Thoughts on the recent trip to Mindanao...

So I've written about the food and my stupid photo ops from the CDO-MisOr-Davao trip.

What I have not written about is the real reason why I took the trip.

I had to cover two events - the launch of the Telesurgery Program in CDO/MisOr and the turnover of the Automatic Weather Station to the LGU in Davao.

Yeah, the names of the events sound far from the core nature of the telecommunications industry but both utilize the resource and expertise of the telecoms industry in one way or another.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but my work is about the community service side of the company. CSR (corporate social responsibility) in short. I work with a team that deals directly with the communities/organizations in implementing programs. My task is to provide publicity and communications support to the programs.

That's why I had to go to CDO/MisOr and Davao. I needed to gather information and photos about the programs, which we'll use for news articles.

Field work, particularly the ones that require me go to remote areas and the most rural parts of the country, is always a happy task for me. Not only because it reminds me of my Pahinungod days, but also because it is during these work assignments that I get to go out of the comforts of Makati and see the real world. Until now, I believe that one of the greatest methods of learning about the reality is immersion - packing one's bag, taking the habal habal (or if you're lucky, a car with A/C lent by a generous sould), and going down the road less traveled.

That's exactly what we did in MisOr. After the almost two hour flight to CDO from Manila, we boarded a van headed for Gingoog, Misamis Oriental. The travel took around three hours. My work colleagues and I joined locals who are heavily involved in the telesurgery project in the provinces.

Upon arrival at Gingoog, we were given a tour of the provincial hospital. The hospital was impressive, I must say. Given that it was quite far from the much more urban environment of CDO, Gingoog's provincial hospital seems to be ready to serve the needs of the local community. From the people I got to talk to, the person to be thanked for this are the hospital leaders who are progressive thinkers and visionaries.

After a tour of the hospital and a briefing of its services, we boarded our ride again and hit the road once more. This time, we were headed to a remote barangay to talk to a candidate for surgery thanks to the Telesurgery program.

From the asphalt roads of the main highway, our ride turned right at one of the smaller roads. A little further and the concrete road became rough soil and rocks. The ride became bumpy. The trees on both sides of the road grew thicker and thicker. Every so often, we'd see a nipa hut.

Ah, it was such a familiar sight, I thought. I've been down this road so many times - in Mindoro, in Palawan, in Benguet, in Camarines. And I felt exactly what I usually felt in those other occasions - happy.

The pickup eventual stopped, and when we got out, we were greeted by a soft drizzle and the smell of trees and earth that have just been kissed by the rains.

We walked a little down a muddied path and reached the house of Mang Ignacio and his wife Nenita.

It was a two-story house, made out of wood. If you remember the way houses in the barrios are described in the Filipino folk stories that were read to us when we were kids, that's how their home looked like. Just outside the house is the "kitchen." On one side are wood from wherever, gathered from the forest, piled neatly and ready to be used as firewood. Sleeping happily on the moist earth are several piglets. They don't budge even as we approached. Haha!

For the next few minutes, we got to speak to Mang Ignacio. The man is over seventy-years old and is afflicted with hernia. Thanks to the telesurgery program and the province's efficient health care program, Mang Ignacio will soon undergo surgery. The cost would be a fraction of what the family would have to pay, if they were to go to a private hospital in CDO.

Mang Ignacio says that if not for the program, he wouldn't bother getting the hernia treated. He is ready to live with it.

The same is true for 12-year-old Inin, another candidate for surgery through the provincial hospital's telesurgery program. Inin has meningocoele. In layman's terms, she has a huge mass (about the side of a pear) on top of her nose. I don't know how it affects her breathing, but I'm quite sure that it affects her vision. Try putting your curled fist in front of your nose. That's how Inin is.

Her mother, on the verge of tears, tells us that if not for the program, she would have no choice but to just leave the mass alone. No, her daughter would have no choice but to leave the mass and live with it.

Mang Ignacio and Inin are just two of the I dunno thousands of people who need quality health care. I was told that there was one other person from the barangay of Mang Ignacio who has myoma. Since the family does not have any resources, they are doing nothing. They are just waiting for the person's time. You know what I mean.

