Buruwisan/Lanzones Falls (Siniloan, Laguna)

At first I thought this wouldn't be a successful attempt. My colds had just started and I knew ahead of time that this would worsen in the coming hours. Our planning was very rough... we just had transportation, backpacks with clothes, maps (again I have a really bad sense of direction so excuse me) and some money for food/gas. The only thing I bought before the trip was a pair of hiking sandals from Toby's.

March 21 - 4:00am. Getting there took us about 3 hours of relaxed driving. Instead of the usual south expressway, we took the more scenic route via Antipolo. We went through a couple of towns following the main highway from Antipolo that goes through Morong and Tanay (as you go through this area, you'll notice the roadside turns greener and greener), then splits somewhere after Pilila. The next leg was through mountains, taking us over half an hour of zigzag roads (at the right is an image of what half of the zigzag path looks like). We finally reached Famy area (actually we still had to turn left at that junction to the road that leads to Infanta, Quezon) at around 7:30am, fresh and ready for breakfast. The jump-off point to the falls is easy to find because there's a huge billboard with the mayor's picture. There's also a small restaurant at the left side of the road before the entrance where we took our breakfast of tapsilog and kaldereta. There were people waiting in the area, I think most of them were tricycle drivers and residents who work as part-time guides to the falls. We asked one of them to guide us and help us get a safe parking spot near this restaurant.

After breakfast, we were ready to go. I was so excited that I forgot about my colds! I just checked my stuff... extra clothes, camera, water, and pringles. Oh boy, I was ready. We walked 5 minutes down from the billboard to the registration area (yes, they keep a record here but I am not sure if they can tell who's actually in the mountains -- there is no Time Out column).

At last, it was heavy vegetation and a rugged footpath in front of us. There's nothing really beautiful about it, but it felt great to be there because it was officially the start of our 2-hour hike to Buruwisan Falls. It's a 3km path rising up about 300 meters then down about 30 meters at the last leg. There are 3 stops before reaching the only store, and after that, it's a short trek to the falls.

The climb was ok at first since the path wasn't steep and the rocks were dry. There were minor obstacles (but on each of them I started thinking how difficult it might be when we come back) and we started walking on paths beside very steep areas. Tip: Ask the guide to make a 'walking stick' for you so that you can use it as a third leg in difficult situations.

15 minutes into the footpath and Peter (my fellow beginner mountaineer) asked to stop for a bit and rest. His heart was rusty already I thought, because he hasn't exercised regularly for over a year already (maybe longer). His stamina was ok, but I think his heart was trying to catch up with the sudden increase in blood pumping requirements of this hike. We went on this way about 4 more times, stopping once in a while, until we reached the first stop. There was nothing in the area except for a few small huts where we could sit and take a rest. There's a good view from here to show you how much you climbed and a couple of happy green mountains on the other side.

We continued to the second stop at moderate pace because it was a bit muddier. There's more horse dung in this area, and they are super black in here (vs. in the first leg it was brownish after it rolled down the soily slopes). Stay away from these and be very careful, else if you step on or fall on these, you'll have to carry them all the way back. It might not be a good idea to wash them off in the falls where everyone enjoys the water. We stopped at certain points to take nice pictures of the scenery and our big faces beside it.

At the third stop it was the same stuff, but this (almost) last leg was easier because it was downhill. It rained on some sections so I thought it was going to be a dangerous, but my very reliable sandals kept my foot planted well on the mud. We didn't get any knee-high mud as others wrote earlier, maybe because in January it was still rainy. We reached the small store/stop there but it was apparently closed, but the owner was actually just doing something nearby (carrying sheets of metal to fix his roof, I think) and still selling his stuff with the store closed. In this area we could already hear the water from the falls. It sounded rather gentle so we sensed that the water would be just right.

The final final leg was very rocky. Some rocks were also slippery (I almost got sprained twice). We had to cross through ankle-deep water several times, making it harder to move through the rocks. Slowly but surely, we reached our main destination. It was beautiful, water falling from about 100 feet up, into a basin shaded by trees from the walls.

I stepped close to the water from the rocks to touch the water. The temperature was just right. When I got changed and got into the water, it was way different. The water was so cold! Probably the coldest water I have tried yet. To give a brief idea of how cold it really was... put as many ice cubes as you can in a glass of water, fill it up with tap water, wait until all the ice has melted and give 10 minutes... by this time, the cold doesnt sting or numb the skin anymore... that's what the water there is like. The college kids who sat near our area even placed a bottle of coke on the water to cool their drink.

At first I hesitated about swimming close to the falls because the water's force might push me down and drown me. The basin was also deep at the center so I wouldnt want to get stuck there. A few minutes later, the college people went there and it didn't seem difficult, so I also tried it. From the rocks, the water appeared to be a light shower, but when you swim where the water falls, it's really heavy and continuous. There was slight difficulty in breathing because water is everywhere and some of it will tried to jump up my nose (hehe). Peter brought the camera to the area behind the falls so we snapped a few nice pictures under it. I'm glad our wet hands and all the mist flying around didn't damage the camera.

After an hour of swimming and rest, we were brought to a second destination. This time it's about 15 minutes of walking on large rocks again. This area is less accessible, and it's more slippery than the first... but the reward is, as usual, a wow! Lanzones Falls! There was more water rushing through the rocks and the basin was just a small (about 20 square meters) and shallow pool. We could feel the strength of the falls because of the winds that it generated. It was about the strength of industrial fans from 5 meters away. We jumped into the water and it was even colder than the first one. After about half an hour of dips and pictures, we took out a can of Pringles for lunch (oh my... hehe ... we had a heavy breakfast so it was just fine).

