Project FEETrail [July 2012]: Wedding Planning with my sturdy crocs and Zebra-print eco-bag

This is it! Kuya Stew is getting married! 

When we went to Kalinga to check the place out for an inter-cultural wedding, we were told by the weather officials that it's signal 1 for typhoon in Kalinga Apayao, where we are headed.  We've been getting text messages from our friends to take extra care because it's raining real hard in Manila and Laguna. I was even BBM-ing my friends to keep them in the loop! (Yes, I am La reine de photo sharing! ) but we got off the bus to a very nice and warm weather!

Thank you Lord! :)

Three months from now we'll be attending an inter-cultural wedding reception here. Kuya loves the place, he calls it "shabby chic".  This moment deserves to be in my FEETrail project because this is the location of my cousin's wedding reception...and it's literally on top of the mountain! I know it's not something new to me because I live in Los Baños where mountains and hills are common given that it's a science and nature city, the feeling of looking at the mountains from where I am standing is something else.  Too bad the photos don't do much justice. 

Vapur: The Anti-Bottle

I saw this thing called the Anti-bottle carried around by our trainer and I realized I want to get one! 

And so I did! (actually, my sister got these for me) 

I love how it curls up after using. And best part is, it's only Php25.00!

What you should know about being a [new] Globe [Postpaid line] subscriber

I've read about subscribers to Globe Telecom (my other mobile phone service provider) talk about how upon only getting their new postpaid line, they keep getting random texts from unknown numbers about the following:

• Cash loan/advances
• Condominium Unit Offers

Months ago while I was paying my bill, I spoke to the customer service representative and told him that how in the world did "these companies" were able to get a hold my new number?

He told me quite frankly that they do have some tie ups with some companies where they give out their data base info of postpaid subscribers to them for some kind of an exchange deal, and these companies will send a group message to all the numbers from the Globe Postpaid data base...and that I should just ignore the text whenever I get one.

And I did, but today, I get a random text not from a company but perhaps from a political party:

Dear Mayor Win Gatchalian of Valenzuela City, Isn't this too early for the 2013 political campaign? I'm not even from Valenzuela City?! 

Last month of April, I accidentally texted an old number of a friend and to my surprise the number replied! When I told the previous owner of that prepaid mobile number, he was surprised that someone's been using his old sim card which he thought he destroyed. Therefore, I found out that one of my friends old number was recycled by globe. 

If you're the same network as me, have you heard stories of the same/similar kind?

Travel Kalinga: Leigh's Grill and Coffee Shop

While we were "hotel hopping" for my cousin's wedding, we saw this grill and coffee shop right beside the second hotel, Davidson Hotel and Restaurant, that we went to:

The next day, we decided to give it a try. We arrived at this cozy coffee shop.

While waiting for our food, this little boy came over and took a seat. His little brother joined him in this photo op which they gamely posed:

Kids like me?! Really? I don't even have friendly features! haha 

 ( I think the second brother looked like baby james! They were jumping up and down the couches and my sister took photos of them ). Now on with the food:

The Chico River chocolate Drink, The Chocoloco cake and the Caramel cake 

The Filipino Breakfast (Php120.00) and the Clubhouse sandwich (php140.00)

Quick Tips and Review:

• Strategically located along the road
• Good clean ambiance
• Free wifi
• Ask for their best-seller (ChocoRiver)
• The caramel cake is too sweet, and the Chocoloco cake is only sweet on the surface part and the cake part is bland.
• Speed of service: I'd give 2 out of 5.

We didn't really have enough time to try the other dish because we just wanted to grab something to eat. An hour later after having this quick, after-mass brekky, we had lunch at the Red House that I wrote earlier.

Travel: Our "Pamamanhikan" Trip to Kalinga

"Pamamanhikan" in Filipino is the traditional "formal asking of the lady's hand in marriage" from her parents. The groom's whole family goes to the bride-to-be's house to formally meet the family and plan for the wedding. Weddings are actually big in the Philippines because it's the union of two families. Okay so these photos are not exactly about my Kuya's Pamamanhikan. He braved it by asking his girlfriend's hand for marriage on his own  and doesn't want me to film his nervousness and blog about it. A month later, his immediate family in the Philippines which he fondly calls "The Team Araguas" (us!) came to finally close the deal.

It's been five years since I last rode the deluxe bus. My first deluxe bus that I experienced before is called Fariñas Bus and it was bound for Ilocos Norte. This is the first time that I am riding via Victory Liner Deluxe Bus:

Victory Liner Deluxe Bus

How much: Php750 ( From Sampalok, Manila to Tabuk City, Kalinga)

They have in board free wifi ( c/s Sun Cellular, but lost the signal once we were in Nueva Ecija...so Boo!) 

The Grad School Diaries: Episode 9 - Pride Day, Pride Day on a Thursday

Wanna know what was up in UPLB yesterday?

The LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender)Rally:

And the Anti-LGBT rally:

Sincere apologies for the crappy photos. These were taken again using my camera phone.
Deym, I need to invest in a proper blogging camera since I have been using my phone's camera a lot. 

