My First “EB”: TMR DAVAO RUSHERS

I’m going to have to skip my pre-planned post to make way to something more recent.  So my December rundown of activities would have to wait.

I’ve been composing, scratching, and recomposing in my head on what I’d be saying and how to go about this post.  So pardon me for any confusion I may cause you so I’ll just say it as I see it fit.

Here goes…

I’m not that BIG into EBs or “eyeball” even when chatting was such a boom a few years back in my high school and college days.  Sure I chatted, had a couple of EB invites, talked and texted to some over landlines and early mobile phone versions, but never was really keen into meeting up with strangers (even if I’ve chatting with that same person for quite sometime).  Maybe it was because of the times and the fact that I was not comfortable stepping out of my comfort zones, preferring [pretending] to be an extrovert hiding in the precept of a code name having an air of mystery and suspense (for me anyway).

If I remember my mantra in college correctly, I was always the one from the outside-looking-in.  An observer… a wallflower.  If I stood out, it would be the most awkward moments of my life.  Crowds of people daunt me at times and I prefer being with people I’ve known personally and have established a bond with.  Call it being selective or whatever you like but it boils down on to belonging.

However, last Saturday night, I finally attended my first (ever!) EB with 3 other people who are great fans of RX 93.1′s The Morning Rush with Chico & Delamar.  But before I go into detail (and process my own thoughts), just a few details and info.

What I Know About The Morning Rush

The Morning Rush or TMR is the radio program of Monster Radio 93.1 every weekdays at 6:00AM to 10:00AM.  The listeners call themselves as the “Rushers” who also participate in the show’s daily top 10 topics.  Some consider themselves as “Silent Rushers” (like me!) who prefer to tune in than actively participating in sending their own entries for the chosen topic of the day.

To know more about TMR, you can check here and also their Facebook page here.

A Look on My TMR Moments

I started my TMR journey when I was working in Manila during 2006 – 2007.  I was scanning my mobile phone’s radio to listen to any new tunes that would keep me up during the LONG travel from where I was staying to where I was working then when I stumbled upon Monster Radio RX 93.1′s The Morning Rush with Chico & Delamar.  Aside from the music, what got me hooked was their daily top ten and the bantering between DJs Chico and Delamar.  And since then I’ve been over a listening to almost each episode.  That time it was JoeShred and LoiPogi who ruled the the top ten (among others!)  The show was aired for 3 hours then from Monday to Saturday.  Which was great since my work was til Saturday.

One of my most memorable experiences with TMR was when I won the last piece of Burger King’s Singles Promo.  I was SO nervous then when my call patched through that I wasn’t even able to greet Chico and Delle.  The best part?  Being able to talk to Delle and hear one of her say one of her favorite lines to my answer (Have you been reading my diary?)

I met a road bump in my TMR  journey when I went home to Davao for good but thank God for podcasts by Bluritz and for live streaming.  Honestly though, I stopped listening due to technical difficulties and internet connections.  I’m glad though that my previous work gave me opportunities to go back to Manila for short periods of time and I get to tune in when I’m there.  The plus side?  I met a few workmates who were silent rushers too!

TMR Converts

I  can only name one.  My bff Toffee who’s currently working in Manila.  At first, my constant prodding for her to tune in didn’t seem to get through to her.  So I didn’t push it anymore.  When, a year (or so) ago, she suddenly told me she was having a blast listening to TMR and regretted (undoubtedly) not heeding my words before. LOL  It feels great to have someone close to me share my love for TMR.

Okay, so I’m getting off tangent here.  Fast Forward to last Saturday.

Last January 28 was the official book launching and book signing of The Best of Chico and Delamar’s Top 10” book in Manila.  After 15 years of being on the airwaves, they finally made a tangible proof of the success of their show.  Unfortunately though… it was only in Manila.  However (because of the TMR FB group) I found out that there were 3 other Rushers here in town too.  So when they planned on having our own “satellite EB” along with the book launch, I thought… GO!

It was SO exciting meeting fellow rushers for the first time!  That even before our mini EB, all 4 of us kept on tweeting and greeting each other!  In retrospect, it would’ve felt weird to know completely NOTHING personally about a person (or a group) and yet feel like we’ve known each other for SO LONG.

While travelling towards our meeting place, I got a bit worried on how things would unfold when I finally met them in person.  What would we talk about?  What if they won’t like me?  How do these things (EBs) go about?  What next?

Too late to go back and chicken out!

I’m glad I didn’t!  It felt awkward at first (no exact plans to follo  w), but everything seemed to set into its own place.  It was a getting-to-know phase but there were a lot of fun and laughter that got interjected in between conversations that it felt like reconnecting with old bffs.  Probably comparing how EBs played out before and now, it seems easier now with all the social networking sites available to meet and greet people, and to stalk (just kidding!)… check out people and find out common interests.  At times, I felt at a loss on some of their lingo (is my age showing?) but I winged it. LOL.

