was tagged by my Ates!

I've been tagged a few times already, but I've been a bad girl and actually didn't do anything about it. But now, 2 of my most loved ates just tagged me, so how can I refuse!?

1. How often do you blog? Not that often actually, usually when there's something interesting to share to friends, preferrably regarding a trip!

2. Online Alias: Batang Byahera (but i'm thinking of changing it soon, haven't really traveled for quite some time now.hmmm)

3. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew? yeah..

4. What do you do most often when you are bored? watch DVDs, read, write or paint

5. When bathing, which do you wash first? um, usually my legs and feet first, I don't know why. and I actually wash them again when I wash my entire body.hmm

6. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? around 30 plus hours, I have but for days with long nights, I usually was able to take some power naps.

7. What color looks best on you? A number of friends have said I look good in Red and Black.

8. What’s your favorite alcoholic drink? tequila siguro and red horse.

9. Do you believe in heaven and hell as a real place that each of us will go to after death? I believe in God, so I believe in Heaven!

10. Do you find that you have more online friends than offline friends? nope.

11. What was your favorite subject in school? Loved my production, philo and arts subjects in college. But I enjoyed all my classes actually, except math.hahaha

12. Are you a perfectionist? Di naman, but I can be pretty OC sometimes. But I also have my "tamad," mediocre days.

13. Do you spend more than you can afford? don't we all?! I still manage to save though, but I really ought to budget better.

14. Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved before? hmm. i guess. whatever! hahaha! (bitter?)

15. Do you consider yourself creative? yes, but I know not as creative as others

16. Do you give yourself the credit you deserve? not really

17. Do you donate time or money to charities? yes. And sometimes my family thinks I'm overdoing it. I guess I do, sometimes.haay

18. Have you recently done something that you’ve criticized others for doing? hehehehe.. yeah. bad!tsktsktsk

19. What’s on your mind right now? when can we finally move in that darn condo so I can cook and bake!?! Grrr, that previous owner, walang isang salita!hehehe

20. Say one nice thing about the person who tagged you and the five people that you are going to tag

ATE ANJ - one of the coolest, adventurous and sweetest person I've ever met. I'm so glad were friends and that when I come home to Davao, they are there! yippee!
ATE MAY8 - best hugger in the world! and I'll get you your own copy of ItuMama soon, so you can watch it and keep Diego for yourself too. miss you!

I'm tagging
TE TATIT and TE PIA - so they can finally update their blog!
ERIC and ERROL - coz they are my jesuit brothers who have free access to the net
LAST SLOT - for anyone who's interested.hehehe

4 countries in a week

Emma is from Mongolia, Flavia is a native of Namibia, Simon came from Zambia and Hennie was born and raised in South Africa. In a week, it felt as if I have traveled to 4 countries and I never even left the country.

My 4 new friends are in our country for a month long seminar-course for volunteer management c/o VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) – Bahaginan. Their short course is really based in Searsolin,Cagayan de Oro City because Xavier University is co-sponsoring it. All in all there are 24 participants from 18 different countries as scholars of the said the course. For a week, they were separated to go on different immersion sites all over the country, 4 of which were assigned here in Manila. I was hired by VSO-Bahaginan to be the facilitator/coordinator for the said immersion week. It was a tight schedule from September 10-16, but we still managed to have fun each day.

As I’m still feeling weak today, I’ve been sick since Saturday night (luckily it was the last day of the immersion weak), this entry will just be an intro to my wonderful story of traveling to 4 countries in a week.

If I didn’t meet Emma, Flavia, Simon and Hennie, I actually wouldn’t know what their countries’ flags look like.

Did you know that?

>In Mongolia the average temperature is 4-8 degrees. So cold that during Emma’s first few days here in the Philippines her body needed total adjustment she had asthma attack and was advised by doctor to take anti-histamine 3x a day while she’s in the Philippines.

>There are only 1.8Million people in Namibia? There are so few of them and the sad part is HIV and AIDS is much prevalent in their country. To date, there are about 300+ thousand Namibians who are positive of HIV/AIDS.

Flavia strikes a pose in UP Diliman

>That there is a NGO in South Africa which is the exact equivalent of our Bantay Bata here in our country. It’s called ISO ALABONTWANA, direct translation is, “My eyes fixed on the Child.” It has the same vision of protecting the rights of a child.

Emma&Hennie having fun at Conspiracy

>Most Zambians don’t eat pork. Not because of Religion, even the Catholics of Zambia don’t eat pork because it was never in their tradition to eat the meat of pork and most believe that pigs are one of the dirtiest animals on earth so why eat something so filthy right?

Simon with the relaxing view of La Mesa

Davaoeña and Proud!

lOn my flight back to Manila from Davao last August 21, the pre-departure area was filled with tourists exchanging Kadayawan stories. Some people were giggling/laughing while reviewing pictures they took during their stay in the city; some were still taking pictures admiring the new airport; some were looking at the members of Freestyle band; I heard most share different kadayawan adventures (white water rafting, indak-indak sa dalan, concerts, fruit tripping, etc). I couldn’t help a smile, they were all talking about my home which, to date, I can proudly say is the best place in the world.


