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. ;-)

re-entry: a simple hi and more

it all starts and re-starts with a hi or a hello. as simple as that. everything else just follows.

here's hoping this is the entry that marks my honest-to-goodness comeback to blogging. hello world! hi there!

-¤-

my inspiration for coming up with this from-out-of-the-blue entry is also a from-out-of-the-blue message sent to me via gmail chat while i was offline. it said, "elo vallll!!!!!" just that. nothing else. nevertheless, it made my heart swell because it came from someone i haven't heard from for a long time already -- a dear labmate from my graduate school days in UP.

the message reminded me that a simple hi or hello can really go a long, long way. it also made me realize (again, i must say) that there would always be people with whom we share important connections with in our lifetime, that it doesn't matter how long we've last seen them or last heard from them; by the time we see them -- or hear from them -- again, it's just as if the time between then and the present is just that -- the time in between. the connections, however, are there and they stand the tests of time. they spontaneously burst to the surface from the depths of our beings once rekindled. they are fast reinforced, built, strengthened. time lapses, along with gaps, distances, and walls -- real or imagined they may be -- all simply dissolve.

for me, this triumph of connections over the challenges of time spent apart applies not only to the connections i have with people whom i actually shared lots of valuable time with on a face-to-face basis before; this also applies to those connections i have with people whom i have only seen once or twice so far in my lifetime (and very, very briefly at that!) as well as with those i have never really seen but interacted with so much on a virtual level -- chatmates and blogger friends -- people with whom i exchanged thoughts and whatnot's, laughed with, empathized with, argued with (and, at certain stages, had painful misunderstandings with), and celebrated even life's trivialities with through instant messaging, SMS, emails, comments, and/or -- quite rarely -- voice calls.

with each re-establishing of connections, no matter how simply achieved -- even if just through a hi or some whatnot initiated by the other party -- i recognize a heartwarming gift from heaven. i see the connections as blessings and rekindled connections are, in my lifebook, blessings multiplied. i acknowledge that they often come to me when i least expect them so i really do get caught by surprise. all the more that they become cherished wow moments. i cannot be faulted then for feeling so grateful that, oftentimes, i feel so moved to pay things forward -- i am inspired to be the one to say hi -- and this is one of those times.

i envisioned my comeback article to be about one of my many blog-worthy travel experiences. countless times, i attempted to start the draft only to stop even before i could complete the first sentence and, again and again, i ended up working on something else. i did some preparations, too, by introducing more than the usual minor changes to the template -- i thought the changes would finally get the ball rolling again -- but it still took me until now to act on my resolve to blog again.

what i shared with one of my younger sisters recently also applies to me: you gotta start at some point or you don't move.

this is it, time to hit the ground running.

with all that said, let me mark my re-entry to blogging with this simple combination of three characters: hi!



wherever you are right now in the world, if you're reading this, journey with me, see you around.

i'm going this way: hoyohoy!

“The only question in life is
whether or not you are going to answer
a hearty ‘YES!’ to your adventure.”
— Joseph Campbell

hoyohoy, tangub city is the latest addition to my list of target destinations.
the compelling reason? read on... if you're a thrill-seeker like i am, you just might make it a target destination, too!

tangub city is my father's hometown and, as such, it is one place that our family keeps going back to as much as we can. it is where we get reunited with our relatives -- people who, more likely than not, bear the same surname (or middle name) as i do -- and experience life with easy access to mango orchards, vegetable farms, rice fields, and fish ponds.

back in january 2009, i already wrote about tangub city being the christmas symbols capital of the philippines -- the city turns itself into a huge, dazzling, inspiring, amazing pinoy wonderland every onset of the christmas season. it is the place to be in mindanao if you want to catch the christmas spirit with lots and lots (and, let me say it again, lots and lots...and lots and lots) of christmas lights and delightful christmassy stuff, big and small, with family and friends.

now, watch out for tangub city as it also becomes a new adventure capital for being the home of the longest and highest zipline in asia to date!

