Travels Part 1

I was able to enter the hallowed halls of Ateneo de Davao University after 3 or so years last Thursday. We were supposedly meeting with newbie debaters and help them train for the nationals -- something I also haven't done in about 3 or so years.  

We never got to do the debate training thingy (cause turns out it was exam week, something which they could have conveniently told us like hours before we were supposed to meet with them).  I did get to do one thing do...take a leak off Ateneo's CR after 3 or so years.  Fast forward to that day from the last time I actually took a leak off the CRs, and I'm surprised nothing has changed -- the CRs still stink...or at least the male CRs do.  So for those of you who think Ateneans are these cultured rich kids, don't believe it.  They don't even know how to flush.

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I am currently on my second day here in Puerto Prinsesa.  This is actually my second time here.  The first time we came, there was one thing I couldn't believe nor forget -- the airport.  Cause the land terminals were so much better in General Santos City.  I was surprised that with the influx of so many tourists here, the government couldn't even improve the airport.  It was also unfortunate that when we arrived that first time, the conveyors for the luggages were being repaired.  So we had to personally pick our luggages from those trolleys towed by the trucks. 

This second time though at least the conveyors were already working.  But when I went to get a pushcart, a porter stopped me and told me the pushcarts were the porters' personal properties and that I could only use one if I was to hire the porter who owned it.  I mean, what kind of airport doesn't have pushcarts for crying out loud?

I'm headed to the infamous Dos Palmas tomorrow.  Hopefully, that brings a whole lot of great memories.

Sleepy Cats

I promised a friend I'd send her pictures of my pampered cats. I thought I'd do myself one better by posting it here. These cats are now second and third generation cats from the original female actually owned by my landlord. We moved into the vacant room and then she sort of moved in with us. Without further ado, I present the kitties who have the run of my room.

Meet Seven, so named because of the shape of his tail. He's the singer of the group. He comes into the room and meows so loudly until you give him attention. When I arrive from the office, his normal greeting is to rise up on his hind legs, reach up and actually "climb up" to my shoulders and then jump off.

This is Kachiko, named after one of my favorite characters off the Legend of the Rings series. The name befits the cat too. Kachiko the cat has been prolific; less than two years old and already, she's given birth thrice. She's really the reason why, for a time, I actually tended to seven cats.

Tsuko. Sweet little cat. My only complaint really is that she likes to lie down on my laptop bag. Wherever I put it, she finds it. It's uncanny. I suppose she makes good use of those natural hunting skills. When I head for the office the next day, I have to make sure I dust off the bag since it will have he fur all over it.


Meet Tetsuo, again named after one of my favorite Legend of the Five Rings characters (are you sensing a pattern here?). He's one of three of Kachiko's latest litter. He's a cute little one. His favorite spot, as evidenced in this photo is the top of the fridge. Sadly though, he went out of the room one day and never came back. My landlord said he was run over by a taxi. Poor thing. This is in memory of him.

Ayame, Tetsuo's sister. Her favorite spot is the upper right corner of my bed. She's a feisty little fireball. She and Tetsuo run around the room, wreaking havoc everywhere and just when I'm about to scream my lungs out at the mess they leave in their paths, they look up at me with those puzzled little looks so I forget what it was I was angry about. She took ill and passed away last week. I'm gonna miss her.


And last but not least is Mew Two -- Two because I used to have a white and brown cat we named Mew. I must confess that he's my most favorite one of the bunch, in the same way that Mew before was the dearest one to me. He's not at all related to the others posted above. I was on my way to the gym one afternoon when I spotted him meowing near the bushes on the sidestreet. Actually, it was more like he spotted me cause when he saw me, he followed me, meowing so loudly. I was shooing him away cause I was walking in the middle of the street and I feared he might get run over but he wouldn't listen and kept following me. I had no choice then but to pick him up and carry him home. He was so small then that he fit right in the palm of my hand. Now, he's so heavy, when he walks over my chest, I grunt.

He's the sweetest little thing. He makes this odd positions when he sleeps on the floor (we joke that it's as if he's fallen from the ceiling). And while he usually roams around the village (well maybe not the entire village) after he's had dinner, he comes in through my window at around midnight and snuggles close to me and sleeps with his head tucked on my shoulder.


They say people who live with pets have lower stress levels. I suppose that's true. Taking care of someone else gives you a greater perspective and just being with them lowers your stress. After they've raised it of course for almost wrecking the house.

At Square One

I started my piano lessons today. And I must say, I had loads more fun than I initially thought I would.