Half an hour later, we were on our way back. It was more difficult because our sandals were already wet and we were tired. It took us almost 3 hours to go back down. I could feel the pain in my knees and feet, I was running out of energy (I just slept for an hour the day before) and my colds were trying to get back. I would ask to stop from time to time and I wasn't laughing anymore. We bought some coconuts on our descent from a farmer there thinking that it would refresh us and ease up the pain in the joints. It didn't help. Even worse, it rained hard and I thought it was game over for me on the last stretch. Anyway, we just waited for the rain to stop and kept on until we reached the registration point. It was a long way back, I wish we had camped up there and stayed overnight to gather up more energy. We had an early dinner at the same restaurant and drove off with full stomachs. I was knocked out most of the time, sleeping all the way to Manila. Went straight to bed when I reached home. I was super exhausted. ZZZZzzzzz.....

It was fun! I don't need to convince anyone! It's worth a try... but please keep this place clean (don't leave any trash there) :) The next place I want to go is farther to the east... Real or Infanta in Quezon. I heard they have a couple of nice beaches there :)

Tambo Kulit (Indang, Cavite)

I'm terrible when it comes to directions, but today, I was brave enough to try out a slightly complicated route using online instructions and maps. For a starter, I chose a 60km trip, just enough for a 1-day adventure. Destination: Tambo Kulit (hehe). I was also joined by another brave soul in this adventure.

There's a good number of natural spring resorts lined up in this area... and I like them better than beaches because in these freshwater areas: 1) you can swim with your eyes open, 2) the water is very clean (no chlorine, no salt), 3) no jellyfish and nasty sea monsters, 4) no sunburn (plenty of shade from surrounding trees/rocks), 5) no tsunami, etc....

To get there, we had to exit South Expressway at Carmona (Exit 33, this was the easiest), then head southwest (not sure if it's exit 33A or 33B but after the tollgate, it's the road going right) to GMA and take a secondary road that goes to Silang and crosses Aguinaldo Highway. As expected, we missed this road from GMA, drove straight all the way and met Aguinaldo somewhere in Dasmarinas (hehehehe) adding about 7 kilometers to our trip. From this junction we drove south all the way to Silang. The next major junction (right) was close to the small entryway to Barangay Luksuhin and we overshot again by 100m. So much error!

We made a U-turn back to that spot and drove about 10km deep into the area through small towns. There were plenty of narrow roads this time and some of them were quite scary. We went through uninhabited areas, there were 1km stretches of no people, no signs, and no settlements, nothing to guide us at all. We also went through cliff edges, some parts were like Baguio without the fog. There were also bridges made of thin and rusty steel frames (2 tons limit according to the warning but one tricye driver told us it can support trucks) and they only placed 4 long planks of wood on top (nothing holds them in place!) so that the wheels can just roll over them.

We arrived at the church in Indang (St. Gregory the Great) and from there we asked directions to Tambo Kulit from a tricycle driver. After the church, turn right, then left all the way to the end, then turn right, then left to Alfonso, then left, left, right, left and so on (we used the force in this area), that's another 8 or so junctions. By now you should have noticed that this is not a travel guide, but simply an account of my travel.

We asked the locals for the most popular resort and they pointed to Rio Villa Nuevo. We went in and paid 100 bucks entrance. Inside, they have about 7 pools with different depths (I think their deepest was 5.5ft) all filled with constantly overflowing mountain fresh water. There were covered huts, an annoying karaoke machine, a sari-sari store, caged monkeys (?), etc... anyway I was really just there for a swim. The tiles on the pool floors was also a good idea. I am not very comfortable with stepping on natural water trails which woulde be mostly stones, soil and all sorts of natural sharp objects... and in this place I didn't need to wear sandals to protect my feet.

After an hour or so of swimming, we had to leave because it was already getting dark. We tried to go back through the same route and had only little trouble on our way to the church in Indang. We reached another intersection where we couldn't tell which was the right way back. I think we were still on the right track (we saw the scary bridges again about half a kilometer away) but someone on the road told us that the way to Manila was on another road (going through Trece Martires). We took his advice and this route was less scary, but it was longer and there were plenty of areas with heavy traffic. I asked earlier for a brochure from Rio which had a road map so we had more or less an idea of where we were. No more interesting stuff in this dark long stretch... Reached Manila after over 2 hours on the road through the Saturday evening traffic.

I think it's time to go a notch up. My next target: Mt. Romelo (Siniloan, Laguna). Online articles say that after the long drive, and a 3km muddy trek (some knee high areas) rising 250 meters to the campsite, there's a rewarding handful of beautiful waterfalls waiting. Hmm...

Wawa Dam, Montalban, Rizal (Preview)

Looks like a great place huh? I'll get my butt here in the coming days... There's also a spot at the top of the dam where you could jump from about 5 meters up.

Note: Thanks to Mike Lee for allowing me to use this image from his old Xanga Site. His new site is here. He also has lots of interesting things to share about his travels in his blogs.

I Have Two Eggs in Tomas Morato Ext.

I had lunch with Nikki today at a place named "I Have Two Eggs". Very funny name for a tapsilog restaurant, but the food really carries it -- every dish is cooked with two eggs! We tried Tuna Tomato Omelette, Popeye's Delight (spinach) Omelette, and their T-Bone steak. Dishes were mostly mix and fry, presentation is better than fastfood and close enough to what I would consider casual dining. I'm not sure how far these eggs will go but maybe after coming back several times, people will start to think that the dishes are all too simple and can be done at home with significantly lower costs. I didn't pay that much attention to the food (it's not bad at all, actually I finished everything), the ambiance was also unimposing (glass, white walls, and huge framed photos of their dishes), but somehow I was able to focus my attention on Nikki, after all I was there to sit, talk and spend lunchtime with her (Yey!). Overall it was great :)

I wonder if critics ever talk about non-restaurant items like people they ate with, because in this case the place and food crept into the background, and my curiosity floated over to what was more important. I could have done this intentionally but here it was almost automatic -- it sounds weird but I think it's a special characteristic.

