It has been a while since I watched a show like this.  Our mass media has been so commercialized that the shows they create are those that are popular and low budget.  Shows like fantaseryes, sexy stuff, action and suspense showing us a culture of violence or those that help us escape from reality.  May Bukas Pa is really a breakthrough.  It is the only show I know that teaches people the right values and a lot of valuable lessons about life.

The main character is named Santino, an orphan boy about 6 years old.  He was brought up by priests in the monastery after he was found in the cemetery.  Being brought up by religious priests, he grew up as a very fine young boy who was able to heal the sick and talk to Jesus face to face.  He calls Jesus Bro and shows absolute faith in our Creator.

The writers were able to show us different areas in different lives, the problems and mistakes mortals do and how they should deal with those.

One of my favorite episodes was when Santino handed the Mayor (the antagonist) a stone and said something like what Jesus said when the people are punishing Mary Magdalene:  He who has not sinned, cast the first stone.  Guilt  overwhelmed the greedy mayor so he turned and ran away.

I have watched the 3 day 3 hour marathon during the Holy Week.  I must say if you are a parent, May Bukas Pa is a TV program you would want your kids to watch.  It is shown every Mondays to Fridays at 8pm in ABS CBN.

I use to feel secure about my job, my career.  In fact, you may say I thought this is my life.  I use to spend at least 12 hours in the office, work on weekends even when I am at home, think about work even when I am on vacation.  I would forgo of my break hours just to finish something.  I cancel meetings with my friends because something came up with work and I need to be there.  In short, my work is my life.

It was like that even in my previous company.  I make sacrifices so I can finish my work early, meet deadlines, etc, only to get burned out and demoralized later when I felt that my efforts were not being recognized.

I use to feel important at work.  My boss even tells me that I will inherit his position should he decide to retire already which is supposed to happen in about a year from now.  I have grown with the company.  I needed to catch up and I was able to deliver without any training.  My boss use to see that.  He use to tell me that I am good at what I do.  Now, he is telling me I am too young.  He seem to overlook the things I have accomplished.  He does not seem to realize how I have grown.

I use to feel that I can tell him anything but now I feel that those days are over.  He teases me whenever he sees any manifestation of my authority, the authority he gave me.  He does not seem to remember that he was the one who told me what I can do and cannot do, what I can say and cannot say and what I can decide on.  I am beginning to question my own worth.  I am beginning to feel unimportant.  Makes me ask myself if I have become too proud.  It was so easy for others to negotiate about their salary but it feels so difficult for me.  He makes me feel that I am asking too much though I know that I deserve that.  I know what I have accomplished, I know the weight of my responsibilities and it is as heavy as those whose salary is much higher than mine.  I hate to compare and I hate asking for something.  I have always believed that if I deserve it, it will be voluntarily given to me.  Honestly, I feel scared.  I feel so uncertain coz he might have said something now then change it tomorrow.

I don’t know if I am still supposed to be here.  Perhaps, I am not.  I hate working just for the sake of money.  I don’t work for money.  I don’t work for the sake of working.  Yet, with all these things I am feeling I feel like I don’t belong here anymore but I cannot leave because I am not financially ready and I hate the feeling that this seem to be the only thing that stops me from leaving.

My bestfriend email me a couple of weeks ago, after over a year of staying in Dubai she will come home this July.  We have already planned of having a little outing when she returns so we started thinking about our destination.  Initially, she wanted to go to Cambodia, the home of the famous Angkor Wat and the historical Khmer Rouge.  Since my boss went there a couple of years ago and he did not seem to enjoy his stay, I am a bit hesitant about going there.  It will surely be educational considering what the country had gone through but at the moment, I would rather go somewhere where I can have more fun than have additional knowledge.

Anyway, so when we were in the airport after our Bohol trip I heard the speaker call on those boarding for the Kota Kinabalu flight.  I initially thought the place is somewhere in Africa so I got curious.  I searched the net and found that Kota Kinabalu is actually somewhere near Sabah Malaysia and not in Africa.  It has an amazing beach and some other tourist spots.  I was fascinated by the pictures I saw so I checked for the airfare rate in Cebu Pacific and it is only about Php8,000 roundtrip which is relatively cheap. So I decided to tell my bestfriend about it and she also liked the idea.

