NICOLAS GRANDE RESORT OUTING

Today, we went home to BP to go swimming with the rest of the clan, it’s not actually ‘our’ treat because it is, after all, Rely’s birthday but we shouldered most of the major expenses like the food and the entrance fees of the others (who can’t afford to pay their way). It was our first time to visit this resort – not really spectacular but its plus factor is that it was near our place so it would be easier to ferry people from the house since expectedly, the FX would be making more than one trip what with all the people (kids and adults) who would be going there and of course, the things we have to bring…










The resort had three pools - one for kids, another one for adults (with a big slide) and still another medium-sized one (like a Jacuzzi but without the jets of water). We rented one nipa hut to place our things and food in and as a place to rest for those who wouldn’t be swimming…














The kids had fun swimming and eating all day long… the others contented themselves playing cards, drinking and singing karaoke by the poolside… we were glad to have this chance to be together as one big happy family, even for just one day! Hope we’d be able to do this again next summer…if time and money permits…

NEW CELLPHONE FROM GSM



I guess his funds got depleted yesterday, when we went out for an outing…so Jun’s pamangkin, the birthday boy, needed some replenishment and decided to sell this cellphone to me. He says they got it from someone who’s a known pickpocket in their area…well, at first I had my doubts in buying the unit knowing the pain the previous owner may have felt when he or she lost it…but it still is just an object and it does not truly maintain the vibes and feelings of its previous owners diba??? And besides, it was just such a sweet deal for only PhP1500 so I went ahead and bought it…I intend to use it for my Smart or Sun SIM. Maybe someday when my daughter has grown enough to be responsible…I’d give her the phone…but for home use only…definitely not one she can bring to school…

A visit to Manila's Ocean Park

Every year during summer, our office goes out of town for ‘teambuilding’ but it is actually just an excuse for us to get out of the city rut, leave the stresses of our daily routine tasks and together with our families visit a province to relax, have fun and enjoy the scenery for two whole days. For the past few years, we have been to San Juan-Batangas, Pagbilao-Quezon, Hundred Islands in Pangasinan, Donsol-Sorsogon for butanding-watching, Pagudpud and Ilocos region, Baguio City, Puerto Galera and so much more. These are the kinds of places that we would never be able to go to on our own and at our own expense which is why we always look forward to these outings as valuable opportunities to visit places that we want to go to (anyway it is the company that would pay for everything!)

But this year, our plans were severely hindered by the fact that our office vehicles could not anymore survive the wear and tear that we will be inflicting on it if ever we decide to take it to another far-away place. We were originally planning to go to some exotic beach/island in Romblon or visit the new Boracay of Bicol region – Caramoan. But alas we were forced to go someplace near so as not to inflict anymore damage on our ten-year old FXs. We figured that since we cannot go to a beach to swim and play with the fishes we’d just watch them inside a huge aquarium within the city limits of Manila. Thus, our office outing ended up to be a visit to the Manila Ocean Park and afterwards a short drive to a pool in Pagbilao, Quezon.

It was almost ten when we arrived at the Manila Ocean park and contrary to the reviews I have read in the web, there were only a few people milling about waiting for their turn to enter the park. Maybe its because school is out so there were less field trips going there… we only waited a bit because our group was still incomplete and it took sometime to acquire about 40 tickets (although it was already booked in advance). We finally entered after about thirty minutes of waiting. The first stage is called AGOS (Flow), so named because it featured about eight huge water tanks that contained fresh water fishes and river rays that they say came from South America. There were Giant Arapamas, considered to be the largest freshwater fish in the world. They seemed as huge as small sharks but looked tame like eels. There were also pretty Oscars, silver Arowanas, electric eels, Indonesian tigerfish, red-tail catfish, etc. The aquariums were set in a pretty cool open-air enclave complete with an artificial waterfall. The last tank in this area was a Touch pool where my kids had fun touching the starfish and gazing at the baby sharks.

