Category Archives: Me, Myself & I

Getting Lost In The Right Direction

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“Your unexpected detour could lead to unexpected moments of beauty that otherwise you would have missed” 

This is how I would summarize my thought after I and my friend-colleagues has gone to Laiya, San Juan in the province of Batangas to scout for a venue for our upcoming company’s post-summer outing.

We basically checked-out, visited and inquired almost all of the major sea-side vacation lands in the area but in each of the resorts we visited there seem to be something lacking.  We have gone to seven leading resorts yet we still were not one in deciding which to choose.  This until, we decided to get lost and do a little detour before heading back to Manila.

And here is what we found!      

It really feels good to be lost in the right direction…

Ameysing!

I Won Two Million Pesos

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At exactly 3:18PM I received a phone call via Viber app.  The caller sounded like a lady with very foreign accent.  With very poor English speaking skills the caller seem to tell me that I was so lucky because I won.  I told her to speak clearly because I can’t seem to understand her English.  She dropped the call.

Then all of a sudden here is how our Viber messaging transpired and won my Two Million Pesos…  

Winning Moment! Mwahahaha!

   

After sending my ATM, she never called or message back.  Oh, by the way “Gago!” is a Tagalog word meaning “You Idiot!”

Kaloka! 143-44-54!

Classic Pudding

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My palatal experience and taste for the Classic Pudding has come a long way.  It progressed from being derisory to being lavish.  My lunch today with Nengkoy and a few of my relatives at Medley Buffet in first-class hotel Okada Manila made me realize this. 

Superb buffet here at Medley Buffet, Okada Manila

When my sister Joie took a heap of the Classic Pudding as her dessert, I told aloud that Nengkoy (my mother) at one occasion made a Classic Pudding when we were still very small.  Nengkoy upon hearing this smiled and nodded her head.  But what is so memorable with Nengkoy’s Classic Pudding I told Joie is that it was made from left over breads most especially from the staple of the Marcos regime’s feeding program in the ‘70s called Nutribun.

I can still recall that Nutibun given to us students in the 70’s were so big, so dense and were so filling.  It was so compact, that if you fail to consume it and let it stand for a day it will turn so hard, eating it would be next to impossible. I remember not eating those bulky Nutribuns and instead bring those home.  This kindled the parsimony and thriftiness in Nengkoy.  Instead of throwing away those rock hard Nutribuns, I remember she turned it into a hot delicious Classic Pudding. 

with niece bebang and nengkoy

nengkoy! enjoying her medley buffet experience

my bowl of classic pudding

After telling that story, I excused myself, went to the abundant and over-the-top buffet area of Medley Buffet. I also took a big bowl of their Classic Pudding for my dessert.  While enjoying my dessert and washed it down with champagne, I silently reminisced about the taste of the pudding Nengkoy prepared for us when we were still kids in the seventies.

Parang walang pinagkaiba anf pudding ng Okada at ng Nutribun. Yummy! Hahaha!

My Christian Warrior

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nengkoy & joe

I grew up in a Catholic family.  My father was Catholic when he converted to being a Born Again Christian back in the late 80s.  Ironically, his conversion happened in the Islamic country of Saudi Arabia where he was based as an overseas worker.

When my father retired and decided to stay for good in the Philippines with my family, he was one active member of his church.  He even attempted to convert every one of us in the family.

Too bad for him, he started with me.  I actually commend my father for trying.  His strategy to start with me was so genius.  He knew that if I will be converted, it would be very easy for the rest of the members of my family to become Born Again Christians.

Up until the last days of my father, he never stopped in convincing and converting me.  I guess he knew that I am really the one who needs to be saved from the fires of hell. Hahaha! I can still remember the funny and humorous intellectual debate we had about how to be a true Christian while he was in the hospital.

It has been years and my father has gone to heaven.  He may have failed to convert me, yet I am pretty sure that in spirit, he still looks after me, Nengkoy and the rest of my growing family. He has always been my Christian Warrior.

I guess my father’s failure to convert me is really not a failure after all.  Because a true Christian Warrior will simply let you be the seeker of your own Truth.  And that is one of the multitude of impacts and contributions of my father to me.

Happy Father’s Day Tatay!  You got one proud son here…

Amishyu!

Disappear: A Song Dedicated to Cupid and Saint Anthony

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No one deserves to be forgotten…no one deserves to fade away… 

I totally agree with this song!

I am actually dedicating this song to Cupid who seem to have run out of arrows and have forgotten to strike someone who is supposed to be my mate and life companion.  My goodness! I seem to have disappeared in Cupid’s memory, mind and consciousness! Hahaha!

Let me also dedicate this song to St Anthony, the miracle worker who assists people in finding their true love.  My name must have disappeared from St Anthony’s long and complicated list! That is why I am dedicating this song to him.  Mwahaha!

But seriously, this song is massively inspiring.  It has a very touching sets of lyrics!  I love it for it advocates the value of being valued and remembered

Kelan kaya matatapos ang sumpa?!

Arziolo, the Grand Nephew

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Arziolo is the first child of my niece Glygly.  This kiddo made it official that I am now indeed a Grand Uncle.  First time seeing and touching this little champ melted my heart. 

cuteness overload

With the more than twenty nieces and nephews that I have, I’m pretty confident on knowing how to be a cool uncle.  But with the addition of Z (Arziolo’s nickname) in the family, I have yet to know and find out what it would be like being a Grand Uncle.  One thing though is for sure, it would always be some cheerful meetings in the future with Arziolo and his delicious Tito Lolo.

And this makes Nengkoy to officially be a Great Grand Mother.  Welcome to Team Langit Arziolo!

Ang kyut!