So we had dinner at Shakey’s then went off to our new unofficial tambayan “Fuxion Sencha”.  I was just BLOWN AWAY how these eyeballs are bigger than any of us.  Surprisingly, though there were only 4 of us, we felt being one with the rushers who were present at the book signing!  We had phone patches, real-time updates through FB and Twitter, and to really feel the moment, RXTMR podcasts were playing in our background.  And what’s great?  Rushers whose code names were very popular with the show, were greeting us, tweeting us, and were making us feel part of the bigger picture – being part of the TMR family.

It’s great to be a Rusher!  Though I’m still a silent one (at times!), it’s great to finally meet @Rawrph, @xiongpagong, and @serjz101.  Let’s meet up again soon!

By the way, I thought I’d share a few photos of our pictures.

First Group Pix of RXTMR DavaoRushers

Our Dinner at Shakey's

They have their shirts already!

Our new tambayan!

Ang mga pinagtripan sa Fuxion/Sencha

Last Pix for the Night!

Twilight Run: A Freaky/Fun 5K Run

My body from the small of my back to the toes of my feet are still aching from last night’s Freaky 5K Halloween Night Run or was tagged as Twilight Run.  It’s been more than a month since I’ve last joined a Fun Run event and basing from my last month’s record, I was a bit doubtful of my performance.  Basketball season for me is over (in the sense that our team lost in the prelim games) and I’m not getting any practice and exercise.  So getting back to running was an opportunity for me to stay (at the least!) in shape.

The Twilight Run was a fixed 5K Fun Run event and a special 5oom foot race for the kiddies which was Halloween-inspired wherein you dress-up (whether young or old).  It was also a night run (the 2nd night run I’ve been in).  In short, the givens were all to my advantage.  Well… except for the dressing up thing.  And the best part?  All finishers get to receive a medal.

The Event Flyer

After registering a week [or so] before the race, I was all set.  It was my bff Raisa who wasn’t able to register earlier on.  Luckily, they still accepted registrations on the race date.

Evidence!

Pre-Race Activities

Due to a slight drizzle, the event had a little delay.  After all, it wouldn’t be good for the kiddies to go running in the rain.  Parents would have a fit.  So what better way to spend the time to take wacky photos and fun shots.  Since bff brought her handy-dandy camera, off we went (along with a few of her officemates) to take a few snaps of ourselves while waiting.  Observe exhibits below:

bff and me (after getting HER OWN singlet)

Uhh... yeah.. LOL

bff's officemates aka running addicts

Afterwards, the EMCEE’s started announcing reminders, greets, and pre-race instructions.  There were a couple of things that bothered me though.  1. Raffles.  If they planned on stationing their drop box at the baggage counter, they should have placed signages and instructions to their personnel to collect the entries BEFORE or DURING the time that participants were depositing their stuff at the counter.  2. Glow Sticks.  If they planned on handing these out as the runner’s early warning device for safety, organizers could have included these items in the race kit, or while the runners were still loafing around they could’ve announced that participants claim their glow sticks at the BAGGAGE COUNTER in order to avoid congestion at while distributing them.  And 3. Start/Finish Line.  If possible, during their next organized Fun Run event, a Marshall should be stationed at the starting line to inform runners where to face.  Just imagine our preliminary confusion when we started lining up facing East when we should’ve been facing South.  Sheesh!

Well, that’s off my chest.

Before gun start, the EMCEE’s announced that runners will be categorized into 4 kinds of runners.  The Vampires, The Werewolves, The Ghosts, and The Zombies.  The Vampires are those that would finish the race in less than 2o minutes.  The Werewolves – 20 to 25 minutes.  The Ghosts – 25 to 30 minutes.  As for the Zombies – 30 minutes and up.  Well I guess I know where I belong!  LOL.   We also had a “unique” stretching exercise.  Dancing to the beat of Ghostbuster’s TV Theme (my birth theme song! refer to this post here), then to MJ’s Thriller.

Gun fire was at around 5:57pm on my iPod.  I kept on monitoring my pace though.  So after 10 minutes of nonstop running, I could feel the stress on my leg muscles so I slowed it down into a jog-walk for 20 minutes (that made me a Zombie runner by this race’s standards already).  Afterwards, the battery of my iPod died so I ended up using my phone as basis alternating between jogging-walking-running-brisk-walking.  I made a personal record though.  When I could view the finish line, the elapsed time flashing on the screen was 47 minutes and something seconds.  Yes!  A new record!  Pay-off for my sore leg muscles!

A New Record!

Zombies and Proud of it!

My 1st Fun Run Medal!

I LOOOOOVEEE the design of the medal!  Haha!  Ok, I know.  It’s just a medal and everybody got one.  But still!  I got to have one!  A satisfying award for something you’ve put great effort in!  The kid in me still yearns for gold stars too you know.  Haha!

The After Party

Did I mention that there was an after party?  Well if I didn’t you’d still get the FYI from the flyer I posted.

I’m not keen on joining parties.  But I just felt good about the whole event that I wanted to savor the aura.  The weather was getting better as the night kept on.  Just perfect in soothing my aching muscles.  I was looking forward as well to one particular band who was going to perform (the main reason why I wanted to stay because I saw the band as the runners were still gathering).  So rather than my initial plan in going on a mall-walk after the run, I was more eager to go on a music trip instead.  At least I got to sit down!

