I Believe I Can Drive!
Believe it or not, it was only these week that I finally learned how to drive, or at least had the guts to finally be a driver! I enrolled on a 10-hour manual course and I finished it in five days, i.e. 2hrs/day. On my first day, I got to drive an SUV and got familiar with the stick-shift and the pedals for 10 minutes then off to the hi-way my instructor sent me! I thought it would be very scary but I guess jumping off a plane at 14,000 feet is way more risky.
On my last day, my instructor told me that he'll just let me drive to wherever I want to go since I'm such a very good student! Ahem. So I just drove and drove for about an hour, through some narrow streets, steep hills, zigzags and hi-ways til we get to the end of the island. And guess what we saw!
The views are really amazing, the place is undisturbed, so quiet and peaceful and isolated. I never thought such a place still exists in my island. I didn't really plan on getting to a specific place but I'm glad this is where the roads led me.
Learning how to drive boosts my confidence a little further. Guess i could win the Mr. Batangas title this year! Hee hee!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 10:02pm
I Heart AXN!
Out of 300 team hopefulls only 30 teams were chosen to participate on the AXN Amazing Mall Challenge Philippines 2007 and we are one of those! The event started with the registration and immediately followed by the orientation. As soon as the organizers announced the start of the race, all hell breaks lose, really! There were 16 checkpoints including the final task, the first five was called picture perfect, we were given five pictures as clues and it's up for us to find out where in Megamall we could find those. For example, there was a picture of a plate number of a car, so we have to find that specific car in all of the malls parking space! It was so crazy but sure it was fun! Other stops include a roadblock, a detour and those that tests your wit and physical strength. By the time we get to the 15th stop, the last one before the finish line we thought that we were at the back of the pack so we just took our time, enjoyed the task and had a very hard time finding the last clue at one of the toys at... TOY KINGDOM! Aaaargh, of all places! Anyways, we only realized that we were ahead of everyone else (actually we were on the second place!) when every other teams arrived one by one catching up on us on this last checkpoint. By the time we found out about the clue and arrived at the finish line we were already on fourth place. Awwwwweee. But we didn't actually know that until they call on the winning teams and all the three teams to our right stood up and took the awards.
Even-though we didn't win, I'm so glad to be able to take part on these race, it just proved how competitive we are as a team and how qualified we are to take part on our next endeavor, the Amazing Race Asia! Whoahoo!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 12:55pm
38 degrees and still Rising!
I've been very busy the past few days. All my engagements started with the family summer escapade last week at Green Coral Resort, a 10-minute drive from where I live. What an escapade! Ahahaha.
Next day I went to attend Caite's (Francis' daughter) first birthday party at Enchanted Kingdom, the premiere family amusement park here in the Philippines. Then two days after that, I went to manila to meet up with some of the photogs that are also here on vacation. After having a nice lunch where else could we go but to sing Karaoke! Ahahaha. It was so much fun seeing these guys again and to learn how famous I really am in Holland America Line. Wink* There is this one photog that was so delighted to meet me finally because he's heard so much about me, my participation in the crew show and he even knows the songs that I sing! How about that?!
Two days after that, still in manila, I arranged a meeting with Yamee, my college sweetheart, hee hee, to celebrate her upcoming birthday and my homecoming(?). We agreed to meet up at Starbucks Tomas Morato and hit the Karaoke again afterwards. I arrived first and I was so fortunate to be there at that time cos there was a street party music tribute to mother earth. It was the Earthday Jam 2007! There were two simultaneous concerts happening; on the fire-air stage there's Rivermaya, The Dawn, Chicosci among others and on the earth-water stage there's Cynthia Alexander, Nina, Radio Active Sago Project etc. I couldn't be at two places at one time so I first watched the concert and ran to the Karaoke bar to meet up with Yamee and other college friends.
That night was a definite keeper on my list. I heart!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 7:43pm
Ooops! I did it Again...