We are still doing some research.  Right now, accommodation and airfare will cost us about Php11,000++.  Airline will be AirAsia which is cheaper and hotel is Borneo Beach Paradise Hotel.  Imagine, Php11,000 for an out of the country cheap, I must say, it is definitely reasonable.

Well, I just had nothing to do so I decided to browse on of my fave sites to search for something to watch.  I came across this movie and the title definitely caught my attention.  Who would not have taken a second look when they see a title like this?  It must be tragic.  Yet, it is not tragic at all.  In fact, it was very inspiring.

The story is about Aya, diagnosed with a neurological disease spinocerebellar  degeneration.  An incurabledisease that slowly destroys your system until you die.  She was in middle school when she found out yet, she still bravely continued her education until high school.  You will be inspired about the way she dealt with her condition.  She had been an inspiration to everyone around her.  She made a sick man want to live again, inspired everyone in her therapy sessions with her patience and perseverance.

If you will be with her, you would have asked why she got that condition considering how good a person she is.  Yet, if you will see it in a different light, God used her to make us realize how it is to live and how we should face life.   God used her to show us His goodness, for us to appreciate what we have no matter how small or big it is.  To face each failures and trials with a smile for even if we have these burdens on our shoulders, we are still so blessed and there are others who suffer more than we do.

One Liter of Tears did make me cry but not out of pity but out of shame and joy.  I feel ashamed for complaining about a simple headache, a simple wound on the knee, or a small problem I had to solve.  I feel joy for I realized how God loves me and how blessed I am.

I have had a lot of time to think during the long weekend.  It was a rather enlightening, depressing, and joyful time.  One thing I have realized is that only when I stop believing in something, that’s the only time it will stop existing.

We had our childhood dreams and somewhere along the way, we stopped believing those dreams will come true.  We had our previous relationships and until such time when we stop believing that the other person will come to us, on bended knees and asked us to come back in his arms we are not free.  As long as we believe that he still loves you, as long as you believe that the past will continue itself, you are still tied to that invisible rope connecting your past to your future.  You are not free.

Anyway, I let’s look at the brighter side of this. Don’t you think that when you continue believing in something, it will somehow come true?  That if we continue believing in the good in everyone, we will wake up one day to a different world where everyone is good?  That if we believe that our dreams will come true, they eventually will?  That if we keep on believing in true love, someday it will find us and stay?

I know there are things that we have to let go.  Things that we have to stop believing so we can move forward and step up to the next level, just like what I have said about the relationships we had.  Yet, I don’t thing there will be any harm believing in good things, in believing in our dreams and believing that someday we will be able to realize those dreams.

When I go to a bookstore, check out the books with interesting titles then check the reviews online when I go home.   When reviews are good, I buy them.  Chasing Harry Winston is one of those books that caught my attention so I checked the story and search for reviews online.   The next time I went to the bookstore, it was even on the bestseller list and is on sale so I decided to buy.

Well, what can I say?  At first, I did not really know who Harry Winston is.  Ignorant as you may say but I don’t really suppose a lot of people know him.  I even thought he was a character in the story but no, he is not.  He is actually a maker of fine jewelry, and is popular for his diamond rings or more popularly the engagement ring.  So, the title actually means chasing the engagemet ring.

Now, after the short background, let’s get into the story.  As you will read at the back, it is about three women friends who are about my age- almost 30 years old and how they dealt with it.

I guess, in the story, I can relate more with the character of Emmy.  Of course, excluding her escapades.   Adi is definitely someone women will look up to.  This pretty Brazilian surely knows how to handle a man or men for that matter.  Leigh is one different character but someone we can also relate to at some point.  The girls made a pact one evening to do something - Emmy will start dating more and Adi will be a monogamist.