Moving on to other stuff -- How do you balance your restaurant experience based on food/resto quality and friend quality? Here it is finally... Chard's nasty guide hehehe. We assume food/resto price to be fairly proportional to quality in this model. The big black dotted line is an assumed personal expectation. Use at your own risk and dont take it seriously! Red dot is where I and Nikki stood today (almost got late because of talking hehe)

Aussie Talk

A short course on Aussie slang... my curiosity started when I read some article on CNN on the subject. I tried to catch some funny words from their 'dictionary' ...

amber fluid: beer
away with the pixies: in another world, daydreaming
barbie: barbecue
bastard: a term of endearment
bluey: red-haired person
full on: intense
garbo: person who collects the garbage
mozzies: mosquitoes
ning-nong: idiot
no flies on: smart or intelligent
ooroo: goodbye
sheila: woman
willy-willies: little sand tornadoes
zonked: tired

At first I thought I had no flies on... but after reading through the bastard dictionary my brain cells went like willy-willies, it zonked me out full on... now I feel like a ning-nong.

Ooroo!!!

How to make WinXP look like Vista

Here's a short list of tasks to make your Windows XP look like Windows Vista. This information is for educational purposes only, I won't be responsible for any copyright or intellectual property issues you get into, so do this at your own risk.

1) Patch your uxtheme.dll file (this is the one that prevents Windows from using customized non MS-certified visual styles). You can use google to search for a downloadable copy of the software that modifies it -- UXTheme Multi-Patcher. Get installation instructions online (try Softpedia).

2) Download a Windows Vista wallpaper and set it as your desktop wallpaper. You can find some of them in Google Images.

3) Download the Aero Cursor Pack and apply it as your mouse pointer scheme.

4) Download and install VistaXP (Longhorn 4074) Visual Style from StudioTwentyEight

5) Download and install Windows Vista Icon Pack (try Softpedia). You'll have to assign the icons one by one if you don't have Axialis, but as an alternative, you can also try IconTweaker.

6) If you want the Aero glass effects (transparent window borders), you'll have to spend a bit to get Stardock Windowblinds

Woorijib in Kalayaan Ave. (QC)

I had lunch with Alex and Anna in this Korean resto. The place was much like the ones I visited in Korea where the house and restaurant seem interchangeable in and between meals. My initial guess was that they wanted to be economical about the home heating systems, but here in Manila maybe it's just to maximize the use of this space (so maybe it was just an impression that they also use it as thier home because I saw kids and restaurant manager walking around like they were really at home). The restaurant was part of a low-rise building which I think was occupied mostly by Koreans because they would come down the stairs and into the restaurant every once in a while. On TV was KBS 2 (one of their major local networks), adding to the at-home feeling.

We ordered quite a lot for 3 people:

Samgyeopsal - unseasoned pork bacon cut from the belly (liempo) cooked over a metal plate heated by charcoal/gas. It is usually served with garlic (or potatoes/onions), and the pork cooks in its own oil. Vegetables are also served (serves like a wrap as in a burrito).

Haemul Pajeon (not sure if i got this right) -- seafood pancake made mostly of eggs/flour, green onions, and lots of moist stuff inside that I don't know.

Sogogi Jeongol (not sure if i got this too) -- beef and vegetable stew

Side dishes -- kimchi, eggplant, bean sprouts

Gochujang -- better than ketchup or soy sauce... it looks like super thick spaghetti sauce and tastes a bit spicy (salty and sweet too)

The taste is authentic, even the food presentation is. I will come back to this restaurant on my next payroll run :) Kamsa hamnida! (Thank you)

300 Spartans Illustrated by Frank Miller

Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite.

This is the most badass kickass movie of the year. The story is very simple, but the presentation is superb -- 300 He-Man action figures, high octane music, power moves, big armies with big bosses, spartan ladies, and a little comedy... combined together they deliver record levels of testosterone for a 2-hour movie. The movie is just so good that I have heard a good number of my friends watching it twice (includes myself).

King Leonidas also delivers some power quotes:
1) (to the Persian messenger) Madness... ? This... is Sparta!!!
2) (to Spartan soldiers) Ready your breakfast and eat hearty, for tonight we dine in hell!
3) (to Arcadian King) You see, old friend? I brought more soldiers than you did.
4) (to Spartan soldiers) No retreat, no surrender, that is Spartan law. And by Spartan law we will stand and fight and die
5) (to Spartan soldiers) Prepare for glory!
6) (to Queen Gorgo) It will take more than a drunken adolescent girl's words to rob me of my desire for you.

And a power scene... (Spartans meet Arcadian soldiers)

The 300 Spartans come across an army of Arcadians on their way to the hot gates.

“Noisy Arcadians greet us with noisy complaints,” thought King Leonidas.

Arcadian troops muttered things like “can’t be more than a few hundred of them” and “we were told Sparta was on the warpath. Is this some sort of a joke?”.

The Arcadian King said to King Leonidas, “We expected Sparta’s commitment to at least match our own!”.

“Doesn’t It?”, King Leonidas responded and points to an Arcadian, asking, “You there, What is your profession?”, to which the Arcadian responds “I am a potter, sir.”. Pointing to another he asks the same question again, and gets the response “I am a sculptor, sir”. And as he points to more, he gets responses of “A Blacksmith” and “A Baker” and so on.

Finally he turns to his troops and says “Spartans, what is your profession?”

All the troops hold up their spears proudly in the air and yell something that sounds like "AOOO!! AOOO!"