on july 18, 2011, i wrote:

thrill-seekers, alert!!! the longest and highest zipline in asia to date is in hoyohoy, tangub city and has recently been opened. i'm already thinking of trying it out this october. to quote my friend, Karl Imanoel Obias Aoanan, "the Skyline Zip is 1,250 meters (line 1); 1,100 meters (line 2) and 500 meters above the Labo River (which is 350 meters above sea level)" | ayos!!! tara let's!

this is it, thrill-seekers! if you want to try the skyline zip (and their other adventure activities) like i do, check out hoyohoy highland stone chapel adventure park -- at 850m above sea level -- in hoyohoy, tangub city, misamis occidental, philippines. their facebook page is very helpful and has information on the basic things we need to know like park hours, description and location, how to get there, and contact details.

having seen the photos of the place, knowing people who very well know the area, and having heard from my cousins that hoyohoy is tangub city's own baguio, i am so excited to finally see, feel, and experience the place. i am sooooo looking forward to taking all in the sights and thrills in hoyohoy highland stone chapel adventure park!

to give you some ideas of what i'm talking about, here is a collection of some of the photos posted in the hoyohoy highland stone chapel adventure park facebook page:




the stone chapel and its surroundings
original caption: the stones were left untouched from their original placements some thousand - maybe millions - of years ago. we are appealing for our guests and visitors not to desecrate or vandalize the stones.





a perspective of the hoyohoy skyline zip
original caption: from the mountain to your left to the mountain across to your right and back. Just to give you a perspective how long and how deep the Zip-line is.





a perspective of the hoyohoy skyline zip, zoomed
original caption: zooming in. there are structures (shown with shining roofs) on the mountainside to your left. that's where the HOYOHOY Highland Stone Chapel Adventure Park is located - and is the starting point of the Longest Zip-line in the country.





a face of the malindang range
original caption: Mt. Malindang's South Peak. Mt. Malindang Range Natural Park. this is what you will see from the View Deck.





a section of the labo river
original caption: View from the top. the LABO River 500 meters below.





wow, notice the fog!!!





zip long and high through the fog, why not? :D


here is a mobile unit-recorded skyline zip video posted and shared by one of my classmates back in grade school. according to her, "tsada au ang zip ana pabalik kay mo hunong sa tunga nyahahahahahha." (the zip is awesome on the way back you stop in the middle nyahahahahahha). i bet that's just a momentary perception while zipping over labo river and that's the kind of zipline thrill i want to experience.

by the way, the adventure park has ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) and horses, too!!!


my previous article on tangub city is here.
note: the pictures posted in this article are used with permission from the admin of the hoyohoy highland stone chapel adventure park facebook page.

a quick look back

it was june 18, 2005 when we, bisaya bloggers in manila, first met. from edsa shangri-la in mandaluyong city, we went to the gateway in araneta, cubao, quezon city then back to mandaluyong to window shop at the megamall. there was jory, gail, sealdi, bhevs, and i. i wrote about that day and the article lives to this day.


june 18, 2005 first meeting memories
http://caterpillartalk.blogspot.com/2005/06/kabisdakan-et-al.html
that initial meeting was full of fun and there were other bisaya bloggers in manila get-togethers that followed... yellow cab pizza saturday, mall strolls and book-shopping, taxi and train rides...


july 30, 2005 yellow cab saturday crowd
http://caterpillartalk.blogspot.com/2005/08/wowow-weekend-with-wowow-friends.html

kars, kuya zimm, and padre cuying joined our happy bisdak crew. we had the brickhouse, picnic with kuya miki, and even dragonboat-rowing and amazing race-like adventures.






february 12, 2006 bisaya bloggers in the brickhouse
(communication foundation for asia in sta. mesa)
http://caterpillartalk.blogspot.com/2006/02/kay-bisaya-lagi.html




march 4, 2006 UP sunken garden picnic
http://caterpillartalk.blogspot.com/2006/03/picnic-with-bulad.html




may 20, 2006 bisaya bloggers' "amazing" saturday
http://caterpillartalk.blogspot.com/2006/05/bisaya-bloggers-amazing-saturday.html
tomorrow, june 19, 2011, we will be spending time together again. time to revive and sustain our happy bisdak times!!! exciting is an understatement. :-)

a galleon named andalucía

"A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon."
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleon

