February 1, 2009

On this first day of March, Mar posted yet another set of Mt. PInatubo pics entitled "the march home" as the set shows our descent and our stop over at the site of the Bataan Death March.

Pics and words courtesy of Mar:

"started the long trail back at about 130 pm. but before really heading back, we gave mt. pinatubo the last look, as we gave ourselves the last set of photoops in that magnificent crater "

"the trek home was swifter (and i must say, easier?) since trail was now familiar (thanks to our cognitive mapping processes)... "

That is me with the crimson cap in the background yet marching ahead.

"travel factor handed us our little merienda - mamon and C2, which we enjoyed while at the ride back to the jumpoff point. that 4x4 ride was more ashy, than it was during the morning. after an almost two hour ride, all of us were like aged people becuase of our ash-covered hair"

"the whole travel factor team had a sidetrip in capas shrine (which we all anticipated to be a grand church). to our suprise, capas shrine was a memorial for all those who died during that infamous death march during world war II. an edifice (which we descibed as "the eiffel tower of capas") and a circular wall - where the names of the victims of the march were engraved, were built to commemorate the bravery of the filipino-american soldiers who fell at the hands of the japanese during the war"

I am particularly grateful for this pic as I have no more battery during this final phase of this lovely trip

Greetings On The First Day Of March!

We march into the third month of the year with four greetings:

1) Kynan

He is the oldest of the four. Used to be in this house weekly to teach these kids. Now he is working for Star Cinema. Pic grabbed from his Facebook.

2) Kristine

She is my teammate. Thanks for the great party last night!

3) Ate Dina

She is our friend in orange shirt. Good to see you partying again last night!

4) Naps & Aims

He's the second guy on the right and she is beside him. Introduced the couple in Michelle's birthday party and the rest is history. Happy anniversary and congratulations on the engagement! Hope to drop by your new home soon~

Eating At Max's Fried Chicken After Eat Bulaga

L-R: cousin, nephew, nephew, sister, me, cousin, cousin, cousin, mom, dad.

February 13. Day 21.

After doing my grocery which would cost me my first ever excess baggage fee a couple of days later (krisis na talaga, the airlines are strictly watching out your baggages), I moved from SM North to Gateway, to meet my family who is having late lunch because they just came from watching Eat Bulaga, the Philippines longest running noontime variety show. I begged off from seeing teh show since I already saw it last month. Sadyang jologs to.~

We also had lunch in the same resto after watching the show. The good thing about this one is I did not have to pick up the bill since I already had my lunch In Pizza Hut Bistro after I did my groceries unlike the first time. In times of recession, free meals are always welcome ^^ like when I met my UP Math Club friends before heading north to Mount Pinatubo (see previous blog entry). That night, it was Allan's treat for us to share his blessings in Singapore.

The Power Of Ash

Astronomers believe that a long long time ago, dusts accumulate to eventually build up planets, from which human lives spring. It is written in the Holy Bible that human came from ash and to ash too we shall return. Astronomers still fear the possibility of an accumulated dust in the form of a comet will someday hit our planet and turn us all into dust.

Ash is indeed powerful. In 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted and the ash that covered the earth's atmosphere lowered global temperatures to a couple of degree. This day, the ever changeing landscape of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines is a marvelous reminder of God's glory.

Here's a few more pics from our hike last Feb. 1.

Straight from meeting UP Math Club friends in Boni High St, headed North to Pinatubo.


My travel mate is my birthday mate Joanna. Mark April 20 in your calendars!

Me and my hideous posture stopped over for some wonderful sight.

"swam in the crystal blue waters of the crater. freshwater was so cool, i thought it would at least be lukewarm, since we're actually in the volcano's mouth-" Mar, the leftmost guy
I overheard from foreigner tourists that Taal's lake is colder.

"explored the inner crater via a boatride with manong bangkero for only 250 pesos per person"- Mar, who posted more pics here

"a ride would consist of 4 people max." - Mar, who posted yet another set of pics here

" the sight was simply amazing, since we couldn't believe that we're actually in the philippines" -Mar, who is now reconsidering going to Bali

"it was like what the lord of the rings looks like in the movies. it was like new zealand in our country!" - Mar feeling like Frodo

"on that part of the creater, you could actually see steam coming from the boiling waters. water here was not for swimming since you'd be scald alive if you do so. we tried dipping our fingers, and it really was hot, and boiling!" - Mar, simply Mar


'the sands, and rocks on that part of the crater were hot as well"- still Mar


" it was indeed an experience!" - you know who

I would insert lovely to that.