I am always thankful whenever I meet people like Mang Ignacio and Inin. No, it's not because they make me see how fortunate I am. No. Something's just not right with learning how to be grateful because of other people's misfortunes.

It's because they remind me that something needs to be done, that I should get involved in one way or another, that I can do something maybe not for them but for those nearer to me.

In this case, I may not be able to directly help Mang Ignacio and Inin. But I think that when we are able to put down their story into words, and get it out there for the public to read, and that hopefully, one more soul will be moved to do something, then I think that I was able to do my job.

This is one aspect of my job that I really am thankful for. That I have a chance to come face-to-face with the reality of things, no matter how sad it is sometimes. These are things I would never learn about if I didn't head out. Yeah, I know I can read about it but I'm telling you, experience is the best teacher. That's what Pahinungod taught me. That's what UP taught me.

Anyway, one of the things I'm really driving at here is the importance of action. It doesn't have to be grand. Every small act counts. What matters is that we do something, and not just let the world pass us by.

One man I look up to told me that I shouldn't just be another face in the crowd. Thanks to the trip to CDO/MisOr/Davao, I was reminded of that advice.

The trip did me good I think. Though I was dead tired and the pain on my left ankle made walking extremely difficult, I was glad I was assigned to do the trip. I went back to Manila feeling less jaded, less angry (hehe!) and with a little more belief in the good of people.

Such a sale whore...

I'm such a sale whore. I swear. Haha! Does that make me cheap? Haha!

But you can't blame me. It's not like I earn a lot. Hehe! Even if I'm such a sucker for designer stuff, I still know how to knock some sense into myself. (That's the reason why I had to let go of the Marc by Marc Jacobs tote bag I was eyeing. Huhu! Yeah, it was relatively cheap for a Marc by MJ but in terms of functionality, it wasn't a smart buy. The people of Tipid Sulit Pinas will crucify me. Hahaha!)

I have to say though that I'm really lucky when it comes to sale season. Hehe! My best buys to name a few include a John Varvatos shirt (originally priced at P6K, I got it at a huge discount), a Missoni Sport shirt (again huge crazy discount), a James Perse shirt (orig price was P2K, got it for P300), and a Paul Smith messenger bag (originally around P9K, got it for I'm not telling - basta it's super el cheapo! Haha!).

From the many years of retail therapy, I'd have to say that Rustan's and Debenhams have the really, really best sale prices! Proof? Good friend Ela was able to get a Marc Jacobs wallet (or was it a clutch) for only P1K. Original price? Around P20K. Crazy, huh?! If you're a sucker for high-end designer stuff and you have money to burn, Adora and Homme et Femme have really good sale items too! I almost got a Comme des Garcons bag once, but decided to let it go. I didn't need CDG just yet at that time. Hehe!

I think I'm done with going for designer clothes. Yeah, I'm getting old (and wiser). Haha! I now think that a P1,600 long-sleeved shirt is too much (unless it's Boss or Zegna. Hehe! If it's just Zara, zorry. Ayaw!) You won't get me to buy pants that's P3k or so. Especially now that I know about Kamuning tailors, no way am I going to get those crazily priced jeans or chinos from *toot* or *toot.* I recently had a pair of pants made at Kamuning. The fabric is super. The fit is awesome. And it cost me just P800. O ha! San ka pa?!

Of course, there are (several) times when I still fail and choose designer. But my general rule now is that it has to have an insane price slash. Some examples? I've been looking for a brown belt because the one I'm using for the longest time doesn't serve its purpose anymore. Leather's still in good condition but I need to make some extra holes, which I don't want to do. (Does anyone need a brown belt? Size 36.)

I checked out the belts at Kenneth Cole but I still can't get myself to buy the P2K belt (even if it's reversible and even if the smell of leather is driving me crazy! I love leather!). I got my new belt at Marks & Spencer. I don't usually check out their items because they're too corporate for me, but I was killing time earlier and decided to go in the store. Found a belt that was originally P2K, and was now selling for P700. Ayos na, di be? Black socks were also on sale dirt cheap so I decided to get a few pairs. I have a constant need for black socks. Hehehe!

