It's a quick trip to Bacolod for leg 2 of our Vismin tour and my first time to step foot in the land of smiles as sweet as their sugar. Arrived at Silay Domestic Airport at approx. 4:40 PM after an EE (exceeds-expectations) flight from Zest Air. :)
Bacolod is gorgeous at first sight. Greetings for the landing plane were beautiful fields of sugar cane. I've never seen more organized farmland. It's different from Batad's awe inspiring terraces, in the sense that it's just this expanse of green green GREEN fields with so many crisscrossing lines for paths. Its like a giant jigsaw puzzle!
First stop from the airport was EL IDEAL, a local bakery and pasalubong shop in Silay. Their guapple pie was cinnamon-y crisp, with a buttery flaky crust. It made me miss the guapple pie of Breadbox (+), the old cafe across Saguijo.
Then we set off for our hotel to check in and settle our stuff and ourselves. El Fisher is nice enough; spacious rooms, comfy beds, nice large baths, scalding hot water in the shower. It's a bit "old" though, but employees can't be choosy! Haha!
Dinner was at MANUKAN COUNTRY, right across SM City Bacolod (giving us our first glimpse of the next day's epic mall show venue). It's this truly local row of restos that served the specialty of province. We had (of course) inasal manok, (Petcho please!) and surprisingly, roaster oysters! The oysters were yuuuuummy! And huge!
Then, we went to Calea for desserts, this happy cake cafe across our hotel. I had a cup of good Cafe Americano and a slice of heavenly White Chocolate Cheesecake with strawberry jam of the side... do I have to say it was delicious?
So day one ended with an extremely full stomach, just as day two was beginning in the very wee hours of the morn. With a wake-up call of 4:30 in the friggin morning, day two's palengke tour was a resounding success that ended with a well-deserved culmination at Pendy's, the pasalubong shop.
I spent too much on food again. Because there were cheese tarts and mango tarts and butterscotch squares and piayas and too many other things to be had! The pasalubongs, of course, was the cause of the miraculous multiplication of baggage (flew in to Bacolod with 2, flew out with 4).
The rest of the trip was basically work-laden so nothing interesting there anymore. Overall, my first ever Bacolod trip was a foodie's dream come true. Thanks, City of smiles for the great "escape". I'll be back, hopefully on more relaxed terms. :)
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Get Busy Living
Disclaimer: I've been meaning to write this post for a while now. Still finding the right words so this particular entry is a work in progress.
I remember when I first saw The Shawshank Redemption in laser disc waaay back when... I found it to be such a game changer. It shook the limits of my youngling, spoiled-brat paradigm and introduced harsh truths like corruption, injustice and the cruelty of the power hungry. I was watching a masterpiece, one that would transcend time and age. I knew if I saw it again later in life, the film would still have a profound effect.
I was right.
One miraculously slow weekend, while surfing SKY's digibox channels, I stumbled upon the opening credits of The Shawshank Redemption on HBO. As its been more than 15 years since my original viewing of the feature, the cable recap was like watching the movie for the first time all over again. This time though, a line Andy Dufresne said to Red in their last prison yard discussion struck me most. Andy was talking about what he'd do once he got out of prison; move to Mexico, build a hotel by the beach, buy an old boat and fix her up to take guests out fishing... Red took the realist's road, bursting Andy's bubble early so he won't get his hopes up too high. To that, Andy's last words were "I guess it comes down to a simple choice really. Get busy living or get busy dying." then he walks away.
Red feared Andy meant to commit suicide. He seemed to have lost his hope, his patience and his marbles, and Red seemed to have lost his friend in the conversation. But of course, we know its to the contrary. Andy was just putting the last finishing touches to his escape plan, in hopes that his friend would remember their last conversation so they could meet again beyond the walls of Shawshank. Andy refused to let the dreary prison life bring him down, and he tried as best he could to infect his best friend with his hope.
Get busy living was his choice because the walls enclosing him were not the limits of the life he wanted to live. Get busy living because dying is way too simple... and easy. Get busy living because life is good and is meant to be experienced to the fullest every damn day.
I choose to get busy living.
I was right.
One miraculously slow weekend, while surfing SKY's digibox channels, I stumbled upon the opening credits of The Shawshank Redemption on HBO. As its been more than 15 years since my original viewing of the feature, the cable recap was like watching the movie for the first time all over again. This time though, a line Andy Dufresne said to Red in their last prison yard discussion struck me most. Andy was talking about what he'd do once he got out of prison; move to Mexico, build a hotel by the beach, buy an old boat and fix her up to take guests out fishing... Red took the realist's road, bursting Andy's bubble early so he won't get his hopes up too high. To that, Andy's last words were "I guess it comes down to a simple choice really. Get busy living or get busy dying." then he walks away.
