transposable element

time to pack your Louis Vuittons and Zero Halliburtons (bought from greenhills, hehe): it’s travel time! take advantage of the “free” seats from cebu pacific and airasia! that’s if you feel inclined to book your tickets NOW for travel 6 months to a year down the road. i’ve checked the whole month of june and july, but never found a zero airfare for mnl-singapore on cebpac. and of course, it’s not really free, as you still have to pay the taxes, etc. talk about false advertising.

one can only guess how much busier the domestic air traffic has gotten the last few years in the philippines since the local airlines started to offer affordable airfares. i think the domestic airport has never had to handle so many passengers ever. one would think that with the exponential growth in their revenues from the airport taxes they are collecting, they would be able to upgrade the airport. the last time we were there in feb, it looked, felt, and sounded worse than bus terminal!

i never really fully understood the connection of easter eggs, easter bunnies and easter egg hunt to the christian feast celebrating jesus christ’s rising from the dead. and having celebrated easter here in singapore, i got even more confused. over the easter weekend, we saw lots of people go and visit and offer gifts to their dead and burn pieces of paper. although perhaps that was an entirely different commemoration that didn’t have anything to do with easter and was just a date coincidence. or qingming, the chinese all souls’ day held in advance? oh well…

for jan, easter is like a mini christmastime, just that instead of the nikolaus, it’s the easter bunny bringing the goodies. sometimes i feel a bit worried perpetrating these illusions. when it eventually sinks in that there really is no santa claus, and that bunnies couldn’t care less about colored eggs, it’s gonna be one major letdown.

after my father passed away, we’ve been trying to convince my mom to liquidate the properties they have acquired and use the proceeds to do the things she wants to do, to enjoy life the way she deserves to, to do the things she’s always wanted to do but never dared to. my siblings and i have no interest on those properties, anyway.but, she stubbornly refuses. she says, one day, they will be handy. she thinks that if times get tough, you always scout for mortgage lenders and use the properties as collateral. what she doesn’t see is that she’s not exactly that young anymore. if she wants to reap the benefits of their investments, now’s the time to cash in. but she remains firm. like most pinoy parents, she thinks of their investments as pamana, for their children to enjoy. i, on the other hand, believe we have no birthright to things we did not lift a single finger to acquire. will we find a common ground? abangan.

the philippines is sending this lady to the miss world pageant.

which elicited reactions from a lot of pinoy bloggers, media, and former philippine beauty titlists:

i disagree with ruffa. proficiency in english does not equate to “having brains”. indeed some of the most intelligent people in the world do not speak english at all.

during the interview, janina displayed an obvious lack of english proficiency. but, so what? that in itself is not an indication of her IQ. however, the fact that she could not even manage one coherent sentence is quite telling, considering that this lady must have had at least 10 years of english classes (assuming she finished high school level at least). nobody should expect perfect grammar, but is it too much to ask for one sentence that makes sense?

on the other hand, connie is right. it’s just a beauty pageant after all, and beauty, she has.

i know this entry will resonate with only about 3 people reading this blog, but i’m posting it anyway because it had me laughing in stitches as it brought me back to memory lane. i’m convinced some of these explain why i am the way i am.

Taga-UPLB ka kung…

Kung marami na kayong hindi alam, tiyak na old uplb alumni na kayo! So, dalawin ang inyong alma mater sa centennial-foundation day festivities at sariwain ang masasayang kahapon.

1. Kilala mo si Mang Pogs.
2. Nalilito ka kung saan nakalagay ang banga ni Mariang Banga.
3. Tubig na lang ang tingin mo sa gin.
4. Ginamit mong reviewer ang mga old exams para sa mga midterms, prefi at finals sa bio, math, stat, chem, physics, eco etc.
5. Hindi ka sumasagot ng UP (yupeee) kapag tinanong ka kung saan ka graduate. Sagot mo, Elbi. (me: weird, but to this day, this is what i say when people ask.)
6. Taga-elbi ka kapag kilala mo yung professor na nagbi-bike ng naka-barong na kupas. (Si climax! kalahating albert einstein, kalhating mang pandoy)
7. Ok lang pumasok sa mga klase kahit naka pambahay/pantulog attire ka.
8. Pag nagtanong si manong driver ng “may animal ba dyan?”, at may sumagot ng “meron po” ay di ka natatawa.
9. Pag nagtanong uli si manong driver ng “may mens ba dyan?”, at may sumagot uli ng “meron po” ay di ka natatawa.
10. Di ka nahihiyang magbitbit ng malaking payong.
11. Taga-elbi ka kung pagkatapos mong magbakasakali kay Mang Pogs, diretso ka na kay Mr. Midnight.
12. Bumibili ka ng blue book sa Coop.
13. Alam mong hindi pwedeng ibato ang Batong Malaki.
14. Nung pinanood mo ang movie ni Aga at Regine na shot at Elbi (sa may Gaygay Gowns) at nagtawag ng taxi si regine e nagtawanan kayo ng mga taga-LB at clueless ang iba.
15. Alam mo kung nasaan ang White House.
16. May tanline ka ng tsinelas.
17. Alam mong mas masarap ang pancit canton na niluto sa ‘heater cup’
18. Sanay ka maglakad.
19. Thursday night ang gimik night mo.
20. Alam mo na ang pinakamalaking banyo ay ang Ellen’s Fried Chicken, at Sizzler’s ang tinitingalang kainan.
21. Kilala mo sina Saniano Boy at Saniano Girl.
22. Alam mo kung nasaan ang “Johnson”.
23. Alam mo ang kaibahan ng dalawang Flatrocks.
24. Kaya mong pumasok ng hindi naliligo.
25. Alam mong si Carasus at Pegabao ay iisa.
26. Alam mong okey lang na pumunta sa Maahas.
27. Tumatambay ka sa APEC para mag inom.
28. Alam mo kung nasaan ang Fertility Tree, Kwek Kwek Tower, at ang Templo ni Bruce Lee.
29. Tuloy ang klase kahit signal number 3 na.
30. Alam mo kung saan ang pilahan ng jeep papuntang IRRI, Forestry, o kaya ay Jamboree…
31. Hindi ka kumakain ng buko pie.
32. Alam mo na bago pa man nauso ang unli rice sa Tokyo Tokyo, marketing strategy na ito ng Salad Country.
33. Hinahanap-hanap mo ang chocolate cake sa Mer-Nel’s.
34. Alam mong bawal tumawid sa UPLB Gate (main), mula Guard House papuntang harap ng Carabao Park…
35. Alam mong may oras lang na pwede kumain sa IRRI pag di ka IRRI employee.