Yesterday, I was meant to do a lot of things when I traveled to Manila but I just ended up watching movies just to kill time for my 9pm meeting with Rianne and my friend Philip since all my plans for the entire day has been messed up. I first watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I was pleased. I'm a sucker for animations and the turtles when I was young. Next, I watched Miss Potter starring the pouty Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor and Emily Watson. I was pleased as well. I didn't imagine for the film to be a an interesting love story and to be so profound. All I thought when I entered the cinema is that I'll be watching a magical kiddie movie but I was wrong. It's actually a movie for grown ups, I think.
After two movies, here is what I did next:
I like it when I'm bored, makes me think of ways to amuse myself! Ahahaha!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 8:16pm
Meet My Partner!
His name is Francis. Most of you may know him as Bagnes.
Yes! After being shortlisted from hundreds of team hopefuls, I got the e-mail yesterday that Francis and I are one of the 20 teams competing for the AXN Amazing Mall Challenge Philippines 2007! Whoahoo! I've been bugging this guy since I came home to be my partner for this race and also for the Amazing Race Asia Season 2 and he thought I wasn't serious until we got the word from Singapore that we got in yesterday.
More about Francis, he's a very close friend of mine so is his wife Paula. We share a lot of things in common. We belong to the same organizations in the university and he studied film as well. He got the Best Thesis Award for his documentary when he graduated and I got the same award for my animation! And speaking of his film, I was his videographer and I was with him all through-out that first collaboration. It actually made big in the film festivals here and abroad. I just hope that our next team effort would bring as further than Israel! Ahahaha!
Anyways, please come and support us on April 21st, 1200nn at SM Megamall. There are lots of activities for you too to take part of and amazing prizes to be won!
TARALETS!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 9:13pm
Another Dose of LIFE!
I just woke up today after about 18 hours of sleeping. Nice life, huh?! But that's because I had 2 days without sleep! Hehe. The reasons, it's all worth it!
On April 4th, I attended an outreach program sponsored by one of my university organizations, the UP Batangan. We helped build houses for some of the underprivileged people in our area. The aim of the project coordinators of the Gawad Kalinga site in Taal, Batangas is to provide 26 shelters. We helped build the 20th house! The scorching heat of the sun plus the sudden afternoon showers didn't stop us to transport about 1500 hollow-blocks (plus or minus the ones that some of us managed to break! hee hee) from one site to another. Now I know why our organization keeps on sponsoring this event, there was so much fun involved!
I would like to thank not only my orgmates but also the kind people of the Gawad Kalinga, Las Vegas site for our refreshments and their hospitality and also the people behind this project for the very noble cause!
After building houses, we went straight to the beach and proceeded for the induction of our organization's neophytes! More fun! Sorry, can't post pictures and divulge any more infos about the said overnight event. Zipped!
Come next day, Holy Thursday, we went to climb Mt. Makulot in Cuenca, Batangas as part of our sacrifice and devotion this holy week. We also did the stations of the cross as we climbed to the top.
Now tell if I don't deserve that 18 hours of rest....
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 1:42pm
Ladylike!
Yesterday was Kathleen's, my eldest niece, graduation. As usual I was there to take pictures and of course to support her on this life changing moment! Yes, I didn't really realize the impact of this event in my life and hers until I finished listening to the guest speaker's address about life, love and hope. I don't know if there's really a difference between my generation and theirs because I never remembered my graduation to be so emotional. These kids are like 11 and 12 years old yet the impact of saying goodbyes to each other seems so unbearable! Oh well, I think being on a private christian school with only 16 graduates will do these to everyone as well, compared to graduating with 300 batchmates on my public elementary school.
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 2:05pm
VOTE for Juan dela Cruz!
It's election time once again here in the Philippines! And like everyone else in the world knows, our election is one of the So I got a call from one of my closest friends, Francis. He told me to come over to the Provincial Capitol, which is just 5 minutes away from my house, and meet them there because his wife's (Paula, also my close friend) dad is filing his certificate of candidacy to run for congress. Paula's dad actually has been our congressman some years before and he's now out on the running again. So off I went with all my support and met up with them. Not only did I see his dad and the incumbent governor and his running mates but I also found out that two of the most prominent actors in the Philippine TV and cinema are running for top two posts in my province. Yes, actress Vilma Santos-Recto and actor Christopher de Leon are both running for governor and vice governor respectively! Whoa!