Emmy was dumped by her boyfriend of five years for a younger, sexy personal fitness trainer.  With age running after her, she seem to have lost her confidence and is a bit desperate in finding someone to marry.  She has always been the type who wants to settle down, have kids and have a happy family.  A wife material.  A serial monogamist, as her friends call her.  While her stupid boyfriend was not able to see that.  My favorite part is when her ex-boyfriend tried to win her back but she did not accept him.

Adi met a director who is popular and handsome.  Well, Adi meet a lot of guys in the story and somehow, she was able to snatch them all.  I actually picture her character as a Catherine Zeta-Jones look-alike.  You will learn a lot from her on how men should be treated and how you can get their attention.  I guess, I just didn’t have the guts or the chance to use that.

Leigh is actually supposed to be in a perfect relationship with the perfect boyfriend.  I must say, Russel is really the man of most women’s dreams.   Her story only proves the fact that no matter how perfect we try to be, it will not be enough.  It is love that makes a person happy and no matter how hard you try to please your partner, if there is no spark then it will go nowhere.  It does not mean that because you are great, the one you love will love you back.  No matter what your flaws are, love will find you when it wants to.  Oooooppppsss…. I am getting a bit mushy here.

There is almost nothing mushy about the story, except for the ending.  It all ends well for the three of course.  In general, it was a good and light read.  I enjoyed reading it.

Summer is here!  What can be more exciting than going to the beach and having some fun under the sun?  I have always loved the summer season, especially during my school days.  Now, no matter how busy my schedule is, I really try to make it a point to go out of town or at least go to a nearby resort during this season.  I must say, I cannot say summer has been summer when I am not able to do this.  Anyway, a summer vacation need not be expensive.  If I don’t have a budget, I just go to a local resort which costs between Php50-150 per head for the entrance.  If you want to have a more extravagant vacation, you can perhaps do the following:

No coin policy.  I tried doing this before and it worked.  I normally don’t spend my accumulated coins and just put it in a coinbank.  You will be surprised at how much you will save after a certain time.  You can add this savings to your spending money.  Of course, if you start earlier then you might have been able to save enough for your entire vacation.

Watch out for promo rates.  Normally, airlines will have a promo on the fare tickets.  Rates can be as cheap as less than Php100o.   Summer is also a peak season for most hotels but there will surely be some promo rates still so do your research.

In whatever you do, it always pays to do some research upfront.  It will also be helpful to determine how much you can afford first as this is a very important factor in determining where you can go and how long you can stay on your vacation.  It will not be ideal to go splurge on a vacation and come back broke.  You can use your credit card and part of your savings but make sure that you will not go overboard.

You can follow these steps in planning for your vacation:

1.  Determine how much you can afford then from there decide on where you can go and how long you can stay in your destination.

2. List down all possible expenses - fare, accommodation, taxes, food, entertainment and miscellaneous.

3. Research about your destination - getting around, accommodation, restaurants, etc.  Look for alternative.

4.  Make necessary adjustments.  After determining all possible expenses, you can now determine if you have enough budget and where you can adjust.

No matter where you go, whether somewhere cheap or expensive, the most important thing is that you have fun.  Do things you have never done before to make your vacation more memorable.  Even when things go wrong or did not turn out what you expect them to be, just look at the brighter side and think that you are on vacation and you are supposed to have fun.

I met someone recently and I cannot help getting close to him.  His presence gives you a certain feeling of freedom.  It really feels so great to be with him.  Not in a romantic way yet, but you just cannot help wanting to be with him.  He has a very light aura, aside from the fact that he is also so damn cute.  Perfect height, perfect complexion, nice eyes, funny and cool.  He said he is just living his life the way he wants to live it.   Having fun.  Enjoying his life. Fulfilling his passions.  He is a very passionate dancer and a very independent guy.  He seem to have a lot of things going on in his life.  A person living life to the fullest which I cannot help but envy or should I say, admire.

