donsol sorsogon

donsol is a beautiful place and i'm really happy that my plans with rax pushed through! but i almost ended up going by myself coz rax and russell almost didn't make it to the airport in time! say what?! rax thought the flight was an hour later and when they found out that i was at the airport already they rushed to get there :) haha luckily they texted their record locator numbers and the people at the check-in counter accepted it! they were given the last 2 seats on the plane!!! thanks to the cebpac people who were kind enough to accommodate us!

so onto the whaleshark watching...or should i say hunting?! since we were going to see them in their natural habitat, we had to get a boat and the boatmen would be on the look-out for these huge creatures! which was an experience in itself! coz other encounters i've had with animals, they were in zoos or in parks. so the animals are right there ready and waiting for you! not this time, there's was a lot of waiting and it was a hit or miss...you had to have luck on your side :)

the first morning we saw a tail...once the boatmen give a signal you jump into the water and start swimming like crazy! coz the whalesharks won't wait for you to catch up. some were lucky coz they were able to swim with the sharks for a couple of minutes. others, like us, barely got a glimpse.

but the day wasn't a bust coz we had the afternoon to ourselves, and rax and i looked into going into legazpi and doing some shopping! :) of course i never passby a chance to look at the products of where ever i visit, coz when will you be able to go back and get anything? i didn't get much, a couple of things for the house. but rax bought a lot - things for the house that she'll be moving into pretty soon :)

after rushing back to the resort in sorsogon (which is about 2 hours away) we were whisked off for firefly watching. ooohh it was so beautiful! we were brought to the donsol river and along the banks you could see trees lighted up with hundreds of fireflys. it reminded me of christmas lights.

the following day we started at 6am to continue our whaleshark adventure. i saw one before i left rax and russ to go diving. after i left they saw a couple more and then went for a city tour to see the Mayon and other touristy sites.

the last time i went diving i was in cebu, so a couple of months had passed. and at the time, my allergies were acting up. so i had a doubly hard time equalizing and it took me forever to go down. a group of 6 foreigners were with me and they were long gone by the time i reached the bottom. hahaha good thing i told one of the divemasters so he stuck by my side.

what did i see? well the dive site is called the "manta bowl"...so mantarays! wow, wow, wow :) really spectacular, it's like they were dancing and their wingspan is a couple of meters long. so they were massive but graceful. there wasn't that much coral to see but the fish were of a different species so it was nice to see something different.

another thing about that dive was during the third one the current was really strong! so we had to keep low and i was grabbing at coral to help me along, coz i was having a really hard time swimming. the soft coral and plants were totally bending and the sound of the current was like the sound the rain makes when there's a storm.

of course i made it a point to take pictures of the sunset, i think we have the best sunsets! the colors are really rich from purple to yellow :) and the trip made me realize that the Philippines is a great destination if you're into nature and going to the beach. there are so many places to go to! i wonder how long it'll take til i can say i've been all over the Philippines?!

catching up

so i'm going to donsol next weekend...finally got someone to go with me. it's raquel and her fiance. so ok i'm gonna be the third wheel! and get this - since it's supposed to be twin sharing and there are 3 of us we have to share one room! hahaha

was thinking of going there and my divemaster texted me. hmmm telepathy ba ito? and there's a package: 3 dives to try to see mantarays etal, whaleshark encounter, and firefly encounter. i have no idea how they'll set up the firefly thing! so i'll finally be able to go to the beach this summer! and go diving. at least i am doing a summer activity!

what else is new? i started classes at instituto cervantes. it's kinda easy to read and listen to the classes. but it's a whole new ball game when we have to say the exercises out loud and talk to one another.

but i like the teacher! she's young and easy to understand. and she's not boring which is a great plus! hopefully i'll learn a lot and learn how to speak pretty quickly.

a big development - i was asked if i want to be the associate producer of a movie that's going to made in cebu. shoot is around october with 2 months pre-prod. good opportunity right? nice on the resume? so i said yes.

i wonder if i'm asking for trouble?! i probably am. but it is a good professional move right? hhhaaayyy

well because of this i changed my plans of moving to the states, to a later time. now i don't know when. will figure it out once the production gets going.

but until then i don't know what to do with regard to work. coz the thing with bantay bata fell through. so i don't have any income. but a good thing happened - finally got the last check from a racket! hahaha it took 3 years and i'm just happy i got it. and in fairness, i got more than i was supposed to. so i have some money now.

hoping that something will come up! for now taking it easy and trying not to freak out about work or lack of.

a decision

so i've decided that it's better to set a low expectation of people, to accept what they can give. to try not to be disappointed when i don't get what i expected. to give what i can. to be a friend. to be a good person. to relax.

