KALINAW SA DAVAO

It was a rare moment seeing Matina Town Square teeming with so many people. I never even realized there were that many people in Davao. Hehehe! Joke.

Anyways, there was a festival for peace last December 27. I forgot the exact title of the event. But Gary Granada, Cynthia Alexander, Bayang Barrios, Mike Villegas and Asin were to play with some local talents. Joey Ayala should have been there too except he got sick.

I was supposed to spend the night with the JVPs of Davao. But then I bumped into Gary G. who came in hours early for his set so I joined him since he didn't have company. Gary had sore throat so we asked the waiter for salabat. Galing! They used real ginger and not the powdered kind. It seemed to have helped him a bit. We discussed going to Magsaysay Park to eat durian after the show. I was tentative about it because my mom wanted to fetch me from her own gimmick. Unfortunately, we weren't able to finalize the durian binge. Sayang.

Noteworthy was the Ka-tribu group. These guys were as alternative as alternative can get. They played various ethnic instruments from all over the country. They infused live theater with their music. One of them wore a Benguet G-string. The other was just clad in briefs (which he eventually took off! but barely revealed anything. Good.). They did a play on the plight of indigenous Filipinos in the country. The G-string guy was able to play a conch! Ang galing. All those times we had a shell at home, I just placed it in my ear. Never thought of blowing the thing. I'm too lazy to get into the details of their act, pero it was good.

When Davao is alive, I love the place. Rich cultural heritage walking all over the streets. Artists doing portraits of people at a small cost of donation of a hundred bucks. If I wasn't dead broke, I would have had mine done. I always wanted my portrait done. Oh well.

Jah. Too lazy to write more.

Happy new year!

BACK IN DAVAO!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

May the reason for the season be in your hearts.

CEBU CITY

It has never been my favorite town ever since. The city is really hot, hotter than Davao even. Traffic is almost as bad as Manila. Sometimes I have a feeling it's worse. But then, the past few days here have been bliss. Mainly because I get to spend time with my pamangkins.

I just realized how much maternal instinct I have in me. Even if I do avoid it. Hehehe! At night when the youngest wakes up and asks for milk, I don't mind getting up from my stupor to make his milk. I don't mind having to lull him to sleep again. Which means carrying a 40-pound child in my arms while rocking him to sleep. I just love looking at them when they sleep, caressing their hair, listening to their breathing. I like it when we just sit together and watch tv. I always make sure they have fun within bounds. Stuff like that.

Maybe I will never like the city but there are always the people to be with. :)

POOR MOM

It is not Mindanao that I am in but in Visayas. The heart of it -- Cebu City. My mom and I arrived in a very rainy city. She was all tired from the six-hour land trip from Davao to Cagayan de Oro and the overnight (rocky) boat ride from CDO to Cebu. Everything was normal with me but my mom had colds and a slight fever. Poor mother! I guess I have gotten used to long travels I fail to see that others may not have the same enjoyment if it as I do.

Anyways, right now I am in SM Cebu. Hoping against hope to find a plane ticket from Cebu to Davao. Unfortunately not. There may be a chance to get one or two passengers may get bumped off. But that is hoping too much. I just asked that they prioritize my mom. I don't want her sick on Christmas day.

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DOTING TITA

The moment my sister and Yano entered the Supercat terminal to fetch us, my heart leapt with joy. My inaanak was so handsome, dressed in his Christmas party clothes. He seemed to have missed me as well and delighted me with a tight hug. When we got to the car we were telling jokes and tickling each other (well, I tickling him!).

When we got to Minglanilla, it was great seeing Nonay and One and Eo. Eo was totally different from the suplado boy I last saw February. He was playing with me unlike before. He also had this very naughty and mischievous smile of which I'm sure girls will eventually be ogling at secretly. My two nieces are pretty as pretty can be. Except they are petite and fragile. I prefer getting rough and rowdy with the boys than playing tea and doll with the girls. Nonetheless, Nonay has developed her drawing skills greatly.

I'm really happy I insisted to go to Cebu. Just hope mom is too despite her cough and cold.

Marilog pictures!

AN 8-HOUR BUS RIDE FOR A TWO-HOUR MEETING

Today my journey took to me to Malita, a four-hour trip away from Davao City, to meet with the para-teachers of the different communities Assisi is sponsoring.

I slept at 230 AM today because I had some friends over for some Christmas together since I might not see them when I leave for Cebu this Thursday. So at 530, I awoke without enthusiasm and got ready for the trip.

