High School Classmates Invading Dumaguete City (Part 1)

Welcome to Dumaguete City... Again!

It was another normal day when one of my old classmates from high school told that they will visit Dumaguete City on Friday. That was still last week, November 23, 2012. Friday came and I was still up in the wee hours of the morning banging my computer keyboards to meet some deadlines on my online job when they texted me that they already arrived in the city. I quickly shut down my laptop and hopped in my motorcycle and went to the pier. I saw them walking towards my former boarding house since it was near the pier. Anyhow, I only counted three classmates, all female. I was actually expecting five. They told me that the two had to cancel because of work and other ‘relevant’ stuff.

Humble Breakfast First

We headed first at the Tiangge (Market) to eat puto (rice cakes) and drink sekwate (native chocolate). There's nothing special about this because it's supposed to be a humble breakfast. :)

Exotic Breakfast Time

After we left their bags in my new boarding house/apartment, our first stop in their second visit in Dumaguete City was to eat horse meat and utok sa baboy (pork brains) for breakfast at JP’s! They were hesitant at first, but decided to go with the experience. And you know what? They loved it! One of them preferred the horse meat, while the others pork brains. I was even much happier since I was the one who finished all of the food. Free meals are always happy meals!

City Parade and Zip Lining

I for one know that I have a fear of heights, but I think I’m slowly overcoming it. It was already Saturday afternoon. I woke up so late around 3pm when I promised my friends that I would pick them up from the pier around lunch time since they went to the mysterious island of Siquijor the day before that.

Anyhow, I met them at the market where they were about to ride the jeepney going to where Tierra Alta is, although I forgot the name of the barangay. So Lyra and I rode my motorcycle while Jireh and Yayet (those are my classmates’ names by the way) rode the jeepney.

When we arrived at the top of the mountain resort, we handed out 200 pesos to the man in charge of the zip lining. This was the only time I spent money since they literally spent everything for me during the whole duration of their stay.

We hopped in the mini jeepney to the zip lining tower and I decided that I will ride in tandem with anyone, preferable someone small. So I chose Yayet naturally. It was my first time and I thought it was scary, but it was actually magical and awesome. The fact that you felt like flying, seeing those tiny trees hundreds of feet below waving at you – metaphorically – was something you don’t get to experience every day.

The ride was actually quick that it left me feel ‘hanging’ (unintentional pun there). After that, we went inside the resort and climbed the top of their lighthouse to enjoy the rest of the view of the mountains. Then took our last shots near the swimming pool and all four of us hopped in again to my small poor motorcycle (seriously, it was not easy maintaining four people riding around Dumaguete City for an entire weekend).

The Peryahan (Carnival)!

Since it was nearing the city fiesta, I made sure that I can bring my classmates to the ‘peryahan’. They practically paid for everything for me so I actually enjoyed that nigh even though I was really low in budget. Thanks guys!

We rode a total of 4 rides: 2 ferris wheels, 1 circle train thingy, and the octopus. This is the only carnival I know who offers deadly ferris wheel rides since the roller coaster is not scary enough to be a ‘WAOH!’ factor. But the best ride for that night was the Octopus! My partner for that ride was Lyra, since Yayet was mostly my partner that night and the zip lining the afternoon before that. It was a ride ‘for’ your life! And if you are easily dizzied, I suggest against it. Again, ferris wheels in Dumaguete City is deadly fun!

Chill Out Night

I was about to bring them to my home town in Bais City but decided against because I had to catch up for some deadlines on my online job which I don’t want to talk about. But my friends, who were real friends for that matter, decided to clean my whole room while they wait for me finish my assignments. I mean, who doesn’t want free room service? My room was transformed in less than two hours with the magic of a girl’s touch – in my case girls’ touches.

We ended our night chilling with my friends here in Dumaguete City, specifically at Escano beach wall, listening to reggae music at the nearby Tiki Bar.

Then we headed home and slept to wake up early the next day to visit Lake Balinsasayao!

