edu the great: travel

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January 27, 2013

best of the best for 2012

unlike last year, i have a lot of things to share with my 2011. this does not mean that i don't have anything for 2012. but one thing is for sure, 2012 is really something. a very awesome experience.

picture from here.

top people for 2012

a. dan and albert. these two people are my best buddies. what else can i say? we know each other very much. it's not because we think the same but we know others are thinking. :)

b. kuya jhing and ate mimi. these two people are really close to my heart. very dear that i don't want them to part ways. they are like my brother and sister. everyone in the community is but they are really special to me.

c. ruth and joel. they tied the knot. yahoo! after so many years, they finally got married to became one. i am happy for both of them.

b. my girlfriend - florizel. she's always there with me. i love her, no matter what. if she breathes, i wanted to be the air for her.

e. my mom. she had her second operation for her baker's cyst. she's really strong. i can feel how strong she is.

top events for 2012

a. went to youth pilgrimage. its my first pilgrimage with my girlfriend, what's not good with it!? i love it! every pilgrimage is a different experience. this one is awesome!

b. pamamanhikan. it was my mom's first time in Bicol. the experience with this pamamanhikan is exhilarating. grabe, sobra! i was very nervous yet so happy. the preparation for the wedding is also something...grabe. my girl's family is very supportive as well. oh well, this is it.

c. scrutiny. second time, still we failed. oh well, i am still proud of my community no matter what is happening. everyone has his own story and difficulty to share. a history that we should embrace.

d. this is it moment. i did it again for the second time. well, i can't reveal of course. it was during the scrutiny when i tested myself once again. despite the wedding preparations, i don't know what i am thinking of. lol!

e. trip with my mom to palawan. it was my mom's first time to travel by air! having a trip with her is really awesome. she loves me so much. i can feel it.

my new year's letter v.2013

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dear God -

almost all people would agree that every year is always the year of the lord - it's your year. thank you for 2012. it's fruitful and an awesome year. as i go back and see my blog entries for each month, i see compassion and warmth. i can still see the zeal and excitement to be a better person. i can say that I AM A WORK IN PROGRESS.

this is from here.

...thank you for my family. 2012 is the year when my younger sister settled down. we used to be 3 frickle-minded kids (by heart) in the house and now my mom was left with two. lol! it took us a while before we adjust in the house yet we did it - with your grace. 2013 is going to be different because i will be the one to settle down. but i know you will find a way. we can adjust and we can cope.

thank you for my mom's health. each year, i see how her health degrades. i can feel and see it. keep her safe. please make my sisters safe and sound.

...thank you for my work. this year is not a good year for me but certain turn of events are making me more patient and less aggressive. thank you for giving me this job - a job that i never dreamt of. i am not going to elaborate it further. lol!

...thank you for traveling with me. i was able to attend the national youth pilgrimage this year. this is special because it was my last one as a bachelor and first time with my girlfriend. it's like "getting to know you" stage for me and my girl. lol! but it was fun! at least, i know what she doesn't want and what to expect.

palawan, palawan, palawan. it's an ace. it's world class. i've been to so many places but puerto princesa is fantastic. thank you for giving me the opportunity to spend quality time with my mom in such a awesome place.

...thank you for giving my girlfriend - my fiance. love is love. thank you for everything. you've created a not so perfect girl to complement a not so perfect guy like me. thank you!

...thank you for helping me how to discern. i've never thought that my life will change the way like this. the word "thanks" is an understatement to express how i feel. though we failed failed to surpass the second scrutiny, but the feeling is great. i am proud of my community and i can't see myself without the way.

love,

edu

my new year's letter v.2012

2nd chance

here comes the groom

puerto princesa trip with mom: a mother and son bonding v.04

twelve for 2012

puerto princesa trip with mom: a mother and son bonding v.04

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our last afternoon in palawan is a little busy. we visited to so many places - which is a good sign that puerto princesa has so much to offer. our first stop is crocodile farm. i am excited to see how the crocs are doing and how are they being treated inside the facility. well, to tell you honestly - i am not a fan of animals born in captivity. i always believe that these animals should go in the wild but facilities like this will definitely give awareness of how should we treat them.

she's afraid to touch live crocs...

with palawan hornbill

with bobcat - medyo may amoy siya pero check yung buntot nya...

our next stop is mitra ranch. this is ancestral ranch of the mitra ranch in the city. i've been here early that day for a zipline ride. the scene is really fantastic. its marvelously crafted. grabe! nature at its best form. i've been to so many great places but this city is a magnet - i don't know why!