Another thing that I noticed, maybe because I was only able to catch up a few glimpse of the LGBT rally, the rally now is not as aggressive as the ones I've witnessed back in circa 1990s. Maybe it's because with this generation, we have migrated to virtual communities rather than in a real environment. Or maybe because of UP's changed profile of majority of students, or because the undergrad students are digital natives and some of us in graduate school are digital migrants. 

If only I was still studying the LGBT movement for my thesis topic, I would have enjoyed this day just observing how to they go around "fighting for their cause".

Thank you @yeyeahye for these cutesy bookmarks!

I've been writing/raving about how I am obsessed with booksale, books and chick literature (even though I don't get to finish them all that my Kuya had to tell me that I should stop buying, because all I do is just cover it up in plastic cover).

I also LOOOVE cute bookmarks and not just the regular kind. Last night, my friend yeye gave me kyooot bookmarks to use for my "pending" books in my nightstand.

Excuse the photos, these are taken from my phone's camera

I remember my mom attending a wedding and their give away / party favor is a book mark that instead of a paper board, it's made up of this copper wire with a clay jewelry hanging on the outside. I ended up using it though it's hers (too bad I forgot to take a photo). 

I am officially collecting all cute kinds of bookmarks now. Thanks again Yeye! :)

The Grad School Diaries: Episode 8 - The Graduate School Barbie

I was taking a break from doing stuff at work when I saw this  photo with the label “Graduate School Barbie” from Pinterest.

The Graduate School Barbie

I assume she was looking hot like this during her freshman year...But then, Graduate School happened. 

On the 39th day since my Dad died, he talked to me and gave a very strong opinion about me finishing the degree because it is just what he would have wanted to see. Uh Oh. It appears that even if I don’t get to see my Thesis adviser often ( usually because I don’t have anything, any improvement to show for the moment) I have another “adviser” who’s watching my back and the progress of my thesis.

While I have all this time to google and browse my pinterest account, I still haven’t found the time and moment to have an intimate session with my bruised thesis outline. 

Avatars: The Digital Paper Dolls

How many of you played with paper dolls when you were a little kid? I did!

Source

An hour before end of shift yesterday, we had a black out. Since I have one hour to kill and with a battery fully charged, I did what an ordinary person would do: play with stuff on the phone.

The Grad School Diaries: Episode 7 - My Paper's so blue

Today it's literally. But I just edited the picture out to give my paper some small dignity.

This is why I still prefer to have my papers printed out and edited manually. I prefer the comments, I like the lines, the boxes, the arrows, the handwriting of the editor, or in my case my adviser, because it feels like I have recorded the consultation and it lasts longer in my memory. I don't have any qualms regarding my paper getting "massacred" like this because I learn (and hopefully learn well).

Besides I've gone through a lot in my personal aspect that all these editing/revision/rejection/delay won't crash my spirit.

Gosh, I just wish Time Management is not this hard.

One of the things Tatay would have wanted

When the hospital advised us to take our father home to be “home cared”, one of the things that we need to have is a suction machine. My dad had already undergone Tracheotomy  so he is breathing through a tube inserted in his throat. Therefore he can no longer speak or open his mouth. We have no idea how much a suction machine costs (with the hospital bills shooting up the charts),  but through prayers and generous kind hearted friends, we were able to purchase one for Tatay. 

I did not have formal training how to suction. My Dad had a lot of phlegm that needs to be vacuumed. Only the nurses can do it properly until my mom and sister were the first brave ones to learn how to insert a suction catheter inside the throat of my Dad so he can breathe. One night, I was left alone with my ate Helen when he needs to be suctioned. When the situation called for it, Meredith Grey took over me and the next thing I knew I was already doing the suctioning.

A suction machine, though it’s pricey, is necessary for a stroke patient. Without it, my dad’s breathing would be blocked. It is not a nice view to see phlegm literally getting sucked out of your father’s throat but you become braver and braver each day when you get immune to the idea that it needs to be done for him to survive. 

While our house was undergoing some changes, literally, in preparation for Tatay's arrival after being hospitalized ( borrow hospital bed, clean house, get oxygen, etc.), UPLB's University Health Service was kind enough to let us stay there for a week while we fix the house. 

Our Tatay was only able to use his suction machine for less than a month and a half and we still have brand new suction catheters, so our family decided to donate it to the University Health Service (Infirmary) because ...

... it is just exactly what our Tatay  would have wanted. 

50 Shades of Grey: The preliminary

I wonder why 50 Shades of Grey is trending on Twitter this morning. When I checked the tweets, there's nothing interesting.

I joined the 50 Shades of Grey bandwagon about more than two weeks ago and I have not read further than Chapter 10. I actually miss doing nothing and curling up with a good book on a weekend but now I have more important readings to do than read the erotic novel. (It's not my first erotic novel because I already have Belle de jour: Diary of the London Call girl and Symphony X, to add to my list but I have not come around to actually finish reading them.) So, it's been sitting on my nightstand for a few weeks now. Unlike Twilight Saga where I bought the entire set, and bought another complete set to give away to my cousin, I only got the first book to see what the fuss is all about.

