Quotes To Show Off

I have a new wall paper on my laptop (I now prefer spelling wallpaper as "wall paper". A personal quirk). It goes like this:

Quotes I place on my wall paper to make people think I am "deep"

Eat your veggies especially if you paid for them
Be neat and clean; it's the luxury of being civilized
Respect and honor women because your mother is one
Be heroic in your aims; it's stupid and more fun
Help people so they won't bother you again
Be a durian - hard outside, soft inside, yummy all over
Love. In the end, it's all that counts.
Look for God despite His silence
Steal other people's quotes whenever possible.

Days In Palawan: The Return

Day 1
Hovered for quite some time over, I believe, Batangas. Air traffic in NAIA. Had lunch in the airport. Had a karimadon at Ministop. Brings back old memories. Second flight now bound for Palawan. Was my siblings' first time to fly, all four of them. Amused at their nonchalant reactions to the experience. Arrived at Victoria Guest House. Nice place. Homey. Had delicious dinner then went to Iwahig River for some firefly watching. 30 minutes road trip, I believe. Slept like a baby.

Day 2
Time to visit the famous Underground river. Stopped at a souvenir shop to buy some trinkets (for me, I simply bought a shirt). Had a buffet lunch at one of the restaurants dotting the beach line. Then off we went to the actual cave entrance. Met Claudine Roa and exchanged pleasantries. Entering the underground river in 3,2,1... Okay. Nice. Was the one who held the torch light. Had pictures taken as we went out. Then we were traveling back to Puerto Princesa. Dinner at Robinson's.

Day 3
Saturday. Studying for my finals. In the afternoon, the gang went out for the city tour. Stayed at the guest house, enjoying the wifi and studying still. Raining. In the evening, had dinner at Robinson's again and watched Taken.

Day 4
Island hopping at Honda Bay. First island, Snake Island. Overheard our guide trying to flirt with my younger sister as I appeared to be napping off in the adjacent cottage. Lunch. Second stop, floating cottage in the middle of the sea. Snorkeling in the water, observing the fish. Third stop, fish feeding. Wondered if fish there could be considered obese, what will all these tourists feeding them bread every day. Then back to Puerto Princesa to wash off and go to mass. Stopped by the public market to buy some cashew nuts. Then dinner at a posh restaurant for some chicken barbecue, only to find out that the barbecue in Davao tastes better.

Day 5
Last day in Palawan. Flight is in the afternoon. Called my teacher, pleading for a special exam. Had realized to my horror that our arrival is 8PM, not 5:15PM as earlier anticipated. Had late afternoon snack in Jollibee at NAIA. Flight for Davao. Treated to a sweat shop in an Airphil aircraft (aircraft crew wouldn't turn on the aircon until the plane was rolling). Davao finally. Home sweet home.

Running In People's Park

I've been jogging at People's Park for quite some time now. A weekend warrior, I've made it a point to jog either on Saturday or Sunday. I've stuck to my routine of doing twelve laps of jogging and the thirteenth lap devoted to an all-out, lung-bursting sprint.

I guess I've moved on from joining fun runs to simply running for free.

People's Park really is a good idea. And I'm amazed at how many people have taken advantage of its proximity and ambiance to work on their health. Every weekend, it's always a crowd in the park: people going through the free aerobics class every morning, athletes shadow boxing, arnis enthusiasts dueling with their sticks, teenagers playing badminton, models doing photo shoots, and, of course, runners jogging around the oval.

It's always more encouraging when you're with a group of strangers who share the same dedication to a healthy lifestyle. Plus, there are some pretty girls out there in the park too.

Life is good.

Bed And Breakfast

I have a book at home for those willing to start a bed and breakfast business. Mama is also interested in starting one when she retires.

What's the appeal, really? Well, apart from the additional income, it's a business that brings you the best opportunity to meet new people. I'm imagining lazy breakfasts with my guests, tourists from all walks of life. That's fun, isn't it?

Cuss Words

My first cuss word was "shit". When my family was still living in Bangkal, my siblings and I belted this out a lot. Shit, shit, shit. It seemed cool; it was English and it was pretty simple to pronounce too.

Then, when I grew up, I tried to become different and succeeded. Whereas my contemporaries were content with "putang ina", "fuck", "suck it", I was privately whispering "shix" and "fricative" (an actual word, mind you) every time reality frustrated me.

Nowadays, my repertoire  of bad words includes "gulay", "shatong", the common "bwisit" and "leche", and "leche flan". If I feel like it, I might venture into uttering "pusang iring cat meow meow" (something I got from Michael Palarpalar) just to make an impression on some people.

I have to admit that, despite my daily commitment not to say bad words, I still do. It's a habit that's hard to kick. On top of that, there's something in these words which make them wickedly fun to say because, to be honest, by themselves, they cannot be considered as cuss words, just ordinary terms used in an unusual context.

Now, when it comes to cuss words, I do have some rules I adhere to. I never use "putang ina" because it's insulting to mothers (I remember posting about this some time ago). I never use "fuck" because it's too mainstream (plus, most people don't know the actual origin of the word anyway. I should probably write that down in another post). I don't use "bitch" because it's sexist and demeaning to the dogs. Most especially, I try to refrain from using "shit" nowadays because some people already consider me to be above that (I'm entertaining priesthood, remember?).

To end, I do hope that people might just be a little bit more creative when it comes to cuss words. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing the same "shit" over and over again. Really, it pays to be different.

Skinhead

I feel fresh. It's been a long time since I've cut my hair this short.