He turns back to the Arcadian general and says “You see, old friend? I brought more soldiers than you did.”

Comic to movie comparison
And finally... see how well they did in bringing the comic to the screen... impressive!

Messenger Arrives in Sparta

To the cliffs!

Xerxes

Chinese New Year at Jumbo (Kingdom) Floating Restaurant

I had the chance to try Stanley Ho's floating restaurant in Manila Bay. Nothing really exceptional with the food but the price (between 500 to 4000 per head). Even the 'floating' part didn't change much of the experience because it was connected to land by bridge... in Aberdeen Harbor, Hong Kong you had to ride a boat to go to this restaurant so you really get to feel the waves even just for a short time. This one felt more like a building with water around it than a building floating freely on water.

This floating restaurant was brought here in 2000, all the way from HK using tugboats. The interiors carry a Chinese imperial theme while outside it's a light show with thousands of bulbs and huge neon signs. There's a good level of attention placed on details, making it a nice place to take photos...

Escorting UP Portia Sorority's Lady President

It has been a long time since I accompanied someone in a formal event like the annual UP Portia Sorority Ball. I went there with their outgoing Lady President Anna (who's also my college barkada/classmate) and the ball was held in C3 Events and Resto (Missouri Street, Greenhills). The place was nice, plenty of white walls, glass and wood accents, a minimalist setup to help direct attention to the hosts, people and (of course) food of the event.

I was supposed to look funny because that morning I saw my coat sewn with new screaming gold buttons (I am not a hotel attendant!). I had them changed to plain black. I also came to Anna's house about an hour early, thinking that I will spend time in traffic and getting lost... hehehe she wasn't even home yet by the time I arrived.

At C3 I was focused on the food but couldn't remember what I ate (it was all good except for the soup which tasted like seaweed). After that, we listened to talks from one of their former Lady Presidents (LP), and then Anna's endless thank-you's as outgoing LP, and some words from the incoming LP. There were also oathtakings and recitation of their sorority code. I wanted to get a second serving of dinner through these but it seems nobody else was doing it. FINE!

There was a portion where the whole sorority sang Anna's favorite song Seasons of Love as a parting gift. A video was shown on screen with some funny and embarrassing pictures and short video clips of her. It was a great video, but the whole performance had to repeat twice because the computer kept hanging at a particular point (Anna was sleeping in the picture and they cracked a joke that the fetal position was her favorite sleeping position)... so they just sang a capella and then replayed the video separately at the end so that they get to see the rest of the funny stuff. Future Portia LP's should be very cautious about cameras, take my advice!

Oh and by the way, their Bb. Pilipinas Universe member was also there (Licaros). Brains, beauty and a towering reputation -- she was all in one, Portian to the next level. I had a photo with her (still looking for the camera owner).

We spent the last hour of the day to meet our college friends at a nearby UCC coffee shop. We looked normal by that time already.

DETOX BREAK!

My long vacation leave starts officially on March 7th and ends on the 30th.

The best part of it: I got no solid plans!!! This long break is for me to get physical and mental rest.

I was diagnosed with "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" a few months back and I am not sure if this is just the doctor exaggerating my condition, but I'm positive that this will be the best period to flush out all the bad stuff that accumulated from prolonged periods of stress in the past year. Every doctor told me the same thing and I got the message -- get rest!

This will also be a good chance for me to explore new hobbies. I'm sure there are better things to do than spend my weekends and weeknights on food and movies. I am looking right now into topics under photography, music, travel, sports -- I hope to become famous someday :)

Vacation means I'll also have more time to do my blogging. I get glued to the monitor and get some eyestrain when I write, but it's really fun being able to document my experiences and share them here in my personal blog. When I finish my 500th entry I will be printing this Blog into a Blook (a real book containing my blogs!).

Back to rest :)

Secret Waters in San Pablo, Laguna

I spent the last weekend of February '07 in a private resort near San Pablo (Barangay Pulot) to celebrate Auntie Tessie's birthday with the whole family. It was a 2 hour ride (I am not a fast driver by the way) and we reached the place slightly past noontime so we got really hungry from the road trip. By the time we got there, a great selection was already waiting for us -- Crispy Pata, Sinigang na Baboy, Max's Chicken, etc.

After that great meal I slept for about an hour, and then instead of going into the resort pool, we went out and drove for about a kilometer deep into the place to try out their not-so-hidden springs. The water can already be seen by the roadside, and we could see a crowd of about 50 people there. We walked upstream through the crowded areas until we found a more private spot (maybe it was too much trouble just to get there for a simple bath). The cold crystal-clear water was absolutely refreshing!


On the way back, we tried a second spot. It was private property, but thanks to the kind caretakers, our trespassing was not logged. There was a manmade structure on the stream which works like a mini-waterfall with an on/off switch. They just plug the drainpipes and we get our waterfalls... amazing! If you want to have an idea of the water flow feels like there, imagine the weight of 2.5 gallons (about half the standard tank size for water dispensers) of water per second falling directly on your head.

When we got back to the resort, we tried the pool for a bit, and then started to prepare for our long drive home. We took off around 6pm, stopped over at Rose, Sister of Grace for dinner (imitation of the one in Sta. Rosa?), and reached home around 10pm. Zzz....

Strange Pen Incident

Last Christmas I received a gift -- a silver pen that had a laser pointer and flashlight.
I brought this during my trip to Korea. On my way back (transit from Hong Kong to Manila) I can clearly remember it, I had with me only one handcarry baggage and placed my jacket inside it before the flight. I placed this bag in the overhead storage.