I remember when I was younger, Kadayawan wasn’t that big. To us it simply meant fruits are more abundant than usual and classes will be suspended. We, Davaoeños, didn’t really dance on the streets and participated so much in the events. We usually just stayed at home and watched the coverage on TV. In college, because I was part of the college yearbook, Kadayawan became work day. I covered the festival at least 2 times. Taking still photos during the Indak-indak sa dalan and Floral parade meant being with the best photographers in the city, members of the Davao Camera Club. I remember how Sir Chiaw would instruct me to follow him so I don’t get lost in the crowd and how he’d show me some different angles to take pictures of. Joining Kadayawan was a high as it allowed me to experiment on my shots and truly be where the action is. Since then, Kadayawan wasn’t just another festival to me, it was a celebration of the Filipino culture at its finest.

wala ako dito, but I took this pic with Ninin, Shiva, Ate Lisa and Ate Anj

Being technically based outside Davao for 5 years now meant missing the festival. In 2002 although I was teaching in Ateneo de Davao for a semester, I missed the Kadayawan festivities because I took advantage of the no class days to enroll myself in UP for my masters. Kadayawan 2006, is a coming home of sorts, and it was a sweet homecoming.

SALE – gotta love the mall wide sale during Kadayawan. I remember getting new jeans and shirts half their original prices during midnight sales. Books on sale are also something to look forward to. But this year’s best buy during the Kadayawan season was a pair of new Adidas Yoga/Aerobics’ shoes for mom. My eldest sister, Chelin, and I decided to treat our mom to new rubber shoes because she is very much into aerobics these days. The shoes we got her used to be 3,200+ but we got it at 2,157. Very good buy! The funniest thing about it is that mom said that if the basis is its original price, it’ll be on her top 5 most expensive shoes.

INDAK-INDAK – I had to work Saturday AM, and I felt bad because I was going to miss Indak-Indak (street dancing) Sa Dalan. You see my last memory of it was that it happens in the morning but to my surprise, they scheduled it at 12noon-8PM. So at around 130PM I was sitting inside my friends’ hotel room in Marco Polo, with a perfect view of the Indak-Indak sulking a bit because I didn’t have my camera with me. But our commentary in the hotel room cheered me easily. It was TQ’s, a very good friend and former officemate, first Kadayawan festival so I insisted we join “regular Davao tourists (Ninin, Ate Lisa, Shiva, Ina and Mike Juan)” and honorary Davaoeños (Ate Anj, Jerry Jose, etc.) walk the streets of Davao for a closer Indak2x action. TQ, although she was her usual calm, prim and proper self, enjoyed taking pictures of and with the contestants of the street dancing competition. We all were on a high looking for our favorite street performers making sure we have our pictures taken with them. Of course, no one can beat Shiva’s gameness(is there such a word?) in taking pictures, doing crazy poses with just about anything and anyone on the streets. Nikki, full blooded Davaoeño, born and raised in Davao by Davaoeño parents, couldn’t help but be amazed at how festive Kadayawan has become – it was his first time to actually be on the streets during the festival.

kahit KALABAW di pinalampas nila Shiva!

GABI NG PARANGAL – Already mentioned a bit about our main Kadayawan night in the last entry so here’s some additional info. We sang our hearts’ out when LINGER was played by one of the front act bands during UpDharmaDown’s concert. We had our individual reasons, which were not a secret to anyone in the group (hehehe), for singing it full of emotions. We sang along to the UpDharma songs we knew and couldn’t be more proud that the bassist was the baby brother of a good friend. Thanks to the 2 bottles of Tequila, paid for by Mike Juan, Ninin and Jerry Jose (if I’m not mistaken, basta I’m sure I didn’t pay for it,hehehe) we had enough, and to some more than enough, booze to keep us on a Kadayawan high. People who had more than enough booze, also known as Shiva and Ninin, were on their utmost high – Shiva sang or more like uttered the lyrics, “Princesa” with one of the local bands while Ninin tried to begin her matchmaking career by trying to set up Ian (UpDharma’s drummer) with me and with Ate Tatit. One boy with 2 girls because “Good Friends are willing to share Boytoys/Boylets.”

"do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger?!"

FREE BEER – Eto na Ate Anj! - After the concert we all decided to hit MTS (Matina Town Square) for some coffee or beer to wash all the hard liquor we drank. Tostar, the yearly fundraising event of TAU MU Fraternity and Sorority, was being held in the parking lot of MTS – 150Php drink all you can beer. But my good college friend, Pie, is the current President so there was no need to discuss any entrance fee, we didn’t even need to enter the event.


KANG – “Psst Pie! Gusto ko ng beer, nakarami kami ng Tequila eh.” (common friend and law student Darrel was passing by holding a pitcher of beer)
PIE – “Oh ba, dami dyan oh. Bakit ngayon ka lang? Lasing na baya ako.”
KANG – “Ako di pa man. Punta muna ako sa aking friends sa Blugre ha.”
(Darrel passes by near Blugre still holding a pitcher of Beer)
KANG – “Darrel, gusto ko niyan ba.”
DARREL (very much drunk) – “O sure..” (leaves the pitcher and a glass with us)
KANG – “Kunan mo pa akong mga 4 na glass ha. Thank you!”
(Darrel comes back with 4 plastic cups and a fresh pitcher of beer)

*salamat sa blog ni Shiva at Ina para sa mga litrato