We’ll continue with our adventure next time. So stay tuned in!

Enjoy these few pictures while I write part 2! (I learned a new word by the way: Keribells!)

Their first morning inside my apartment while waiting for their boat ride to Siquijor

Caught on camera!

Lyra so kill joy. No shouting?

My partner in every churvabells!

Breakfast at JP's: horse meat and pork brains

Just like in any commercial. This is my room after my classmates cleaned it.

My first zip lining

Worst face I ever made in my life!

Us fitting in my small motorcycle

This is how scary the Octopus is!

Chilling at Escano sea wall

Hilton, Novo, Benjoo, Jireh, Yayet, and Lyra

More pictures can be seen in this album: Dumaguete Invasion by Lyra

My New Kindle Fire (well, not that new anymore)

So back when I was still in the United States in New York with my mum, both my uncle and aunt from California visited us there and bought me a new Kindle Fire. That was still way back July 2012 mind you. Anyhow, my aunt said that she will buy me a pair of rubber shoes and then gave me fifty dollars. Then I had an idea. I told her that I will add my extra fifty that she gave if she will buy me a Nook Tablet, since I did not know about the other product that time. Another reason I wanted the Nook is because I always pay a visit at any Barnes and Nobles bookstore, and it is their ebook/tablet brand.

Before buying the tablet the next day, my older cousin back in my country suggested that the Kindle brand, specifically the Fire tablet is much better than the Nook. I read the reviews and it said that Nooks only function in the United States while the Fire works anywhere. The day came when my uncle gave me a Best Buy gift card worth a hundred dollars and I bought my very own Kindle.

So far, I’m enjoying this cheap little tablet (if you consider 9k pesos cheap). It can pretty much do anything an iPad or Galaxy can, like reading, music, video, apps; except for anything that has to do with cameras. A big plus to this gadget is that it is so helpful in my Dungeons and Dragons game since I don’t or rarely bring my laptop anymore to our sessions to read rule books.

The only thing I hated about this piece of machine is the app store. Since the Kindle brand is owned by Amazon.com, all apps, even though it is using Android, must be bought or downloaded from their own store. Well, it doesn’t seem like a problem at first but you have to have a credit card account in order to use their app store, which I don’t have. Good thing I’m good at googling and I managed to bypass this little or maybe big problem.

The battery life of this gadget is also pretty long. I’ve been using this one for a week without charging. Well, maybe since I’ve been using it for reading mostly. The internet browser is also pretty good and fast since I’ve been downloading apps from it, except that it has no BlueTooth connection which kind of sucked. The sound system and screen is pretty crisp too.

If there is one thing I didn’t like it when I bought it is this: they did not include a free usb connector to your computer. I don’t know if they forgot about this or they literally did it on purpose. Well I can understand the reason for this since this tablet is cheap compared to its competitors, but this is still not an excuse from a machine which can store music and videos and other files.

Here’s a picture of my little baby:

Buy the Kindle Fire if you are not into big bulky tablets. Plus, your laptop or computer already has a webcam, you will just be needing the tablet for little apps.

They thought I was awesome.

It all started when I approached the customers’ table to ask “Are we doing well?”

(There were 10 customers, all foreign, from Equador, Spain, Japan, China, American, and Jamaica, who thought to try out Filipino cuisine that day)

They replied with a “The food was really good.” Then the meat of the story really began here.

The American woman and the Spanish guy asked what we used to cook the “Adobong Pusit”, and why it is so black because they really liked it.

(To clarify, I spent the first 30 minutes of my shift as a waiter reading the whole menu cover to cover and understanding their ingredients and how it was prepared)

This is what I explained, “We used its natural ink to give its flavor, and then we used the spices used in the original adobo, which is pork, to cook it. Most Filipino kids really like this dish especially when they show each other’s blackened teeth.”

Then one of them asked, “My friends told me that if I get the chance to visit Philippines, I should eat your duck eggs. Why is that?”