but the case will be different with the people that are really important. the people that i love. but i think that's a good thing. the people you care for a lot are special, they should be treated differently. plus you should be able to tell them up front what you feel and how they affect you.

so it's all good :) just wish realizing things doesn't have to be so hard and complicated!!!

selfishness

onto something less negative, but nonetheless negative. it's about people. through numerous discussions with a friend, selfishness came up. how some people can be selfish. not in terms of money or materialism. but in giving up time to spend with others. well like how friends don't show up or do things when invited or asked. of course when those things happen, i feel bad. is it selfish for me to feel bad and offended that they don't show up? and is it selfish for them not to show up because they have other things going on in their lives?

coz before if it would happen i'd just ignore it and think that it's not worth stressing over. that if they have other things happening then so be it. and if next time they're the ones doing the inviting then i'd go if im free, if i'm not then next time. but it seems to always happen, and i'm kinda sick of it. but if i drop the people who are like that (and it seems that everyone is like that at one point or another) then i'd really not have friends at all! when is it acceptable for them not to show up or do something?

in a smaller scale it's with texting...how some would inquire how you are and series of answers and questions that occur. then i'd ask a question and poof the person disappears! won't hear from them! is it alright to feel offended then?

is it even fair to think this way? am i demanding too much from people?

i guess what comes into play is not having very high expectations and just accepting what they give. it seems as i am turning older i want to feel that i'm important to my friends aka the important people in my life. it's just how do you consolidate what you want with what people give???!!!

firsts

first time...

...to go to panglao island

...to see hundreds of star fish in the sand...seeing the outprints of these creatures and feeling them under my toes

...to look up into the sunny sky and see a cloud evaporate into nothingness

...in a long time to walk along a stretch of beach that can be described as deserted

...to have that kind of getaway

...to feel like i was in a world of my own

...to see a night that clear and stars so bright

developments!

since i got here three people have resigned from the department...no it's not because of me! i'm not that mean or powerful to do that! ;-)

arleen a producer, jackie an associate producer and joey a production assistant.

who's left? me an associate producer, leica a producer, senyo and chiqui are production assistants and michael the production head.

i actually said that i'd like to be considered if they'll be looking for producers and was told i don't have enough experience by michael. ouch! then leica told me that they don't hire producers, associate producers are trained to become producers. oh okay! that doesn't hurt my ego as much ;-) haha

work has been picking up - still doing the cleverlearn tvc - now there's a music video and a filmmakers series. slowly but surely i'm becoming busy.

for a while i was kina bored...but thankful that it wasn't hectic. i got to use the time to get to know my co-employees, how things are done here and how i see myself in this company. so far so good!

so i am sad that people have moved on but at the same time there's more opportunity to grow! :-)

something's up

somethings brewing...and i'm super happy about it! it's kind of surreal but really exciting and sweet!

visits

jacs
last week i was surprised to receive a text from jacs. even more when i read his message - i'm going to bigfoot today. what?!
he was coming in to interview the bosses for people asia.

so i was able to see jacs and catch up. i was so happy to see him! it made me realize i really miss manila, my mom and friends.

eyron
yesterday eyron arrived for a quick break here in cebu. another reason to be happy! plus he brought a pasalubong of chocolate kiss cake sampler. heaven in three little squares of cake. drooling thinking of how good it was.

because of my injured ankle (grr!) couldn't take him out dancing. but i'm hoping on friday i'll be able to! want to go out and have fun!

up next...
binky's flying in next week for her bro's wedding...can't wait to see her!

ate noemi and kuya egay are coming to cebu for the bantay bata caravan! yehey! another weekend to look forward to.

oh and i'm going to manila november 1-6...i really do miss everything, even though barely two months has passed! :-)

out of mactan

it started with moal boal, then olango and finally bantayan - got out of mactan and around cebu.

moal boal
this was suppose to be a production department outing but other people from bigfoot decided to join us. in all were around 20 people and two kiddies.

we stayed at quo vadis resort and their beachfront isn't sand. it's coral! from the shore til it drops off and the water is very blue and very deep.

got the chance to take in 2 dives and the highlight of it all? the chance to see a turtle! wonderful!

but the best thing about it was getting to know my officemates a little better. at least now when i'm walking around the grounds i know the names of people i say hi to! :-)


olango island
a bird sanctuary reachable by ferry from mactan. memorable coz this is where i sprained my ankle!

a quiet island that's really peaceful and simple. can't wait to go back next month and see the migrating birds!