me and my mom...

relaxing

afterwards, we went to baker's hill. it's just a few meters away from mitra ranch. its actually a botanic garden but it is famous for its hopia and other sweet products. i love the place! it's also relaxing. we took some photos of course!

cute photo...

my mom

gusto nya sumakay sa kalesa

binuatan weaving center is another fantastic place that we went to. as the name denotes, its a weaving center. it uses indigenous materials of the place to create bags, table runners and a lot of other things.
the even let my mom use their weaving machine. lol!

we also had the opportunity to go to baywalk (where they are about to light up the the tallest christmas tree in the country), plaza cuartel and immaculate conception cathedral. as we end our day, we took our dinner at the chinese restaurant in ground floor. my mom loved the food!

chow na!

me and my mom - dinner time!

puerto princesa trip with mom: a mother and son bonding v.03

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we're so tired last night. i wasn't able to finish amazing race ph. camera was able to charge so no problemo. our free breakfast is now served as early as 6 am. i sent an sms to our tour contact about the itinerary for today. unfortunately, they will pick us up at 1.30 pm. my mom and i decided to buy all that we need - pasalubong, souvenirs and stuff.

the trike drivers are so friendly. when i asked him if he could bring us to palengke to buy pasalubong, he brought us there! puerto princesa has two market places - the old and new one. the trike driver brought us to the center of the pasalubong market! its one stop shop! goods are so cheap and you can even ask for tawad. sover fun! i texted our tour contact once again if will have a time later that afternoon for a zip line ride. she informed me that the trip is of limited time so no chance for zip line. she gave us suggestions. when we went out, the trike driver said that its better if we go to mitra ranch for zip line, instead of the eco park. and the rest is what i call as history. lol!

our trike driver is like a tour guide. ahehehe. he told us so many different story about the owner of the pasalubong haven, story about puerto princesa, and lot of other things! going to mitra ranch is a long trike ride. ups and downs. we saw baker's hill on our way there.

a zip line ride is 500 PhP. so expensive! pero minsan lang ito, so i quickly paid. i am the first customer for the day! =) . its going to be my first time so i am a little excited and little nervous. one thing is for sure, this is going to be one awesome and jaw breaking experience. lol! there are four stations. you need to climb up a steep stairway going to third and fourth station. the experience is so exhilarating! i love it! money is so worth it!

instead of going back to the hotel, we've decided take our lunch in robinson's. yes, @ robinson's. our taste buds are limited to a few recognizable dishes. lol!

first stop...

on my way from 2nd to 3rd station...

last stop!

@ first station

beef steak for mom.

chicken binakol for me.

puerto princesa trip with mom: a mother and son bonding v.02

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there was a something like a waiting area for everyone. a place to stay while waiting for the boat ride. we waited for about an hour but the wait is sover worth it. seeing the majestic rock formation is grabe! ang ganda. i don't have a good camera so i can't capture every stalactites and stalagmites inside it. God is so great! he showed us His beauty and wonder through this underground river. there was never a dull moment. i was like a kid seeing a theme park for the first time. inside you have to practice your imagination. imagining what this rock looked like.

i took so many pictures but most of them are like abstract. lol! but inside, the skilled boatman is like narrating a story. he's a good story teller. only expert boatmen like our guide knew which is which. through dark alley like water trail, he knew where we should go and to point our spotlight. my eyes are so bad in darkness. the tour lasted for 40 to 45 minutes. while checking out some photos taken and deleting some them, i realized that it's useless. the story that the boatman is his own story and mine is a different one. a story yet to be told.

after sometime, i noticed that our camera is running out of battery. i quickly asked my mom about the camera charger. wah! she left the charger in cavite. we're quite agitated but that is a vacation. we should not worry about anything for everything. so, what if we left the charger? pictures were just there. but experience will remain in our hearts.

our way back to hotel is smooth. we slept inside the van. before we know it, we're already in front of our hotel. A and A Hotel is fantastic. it looks like a cozy hotel. we got room 213. the service is awesome and the crew is so friendly. we changed our clothes and we're on our way to robinson's mall to eat and look for USB connector (to replace the camera charger since i have mac with me). we ate at teriyaki boy. my mom wasn't able to finish her food so i took the rest. lol! photoline is our next destination. i kindly asked if they are selling a USB connector for an olympus camera. at first he replied NO. however, i informed him that this is the most common connector in town. i showed him the port and told me wait for a couple of minutes. he returned back with a connector and gave it to me. i asked how much and he said it's for FREE! yes, free as in libre. i was so happy! photoline in Robinson's Puerto Princesa rocks!

