Some Things Never Change

On a quiet Good Friday afternoon, I was peacefully taking my slumber when I woke up to a loud sound of bickering naggers. It was Ivy and Oli, my siblings, fighting over the internet turn.While I was extremely upset at the time, for taking away the most precious thing from me (sleep), I can't help thinking that some things never change. Having siblings is favorable because I got mates by default. But sometimes, I can't help but think that it's not so favorable because I got mates by default. Other than putting up with their immaturity, we always had something to bicker about, it never gets old. When we were kids, it was the TV. On our teenage years, it was the landline phone. And now, the internet!  We have no wifi router, and these two have been planning to get one. They asked me to share the expense but I declined because I didn't feel the need for it, if there ever is, it's on weekends and holidays, on times when we're all at home. On weekdays, I have no competition on morning (which is my only free time anyway), and most of the time, I don't have the energy to stay in front of the computer (heck! I'm in front of a PC all the time at work!). Anyway, the bickering of these two O's (Ivy's real name is Olivia) didn't stop there, they did it again on Black Saturday and on Day of Valour (Monday, April 9). They are getting on my nerves! I am happy that our family got together for a long weekend, but then I realized that being together also meant slashing my peaceful time at home. Oh hello rowdy people! Despite that, I am still very grateful.

Mayon Encounter in 3 Days

My family owns a hard copy of Reader's Digest Natural Wonders of the World. My siblings and I frequently browsed the book when were younger, and I remember competing with my brother Oliver in flagging our own territories. The game is pretty simple, I'd choose a place that I want to go to, if I have chosen it first, it's mine and that means he can't go there. Silly game, but the book was one of the early roots of my interest in traveling. It was published in 1988. At the time, only one entry from the Philippines made it to the book, and you guessed it right (thanks to my spoiler title), only Mt. Mayon was featured from the Philippines. While my recent trip to Bicol was really all about Butanding (whale shark) watching, I am just as excited to see this majestic beauty.

I was warned beforehand, by my friend who lived in Legazpi for 4 years, that the tip of the volcano is not visible in most days because of the clouds. And you'd think, here in the Philippines, where it's "sunny everyday", it shouldn't be a problem, after all it's summer. But no, my encounter with Mt. Mayon was like a courtship! It took time before I see the Mayon in her conic glory.

On my first touchdown in Bicol, my first glimpse was really disappointing, the sky was overcasted and the Mayon looked like a creature in hiding. From Cagsawa Ruins, I was hoping to take an iconic postcard shot of the Mayon with the bell tower and the rice fields. But it was an epic fail...

Oh, if only I could blow those clouds away! So we left for Donsol and went back after 2 days. A visit to the parish church in Daraga proved to be very pleasant when the weather showed a little kindness, then Mayon slowly revealed herself.

Later that day, I felt the she finally offered friendship, but still unwilling to bare the conic tip. Here, the thin cloud capping the tip made her looked a little like Mt. Fuji with the ice cap on.

And that made me satisfied, I thought that was it and expected nothing more. But to my delight, on my departure, finally…

Oh Mayon! You are truly gorgeous!

Exploring Artsy Angono

Ahhh, look at the date, February is almost over. But I'm not letting it pass without talking about my trip to the Arts Capital of the Philippines -- Angono Rizal., after all, February is National Arts month.

Photo Courtesy of Backpackingpilipinas: Janet, Kidd and Cha inside the tunnel going towards the Angono Petroglyphs

The original plan was a visit to my hometown. Che, being the traveler that she is, was interested in going to Tanay. I agreed to show her around and some of my friends. In fact it had been a long uncrossed item on our 2012 (supposedly 2011) checklist. I, on the other hand had been meaning to go to Angono. I skipped my History of Arts educational field trip there because of my previous work and I thought, I'd just go on my own when I have the time. So the free time came (I actually just insisted to include it in the itinerary, I don't have the guts to go all alone), just in time for the Arts Month celebration!

