again?

i really found it amusing. them introducing their respective families. this is my wife. this is my husband. this is my daughter. these are my daughters. we have two kids, she has an elder brother. we have four kids, they have an elder brother.

so serendipity can really work that way. whew! i wonder if i'd ever get to have that kind of experience in the future.

-¤-
one fine sunday | april 15, 2007
rupagan, bacolod, lanao del norte


the family -- and with family i mean my immediate family plus cousins, uncles, aunties, and family friends -- went to the sea yesterday. it was low tide and it was relatively easy to see the creatures on the seabed. so nanginhas mi. meaning, we looked for clams, seashells, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, lukot, lato, guso/ambalang, etc.

pagpanginhas sa hunasan is one the things that i really missed doing with my family. there was no way i could do it when i was still staying in manila. having been back from my "exile", i told my mama we should do it again and she obliged. the sunday before easter sunday, we already went and, as usual, we enjoyed the experience.

wading through seawater, looking for seafood with your own eyes and hands -- and making your back ache in the process -- is really something. it's not the same as buying seafoods from the market.

it's not easy. the clams hide under the sand and the only clue you'll have that there is a clam hiding down there are tiny twin slits (for binsala and litob) and twin circles (for bug-atan). those with untrained eyes would definitely miss seeing them. the sand and the seaweeds and the sea rocks hide the seashells, the sea urchins, the sea cucumbers, etc. and if you're not careful, you'll hurt yourself. worse, you might just encounter a seasnake!!!

but it's fun. it's definitely fun. especially when you're doing it with your family. plus, nothing beats the taste of seafood kinilaw when prepared and eaten right there sa hunasan -- exposed seabed.

having been born into a close-knit family where pagpanginhas is part of our way of life is one of the things that i'm really thankful for. i know that not a lot of people my age get to experience something like it. i feel that my cousins and i are very privileged.

pagpanginhas sa hunasan. one of my treasured pastimes. yesterday, the family did it again! and we're doing it again on the 28th!!! oh yeah.

the experience yesterday was fun quadrupled because while we were still out there sa hunasan, the rain began to pour. at first, it was just raining in trickles. then, it eventually poured so heavily. we all got so wet!! normally, we'd only be wet up to our knees but because of the rain, we got wet all over. by the time we returned from the sea, there was no way we could just get into the family vehicles and make the 45-minute travel that would take us back to iligan. we had to go 1km uphill first, back to where my grandparents' house is, to LOOK for dry clothes...

uphill, we hiked as the rain continued to pour oh so heavily. through muddy terrain we made our way back to my grandparents' house. my mamang. my papang. my sisters. my cousins. my uncles. my aunties. our family friends. we were wet, shivering from the cold, and happy. it was the first time that ALL of us got so drenched with rain. what a very, very fun family experience!!!

we didn't foresee getting drenched. it was unplanned. but we had so much fun!

weeeeeeeeeeeee... i got to play in the rain again.


about the image: no, we don't harvest starfish! the picture which accompanies this post was taken in samal island on october 28, 2006.

shower of light

"Does money really buy happiness? No. Because happiness
is not for sale. When it comes to happiness, only people
you love, and who love you, can bring it. If you have
enough dough to buy yourself a luxurious yacht, but no
real friends to sail with, you're sunk."
-- Reader's Digest Asia, May 2006

you're timeless, i'm time-bound -- i could never win if i competed against you...

you and your endless journey and your different colors,
you and your lure and the thousand and one stories you write across the skies,
you who don't always look happy, but always fascinating, always beautiful.

i've gone from here to there, lived through then, now, and tomorrow just by watching you.

you are probably the first real thing i ever saw.

you do spectacular battles against impending darkness,
you quash the creeping gloom with a burst of life,
you hold me in awe and you are what i want to be...

because you remain luminous... in hues of yellow, orange, and red and blue and green and hints of them

because you remain boundless, always sowing inspiration, always reaping every fighting chance.

because you give me something and something more,
i'll try and i'll keep trying, anyway.


about the image: it's somewhere just off manila bay. the photograph was taken by jr3 while on board the boat, st. joseph the worker (bound for iloilo), on october 24, 2005.