Items were being raffled off in between the 3 bands playing.  I didn’t get the name of the 1st band though.  The 2nd one was Utopia or Eutopia.  And the 3rd (the one I was eager to catch) – The Baby Boomers Band!

I’ve posted a few video clips at my YouTube Channel of the after party fun for you to catch a glimpse of.  And I’m also posting a few here for all of you.

I’ve always been fascinated with Poi Dancers and the more ostentatious ones – the Fire Dancers.  So just imagine how amazed I was when I saw THESE guys (yes, they’re from Davao) – The Apo Dujali Drum Beaters!  I hope I got their name right!

One word kept popping into my mind.  Hypnotic.  Their movements, the fire, and the chanting was powerful.  I’ve got a few more clips of their presentation here.

And to cap of the night’s festivities, here are the clips I recorded for your entertainment.

Ahh… to be young and have great talent…  I tell you, seeing these guys on stage and feel the raw energy of their music exuding from them, you can’t help not to twist ‘n shout wishing you were 17 again.  They feel their music and project it with their talents.

On a side note: I first saw these guys perform a few months ago in Matina Town Square (MTS) in Taboan.  It was only last night that I got to catch them live in action again.  And as before, they were simply AMAZING.  You couldn’t help but be in awe of their talent.  Really good music and great as performers too!  They remind me of my dad, his band-playing days, his favorite type of music, and the music we used to jam to during Sunday mornings (with Dad covering the tough parts though).

Sorry blog buddies if they’re only clips (and incomplete ones).  I only had a point and shoot camera and I was watching my things and at the same time recording.  Anyway, if you want to catch up on more information with Baby Boomers Band, here’s their Facebook page.  I’ll be looking forward to seeing  more of their gigs soon!

In my book, the Twilight Run was an overall success!  Congratulations to NextLevel Media, Inc. on a job well done.  Till next race!

A BFF-ful Weekend Adventure

One of my bff (Toffee) was in town during the last weekend of September.  This vacation was a spur-of-the-moment plan a few months back.  Good thing she was able to get a seat sale from Cebu Pacific.  So did one of her colleagues.

Anyway, a week before her arrival, I was already thinking what our plans would be for bff Rai’s birthday.  But since Rai “initially” planned celebrating her day with her family (since it was a Sunday), I didn’t press the issue anymore.  Instead, we decided to push through with our swimming adventure at Villa de Mercedes with her older sis MM, and first-time-in-Davao visitor Nina.

For a brief overview of my weekend, I’m marking it in days (sharing a few photos as well):

Friday (September 30, 2011)

Aya [Charles] and I was already set to go out with a couple of our workmates for a little RnR and get-together.  Since Toffee was around, I asked her to join us.  The videoke session with the guys was a FUN experience.  Getting to see their more “rowdy” side made it more fun to get to know them altogether.  I was even able to prod one of our officemates (Joy) to catch up with us.  And I made a new discovery!  Joy can sure carry out a tune!.  Note to self: Must volunteer her for the Christmas party program. LOL.

After the 3 or 4 hours of singing, we decided to call it a night (since Aya and I still had an inventory to attend to the next day.  So we said goodbye to our colleagues.  So that left the 3 (aya, achi, and me) of us.  Feeling a bit uppity, I asked them to eat Durian.  (Which I ended up eating all to myself!  Thank you aya for finishing of the LAST fruit for me).

Saturday (October 1, 2011)

Inventory day.  Imagine sleeping only for a couple of hours then waking up to get to the office early.  Lucky for aya, we just had to pick him up along the way to the farm.  Sheesh!  Talk about ZOMBIE-MODE.  LOL.  So off we went to our work.  Good thing we finished early.  I could catch a few Zzz’s before heading off to our basketball game that night.  UNFORTUNATELY, my brain had other plans.  I couldn’t even get a nap.  So instead of sleeping, I decided to meet up with achi instead at the mall.  Figured since she’d be watching my game, better go there together.  And what luck!  Raisa was also coming along.

After purchasing food to eat, we took a taxi to Woodridge so I could prep up.  Along the way, we were finally able to convince the birthday girl to come with us the next day.  Since her family celebration was for lunch, it left plenty of time to spare in the afternoon.  And as an added bonus?  Our godsons got to have permission to come along.  Perfect!

I love having my bffs there during my games.  I get to have a boost of confidence in playing.  Though at times I can’t concentrate.  Too much publicity.  LOL.  But I’m truly happy they’re there.

My AVID fans

Yup! My teammates are guys..

Although we lost.  I’m happy I was able to score a couple of 3 pointers.  (Show-off!)  My lack of sleep was slowly seeping in during the game.  And the lack of players wasn’t helping though.  Anyway, winning (or losing) didn’t matter.  I was just glad I could sweat off a couple of pounds from my system every once in a while.  Here’s to next year’s league!