Being acquainted with him, I began asking myself about my own passion.  Well, I have always loved dancing but I stopped when I was in college, except for my PE 2 class which is about ballroom and folk dancing.  I enjoyed the boogie, considering that it’s more fun than doing the waltz or cha-cha.  With all the videos in youtube now about hiphop dancing, I would have been dancing right now if only I have more space at home where I can do the tricks.  Yet, I don’t have that luxury.  I even bought a cd a couple of months ago which is more of a dance aerobics routine but I was only able to finish a part of it due to the lack of space.

As I write this, I am actually asking myself what am I passionate about.  I know that I fell in love with Capoeira after watching a demo on television but I never really got that serious about pursuing that.  I guess, I really love dancing coz it gives you that adrenaline rush and it’s also fun.  Capoeira is a combination of dance and martial arts and music.  I heard that they have one in the Manila Polo Club and in Ateneo.  Places that actually intimidates me so I hope they offer it somewhere near my place.  I also heard that the Capoeira group is a bit tight so it might be a bit hard to blend in when you join alone.

Another passion can be music.  I have always wanted to really play the piano, the violin and the drums.  Drums is my favorite of course, since again, it gives me an adrenaline rush.  So now, I need to buy a keyboard, a violin and a drum set… quite expensive huh…

Learning French is another thing I have always wanted but never pursued.  I also use to be passionate about writing which is, I guess, the only passion that I am pursuing.  I wanted to write a novel someday and have it published.   Hmmm…. what about an autobiography? lol

I also want to travel around.  Go to places I have never been and do things I have never done.  I have always been a risk taker… well, in most things I must say.  Yet, when I get hurt trying on something, I backed out.  Like when I tried swimming and hurt myself a couple of times I stopped.

Having written all these and realizing all these, I guess I can say that I am not living the life that I want in the past few years.  Perhaps, I had been too focus on certain things and now I have a lot of catching up to do.  I want to reach the age of 30 saying that I have my life, I have fulfilled my dreams and my passions.  I better get started… actually I have already started.  Subic and Bohol are my first steps, next will be Boracay and my masters degree.  Next will be buying my violin and taking violin lessons while learning to dance again.  I have a handsfull but I know that I can do this if I put my heart into it.

So, what’s your passion?

Day 1

It was my first time to ride on a plane so I am excited and at the same time, a bit nervous.  Yet, when the plane took off, all my fears flew away.  It was like riding a roller coaster.  Really fun.  Though I must admit that there were some instances, when the plane shakes a bit that I felt some fear yet, riding a plane is definitely a great experience.  I just had to swallow a lot because of the pressure.

So, we arrived at the Tagbilaran airport and was picked up by the hotel van.  When we reached the hotel, we  just rest for a while and took off.  We went to the mall first to buy some drinks and snacks.   Then we took a taxi to Bohol Beach Club.  Taxi fares are multiplied by two so if the meter says 172.50, you have to pay 350.   This is to compensate for their trip on the way back to town.  The trip from Island City Mall to Bohol Beach Club cost us Php350.

Entrance fee at the Bohol Beach Club is Php350, 250 is consummable to you can use it for either lunch or dinner.  Although the place is nice, I would have had more fun if we just went to Dimaluan Beach Resort.  The beach in BBC is nice if you only look for a place to relax.  It is ideal if you just want to sit on the beach while reading a book or build sand castles.  There are lots of water plants that are a bit itchy when you walk over and there are no other activities except swimming.  They do not have facilities for kayaking or jetskiing.  In short, the place is perfect for picture taking and not if you seek real adventure.  There is also no night swimming so we had to be contented going to the pool where you are not allowed to wear cotton.  The lifeguard is also very arrogant and impolite when he told us about the rules.  It really regret it a bit that I went there instead of Dimaluan where the entrance is actually free.

We had dinner at BBC, the food is also not that good.  We ordered lechon kawali and it seems that the cooking oil had been used a hundred times.   They also have singers who serenaded us with three songs until we left.