The trip would have been beautiful if I were awake. Whenever I would wake up from having my head bumped against the window (I have big bukol na!), I would see an endless expanse of coconut-covered mountains and more coconut-covered valleys with rivers snaking its way through crevices. But my mind was too exhausted for me to fully appreciate the beauty of it.

Malita is a quaint town. Clean and bright, just like my two hands (I have two hands... the left and the right!). The structures seem to be well-placed. The roads unlittered. I like it. Reminds me somewhat of my favorite town in Mindoro, Naujan.

Anyways, all I did was introduce myself to the teachers and told them of the visit I was going to make this January. I never got to know them individually and I would have not known how to facilitate that because they also had other activities. Lunch was nilagang baka and tuyo which I enjoyed very much. :)

The trip back home, I was awake most of the time. I was reading my book at first. Then got a bit dizzy and tried to enjoy the scenery. It was raining a bit hard and you could see the beach crashing wildly against the shore. Coconut trees were dancing with the rain. I would have loved to bathe in it.

'Twas a welcome break from sitting in the office with nothing to do. It's been a deadlock with my reports because the other foundations we are assisting haven't sent in theirs. So even if it was an 8-hour bus ride that took my day, I had fun. Fun sleeping and bumping my head. Hehehe!

APO NI LOLA BASYANG

My companion made me tell the Lumad kids a story. In Bisaya. As always, I stuttered and stammered and asked questions like, "unsa sa Bisaya ang pabilisan?" Stuff like that.

But I had a lot of fun. The kids were all attentive and understood even if my grammar was all twisted. Nice. Would like to do it again. :)

OF FIREFLIES, HABAL-HABAL RIDES AND OPEN-AIR BATHING

Yesterday, my journey took me to Marilog found in the outskirts of Davao, almost on the way to Bukidnon. I didn't even last 24 hours there but it has been a very interesting experience.

BATHING AND FIREFLIES
I should start with the habal-habal ride but this topic is much more interesting. Tee-hee!

When we got to the place where I was going to stay for the night, the first thing I checked was the comfort room. To my dismay, it was a make-shift one bamboo slats and tarpaulin for cover. I really don't mind but then the bamboo walls just hid up to the waist! The rest of the wall were woven bamboo strips of which one can still see through.

So I decided I'll take a bath when the sun has set and darkness has settled in. At least, there is a smaller chance of being seen.

Finally, the only light left was our house. Everything else was between pitch blackness and blue-black. With everything in tow, I had my bath. Thankfully, the water wasn't cold. At first I was wary with my surroundings. Every little sound got me looking this way and that. Until finally, I got comfortable and started to enjoy the experience.

There were fireflies all over the place. It was beautiful. Though I did wonder if it were true that fireflies signified spirits were present. I doubt that. But I'm sure about elementals. I just prayed no tikbalang or kapre would take interest at that moment. Hahaha!

Anyways... I made it through my first bath in the "open-air." Twas not so bad after all.

We went to a neigbor whose house was fifteen minute-30 degree incline walk up. That was where we were to have our dinner. With a special request not to have chicken... Let's skip this part. I just played with the kids, got my rubber shoes wet and squishy in the rain.

Finally, we got back to our house for the night.

When we turned out the lights to get ready to sleep, THERE WERE FIREFLIES ALL OVER THE CEILING. WOOOOOW... They flickered in various degrees of speed. Moving pinpricks of light in the pitch darkness of the mountainside. They seeked our house for refuge from the strong rains... wow.

I couldn't sleep. I kept staring at the ceiling. Twas just so amazing. Something I will never get to experience in my own room. Not even glow-in-the-dark stars can compare to the beauty of that sight.

Beautiful.

HABAL-HABAL RIDE
Going to and leaving from Marilog must have been the worst habal-habal ride I've had in my life. And I've been through a lot!

The road was full of rocks of varying sizes - from boulders to pebbles to sharp ones. The crevices on the road were also deep sinking almost six inches! Because of the rains, the water flowed through the pits digging deeper into it. Grabe!

The worst thing about it was I was in the middle of my companion and the driver. I always want to sit at the far end but Yen was more insistent that I am. And being a gentleman, I gave in.

Argh. No fun.

Going down was worse. Twas the first time I rode with five people on a motorcycle. Guess who was in the very middle. ME! Wah. I was being crushed, I could hardly breathe. Ick. There was a point that only one butt cheek was sitting down on the habal. Gack! I held on for dear life.

But at the end of it all, I enjoyed the adventure. I made a mental note to rent a habal for my own next time though.