Not to sound boastful here, but I was some sort of a piano prodigy when I was little. My grandparents had a baby grand in the living room and once, they entertained visitors from out of town, one of whom played a piece. I watched him the entire time he played this one piece and after seeing him play, I could play it back from memory. I was four or five, I think. To this day, it's the one piece I know how to play on the piano.

There weren't any good piano schools then (remember this was eighties General Santos) and even if there were, my parents couldn't afford piano lessons so now that I'm making my own money, I thought I'd chase that dream. After all, "learn an instrument" is part of my "things to do before I die list". And as Rent goes, no day like today.

So anyhow, today was my first lesson. I must say it went better than I had hoped it would. I had thought I'd be all awkward and self-conscious starting out with kid lessons. But my instructor was good. Although I think it took him a while to not be intimidated by me (not by my "skill" of course, but just me). Now this gives me more impetus to buy that cheap keyboard I've been eyeing at the mall.

I had wanted to initially pursue violin lessons cause I've always found it classy. But violins are a lot more expensive (and require greater mastery) and I wanted to be able to sing while playing so the piano it was. Good luck sa akin.

Buff Breakfast

What you see here (amidst all the clutter of papers on my desk) is muesli -- my favored breakfast for about three weeks now.  It's a healthy mix of dried rolled oats that's oven baked into crunchy clusters and mixed in with dried fruits.  In this particular package, they come with apples and cranberries.  

I really don't know what health-buff bug has bit me but I suppose it's served me well.  In addition to having this regularly for breakfast, I now down a glass of milk every night -- the low fat, high calcium variant of course.  My mom and my brother call me weird. Cause I still refuse to eat veggies though.  

Dumaguete!

I just came back from my Dumaguete trip to sing at a friend’s renewal of vows. And although my head’s still buzzing from fatigue over the long trip, I thought I’d post a few snippets on my blog while the memories are still fresh.

Dumuaguete was a beautiful as ever, especially since the hotel I stayed in this time, was right in front of the Boulevard, Dumaguete’s baywalk. I was away three days in total but the first and the third day are both really just the travel days so you can imagine what kind of fatigue I am in. Nonetheless, I couldn’t resist posting this very rare pic of me before turning in for the night. I say rare cause I DO NOT dance. Yeah, I did take social dancing (and was quite satisfactory at it) for 4th year PE but only because the other option was folk dancing. Needless to say, I do not dance voluntarily, thus the specialness of this pic. And man, I didn’t realize my ass looked that good in those slacks, hahaha.

Curses!

I am now mentally berating myself for having neglected this supposed second wind of a blog. But what can I say, I suppose you get too caught up in life. I know I prodded myself to at least do this 21 times. Again, the idea is that if I compel myself to do it 21 times, by the 22nd time, I won't need to "compel" myself.

Well, thus far, post 1 was a month old. So I'm counting this post as post 0 again. Let's see if I can actually reach post 21.

Second Wind

Consider it second wind. Or perhaps I got myself some half of the year blues that I actually decided to make good on a long forgotten new year's resolution - write, and not just write but write faithfully, on a blog.  It's not so much as the idea of having everyone read mythoughts but more about making sure I preserve the snarkiness which had earned me the nickname "evilfred" in my old debate team.  It's a name I cherish cause it brought with it a certain amount of intimidation factor, especially among the newbies. 

And it is true what they say, the only thing you don't lose if you don't use is your virginity.  So since it's been ages since I last threw "vitriolic" words at someone in a verbal altercation (in competitive debates, of course),and those kinds of verbal altercations have no place in the corporate world (or at least, not the kind of snarkiness I was infamous for), the only way to make sure I don't lose it was to vent at another medium.  And a blog was it.

There ought to be no excuse for me now since I've recently gotten myself internet connection at home.  Ergo, I won't have to pretend that I'm busy at work while all I'm really trying to do is rack the hell out of my brains to make sure all those random thoughts form a coherent article.  With my work situation currently being not too sunny as some days in life are meant to be, a blog where you can "shout your goddamn anger out" makes absolutely perfect sense.

So, with this new blog, I hope I can count on my usual tenacity to actually follow through on this.  After all, didn't they say if you intend to do something you don't really want to do or aren't used to doing, force yourself to do it 21 times.  By the 22nd time, it would have been far too ingrained in your system that it'll be like second nature.  So let's hope I actually get to post 21 on this blog.  If only for my sanity, if nothing else.