The only piece I'm willing to spend on are bags. Between bags and shoes, I'm more of a bag person. It's not practical for me to spend crazy on shoes because I commute and I walk… a lot! But bags I can never get enough of. Hehe! Heck, you'd sometimes find a bag in a bag in my bag! (Parang Inception lang. Haha!) Though I'm nowhere near the bag addiction of my good friend Maver. Wahaha!

I'm still dreaming of that Graphite Keepall. My mother will kill me if I ever get one (though I think it's one bag I will use even when I'm old and gay… I mean gray… hahaha!) I just hope that that store doesn't stop making that design. Hehe! The other item I'm dreaming of is a BT0171. Just like the Keepall, I know that it's one more piece that I will get to use for many, many, many years. Hay!!!! Pwede ko bang ibenta ang gall bladder ko to get money to buy these two pieces? Hehe!

I shouldn't start talking about bags. It has to have a blog entry of its own. Haha!

Mindanao trip = Food trip...

One of the good (and equally bad) things about traveling is getting to try the local food.

Even if the same dish is available in Manila, it still is not the same when you get it locally. The biggest sin against native dishes is being cooked Manila style. Hehehe!

Anyway, the last CDO-Misamis Oriental-Davao work trip was full of good food, even if the trip itself was tiring. The seafood, though bad for my joints, was just yum! I had a little of everything. And even if I wanted to have second helpings, and yeah for certain dishes a third one, I had to restrain myself due to health and waistline reasons. Hehehe!

My favorite was the "Taktaken (?)" in MisOr. It was cooked as adobo. To eat its meat, you had to bang the shell on the table (hence, the name) until the silver thing falls off. Then you get the meat inside the shell. It tastes like squid, and I loved it! Haha!

I wasn't able to try Durian coffee though. My friend Maver says it's really good. Oh, well. There's always a next time.

Above are some of the dishes that made my trip to Mindanao a gastronomic feast! :) I wasn't able to take a photo of the other dishes anymore. Hehe!

Dodong goes job hunting in M'danao...

You know how I've always been wanting to get out of Manila and start a new life in the provinces. Well, I think I may have just found a job in CDO and MisOr. (Or I thought I did.)



During the first night, I've discovered that I can tell the future using the many "crystal balls" at this magical place in Opol, Misamis Oriental. You'd think that the place is just another fantab restau by the sea. But if you open your eyes wide, you'd see that there are spirits trapped inside the "crystal ball."



That was too freaky for me, so I decided to take a job that's more "normal" - waiter. Uhm, I thought I've always been an -Er Guy so why not be one as well.



Unfortunately, I move too slow and I kept breaking glasses and plates. The head waiter got more furious when I answered back, "Hello, relax your upper heart, Koya. Hindi naman mga Lalique at Paşabahçe ang binabasag ko." Hehehe! So there goes the -er jobs, as in fortune teller and waiter. Wahaha!



In CDO, I also tried to apply as a civilian security guard at Lim Ket Kai. Hehe! I told myself it would be very butch, very manly especially if there are shoplifters or whatever. Plus, I get to patrol the area on a bike. At least, I can put those hours and hours of spinning to good use.



But I was given the pink slip when I was found eating lotsa sugar and carbs, and hanging out with the beautiful people of CDO and Cebu.

Since it felt like I had no future in CDO, I took the land trip to Davao and hoped that the new life might be there.



As soon as morning broke, I went straight to People's Park. Surely, the park could use an extra pair of hands. I got hired as a park cleaner.

I only lasted a day because I was too absorbed analyzing the fantab large sculptures of Kublai Millan which were found in the park, and that took several hours. That and the fact that I'm a germophobe, who used up all the park's soap in a day because I kept washing my hands after holding the walis tingting. Can they blame me? Hello, germs!



Before I knew it, my three days of job hunting was over. I had to get back to Manila because my bosses might already notice that I'm gone.



And so I leave Mindanao with a long face. Maybe I'll try Iloilo next time. Wahahaha!

Note (to my bosses and colleagues and everyone associated with someone from this company up to the fifth level of consanguinity, wahaha!): I'm NOT looking for a new job. I'm perfectly fine with my current position, and I loved it more after the field work. I was just being playful. Thank you.

Sa Jollibee, bonggang bongga ang saya...

If I have to name one more good thing I got from being an Internet-loving person, I have to say it's meeting people who go to the same church as I do. You know what I mean. Hehe!