After BBC, we were picked up with the taxi driver, Manong Tito.  His taxi is Varescon number 59.  We also asked him to pick us up the next morning for our Chocolate Hills trip.  The tour package is only Php1500 compared to the Php2500 that was offered by other companies.  Although the other company would have been ideal for a bigger group since Manong Tito’s taxi is just a sedan.

Day 2

Manong Tito was already at the hotel at 8am as agreed but we were only able to leave at 8:30am.  He was very patient and I did not even see any hint of him being irritated or anything, except for when we encountered some pasaway drivers.  His favorite expression is ayayay! whenever he won’t see a bump on the road.

First stop, Chocolate Hills.  Manong Tito decided to start with the farthest destination.  The ride was about an hour and a half.  Entrance is Php50 but we were able to enter for free just to answer a 50-question survey from a Tokyo University.  We also received free tarsier keychains for that.  To get to the view deck, you can either take the 100+ steps or walk your way up.  I choose to walk up as I hate stairs.  The view of the forest, farm plus the hills is really fascinating.  It is really a feast for the eyes that is why there are lots of photographers, both hobbyists and professional taking pictures.  There were also photographers who offered to take our pictures riding a walis like a witch or jumping with the big picture of the chocolate hills as the background.  Patience is required since a lot of people would want to have their pictures taken at the best spots.  Some people lose their cool though.

On our way back, we dropped by the forest to take some pictures.  We felt like Korean novela stars walking in the lovely ocean of trees with leaves falling on our heads.  It is really another great view.

After Chocolate Hills, we went to Loboc River and had lunch in one of the floating restaurants.  Entrance is Php300 per person and it is consumable.  They serve barbeque, fried chicken, fish, kare kare, etc.  We had Manong Tito join us for lunch and we could see that he is a bit shy and seem unused to this kind of treatment.  This is perhaps the most fun part of our trip.  We had a great crowd at the restaurant and they danced and we laughed and sang altogether with the singer on board.   Food is not that great but the experience is surely worth more than Php300.  We also bought some souvenir stuffs as pasalubong to our family and friends.  The pouch cost Php182.75, small wallet cost about 75 to 100.

After lunch, we went to see the tarsiers.  They are really cute creatures.  They are nocturnal and rather sensitive though, so we tried our best not to disturb them.  We were not allowed to use flash in taking pictures but entrance is free.  They have a donationbox though where we can put some money to help them in maintaining the place.  Aside from that, they also have some other creatures, I forgot their name though.

Next stop is the Baclayon Church and Museum.  Entrance fee at the museum is Php25, of course, church entrance is free.  It reminds you of the times when the Spanish friars are still the ones holding masses here in the Philippines.  It is really old but somewhat preserved.  It was built by the Jesuit priests in 1596 and is the oldest stone church in the country.  At the museum, you will see old religious artifacts on display that will surely remind you of the Spanish regime.

After Baclayon Church, we went to see the Proney- the biggest phyton in captivity.  Well, I am not really that interested in visiting the place so I asked Manong Tito what else to see there.  He said, may bading dun then smiled.  I thought he was only kidding but it was true.  I was even more amused with Marimar than with Proney.  S/he is really a great performing, imagine doing acrobatics and all that?  S/he was really funny and I would definitely recommend going there not to see the python but see Marimar perform.

Then, the last stop- the Blood Compact Site where Captain General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi entered into a blood compact with Rajah Sikatuna.   The view is really great.  There is even a well down bellow that looks like the one from the movie, The Ring.

After about 8 hours of driving around Bohol and taking pictures, we went back to the hotel.  It is technically our last day in Bohol since we are leaving for Cebu the next day.  We will surely miss Manong Tito, if anyone will ever go to Bohol and if I will return to Bohol for another vacation, I would have Manong Tito as my driver again.

Bohol is a bit boring if you are looking for real adventure and party.  It is more of a place where you can enjoy scenic views and sit on the beach.  If I will go back, I will surely stay on a beachfront hotel to maximize my beach experience.   Although our stay at the Soledad Suites was definitely good - place is nice and clean and cheap and the hotel people are very nice that they helped us in everything, including buying tickets for our trip to Cebu.