Red feared Andy meant to commit suicide. He seemed to have lost his hope, his patience and his marbles, and Red seemed to have lost his friend in the conversation. But of course, we know its to the contrary. Andy was just putting the last finishing touches to his escape plan, in hopes that his friend would remember their last conversation so they could meet again beyond the walls of Shawshank. Andy refused to let the dreary prison life bring him down, and he tried as best he could to infect his best friend with his hope.
Get busy living was his choice because the walls enclosing him were not the limits of the life he wanted to live. Get busy living because dying is way too simple... and easy. Get busy living because life is good and is meant to be experienced to the fullest every damn day.
I choose to get busy living.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Life Lessons
No one lives the ideal life. There will always be something wrong, something crappy, something blue and something nasty happening every other day. Shit happening on a near-daily basis is a fact of life; its how we deal with the shit that makes the difference.
Despite it all, be thankful. Whether its for a piece of bread passed over the table, the pre-opened door, or the 14-month paycheck your boss decided to award you on Christmas, say thank you. Even the tiniest of actions deserve gratitude.
Smile. Besides triggering endorphin production and less stress on facial muscles, smiling is the easiest way to make a day brighter. A generally happy disposition is better than a sour one any day.
Whining gets you nowhere. Don't get me wrong, though. A good rant every now and then is a great way to ease up tension and release pent up anger. But don't be a whiner. Nobody likes the negastar.
Breathe and be centered for a few. Watching TV (talking to self here) doesn't count. Goofing off with your dog (again talking to self here) doesn't either. Yoga once a week, though, does! Goojab, girls!
And, the latest from Chris G... Never save it for later. Do things now, while we're young and able. There's no point putting things off (like writing a quick blog entry) for another day, because you just never know when the other days will end. What we have is the here and now. Make damn well use of it.
Despite it all, be thankful. Whether its for a piece of bread passed over the table, the pre-opened door, or the 14-month paycheck your boss decided to award you on Christmas, say thank you. Even the tiniest of actions deserve gratitude.
Smile. Besides triggering endorphin production and less stress on facial muscles, smiling is the easiest way to make a day brighter. A generally happy disposition is better than a sour one any day.
Whining gets you nowhere. Don't get me wrong, though. A good rant every now and then is a great way to ease up tension and release pent up anger. But don't be a whiner. Nobody likes the negastar.
Breathe and be centered for a few. Watching TV (talking to self here) doesn't count. Goofing off with your dog (again talking to self here) doesn't either. Yoga once a week, though, does! Goojab, girls!
And, the latest from Chris G... Never save it for later. Do things now, while we're young and able. There's no point putting things off (like writing a quick blog entry) for another day, because you just never know when the other days will end. What we have is the here and now. Make damn well use of it.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Tonight I Write
... because I haven't written anything... serious... in a while.
And I thought I'd be able to write something now... but Kim's Fairytale Wedding is distracting me.
Idiotic guilty pleasure. Grrr.
And I thought I'd be able to write something now... but Kim's Fairytale Wedding is distracting me.
Idiotic guilty pleasure. Grrr.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
You will be mine
 |
| Lela Rose Summer 2011 for Payless |
Yeah, yeah. I know I fall in love all too easily with shoes but MAN when I saw this one at the Trinoma branch... it was love at first sight.
I swear! I keep thinking about it. I worry that someone else might have gotten my size already. I check and make sure its still there in every branch I visit (Rockwell and Megamall still had my size in my last trip to the mall). I put it on just to make me feel better. I LOVE IT! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
*sigh*
Lord, someday, I hope to write something similar to this post, but hopefully the subject of interest will be a living, breathing person of the opposite sex. Wish ko lang ma-in-love na. Please. Let it happen soon.
Ktnxbye.
Monday, October 10, 2011
The Good
I took a cab home late one evening. I was coming from a late night in the office and followed my mom's advice to take EDSA-Q.Ave instead of the shortcuts we normally use to avoid traffic. Smart move; apparently, EDSA's empty when its past 11 o'clock on Thursday nights so my trip home was nearly "stop" free.
There was a bit of a build-up on Q.Ave-Araneta, though. That danged bottleneck of an underpass construction can cause a jam even in the wee hours of the morn. Sigh.
So there we were, Kuya Driver and me. Him humming along to the 90's OPM of his station of choice, and me slumped on the backseat, too tired to make small talk. I was looking out my window, trying to figure out how we could advance in the bottleneck faster. I may not drive, but I do know how to get ahead in the world.
Then I noticed a man in a "wheelchair" on the road's shoulder, just about beside my cabbie. I place "wheelchair" under quotations because the shabby, rickety old thing he was on barely looked like one, with a few parts missing here and there. He was rolling himself along with only one hand because he was trying to steady the small rack of wood-made bracelets atop his lap with the other. His wares, obviously. He was probably a vendor, on his way home from a long day of work, too, and one-handedly struggle to get there.