During the flight, I was holding only 3 things: my mobile phone, passport and this pen. I was sure the pen was there because I used it to fill up my disembarkation card. After writing, I clipped the pen on the seat pocket in front of me. I fell asleep for a bit after that, and during the plane's descent I found out that the pen wasn't on the seat pocket anymore. It wasn't on my seat, and definitely not clipped on my pants or shirt. I gave up looking for it after almost 10 minutes of awkwardly looking under nearby seats and aisles. When the plane landed I hesitated at first but brought it to the attention of the crew so that they would do a quick sweep of the area to see if anything was found. I looked around again after the plane was emptied, but found nothing. Since the plane had to leave soon, the crew asked me to fill up a form so that if they find it, then can call back and send it to me. When I reached home I checked all my stuff one last time and after that I was sure I didn't accidentally placed it in my bag.

I thought that day was the end of my pen... two days later, I told my mom that I lost it. Suddenly she mentioned that she saw it somewhere and let my brother borrow it for school that day. I saw the pen that same evening, and nobody received any deliveries for this pen. I couldn't explain how it got back -- this was really weird.

A couple of days later I went to Toyota to have my car fixed. While waiting, I went to the showroom to check out the latest variants. I don't know what exactly happened or why, but after checking one of the Vios units, something told me that I might have dropped a pen in the Vios. I went back to that car in the showroom and opened the door... and right below the driver's seat (somewhere under the spot where you have the lever to recline the seat) I found the pen. So much luck for almost losing the pen twice!

... Later, when I reached home, I found out that I already had 2 of these pens! The one I found in Toyota was actually another pen (it actually looked slightly different because a sticker on the side was peeled off).

I wish this can also happen to my wallet (when full) or cellphone.

Northern Luzon Tour

I am thinking of a good 1-week itinerary for the whole stretch from Manila to Pagudpud.

Here's the route based on waypoints.ph data.

Waypoint Location [Province] waypointname waypointdistance cumulativedistance

• Balintawak Cloverleaf [Metro Manila] clover - 0 0
• Mabalacat Exit [Pampanga] clover-nexmab 79.3 79
• Mabalacat [Pampanga] nexmab-mblct 1.5 80
• Bamban Bridge [Pampanga] mblct-bmbnbr 4.3 85
• Capas [Tarlac] bmbnbr-capas 9.4 94
• Luisita [Tarlac] capas-lusita 11.3 105
• Tarlac junction to Camiling [Tarlac] lusita-jtrc01 5.4 111
• Gerona Bypass Road [Tarlac] jtrc01-geronb 14.6 125
• Paniqui junction [Tarlac] geronb-jpniqi 8.2 133
• Moncada [Tarlac] jpniqi-moncd 7.7 141
• Carmen [Pangasinan] moncd-carmen 17.6 159
• Villasis [Pangasinan] carmen-vilsis 2.0 161
• Urdaneta Crossing [Pangasinan] vilsis-jpng01 8.5 169
• Binalonan junction [Pangasinan] jpng01-jpng02 8.1 177
• Pozorubio junction [Pangasinan] jpng02-jpng03 10.1 187
• Sison Junction [Pangasinan] jpng03-jpng04 7.8 195
• Junction to Kenon Road [La Union] jpng04-jkenon 5.8 201
• Rosario bypass to Pugo [La Union] jkenon-jlun02 0.7 202
• Rosario [La Union] jlun02-rsarlu 1.3 203
• Damortis Junction [La Union] rsarlu-dmorts 9.7 213
• Agoo Church [La Union] dmorts-agooc 10.4 223
• Bauang-Naguilian Junction [La Union] agooc-jlun05 23.5 247
• Poro Point Landmark [La Union] jlun05-poropm 7.8 254
• San Fernando [La Union] poropm-snfdol 2.2 257
• Candon Church [Ilocos Sur] snfdol-candnc 78.2 335
• Sta Maria Beach [Ilocos Sur] candnc-stamrb 19.9 355
• Narvacan Coral View [Ilocos Sur] stamrb-nrvcnc 15.9 371
• Vigan Arc [Ilocos Sur] nrvcnc-vigana 24.2 395
• Magsingal Belfry [Ilocos Sur] vigana-mblfry 13.1 408
• Cabugao Church [Ilocos Sur] mblfry-cabugc 13.8 422
• Batac Church [Ilocos Norte] cabugc-batacc 37.5 459
• Paoay Church [Ilocos Norte] batacc-paoayc 4.8 464
• Laoag Church [Ilocos Norte] paoayc-laoagc 19.5 483
• Bangui [Ilocos Norte] laoagc-bangui 65.4 549
• Pagudpud HiWay Junction [Ilocos Norte] bangui-jiln01 6.7 556
• Pagudpud [Ilocos Norte] jiln01-pagdpd 5.4 561

,

Dreaming 20 Years Back

I had a dream the other night which brought me many years back to the past.

... It started with an attempt to jump off some alien vehicle.

The squid-looking aliens were interested in a time machine developed by some scientist whose name or face I could not remember and I was taken along with him. The alien ship flew fast and high. It looked like a huge golden shoebox with an open top so it was really easy to escape, but at such high altitudes, it seemed falling off this shoebox meant certain death. We had to try anyway because there wasn't really anything more to lose. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and jumped off...

Everything was dark until I hit the ground, and as expected (hehe) I was alive. When I opened my eyes I immediately knew where I was. It was around 6pm, quiet and dim. I was outside my home, and it looked the way it was about 20 years ago. The ambiance was ghostly and nostalgic. As I got up and looked around, there felt like a powerful spirit embracing my presence, welcoming me back home. As I was about to touch the door, it opened. My mom opened the door and there was a young girl who walked out from it. She was around 16 and had short 70's looking hair. From the scenario I was guessing that I must have fallen into an alternate past and I was looking at what could have been my older sister. She did not talk to me, but mom called me and asked me to come in (I think she was the one who told me that the person who walked out was my sister).