“Then you’ve heard about our ‘balot’.” I replied, “It is one of our famous exotic food in our country. It is made from fertilized duck eggs.”

“So there really is a formed chick inside?” the foreigner’s face was both in awe and disgust.

“Yes.” I nodded, “But it comes in different types, depending on how long, in days, they were fertilized. The ‘balot’ penoy has the shortest fertilization days, although I’m not sure how many. The yolk inside has not yet really formed into a chick but is already different from a regular egg yolk. The second type is the ’14-day balot’. Just like its namesake, it took 14 days for the egg to fertilize and the chick has already formed into an embryo-ish look. I don’t much about it since I’m not fond of them.

“The third one is the ’16-day balot’. The embryo inside has already matured a bit since it’s a little bit bigger than the previous one’s. But the best thing about this type of ‘balot’ is its soup. ’16-days’ has the most soup of the ‘balots’, as far as I know though. You will really enjoy it if you put vinegar, preferably cane vinegar, in the soup and a sprinkle of salt, preferably rock salt. The mixture of both saltiness and sourness makes it really enjoyable.

“The last one I know of is the ’18-day balot’. The chick here is already matured to the point that it already has bones, a beak, feet, claws, and feathers. But the chick is still so soft that it actually breaks if you push it with your finger. This is the usual favorite for grown men (You can really see their disgust and amazement in their faces in this part).

After I explained to them WHAT a ‘balot’ is, I then immediately explained HOW to enjoy it.

“The best way to eat a ‘balot’ is during night time, including late afternoon and dawn.”

“Why is that?” they asked.

“Because we find it gross if we eat it during breakfast and lunch.” Then they laughed at the irony.

I continued, “I’m really not sure why we eat it at late hours, maybe because we really can’t see what’s inside.” They nodded in agreement.

Then the Chinese woman asked why the vegetable mix with the okra tasted good too.

“Ah, you must be referring to ‘Utan Bisaya’. The term originally came from the Visayas region of the country (then I quickly explained to them Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao), hence Bisaya. This region, our region, is basically split into two major dialects: Cebuano and Hiligaynon (I forgot that there was still Waray), and the ‘Utan Bisaya’ is mostly eaten by the Visayans.

“‘Utan Bisaya’ is actually a mix of summer vegetables, cooked in boiling water and a little bit of salt. Their simple presentation lets you taste the native life of a Visayan, simple and laid back. Most kids really hate eating this since their parents force them to, but as you grow older, you will come to miss and appreciate it, just like me.”

“I really like how you used curry to flavor your beef, and the beef is really soft.” The American woman complimented.

“That’s Kare-kare.” I said, “And it’s not curry. That’s ground peanut or peanut butter.”

“Peanuts? Nice.”

Then I asked, “Do you have more questions?”

“Yes,” asked the Spanish guy, “Can you tell us about the Spaniards?”

“Do you want to hear the good story or the bad story?” They laughed.

“Both.”

So I quickly summarized to them about Magellan and how he met his death in the hands of our native hero (although I did not mention the ‘hero’ word and apologized about Magellan’s death). Then I used the lessons that we’ve learned in our history class about how the Spaniards enslaved us for 333 years, then passed on to the Americans, then finally ended in our independence.

“I noticed that your dishes have really different tastes, unlike Indian or Thai or the Vietnamese who almost serves all their food spicy.” one of them said.

“Ah yes,” I explained, “That’s because of the different races that colonized us or have traded with us, like Chinese, Malays, the Spaniards, and the Americans. If you have remembered your history lessons, the reason why foreigners voyaged to the Philippines in the past is that because our country is one of the famed Spice Islands. And spice was a very lucrative business back then. But due to the mixed culture that entered our country, we, Filipinos, have ‘filipinized’ some of their culinary techniques. Hence, the different flavors of our dishes. We actually borrowed the best of both worlds – east and west.

“Since I’m already explaining this one to you, if you will get your menus and open to the very last pages, you can actually read about our different culinary techniques per region. (I was actually holding an open menu in front of them while explaining everything I remembered without looking at the menu, like a PowerPoint presentation, or preaching)”

They all really paid attention while I was explaining quickly and clearly.