The next stage was BAHURA or reefs which contained numerous small and large tanks that depict the country’s colorful coral life forms. The tanks here were indoors and quite dark so we weren’t able to get that many decent pictures since flashes were not allowed as it might disturb the fish. We saw angel fish, (nemos), longfin bannerfish, razorfish, pajama cardinal fish, double-tooth soldierfish, hawkfish, marine file snake, ribbon snakes, long-horn cowfish, seahorses, giant clams, and the crowd fave – the giant spider crab. Here it was admittedly quite hot despite the aiconditioning since there were too many people crowding around such a little space. We wish the tanks were not quite so small or even if they were they should have been a bit farther apart from each other so that the people won’t have to crowd around an area so much.

The third stage was LAOT (Fishing Ground) and we were thankfully able to breathe and move much easier because the four big tanks were placed along the sides of a wide circular enclosure with an open space and some chairs placed in the middle. This area features fishes that can be found in the deep part of the ocean and are often fished by commercial fishing vessels – snub-nose pompanos, barracudas, and others whose names I can no longer recall.

The next stage was touted to be the highlight of the entire oceanarium – the 25-meter underwater tunnel which boasts 220-degree curved acrylic walls that can rival those of the Ocean Park in Hongkong, Singapore’s Underwater world in Sentosa Park, Siam’s Ocean World in Bangkok, Thaliand and the Aquaria in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia because theirs use the standard 180-degree curved tunnels. The glass tunnels afforded the park visitors a glimpse of the rich underwater world – truly an amazing experience! There were playful giant manta rays that swam close as if inviting the visitors to touch them through the glass; and all kinds of different fishes swimming around the huge tanks. It is just so bad that the tunnel seem so short… the kids thought that the entire park would encompass the tunnel. What’s even more disappointing was that the kids cannot anymore go back to the previous stages even if they wanted to because there were guides that restrict such movement. Hence, they were unable to return to those other tanks they so hurriedly gazed over in their excitement to see the underwater tunnel… too bad! At least, my daughter and I took our own sweet time with each tank because we took videos and pics of each one…he,he,he.

The last room was called the KALALIMAN (The Deep). This is where we found the sharks – again another disappointment because they were all still quite small… maybe by next year they would have a greater and fiercer collection of sharks that would be a fitting cap to the entire tour. Also, there were no dolphins, seals or turtles to be seen…they would have been a great addition to the marine park’s collection. What is good about the park, however, is that near the exit to the park there is an area that allowed actual interaction with the fishes. On one side, there was the ‘foot spa’ where numerous tiny fishes bite and feed on your foot calluses for one hundred pesos. Then there was a feeding area where one can actually feed the baby sharks and giant manta rays in the overhang tanks.

In all, the experience was generally satisfying because there were a variety of animals and encounters that the kids enjoyed and that will surely be remembered. But if one considers the actual cost of the tour (400 for adults and 350 for the kids) and considering the financial crunch that our country is currently experiencing, it is not exactly the kind of amount that I could easily fork over just to see those kinds of fishes… so I guess we should be just grateful that an opportunity like this came along.

HE’S (FINALLY!) LEAVING…

Finally, after a long period of tug-of-war between bosses, my co-worker has finally been allowed to leave our unit…he has long requested for a transfer to another unit due to what he says are irreconcilable differences with our boss but I believe it truly stemmed from the fact that he doesn’t want to be left behind during out of town trips – you see our unit has a dual function and so whenever there is an LPSA out of town, only 2 people are allowed to go with the boss while the other two are left behind to maintain and continue the operations of the OPCEN…which operates daily and monitors news 24/7.

So, though I am a bit sad about his leaving (since he is, after all, considered one of the first few pillars of this unit being hired by my Mom who used to head this unit when training and not media was its previous advocacy)…but still I do not consider him a real loss. In fact, it would be more like a breath of fresh air…because lately ever since he signified his intention to leave, he has been spouting nothing but negativity about everything – although I admit that what he said are mostly true (the lies and the corruption), I don’t think it is good to badmouth a unit or even a boss you would soon part ways with – after all, we remain in the same organization and it does no good to burn bridges. What’s worse is that even if we know all these things…we do not have any concrete proof…no paper trail…no evidence… so why rock the boat? Well, I’m just glad he finally got his wish to leave…at least the unit could finally heave a long sigh of relief now that he’s gone…I know I am!