bantayan island
with this trip i really got the chance to learn more about Butch and Tamara...that i'd really like these two people to become friends of mine. we had fun just talking, joking and taking in the sights of the island.

the group was much smaller this time around - me, butch, tamara and the ftv peeps steven, daniel and rebecca.

saturday was when the sun was out so we all got a tan. spent a couple of hours on the beach of kota resort. then we went to the marketplace and tamara wanted to drive the pedicab. and she did that and worked up a good sweat going around the town of Sta. Fe. the thing was is when the driver took over the wheel of the pedicab broke and he charged us for it.

one of the funny things that happened? the ftv people put on a little show for us! no wonder they had big bags with them. they were in costume and did some skits. it was hilarious!

come sunday we were left behind while the ftv gang headed back to mactan. we decided to visit another resort to go to the ogtong cave.

ogtong cave is partly underwater. butch and i went swimming in it's warm water. and of course took some pictures. surprisingly the pictures came out nice with the little light that we had to play with...

and the resort was nice, their beachfront was partly rock with a pretty view of the ocean. too bad it was over cast, i'm sure if there was sun the beach would have been even more beautiful.

the food was good at bantayan! it's famous for it's seafood. i got my wish and was able to wolf down two crabs for our first lunch. then the seafood pizza at blue ice resto...sarap! breakfast was at a portugese place where the pancakes were very yellow, with a cake consistency and yummy. the best was at white beach resto! tons of seafood and they served the food with an assortment of dipping sauces. well worth what we paid!

even if i was limping all over the place because of my injured ankle, i was super glad i went! that was a great weekend ;-)

ouch!

hmmm i twisted my ankle last friday...

i decided to tag along with the Deep Gold crew to their location check at Olango Island. it's just off mactan island, a short ferry ride away. what's special about Olango is that it is a bird sanctuary. different kinds of birds make the island a stop over during their migration to warmer lands.

got a beautiful shot a blue heron resting in a tree. although there aren't that many birds yet coz the season reaches its peak during november.

so anyway we were getting around the island via the tricycle that we rented for the day. olango is more of a day trip kinda visit. not that many places to stay and really nothing to do.

Jiji had to get out and check something and since i was blocking her way i had to get out of the tricycle too. i held onto a handle bar and next thing i know i'm on the floor. and then my foot started to hurt. i thought it wasn't much but then it started to hurt. luckily the tricycle driver was nice and bought me ice and offered to take me to a manhihilot. i didn't want to have my foot touched, i could still handle the pain.

but then we passed by the island's hospital and Jiji asked me if i'd like a doctor to take a look. i said yes :-)

i twisted my ankle. i had to keep ice on it for the rest of the day and then start with a hot compress. and i had to rest.

but did i rest? nope. that weekend i was going to bantayan island with some officemates. and i thoroughly enjoyed that weekend. but come monday i was still injured, but off pain killers.

then on wednesday, when i woke up i felt pain again. after a couple of meetings i saw tamara in the hallway and she asked me about my foot. then she saw i long purple bruise along my foot. needless to say she convinced me to go to the hospital and made sure that the company's car would bring me to the hospital.

wow i loved that tamara convinced me but i didn't like the hospital too much. i had to ask for attention and for a chair. everyone did what they did without regard for their patients. but in fairness to my doctor, she was nice. i guess i just didn't feel welcome there.

so i got a xray and had my foot bandaged. still have to go back to get the official results, but apparently i don't have a fracture or anything. just need to rest...

did i rest? nope...haha! matigas talaga ulo ko! i had to head to the city and meet Eyron at Ayala. he's in town for a mini break. plus he brought me a cake sampler from chocolate kiss! YUMMY. i was so happy to see him and swap stories. and the cakes were goo-ood...

although after one night of having the bandage around my ankle the swelling is noticeably smaller. i did go to work. but aside from a meeting and lunch out, i've kept my foot elevated and a hot compress on it. i have a feeling i'll be able to recover pretty soon ;-) hahahaha

drink to make more money!

Alcohol use helps boost income: study

I just read this article and I’m sorry, but I really have to say that it is so true! Well, I’m not sure about the money part, but about being able to be sociable and build your network through alcohol. That is just a fact of life.

I’m living proof of it. I’ve been here in Cebu for about a month. (It has been a month?!) And I went out and had fun (aided by alcohol) last Wednesday and Friday. And now I am able to talk to my officemates. It’s as simple as that! Not just the usual hi and smiles in the hallway. But actually exchange ideas and find out more about the other.

So people I otherwise would not have been able to talk to at work, I get to know a little better after work.

How did Binky put it? Alcohol is a social lubricant.

