Batanes: Travel Tips and Final Thoughts

Summary of my Batanes blog posts:

• Overview
• Day 1: Basco (Rolling Hills, Boulder Beach, Basco Lighthouse)
• Day 2: Trip to Sabtang Island
• Day 3: More Basco (Marlboro Country, San Carlos Church, Dakays House and the Old Spanish Bridge)
• Travel Tips and Final Thoughts

I love the Basco airport terminal. There are different photos of Batanes displayed all over the terminal and some Batanes videos are shown on the TV. The thatched roof and the ceiling fans also give a very local, island feel to it.

There are souvenir shops at the airport. A couple of them are outside the terminal (they were open when we got there at around 730am) and another one is inside the waiting area.

I would say the perfect time to visit Batanes is early in the year, from around January to April, or May even. There are daily Seair flights from Manila to Basco and back. If you plan to visit during the rainy months, make sure you are ready to spend extra days in Batanes since flights can be very quickly cancelled when the rains or winds are strong.

Obviously, if time permits, staying an extra day or so would be great coz it would allow you to see other places like the Torongan Cave, Diura Fishing Village, and Itbayat island. I would have also loved to just walk around Basco, which I didn't get to do due to the fact that our schedule was full.

Also, when heading to the tops of the different hills, be ready for sudden gusts of winds that will require you to plant both feet firmly on the ground quickly. A couple of times, I felt like I would be blown off the hill LOL.

I'm not sure what the dining options in Batanes are since all our meals were included in the tour. If you are a coffee drinker, be ready to go instant since I don't think a lot of places have brewed coffee. Fundacion Pacita served brewed coffee but our hotel didn't. If you can't do without brewed coffee, you may want to bring your own coffee and press so you can make your own.

One really cool experience I had here that brought back memories of childhood was drinking soda with a straw from a plastic bag. While waiting for our mass to start, I headed over to one of the sari-sari stores to get a snack and a Coke, and since the drink was in a bottle and not a can, they poured the contents into a bag and handed it to me (bottles have a deposit here). I honestly can't recall the last time I had soda that way. :)

If you plan to visit Batanes, and I really think you should, please make sure you don't litter (Batanes is really clean and it would be a shame if tourists start leaving trash on the streets) and that you don't abuse the honesty and friendliness of the Ivatans. This is truly one of the best places I have visited in the Philippines and I definitely recommend a trip here.

Batanes Day 3: Structures and Scenery

Our third and last day in these wonderful islands involved visiting a combination of man-made structures and amazing scenery. We began the day with a return trip to Fundacion Pacita. When we had dinner there on our first night, it was already dark and we couldn't really take good pictures. As such, our guides decided to bring us there again so we could have more photo ops in the venue and enjoy the place in a different light.

We then took a short drive down the road to a chapel that was also built by the Abads (the family that owns Fundacion Pacita) for the wedding of one of the Abad daughters, Julia. If you notice, the chapel structure actually looks like Fundacion Pacita.

Next up was a stop by some wind turbines. Unfortunately, they were all undergoing maintenance so none of them were working at the time we passed by. Didn't stop us from taking photos, though. :)

Our itinerary was being modified as we went along, but a lot of the changes were based on what the tour group wanted. So while a trip to San Carlos Church in Mahatao, which dates back to the 17th century, was originally slated for the late afternoon, it was close enough to where we were that we moved it up the itinerary. Good move on our part too, because we met the Parish priest while we were there and he agreed to give a special mass for us late that afternoon!

After spending the morning visiting man-made structures, we headed back to nature by visiting what the locals call 'Marlboro Country'. Once again, the fantastic views were astonishing!

We had our lunch in the area as catered food was delivered to us in the covered sheds just at the entrance of the hills. Once we all had our fill and got a bit of rest, we passed by another lighthouse in Batan.

I first realized that Batanes had a lot of amazing scenery because of the 1991 film 'Hihintayin Kita Sa Langit' which was mostly shot here. Our next stop that afternoon was one of the sites where filming of this movie was done.