Rite of passage


Many kids look forward to the season of summer. For them it is a fun-filled time because there would be no more school, no more teachers, no more books and lengthy assignments! It would also mean summer outings – a dip in the pool, a visit to a beach or even a day at the mall. But there are times when a kid may also view summer with dread because it is also often the time when they would have to undergo a certain ritual – to finally become a man – circumcision.

Yesterday, the 16th of April, my eleven-year son underwent such a ritual. His circumcision has long been put off, by me mostly because for a dozen or more reasons. At first, I was fearful that he was still too young (that was when he was in grade four, I think?), then the next year I was hoping to have some other cousin join him since I reasoned the experience would be a bit more bearable if you have someone to share the pain with… but alas there was no one and this year it could not anymore be put off since by next year he would be in high school and he would be ridiculed by his peers if they learn he was still ‘supot’.

And so with a heavy heart I let him go to a nearby health center to undergo this ritual by himself. I wanted to go with him but I couldn’t really bear the thought of actually seeing him (or any of my kids for that matter undergoing even such a minor ‘procedure’) and besides my husband wouldn’t let me because he reasoned he had his circumcision too all by his lonesome so his son must too. I would’ve wanted some other responsible adult with him but my sister-in-law was at the province, so I just let his two cousins join him at the center.

From what I understand from my reading in the net, circumcision is the process of removing some of the foreskin from a person’s penis. Its origins were a bit vague although the first depictions of circumcision appeared in ancient Egyptian tombs. It is also considered a religious commandment and an obligatory ritual in Islam.

It was also quite unclear why the men need to undergo circumcision at all but as of present count global estimates suggest 30% of males all over the world are circumcised (from Wikepedia) and they are mostly in the Middle East and Africa. Some who oppose circumcision claim that it infringes on the individual’s bodily rights (especially the ones conducted on infants), they also say that it is medically unjustified and part of a pagan ritual.

Advocates of the ritual maintain that it ‘is a worthwhile public health measure that has no substantial effects on the sexual function and has no complication rate when properly done’. While the World Health Organization report state that male circumcision significantly reduces the risk of HIV although it only provides partial protection and should not replace other interventions to prevent HIV transmission.

Reading that somehow eased my mind but I still could not get off that nagging feeling… what if my son happened to fall under the percentage of circumcisions that goes bad??? How would he deal with the pain after the anesthesia has worn off…? So after lunch, I called the house and his cousins told me that he was in a bit of pain and already took his medicine to ward off the pain and infection. I wasn’t able to talk with him because he was sleeping and I only learned about his side of the story when I got home.

It turns out that his ‘procedure’ was even a bit delayed… because he stood in line from 7 am and skipped breakfast he was already a bit white-faced when the doctors called his name at around 11 am. Maybe both from nervousness and lack of food, the docs feared he might be having low blood pressure symptoms so they let him lay down for awhile to steady his vitals. They performed the circumcision on him a bit later only after the blood in his face has returned.

Aside from that brief fear, he said it wasn’t painful at all… and I took him at his word. Everyday, he bravely and meticulously cleaned his ‘wound’ (if you may call it that) all by himself because he doesn’t want me nor any of the ‘older folks’ help him in cleansing it… and so we just let him be. After all, it’s another one of those things that would signal his passage into manhood… sooner or later I should expect these things to happen coz my son is not a little boy anymore. He would soon start doing things without me and so I must start to accept such an eventuality. But for the meantime, I would treasure moments when I still get to hold his hand, hug him and kiss his cheek without fear that he’d say eow!!!...and turn away with a reproachful look at me while looking furtively if his friends saw what I just did… yes, I’d enjoy my moments being a mom for him, while I still can…

Pugpog to beat the summer heat

This summer we discovered a new and totally economical way to beat the summer heat ...
once when we found the sun too hot even while inside the house, we decided to pack our lunch, bring some cold drinks and ice in a cooler, buy some fruits and eat at a rented nipa hut beside the river. The local folks call the place - Pugpog...maybe it's the name of the river, I don't really know... all I know is that for some time, the place provided us with a bit of refreshment at so little cost!







There was a bit of a problem though...in the morning when we arrived, the water was still so low so that the kids had to lie down just to feel the water running behind their backs. My daughter had no problem with that though...she even swam in her bathing suit!!!