Up next, dinner.  Since we all ate a heavy late afternoon snacks, we skipped the dinner plans at Lyndon’s and went off to Barrio Bistro to grab their buy 1 take 1 pizza instead.  If you remember, I posted about Barrio Bistro a few weeks ago.  Check it out here.  So off we went!  We ordered their All Cheese Pizza and another Pizza (I forgot what it was called) and waited for it to be served while catching up with each other’s life.  In addition, we had a small “exchange gift” moment too.

My bffs

Tangled (Our gifts)

Sunday (October 2, 2011):

BFF Raisa’s birthday!!! Villa de Mercedes Swimming day!!!

Being the “planner” of the group, I still had one main problem for our activity.  Transportation.

Just a little sidenote and background about Villa de Mercedes.  VDM is an exclusive subdivision located at Catigan, Toril 585 ft. above sea level.  When I say exclusive, I mean ELITE.  The homeowners don’t just allow walk-in guests and use their clubhouse… particularly their infinity pool.  That’s what discovered upon visiting VDM the first time.  I was looking for a venue for our Christmas party when I remember VDM (courtesy of my former classmate who posted a few of her photos here.  I didn’t get her words then when she said you needed an agent to get in).  So when I was at their coffee shop, the barista explained that you needed to be a homeowner, or invited by one, OR have an agent to “sponsor” your visit.  She then pointed me a brochure postcard indicating their “Agent For the Day” whom I could contact to be invited.

So flash forward. I already coordinated with the agent a few days ago but transportation was a last-minute problem.  So when I informed the agent just to confirm our invite, she called me up to ask for other details.  When we got to the point about the transportation (and lack thereof), she offered to drive my group instead.  Yes!  Problem solved!  After meeting up with my bffs, my godsons, and meeting achi’s officemate Nina, we waited for Ms. Agent to pick us up.

The ride was quite pleasant and Ms. Agent was very open in sharing about Villa de Mercedes.  Acting out as a tour guide, she happily gave information about each subdivision phase, from the main entrance… to the lots… the features… the amenities… and the overall briefing of its “ELITE-ness”.  Impressive!

Finally, we were dropped off at the coffee shop to take a breathtaking view of the pool.  After the final words, we went off to change and finally try out their ionized pool.

[For more information about Villa de Mercedes, I saw this site to share with you.]

Breathtaking. And the view wasn't bad too. LOL

The coffee shop up above..

Bffs and Godsons

Light snacks

Nice

After having our fill of swimming, we were ready to go and have dinner.  Ms. Malou toured as to their “Kubo” area wherein visitors could eat the foods we brought along (since bringing in of foods at the clubhouse and pool area was prohibited).  Good thing our godsons brought snacks for us to share with and munch on.

Happiness!

We did our perfunctory jumpshot (though I only posted mine. LOL)  So Ms. Malou dropped us of at SM.  Achi bought a couple of treats to bring back to Manila which we dropped off at their house then we went to…. LYNDON’S (remember by blog about them here?) with ate MM.

Ready to Order!

Our shared Dinner

Baked Scallops

Can I just say that the reaction of Nina was priceless when she took that first forkful of spareribs!  Utter bliss!

Next stop?  Eating durian! However, we got a BIT sidetracked when we passed by Margie’s Bakeshop and remembered we didn’t have a cake for the birthday girl.  So here it is!

Mini-cake shared by 5 ladies

To cap the day off (well… for me though since the four other girls were going to have a massage after), we went off to FINALLY have our Durian.  Durian is one of the fruit specialties in Davao.  With a smell like hell (so they say.  Personally, I find the smell appetizing) but tastes like heaven.  For Nina, it was a new experience and I was glad we were there to boost her into taking that first bite.

Durian! Arancillo variety

 Well, that’s all I can share for now!  Hope you enjoyed reading!  I’m looking forward to my next adventure.

Food Trip Saturday: Yallah!

Ok. It’s not really a food trip.  More like, showing my support to the newly-opened diner of my former classmate/running buddy Macks.  Finally, after all the plannings and setbacks, her (hers and her brothers’) diner was open to the public last September 10, 2011.  I got my invite through a personal call from Macks for the free dinner buffet and cash bar.  I promised I’d drop by since I still had basketball that night.

Yallah! Let's Eat

When I arrived, I wasn’t able to catch the dinner buffet, but the place was JAM-PACKED!!!  The music the live band was playing was still blaring from the speakers.  Since I didn’t get to have dinner yet, Macks offered me a piece of shawarma (on a stick) to fill me up.  Seeing my “tired” state, she offered me her “must-try” drink.  The BULLFROG.  After taking a sip did she only tell me what was in it.  Redbull, gin, vodka, and I forgot the last piece.

The Bullfrog

Sad to say though, it didn’t give me the right jolt of energy Macks was talking about when you drink this type of cocktail.  Sorry Sis!  Too tuckered out that time.  Plus, I was feeling a bit out of place since my other batchmates weren’t around to share Macks’ victory.  No one I knew well to talk too (except the host of course!).