The Parish priest in San Carlos church agreed to hold a special mass for us that afternoon, but before that, we had time to pass by the Old House called Dakays, which was built in 1887. The cogon on its roof is changed every 30 years and was last changed in 2007.

The Old Spanish Bridge was just a stone's throw away from Dakays.

We got back to Mahatao with time to spare, and after getting settled and resting a bit, we all headed into San Carlos church for our mass. By the time the mass ended, it was after sunset and time for dinner.

Our last dinner in Batanes was held in Vatang Grill & Restaurant. To make our dinner even more enjoyable and memorable, one of our guides, Noli Gabilo, connected his laptop to the TVs in the resto and he showed some Batanes videos as well as slide shows of the photos he took during our trip. It was definitely a great way to cap off a fantastic visit to Batanes.

Up next: Final thoughts and travel tips.

Batanes Day 2: Sabtang Island

Batanes is comprised of 10 islands, but the three main ones are Batan, Sabtang, and Itbayat. The capital Basco is on Batan island which is where we were based during our holiday here. However, the other islands have quite a lot to offer as well so we spent the second day touring Sabtang Island. And boy, what a day it was!


Before our boat arrived at the port, we quickly passed by the San Jose de Ivana church to say a quick prayer and take a few photos.


We then make our way to the Honesty Cafe across the street from the church. This store is such a great concept, and it is a true testament to the honesty of the Ivatans (or the Batanes locals). There isn't always someone tending the store, but purchase instructions are provided. Every item for sale in the store has a marker indicating its cost, and all you need to do is write in a small notebook what items you got and how much they are in total, then you drop your payment in a payment box. If you need change, you can knock on the door but if nobody answers, anything on top of the cost of your purchase will be considered a tip. We ended up getting a couple of shirts and leaving a small tip. We also borrowed a vakul - the headgear used to protect the Ivatan from rain, wind and sun and which are used by women (the counterpart for men is the tagulong) - for a quick photo op inside the store.


We then boarded the boat that would take us to Sabtang. I think it was about a 45-minute boatride, but our Sabtang tour didn't start out well for a lot of folks in the group though as the water was quite choppy, leaving several of us quite seasick. We needed several minutes to kind of regain our equilibrium. So while a lot of the folks were resting, we decided to take some photos around town.


Once everyone felt well enough to move, we headed to Savidug. This beautiful barrio of stone houses is very quaint, and walking through the very clean streets makes you feel like you have gone back in time. I really think Savidug should be declared a World Heritage site!


I could have spent more time exploring the barrio but we needed to get a move on since it was almost noon. Our guides stop at a location that offered a lot of great views (we also had some snacks while here to tide us over 'til our late lunch). Again, we headed up and down the hills where we took several photos.


There was a small beach on the other side of the hills and it was a bit tempting to head down. Unfortunately, the slope got too steep closer to the bottom of the hill and there was no way to get to the beach so none of us did. Instead, we enjoyed it from a distance. :)


We get back on the mountainside zigzag roads and find our way to Chavayan, another barrio that seems to have been frozen in time. Chavayan is set against an brilliant backdrop of lush mountains.


Once again, I would have loved to spend more time here but our earlier delay meant that we were about an hour behind schedule and lunch would soon be waiting for us on the other side of the island. Nevertheless, I found time to visit, and have my photo taken in front of, the Sta. Rosa de Lima church with its unique thatched roof.


Our lunch was set up in Nakabuang beach. And what a gastronomic feast it was! Highlights of our meal included the local delicacy coconut crabs...

photo courtesy of Noli Gabilo

...and lobster.

photo courtesy of Noli Gabilo

A few of us then hit the water after our meal. It was quite good to cool down after being under the sun all day. A major landmark on the beach was the Nakabuang Arch. Before we left the area, we took a big group photo under the arch.

photo courtesy of Noli Gabilo

It was late afternoon when we headed back to the Sabtang port. Thankfully, the waves were a lot gentler at that time of the day and no one got seasick on our return trip. One day left in Batanes, and while it meant that we didn't have a lot of time left in these incredible islands, I was definitely excited to see more amazing scenery.

