Wandering Wednesday: Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Flashback to 3 years and 2 months ago when my college friends and I experienced Puerto Princesa - that tiny piece of island paradise we exploited for three days and 2 nights.

Since we took full advantage of the tour packages, not a single minute was wasted. We were up for anything and wanted to try everything! We were exploring by the day and partying at night (we were still light drinkers then haha). I remember wanting to sleep the whole week after this trip. I needed another vacation to recover from this vacation! Hehe.

Day1:

City Tour (Cathedral, Plaza Cuartel, Boulevard, Mitra's Ranch, Crocodile Farm, Baker's Hill)

#DU30SONA

Manila Bulletin was kind enough to compile some of our President's lines during yesterday's SONA. This is for all the 'busy' people who didn't get to catch the speech live and doesn't have time to watch it online yet. Basically, people like me hehe. 

By the way, these lines aren't in order and I have no idea which one came first. Not that it matters anyway...

My favorite. Because hugot. Haha

This one I love too. Because bashers. lol

Valentines Weekend in Dapitan City

Happy Love Month everyone! This year, I had an out of town trip with my family and my brother's co-workers. Actually, this was their company thingamajig. We just decided to join in on their pre-election trip. The more the merrier, right? 

We availed of the tour package so we wouldn't have to worry about what to do in the trip. The package included almost everything (boat fare, tour bus, city tours, river cruise, overnight stay in Dakak, some free water activities and meals) so a lot has been pretty much taken cared of.

Early morning boat trip...

River cruise along Dapitan river...

Thoughts on the Presidential Debate

A few hours ago, we watched the first presidential debate on TV with the family and some online friends. Since I got in pretty late because I came from mass, I had to watch the first part online to witness the whole political battle.

Here are my thoughts on each candidate:

1. Mar Roxas - aka the Always Almost First Choice

This guy who has the genes of a former president (Manuel Roxas) and a wealthy clan (the Aranetas) was supposedly the front runner for the 2010 presidential elections if not for the dramatic series of events that blanketed the whole country courtesy of former President Cory Aquino's death. He has been playing second fiddle to our president after that and poor Mar's ego has never recovered ever since.

Anyway, I have come to realise that debates aren't his strong suit. He had his statistics going the entire time as proof of his so called expertise but I wasn't really convinced that those numbers are real. And don't get me started with his closing statement. It felt fake and a little bit demeaning with his dramatic "This is me I want you to be like me" line. Ugh. 

Judgment: My mother and some other older folks will vote for him because he had the least "issues" among the other candidates. Not keen on voting for him but open for developments.

2. Rody Duterte - the Feisty Bisaya

Has served as Davao City mayor for a very very long time that you almost believe the city has another type of government or something. I've always known Davao as run by a Duterte since as far as my mind can remember. Turns out, there's a political dynasty going on in that place. But mainly because the people believe in them. He had a very impressive streak in all his term and that's why many Filipinos believe he is the solution to the country's problems.

He was the most entertaining to watch. With his quick wit and kanto-style humour, he is the type of uncle who comes into family gatherings drunk going straight to the videoke machine singing his heart out. That's when you know the party has already started. This debate was his forte. He had the most charismatic and unforgettable answers and rebuttals. Straight to the point with a touch of playfulness.

Judgment: I still need some convincing but he would be a good choice in a perfect world (or country).

3. Miriam Santiago - the overachiever-every-single-person-wants-to-become

To put it simply, Miriam is the most qualified presidentiable in this list. No arguments needed. KTNXBYE

However, I was a little bit let down in this debate. She was brilliant with her answers as usual but perhaps a little too uptight for the Miriam we always knew. She used to be a funny public speaker but I guess all her meds got in the way. I seriously hope she does better and pulls through all the upcoming debates. Also, I wish we had the younger and healthier Miriam in this year's election. It would all make a difference. 

Judgment: Huhuhuhuhuh I wanna vote for her but she might die and not finish her term 

4. Grace Poe - the dark horse everyone always underestimates

The only (adopted) daughter of the action king Fernando Poe Jr. Currently facing some citizenship and eligibility issues but is not fazed and powering through every province she campaigns at. She is the silent, quasi-nerdy classmate you always love to hate because she's pretty and intelligent. 

Si Ate Girl channeling Amor Powers in her all-white ensemble! Choz! Seriously though, she won that debate hands down in my opinion. In a room where everyone looked very pissed off and wanting to eat each other alive, she was the calm amidst the storm. She had the most articulate and sensible answers. Very grace under pressure / Ms Universe moment! She was honest about her experience (or lack thereof) but came out the most prepared among all the candidates. Hashtag public-speaking goals! Lol

Judgment: I love her! Not sure if I'm voting for her but I love her!

5. Jejomar Binay - the Jej (that's it)

In his own made-up universe, he made Makati rich and progressive. Jejejejejejejejeje

So the debate... Hhmm...  All I know is that Twitter had a drinking game every time he says Makati and decisive. Whether or not his statements made sense, he still didn't convince any human being in this planet. Also, I really hope we don't get hung over tomorrow. It's Monday after all.

Judgment: NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS WILL I ATTEMPT TO LOOK FOR HIS NAME IN MY BALLOT

Boracay with Girlfriends 2015

Hurray for out of town trips with girlfriends!!! Can't believe how much I needed this R&R with my girls. I think beach trips during the rainy season have become our tradition!

We arrived on a rainy Friday and the wind was too strong. Of course, that didn't stop us from strolling around and having a good time.

The next day was a lot better. We had bright blue skies and the sun was excruciatingly hot.

Amazing Amaga

Mama and I have been meaning to trek this part of her hometown late last year but we were warned on how bad it could get to go into the mountains during storm season. We decided to hold off until the start of the summer and so did we!

Amaga is a sitio in the northwestern side of Guihulngan City. My 90-year old lola has a wide area of land handed down from her side of the family and one of our relatives has decided to use it for agriculture.

It's a 25-minute travel by habal-habal from the city proper but you won't be able to get into the sitio without trekking for another 30 minutes or so.

By the way, I have a very crappy video and another set of low-quality photos in this blog.

View from the top

How To Survive a PNP Checkpoint

If you happen to live within Metro Dumaguete, you’d notice how often checkpoints occur at any given time. Normally, if you are the law-abiding type of person and you have your driving license, vehicle registration and side mirrors all in tact, then you have nothing to worry about. But if you’re someone like Sinta who’s got all the excuses in the world not to renew his license for over a year now, then that’s where your problem starts. So how do you get away with it? Most often, you just try to avoid the highways and make friends with all the alternate routes. They eat up your fuel alright, but you certainly have no choice.

But what if you fell into the trap a little too late for you to notice?

Last night after our “tocino high” with some of our old friends (who got reunited…it’s complicated), I had a very heated argument with Sinta on our way home. In the middle of all the rebuttals and rants to make an interruption, we came across a PNP checkpoint – something Sinta has been avoiding for the last year or two. Imagine the horror on my face when I realized that it was too late for us to turn around and escape! Those policemen were just only five meters away from us and Sinta was roughly 3 seconds away from being held hostage! Oh noooo! We’re doomed for life I wanna die that minute!!! Okay, that was an exaggeration.

So what’s a guy like Sinta did? Well, you know what they say. Guys got to do what they’ve got to do! ACT EVERYTHING OUT. To sum it all up in three letters, LIE. LOL. Okay, so this is going to be longer than I imagined, but probably doing this list would be best for my readers who share the same problem. This might not be perfect, but damn it they’re good and slightly effective!