Looking to the outside

Looking from the entrance

I haven’t been back there since their opening night.  But I’m looking forward to going back once Macks returns from her out of town trip.  And hopefully, some of our Psych friends would be able to get together there as well.

If you guys are interested in going to Yallah!, they’re located at:

Door 4, Quimpo, Juan Luna Street,Davao City, Philippines

For more photos and information, you can check out their Facebook page here.

 

 

 

My [What A]Day

My day started out pretty gloomy.  No breakfast set on the table, no steady chants of the “Happy Birthday” tune from Mom or Dad, no presents by my bedside.  Waking up early wasn’t too appealing… but I slept early and oversleeping would have caused unwanted headaches.  Not a good thing to carry the whole day.  I wanted to take a leave of absence (even an unpaid one) but there were a number of pending workload at the office.

FINE…

I longed to be serenaded “Mañanita-style” – early morning singing from a group of friends to start my day.  But, so far, I haven’t had the privilege of that activity.  The more traditional greets I get are the midnight texts (and calls!) from a few of my closest friends.  2 people greeted me that time.  Tol and my ex bf.

The day continues…

I didn’t really know what to expect.  But with the numerous birthday greetings I got in Facebook, plus the personal greets (and off-key singing) from my office mates, it was hard not to feel a tinge of warmth inside me and cause a breakout of smiles.

Here are a few simple surprises that made my day:

Flowers taken from a decoration at the office given by 2 of my teammates/officemates

Rocker Girl’s Gift (For my basketball days)

A bouquet of flowers was also delivered in the office from a secret admirer (not really, let’s just pretend to make it more exciting! LOL).  I’ve always wanted to receive a package of that kind.  A truly heartwarming experience.

My day became quite hectic in the afternoon.  My scheduled interviews pretty much took up my time.  I was feeling a bit guilty not being able to provide, at the least, light snacks for the office.  But I had no choice.  Being broke is such a stressor!

I wasn’t too eager to go home and celebrate by myself.  Thankfully, bff Toffee told me her sis wants to meet up with me.

Maybe Ate MM will be giving me the souvenir she promised from her trip! Weee!

Bff Raisa was also coming along to meet up.  A welcome company.

Surprise, surprise!!!

Ate MM, came along with 3 boxes of Cello’s Donuts & Dips (as per instruction of her younger sister/bff Toffee).  Definitely unexpected.

I still miss the numerous personal greetings from people I know but this one sums it up.

      

Thank you BFFs Toffee and Raisa!  Thank you, Ate MM!  Thank you for making this day special for me.  I guess no matter which part of the country we are (or the world for that matter!), going the extra mile, being able to put a smile in our faces and uplift our soul, will never be a problem.  I’m still a bit sad for a couple of things, but It’s not much of a big deal now.

Thank you.

Food Trip Friday: Krua Thai

It’s the first of July and it’s a Friday!  I’m looking forward to our “Fri-date” this evening.  Although I doubt there’ll be any additional classmates joining us tonight.  Nevertheless, I’m excited where we’ll be eating out tonight.  But before that, I’ll share last week’s “date”.

Krua Thai

We had dinner at Krua Thai.  It’s a Thai restaurant serving Thai specialties.  It was my first time to be in a Thai restaurant.  And a first time in tasting Thai food.  So Macks was sharing her experience with me and Sarsky her adventures in Thailand – the sights, tastes, and culture that is Thai.  It was fun having conversations with old classmates.  Although the same old personality of our young selves were still present, there’s a touch of knowledge and wisdom of years that have passed makes the listening and talking all the more fun.

And eventually, our food came:

The Soup (So Hot!!)

Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

Veggies!

Egg Something and Garlic Rice

And for dessert:

Sticky Rice with Mango… sa Bisaya pa – Puto Maya with Mangga

Too bad though there were only 3 of us eating out.  We couldn’t finish off ALL our food.  But thankfully though, we ate the most of it.

So I better get on to finding our dinner restaurant for tonight!   Happy eating everyone!

On Overload

I missed a week of blogging.  Now, I’m swamped with a number of thoughts and ideas that I want to share but with so little time at hand… I don’t think I’ll be able to blog about each and every single topic.  Besides, the thunder has already been stolen and the impact wouldn’t be that much convincing.

So I guess I’ll just give a little recap of the things that have happened and the random escaping thoughts flowing from my brain.  Besides, a thought-overloaded brain needs some release.

First: Bonding Moments with Friends

If you all remember, I’ve had a steady night out schedule on Fridays.  I spend it with a couple of my old college classmates (those who do show up for the date, that is!).  I sort of officially tagged my Fridays as “Fri-dates“.  However, for almost a month of that, it has become so much of a “cheat” date.  (Not the sleazy kind!)  Why?  Part of our bonding is doing one of the most natural things in sustaining life… eating.

You’ll get what I mean with these photos:

@ Crepelato (June 3, 2011)

The Victorian Spare Ribs

My Pistachio Gelato

The Magic Words…

So many choices!

@ Bigby’s (June 10, 2011)

Grilled Pork something…

@ Seafood Island Grill (June 17, 2011)

My bff came home to surprise her dad.  Luckily, it was a Friday! So here we go again…

The Tali Beach

Our Coffee Treat courtesy of my achi!