10th of october 2010 mission: get on board galeón andalucía
pier 13, south harbor, city of manila

what this was like: effort!

our group started joining the queue of people wanting to see the galleon at around 6:30am. we got our first glimpse of the galleon at around 11am and was able to get on board at close to 11:30am. the viewing hours for october 9, 2010? 9am-12nn -- whew! despite being early, we almost didn't make it. :D

galeón andalucía, which docked for a limited duration in manila's south harbor from october 5 to october 9, 2010, is a replica of the galleons which figured so much in that manila-acapulco galleon trade we used to read about in philippine history and culture textbooks back in our days of formal schooling.

people couldn't be blamed for turning out in hordes to see galeón andalucía. after all, it's the first time in after 200 years that a galleon docked once again in manila.

because the galleon was around only for a limited time and too many people flocked to south harbor, queuing for the chance to experience being on board a real galleon proved to be very challenging. not everyone had the patience to stand in line and many had to turn away.

i think i would have turned away, too, if i didn't have friends around who were also as committed to the 'mission.'

with that said, before i get around to sharing some photos, let me share my anecdote related to the 'mission':

a test of human patience, perseverance, and determination, it was!

i lost my patience with the guard who wouldn't let me go through the gate to south harbor because "di na po muna kami nagpapapasok kasi marami na pong tao sa loob" (read: we're not letting anyone in anymore for the time being because there are already so many people inside) and that was only ~7:30am. viewing hours were not to start before 9am.

when i called his attention to the people in private cars and taxis that were allowed through the gate and how unfair that was to people on foot, he told me off by saying "wag kang nagtututuro, masama 'yan. sila (people who're also outside the gate) nga e, nauna sa 'yo, hindi nagrereklamo." (read: don't point, that's bad. they got here ahead of you but they are not complaining.)

me: "hindi ako sila at hindi ako nagtututuro, sinasabi ko lang sa 'yo, sir, na hindi kayo patas kasi pinapapasok n'yo ang mga may sasakyan pero kami hindi at nasa loob na ang mga kaibigan ko, kasama nila ako." (read: i am not them and i'm not pointing. i'm just telling you, sir, that you're not being fair because you're allowing those people in private cars and taxis to get in but not us who walked to get here. my friends are already inside, i'm with them.)

i totally got irked when he just said, "kasalanan n'yo 'yan." (read: it's your fault.) to this, i said, "paano naman naging kasalanan ko e kayo nga ang malabo" (read: how come it's my fault when you're the one who's inconsistent?) and then i walked away.

when my friends who were already inside south harbor came to the gate to get me, i stopped short of sticking my tongue out and making "bleh bleh" antics at the guard. when i made my way past him, i blurted out a bratty "ikaw kasi e, sinabi ko naman kasi sa 'yo, ayaw mo maniwala." (read: see i told you but you refused to believe me.) ayun, pasok ako at good luck sa kanya, maraming taong mas rabid pa sa labas so i was able to get in and good luck to the guard -- there were a lot of people left outside the gate who were far more "rabid" than i was.

after entering the gate, there was still a queue to endure. however, getting past the gate was über important and as the popular saying goes, "all's well that ends well."


i got stamped!
the stamp on my palm was for "aklatang filipino" but this was a sort of assurance from the 'bouncers' that i'd be able to get onboard galeón andalucía.


dia del galeón banner and the barrier.
the pathway to and fro galeón andalucía belonged to the other side of that fence.


galeón andalucía
that was our view of galeón andalucía as we were approaching the waiting area for people going onboard the vessel.


docked. galeón andalucía (as seen from her bow-side) and her visitors in manila's south harbor


the masts of galeón andalucía

galeón andalucía: the pulleys, the ropes, and the wooden frame (and the visitors )

masts and the colors representing manila (philippines) and acapulco (mexico)!

two of the 31 members of the galeón andalucía crew at work

galeón andalucía ropes

inside the galleon: rope art (this was placed near one of the cannons.)