Well, what mattered was that we were able to escape the summer heat due to the windy ambiance of the place...and we all ate our simple meal with much gusto!














And come afternoon, the water level rose considerably so that the kids (and even the adults) enjoyed bathing in the river immensely... we had to watch out though for floating debris(!?!) which came from upriver and couldn't be helped...hehehe. But in all it was a fun experience...one we wouldn't mind doing once again.

Abra and Ilocos : a glimpse of living a dangerous life

The entire past week was one that I consider a truly tiring and at times a bit terrifying experience for me. Almost half of the entire office rode a tourist van for ten back-breaking hours to go to Abra – one of the most dangerous places outside of Mindanao. Not because of the presence of communists guerillas, although there are still a few… but because of private armed groups that roam the place protecting their political territories. Of course, the AFP and the PNP have assured us that we will be well-protected but still one can’t help but worry that there may be some people out there out to make mischief…

But on that Monday morning that we rode the tourist bus, all our spirits were high and we all felt like kids going out on a field trip… not even the presence of a mean lady boss could dampen our day. Sure, we were a tad quieter than usual and we were not able to pose all we want for pictures because we were afraid to earn her ire but still we had fun in our own little mischievous ways.

The bus left a bit late even though everyone arrived on time (before 9 a.m.). Well, it seems there was some sort of mix-up and the bosses were expecting a big provincial passenger bus that will be hired for the duration of the trip but instead, the agency sent us something a little bigger than a coaster with hard seats and a smaller head ceiling, so they complained and wanted to change buses but there were no more buses available and we couldn’t afford to wait any longer so we just settled for what we had… of course, the one in charge of transportation had to answer a hell of a lot of complaints but he lived!

It was early when we got to Hacienda Luisita mall for our first stop and stretch of the day – which includes our lunch. So even though we had time to kill, our orders (from Max’s) arrived just a few minutes after we arrived because we ordered the meals in advance. It turns out though that the lady boss didn’t like her order of spring chicken meal and so we gave her lumpiang sariwa instead. The spring chicken was just brought as takeout for the driver (?)

And so after eating and relaxing a bit, we continued with our travel and stopped twice for toilet breaks at Urdaneta, Pangasinan (around 1 p.m.) and San Fernando, La Union (around 3pm). By 5 pm, we were already at Candon, Ilocos Sur and we would’ve wanted to eat halo-halo because it was so hot but the bus driver brought us to the wrong Chowking outlet (they don’t serve halo-halo!) so the guys just bought some more drinks (coz our ice chest full of drinks ran out already) and some junk food for us to munch on till we reach Abra. Besides, the lady boss wasn’t hungry yet and didn’t want to waste anymore time on the road so we had no choice but to heed her request.

It was almost 7 when we finally reached Abra and we fully understood the lady boss’ cause for concern. When we reached the junction at Narvacan, a van of security escorts were waiting to lead us up the circuitous roads of Abra. There was very little lighting and no other passing vehicles so we were quite thankful that there was still bit of daylight when we arrived. Halfway through another jeep of police escorts arrived to augment the van of security personnel and for the first time I felt apprehensive… because we never had quite an exhaustive security arrangement in our previous ‘gigs’ like this… so I guess the situation in this place is really different and a bit hazardous. I wish my soldier-cousin was coming, but alas he said he wasn’t included in the PSG’s line-up today… he did tell me to take care though.

Our fears were even more compounded when after our scrumptious dinner at Abrassi Hotel of dinengdeng, fried boneless bangus and bagnet, our security officer warned everyone (during the meeting) against just going off by themselves and wandering around in the city without informing him or any of the bosses because something might just happen to them. I was apprehensive too because the boys (including my hubby) were billeted in a different hotel from ours (Lucky Hotel near the heart of the city) which makes them more vulnerable as they might just suddenly decide to check out the sights(!?!) I just hoped and prayed that they would heed the security concerns aired by the security head and just stay put in the hotel at night. Thus, with a brief wish goodbye (no kiss!), they left for their hotel and we all retired for the night.