Batanes Day 1: In and Around Basco

We arrived in Batanes at around 7:30 A.M. and headed straight to our hotel - the Batanes Seaside Lodge - where we had breakfast while the tour guides explained that because our flight schedule got bumped up to an earlier time, they wanted to add a stop in our tour. Perfect for us! Our transport for the next couple of days were jeepneys, which gave an even more local feel to our trip.


Our first stop was the Valugan Boulder Beach. There's a part of the island that juts out into the sea that has a bit of a Jurassic Park feel to it, like it was ancient and mystical.


And unlike most other beaches, the shoreline here is littered with large smooth stones that give this place its name. We didn't really go into the sea but this location was great for taking photos.


Our next stop - the Japanese tunnel - was the item added to our itinerary due to our extra time. The Japanese tunnel is a small cave that was used as shelter and a hideout from Japanese invaders during World War II. A few folks didn't want to venture into the dark cave but naturally, my family and I wanted the full experience so we all went in.


The views that greeted us on the other side of the cave were spectacular! (Of course you could have just walked around the cave to see it haha but then you would've missed the adventure. Also, there's a unique effect when going through a dark tunnel then coming out into the light. :))


To soak in more beautiful scenery, we headed to the PAGASA station where we had a lot more photo ops. This was the last stop in our morning tour as we headed back to the hotel for lunch and to get cleaned up for the rest of our afternoon tour.


After lunch, we got back into our jeepneys and headed to the exquisitely beautiful Rolling Hills. The views here were jaw-dropping!


The wind was blustering and you had to be careful as you walk over the hills to avoid being blown down the slopes. I experienced a few gusts strong enough to challenge anyone's balance and footing. But the effort really pays off when you get to enjoy the fantastic scenery.


Biggest surprise of the day was when we ran into Bo Sanchez on top of the hills. What are the odds? Naturally, we had to take a photo. :)


We then drove a short distance to the Basco Lighthouse. We climbed to the top, took more pics in the area, and we stayed to watch the sunset and take more pics. (Plus we had another Bo Sanchez sighting here hehehe.)



To cap off a long and memorable day, we had a wonderful dinner in Fundacion Pacita. I can't recall everything that we had - I know we had fish, vegetables, and pork confit - but I know there was a lot of food and everything was good! We also had time to go around the premises and take photos of the art pieces created by global artist Pacita Abad.


I didn't get any sleep the night before because I worked til past midnight to make sure I closed everything out before I took a few days off of work and our flight was at 5:30 A.M. So when we got back to the hotel, I took a shower and fell asleep. I definitely needed the rest to gear up for Day 2.

Beautiful Batanes!

The Philippines has a lot of amazing places to visit. And Batanes is definitely on that list! I got to visit the northernmost province of the Philippines with my mom and brother recently. I'll write about this in more detail, but here are some photos I took during our fantastic trip there.

Boulder Beach

Rolling Hills

Lighthouse

Fundacion Pacita

Sabtang island

Savidug

Marlboro Country

More blog posts to come about my trip to Batanes.

The Hunger Games

Four months into the year and I finally make my way to the cinema for only the third time in 2012. I was hearing such a lot of buzz and hype about 'The Hunger Games' that I told myself I needed to see it, no matter what. And I did.

I actually thought the movie is really well-made, apart from the fact that I'm not a fan of the shaky camera style of filming that is used in some scenes. The performances of the cast were pretty solid overall - what would you expect when the film is headlined by Jennifer Lawrence who already has an Oscar nomination for best actress tucked under her belt? - and the characters for the most part were believable.

I guess the main problem I have with 'The Hunger Games' is the premise. *** Spoiler Alert *** Stop reading now if you don't want to know more about the movie. At the onset of the games, one boy and one girl from each district have to be offered up to join, and of all 24 participants, only one will survive and be crowned the winner. This essentially means that all other 23 contestants will have to die, whether in the hands of other contestants or from being unable to survive out in the woods. The creepy thing as well about it is that kids aged either 12 or 18 are put up for the contest. 12??? I think therein lies my inability to suspend disbelief; I can't imagine upperclassmen wanting to watch kids kill each other.