PS: Here in Korea, ash has a different power. When you say ash, it is actually a bad thing. Similar to saying oh, shit.

Final Day of My First Lunar New Year Vacay

After a series of other people's pics about my holiday, here comes my very own pics in what could be my final entry using Jonard's laptop. Cue in Benjamin Button music and let's begin with the end of my vacation!

The final day saw me partying with college friends in the very early morning and spending the final morning of course with my beloved family.

Me touching Drei's head as if I can rotate it hehe.

That's me, behind Bob and Drei, packing up my portable hard disk as it is time to say goodbye to Pax's apartment who played host to me during the latter part of my UP Fair stint.

Ebe, Bob, & Me


Me & party rockstar Syd!

I fell asleep amidst my friends' singing! That was how tired I got during the final crazy days.


With mom a few hours after the party and a few hours before I fly back to Korea.



Watching my favorite filmmaker's vids: Dad's homemade vids!


Mom, me and Mae who witnessed me fall down from UP Oblation on her first UP visit!


I MISS EVERYONE NOW.

My First Lunar New Year Vacay As Seen By Others - 2nd Part

February 1. Day 9.

I would call February The Mountain Month in 3 Countries. Started the month in my only out of town trip and my first mountain hike in the Philippines during my vacay in Mount Pinatubo. Here are some of my pics courtesy of Mar and his friends, out travelmates in this trip:

"we arrived at capas a little later at 6 am. then at about 630, the adventure began via a 4x4 ride through the skyway. the bumpy, ashy, wet ride was about an hour long, but was worthwhile since the sight will simply take your breath away. the "skyway" also serves as the battlefield between the philippine army and the american soldiers during balikatan exercises"- Mar, who did a great job post processing the photos (that was me beside the driver)

"we reached the "jump-off" point just before 8 pm"- Mar in white cap, shown here with his friends (that was me under the nipa shade)

"and then the climb begins" - Mar who will go to Bali soon (that was me in red cap climbing ahead of the pack together with Joanna)

"the trek, i must say is pretty much straightforward, no dangerous cliffs of death to be afraid of. the hardest part of the climb was the beginning (since we're literally climbing down rocks and boulders, making our way through their narrow openings). aside from that, there was nothing more to worry about but the slippery river stones and dangerous clumsy falls into the pointed rocks/boulders along the trail." - Mar who will post more pics later (that was me who did the stone prayer tower)

The next day, I flew to Kota Kinabalu (KK) in Malaysia. Mount Kinabalu happens to be the highest peak in South East Asia.

And now, I am back in the mountainous land area of South Korea.

THANKS MAR, FOR THE WORDS AND PICS!

HBD Margie and Other Filipino Indie Film Updates

I know it is the Oscars tomorrow and a Fil-Am named PJ Raval has good chances of bringing home one for his docu Trouble the Water, but this entry will focus on a few important Filipino indie film updates from artists I met in last year's PIFF starting with birthday girl Margie (Get well soon!):

L-R: Monster, Joe (happy trip!), Margie & Me.

I call it the "Up Dharma Down" movie
Akyat Baba, Paikot Ikot
Up Down, Round and Round

Monster wrote it. Joe is directing and Margie did a wonderful job at pitching it over at Berlin. It was one of the 3 films that was granted some financial support (at the current exchange rate, about 186, 250 pesos). Read more about it in Arkeo's site.


I name it the most important Pinoy film of 2008.
100.

I first saw Mount Pinatubo's crater in last year's PIFF in a lovely poster of this film. The film itself is so lovely it won in the Philippines, Korea, and recently this week in France. Quoting its directors Facebook stat:

"Chris Martinez

: 100 wins the PRIX EMILE GUIMET at the 15th Vesoul Festival of Asian Films in France!on Tuesday"

100 will once more compete next month in Osaka, Japan.

