Dumag

it's been a few days since I arrived from my Dumaguete vacation and I really managed to get the detox I need. A part of me actually didn't want to go back to Zamboanga because that would mean the end of the stress-free days wandering in the city, the tricycle rides and the really good food and atmosphere. But I still had the time of my life with my friends and taking it from Nelly Furtado, all good things come to an end. So here's a rundown of the moments I had while I was on vacation...

I drooled on the bus to Dipolog




I experienced my first Ro-Ro ride bound for Dumaguete (really)



We stayed at Silliman heights courtesy of MJ and I really liked the fresh Dumaguete air. In hindsight maybe I just place Zamboanga on a lower pedestal so much that I subscribe to the idea that everything's better than Zamboanga. hehe




We ate Panda Ice Cream for breakfast...EXTREMELY SATISFYING



then had lunch at Aunty Pilar's carinderia, a Zamboanguena (and a family friend of the Wee family) who's based in Dumaguete. again, EXTREMELY SATISFYING.



We toured around town and also realized that we made it in time for the Buglasan festival and lo and behold...seized the opportunity to do things we could never ever do in Zamboanga: take pictures with the floats and dancers!!!





sampled a town favorite: Hayahay resto's pizza ('All-meat' and 'Hayahay special'). What actually made the pizza tastier than it already is, is the fact that it was really affordable and the portions were just right.




strolled along the boulevard, taking in how not all boulevards are created equal.



cam-whored a bit around the plaza



realized how ukay-ukays do hide treasures and the power of a convincing haggle; I bought three apparently designer shorts for P 150.




discovered the 'diamond in the rough' of Dumaguete resorts: Antulang..the place where Ryan Agoncillo apparently proposed to Judy Anne. I also took in the crashing waves and truly felt the exhilaration of a good vacation!



tasted Dumaguete's version of a tempura. It doesn't really wow me because I never really liked tempura anyway, but the hype is apparently huge that stalls selling the stuff line the boulevard every night and they sell like hotcakes



made a one-day segue to Cebu with Eunice and tasted REAL gelato from Gelatissimo at SM: a scoop of exorbitant paradise...



Had a 360 degree view of Cebu city atop of the tallest building (?) in Cebu: the Crown Regency. The group also experienced the fear and adrenaline rush from the Edge Coaster and The Sky Walk. It was there that I realized I love high altitudes and had no reservations about seeing the cars dots the streets like ants.





Like I said, the trip didn't really last long. But we managed to squeeze in a lot of 'Us' time while we were there. I wouldn't say that it wasn't totally stress free...boat and bus rides didn't really appeal to me but I guess it's part of the adventure. But no I haven't and will never master the art of being a snob so I kept my feelings at bay and managed to reframe the situation into the something positive. It's only the ride to the destination after all. haha. Anyway, this was my first real non-working vacation with friends so I grabbed the chance as soon as the invitation was up.

Dumaguete's atmosphere had this inviting vibe that made people fall in love with it. It has all the amenities people could ask for, and it also helps that the people are friendly. But it was a challenge for me to understand Bisaya and it doesn't help that I'm the only one in the group that can't really communicate using the language. So my friends actually conversed with me in Bisaya which apparently was part of me learning. And now that I'm back in dear old Zambo (which I actually miss), I actually miss the constant buzz of unintelligible (HAHA) phrases.

I fell in love with Dumaguete...wait, love is an understatement. If you can find a bigger word for love then that's what I felt. I can't wait to go back!!!

back to basics

i can't really blog a novel about how I ended up with a Nokia 5130 right now but here's the lowdown:

-2 days ago my Sony Ericsson C902 suddenly went berzerk and bailed on me. It began restarting and vibrating and the LCD showed no sign of life.

- (12noon the following day) so, I went to the shop where I bought the phone...

- and argued with the Customer Service rep as to why i should be the one to photocopy the warranty card when it's within their scope to provide us with..well..customer service! Plus they told me that I had to wait one month until I get my phone back kasi they're going to send it to Manila to have it fixed. One month without a decent phone? Hell no! And so.....