The Hunger Games is based on a novel written by Suzanne Collins and is the first book in The Hunger Games trilogy. So two more movies will be coming out. I've checked out the plot synopsis of the two other books that follow it - Catching Fire and Mockingjay - and I have to say that they have very heavy themes as well. I'm still curious to see how the books translate into the big screen so I will be watching the second and third installments when they come out.

Lady Gaga in Manila (but I'm skipping it)

Lady Gaga had a concert here in Manila a few years ago and since then, she's become arguably the biggest pop superstar in the world today. So it's great that she is coming to Manila to perform a concert as part of her Born This Way Ball tour. But it also means that concert tickets wouldn't be all that affordable.

I was toying with the idea of getting tickets but seeing the prices decided it for me. P15,840 for the VIP section, P11,620 for the lower box seated area, P5,280 for the upper box free seating area, and P2,120 for general patronage. Ouch! I guess it's also because of the venue; only about 11,000 tickets are going to be sold for this concert that will be held in the SM Arena so they have to make the cost of each ticket higher.

I'm sure it will be worth it but I just keep thinking of all the stuff I can buy with that money. So it looks like I'll be skipping it. It should be a blast though for anyone who watches.

Earth Hour 2012

I participated in Earth Hour again this year.


video uploaded in youtube by earthhour

I wasn't home for most of the day because I had a planning session with core team of our corporate social responsibility initiative at work. We scheduled our planning session on March 31 because I thought it would be a great idea for us to spend the day together then have dinner over candlelight in a restaurant that would be participating in Earth Hour. We ended our planning session at 7pm and headed to Bonifacio High Street were practically all establishments were participating in Earth Hour. We decided to have dinner in Kirin but by 830pm, we were done eating LOL. No more candelit dinner then hehe so we just got the bill and decided to sit somewhere outdoors and hang out. The hour actually went by quickly with all the stories we shared with each other.

When the lights came back on, we decided to have a couple of drinks in Agave. A productive planning session, good dinner, support of a global environmental campaign, and some cold beers = one pretty awesome day.

"We are young" by Fun

I heard this song first in Glee, and now I hear the original version by Fun on the radio a lot. Can't stop listening to it, it's so anthemic!


video uploaded in youtube by FueledByRamen

The video is a bit freaky though, not sure exactly how it relates to the song. :)

Magnum (in the) P.I.

So Magnum Ice Cream finally makes its way to the Philippines! The funny thing is that I always thought it was available here LOL. In fact, in the last few months, I've sort have cravings for it and I'd go to the supermarket to look for it. Naturally, I didn't find it but I just always thought it was out of stock. So when I saw all those ads on TV saying that Magnum is now in the Philippine Islands, my initial reaction was "Oh so that's why I could never find it here before" hahaha. My second reaction of course was to go out and get it. And I did. It really is sooo good! :)

Phantom of the Opera!

Wow, I am so excited about this! Phantom of the Opera is coming to Manila in August! Public ticket sale starts on May 1st, but pre-selling for Citibank credit card holders and Infinity subscribers has started so we were able to get tickets already.

photo courtesy of Ticketworld

Apparently available seats are disappearing quickly - especially the good seats. In fact, we couldn't get orchestra seats on our first three date options! Thankfully we purchased early enough during the pre-sell. Makes me wonder how many seats will still be left by May 1st and whether they will add more dates.

We picked seats in the orchestra even if they are quite expensive because the slight sound glitches when watching The Legends and the Classics were very evident in balcony 1. As such, we figured we might as well get good seats when we watch this legendary musical. I've actually watched this show almost a decade ago when I took a sidetrip to NYC during a business trip to the US but I want to experience it again with my family. It should be an awesome night and I can't wait! :)

"If you have to go" by Geneva

This is a great song by British indie band 'Geneva'.


video uploaded in youtube by user avengeneva

Liverpool make the FA Cup semis

Two more match wins are all that stand in the way of Liverpool being able to hoist their second piece of hardware this season. They are now in the semifinals of the FA Cup. Up next? A potential clash against Merseyside rival Everton. Of course, Everton still have to get past Sunderland who pose a strong challenge. In any case, the semifinals are slated in mid-April and I'm hoping Liverpool end up with another win and a shot at winning the FA Cup. Good luck, Liverpool!