Ok.  That’s enough food for right now.  On to another set of bonding session.

For us long-time Friends (bff Achi – 18 years; bff Rai – 14 years), it’s always a pleasure doing common things together.  With the busy schedule of the workweek, hanging out and unwinding is all the more pleasant with friends.  I appreciated the fact that they went out their way to come and watch my basketball game and were my number 1 fans.  So heartwarming!  Then, had dinner together late at night, joined the fun run (achi, showed up well after the race started. huhu!), eating breakfast together, went on a group massage (which we forgot to take photos of)  and just being goofy around each other.

An actual picture of me playing!

Fun Run Aftershots (guess who didn’t run)

A newly discovered Ice Cream (thanks ate MM.. and Dru!)

It was a jam-packed week(end).  And I’m still reeling with all the thoughts that I want to share, trying to capture its essence at the least.  Overload I tell you!  Even in selecting photos to share, I can’t decide.

Anyway, that’s the first on my list.

Second: Father’s Day

Father’s day this year has a bittersweet feel in the air.  After the run, my brother texted me that they (his family) will be visiting Dad’s resting place to pay respects.  So I opted to go with them (since Mom had other plans as well).  I bought my dad flowers and got another set for my grandma too since their resting places were beside each other.  Before prepping up though, I still couldn’t help the trickling tears falling down my face.  Quite pathetic really… but couldn’t be helped.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed spending time with my brother’s family.  My nieces are growing up at a fast pace but they will always be my dad’s (their Daddylo’s) girls.

The Pizza of Hunger..

 Third: Work

Work’s fine.  My new boss finally started yesterday.  So far so good.  He reminds me of one of my closest friends.  Hope we’ll get along just fine.  I’m more stressed out on a different load.  Contracts of leases.  Not my cup of tea.  But, I’ll wing it for now.

Another good news from work was that the Special Non-working Holiday last June 20 has been approved by our management (a feat which they rarely do).  Hopefully, all succeeding holidays will be acknowledged!

And last..

I was planning on starting a new category.  Just something that I’m pretty sure everybody’s doing as well be it bluntly or discreetly.  What am I talking about?  Just a “Did you know” section.  So I’ll probably start posting a few trivia and other random information I gathered or just discovered within the week to keep track of what little new things I learn everyday and share it with all of you.  I would’ve started last June 15 but that idea took a backseat on the many other details in my so-called- exciting life. LOL.

What started it all and why June 15?  Well, on that day I was searching for a synonym for a word when I saw that Google had a new logo.  For those non-Google users, which I doubt there are any, Google changes their website logo whenever they were in commemoration or celebrating a feast, anniversary, or any momentous event.  What  caught my attention?  A flash video of the moon.  That was then I learned that there was a lunar eclipse the night before.  Darn!  And I missed it!

Oh well… there’ll be a next time (I hope!)

So wish me luck on my target!

Old Friends, New Times

A couple of weeks ago, a few of my old college classmates and I met up during the wake of Sarky’s dad (the one I blogged about here) to pay our respects.  Although our reason for meeting up was a sad event, it was great seeing a few familiar faces after our years in college.  Sure some of our Psych Peepz get together once in a while, being with this particular group was different.  Somehow I felt like I belonged.  Maybe it was because of the fact that 3 of us were at a turning point in our lives.  I just started on my new job; PS transferred to a different school (from being a part-time teacher in ADDU, to being a Guidance Counselor in Brokenshire); and Mackay permanently moving back from Kuwait to take charge in operations of her family’s retail shop and tailoring shop.  It was only Ivy who still worked for the same company. Although she was briefly stressing out that she’s the one who hasn’t changed careers yet.  But knowing Ivy, it’s just aeration of her thoughts.

So for the first two times we met up the 4 of us had dinner together, went to pay our respects, talked about business ventures, former classmates, updates, and just simply catching up.  We spent our  time in Mackay’s retail shop: Retail Therapy by Mel Marquez, got “convinced” into buying a few clothing pieces, then talked more about business.  We’re all looking forward to Mackay’s 2-month plan in opening her own restaurant.  It would be the perfect location for our constant get-togethers.  PS kept on mentioning that she feels our small group is going to be solid and what she’s been looking for as an anchor of sorts (I guess).  With our jobs from 8:00AM – 5:00PM, there’ll be enough time for us to bond.

For the moment though, we’re planning on meeting up during Fridays at the Retail Therapy.  Then for our health and fitness, we’ll be joining different fun runs.  Hopefully this part will push through since I’ve been itching to go on more fun runs.  At least now, I wouldn’t be running on my own.  I’d have friends to accompany me too!

Now I have more reasons to look forward to Fridays!

Sharing with a Grieving Heart

I’m trying to compose my thoughts on how to go about in sharing what’s on my mind for my post but the intro words seem to escape me.  So I’ll just say it as it is.