The next day we were up early at 7 am and we took our baths and had breakfast of fried rice, Abra longganisa, boiled egg, pandesal, butter and jam. I ate everything, except the rice which they say tasted really great and cost only 1550 per sack. The bread tasted great too even if it was a bit small plus their brewed coffee which is from the Arabica blend like Baguio’s. Then, we left for the provincial capitol at 9:30 am for a meeting with the governor’s wife at 10. There, we checked out the secretariat room and the media center and settled in for the meeting which lasted till past 11. They served meryenda of spaghetti which I didn’t eat because I knew lunch will soon be served. Instead, we decided to check out the tiangge downstairs though I didn’t buy anything yet.

By 12, we all headed back to Abrassi and ate our lunch again at their veranda… this time we had a mixed vegetable viand (eggplants, carrots, potatoes, etc. smothered with sweet vinaigrette dressing) which is part salad/part atsara and tasted really good, there was also the usual fish fillet and beef dish typical of most catering meals but the veggie meal was truly something else. We rested for awhile and we would’ve wanted to take our naps first but we couldn’t risk being seen there at the hotel by the lady boss so off we went to the provincial capitol just to help in any way we could at the secretariat room.

At first, I helped sharpen pencils, then after a while I went down to the media center to fix the set-up there. We had the two tarps put up, and the chairs placed theater type with all the tables flushed to the sides of the room. The others that wouldn’t fit anymore were placed inside the SP’s workroom. We also placed directional signs to the media center. But at around 4 when our boss arrived, he had all our arrangements changed. The first tarp was moved from the side of the door to the window, then the backdrop was lowered just an inch or two lower… Then the directional signs were replaced to add the activity’s title at the top… oh well, after all he’s the boss! Darwin had to follow his bidding coz by then I was downloading the media list from PIA Abra from our email.

For dinner we went back to Abrassi hotel and I guess it was not at all spectacular coz I couldn’t remember what it was and neither did I bother to take pictures of it. The boys hurriedly went back to the venue after eating to finish their set-up of the plenary hall while I stayed in the lobby just talking and having fun with some of the docu team who were fixing the metacard questions to be used in the workshop. The other members of the docu team also arrived at around 11 and some of them stayed with us at the lobby so we made quite a ruckus. Finally retired for the night at around 12 and by then my other roommates soon arrived. One came from the secretariat room, waiting for the updated list of participants from the registration team. The other made the round of hotels, to make sure that participants were billeted at the correct hotel. We just made some small talk before falling asleep coz we all have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.

I got up early before the alarm sounded at 5:30 coz I had a fitful night. My back ached because of the hard cushion of my folding bed but I couldn’t complain…I was the second to use the CR and after dressing up we ate breakfast and were ready to leave for the provincial capitol at 6:30 but the problem was, our driver was still taking a bath!!! Maybe the one in charge of transpo forgot to inform him that he had to be ready to shuttle the secretariat before 7. So, without anymore eating breakfast he had no choice but to bring us to the venue. As it was we were already late, but it’s a good thing the boys’ hotel was just nearby so they can just walk to the venue and were already manning the registration. My buddy was still upstairs getting our box so I helped him bring our stuff down.

The first day went smoothly – only about twenty local media from Abra and Baguio arrived to register. But they came in trickles so I had no choice but to stay put downstairs to man the media registration table which was located on the left side upon entering the capitol’s entrance. Security on that day was tight and behind me were PNP personnel while to the other side of me were AFP men armed with long firearms… couldn’t help thinking that I may easily be caught in the crossfire if they suddenly decide to shoot each other out! Good thing no such thing happened – the only little hitch that occurred was when one foreign photographer tried to worm his way in when we wouldn’t let him because he was inappropriately dressed in shorts and flowery polo shirt! Maybe if he was covering a vacation spot in Boracay – but definitely not a formal occasion like the LPSA. But overall, the registration process was peaceful.