Button wins the Australian GP!

The 2012 F1 season opened in Australia, and Jenson Button made his presence felt immediately by winning the first F1 race of the season. If Red Bull were thinking that they'd dominate F1 this year the way they did last year, McLaren gave them something to think about as Lewis Hamilton also made the podium in 3rd place, behind Sebastian Vettel.

More often than not, the winner of the first race of the F1 season has gone on to win the Drivers Championship. Hopefully this trend continues and Jenson ends the 2012 season on top of the leaderboard.

The Legends and the Classics

Seeing one of them live is great enough. But seeing all three perform together in one show is epic. Philippine legends Lea Salonga, Cecile Licad, and Lisa Macuja all shared the stage in 'The Legends and the Classics'. Initially, this show was slated for only one night but they added another performance due to public demand.

photo courtesy of www.spot.ph

Thankfully, my family watched on the Sunday night because the 2012 Pyromusical Olympics in MOA caused gnarly traffic on Saturday night that resulted in a lot of people being late. I've watched Lea perform live a few times before ('They're playing our song', 'Miss Saigon', and 'CATS') and she truly is a brilliant performer. But I have always wanted to see both Cecile Licad and Lisa Macuja perform live. As such, getting tickets for this show was a no-brainer.

Needless to say, we immensely enjoyed it. As did everyone else. And how could you not? Lea was brilliant as ever, and I especially loved her Broadway medley that included 'I dreamed a dream' and 'On my own' from Les Misérables, 'Memory' from CATS, 'As if we never said goodbye' from Sunset Boulevard, and 'For Good' and 'Defying Gravity' from Wicked. She also reminded everyone that it was in CCP that she auditioned for 'Miss Saigon', the musical that launched her international career, and she sang 'I'd give my life for you' which she had to learn during that audition.

Lisa Macuja defied her 48 years (seriously, she doesn't look anywhere near her age!) by showing mastery of her body in the balcony scene from 'Romeo and Juliet'. She also joined Ballet Manila and performed excerpts from the ballet 'Paquita'. However, it was her performance of ' The Dying Swan' from 'Swan Lake', accompanied by Cecile Licad on piano and Wilfredo Pasamba on cello, that brought the house down.

Cecile Licad has impressed audiences throughout the world with her incredible talent and skill, and I can now officially be counted among the multitudes who have witnessed firsthand her musical prowess. She performed pieces from composers such as Chopin and Gottschalk that demonstrated her range, control, and masterful technique. And speed! That she made it look so easy was a testament to her sheer genius. This video of Cecile playing Chopin's Etude Nos. 1-4 isn't from the show, but she did perform it that night:


uploaded in youtube by user tiklado07

Naturally, The Legends and the Classics also featured collaborations of all three artists. I already mentioned the 'Swan Lake' performance with Cecile and Lisa, but all partnerships were represented. Naturally, the opening ('Nais ko') and the grand finale ('Sana'y wala ng wakas') featured all three ladies on stage simultaneously. The 5-minute standing ovation they received was well-deserved, and it also carried with it an appreciation by Filipinos of the pride that these artists bring to the country. The tickets may have been quite pricey, but they were worth every centavo.

Regular Rack of Ribs for half the price

I am soooo loving deal sites. A few months ago, I purchased a couple of P1000 Tony Roma's vouchers from Metrodeal for only P500 each (50% off). Given that I love this resto but don't eat here very often because it is quite expensive, I made sure I used them both before they expired on March 14. In each trip I took, I got a regular slab of ribs - and mind you, a regular slab is more than enough to fill your stomach - and refillable soft drinks. I ordered the Carolina Honey ribs on my first trip there and I got the original ribs on my second. I can't recall the last time I visited Tony Roma's prior to these two visits but the ribs here are really, really good! The funny thing is that on my second trip, practically every other patron there was using a discount voucher. I wonder if they made any money with this deal. I hope they did; that way, they may open a similar one in the future.