Last night I went to the wake of my friend’s Dad (and my Dad’s friend).  It was only last March that Sarsky learned that his father was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer of the liver.  The same infliction that caused my own father’s death a few months back.  I think it was the same day that I was offered my new job that I was informed about it as well.  It was a total killjoy news.  I felt a squeeze in my heart for what my friend was going through, what she will be going through, and all the uncertainties “dying” presents.

One is never ready for death.  When I knew my dad was dying, it was a just day before he died.  Me and my half-brother rushed him to the hospital and all the time I was just thinking it would be a rerun on what happened in the December of 2009.  When the doctor informed me he had cancer… that was when all the floodgates of my tears opened and the reality of losing my dad to a very traitorous illness broke through my defenses.  But I had to be strong… for my dad… my mom… and for myself.  I never really internalized what was happening around me… the gravity, the severity of the situation… just an issue that I would tackle on a later time since more pressing matters needed to be attended.  I was running on auto-pilot… especially in the morning of his death  I spent most my time on his bedside in the ICU, alternating from grabbing medicines at the pharmacy, talking to the doctors, following up on my health care benefits, lending him my iPod (the last playlist I made for him is still queued).  People always asked how I did it.  Not breaking down and cry?

I just did.  It couldn’t be helped.  Dad always wanted things to be in place, and to be always happy.  And that’s what drove me… I guess.  I know I’ve already accepted his death even before anyone else in the family did.  The vigil we kept by his bedside table from the time the doctor confirmed he will be going anytime soon,  up to the last rise and fall of his heart monitor, up to his final intake of breath, and up to his final heart beat.  I witnessed it all.  Dad died a peaceful death.  With his ready smile on his lips at his wake, he didn’t look like he suffered from any pain.

I know I’ve grieved my fair share.  But there are a lot of times, that I wonder if I’ve ever grieved enough.  Seeing my friend at the same state that I was then on my dad’s wake – always ready to share what happened, entertaining guests, offering food, forgetting to eat, participating in the services, and always being her happy and sunny self – resonated and struck a chord deep in me.  Thankfully though, Sarsky and her family are very close and are very spiritual.  They had each other to comfort them, and she has friends (like me and my college classmates) ready to be there anytime she needs us.

My heart goes out to her family.  Tito Jun’s cancer did not rest well on him.  His body was totally affected by his sickness.  On a sad note, I couldn’t see Tito Jun in the man who was lying there.  The picture on top of his coffin will be the face that I would always remember.  The picture which he chose since he new his features would change when he dies.  Typical of Tito Jun to always make light of a dark situation.  I feel really bad.  I didn’t expect the change to happen.  Not in such a short span of time.  I guess cancer, the time frame when you find out about it, and whether you go to the hospital to be treated plays vital roles on how it affects one’s body.

When my dad died, he retained most of his physical features.  Though he dropped a few kilos, he was still recognizable.  Maybe because he died the way he lived.  Always at the moment.  Not plugging himself with medicines.  Just for that thought alone, I am grateful that we learned of his illness at the last minute.  My regret is, I never got to spend much time with him, nor spoil him.  No more impromptu music sessions, early morning greetings during birthdays or holidays for me.  You can read the eulogy I made here.

Okay… enough about that.  We need to keep moving forward.  Besides, it should be a happy day too.  It’s Sarsky’s birthday and me and my college classmates will be meeting up to make her happy on her special day.

Sarsky and Tito

Adventure in Lake Sebu

Last Holy Week(end), a few of my old officemates and my BFF went to Lake Sebu, South Cotabato for our long-planned-but-never-finalized outing [which finally pushed through at the last minute!]. Prior to our outing, I looked up about Lake Sebu.

The Lake Sebu from my Camera

Lake Sebu is a natural lake located in Lake Sebu municipality, South Cotabato within the Alah Valley region. It is said to be the one of the Philippines’ most important watershed as it supplies irrigation to Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato provinces. Formerly a village of Surallah, the surrounding villages of the lake have become an independent municipality. For a more detailed info, click here.

Off We Go

What was initially planned as an outing prior to the holidays ended up into a “Holy Day” outing. So there were only a few of us who could go – Me, my bff (who I got to talk into tagging along but rather invited herself earlier on), my former officemate Jerry, and the contractual guys Roel and Rey (and his band of “adopted” relatives).

In my last post, I mentioned they’d be picking me up at around 3AM. But NO!!! I had to wake up Rey and Jerry! I didn’t even get some sleep! So after the initial hoopla – being picked up at around quarter to 6AM, fetching the rest of the group from El Rio to Bangkal to Puan – we went on our way to Lake Sebu. The first few hours of travel were familiar views since a week before this trip, I travelled the same route going to GenSan. Under the harsh (and I really mean HARSH!) sunny weather, we were bunked at the back of the pick-up. I opted to cover myself up rather than face the heat of the sun and end up being toast. With the recent topic I saw on TYRA, age, the sun’s heat, and skin does not exactly blend well. Unfortunately though, the succeeding days were a different story. I ended up getting great chunks of tan lines.

the jackets..

Finally There!