“As I have said before, Philippines is divided into three main islands. From north to south, we have Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

“Luzon is divided into four major culinary regions. First we have the Northern Luzon. Northern Luzon is where you will meet one of our ethnic groups; those that wear G-strings every day. As a side note, if you happen to visit our country, visit Baguio. You will see this ethnic group, called the Ifugaos, build and ride wooden scooters downhill. It’s really nice seeing them riding their scooters in steep downhill roads. I would like to try it, but decided not to since there is a chance you might ‘die’ from the experience (they laughed).

“Anyhow, Northern Luzon region likes cooking their food mostly with shrimp paste, known in our language as ‘bagoong’ or ‘uyap’. Their meat of choice is mostly poultry and they are fond of soup, mostly from home-grown vegetables.

“Next we have Central Luzon. This region is where our country’s capital is located. So by definition, most of their foods are prepared fancy and are heavily borrowed by other cultures. This region is heavy on meat, especially pork and beef.

“Next we have Southern Luzon. This region is known for their heavy use on tamarind for their soup. Tamarind is also known as ‘sinigang’, hence the dishes ‘sinigang na baboy, manok, or isda’. They also developed the artificial way of culturing milk fish or ‘bangus’ (although I wasn’t sure about this, but I know I read it somewhere).

“Next we have Bicol. But let’s skip this part since I don’t know much about them (they laughed).

“Next we have the Visayan region, my region. Visayans in the past were mostly fishermen, since farmers can’t really farm a lot here because of our really split islands, unlike Luzon and Mindanao which are really big islands. But Visayas are famously known for its beautiful beaches. Our beaches are on par with the beaches you know in the Bahamas, especially Boracay. If you have the budget, Boracay is definitely a place to visit.

“Anyhow, Visayans mostly eat vegetables, fish, and pork, especially ‘Humba’, my personal favorite.

“If you turn to the pork section of the menu, you will see ‘humba’. On the last paragraph, you can read that this dish is a popular food among ‘Cebuanos’ and is dominantly seen in ‘fiestas’. The best part about ‘humba’ is that since we didn’t have fridges in the past, Visayans cook the pork, mostly pork knuckles, using its own fat. Humba was discovered because of this technique. Humba is never ‘humba’ if it has no fat, that’s my personal opinion though. This preserving technique is called ‘kupos’, while the act of doing ‘kupos’ is ‘pinakupsan’ or ‘kupsan’. The best part of this cooking technique is its shelf life. A humba cooked using ‘pinakupsan’ can last up to 6 months ‘un-fridged’ (They nodded in a ‘not bad’ manner). I can attest to this because I have eaten a four-month old humba.”

“But I can see that the humba is so full of calories. You might have health problems if you keep eating them regularly.” said the Spanish guy.

“Sir, I rather die a happy man, than die a healthy man.” was my impromptu witty answer. Then the Jamaican gave me a high five in agreement (maybe because he smokes weed. Hehe. Call me racist).

Then I ended the discussion about Mindanao. How they are divided into two main groups: Christian (mostly Catholics) and Muslim. And jokingly told them about how it’s famous for its rebel terrorist groups. But I did not go into details.

“So did you enjoy our small tour?” I asked after I concluded the topic.

They thanked me a lot, and even took their pictures with me. I was flattered of course but enjoyed the moment, and even invited me to their future activities. I declined respectfully.

The Spanish even asked me if I was the manager. Seriously? And then complimented me that I will become the manager soon (please don’t spread this). I just nodded and smiled.

Then the American woman told me to call the manager himself and said these exact words, “Thank you for the experience, because he was awesome.”

I AM AWESOME! I thought. THE AWESOMEST COMPLIMENT I EVER HAD!

As I was waiting for my final shift schedule that night, my co-worker, a waiter, complimented. “We’re definitely keeping you after what you did.”