inside the galleon: one of the cannons

inside the galleon: galeón andalucía art

galeón andalucía commemorative plate

inside the galleon: spanish seal on the glass pane, timepiece, a replica, and a lamp

inside the galleon: wooden dining set with metallic centerpiece

inside the galleon: wooden furniture

another two of the 31 members of the galeón andalucía crew

galeón andalucía as seen from her stern side

the stern of galeón andalucía

galeón andalucía (in comparison to a lifeboat and a port security personnel )
---
about galeón andalucía (as can be read from the info board inside the galleon):

"Galeón Andalucía is the only actual replica of a Spanish galleon that has ever been built. These galleons played the role on economic and cultural relationships between Europe, Asia and America during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Three centuries after, and crossing the waters that helped Spain to lead the trade routes, Galeón Andalucía is reviving the History and recovering the past success to place her into the eastern heart, and show our region to the rest of the world.

During her crossing, and then during her visit to Shanghai Expo, Galeón Andalucía serves as a cultural, touristic, gastronomic, and business promotion platform for Andalusia, showing the world the best of this autonomous community and its resources."

more photos can be found here: http://kulitjr3.multiply.com/photos/album/695/695

rest in peace, eddie

originally posted as a facebook note on january 7, 2011

it's difficult to comprehend. it's difficult to accept. it's difficult to let things sink in. today, i got reminded how life can be so fleeting.

at first, i wanted to dismiss the information as part of a major, major uhmm bad joke but i quickly realized that, at this day and age, my friends who were born around the same year as I was are already mature enough to know that it's simply not acceptable to joke about someone's demise, more so that of a common friend.

did he get sick? did he figure in an accident? did he kill himself? none of these really made sense as i struggled with the telegraphic bit that our good friend from college days, E.A.S., passed away.

no, not eddie. no, it cannot be. we're supposed to still meet somewhere, somehow... we have a lot of catching up to do. we were happy during our college years. because we had a great time, sometimes, college feels like only yesterday but the reality is this was already years and years ago: even when we stuck it out with physics and eddie did not, he still took time to hang out with us -- in and outside school -- idle talks, billiards/9-ball, house visits, lunch-outs, videoke, halo-halo food trips, joyrides, ping pong!

eddie's not the kind i could easily forget. i remember him for a lot of things...

he's a very talented ping pong player -- we know how he's able to send those table tennis balls a-zooming and can leave them broken with his agility at smashing. he can be such a livewire. the kind of person you learn and laugh a lot with. the kind of friend who lets you shine with your own personality, too.

i remember...

...the iced tea incident during one of our lunch-outs in jy dimsum. we ordered iced tea to go with our sumptuous lunch. we waited, waited, and waited until the girl who took our order eventually came back to request us to cancel our order. we asked why. they didn't have enough number of glasses. tsk. certainly, not one of those very welcome excuses but we recognized the laughable for what it was. we tried to hold back our laughter... we couldn't... hahaha, nahutdag baso!!! major laugh trip. it's one of those things i really could not forget.

...how he cares and how he's protective like a big brother. he tells us in a straight-forward manner to deal with our hair (something like 'panudlay pud oi ') or pulls down the hem of our shirts/blouses to conceal skin or points out what needs to be fixed with our clothes. i'm aware i'm using the present tense. sometimes, it's difficult to write using the past tense.

...he rooted for us, defended us from the people who couldn't get past thinking that we're a bunch of weird (probably boring in their minds, too?) uppity people pursuing a crazy course. he stood by us, remained proud of us.

...i told him out loud, "regardless kung unsa pa ka, i'd still be your friend." he took courage and became more open. he told us about his crushes. haha.

earlier today, i tried to recall the last time that we saw each other. the closest that i could dig up was afternoon of december 29, 2006 (already that long time ago since we last met?) in buhanginan, the hill where our city's seat of government is located.

as part of my january 12, 2007 log, i wrote:

"on our way down sa buhanginan, nakadungog mig nisyagit sa akong pangalan... taymsa! dili ko artista, why shout my name... and then gisyagit sab ang pangalan ni joyce... taymsa!! kaila jud ni nato. si anwar una nakabantay sa amo... si eddie!!! grabe ang coincidence, si eddie nagsakay ug pa-city hall na jeep kay paadto siya sa comelec. and since mga talakitoks man ming tanan, napanaog namo ang eddie gikan sa jeep and temporarily na-set aside iyang tuyo sa comelec (magkuha sa iyang manghod). so there... although dali lang pud mi nagkakamustahan, nagpicture-picture and all (what is, gataligsik biya and naa mi uban nga bata)... lingaw."