I think this will be an important Pinoy film for the year.
The Forgotten War.

Poster courtesy of film director Carlo Cruz.

Tonight in Arirang TV, the show Diplomacy Lounge will feature the Philippine Ambassador Luis Cruz to discuss the 60th annivesary of diplomatic ties between Korea and the Philippines. Incidentally, the Ambassador's son Carlo Cruz happen to direct the film about Filipino war vets who helped during the Korean war. The film's trailer will preem in Korean TV.

I wish to see the film's preem in Seoul come April.


AGAIN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARGIE! YOU GET WELL SOON!

AND MORE POWER TO PINOY FILMS!~

My First Lunar Vacay As Seen Blogged By Ebe

Ebe is my college dorm roommate. I got to meet our close group at least twice (they can't get enough of me!!). Here's his recollection from his blog inserted with my pics:

February 9. Day 12.

Calzone

Jegs took a break from designing the process and instrumentation diagrams of ships from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co on the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula and took time to meet his real friends last night. Heehee.

Met up with Berns and Bob around 7PM at Capricciosa on Greenbelt 3.

mommy Berns

papa Bob

joyful Te Joy

We killed time waiting for Drei, Joy, and Pax by talking about each other's you know who's. Drei was the first to arrive narrating about his new officemates seducing him to play bastketball. Bwahaha! Joy with her beads followed, then Pax with his un-white shirt arrived around ... well.. when dinner was over heehee.

hospitable Pax, singer Bern, and financial adviser Tejoy

Didn't really eat that much because of the major gabbing but everythin' we ordered were DELISH!

Rustom Padilla in memoriam~

After two and a half hours, we transferred to a coffee place where Nathan (Endel's barkada from Misys and the infamous Odders) saw me along the way and we chatted before I said goodbye to my friends before going to my 10 PM work.

Ebe giddy after meeting Nathan and before taking the next pic...

Missing you: Jie, Rye, Nes, Bing, Tem, Don, Che

Ohh,. yeah, that 10 PM work... where I swapped my HD task for tonight with Ricky because I really wanted to delve on a program before I work alone 2-10PM on the 13th AND 14th of February.

Double RAWR!

UN-BE-LIE-VA-BLE. Hehe. (",)

Feb 14-15. The Final 2 Days.

Syd

I worked from 2-10 PM yesterday and on the dot left the office at 10:20 PM. Within the shift, I was thinking whether to hang out with JR, Noel, and Bobet on this new comedy bar near ABS CBN with Sweet Lapus doing the best acts OR,.. or to have fun with Jegs, Drei, Berns, Bob, Joy, and Sydney for Jeg's despedida on Pax's apartment at QC.

I found out Jegs postponed his family dinner at Bulacan just to hang out with us so I decided to spend the time with the 111 berks.

Too much food for 8 single souls on Valentines Day!

Wasn't really able to bring anything but the pizza from Aveneto and San Mig were overflowing when I arrived at the place. The Spicy Tuna Carbonara cooked by Joy was really good as well!! I never really liked bland carbonaras.

Thanks Bern for the Pampangeno's touch of Carbonara!

Thanks Kebab for the smoothie ice cream!

We spent singing (and screaming ) on Pax's karaoke until 4AM.

How do I get to alone? (on Valentines Day)

It was kind of surprising no one shouted "HOY!! MAGPATULOG KAYU!!!" or something! (",)

But the truth remain you're...

Syd made sure she entertained all of us and she did a good job.

Syd is always ready to party!

At just 5 years old, she was being the life of our little party.

Mamma mia, can I please stay longer?

There was also that stuffed toy we threw and kicked and hugged and kicked mercilessly for fun.

Syd's screams beat our microphone!

Poor spider stuffed toy... Tsk tsk! (",)Hopefully we got to teach the kid to be cruel to spiders only.

Thanks Tita Bing for making it to our party!

We never had fun with something that came from Phylum Arthropoda until that came!

Bob slept at our apartment and we swapped games and vids.

Bob with Tejoy displaying her boobs. ㅋㅋㅋ

That was one fun Valentine sendoff party!


Thanks Pax for welcoming us in your apartment!

TILL NEXT VACAY, GUYS!