BY THE BEACH
Sitting by the beach alone at night is both a sad and peaceful experience.

Sad because you wish there would be someone to share the view of the city drowning in smog and lights, the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore, the chilly December wind that embraces you in its arms, the full moon that drives you to lunacy by its beauty.

Peaceful because you enjoy the solitude. Questions that hide behind the daily buzz of your life are slowly unearthed by the silence of the spirit.

I sat by the cement stairs leading to the beach. Listening to the wind’s lullaby. Her gentle fingers caress my slightly damp hair. The beach whispers stories of unknown creatures. The clouds shimmer in the darkness.

Wish I can download the images from my mind into this journal.

A CDO WEEKEND

JOIN THE JOY RIDE
Last weekend, I hied off with some JVP friends to Cagayan de Oro to celebrate T’s birthday. 5 PM we left Davao for a six-hour joy ride through Bukidnon to CDO. T’s dad gallantly played the role of chauffer to a bunch of twenty-somethings. I slept through most of the trip. Whenever we would be at a stop-over, the world felt something like between a dream and reality. The thick, cool fog that surrounded the mountainous outskirts of Davao made the dream effect more believable. Like an invisible snake, the cold crept through my spine with those few minutes I was out of the car.

CDO greeted us with a barrage of Christmas lights (as did Bukidnon). Without even stopping for dinner, we went straight to Flips (T’s brother’s billiards place) hoping to catch the band playing for the night. Unfortunately, there were some problems with the organizers so we had to let go of the sound trip. The good news, we had the place to ourselves. The rest of the people played billiards while I practiced on the other table. After the night (morning), I could hit the balls already and shoot some into the pockets. Little achievements to be happy for.

The day ended at 4 AM.

And the next began at 12 noon. The afternoon was for errands we had to run for ourselves.

BINGING AND BABIES
Late in the afternoon, J and I went with T and her mom to get the food. Yum! Chow mein and lechon and garlic chicken. Good thing they kept the lechon inside the trunk or else, T would have to explain to her guests that there is such a thing as skinless lechon.

The rest of the night was binging on whatever was on the table. Most of my time, I spent playing with the kids. Ella was three and very smart. Dangerously smart. Wanted to stomp the baby frog that got inside to house to its doom! But I had most fun with baby Joaquin (10 months) who looked like a girl. The peek-a-boo game never fails to make one endearing to a baby. (Wah! I miss my own pamangkins na!!!)

DANCE LIKE NOBODY’S WATCHING
Finally, the moment I have been waiting for came. When T said, “Let’s go to Macumba” I thought I heard the angels play the harp and sing “Hallelujah.”

When we got to Macumba, I was stunned with the people all over the place. And they were all dancing! Woo-hoo! You hardly see places like that in Davao.

I really love CDO’s night life. Even when I was still a volunteer in Bukidnon. Anyways…

It’s time to parteeeeh!

Whatever music that played, I danced to. When I’m in a dancing mood, I don’t really care about what’s playing. I decided to order Margarita and once again challenge my allergies. So I drank and danced. The alcohol didn’t give me allergies but it had a different effect.

The world disappeared and it was just me and the music. I did dance with people but it really didn’t matter who. I grooved like I never grooved before. I felt free. When I finished my margarita, I snatched gulps of beer from my friends. And I liked the beer. For the first time. Wow. I even smoked some (cigarettes lang!).

And the friends that I had took advantage of my slowly-disappearing inhibitions and somehow convinced me to dance on the ledge. Yaiks. I did. And I didn’t care. If anyone ever looked at me or thought I danced funny… I didn’t give a damn. My soul was free that moment.

So from 12 to 3, I danced and danced and danced. Alone. With a partner. Be it girl friend or boy friend. No strangers though, but almost. One more beer and I probably would have done it. Thank God I didn’t. I just got myself lost in the music.

Then when we were to go home already, it drizzled… so I danced in the rain.

‘Twas great. But it will be something I don’t think I would ever do again. These are things you let yourself do one time, then pack neatly in a box, keep safe in a memory and reminisce about once in a while.

Nuninuninuninu… fun.

TIRED

When I landed at the new Davao International Airport, I wanted to just sprawl on the floor and sit till morning came or somebody fetched me. I was carrying my backpack for all the other things I couldn't stuff in my duffel bag which contained several Roald Dahl books and some others. The other bag had my CDs and some documents for my mom. Another package were my gifts for my chikitings in Cebu (I hope to go there by mid-December).

I landed, saw the new airport and felt tired.