some rock formation - candle-like - inside the underground river.

some rock formation - carrot-like - inside the underground river.

some rock formation - mushroom-like - inside the underground river.

wow! tabemashou!

beef for my mom, she's practicing her chopsticks.

chicken teriyaki - now you have it!

chicken teriyaki - now you don't! simut sarap!

see next entry >>

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its going to be our first to time travel - with each other alone. a good mom and son bonding. i don't want to treat this trip something special so we did not ask kuya jhing or kuya jenn to fetch us to the airport. we asked alan to bring us to bus terminal in tanza. then, we took a cab from coastal mall to terminal 3. it's still early but we decided to check in. we saw ethel booba.

while waiting for our plane, our tour agency called up and informed us that there was a change of schedule. instead of having the underground river tour - on a saturday, we need to have it on friday. so, meaning, as soon as we arrive palawan, we'll have to go directly to sabang which is more than an hour ride from airport. grabedad. =) .

from airport, the van was like a roller coaster ride for us. it's so fast. and the road is like zigzag going to sabang. we took one stop near ulugan bay. tour guide said that this is the gateway of the vietnamese to palawan. after 10 mins, we hit the road going to sabang beach and took our lunch from there. it's buffet. yay!

honestly, i don't know how to get to the river. i never thought that going there, we need to take a 20 minute banca ride. the waves are...oh my! i can feel my mom's heart beat. when i asked her if she's fine, she replied "eh, andito na tayo eh.". lol! the waves are kinda friendly though. i know that because our ilo-ilo to guimaras banca trip few years back with my sisters was not so good. anyhow, we survived the trip and was so proud of my mom because she was able to do it! yey!

our tour guide informed us that there were monkeys and monitor lizards all over the place. exciting! monkeys are cute but warning - naughty monkeys out on the go. monitor lizards are friendly. yes. normally, they will go out to wilderness. and those were the biggest bayawak that i've ever seen. grabe! going to the mouth of the river, we need to take a short walk with the trail. from there we saw gladys reyes. i told my mom to take photo with her - she just shrugged. lol!

my mom, eagerly waiting for our plane.

inside the plane going to puerto princesa

- of course she got the window seat.

behind me is ulugan bay.

you can only see her smile but have no idea how nervous she was.

behind me is the mouth of the world famous puerto princesa underground river.

my mom waiting for our turn inside the subterranean river.

see next entry >>

trip with my mom

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people would say that this is something peculiar but having a trip with my mom alone is satisfying. its a mother and son bonding. actually, it was my mom's first time to ride a plane and trip out of luzon island. i can feel her excitement. here are some of our pictures:

@crocodile farm

@baker's hill

@zipline ride in mitra's ranch

@underground river.

more blog entries about our trip in the next few days. medyo busy eh. :) .

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2nd Day: A Sad Day

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we woke up late. lol! it's monday today. i heard loida and her kids while they were preparing to go to school. but then, i still decided to close my eyes - sobrang pagod. anyhow, we went to the market first to buy something for lunch. its going to be sinigang na isda. woh! i am excited because instead of the usual kangkong, it going to be talbos ng kamote. it gives a pinkish color! whoa!

we went first to church, the girl in the office said that the person in charge of the schedule isn't there and we better go back by 3 pm. afterwards, we visited villa mila to check on the place. its beautiful and perfect place for us! awesome. right there and then, we paid the down needed to reserve the spot - 3T. its almost 12 PM and its very hot at that time! we first went to buy dried pusit in the market, afterwards we went back to the house.

after lunch, flor and i decided to book first our trip back to manila in philtranco. done! we drop by to some of the pawnshops to look for a ring. done! we can't find something, though. ahehehe...afterwards, photographer. we came across this place - Apple's. its actually good, with tons of photos around. the package is reasonable and i like it! we booked for their service and paid 6.6T. the package is 9.5T. we then went to some coutures. and this one is a failure. lol!

last stop is to go to church. we talked to emman from the parish office. everything is almost done. however, when i brought up the possibility of neo-catechumenal wedding - he abruptly said no - and urged us to talk to father joel - the parish priest. with his words, seems that neo-catechumal way is not supported in diocese of daet. hhaayy... we felt sad. so sad. we've always wanted to have a neo-wedding. it's our dream and we wanted that way. but seems that this is not the perfect place!