Val and Louie tie the knot

What a wonderful wedding! My college friends Val and Louie have been US-based for more than a decade and they got married there already, but as a lot of their family and friends are based in the Philippines, they decided to have their church wedding here. The ceremony was held in Della Strada in Katipunan, but I woke up quite late, got stuck doing errands, and ran into heavy Saturday traffic, that I didn't make it to church. Instead, I headed straight to Val's family's house where the reception was held.

A lot of our college friends were already there when I arrived - Mitch (and Ferg), Hes (and Migoy), Kermin, Lala, Letlet and Gosh, Jed, Aries, and of course Val and Louie. I also ran into my colleague Farah. I told her the couple and I were batchmates back in college and we've remained good friends all this time. I ask her what her link was and she said she and Val were cousins. Why I did not realize immediately that she shared a last name with Val (at least before Val got married), I don't know LOL. But it was nice seeing another familiar, unexpected face there.

A fantastic tapas spread greeted us in the frontyard and I could have filled myself with all the different appetizers plus the cheese and wine but I knew I needed to leave room in my stomach for the rest of dinner. And dessert! Once we were told that the buffet was open, I made my way to the dessert table first to get a piece of practically every dessert there - mango torte, strawberry shortcake, apple pie, sans rival, and a few other items I can't recall anymore. Plus the yema pie that Val made herself. I ended up with two full plates of dessert! And I ate almost everything I got. Yeesh! On top of that, I still filled my plate with the main course options in the buffet. Suffice it to say, I was stuffed.

But food wasn't just the theme of the night. The party was also filled with laughs. Practically every speech and toast made were hilarious. The guy taking the videos set up his camera right next to me and I'm afraid my unabashed and boisterous laughter will be heard all throughout the video! Louie actually mentioned to me that he could hear me laughing all throughout the evening. Then again, so was everyone else. But the laughter didn't end there. While everyone else had left at around 10pm, our gang stayed on until half past 1. We spent that time catching up, enjoying cheese and wine and apple pie and Nespresso, and reliving hilarious and gut-busting funny moments in the past. It was definitely a terrific evening and all the food and laughs definitely make this wedding very memorable.

My Octoboy discount card

About a month ago, I took my nephews to Power Station in Shangri-la Mall so they could play Animal Kaiser and we ended up staying there until the mall closed at 9pm. We hadn't had dinner yet - we had some bread in Baker's Fresh right next to the arcade before they started to play - I decided to head to Tomas Morato since the restos there stay open 'til quite late. I know that my nephews enjoy takoyaki so we ended up in Octoboy. I had eaten there before and I know that the food is pretty good. The only question was whether my nephews would enjoy it as well.

Thankfully they did. My nephews ended up ordering different types of takoyaki while I got octopus okonomiyaki for myself. (Makes me miss my stint in Japan more than a decade ago where I had my first okonomiyaki.)

Now I am not sure why but one of the waitresses approached me during our meal and gave me an Octoboy discount card. Maybe the staff thought we looked like a cute, slightly out-of-place group; after all, it was half past 9 and everyone else eating there were adults. In any case, I thought it was great that I now get 5-10% off in that resto, depending on whether I pay via cash or credit.

A few weeks later, I again take my nephews to Power Station 'til mall closing, and my nephews asked if we could eat in Octoboy again. Unfortunately, I left my discount card at home. Nevertheless, we still had our late dinner there. Interestingly enough, the waitresses recognized us so they got my name to cross-reference it in their list of discount-card holders and they proceeded to take 10% off of our bill. Cool!

Disliked. Twice.

I put up videos of myself online for my friends who would like to see certain performances again. A few years ago, I uploaded four songs I performed in the wedding of my friend Stelz. Among the songs I performed was Kenny Lattimore's "For you". It's a beautiful song, but it isn't all that popular given that it didn't really break into the mainsteam. So imagine my surprise when my cover of this song turned out to be the most viewed of all videos of me performing (it's my 2nd most viewed vid; top honors go to my video of Elliott Yamin performing 'Free' in Market! Market! back in 2007).