(the scene went blank for a couple of seconds and then I was somewhere outside the house again, near our parking space)










Suddenly, from darkness, it turned to daytime. I saw two cars, both of which my father owned previously, a '74 Colt Galant and an '87 Lancer. I have never seen these things looking brand new in my lifetime, and I think it was only in this dream that they appeared this way.

I looked back at the house and could very well tell how much it has changed. The house radiates of youth and freshness, while the neighborhood was seemingly bustling... I can see and hear illusions of children playing and adults having a fine afternoon chat on the driveway. At the present times it doesn't happen as often anymore. Kids stay at home, while adults are busy working all day. We also used to go in and out of the neighboring houses freely, but now they are locked to keep away the thieves.

In that dream I also saw a friend who recently lost his mom and two brothers. I think he was also sent there to get another chance with his loved ones. We were once best friends in elementary, and I understood just how much he cared for these people. I even remember one time he was doing this strange countdown and cried when it reached 0:00:00, and I realized later that a close relative had just left the country.

So back at the dream scene... he set aside a couple of minutes before going to meet his family, we played and ran around the cars as kids and laughed -- it seemed like nonsense but the childhood laughter I experienced was so real, it was an easy and focused burst of joy. Unfortunately, as an adult, I think it's not exactly the same experience because you'll need to manage the feelings. People will think you're crazy if you laugh too much over nothing, or you can end up suicidal if you don't hold yourself up against your negative feelings.

I did something nasty in my dream. I told people about their futures. I think I dropped the biggest spoilers of their lives there...

... I woke up to the sound of the alarm.

[Korea] Annyeonghaseyo, Hanguk!

Preflight

Getting my first Korean Visa took a little over a week. I had to get my invitation letter, certificate of employment, guarantee letter, bank statement, social security system data, passport photos and a few more small things just to complete the requirements for application. I didn't get any bookings until I actually got the visa on a Friday afternoon (I wanted to fly on a Sunday morning), but by that time, the travel agency told me that all weekend flights were already full. I waited up a bit and our agent called back and she found one available CX seat which was flying out in about 12 hours (6:30am to be exact). I had no other choice if I am not to miss my Monday meeting so I took it. That means I'll have the chance to move around on Sunday, but I also had to hurry and pack my stuff.

In-Transit

(Saturday morning, MNL to HKG)
I slept all the way until I reached HK, and exchanged my pesos to USD (I think I shouldn't have done this) thinking that the airport in Incheon would not accept pesos or Traveller's Cheques like in Guangzhou. I took a quick visit to the electronics shop there, not much has changed except for the centerpiece which was now the dSLR cameras on display. I saw a price tag beside the Nikon D40 -- about 1700 HK$ and I thought I hit the jackpot... but alas, it was for the lens only!

(Saturday afternoon, HKG to ICN)
I took out the winter jacket from my bag before boarding the plane. I had to be ready because as a first timer in a country with negative temperatures, I didn't know when the cold temperature would start to kick in -- maybe while landing, or walking through the duct to the gate, or maybe inside the airport. I was seated beside a 64 year old American who just worked on Sudoku puzzles during the flight... we talked a bit about snow and our work, and that was it.

In Korea

(Saturday afternoon, Incheon to Seoul)
I got instructions from officemates on how to reach Renaissance hotel and they gave me a cheap alternative. I heard that the hotel car transfer would cost about 200$ (that's about half the cost of flying to China). The KAL Limousine (airport bus) that goes to the same location is way cheaper (about 13$) and the ride was ok. The waiting area is just outside the airport entrance, and it was really cold (3 degrees celsius according to the flight captain).

Rennaissance Seoul Hotel

At the hotel entrance I was greeted by a lady in traditional Korean dress (chima jeogori). The attire is worn as two silk pieces -- a skirt (chima) and shirt (jeogori). Unlike Kimono's which are belted at the waist, they are tied somewhere at the chest with a long wide ribbon. You won't see people wearing this in the streets anymore. These days, they are worn usually only for their ceremonial purpose. If you want to know why, think of a situation like wearing our local Barong for a gimmick in Greenbelt. You'll need a casket or sword to make your get-up more convincing.

(Sunday afternoon)
Gyeongbokgung (Geongbok Palace)

If you've watched Jumong, Jewel In The Palace or Princess Hours, chances are, some of the scenes were shot in Geongbok Palace.

We went to Gyeongbokgung by train. It took about 20 minutes to get there and the ride wasn't bad at all. In this train there were people selling gloves and some beggars moving around. The seats were heated from below and I think it also helped keep the train car warm for all passengers.


From the station, the first thing you'll notice in the pathway is this structure. The sign says "This gate was made of monolith in imitation of Pullomun in Ch'angdŏkkung. It has a legend that once one passes through the gate, he would not be old forever." That means, on my next birthday, my age will stay the same.

Just a couple more minutes of walking and we finally reach the palace walls. From here you can see that the structure is really huge, even the camera angle isn't enough to capture the whole thing. I don't know why they used pink for the walls (does the emperor also have a pink wardrobe?) On another corner of this structure there is a small tent where you can try wearing the palace guard uniforms and take a couple of pictures. We went there during their lunchtime and closing time so we didn't get that chance.

The artwork on the palace is impressive, each pattern is made with very small details and lined up in a very precise manner. The image here shows a view under the roof.

In another area, we saw some objects of folk beliefs... stone and wood piles. People prayed to these for prosperity and abundance of crops. These were erected on roadsides or the village entrance to protect villagers and ward off evil spirits and disease. I think they are cool and very friendly to people.