i saw my fiance's face. she's really sad about what we've heard. but we know that we need to obey. obedience is something that each and everyone of us should possess. i brought up the possibility of talking with father ollie when we get up but i know its a "suntok sa buwan".

pictures are in villa mila.

this is the day!

about to go on pamamanhikan

saturday, a deployment is going on so i felt the urge of being online. since i have the privilege of working from home, i told my co-worker to go home and spend the rest of the day with his family in Quezon. after an hour, i saw this note saying one of our servers is down! lol! and there goes the rest of the day. working. ahehehe. i thought its going to be forever but i would not let that happen. luckily, issue was resolved @ around 4 pm MNL.

my mom is quite excited. she wanted to be in the meeting place by 7 pm though we talked it over and agreed on 7.30. anyhow, my fiance knows how my mom feel - so nothing to worry about. I NEVER THOUGHT that its going to be fun. doing bus ride with two of the most important women in my life. we laughed and talked about so many things. =) . my girl is also in a good mood. lol! bus will leave at 9.30 pm and its good to be there by 9 pm. they were seating in front of me and good that's good because i can see them whenever they have problem.

its kinda cold. lol! i am just wearing a plain shirt and my cargo shorts. so i took my towel to cover me. by 2 am, we were in gumaca, quezon. flor asked me to wake up my mom so as to go for a pee break and probably eat if she's hungry. the first question that my mom uttered is "andito na ba tayo?" and i said no. she quickly replied "ang layo naman." lol!

by 6 am, we were already there in Daet. i introduced my mom to the rest of my fiance's family. tatay and mom talked along with nanay. then, people started coming. kuya rey with his wife, ate arlyn and kuya totoy with cute hilary and kim.

we went to the market to buy food - ulam: nilaga and paksiw na isda. wapak! of course, i have nothing against beef but i still prefer fish. 30 mins before noon, tatay talked to me and initiated the conversation about the reason why my mom and i were there - this is pamamanhikan! a question popped out to my mind asking, "what if they will ask for a dowry? how should i answer it?...bahala na.".

tatay asked me only two things:

a. bakit kayo andito? my answer, we planned to settle down.

b. saan kayo magpapakasal? my answer, dito po sa Daet.

afterwards, details came in. like what's your plan? when? where? and so on. kuya rey, kuya oloy and kuya toy interrupted asking for more details and they said that they are more than willing to help. after the talk, i just realized na "ganun pala kadali yun".

few hours after, my three future kuya's are almost done with their two bottle of GSM long neck. that's the time to came in and talk to them. lol! then, kuya toy said that i should make "paki-sama" with them and drink with them to know more about the family. honestly, i was caught off guarded. lol! i simply said yes.

by 5 pm, we went to St. Joseph, Husband of Mary Parish in Brgy. Lag-On. flor said that this is the church. this is it! we attended the mass. i took a couple of pictures. then we went to the market to buy the pasalubong. we're about to go home tomorrow.

mom and flor

the altar

about to go on pamamanhikan

here comes the groom

eucharist will be eucharist

i am glad i found one

my sister's wedding

about to go on pamamanhikan

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i know it is going to be a tough call. a little excited, yet nervous. on saturday, we will be going to my girl's house in Basud, Camarines Norte. we'll do what we (Filipinos) call as pamamanhikan. i don't know how is it going to be but i am hoping that everything will be fine. very fine!

hesitant at first, but when the time i bought three tickets going to Daet, i felt so nervous. shivering. my heart is pounding so fast. wit so many questions:

...is it a good idea to bring my mom?

...what should i say?

...who should initiate the conversation?

...what are the usual questions?

oh men! that's really something that i am worry about. i am feeling stressed. lol!

this picture is from here.

here comes the groom

i am glad i found one

time

shoes for me

under on my birthday...

world youth day - a year after...

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january of 2011. its the time of the year when i asked my manager to for a leave on the whole month of august. no one can stop me. and indeed! august 2011 - a year ago - when i attended the world youth day in madrid, spain.

its when i saw the pope and hear his voice while saying - "stay with me...". pope is saying those words when the winds were so strong and rain is pouring all over us. it was really an experience to remember. something that i should cherish while i am still alive. this will serve as the oil to keep my faith burning!

life is something we should cherish. it has been a year since i visited a place i would really love to go and an event i would really want to attend. world youth day in madrid of august 2011.

here are some of my pics >>