december 29, 2006: val, joyce, eddie, anwar at the foot of buhanginan


one paningkamot shot | our tripod: a box of oven toaster

eddie was wearing his uniform. he came from work and was on his way to the local comelec office to fetch his younger brother who went there for voter's registration. when he saw our small group from the jeepney that he was riding on, he called out. we were walking down the hill when we heard my name and, then, joyce's name. eddddddiiiiiiiieeeeeeee!!!

instead of going straight to where he was supposed to go down, eddie, in his very neat uniform, went down the jeep and shared a few precious moments with us. yes, precious. very. i didn't know that was the last time we'd have our pictures taken together.

at around 2am today, january 7, 2011, somebody shot him dead.

i remember him expressing that he didn't want people to be sad when it's his time to go -- that people should be happy, celebrating life, drinking wine instead of crying but... with what happened, how his life was snuffed just like that, we can't help but be sad.

we used to plan of having V.E.N., our "someday" project back then. it's a resto-bar to be owned by me, him, and naoms. i just realized that "someday" is already knocking at our "now" and the man who took his life also took away our younger selves' dream. V.E.N. would not be V.E.N with eddie gone. :(

destination 2011: batanes!

"The human spirit needs places
where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man."
-- Author Unknown

I know this to be personally true: experiencing Batanes is a must. Returning to Batanes, reliving the experience is inevitable. Not returning to Batanes is unthinkable.


more travel & adventure photos are available in my online gallery:
http://kulitjr3.multiply.com

On February 27, 2010, twelve days after I got back from my first ever trip to Batanes, I wrote:

"BATANES is more than the place, more than the people, more than the language, more than the underrated hype, more than all of them combined. it is not in any picture or magazine article -- the real BATANES is an experience."

Experiencing Batanes was a dream I nurtured ever since I was 12 years old. I nurtured it patiently for so long until I finally got the realization of that dream early this year. It took me 15 years! Batanes was a dream that eventually came true. When it did come true, I was overwhelmed. The experience was totally mind-blowing!!! Until now, more than 10 months after that dream-come-true trip, I still have Batanes in my mind. It is a fascination I cannot just shake off. Traveling to other places, which I constantly do, just won't make up for my thirst and hunger for MORE of Batanes. All those other travel destinations have their own lures but they cannot compare to the way I find Batanes -- so perfectly wonderful, this paradise of the north, undeniably a piece of heaven on earth.

Batanes is the place to be and I HAVE TO GET BACK THERE SOON!!! There, I've said it!


experiencing the humming winds | vayang rolling hills
Anyone who doubts my fascination for Batanes can go check out the previous blog articles which I posted:

destination: batanes
http://caterpillartalk.blogspot.com/2010/05
alternative links:
http://caterpillartalk.wordpress.com/2010/05
http://www.facebook.com/note_id=398515073886

♥ this is it: heaven on earth! | racuh-a-payaman
a.k.a. marlboro country, mahatao, batanes ♥

but i knew i loved you even before i met you
http://caterpillartalk.blogspot.com/2010/02
alternative links:
http://caterpillartalk.wordpress.com/2010/02
http://www.facebook.com/note_id=332599893886

♥ the oh-so-splendid view from vayang rolling hills ♥

You can also check the 20 photo albums (with 1200+ photos from my DSLR) which I dedicated to my Batanes trip here: http://kulitjr3.multiply.com

You can trust that when I get my chance of being back there in Batanes, I will write more and share more pictures. After all, I'm great at documenting my travels and adventures!*

With all that said, I'm definitely going back to Batanes. I made it my personal travel goal to visit Batanes every year of my travel life starting 2010. 2011 is just around the corner and Batanes is beckoning! The goal is calling!


*Read my travel & adventure stories here and ogle at my photo & video evidences of the moments here. (",)