By the way, I just want to make it clear that I rarely go out, so even though I'm a Rizaleño, I haven't really explore most of Rizal municipalities. I had a little bit of knowledge how to get there. I knew there are PUVs from Starmall and EDSA Central going to Binangonan, and that's the first option. But we met at Che's place and taking PUJ's from her place was a more convenient option (because the loading area was closer) so we took that. My problem with passenger jeeps though, is, first being exposed to the fresh (insert sarcasm here) air of Metro Manila. Second, drivers with attitude. I do not know if this thing is unique to jeepney drivers in Rizal, but really, they are the worst! I am not gonna list the details of my unpleasant experiences whenever I end up taking the jeep going to work because I missed the last passenger van (it deserve a separate post), but one thing I'd point out is their selfishness. They just decide to change route when they want to even if they have to bypass a drop point. I understand there are circumstances that led them to change route (like heavy traffic), however, they should consider passengers who needed to get down to the drop point they're bypassing. Anyway, the driver of the jeep we took did that. We were not affected, some passengers were, but the driver seemed to be in a big hurry that he forgot that I asked him to drop us in Angono. We were first timers, hello? He promised he would, but he ended up forgetting it. Thank goodness there were concerned citizens who warned us that we missed the drop point. In fairness to the driver, he felt sorry that he returned P8 for each person so we can take another jeep to take us to Angono. Which proved to be unnecessary, we were supposed to get down at the market and it was just a 5 minute walk from the point the driver dropped us.

So the drop point is the public market of Angono, which also borders Binangonan Rizal. We had breakfast at Chowking. I was in queue for order taking when I noticed the cashier machine labeled "Chowking Binangonan". I got confused (and worried) so I asked the cashier and she nicely explained the border thing. While eating, Janet asked around to get directions to the Angono Petroglyphs (the directions I got from the internet were rather vague). Ironically, some of the locals have no idea what we were asking. I mean, the Petroglyphs, the oldest known work of art in the Philippines, is the first thing that comes up when I googled Angono. But the people were very nice in giving ideas what to check like the galleries and the Blanco Family museum, one even muttered that if she had nowhere else to go she'd take us to the city hall. So anyway, our adventure in Angono began!

Our first stop was the city hall, the people we've asked recommended it. They said it has an art gallery and we won't have to pay anything to check it. Unfortunately, at the time of our visit, the building interior was being repainted, the paintings were temporarily stored in the municipal gym which was closed. Being an art capital though, artworks are all over the building. It's definitely a town of artsy people.

The Municipal Bulletin Board takes the shape of a palette

Angono is also the home of Higantes (giant dolls) festival. I've never been to one, but the city hall stores some higantes so I'm imagining it's a parade of these giant dummies. Higantes by the way are made of paper mache and are influenced by Mexican art.

Look! One of the higantes got caught up in mobile gaming trend! Ugh the "save a trees" and "hug a trees" print gave me a massive headache (OA lang)!

The next stop is the church. On our way there, we passed by a street with a line of mural relief sculptures on both sides of the road. The murals are based on the works of Angono's homegrown national artist Carlos "Botong" Francisco. It was amazing!

We were so enthralled by the line of murals, we got a little careless and experienced a minor mishap. Well, Cha specifically did. While walking, her right leg slip into a gap of sewer covers. Awww poor Cha. If you're planning on visiting this place, be careful y'all. Always watch your footsteps. What's heartwarming about it was, when her leg got stuck between the gap, the locals immediately came to help. Very nice people, God bless them.

There's something frustrating about the place though. This is the art capital and I imagine that people incorporate art in their everyday living, but I also imagine that they do not take it for granted. When I see a bike leaning or wet clothes hanging on some of the murals, I felt that the artworks are being taken for granted. I don't find them disrespectful, it's probably their way of showing that art is part of their lives, but show some care, the artists didn't make these murals overnight.

So anyway, we went to the church to rest a little and of course, pray. A stop at the church is always part of a trip.

St. Clement's Parish Church

Our next stop is the Blanco Family Museum. It's just a five minute walk from the church. The Blanco Family, headed by the late Jose "Pitok" Blanco is a family of artists. Everybody paints! The museum houses artworks of the whole family. The entrance fee for adults is P70, but Che haggled, stating that she's a travel blogger and that she advocates promotion of tourism and promised to promote the museum in her blog, which are all true, but I never thought that you can use that as an excuse to get a discount. The lady guide was very nice to grant the discount, we paid P50 each instead.