“Just doing my job.” I said politely.

The manager came back, telling me that I’m hired and to keep up the good work. He gave me two rest days after today. Instant rest day? Cool! 

P.S. I strongly recommend dining in our restaurant. 'Payag', a redefined Filipino restaurant. New York's most famous Filipino restaurant. Come here during Saturday nights where the rock bands rock!

I strongly recommend 'Bulalo Steak'. It's still Bulalo, but without the soup, and with a kiss of spiciness. It's really big and is good for two if with rice, or solo with no rice.

Pilgrimage to New York

Here I am in Queens, New York. My mum required me to come here as part of my 1-year contract as single before I get married. LoL.

My coming here was an adventure, especially the videos about exploring Manhattan. I've learned so much just within a day. It's really true that the more you travel, the more you get educated.

I still have 5 months more to go before I come back home. So, might enjoy each day with something new.

Pilgrimage to New York part 1

Pilgrimage to New York part 2

Pilgrimage to New York part 3

Pilgrimage to New York part 4

Pilgrimage to New York part 5

Pilgrimage to New York part 6

Pilgrimage to New York part 7

Pilgrimage to New York part 8

Pilgrimage to New York part 9

Pilgrimage to New York part 10

Pilgrimage to New York part 11

Pilgrimage to New York part 12

Pilgrimage to New York part 13

Pilgrimage to New York part 14

Pilgrimage to New York part 15

Pilgrimage to New York part 16

The Book of Inspiration

When I was a kid back in high school, I was searching for a good fantasy book in National Bookstore inside Ayala Center, Cebu. I was not satisfied with the selections available, until I came upon a single blue book (The last stock). It read Eragon at the front and a funny drawing of a blue dragon. I read the summary at the back. It’s about a young farm boy who happens to stumble upon a blue dragon egg whom he nurtured in secret, until the day came when his family was killed by a group of insect-like men. Their town storyteller helps him escape from his would-be murderers and trains him in the way of the dragon riders.

Then I saw the price, P499. I gave it a go and gave it to the cashier.

I read it immediately when I got home, and I was stuck. The book was colorfully written by a young boy of 15 (actually he started writing it at 15 but finished it at 19). His name is Christopher Paolini, an aspiring writer who was a big fan of Lord of the Rings and decided to make his own fantasy world come true, and it really happened. It was then and there that I was inspired to pursue and hone my writing skills until one day I can be like him (I’m still not good in writing).

I do have my own fantasy world that I want published some day, but I still need to practice writing some more and at least know the advance steps of the fantasy genre. Unlike Paolini who had writers as parents, I don’t have that luxury, plus I don’t have a writing degree, so I’m just doing this out of experience and constant practice. Plus, I read and pick up some techniques the authors have used in their books.

Anyhow, I’m still on my quest to master the art of fantasy. Maybe that’s the reason why I love playing Dungeons and Dragons all the time.

By the way, the author has already completed the whole cycle of the story. There are four books under the Inheritance cycle: Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance. I need the fourth one to complete the set.

The exact book I saw in the bookstore that day

The author

Unexpected Getaway

There I was, dealing with a customer on the sunny streets of Dumaguete City when suddenly my mobile phone prompted me about a text message. I checked my phone after my business transaction and read the following message: “Hi… Fiesta man dira sa inyuha noh? Mang invite ka? (Hi… You’re celebrating your fiesta in your place right? Are you inviting me?)”

I replied, “Uhm, sure? But I’m not sure if I can actually take you for lunch or dinner because we’re not preparing any food.”

“That’s okay,” Lyra replied, “We’ll find something fun to do.”

“Sure. Come here on a Friday since Friday nights are the best nights here to have fun.”

And we ended the conversation.

It was Monday then and I had to go back to my hometown, Cebu City, to follow up some business and visit my dad. I stayed in my cousin’s house for the entire duration and played ‘Skyrim’ most of the time. I caught up with a few high school friends and spent some time with them.