My 2009 Subic Adventures, so far, is one of the best adventures I have ever had.  Thanks to Caloy who organized everything.

Well, let’s start from the beginning.  At around6:45am, I received a call from Ana, telling me that we are leaving for Subic at 7am.  Hahaha… that was like 15 minutes away and I just woke up.  It will take me about an hour to prepare and that is already quite fast.  I’m a girl so I must have a lot rituals.  Anyway, I went directly to the bathroom after that call, took a bath really fast, then grab a cup of coffee and a piece of bread.  I don’t want them hearing my stomach complain so early in the morning.  And it can be a turn off to if he hears the monster growling from my tummy.  I dressed up quickly, grabbing whatever ironed clothes I have.  Yet, I still managed to put on some light make up.  Well, I have to look good, you know =)  I thought about bringing an extra shirt and put on some sun block which I was not able to do.  Good thing my powder has SPF25 and my regular lotion also has some sun protection.

In short, I was able to leave the house at around 7:30, expecting to get to our meeting place at around 8am which is an hour later than the call time.  So I went off to Starbucks, Trinohmoa where I found no one waiting for me.  Since it was my first time in Trinoma, I thought I was lost so I called Ana asking where she was. And I thought I was already late but I happen to be quite early.  Caloy is still to pick up Eric in Makati and Ana had to run some errands on her way there.  So I decided to get the company of one Java Chip while waiting and reading some travel magazines.  It was also the first time I had coffee at Starbucks in the morning on a Saturday.

Ana was the first to arrive at around 8:30, Caloy and Eric came at around 9am and off we go to Subic.  First stop, Tree Top.  We chose to go for the Canopy ride that cost us Php350.  It was like climbing a cable car and transferring from one tree to another.  You will also see some of the great spots of Subic — not much of this since you are surrounded by trees.  If you have fear of heights, I will not recommend this.  The highest point of this adventure is about 100 feet from ground level and there are 10 statioins.  It can be a bit boring and exciting at the same time.  It is also one great bonding moment with your loved ones, it’s like being stranded in space with only the two of you.

Since we arrived there at around lunch time, we were soooo hungry after the ride so we decided to look for food first.  Yet, we cannot find any place to dine nearby.  They said there is some kind of restaurant in Jest Camp but we just cannot find it so we decided to move towards the second destination: Extreme Adventure.

The zip line cost 300 pesos per person and there are three stations.  This is actually more scary than the Canopy and a lot more exciting.  We put on the harness and then they tie us in the zip line (not sure what that is called).  So we were hanging on air with just the carabiners and ropes connectitg us to the line.  Then you slide down to the other station.  It felt like flying.  I screamed at the second station - which is the highest and longest point.  Eric said he did not hear me sing and that I kept my poise even at that point.  I don’t really know if being poised in a zip line is a good or bad thing.  Anyway, I don’t really sweat much but this time I did and I even asked the manongs who were assisting us to let me rest for a while but they said no since there are other people waiting for their turn.  Finally, the third and final station.  I though I was going to hit a tree on my way down but good thing I did not.  We trek on our way back to the camp.  It was really fun and a totally new adventure for me.

Then, it’s time to shop and dine.  I tried not  to spend much, I stopped myself from buying that nice Nike bag I saw that’s on sale.  I just bought some of my favorite stuff like Picnic, Ritz and Combos (all cheese flavor).  I also bought a towel for only Php300, in preparation for my Bohol trip.

After shopping a bit and eating lunch, we went back to Manila.  We were supposed to drop by Razon’s for halo-halo but decided to just have a massage instead.  We tried to make a reservation at BioEssence but were not able to make it on time so we just decided to go to Trinoma again to play at Timezone and have dinner.

As usual, I played my favorite Time Crisis 4 and we had dinner at Zong.  Then, we decided to watch You Changed My Life.  The night ended at around 12 midnight (hypothetically and literally).  It was one of the most exciting day of my life.