And guess who's been spying on my friendster profile... Tol Mike! Yes, senatoriable Mike Defensor. I dunno why, but as usual it's prolly election related.
I woke up today with a very big headache and a bad hang-over from last night's drinking spree for the celebration of my cousins' high school graduation. Congratulations Karen and Cris! It was a very good night though, karaoke and booze! Yeah! And as I walked down the stairs from my room, I saw my mom playing mahjong against my niece Lara and my nephew Patrick. It seems my mom's about to lose but my dad is coaching her! Suddenly I realized life isn't really boring after all!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 7:39pm
It Runs in the Family Too!
It just occurred to me that brains also runs in my digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 8:42pm
It Runs in the Family!
Since I get back home, there's a lot of things that I had noticed but it's just been lately that I realized how amazing these changes are. Everybody gets old/mature. That's the first thing I noticed with my parents, my siblings, my nieces and nephew and my cousins/relatives. See, I live in an area where my neighbors are my aunts and uncles so there's no wonder I could really observe my clan. Everybody seems to mature and age perfectly though, that's including me! Another thing, i dunno if it's a current trend or it's just I'm used to seeing fat people on the ships, is that everyone seems to be so thin! Especially all of my teenage girl cousins. It's amazing, and I just realized how good-looking our clan is, seriously. If only incestuous relationship isn't a crime, anyways! Another discovery, not only my clan is good-looking, everyone is a pretty good singer as well. I've noticed this eversince but it is only now that I can undoubtedly confirm it, after I rented a karaoke machine for my "room" warming party! And all of us sang our hearts out from 1pm til 4am the next morning. Whew!
Oh, I also meet up with some of my high school classmates. Of course, I have to brag about my new room and they weren't disappointed! It's so funny how they're goofing around with my stuff and take pictures with some of them like my big mexican hat, the blowgun from the amazon, the venezian masks etc. Too bad I can't post those pictures but I have this one instead.
Talk about hanging out with the right kind of people. Huh!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 10:05pm
Thank You For Having Been!
It feels so good to be home again! Nothing to worry about work, indulge with my mom's cooking and sleep in my newly renovated room! (Pictures will be posted soon, as soon as I finish the furnishing!) Well, after just a few days, 3 days to be exact, i didn't waste any time to explore the Philippines. My first stop, Boracay!
I was really wowed by this island. I could really feel the Filipino vibe here despite of it being a world class tourist destination. Of all the beaches and islands that I've been to, Boracay is definitely on my top 3.
Wow Philippines talaga!
More Boracay pictures CLICK HERE!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 11:00pm
So Happy Together
After about 5 months on this ship, finally I'm down to my last night! God I feel great! I'm gonna miss this ship though. I'm gonna miss a lot of people as well especially those one's I've got to hang out with on my last couple of weeks. Special people like Trixy and Sean. Trixy as everyone knows on the ship is my girlfriend. Haha. That's because we're always seen together everywhere; hand in hand in the hallways, singing together on the stage, eating pasta at the Lido restaurant etc. She's a very sweet girl and my favorite photographer. Sean on the other hand is the pianist/vocalist of the Canadian jazz trio that plays on the Ocean Bar, one of the public lounges on the ship. I spent a lot of time with him since he's into films and movies like how I'm into his passion on music and singing. Since Trixy plays piano as well, we sometimes hang-out during after hours, jamming at the Ocean Bar. Sean gives Trixy some piano lessons while I sing to whatever he plays, stuff like Mandy, Superman, The Scientist even Bed of Roses where one time Ric, my manager played the drums and jammed with us for a couple of songs. It was funny, we even had a couple of guests who sat down late one night and tried to listen to us play! We didn't get any tips though but it was hell of a good time!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 2:05am
Season of Hearts!