So anyway she guided us through the most part of the tour. She's really nice and she had immediate answers to our questions. I feel bad I didn't get her name. The amazing thing about this family is, even tough only Pitok Blanco had formal education on Fine Arts, everybody in the family ended up becoming full time artists. Even the grandchildren are practicing arts too. The family has one style, realism. Mostly depicts life and culture of Filipinos. It would be interesting to see any from the grand children deviate to another movement hehehe.

A family that paints together, stays together!

The obligatory group picture with the Master's most notable work, "Fiesta sa Angono", there are hundreds of people in this painting and all are actual residents of Angono

Some of the works of the family

We were also lucky to have met one Pitok's sons, Michael. He showed us around the garden and showed the current project he's working on. He's also teaching arts at the school across the museum. He's a really nice guy.

There's a section in the museum that showcased other artworks outside the family and perhaps the grand children's works too. We just don't have the time to ask question for every painting we see.

After the museum, we set on our way to Angono Petroglyphs. This was probably the hardest part of the trip because it's located on top of the mountain, it's a challenge to get there when you do not have your own vehicle. The direction I saw on the internet is that you have to wait for a pick up truck to hitch on, but again, we don't have the time to wait (and I thought that sounds risky too). We had to haggle with the trike driver to take us there. We had to take 2 trikes and we paid 100/person. The way to get there was developed and is now a subdivision, you actually need a permission to pass by. Che, once again used being a "travel blogger" as an excuse to the security guard. The poor officer had no idea what a blogger is, but when I explained it, it sounded like we're some kind of journalists who are about to feature the Petroglyphs in an online newspaper. Sometimes, using jargons can make you get what you want hehehe.

A side trip from the past, I remember the road, a memory from my childhood. I'm pretty sure I've passed by this road and seen this view before.

Overlooking view of Metro Manila

We have relatives who used to live in Antipolo. My dad's younger brother, Tito Nick. At the time, his family was the closest relatives we know from my father's side, in location and relation. I remember being taken to the movies by Tito Nick and his wife Tita Ruby together with my cousin Aisa and my sister Pipay. We saw "Patched Adams" in Sta. Lucia mall, great movie. On our way home from Cainta, we passed by this road and I remember my uncle explaining that this is the highest peak in Rizal. I was so amazed with the lights of the city, they were just like the pictures in the magazine that I kept and dreamed of going to someday. It was really beautiful at night.

Going back to the Petroglyphs, so the tricycle dropped us at the entrance, which looked rather weird because nobody was there. The place looked deserted. But that was it, that's the farthest the trike can take us.

Photo courtesy of Maja Dera

We had to go through a tunnel then hike our way to the Petroglyphs. It's not much, just a little patience and every hardship is rewarded accordingly.

I was here!!!

The Angono Petroglyphs is the oldest known work of art in the Philippines. The carvings on the rockwall dating back to 3000 BC depicted human and animal figures. The tour guide explained that it was believed that people did not inhabit the area, there were no evidences to prove that. The experts' theory is that early people used the place to worship and offer sacrifices. I remember my professor in History of Arts, who organized taking the class to Angono (which I skipped), wanted to challenge us, if after seeing the carvings, we'd think if it's really the oldest work of art in the Philippines. I dare not defy the experts but I'm sure there are more (probably older) to discover.

The rockwall was declared as a national treasure in 1973. Hence, the area had been protected and spared from the urban development, thank God! The place is a great site for meditation or bird watching. We were lucky to spot a Philippine Eagle-Owl!

Photo courtesy of Cha, Oh hello cutie! In case you go here and you see one, remember to stay quiet and do not use flash when taking picture, it'll scare the poor creature

And now, another challenge is getting out. Because we were going to Tanay after, the trike drivers recommended taking the Antipolo exit. The problem is we have to walk. At first it didn't seem like a problem, the driver explained it in a way that made us believe that from the petroglyphs drop, it's just a few walk to the Antipolo exit. But it's a whole different story when we got there. This was happening high noon. I would like to think that the picture of four ladies on top of a mountain exposed to the intense glimmer of the sun is not right. But these inconveniences are all part of the adventure and I guess it makes everything more fun (in the Philippines, LOL). But here's the real fun part. In the end we had to follow the direction I saw from the net, to hitchhike on a pickup truck, the exit was just too far. I am in no way recommending to hitchhike as I believe that it's a risky measure, specially when you're alone. But I guess doing it in groups, is safe, specially in high noon.