Hyangwonjeong Pavillion -- some structure connected to a palace by a wooden bridge. The view from the other side is great, and if you notice, the water is very calm, making it appear like one huge mirror. The water here is slightly frozen at the surface, and some birds can actually walk on the very thin sheet of ice.


I found this kid in the palace grounds, runing around stone figures of the Chinese Zodiac. This little thing makes strange noises, and can communicate with just about anything from stones to air. He is not of any historical value yet, but with enough exposure and influence from me, maybe he will be immortalized someday in the form of a stone figure too. Sometime after I took this photo, the mom approached me and babbled some Korean words. I smiled but didn't understand what she said, so I stepped away from the kid and murmured a bit of Filipino to get even.

(Tuesday Morning) Snow!!!

I was asleep during the only snowfall of my short stay in Seoul. By the time I woke up it was all ice on the floor.

My Arabian Family

Meet my Arabian family.

Playstation 3

I had the chance to get close to a PS3 unit (somewhere in Megamall's Cyberzone). The console looks ok, but the black glossy finish makes dust and oil very visible on the surface so you have to keep it really clean. It has wireless control pads which can be recharged via cables to the console and the buttons are pretty much the same except for L2/R2 which are slightly slanted now. The graphics are really crisp, but I think some game makers have not done a good job of utilizing the powerful PS3's processor. The 3D objects are more defined because of the higher resolution, but the textures in the racing game I played are still awfully unrealistic that you can achieve the same level of entertainment when played in the good old PS2. I'll have to wait until either this, Nintendo's Wii, or Xbox 360 reaches mainstream.

I want a dSLR Camera...

I was tempted to buy a Canon EOS 400D last Saturday when I saw the billboard at Megamall. I'm glad I didn't bring enough money or a credit card to buy it.

I might not be an aspiring photographer, but the first time I visited Flickr I couldn't stop looking at all those nice photos and wondering how exactly they were done. I want to keep a record of the nice things I see or experience, and I want these images to be very well composed so I can look back or show these while I tell stories behind them. My dad has a point-and-shoot camera so I tried to experiment with the manual settings but it was not flexible enough to give me the images I wanted.

49,000 pesos for this camera? This has got to be a serious hobby... for now I'll have to stick with my 0.3 megapixel Nokia 6600.

Suzhou Dimsum, Lucky Food!

Mom was out during lunchtime so I had to find my own food. I did a short drive to Suzhou Dimsum Restaurant to get my usual order. I ordered their Eggplant with Pork, which is by the way the only eggplant dish that I crave for because of the meaty spicy flavor from the sauce that seeps into the vegetable. I also had my usual 4-piece juicy Xiaolongpao (think of pork dumplings with soup inside), and until today I find its taste unbeaten by any "meat-wrapped-in-starch" food.

For those who want to try it out, they have a nice selection of stir-fry noodles, and some more traditional Chinese meat/fish dishes above the value meal price range. They also have this thing called Shallot Pie which other people have been saying is ok - the taste is interesting, but it felt like eating one whole pizza crust. You can find Suzhou Dimsum in Promenade Greenhills, just at the ground floor beside Gonuts Donuts.

Anyway, after my meal, mom called. She reminded me that the car I used to get to the restaurant was on coding! I was lucky though that I reached home without getting caught.

How to Wake Up Early

I'm a busy person who loses morning time because I don't wake up early. There are a lot of things I'm missing by not starting my day at 5 or 6am -- no traffic, sunrise, lower temperatures, day planning, breakfast, newspapers, and even blogging. I want to become a morning person so I looked up some ideas to change my life's time zone. It takes habit to build a natural rhythm so I need to pick the right pattern for sleep:

1) Sleep early, wake up early -- I can choose to sleep by 10pm everyday to give me 8 hours of sleep and get up at 6am. This does the job but I'm not an NS-5, and a lot of little events can break this pattern.

2) Follow natural sleep pattern -- If I choose to sleep only when I'm tired and feeling sleepy, I'll probably continue to sleep late and wake up late. I have plenty of reserve energy towards the end of the day because I eat heavy meals, so I don't think this works too.

3) Natural pattern + alarm clock in the morning -- ok, but I'm not sure if I'll wake up at the sound of the alarm. I tend to snooze a couple of times until I get annoyed. Sometimes my tolerance goes too far and I spend over an hour snoozing. It also means that I'll have to start sleep at reasonable times, but getting up on time isn't assured.

4) Natural pattern + alarm clock away from bed -- ok, I'll be forced to get up, but what if someone else turns it off?!?!

5) Natural pattern + alarm clock away from bed + message -- Let's say I put a message near the clock to wake me up in case my brother turns off the alarm. If the other person is sleepy, he might ignore the message and get back to sleep. On the other hand I can just tell the folks at home to wake me up when they hear it, the rest is a matter of trust.

6) 6am splash of water alarm -- definitely not good and can cause bacteria growth on the bed. Can also ruin my PC because it's just beside the bed.

7) Imagine/visualize waking up at 6 before sleep -- I heard this technique works for some people. They tell themselves to wake up at a certain time before they sleep and it just happens.

8) Find a 5am TV show or watch DVDs at this time + alarm -- if you set up a reward for getting up early like this, maybe it will work. I still have a couple of series stored at home so maybe this is enough motivation. This way it would cost me up to 60 pesos a day to wake up.

9) Schedule exercise in the morning -- I don't do this. I'm not Manny Pacquiao, and I'm not an old man looking for tai-chi.

After going through the list, what I'm looking for is: a way to sleep anytime I want, get up at the same early time everyday, and have a good reason to get up. It's going to be a combination of #5 and #8 with a little tweak. I'll set up the alarm at 5am, put the clock at least a meter away from my bed, I'll 'align' with the folks at home to wake me up (mom/dad wake up at this time anyway), and I'll plan ahead at night to do something nice at 5am.