As we were sitting at our usual dining table at the lido deck, I cannot help but overhear the conversations of a group of passengers on the adjacent table. At first they were talking about trust, divorce and then they talked about love. Suddenly, one lady said, "Love is not a feeling, it's a decision!" I quickly turned my head to my two photographers and asked them if they heard what the lady just said. Apparently they didn't so I had to repeat it to them but I did it with feelings this time, "Love is not a feeling, it's a decision!". They were speechless. So was I. That particular moment made me think. Does it mean if you can't decide you're not really capable to love? Then how come I love the people that I love? Well I'm sure that I didn't really choose who to love and that I did feel something in the first place to realize that I love the person that I love. And I believe that decision comes after that... to have sex or not, just kidding!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 1:17am
I'm HOME!
Ehrm... almost! Hehe! Just want to let you know that every once in a while I still get a chance to experience "HOME" here at the States. Hah!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 3:05pm
Just got an e-mail today from our company's video operations manager that my roommate and I were the lucky one's to be selected as the company's pioneer video production specialists! Whoahoo! At last, a chance for me to utilize my video abilities again. It's been a while since my last videography stint. I'm really dying to move out in the photo lab and do filming and editing again.
Not only that we're assuming new positions but we're moving to another cruise line as well. From Holland America Line, we're goin to Celebrity Cruise Line. From Vista class to Millenium class ships. After spending more than two years on the Dam ships, we'll be lost once again, start a new life, make an impression and build an image at Celebrity. No one know knows what's gonna happen. And for that reason, it's kind of exciting so we took the challenge.
I'm goin to Infinity this April and Adrian's joining the Millenium next week. We're worried that after we leave the Oosterdam, the ship's gonna sink... it's because of only us two, skinny bastards of A024 that keeps the balance on this ship versus a thousand of plus size passengers. Well let's hope not! We love this ship, the best dam ship on the fleet!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 7:55pm
I don't care much 'bout the money, money can't buy me love!
I spend a fortune this weekend. Actually, I kind of planned it. I told myself the next time I go out in San Diego and go to Fashion Valley, I'm goin
to give myself a treat. I just realized I didn't get anything for myself last christmas and I really need to start the new year with a bang, and I figured
it's about time, time to spend some $$$$, so I bought the black mac book and a nixon watch. This would be my third laptop but my very first mac,
"congratulations!" Said the mac specialist. So I've spent about $1700! Whew! I think I got carried away. A little bit?!
Speaking of new, here's the latest group picture of my new photo team here at the ms Oosterdam. Actually by the time I publish this, three people here
would have left and be replaced by some new ones but I'll still introduce the people on this cool photo.
Last time when I disembarked this ship in San Diego, my friend and I took a train to LA and stayed there for a couple of days. I was planning to do the
same thing except that I'll be alone. Original plan is to stay at the Vagabond inn at Hollywood and Vine, and do some stargazing at the Oscars on the 25th of
February but to my utter disappointment, my sign-off date has been moved from the 24th to the week after! Waaaah! (I almost dropped my dummy oscar trophy).
Augh! That called for a change of plan. Now I'd probably just fly to Orlando and spend some time with my buddy Mirko and meet those Brazilian delights that
he's been bragging eversince!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @
1:35pm
Ode to a F*ck Buddy!
There are basically three chapters in a f*ck-buddy-relationship. And this can be summed up in three lines from the song "Miserable" by Lit. And it goes a little something like this (chicken!):
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 2:22am
Hora de Peligro!
According to CNN, actually from the scientists that were interviewed on the said network, it's only 5 minutes to doom's day! And apparently it's been only seven minutes since 9-11. I dunno. But it's just weird, suddenly i become so concerned about what's happening around. Two days ago when we were in Mazatlan, Sinaloa in Mexico the ship couldn't dock because of the strange weather, swells everywhere and very strong winds. When we finally docked at about noon, and I went outside, I can't believe how cold it was, last time I felt this kind cold was when we were in Alaska. Imagine Alaskan weather in (once bright and sunny) Mexico! Strange, eh. And think about those fresh oranges and lemons in sunny California freezing on the trees due to the sudden drop of temperatures there. Are we really that close to the end of the world? Hmmm.