So, to answer the inquiries:

• Yes, there's a lot of sex in it. (I hope you have a really darn good imagination when you read it)
• Yes, it does not have the birds and the bees shit.
• Yes, it's a take off from the Twilight Saga. (Really, like the female lead character Anastasia Steele is all clumsy and virgin like Bella Swan from Twilight, while Christian Grey is older and ridiculously rich for a 27 year old, similar to Vampire Edward Cullen of Twilight, err...except that he is over a hundred years older.)

I don't think it's fair for me to provide a full review (read: judgement) of this because again, I've only read the first 10 chapters because I'm juggling work and thesis season at the same time. But to be honest, I wasn't really super hooked that I just couldn't put the book down. Funny how I was hooked on a high school love story of Twilight and wasn't really drawn to it with 50 Shades of Grey which is classified for mature audience.

Still, I will finish reading the book to give proper justice and so that it won't be such a waste. Despite of the unimpressed book reviews that I keep stumbling upon on the internet, I will definitely finish reading it before the movie (rumor?) comes out.

The Grad School Diaries: Episode 6 - The [Working] Grad Student Wishlist

Welcome to the Graduate School Student's 

TIME

Grad Students always complains about not having much time. Actually we do have time, we just “accidentally” spent it on something else. Grad students usually wish if we can extend the 24 hours of one day, for that extra hour before hitting the snooze button, for that extra hour before an exam, extra 30 minutes for a coffee break or extra 30 minutes to one hour before becoming officially late for class. 

FUNDS

For working students like me, and those who are not on scholarship, we need to keep our jobs in order to pay for our education and other basic needs. We need funds for other expenses from buying to photocopying books, for printing manuscript and having it hard bound, for paying for class trips, cups of coffee during off-campus discussions and for buying little pieces of heaven (read: chocolate) to reward ourselves when we feel we deserve it. (C’mon!)

 THE ENERGY & ABILITY TO MULTITASK WELL

I cannot stress this enough. I am amazed at how some of my classmates can work/study/run business/be a parent/partner/raise a kid/engage in hobbies while maintaining good grades in graduate school. I admire how they manage their time when by 5pm onwards, after work, all I’ve been thinking about lately is putting on my pajamas and watch Friends on DVD.

HAVING A [REALISTIC] INSPIRATION

When everything seems to be stressing us out, we must have at least an inspiration. It is hard not to have someone to look up, unless you really are self-motivated. In my case, I have friends that I look up to as “pegs’ to help me stay on my track and focus because sometimes I tend to have the attention span of an 8 year old kid. If you're on your thesis season like me, you will be needing something that inspires you to write. I've always been a writer and writing has always been my passion but I am having such a hard time finding my mood to write.

TO GRADUATE

Of course, the Ultimate Grad School Student Dream: To Graduate and earn the Degree.

Because if not, what are we still doing here?

(All photos were googled)

Cheap Thrills in UPLB: Biking

Last week, my friends and I finally had the guts to go biking around the campus.

We were supposed to go jogging, but I don't jog so I brisk walk instead that I blogged about before, but then I get bored still, so it's a good thing someone came up with a Bike Rental around the UPLB campus.

I haven't biked for so many years so it's good to know that I still have my sense of balance. I didn't know I can bike fast pala, and I'm so used being in a vehicle when on the road that I sometimes gets irritated by bikers and wishing they have their own lane, but last week, I found a new "scare" (read: respect) for the biker.

These are random photos that I took from last week's biking session, and tested this application called PicFrames for Blackberry.

For only Php30.00/24 hours, you get to rent a Japanese bike with the ff terms and conditions:

• They take a photo of you before you take the bike away.
• For lost bike you pay Php 2,000.00, for a brand new bike you pay Php 2,500.00.
• Their business hours is everyday, from 12:30pm to 6:00pm. 

The last time I tried to get fit was three months ago and that's before my Dad got sick, so in my attempt to get back in shape and live a healthier lifestyle, I'll be trying physical activities every week.

"Try" being the operative word. :)

That Controversial Belo Men Ad

I'm wondering if BAYO and Belo Medical Group and Executive Optical, after getting the flak, have the same advertising agency? They have the same "skin color/race concept" and "the percentage concept".

I was listening to the car radio this morning when the topic was about the "Racist Belo Men Ads". The curious cat in me googled and found out what the fuss is all about and here it is:

I don't know what my British Kuya Stew will say about this but he cannot understand why we Filipinos are obsessed with getting whiter skin, when he practically stays under the sun just to be even achieve my caramel tone (Naks! Caramel talaga! ). This is after seeing so many whitening products when we went grocery shopping one day.

He's been telling his "mates" in UK that Filipinas are the most beautiful women in the world (My Kuya Stew is a traveller as well and has been to a number of countries) that when his pure English buddies first came to the Philippines last April, they said Kuya Stew is right.

In fact, Kuya Stew loved being a half-Filipino so much that this year he is marrying a PURE FILIPINA (Brown skin and all).