But observant me wasn't the only one who took notice of Kuya Vendor. There was a bunch of thin, rugged looking teens on the sidewalk almost beside my cab. There were three boys with hoodlum-looking hairstyles and tattered shirts, and a girl with a wild laugh and shorts that show almost everything. They didn't look like the best crowd to be around on a bad day, what more at past 11 on the road? Those who pass through this side of the city know its riddled with the slums.
One of the teenage boys took notice of Kuya Vendor likely around the same time I saw him, and he slowly swaggered up behind him, his friends following only with a squinted gaze.
I was about to protest and call Kuya Driver's attention for help when the boy took the wheelchair's handles and started to help Kuya vendor push himself on the bumpy construction of Q.Ave-Araneta.
In my head, his intro was "Para makauwi na po kayo agad." ("So you can get home faster.")
Kuya vendor himself was obviously startled at first, but the smile that lit his face after a half-second later than made up for the jolt. The boy had no bad intent at all. He was only lending a helping hand to a weary man on his way home.
The world is awesome and filled with the good. We live in a world full of good people, they're found even in the places you least expect. I am honored to have witnessed that moment.
There was a bit of a build-up on Q.Ave-Araneta, though. That danged bottleneck of an underpass construction can cause a jam even in the wee hours of the morn. Sigh.
So there we were, Kuya Driver and me. Him humming along to the 90's OPM of his station of choice, and me slumped on the backseat, too tired to make small talk. I was looking out my window, trying to figure out how we could advance in the bottleneck faster. I may not drive, but I do know how to get ahead in the world.
Then I noticed a man in a "wheelchair" on the road's shoulder, just about beside my cabbie. I place "wheelchair" under quotations because the shabby, rickety old thing he was on barely looked like one, with a few parts missing here and there. He was rolling himself along with only one hand because he was trying to steady the small rack of wood-made bracelets atop his lap with the other. His wares, obviously. He was probably a vendor, on his way home from a long day of work, too, and one-handedly struggle to get there.
But observant me wasn't the only one who took notice of Kuya Vendor. There was a bunch of thin, rugged looking teens on the sidewalk almost beside my cab. There were three boys with hoodlum-looking hairstyles and tattered shirts, and a girl with a wild laugh and shorts that show almost everything. They didn't look like the best crowd to be around on a bad day, what more at past 11 on the road? Those who pass through this side of the city know its riddled with the slums.
One of the teenage boys took notice of Kuya Vendor likely around the same time I saw him, and he slowly swaggered up behind him, his friends following only with a squinted gaze.
I was about to protest and call Kuya Driver's attention for help when the boy took the wheelchair's handles and started to help Kuya vendor push himself on the bumpy construction of Q.Ave-Araneta.
In my head, his intro was "Para makauwi na po kayo agad." ("So you can get home faster.")
Kuya vendor himself was obviously startled at first, but the smile that lit his face after a half-second later than made up for the jolt. The boy had no bad intent at all. He was only lending a helping hand to a weary man on his way home.
The world is awesome and filled with the good. We live in a world full of good people, they're found even in the places you least expect. I am honored to have witnessed that moment.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
In memoriam: The Man In Black
I know very little about Steve Jobs. I just know him as the college drop out who challenged the world to think differently, opened minds to take risks, built the Apple empire and came out with the most beautiful, sleek, I-don't-care-what-you-think brand in the whole universe: Mac.
Veering away from PC's functionality (though there's absolutely nothing wrong with functionality), MAC brought beauty to the world of technology. It was the first brand to proudly say, "Look at me, I'm pretty and pretty smart all at the same time." and it was brilliant.
MAC brought back the power of the niche. While everyone else was going for the masses, Mac took on the market no one dared mess with: the innovators with the buying power. They're the damned hardest crowd to please and they all fell in love with the brand, and with the man who brought the brand to life.
My real marketing career started with the Mac. Back in '05, I was this silly little girl with a dream to be an influencer, and the brand makers of Beach Hut took me under their wing. They had an amazing passion the brand they'd created and it stemmed from the inspiration of Steve Jobs. Dennis was already a Mac user, he had purchased the giant 3rd gen iMac for us office minions to use and get creative with. Myles taught me the wily tricks of the trade on that iMac; how to force-quit, how to tab thru applications, how to scroll with the amazing mighty mouse, how to appreciate the wondrous simplicity of technology as the Mac does everything else for you behind its pretty white frame. Kelvin introduced me to the wonders of other Apple products, namely the iPod. It plays music without CD or cassette?!? AMAZING!
They were my Mac godfathers: Kelvin, Myles and Dennis. And I'm superbly lucky to have been mentored by three of best apple users in the country, because they didn't just teach me how to use the mac; they taught me its roots, what it stands for, how something so simple can be so beautiful all at the same time, and about the man behind the genius of it all.
They were the first three people I SMS'd when I heard the news.
Rest well, Sir. You've done an excellent job and you deserve your peace. Thank you for everything.
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