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Showing posts from May, 2011

paradise no more

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a post marking the "spot" what's 10,564 km from Canada, 2,990 km from Japan, 1,116 km from Hong Kong and 9,882 from Germany? the famous sunset of boracay, framed by the islets near station 1 if you find exactly that spot then you're probably standing somewhere in Station 3, Boracay, an island part of Malay town in Aklan, Philippines. most people know boracay to be the pattaya or bali of the philippines. which isn't really a good thing. ride one of these vinta's and go on a tour around the island without bias or prejudice, boracay has the better beach that is famous for its sugary fine white sand. let me make a small correction, the beach is just a small fraction why the place is famous with tourists all over the world. another sunset view imagine 24 hour hedonism geared towards worshiping the sun and the bronzed bodies that parade in all state of undress. boracay is a temple devoted to sun worship and the gorgeous pagans that share the g

following a fishy trail in danao

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an array of boats, smallest to the biggest :) on your way up north of cebu, make sure you drop by the DANAO fish port to get super fresh catch of the day (that is, if you can be there at 4AM - 6AM) at literally a quarter of the price. my good friends :) - now you understand why they charged us double. blame it on lea, gerry and ron who look just as foreign as me! on the other hand, if you're on your way to any resort heading to the northern towns of the island, you can also drop by the fishport, proceed to the second level and prepare to follow a gustatory buffet and array of food featuring the fresh catch of the day. very very affordable. just make sure you wear a couple of grease streaks on your face and be ready to speak in the vernacular, otherwise the price go up for a slight "adjustment" for the tourists. for a while, the people got startled to hear a japanese looking hairy arab speak in visayan. except that i still have the dang ilonggo accent! grrrr. i k

Little Bits of Paradise in Tabogon

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some of the local kids hamming it up by the spring ask any cebuano about what they know of tabogon and some wouln't even be able to pinpoint it in the map. for most, it is one of many coastal towns on their way to san remigio, or daan bantayan before they get on a boat for the more popular bantayan islands. so you probably understand why i was hesitant to go to tabogon when an officemate asked me if i wanted to spend the weekend in their town. it doesn't help that the town offers very minimal options where to stay. at the end, my curiosity got the better of me as I've never really fully explored the northern part of the province and i thought that this would be a good opportunity to discover more of my adopted home. i hope i can share my joy in discovering little bits of paradise called tabogon through these pictures. the inviting Fresh Water Spring of Guiwanon guiwanon flows into a stream that goes into the ocean, mangroves frame the sides of the stream

gym (b)rats

there are four distinct cliques in my gym. the bratty college kids on a summer break who go around in packs and seem to be preoccupied with talking more than working out. i hate how they think they own the joint and sit on benches while the ones who want to use the machines have to wait. i don't want to sound snotty, but i definitely paid more than their bloody student summer rates to use the gym. the other group is made up of "athletes". boxer-wanna-be, stationary cyclists, road runners. the ones who raise their shirts in a snap to admire their abs and talk about their next cycling activity, the next marathon, the next basketball game. often they flock around the tv to catch the latest NBA game. they also have the annoying habit of hanging out in the spinning room to chat up the instructor, never mind that we're in the middle of a class. the worst offenders join the cardio classes, do mocking attempt at following the teacher, laugh out loud at their "feigned

A Perverted Pinocchio Tale

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harold camping of FamilyRadio.com - May 11, 2011 Rapture Prediction if for every lie, pinocchio's prick would expand, harold camping could easily have the longest dick in the known universe. as it is, he's probably the biggest DICK in the world. at least for those that believed his rapture story and went ahead and quit their jobs and went on a euphoric acid trip believing that May 21, 2011, at exactly 6:00PM, the rapture will happen and signal the end of the world. seriously, it can't happen that soon. the expiration on my Coke Zero can said June 15, 2011 and I still have to watch the last episode of Oprah and let Americans make the biggest mistake of voting for the worst American Idol season winner of all time. i sat through mass during the Saturday, May 11, 2011 6:00PM anticipated schedule. if there was anyone who was going to suddenly dissipate and rise to heaven, it would have to be the priest standing in the pulpit in front of all the sinners. guess what

santorini, cebu

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it started with a conversation. i told amale i wanted to go to bellaroca in marinduque as i was fascinated with the way they patterned the resort's design with that of santorini, greece. i was drooling at the thought of taking pictures and probably spending half the cost if i really booked myself a trip to greece. without missing a beat, she told me to head north of cebu and check out catmon and the resorts that line the coast for a close approximation of the Mediterranean look. that got me curious and i was able to convince a couple of friends to book ourselves in huna huna, a resort right at the border of carmen and catmon, 47 kilometers away from cebu city. the way amale described it, rooms face the camotes sea, lovely view of the sunrise, and rates that won't render you bankrupt. there are very few people whose taste i trust and amale is one of those. we almost drove past the entrance of the resort that was situated right by the side of the road with a sign that