Hitchhiking? More fun in the Philippines!

There are still many galleries and places of interest to check in Angono Rizal that we missed because we had to make time for Tanay (which I'll talk about in a separate post). But I really enjoyed this trip. If you want to spend a day for a historical and cultural exploration, I highly recommend it!

One last obligatory group pic -- Kidd, Janet, Cha and Che

Resolutions and More

Okay this is my first post in 2012, this should be good! This is the post when I lay out the things I need to change and goals I need to hit for the year. I have stopped making resolutions years ago, but recently, I realized that it's important to set goals and try to be a better person, not just every year, but every possible time we could. Last year I listed some things I need to do and I'm proud to say I did accomplish some of them :)

But I'll be honest, we're now in the so called page 9 of 366 (ugh, did I just say that?) but I haven't think of anything I need to accomplish yet. Not that I feel like I'm done now, but I feel like I still have responsibility to carry out the things I failed to do. I won't talk about all of them but I'll talk about the things I pledge to do this year.

I want to cook! For real I want to learn how to cook. For many reasons, I need to learn it as soon as possible. I'm turning 29 next month, it's a shame that the only thing I'm proud of making is pancake. That's not right either, I can only do the ready to cook pancake mix and I follow a standardized recipe. When I try to mix something to spin a new flavor, the result is always -- epic fail. I tried experimenting with eggs, making all kinds of omelet, but nothing really works. Again, I'm turning 29 next month, my hidden talent refuses to reveal itself anytime soon, I think cooking is something I'd like to impress people at, especially when I started inviting friends in our house. It's no secret that I suck in any domestic chores, cooking is something that I want to improve on. I want to start going organic. I want to live healthy. I want to start bringing lunch box to work, which leads me to my next goal -- to save.

Save money that is. I think I've been promising myself that I'll start saving for the longest time, I've been working for more than 8 years now, and still no significant amount of money in the bank -sigh-. What's wrong with me? I'm a spendthrift alright, but I'd like to believe that I've let go of my splurging habit on toys. I have not purchased any action figure ever since I pledged not to. I only bought 3 music boxes and some books last year. Why is that? Oh yeah, I've gotten more decadent with food (that's why I need to start bringing lunch box dammit!) and travel.

Hear me out okay? I love money, my friends know that, but I love spending it more. I believe that if I could be happy now, I'd do it and perhaps sacrifice the future. Why deprived myself of fun so I can save when I'm not sure if I would be alive tomorrow? Don't get me wrong, I'm as healthy as a pony (I can't run like a horse okay) but you never know when the time comes. Still, I want to save! I should be able to have fun and still keep something for the future. Besides, I want to buy a car! See, that's another goal. But how to? I am very weak with temptations.. oh the malls. Just the other day, after my shift, I dropped by at Megamall to look for my sister's cellphone charger and I found out that every damn store is on sale! UGH! I was thinking, maybe I should hold all shoppings for the year and just do a one time shopping after the Holidays. I can have my own version of Black Friday without competing with other shoppers. See, I'm thinking of spending again. Okay, I'm gonna set this thing straight, I will have fun and save money. There's gotta be a way, it's an ongoing struggle, but if I get to hit my goal figure in 6 months, I will get myself a real good present. Ack! No!

Enough about monetary talks, here's something I'd like to commit myself -- I want to plant a tree. No, not just a tree, many trees. When I think of a fulfilling job, I always say to myself that I want something that would make me feel like I've done something for the society. While I can't do that with my current job, I can make time to do something helpful. There are so many short marathon runs being held to benefit something and that's good, but I want to join an activity that feels more helpful by my standard. SO, this year, I must join a plant a tree activity. I've scoured the web and I have a pretty good idea which NGO to join to. There was a time in college when I got to do this. It was a project of Bantay Kalikasan. Other foundations joined including Metrobank foundation (who granted my scholarship) so I was able to participate (at the time, it was more like an involuntary action). I can't remember much about it, but I remember an old man from one of the organizations, while planting, he showed me a rare flower that grows in the area, it reminded me of Mr. Wilson's flower (from Dennis the Menace film). I thought that was a really special discovery and it's one of those things that stays on my memory for a long time. I wanna be able to experience it again.