Last year, I met several people from Twitter. I can't remember who followed who. What I do remember is always enjoying the company of these tweeps whenever I see them.

One more occasion that I enjoyed the company of friends met through Twitter was the surprise birthday parties of JC and Josef, which was held last night.

JB and Ponch organized the whole thing and the other JB helped invite the people. Uhm, I'm not really sure who did what. What I'm sure of is the birthday party was a success (Both JC and Josef were genuinely surprised) and that Saturday night was super fantab.

The party was held at Jollibee Fort (the one near St. Luke's). It's a good venue I have to say. We got the Jollibee Room (which can seat about 70 people maybe). The party crew was really entertaining. I think the head of the party crew was extremely delighted when he found out that the party guests were 99% becks (1% were women. Hehe!). Two of the crew members were actually cute. Hehe! Sorry. -Er fan an -Er fan lang. And you can't really go wrong with Jolli Spaghetti and the appearance of Jollibee. Hehe!

So, games were played, gifts were given, greetings were said. I am going to fail if I even attempt to write just how fun last night was. Hehe! You'd have to be there. I felt like a kid again. Hehe!

After the party, JB, RG, Marl and I headed to Rockwell to catch the last screening of The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Good movie. Even if I had a loooong day (I was up at 7AM and did an exhibit ingress), I didn't fall asleep during the movie. It was a good way to finish the happy Saturday night.

Happy birthday, JC and Josef! Wishing you both more and more happy and "happy" years! :)

Jack Berger-ed...

I've been Jack Berger-ed.

You remember Jack Berger from the first few episodes of SATC season 6. Carrie was dating writer Jack Berger. They appeared to be getting along very well. If you followed the series, you would know that the two split and then Berger tells Carrie he wants to make things work. And then just after one night that Berger says this to Carrie, the poor girl wakes up alone in her bedroom with a post-it that read - I'm sorry. I can't. Don't hate me.

That's episode came to mind while I was thinking of how to write about the recent dud in the dating department.

I went out on a couple of dates with this guy I (thought I) really liked. He was smart. He was funny. He was in a profession I look up to very much mainly because that profession ran in my family (the earlier generations, at least).

And he was also waaaayyy younger.

Don't ask how young. Let's just say that when he was born, I was already running around grade school playing cops and robbers. Hahaha!

Initially, I was worried about the age thing. I mean, come on. The last time I went out with a guy much younger, he mentioned Justin Bieber and I just stared at him wondering who the heck he was talking about. Gawd, I'm old.

So I said no more dating younger guys. But then this recent guy turned out to be quite different (that's what I thought then). Our first non-date date went really well. When we were together, I didn't really feel the age gap. That's when I thought I'll give this a shot.

Another reason why I went ahead with going out with the guy is the story of my folks. My Dad is 15 years older than my Mom. They've been married for the past 32 years, I think. They don't have the perfect marriage, but they're still together. So they probably did something right. If a marriage with a 15 year age gap survived, hmm, I thought this is worth trying.

Anyway, things were on the way to great with this guy. My best friends could tell. I had a huge smile on my face. I was getting kilig. I wasn't in a gray area, which I absolutely liked.

Then on a recent date, we came into some sort of "argument." He wanted something. I wanted different. Because of a few words that came out of each other's mouths, his mood (and at that moment, his feelings) changed faster than you can spell Hinulugang Taktak.

I explained my side, and told him why I chose what I chose thinking he'd understand. Instead, that led to a list of faults he saw in me but never really mentioned. It's amusing because I honestly thought he was liking me for being me. Because that's how I was during the few times we went out and those times that we talked. I liked him for who he was. Stupid me, I believed that he felt the same.

The list of faults came in a message that was generally mean and hurtful. Thank god for the four years in the corporate world, I've become sort of thick-skinned. Still, the message was hurtful. While I was still processing things, my best friend was so ready to break a nose and a face. I can't really blame her. That's what best friends do. As for me, I was just numb.

A day after the message came, the guy got in touch with me again. He explained his side - why he acted the way he did, what he thought he wanted. Stubborn person that I am, I somewhat believed. Told him the ball was in his court. I knew what I wanted. And I was ready to make some changes in me. It was him who was unsure of things.