Well, if the end of the world is really that close, I think I should start telling people how much I value them. I should tell all the people that I slept with, back home and everywhere else, (you know who you are), how I enjoyed every moment with each one of them, and that it wasn't just plain pleasure for me, that somehow I found a connection with each one of them. I wish they will read this soon before it's too late (cos I'm willing to do it all over again)!
I wish all that I've been saying were true... Hah!
Anyways, on a brighter note, I would like to congratulate the cast of the Filipino Crew Show for another successful performance last week!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @ 3:33am
/Pus/ is /pus/! In Tagalog, ang nana ay nana...
I am back! Finally, after three months of silence and a couple of shots of jaeger bomb, I was able to find the time to write again and
update my blog of what sort of happenned during the past three months. I'm actually lazy to explain the full details so I'll just enumerate the
highlights of my ship life during this contract.
First highlight, we had the JAZZ Cruise charter where I was able to meet and see Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, amongst others live in concert in the
ship's show lounge.
Second, I'm still doing the Filipino Crew show but we did it differently this time, all the best singers of the Oosterdam, gathered up and we did a
Back-to-Back concert ala-SOP! We sang old popular english songs since this is a geriatric cruise line. I did " You'll Never Walk Alone" by Elvis, Celeste did
" Saving All my Love for You" by Whitney, Eduard did "Moonriver" and at the end we did "One Moment in Time�.. The experience was amazing! And all the guests loved it/us!
Lastly, I finally got inked! I did it at TIGER JIMMY in San Diego. I designed my own tat based from the alibata alphabet. It was quite painful but it's
all worth it!
I've got far more big plans for this year, watch out everyone... Hehe!
digitalindio® sniffed some more @
2:05am
04/28/07
Enjoying the ride, every minute of it!
Aloha Hawaii... Not!
All roads lead to Rome!
04/26/07
Finishing 4th out of 30 teams wasn't that bad!
04/25/07
La Familia Dapul (We're still missing four people in the picture, my brother Ronald and the in-laws!)
04/12/07
04/10/07
With Francis at Boracay, March 9, 2007
04/06/07
After about 6 hours of climbing up and down, and rolling down on a steep curve, landing on a tree, with a scrape on a right leg and some bruises, I was able to come home alive! Yes! It was exhausting and challenging but I'm so glad I did it! I think I'm ready for Everest! Haha!
Building Blocks, The UP Batangan Human Chain
We put smiles on their faces! The children residents of Gawad Kalinga Las Vegas Site
Makulot Expedition Team 2007
04/03/07
Congratulations Kathleen (second one from right, the prettiest!) for also getting the Ladylike Award!
03/31/07
dirtiest most controversial and somewhat amusing in the whole world.
The White House, Batangas Provincial Capitol
03/21/07
immediate family. How could I forget that? Just last year I had a big trouble when I had to retake a psycho exam because they wouldn't believe that I have a superior IQ. Ha! And just today, my brother and I went to his daughter's recognition ceremony because Lara May, my second oldest niece finished first in her class. She's been first honor for four consecutive years now! Whoa! Mana sa Tito! If you want proof well let's just say I didn't miss any recognition ceremonies from the moment I started school til I graduated in the university! Beat that!
My brother Ronald, my nieces Pauleen and Lara May with her gold medal!
03/17/07
The Class Valedictorian, the Spelling Bee Champion and the Student Council President
03/14/07
Boracay, Philippines
03/02/07
Clockwise from bottom: Me, Adam, Trixy and Sean
02/08/07
Love in many languages...
02/03/07
JOLLIBEE. National City, San Diego CA
With my photographer TRIXY! At home kami dito!Skinny Celebrity Bastards!
01/29/07
From Assistant Managers to Video Production Specialists/VPS
Battle for the VPS CUP
01/28/07
My newest TOY!
(Standing L-R) Vlajko from Serbia, Jose from India, Ric from Chile
(Sitting L-R) Amanda from Hungary, Adrian from
Romania, Claudia from Peru
01/24/07
You make me complete-
You make me completely miserable.
01/23/07
WARNING!
Isang Lahi!
Bigger & Better Back2Back Singers!
01/15/07
Me, Hanne & Patti Austin
Concert King, Asia's Songbird & the Pop Hearthrob
Traveler