I'll write more about it when I become a successful morning person.

Fresh Blog Design

Welcome 2007! After hours of hard work and studying a little of CSS, I finally got to build my own template under the new Blogger scheme. I'm still looking for tweaks to make this page more useful for me (access to Blogger was extremely slow the past few days because of the Taiwan earthquake). After some time I'm expecting my calendar and to-do lists to flow here. I already spent too much time on this, and just wanted to note when I last changed my Blog template.

Karting Fun at SpeedZone

I went out with my HS friends to have some karting fun at SpeedZone. It was only my second time to try it out and I didn't know the basics of racing so on the track my driving looked funny. It was much faster than the first one I tried in Subic and I was nervous for the first few laps while trying to check the kart's limits, but later on I was able to pick up and improve in the succeeding laps. The steering was heavy (my arms are hurting as I type this blog), it took plenty of effort, but when the kart turned it was very rewarding, especially on very sharp turns! Laps went smoothly, I got a chance to overtake some of them, with just a few bumps with other players. Price: 600 pesos for 12 minutes. It was fun, but I don't think I can take this like a weekly hobby.

The Dark Side

When I was still in elementary someone told me that during an airplane flight he saw a part of the earth where day and night were both visible. I didn't have the chance to validate this until I got work that required me to board long-haul destinations like LA. On my return flight to Manila, I tried to stay awake the whole time waiting to see this natural wonder. I got impatient so I asked the lady seated beside me if it was true... and, well... hehehe I wasted my neurons.

Best Relaxation Spot on Earth

About 4 hours by plane from Singapore is one of the best kept secrets of the Indian Ocean -- the Maldives. This is the flattest country in the world with a peak of only about 8 feet above sea level, making its waterfront a blanket of rich shades of blue, turquoise, and green, and with clear waters it provides excellent visibility (as far as 50 meters underwater).

If you are reading this and you are very rich, please buy me tickets to this destination (MNL-SIN-MLE) and include prepayment to the resort. I want to spend my vacation here...

Blog Tracking (RSS, How to...)

Here's a nice tool that helps you keep track of all Blogs you watch regularly. It downloads all blog subscription updates and puts them in one neat screen. If you've seen RSS or the icon shown in this post on other websites, you can use these links to subscribe and receive updates without having to browse your favorites one by one.

I'm recommending a tool named SharpReader. You can download it for free at http://www.sharpreader.net/index.html

when you have successfully installed this, you may add my blog to your subscriptions by using any of these two feed addresses:

For RSS feed (preferred) -- http://feeds.feedburner.com/Chard

For Atom feed (alternate option) -- http://super-shenanigan.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Phoneless

I left my phone in Peter's car last Friday. I'm disconnected from the rest of the world for almost 2 days now, and I already forgot almost all of my friends' landline numbers (thanks to phone memory, I have no backup in my head).

For those who plan to buy O2 XDA's -- I'm not sure if they already removed this free inbox auto-clean-up feature (hehe) in the newer models, but the one I'm using loses all the messages stored when the backup batteries run out of power.

Today also marks the first day I worked online wirelessly at home.... sheesh... now I need a longer power cable.

Stanford Surprise

Mitch arrived yesterday from US. I didn't know he was coming, but it was fortunate that he tried to call on a day when I took a leave. He spoke English when he called so my tone at first was very unwelcoming (I thought it was an urgent call from office that it had to be through our landline number at home). It was a major catch-up session so we talked over coffee (to also hold the jet lag impact a bit until late evening).

Much has changed.

RSS Feed Test

This is an RSS Feed Test. To see if Friendster profile gets updated with Blog data...

Bruce

This is Bruce (Vinzons of Pearl in his certificate)... he was around 2 months old when I bought him for my mom. His job is 1) to entertain my mother, and 2) to help mom stay physically active even while at home.

Bruce is a brave assassin, but his efforts only go as far as Scrappy Doo, barking at the largest trucks, and always ready to pack a power punch. We may be the same man in many ways, but sad thing is, we don't look good when together. Six-foot guy walking this footlong ain't that manly so I rarely take him out.

Soon he will meet with Tina's chocolate toy poodle (Ginger?) and Alvin's white (April). In the meantime, it's etiquette bootcamp for our little Rambo.

Masterpiece

In one of my YM chats, I tried to create an artwork using the Doodle IMVironment. It had 16 crayons, 3 levels of thickness per color, and no soft edges. I just used a PC mouse to draw this thing and with some perseverance, I covered the whole canvas with my so-called work of art.

Today I look back at a fruit of my genius...

...the elements I put together didn't make sense at all. Boy, tree, rock, dark sky, bright sand (How do you survive there?). What the hell was I thinking?

Star TV's funniest

If you enjoy watching Hong Kong action comedies on Star Chinese Movies channel, these faces should be familiar to you. (Richard Ng Yiu-Hon, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Charlie Chin Chiang-Lin, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo and Stanley Fung Shui-Fan). I want to thank them for entertaining me on those weekends when I'm stuck at home, and for helping me learn a bit more of Mandarin.

Their movies were dubbed from Cantonese (?) to Mandarin, and then subtitled in English. Chinese subtitles are acceptable for differences in diction and accents, but this one is blown way out of order --> Subtitled Arab

Welcome!

I did some blogging about 2 years ago, but left it hanging back there in Blurty, and now I decided to move to a new home -- Blogger.com! It's neatly tied with Picasa software from Google, so I can upload and post new items as soon as I pick the right picture.

I've had lots of great experiences which I wish I had shared in writing, but I was too busy back then. Now I'm trying to reclaim the time I lost to start documenting again about whats new and ongoing with Chard's busy life. For the items past, maybe I'll touch them as I recall related events.