Uber Is A Verb But Now It’s Gone

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I am 1 of the 640,000,000 inhabitants of Southeast Asia.  And I am 1 of those who was just gone upset now that Uber is no longer operational in this part of the world.  I am an Uber user since the time Uber started in the Philippines.  It is my chosen ride-hailing firm as compared to Grab, a Singaporean-based and a more giant in my region.

Uber was my preferred ride every time I would travel back to Manila.  It has prevented me from dealing with the swindler cum taxi drivers infesting the Manila airports.  And though it’s no longer operational here in the Philippines, I intend to keep the Uber app in the phone.  

i’ve been notified! grrr!

 

I am an Uber user because I find it more efficient, a lot cheaper and the drivers seem more polite.  I’m an Uber user that I even got to use Uber as a verb in my daily conversations with people.  My admiration to Uber got more intense when I travelled solo in Istanbul.  It was the ride I took when I need to spend the night in a hotel near the Istanbul airport. And when Nengkoy, my sister and I was in Bangkok, Uber was our preferred mode of transportation.

But the use of Uber would soon be so foreign to me both as an app and as a verb.  Using an Uber now would only signify that I am out of my country for some travel, rest and recreation! Here’s one cute Uber Philippines commercial though…

Thanks for the short yet precious time Uber.  Hoping to use you soon!

Josme! Pano Na???

Batad Folks Humbles Me

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Some friends and colleagues still could not believe that I was able to accomplish the rigorous hiking that the mountains of Batad in Ifugao Province entails. Some were actually not surprised when they heard the hardships and learned that I was the crankiest, most ill-tempered and was the number one complainer among our group. As If my complaining was the highlight of our Batad adventure! Hahaha!

a perfect proof of my complaining! hahaha!

no modern machinery. these terraces were created only by bare hands hundreds and hundred of years ago. amazing!

But people don’t realize that aside from the breathtaking sites, I was able to appreciate how lucky I am based on how my life has been going on compared to the simple folks living in Batad. That is why seeing locals especially the farmers who keeps the bizarre and phenomenal rice terraces by their bare hands humbles me. I may have been blessed more than these folks yet I have so much respect for these people.
Batad folks may not own the possession that a modern human being enjoys now, yet they are the people who chose to live simple, enjoy simple and chose to maintain a beautiful earth wonder by their very own hands.

so much respect for these people…

these folks keeps these world heritage site alive!

humbled!

Kudos to the people of Batad! You definitely are one of a kind!
Galing nyo grabe!

*thanks to Aiko and JB’s cameras for these photos…

Fresh Cool Waters of Tappiya Falls

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Batad in Ifugao Province is not just its beautiful and majestic rice terraces, another awesome attraction and must-visit destination found in Batad is its strong, massive and breathtaking waterfalls known as Tappiya Falls.  

Hidden in the lush green rainforest, a one-hour hike in the mountains of Batad will take you to the beautiful Tappiya Falls.  Without a doubt, the turquoise fresh water and the perfect natural surroundings will fascinate every living soul who can luckily be able to reach it.

It was a tiring hike from our hotel in the secluded town of Batad to Tappiya Falls and back, especially those long flight of stairs at the edge of the mountain.  But being able to reach and marvel at the actual Tappiya Falls after a grueling hike was something so rewarding already.  All body aches, lung-bursting tiredness and anxiety whether to be able to finish the hike or not simply went away as soon as I dipped into the fresh cool water of Ifugao!  Being able to see, smell, feel and conquer Tappiya Falls make me the proudest!

Sulit ang pagod!

Obtained Charms For The Year Of The Dog

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It’s Chinese New Year this coming Friday.  To somehow get ready for the upcoming Chinese New Year, I and the 80-year old Nengkoy went to the world’s oldest Chinatown!  Yeah, established in 1594, the Chinese-filled, Chinese-looking and Chinese-smelling Chinatown in Manila is the oldest.

And guess what?  I have been on numerous times to Hong Kong, Taiwan and some portions of mainland China, but this is my first time to visit and traverse the street of Ongpin, the heart and center of Manila’s Chinatown.

my sister say that i look like the owner of the store in this photo. BILI NA! hahaha!

nengkoy while we traverse the old Ongpin Street

will i get rich if i buy and wear all these?

Me, Nengkoy and my sisters proceeded to Chinatown not to greet the folks Kung Hei Fat Choi nor get there to immerse ourselves on some exotic Chinese food.  We went there to optimize the potentials of our good fortune in the coming Year of the Dog.  Believe it or not, we bought ourselves some oriental good luck charms and amulets.

It was such a fun experience when we reached and entered a store that sells various charms and amulets.  A variety of glossy gleaming rocks and a cornucopia of gemstones, trinkets and ornaments that believed to dispel bad luck and will attract fortune, good health, peace of mind and even auspicious love life are all seem present in that store.

I got myself these…

i’m ready to get rich!

The ritual of cleansing the purchased charms and putting a spell on it (as if switching on the potency of the trinkets) before it was handed over to us seem to enhance some authenticity to the powers of our chosen charms.  It also adds up fun and amazement to the rare adventure we had at Ongpin Street.

Some would say that we may have made a fool of ourselves and we let ourselves be duped, tricked or conned by the sellers of these Chinese ornaments.  But I have always believed that there must be something in these knickknacks that seem to influence human fate and providence.  Nothing will be lost anyway if I am to practice or believe in these age-old Chinese tradition.  Yet, what if it works?  Hahaha!

But seriously, ,may it be effective or not, I know deep within my sensibilities that hard work, perseverance, Intelligence of the mind and the brightness of the heart are still the keys to good life and sought after fortune.

Kung Hey Pat Tsoy!