- (6pm the same day) I bought the 5130 for around 5k. And surprise surprise I actually like it! It's really cheap and the features are enough to satisfy the normal texter who doesn't care for the frills of 3G and all that. Plus the acoustics are so much better than my old phone!

- If and when my old phone shows up again, I'll have to part ways with this one and I'll give the nokia to my mom, who for some reason, needs to part with her old phone because it's one of those phones that first had the colored lcd/mms feature and truth be told, its time has come.

- so until then, i'll have to enjoy the perks of being a nokia person again. and I actually missed being one.

priestly anecdotes

"communion! wahahaha. are you aware na instead of saying "the body of christ" you told me "goddamnit...take these"...hahahaha. "these" tlg...u gave me 6 pieces! hahahaha. am i that sinful? hahaha. " - marko enriquez

I was actually really nervous (like sweating bullets nervous) a few minutes before the start of the wedding. But I managed to pull it off pretty well if I say so myself. Although my performance got a little shaky at parts...especially during the event after the communion, where I was supposed to clean the materials. Karl (my classmate/sacristan) had to go and practically spell out what I needed to do. People said I make a good priest but I'd rather play pretend. I mean, where else could I preside over a mass and marry a couple without the binding power of a license and a contract? That was so stellar and the wedding was kick-ass!


yes, we had flower girls! :)







in case you're wondering, they're not a real couple but they looked real enough. and they seemed to enjoy it so i guess no one's complaining. :)

boo-llelujah

what's weird about today is the fact that I had time on my hands but I didn't spend them a home, curled up in bed , sleeping. Instead, I spent the afternoon with my classmates, producing/planning for the wedding we're going to have on Sunday. Yes, RS WILL REQUIRE US TO HAVE A MOCK WEDDING. It just goes to show how evolved RS is, how teachers take marriage to a whole new level by letting their students feel just how sanctifying the act is. Sometimes I feel that the message is so watered-down because the actual ceremony hasn't been practiced yet, and we're busying ourselves with the video montage which is, apparently, a trademark of classy weddings these days. Bah, and I'm supposed to be the freaking priest. My ego is officially down the drain......

my in-depth and knee deep loathing

One of the major things I had to go through this sem was our case defense. To the uninitiated, it simply means a duty group must present the case of a patient handled during one of the rotations either in the hospital or in the community to a panel of clinical instructors. By presenting a case, that simply means we have to go through the process of presenting everything about the patient and his/her case - from the organs involved to whether or not he/she likes seafoods. Nurses just love being all systematized and thorough. All these things I get but I could never really appreciate.

bitching temporarily aside, I am just so freakin happy the defense was done. It was a group effort though I felt some exerted more effort than others. My self-evaluation? I would say I really didn't wrap my finger around the case, which made me feel guilty about it, but ultimately, I hated the cramming I had to do just to understand his/her story. The fear and tension was so palpable in the room that you could just taste its bitter aftertaste. But I was so relieved that the panel didn't really ask too much questions and instead, went straight away to the revisions that need to be done. Hallelujah!

But that really isn't the end of the story since I have exams left and right. I hate the fact that I have some minor subjects which feel so self-entitled to proclaim how pseudo-important they are. Alam mo yun, it's that feeling of resentment towards a subject that affirms your stand that its just one requirement that you need to fulfill to pass. Plus, I really don't get my majors, which makes me doubt whether I have a chance at being a good nurse.

But lo and behold, I don't want to be a good nurse. I don't want to be a nurse. Period.
I am so adamant that this will never ever ever never ever ever be my calling. This is a challenge I need to face, but this won't be my profession. I am seriously daydreaming about working in the kitchen at some 5-star restuarant in France, or being a part of a corporate food solutions team which develops recipes for big brands, and being a photographer working for a magazine or something to that effect. I know that I want to earn big bucks someday, but I would like to cling to the idea that I can earn them some other way which doesn't involve being a nurse. If that's my motivation to get though this and succeed then so be it.