I told him to think about things. My upcoming out of town business trip was a good time for him to think, I said. I, on the other hand, will just be here.

Last night, I finally got another message, the content of which can be summarized by his last sentence.

"I'm sorry I can't be that guy."

Uhm, a part of me was already expecting that. I tried to be an adult about it, and thought to respond properly. If it were my two other very good friends, they would have preferred I send a response that was "more fitting." Hehe!

And there you have it. My Jack Berger moment! I think Lady Gaga was thinking of this boy when she wrote that song.

Jeez, ewan ko ba why these things happen to me. Natutulog ata ako ng magsabog si Lord ng magandang kapalaran sa larangan nag pag-ibig. Haha! Failure after failure. It gets tiring. The heart should have a quote for the number of heartaches it has to go through. It's too draining.

There. Just had to write this.

Bye, Bye na...

It's time for change.

I've been resisting it for the past few months, but it seems like I've reached the point where I have to do it.

This is really difficult for me because you and I have been through thick and thin for the past three years.

I still remember the first time we met. That was in 2007. Around July, too. It was in North Edsa. Jeez, North Edsa. Hehe!

My Mom was even there when we met. Can you say awkward? Haha! These girls were looking at us because my Mom kept on asking these things about you.

But what can I do? I knew that I want you and need you in my life.

And for the last three years, you've made me nothing but happy.

Lately, I've realized though that something is wrong. You've been acting up a lot. You refuse to work with me, and you've let me down so many times. How could you?

Yesterday, I decided to finally say goodbye. My friends thought it was the right thing to do. It would be hard to make the shift, because we were so good together. But I have no choice.

So, goodbye Nokia E61i and hello new Nokia phone. Hehe!

Transferring the 935 contacts is still something I must face. Ugh! I must check if there's PC suite for the unit I got.

In relation to the blog entry yesterday...

Unfortunately, pwede palang 5 days lang iyon.

I lost a reason to smile today.

Hmm...

So, apparently, this happens in real life.

I just know. Haha!

UP = Unexpected na Pangyayari...

UP is one of my happy places in this world.

I dunno, but every time I get to visit the campus of my beloved university (whether it is Manila or Diliman), I always, always feel a certain kind of "high" from just being there.

Recently, I had to go to UP Diliman to cover an event. One of the bosses at work was giving a talk at a conference that was held at one of the colleges.

As soon as the cab entered University Ave., I started feeling that happy feeling I get whenever I am in UP. As we approached the Admin building, as the UP Oble statue came into view, I can't help but remember the good years of my life in UP.

Since I was already in UP, I decided to meet up with a recent acquaintance. He was in the University anyway so we agreed to meet up.

After the conference, I left that college and started walking towards another college where I was going to meet up with a friend. As I saw all these college students walking along the street, roaming the hallways, part of me felt that it would be nice to experience the campus life again, and part of me felt was thankful that I was already out of college. Hehe!

Anyway, when I finally found Joe Kavalier, we went to SC. I wanted to get Twitter buddy @MkSurf8 a bunch of UP stuff because he's always bringing me issues of VMan from Singapore whenever he comes home.

From SC, we went to Friuli. It's a hole in the wall restau in Maginhawa introduced to me by Bernice! Before Bernice left for grad school in the Netherlands, Friuli was one of our favorite, favorite dining places. The place serves extremely good and extremely affordable pasta and pizza. Plus, the gelato cakes are not too be missed!!! Deadma na sa carbs. Haha!

Kavalier and I got the Tre Formaggi pizza and Pesto. For dessert, I was disappointed that there was no Nero Tartufo so we just settled for the After Eight (choco mint ice cream).

Dinner turned into an unplanned trip to Trinoma. I usually despise that mall because of the huge crowd, but that night there weren't that many people. Kavalier and I did a bit of window shopping, some games at Timezone before catching the LFS of Inception. I guess I was tired from the entire day that I dozed off during several parts of the flick. It's super good though. Don't ask how I know. I just know. Haha!

Alright, so that trip to UP turned out to be really good. I wasn't expecting anything aside from my usual high from going to the University. But it appears like an unexpected happened. What's good is that it's the good kind of unexpected. :)