see the entire checklist from what’s up, losbaños?.

during our recent vaca in manila, we were able to peek into some of the newer malls (well, new to us). on the day we arrived, we had lunch at trinoma, a supposedly rather upscale mall in quezon city just across sm north edsa’s the block. the shops and restos are probably a bit more upscale, but the mall itself didn’t look classy particularly with its tile flooring. hubby and i both thought we still prefer the feel of glorietta… until we saw glorietta again. man, has that mall aged. granted, it has just been bombed recently, but it has lost its glamour, its sparkle, its vibe. i’ve been very fond of glorietta in its early years, and i was saddened to see it’s a has-been in so many ways.

tiendesitas has been there for so many years already, but this month was my and hubby’s first time to be there. i love it there. from the quaint furniture and antique stalls, to the variety of pinoy food and delicacies on offer. a perfect hang out place for balikbayans. we also checked out the fun ranch, and indoor place for kids just beside tiendesitas, but we didn’t stay long as jan wasn’t with us anyway.

we also got to see the mall of asia for the first time, the mall famed to be the largest in the country. i love, love, love the location of this mall, especially that of the restos that affords you a spectacular view of manila bay. here’s a videoclip:

and lastly, on our last evening in manila, we were able to check out serendra’s retail promenade. now that’s what i call posh. really classy storefronts, subtle ambiance, no loud digital signages and advertisements. really tastefully made. we had dinner al fresco at duo– great steaks, impeccable service! i think serendra could easily be a favorite hang-out among the balikbayans and expat communities.

manila. malls. you can’t have one without the other.

during our trip to manila, we had the opportunity to get a 4D-ultrasound done at a mall brach of the medical city, at a fraction of the price we would have paid here in singapore. the official costs were already considerably cheaper — i believe around 3000 pesos (about S$100), complete with reports, prints and a cd of all the images and video clips — but we got a discount, thanks to my sister who practices dermatology in the same clinic, hehe.

apparently it was the best time to schedule a 4-D ultrasound (around 25-28th week), but unfortunately, my babe was camera shy. we waited almost an hour (or was it more than an hour?) for the baby to remove her arms from her face and even then, it was difficult to get a good resolution as the face was very close to the placenta. oh well, these images aren’t the clearest, but it was still a fascinating experience to see what’s going inside my tummy in real-time. we were able to count the toes and fingers (all there!) and form teh facial features, it looks like we wouldn’t have to save up for a rhinoplasty revisional surgery, hehe.

isn’t it amazing what technology can do?! if i can figure out how to upload videoclips to youtube, perhaps i can put one up, too.

until we got there, hubby had absolutely no idea how we were going to spend our 2 week philippine vacation. i planned the itinerary on my own, made all the reservations and bookings (gotta love online bookings!), and he and jan basically just went along with my plans, hehe. and the vaca went fantabulously well, if i may say so myself. it was fully packed, but we also managed to get some serious family r&r.

the chunk of our holiday was spent in panglao island, bohol. i was able to take advantage of cebu pacific’s piso fare promotions, and after scouring the web for accommodation options, i’ve decided on booking us in bohol beach club. and i couldn’t have chosen any better. sure, there’s eskaya and ananyana for those whose prefer luxurious dwellings, but unfortunately, our pockets don’t go so deep. in bohol beach club, we had an awesome powdery white sand beach that was almost 2 km long, with shallow sandy waters that’s safe even for the most mischievous of kids (read: jan). the sprawling resort was so big we hardly felt the presence of other guests (although we were there on a lean season, there were batches of east asian tourists and company retreats). three restaurants plus a bar, three swimming pools, and the long beach for the exclusive use of the resort guests. the rooms were clean and comfortable, the staff were friendly (altho a tad bit slow sometimes), and the food was good. for those looking for a place in bohol that’s great value for money, i wouldn’t hesitate recommending the bohol beach club, particularly for families with small kids, and those who prefer peace and quiet to clubbing and nightlife. some of my favorite snapshots from bbc:

more bohol entries to come…

holiday is up, and while the rest of singapore is taking a lunar new year pause, it’s back to the daily grind for me

we’ve had a wonderful, wonderful time in the philippines, and though there were things and scenes that made me rueful, i wish we could have stayed even just a week longer. but alas, that feeling of not being fully sated, that’s what makes the next time something to look forward to…

until then, it’s back to normal programming, catching up with my online writing gigs. if i had personalized pens, they’d all be busy scribbling now.

while searching for accommodations for our bohol trip, i came across the eskaya beach resort. see this video and drool (they could have gotten a better voice talent for the annotation, though):

without looking at the website, how much do you think are the nightly rates in one of those villas? clue: the lower-end ones approximate that of the über-exclusive amanpulo in palawan, while the higher end ones are 5x that!

(this is not a paid post.)