After almost 6 hours(or more) of traveling – weaving our way to dangerous curved roads, passing by key cities in Southern Mindanao, being in awe of majestic mountains and sprawling rice fields – we finally arrived in our destination. We were greeted by Lake Lahit first then we saw the wondrous Lake Sebu. Wow! Such a sight!

Majestic..

Since our trip to 7 Falls was moved on Friday, we ended up trekking and scouring the area for sights to see. Aside from Lake Sebu, there were a couple of resorts surrounding the area that you could go to and have a dip in their pool – Dolores Resort, Punta Isla, and Nadine’s. Basicaly, all their hot traveller’s spots were walking distance. Unfortunately though, provincial “walking” was different from city walking. A LOT DIFFERENT! Feeling very sweaty after the long hours of travel and “walking” (plus the sleepless night and initial disappointment in postponing “falls-hopping”, I repeatedly suggested for an evening swim in ANY pool. After constant prodding, we ended up at Nadines. We swam around at the really COLD pool water when it started to drizzle then became a full-blown rain. After taking refuge in our open cottage and having our fill for dinner, the group was debating whether to wing it and go back to house or stay for a while. The cold weather was already taking its toll on me (being the temperature magnet that I am). I also wanted to wash up and wear dry clothes too. So we winged it. After freshening up, we were ready to call it a night.

The next day, we had our fill of Durian then went off to 7 Falls. We only went to 2 of the 7 since, like I said, provincial “walking” is a LOT different from city walking. My bff and I went ziplining (our second time together) on the longest zipline in Asia. I took videos while she took photos. You can see her amazing photos of our trip by clicking here. During our zip, we saw a couple the falls, then the rainbow over the falls, a lot “ferns” (if you haven’t tried ziplining and saw photos taken above, you’d think the trees were ferns as was the mistake of my former officemate. LOL.). Our second zip (since there were two zips), we opted for a different form of zipping which they called: Super Extreme (I think! I forgot the first adjective!) wherein in the middle of your zip, you’d be bouncing to and fro, up and down before landing. Their ziplining also offers packaged pictures on your turn for Php 100.00. The package includes 2 4R photos of your ziplining adventure. You could also have a softcopy of all your photos downloaded into your flash drive for Php 30.00. We just opted for the hardcopy.

1st Falls

Falls 2

Since our landing site was at the 2nd Falls, me, my bff, and Jerry went for a swim. I was such a danger-prone tourist! The strong rapids almost took me directly to the 3rd Falls. Not a pretty sight. My companions kept teasing me about it. But above it all, I have got to say that the water was really cool! The background of the waterfalls behind us was a perfect fit for such a hot weather. Afterwards, we went to Mers Resort to continue our swimming escapade. They also offered a zipline activity but after the excitement earlier, we mellowed it down a bit. The pool at Mers was quite deep and I slipped at one time. I’m not good at swimming but I can hold on for a while with my “Visayan Swimming” as what my bff tagged it.

We went back to the house at around 6PM or 7PM and it was already quite dark. So it was an early night for us. We played card games and Monopoly Deal. When we were finally tired, we went off to bed since we were planning on going home the next day.

Next day came but we had to postpone our return due to car trouble. To not waste the day, our host suggested going to “Trangkini” or “Trankini” Falls. Believing that it was close by (especialy after being dropped off from our truck ride at the foot of the mountain), we trekked it along. What a TREK! We scaled a couple of hills and a portion of the mountains before reaching our destination. But it was worth it! The scene was simply amazing (less the CAFGU’s who were watching the area) and, you guessed it, the water was SO COLD! The best part of the trip, aside from the food, was jumping off from one of the falls for the first time. And to think, we were all hesitant in jumping not knowing where we’d be landing. Only 4 of the 5 in our group jumped. First Roel, then me, then bff, and then the most pressured jumper – Rey. The chicken? Jerry boy. LOL. It was such an exhilirating experience! Giving enough energy in trekking back to our drop off point. But before returning, danger-prone me struck again! I got swept away by the rapids. Learning from previous experience, I rooted my feet then dug on. Whew!

the falls behind the boulder was where we jumped from…

enjoying trangkini/trankini

Upon returning at the house and washing up, it was time to buy souvenirs. We went to the nearby store and bought stuffs for our friends. Aside from buying souvenir items, classmate and I donned T’boli clothes and our friends took our picture. My clothes were of a T’boli princess while classmate wore that of a T’boli warrior. More like pretend warrior since he couldn’t even jump off the falls.

Easter Sunday Trip

Car trouble was still keeping us back from returning. So my bff and I along with classmate Jerry decided to go ahead and commute back to Davao. After paying our heartfelt gratitude to our hosts, we went on our way first by skylab or habal-habal (a single motorcycle that would carry along a number of passengers depending on travel), then by bus for 2 times. The travel was pretty uneventful in returning home except for our occasional stopovers. I personally regretted not buying any scarf or shirts. But the photos were great remembrances already.

Though a bit tired from the trip, I was more than less ready to face my week of meeting new people and facing a new job. Til next outing!

How about you guys? How did you spend your weekend?