Most of my personal vids average about 200-300 hits (so pretty much me and my friends LOL) but my performance of 'For you' has more than 1,800. Which means that this video has probably been viewed by stalwart fans of the original. Which probably explains why I ended up getting two 'dislike' votes. There are two 'likes' as well, but I had to ask a couple of friends to 'like' it for me to compensate for the negative votes LOL. If you are interested to see my most disliked video, check this out:



Thinking about it now, what does it really matter if people dislike my vids? I mean, I put it up for my friends so if random people happen to run into my youtube channel and not like something on it, then it is definitely their option to toss in a negative vote (or heck, who knows, maybe my friends themselves actually disliked the vid hahaha). After all, people with an online presence really do put themselves out there for anyone to see. As such, they also become subject to opinions, praise, and criticisms from strangers from all over the world. You certainly won't always like what people will think or even say about you. (I had one person leave a comment years ago that my blog was no longer interesting - so I guess at some point it was haha - and they wouldn't read it again. I didn't even realize strangers were reading this blog since I update it mainly so that I can direct my friends to it when I want them to check out what I have been up to.) As such, the next time any of my vids get a 'dislike', I won't bother asking my friends to like my vids to counteract it with a 'like' vote.

Photobook

Several months ago, I purchased five vouchers from Groupon/Beeconomic for Photobooks which I got at 77% off. I have hundreds of photos from several trips I had taken in the past, and while my initial plan was to have the pictures printed out so I could arrange them in a photo album, I figured it would be a better - albeit more expensive - option to create photobooks. So when I saw the 77% discount vouchers, I just had to purchase a handful of them.

Thankfully, they were valid for several months, which means I had time to work on them. In traditional cramming style, though, I waited until just a little more than a month before my vouchers expired before starting to work on my first photobook. It took some time to figure out how to use the design software, but after I put together my first book, I started to get the hang of it.

I've now created two of three books - Belgium, Switzerland, and New York - and I have a couple of weeks to use my remaining two vouchers. I'm planning to create photobooks for my trip to Mexico and my stint in Sweden. Given that some of these trips were made almost 10 years ago, I am definitely looking forward to receiving my photobooks in the mail. I hope they turn out great.

'La Traviata' comes to Manila

I've been wanting to watch an opera for a really long time now, and I finally got that chance when CCP, in cooperation with the Opera Guild of the Philippines and the Daejeon Opera Company, brought 'La Traviata' to Manila. 'La Traviata' was created by Giuseppe Verdi and is one of the most performed operas in the world.


The title means 'The Fallen Woman' although I feel a more appropriate title would be 'A Woman's Sacrifice'. It tells the story of a courtesan named Violetta, who is the object of affection of a young nobleman named Alfredo. Initially she rejects him but she soon learns to love him, to the point that she abandons her rich and lavish lifestyle to live with him under more meager circumstances. However, Alfredo's father Giorgio pleads with Violetta to leave him because her reputation (she lived as a courtesan) is bringing shame to the family, which, in turn, threatens the engagement of Alfredo's sister. Despite her immense love for Alfredo, Violetta agrees to leave him.

When Alfredo finds out, he feels betrayed and assumes that she has left him to return to her former lover, the Baron. When they meet in a party, Alfredo demands that Violetta admit she is love with the Baron, which she does under duress to protect the real reason for her leaving Alfredo. As she does, he humiliates her in front of everyone. Giorgio denounces the act of his son, who eventually learns the truth about Violetta's sacrfice. By then it is almost too late. Violetta is dying from tuberculosis. Somehow, when Alfredo comes to her sickbed, she feels revived long enough for them to sing a duet together. It unfortunately doesn't last and the opera ends as Violetta dies in Alfredo's arms.


It's an incredibly sad story, as all operas are. But it is precisely this intensity and immensity of emotion that makes 'La Traviata' powerful and compelling. This opera was performed in CCP for three nights, with two performances topbilled by a Korean cast. We got tickets for the Korean show where Violetta was played by Yun-Kyuong Yi. While the entire cast was great, it was Yun-Kyuong Yi who really owned the show. Her voice is amazingly brilliant and can be heard clearly even when she sings with the rest of the chorus. Her control and range are absolutely astounding. The role calls for her singing while slumped over or even lying in bed and she navigated through those physical challenges with ridiculous ease. Naturally, she received the loudest cheers and strongest applause, and she got a standing ovation from everyone at the end of the show.