Another thing I wanted to do this year (and I've been putting this off for so long now by the way) is to learn Japanese. I mean like learn to be fluent. In my Facebook profile, I claimed that I know Japanese, and it's not like I'm bluffing or posing, I do know a little of it - I can read Katakana and Hiragana, I recognize few Kanji characters. I'm confident that I know more Nihongo words than somebody who has taken Nihongo 101. In fact I installed Japanese MS office, so I have the capability to write Nihongo characters using my laptop. 嘘じゃない！(Not kidding!)

If you know me, you know that I love Japan. Though the past years, I've been rather detached, picking one or 2 JFMO events to attend and immersing more on American shows and documentaries. But hey, I still love Japan to the bone, when I buy electronic products, I always choose Japanese brand. And when I get a car, I'll go for Japanese too :) I think I can intensify my Nihongo literacy whether I study formally or not, my main issue is my laziness. I'm too lazy to get things done. Now that's what I really need to work on. It's not like I don't know how to do it, but the execution is the hardest part. To commit to something is one thing, but to actually do it is another. ~sigh again~

There's definitely a lot of work to be done this year, I'll try my best to accomplish everything I set to do. God help me.

The Body Remembers - Yuuko Ichihara

I have a confession to tell. But you have to watch the video first before you read on...

When I was in highschool, I was a big fan of Donna Cruz. I followed her music, movies and her TV series (Villa Quintana) up until she got married. Her career went on hiatus and so I moved on. That's the confession hehehe. That was a long time ago. Last year, I received a Snow Globe music box (in accordance to my wishlist) when we had our gifts exchanged during our department's Christmas party. I specifically asked a Christmas snowglobe music box. I love Christmas songs, I was expecting that this item I received plays one, but to my disappointment, no. The music was originally popularized by a Japanese pop/rock band Southern All Stars, a song called "Manatsu no Kajitsu". In 1997, Donna popularized a Filipino rendition of the song called "Isang Tanong, Isang Sagot". Amazingly, I recognized the song very quickly.

I have not listened to Donna's songs for a very long time, but I knew when I first wind up the keys, the music sounded familiar. It's true when they say (or when CLAMP said) that the mind may forget but the body remembers.

Today I went to the supermarket to buy some snacks to bring for my trip tomorrow. I will be going on a pilgrimage to Pampanga churches (a.k.a Visita Iglesia) together with my mom and my youngest sister, Ivy. It's a parochial event, there are 200 more attendees, all residents of Tanay. This is my first time to go on a pilgrimage, and I'm excited. Aside from the fact that I'm trying to make up for all the time I've detached myself from religion and doing all I can to strengthen my spirituality, I also love art, I love architecture, and Catholic churches are some of the oldest architecture that we have here, so I'm excited to see that.

Going back to the supermarket, I was going through the biscuits section when I saw the shelf of M.Y. San canned biscuits. I felt a tinge in my heart, as images of my grandparents popped in my mind. I miss my grandparents. They used to stock canned butter biscuits. We used to eat them during merienda time. It wasn't easy to have them here back then so it wasn't a daily thing. But now, we have Savemore, and I have the option to buy them anytime I want. But then, it's never gonna be the same.

Remembering Francis M

I'm browsing some pictures from archive folders when I saw some Francis Magalona pics. It was a little timing because March 6 is his death anniversary. And believe it or not, my playlist coincidentally played "Kaleidoscope World" while looking at the pictures. I remember these pictures were taken sometime in October 2006, it was an Octoberfest event it Eastwood. He was performing the same song that I'm listening right now. This was the first and the last time I saw him perform.

Francis M. is one of the few Filipino musicians that I really like and I think are talented. He wouldn't be dubbed as the King of Rap if he wasn't. I remember, when he died 2 years ago, I felt sad as a fan and as a Filipino. He was one of the few artists I know that had originality and sense of pride of being a Filipino. And he was cute too. He was 42 when i last saw him, but he looked way younger than that.

It has been 2 years since he passed a way. It was such a loss in the music industry, gone too soon, but his legacy as a musician lives on.