Now let’s discuss the sweet stuff.

Friday came and it was time for me and my cousin to go back to Dumaguete, but we were not traveling alone. Four of my high school classmates (Actually they were only three. One of them was somehow adapted to the batch unofficially), all girls, joined us in the bus that morning at 6 o’clock. They were very excited, or so I think, about the trip – with the fact that it will be the first time for three of the four girls to visit my ‘hometown’. So it’s up to me and the help of my cousin to entertain them and give them the best one-night-vacation experience of their lives.

We arrived in Dumaguete around ten o’clock in the morning and helped them checked-in their bags at a nearby inn. They took their baths to freshen themselves up while I took the opportunity to get some nice shut eye in one of the beds. If I’m not mistaken, my cousin was playing his ukulele.

Then we ate lunch at Gabby’s Bistro inside Florentina Homes in Bantayan and I ordered my favorite, cheesy chicken rice bowl, while my friends ordered adobo, Cajun chicken fingers, curry, and pork belly. It was very expensive for a meal, but nonetheless worth it since our stomachs was fully loaded.

We also ate our dinner at El Amigo’s where we ordered their barbecue plate, an olive-oil soaked pizza, and their red cucumber citrus gin juice with salty shot glasses. We ended the night with a good measure of tempura and balot.

The next day, Saturday, were – according to the girls – their best time of their lives, so far. So basically what I did was bring the four of them to the Silliman Student Center and let them rent our cute girly bikes with matching bells and a basket, and let them spend their whole afternoon biking around the city. Although tiring, and sometimes deadly (due to the fact that we bike in the middle of the highway and two of the girls are so slow), it was altogether a very fun and new experience to all of us.

After that, it was my cousin’s turn to tour them around the music college and let them enjoy a night of jazz and blues – jazz and blues rehearsals. Pretty much that’s it. Oh yeah, we ate our final meal at Manang Siony’s barbecue house and I finally had the guts to ask the old lady if her name is really Manang Siony. I was right.

Here’s some of the pictures they took while they were here:

Onion rings anyone?

Me and Yayet riding the tandem bike. Yayet is crying.

Olive-oil soaked pizza

Us in the boat going to Dumaguete

Lalai smiling in the middle of traffic and being inconsiderate to the car drivers. hehe

Us strolling in the boulevard one afternoon

Our night of tempura and balot and a little bit of 'Hey Jude'

Tasty green mangoes with sweet shrimp paste. Mouth-watering.

My cousin mixing the cucumber gin juice

My cousin, me, and Lalai. Lalai is obviously oblivious about this shot.

Typical friends walking in the pier, probably talking about girls.

Taking a quick picture under the heat of the sun.

Dimple making fun of me while I fell asleep texting my girlfriend.

Bike-riding afternoon inside Silliman campus and along the highway (soon to be facing big buses and trucks)

Walking along the boulevard

More pictures can be seen in these album:
Thanksgiving Getaway
Dumaguete Uno
Dumaguete Dos

A Jacket and a Box of Doughnuts

So here I am typing this because I really don't know what to do. Anyhow, I'm beside my cousin watching some Facebook pictures. It's nearly four o'clock in the morning and both of us are not planning to sleep until then since we're going to leave our hometown once again to go back to Dumaguete City (our bus leaves at six). We recently played Heroes of Newerth and we only won two games out of ten I think. We're a bit frustrated by our gaming skills, or maybe we are really frustrated.

I just went to Ayala Mall awhile ago - more like seven hours ago - to meet my college classmate and buy a dozen of original glazed doughnuts from Krispy Kremes, but unfortunately they were sold out. My friend suggested that I just walk towards IT Park in Lahug since there was another franchise there. Basically, I literally walked towards there, which took me around almost half an hour. Luckily they had a boat load of original glazed/s there. I was happy since my sister and girlfriend can now enjoy the world-famous doughnut melting in their mouths. Hehe.

Since I don't have a camera, here's a picture of an original glazed doughnut from Krispy Kremes. :)