For the past three weeks, I haven't really settled down long enough anywhere. Manila was probably the longest time I stayed in a place but then I was so full of activities, it still wasn't the same.

The next three weeks my schedule is still full. I have two reports and one documentation to finish by Monday.

Saturday, I took a leave because I promised a friend to go with her to CDO.

From next Tuesday to the Wednesdat after that, I won't be home.

I asked my mom to go with me to Cebu to visit my sister and kids. The youngest, Eo, probably doesn't know me anymore and that makes me sad. Kids forget easily, you know. Hay.

Rowie was probably right in saying that I have traveled both literally and figuratively. Since I left JVP, I've grown so much (not saying I was stunted there). God has been showing up in so many places, in so many times. Maybe a person can only be enlightened so much (of course not). Maybe I'm growing up too fast for my brain cells to catch up with it. Maybe what I am feeling right now is somewhat like a shoe you have overgrown because your feet got bigger. Maybe I am bigger. Maybe the world has become smaller even if it has become bigger (get it?). I need new shoes then... maybe I should buy those red hi-cut Chuck Taylors that I have been wanting since freshman college. D-uh? What I need is rest. A new home. Not a physical one. Someone? Something? Ah. Whatever. I ramble.

I am still happy though. But the tired feeling is overpowering it a bit.

BYE, MANILA

Sniff.

I don't know when I'll be coming back already. The earliest time I assume I can go back here would be April, after all the graduations I will have to attend from our day care centers. Oh no... more native chicken. Yaiks.

CHANGES

My flight schedule to Davao has been changed for the third time already. But all on the same day. Originally, I was going to take the 5AM flight, but then I figured I'd be dead the whole day so I won't be of any use so I changed it to 1015AM instead.

After I have gone to the office to deposit the video I edited for our funding agencies, one of the bosses reminded me about the medical exam I was supposed to take this morning. Oops! I forgot. Dang. So I had to move my flight to 345 again. Yaiks.

Luckily, we are using the Jetsetter pass. These are tickets one buys in bulk and can be used anytime of the year until expiry date. Erasures are not allowed though, so we have to go to the airport with blank tickets and write it down until we are finally, finally sure that we are leaving.

Thursday, I go to Marilog. Not for the scheduled monitoring visit but to take ID pictures of our scholars. We have to submit our report to our funding agency. Just as I thought I was going to just relax for the remainder of the week. Hooo well. Traveling is what makes this job interesting.

MANILA

It has been a very interesting week here in Manila. The past few days have been for meeting up with old friends after work.

Tuesday last week, I met up with my JVP partner, Q. As always, our get togethers are always full of wonderful memories of Calapan (where we were assigned as volunteers) and catching up (we are both doing well with our work and he is might jealous of mine. Tee-hee).

Last Wednesday, I finally got to go back to 70's Bistro after going to the Noel Cabangon's (the famed singer of "Kanlungan" more popularly known as "Pana-Panahon) Christmas album. I just had enough time to greet him and ask for his signature on the autograph. (I did see him today and asked his permission to use one of his songs for the video.) Gary Granada was there so we had a chance to catch up a bit... and other things.

Thursday, I got to watch "Electile Dysfunction" in Republic of Malate. One of the writers is a batchmate from college. Interesting and humorous play.

Toni and I met up Friday to have dinner and coffee. But what took up most of our time was the "Coin Game" in TimeZone. Addictive, pare! Two hours we were just sitting there plunking coins. It was cool seeing the machine spew out coins. Oh! And there were fireworks around 9 PM. Very... Meteor Garden. Tee-hee!

Lonesome gimmick on Saturday as I watched "Under the Tuscan Sun" in Greenbelt 3 for fear that the movie might not be popular enough to reach Davao. But if it does show there, I'm going to watch it again. One amusing remark from the lesbian friend of Diane Lane, "Wow! Men. In tights. And they're straight."

Sunday was a chance to see a lot of JVPs because it was my JVP batchmate's first vows. It was an emotional mass. As Gil said his vows with overwhelming joy (and some tears), some of us cried with him (I'm a cry baby, okay). Nothing like getting something you have always desired after much hard work. We were all happy for him.

Yesterday, it was Ann's birthday. Had dinner with more batchmates. Most of our conversation were about transgenders. I think I started the topic.

So... now, I will be going home to pack my bags. Hopefully, I can bring my rollerblades (I never got to master the darn thing) to Davao. I mean, I hope I have enough space but I still have so many books left which I still want to bring.

Wonderful, blessed week. Hope it progresses to a wonderful, blessed year.