Of course it took me this long to be comfortable enough to go out.

But aside from alcohol, I think going out with your officemates is important. That a little work to show interest in the people you work with, will go a long way.

Last Friday it was Joey’s birthday and I got my first paycheck. As tradition calls for it here in Bigfoot, Joey and I had to treat everyone to pizza. So we gathered the production department and headed to Da Vinci’s.

Yum! First time for me to try Shawarma Pizza, I think I liked that the best!

In that hour-long lunch break we all got to know the new Production Head, Michael, a little better. And it was the first time that all of us sat down together as a group. Before that we had talked to each other at one point, but not with Michael.

It was different and fun. It was also a sneak peak into how an out of town trip of the department is going to be like – full of smiles and laughter! (Or at least it seems that way! Ha!)

Cheers!

Curious? Wanna know how alcohol can help? Here’s the link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060914/hl_afp/afplifestylehealthalcohol

DIVING

last september was a month of diving for me. aside from the deep dive i was able to do 2 more dives towards my advance open water certification...

Clean up dive
we went to the house reef of shangri-la and spread out to cover as much ground as possible. Ana and i got a san miguel beer bottle, a sack, juice packs, and bits of foil. by the end of it i was kind of bored already! but just as tony was banging on his oxygen tank we saw a neon blue nudibranch. and we couldn't stop looking at it! since there was the signal to ascend, we had to stop our staring and start heading towards the surface.

Night dive
ooh was i scared during orientation...i tried to remember the flashlight signals. of course i couldn't! my thoughts were running wild! luckily the entry was my favorite. just had to roll into the water - it just doesn't seem as scary for me! saw a big flute fish, a burgundy nudibranch and a whole lot of other creatures i don't know the names of.


got the chance to visit Moal Boal with some of the people from Bigfoot. the dives at Moal Boal were with Tamara and Leica, two of my officemates from the Production Department. first with Tamara then with Leica...

when i first learned how to dive in Anilao, i thought that what i saw was really beautiful. then here in mactan even more beautiful. but so sorry, Moal Boal has been the best. the coral, the different kinds of school of fish, the amount of fish, the coral, a shark (far away) and a TURTLE! it was the second dive and right when we entered the water there was the turtle. it allowed us to take a good look at it before gracefully swimming away. when i saw it a let out a shriek! it was so beautiful! Pescador Island off the coast of Moal Boal is really breathtaking!

next up? planning on finishing my advance open water course and heading to Malapascua in time for manta ray and thresher shark season...i'm lovin cebu :-)

fluke

cause of Tamara i found out that we can access the banned/blocked websites of our office internet. so here i am able to write some of the things that have happened.

FINALLY!

120

ack! i had my first deep dive...120 feet! oh my god! i really can't believe it! sorry...

it's just that i remember when anne and i first learned how to dive last april she was already talking about getting our advance accreditation and i was like "hello? let's get used to being open water divers." and here i am now planning the dives i need to be accredited as advance open water diver.

i know anne would be proud of me. i've been the one with more reserve with everything in life. in every aspect of it, compared to her. but here i am learning something that really scares me...

actually i had already warned ana (my new dive buddy) and tony, our dive master, that i have a problematic right ear when it comes to eqalizing while going down. but this time it was a first for my left ear. so going down i was surprised. i almost didn't notice the trigger fish, the corals and the jellyfish going down.

but after this one moment when i could actually feel my left and right ear pop, i was ok. i was able to follow the wall of coral going down to the marigondon cave. woooohoooo! i was so happy...

even if the first thing you see at the mouth of the cave are tombstones. of those that have died at the cave and those who decided to rest there for the rest of eternity. it was so exciting. after looking over the tombstones, tony pointed to his computer and showed me how far we were - 120 feet below the surface.

wow...i couldn't believe it...

the second dive wasn't as deep but we saw barracudas, jack fish, blow fish and a whole lot of coral. oh! and during the first dive we saw a huge nudibranch...swear it was almost a foot long! the most i saw was a 2 inch thick.

so i'm getting the dives to become an advance open water diver. it's basically about doing a number a dives. so i'm done with the deep dive! and next week there'll be a clean up dive in the afternoon and a night dive saturday evening.

hmm even more scary for me. just the thought of going down in the water and i won't be able to see anything! but just the thought, it makes me feel excited at the same time.

but after next weekend and 2 more dives, i'll be accredited! i can't believe how fast everything is going. i just have to pay a little bit more per dive and i'll be accredited. it makes me feel better about diving in general. coz i love being able to dive with a purpose, it makes me feel that it's super worth my money! haha kahit paano kuripot pa rin ako!

:-)