I can cite some reasons, most of them practical, why I've decided to adopt the haircut I'd had back when I was in elementary. First, it saves me on shampoo. Second, I'm too lazy to comb my hair. Third, I don't use hair gel so the crown can be a bit unruly sometimes, Third, my hairline is receding (or so I think). Short hair  should avert or at least delay the inevitable (my Papa's hairline is my crystal ball right now). Fourth, it looks astig, the sort of haircut that every man should have at least once in his lifetime. Fifth, it looks different.

I think I'll again be sporting this look from now on.

Judging

The pther friday, a text message made my day. It was from Mel:

Hi Pao! Pwede ka nako iinvite as judge sa variety show contest sa akong mga students this Oct. 15, 5-10PM? I know you probably have work, pero just giving it a shot.:)

After thirty seconds of savoring the thought (in Bisaya, "gabukad ug atay"), I promptly declined the invitation, citing that I had an exam that day (which was true) and wasn't really up to it (which was true also). Mel graciously accepted it by texting back that she's found someone else.

I didn't know what made her think that I could judge, apart from the fact that we knew each other, but I got to think how odd it must feel if I ever get to judge something. It's inherent in everyone to judge performances but one must know what is actually being performed to become a good judge.

For instance, one can never appreciate art, let alone judge, if one is not an artist to begin with. One truly appreciates paintings if one knows how skilled one must be to paint. One truly appreciates dance if one knows how freakishly hard some moves are.

Indeed, the prospect of judging must humble one to become introspective enough to ask:  am I really good enough to judge?

For me, the answer is no. But then again, I belong on the stage, not in front of it.

Echus.

Worldly Desires

I want an energy-independent house, complete with solar arrays, a roof garden, and an infinity green pool, on top of a hill, overlooking Davao City.

I want a fuel-efficient car, with variable transmission and a silhouette that looks like a Mclaren MP4-12C's.

I want a waterproof DSLR camera and its color should be neon green.

I want a city road named after me. "PRE Bataller" seems like a good name for a street.

I want  a Palanca award for a New York Times best-selling novel or a Pulitzer prize perhaps for a feel-good memoir.

I want to have bank accounts as large as the Ayala's, the Gokongwei's, the Tan's, and all those families who are filthy rich.

Haaay.

I share the dreams with all the millions around the world.

Hope springs eternal (again), don't you think?

Plankton

Uael was right, after all.

Our guide during the Iwahig river trip did some magic with his paddle. He stuck it into the river, swirled the water with it, and made the river sparkle. 

He explained it was because of bio-luminescence. The plankton in the river had chemicals inside their bodies similar to those of fireflies'. When disturbed, they let out light.

Back to Uael. He said the same thing awhile back during out trip to Anawangin. We were swimming in the night and were amazed at the water glowing every time we splashed around. He explained it was because of plankton. I, on the other hand, was convinced it was simply something to do with the water ripples refracting and magnifying ambient light.

Turned out I was wrong. Hehe.

Fireflies

It's quite funny how one barangay could build a tourism business out of lowly insects such as fireflies. But then again, it only proves that fireflies have become a rarity nowadays.

I was a tourist one night in Iwahig river. My family and I went there during our first night in Palawan. Even now, I'm still happy that the weather cooperated with us; it didn't rain and the river was calm and slow.

At first, I was expecting a lengthy walk to the area where the fireflies dwelt. So I was surprised  when we got into boats and donned life jackets instead. I was then expecting a river journey with fireflies  dancing above our heads but was disappointed to know that fireflies didn't do anything of that sort.

What we were treated instead were a few isolated mangroves sparkling in the night like Christmas trees. Fireflies, our guide said, were quite picky with the kind of trees they call home. The fireflies also weren't what I had in mind; they emitted blue light, not yellow (a fact that's commonly advertised by articles and television alike).

It was my first time to see a lot of fireflies that night. My evening forays in Nabunturan only had me seeing one or two fireflies (with green lights) darting to and fro. To be treated to this scene, a multitude of blue lights twinkling in the distance, left me feeling very grateful and at the same time disturbed that the next generation might never be rewarded such a view.

Star Gazing

From Men In Black:

K: They're beautiful, aren't they?
J: What?
K: The stars.

When was the last time I simply looked at the stars?

That was the lingering thought I had as we softly made our way upstream of the Iwahig river.

The last time I simply looked at the heavens was during our weekend escapade to Anawangin Cove  three years ago. I remember just staring at the sky chock full of stars. There was absolutely no light pollution to dim the spectacle. Suddenly, everything seemed so huge and massive and I was the observer of it all, a tiny speck of dust in the life of this galaxy.

Star gazing does that to you. It makes you watch in awe as you revel in the dark, communing with the greater universe even as you shudder at its immense beauty.

Ikaw? When was the last time you simply looked at the stars?

Letting Go Of TV Debates

This Atlantic article might be on to something.

It proposes that the US shed away these TV political debates in favor of a format that is more realistic. Conor Friedersdorf tells us that, given the nature of presidential decisions, debates favoring candidates who can sling out rapid-fire comments and counterarguments should give way to debates rewarding those who are prudent and meticulous.

Decisions by the president are not necessarily made by one man but are products of deliberations of committees and cabinets. A candidate who shows that he can sift through this mass of information, including his own personal opinion and knowledge, and find a nugget of wisdom is a good candidate. Unfortunately, TV debates often  feature the opposite of this ability, frowning on candidates who can indeed facilitate but have no oratorical acumen in favor of those who can set the stage on fire like a showbiz star.

A format that could replace TV debates, as suggested by the writer, is the text-based chat, with candidates given ample opportunity to check their facts, consult with the appropriate people, while rebutting the other candidate's arguments. 

I don't know if this idea will ever fly but it will revolutionize debates if it ever gains traction.