The press conference was a different story altogether. After I ate a hurried lunch at the secretariat’s room, I proceeded to the media center at the second floor to wait for the media to arrive. There were only about five of them there and the food was also waiting for them to arrive… By 2 pm and there still weren’t many people arriving, I started texting the reporters registered on my logbook to say that the NSA will be arriving in a few minutes. A few more arrived and there were also some from Manila and some MARO personnel who came and left again after getting their kits and food. Sir Jude even got a bit apprehensive that the media were already leaving out of exasperation and too much waiting but I assured him that it was just the MARO making a fuss because it seems they were also affected by the ‘failure’ of PMS in getting advanced ‘hotel bookings’ for the President’s party. We don’t really need the national media yet anyway… it’s more the local media that’s our concern for today’s presscon. And so after much waiting and some changes in the presscon venue, we were finally able to stage it with PIA head – Helen Tibaldo moderating. Relevant questions were asked even if the presscon only lasted for less than an hour. But still, the reporters and even the guests all left fully satisfied with the Q and A that just transpired.

After the presscon, I was able to breathe a little and rest. For the first time, I was not a documentor so I did not have to hurry out to go to my workshop group. For once, I was free to do as I wish… too bad though that I couldn’t do pretty much coz I can’t retreat to the hotel room to change and rest coz it was too far away. So I just retreated to the secretariat room to exchange banter with the people there and catch up on the latest happenings. After I have rested awhile and when the heat has dissipated a little, I went down to the tiangge to buy a few souvenirs and pasalubongs from Abra. Wasn’t able to buy as much as I really wanted to because my budget was limited and I had to save up what few money I could for the kids’ schooling. Had to watch them lang as they bought everything they wanted to their hearts’content… they even bought narra furniture to be stashed beneath the Partas bus… lucky them!!!

We weren’t able to go back to the hotel anymore since by the time we finished our shopping, there was little time left before dinnertime. So I waited na lang with the rest of them and ate dinner (if they call it that because the portions were so tiny, it could have fed a bird) while the cultural show was playing. We decided to retire early for the night and left without finishing the show. Jun left earlier to just watch TV at Lucky and I would’ve wanted to go with him but I didn’t have any clothes with me… so I haven’t much choice but to retreat to my own room without a TV. I just lulled myself to sleep reading the book I brought. I’m just glad I’m not a documentor so I was not obliged to attend the editorial board meeting which I heard were marred by too much controversies and lasted until 1 am…

The next day, we were again up early for another big day with PGMA arriving. Once again, I manned the media registration downstairs and wasn’t even able to go up to watch the presentation because there were media men coming in trickles… those that went with her to Pilar and didn’t get to ride the chopper with her. So I had no choice but to wait for them downstairs and by the time they all arrived, the door was already closed and the venue filled to the brim. So I just retreated once again to the Secretariat room, grabbed a quick bite for lunch, took copies of the joint resolution for the media and waited for them to come out. The affair ended when PGMA left the venue at around 2 pm, there were still many people milling around the capitol and I was able to distribute my joint resolution in peace.

We immediately left the venue after I have ensured that our tarps and leftover kits were packed back in the PIAO box. We went back to the Abrassi hotel to freshen up and pack our bags. By 3 and Meann still hasn’t arrived, Weng and I decided to pack her things and load them in our new Partas bus. We then proceeded to the capitol to load the secretariat’s things although it was still a while before we actually left because there were so many things still left to be done (payments by Ate Ne) and besides we had to wait for our dinner pa so it was almost four pm when we finally left Abra.

We arrived at Laoag in time for dinner. It was a bit difficult to find a place to eat where we didn’t have to buy our food since we already have baon. But it’s a good thing we were able to find a perfect place big enough to accommodate all of us and at the same time not too conspicuous that it would be difficult to bring out our baon. We ate at the plaza’s open food court where they sold empanada and other souvenirs. The store’s helpers were all over themselves just to serve our every need because we bought 40 pieces of empanada from them – just enough to make them rich for the night!!!

So after eating bagnet, macaroni salad and Laoag empanada, we continued on with our journey and arrived at Pagudpud by 10 pm. After unloading our bags and checking out our rooms, we decided to visit the beach and just make small talk about the LPSA that just transpired. It was fun catching up on moments/ ‘juicy chika’ when I wasn’t there… the guys decided to conduct their drinking session right there on the beach while Jun and I had some coffee. After a while, the girls decided to call it a night because we planned to get up early tomorrow to swim.