Check out this video of her singing the aria 'Sempre Libera' which is performed towards the end of the first act. If you don't want to listen to a 10-minute aria sung in Italian, then maybe you can skip to my favorite parts - 5:17 to 5:34 and 7:26 to 7:43. In these parts, she sings the same high note in two different styles - one with full power and the other with restraint. This is exactly how she did it when we watched her. Talk about control. (I checked other versions of 'Sempre Libera' and she seems to be the only one who does that power vs. restraint style, so I guess it must be her signature.)

video uploaded in youtube by jojiebadilla

After the show, the lead cast went outside for a meet-and-greet. A lot of people flocked around Yun-Kyuong Yi but we still managed to get her autograph and I also got to take a photo of my mom with her. It was a very unique and wonderful experience. The fact that we paid P1545 per ticket and sat in the fourth row made it even better (I think they must have gotten a lot of sponsorships because I found the tickets to be incredibly inexpensive for the seats we had in a show like this). A couple more operas are lined up this year, include Madame Butterfly. I reckon I will find myself in CCP again to watch that. In the meantime, I will continue to relish my first-ever opera experience.

Carling Cup, Baby, Yeah!

Congratulations to Liverpool for winning the Carling Cup!

photo from www.footballscouting.org

The Carling Cup isn't necessarily the biggest title around, but it has been 6 years since Liverpool last won some hardware (they won the FA Cup in 2006). Since then, things haven't been looking up for the Reds. (Currently, they are in 7th place in the BPL!!)

And it didn't look like things would get better for them in their Cup final against Cardiff City, a team currently playing in the 2nd division. Cardiff scored first in the 19th minute, and it wasn't until midway through the 2nd half that Liverpool scored an equalizer. Extra time looked promising for the Reds stepped ahead 2-1, but Cardiff City kept things very interesting by bringing the match to a tie just a few minutes later.

Which brings us to the penalty shoot-out. When Captain Steven Gerrard missed the first penalty, things didn't look too good for Liverpool. So call it a strange coincidence when his cousin Anthony Gerrard, who plays for Cardiff, somehow missed his penalty as well, handing the trophy to Liverpool. Check out the very tense penalty shoot-out:


video uploaded in youtube by DarkyGFX

Hopefully this win gives them the motivation they need to go up a few notches in the BPL. They are also still in the FA Cup and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they can replicate their Carling Cup success there.

Meryl wins an Oscar! Yahoo!

It took 29 years, but Meryl Streep has finally won another Oscar for her brilliant portrayal of British Prime minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady". Congratulations, Meryl!

photo from www.watcherswatch.com

It's interesting to note that the two times Meryl hoisted the trophy, she was wearing a gold gown. Check out this image for her "Sophie's Choice" win. Hopefully she can win 1 or 2 more Oscar trophies. Would be great if she can tie or even surpass Katharine Hepburn's record of 4 Oscar wins (all for best actress). But even if she doesn't, Meryl has definitely cemented her reputation as the best actor of her generation.

*****

Spare a thought for the amazing Glenn Close who has now been nominated for six Oscar awards but hasn't won one yet. When you look at her legendary performances, such as those in 'Fatal Attraction' and 'Dangerous Liaisons' (I still think she should have won for the latter), I have to consider her as the best actress never to have won an Oscar. I've seen the clips of her performance in "Albert Nobbs" and her stillness and restraint is just awe-inspiring. I wish that at some point in her career, Glenn can win an Oscar trophy herself.

Birthday celebration in Resorts World

I brought my family to Resorts World to celebrate my brother's birthday. My other brother and I had been to Resorts World before but for everyone else, it was their first time there. We arrived in the late afternoon though because my two nephews had a family day in the morning, and by the time everyone got cleaned up again, it was almost 2pm.

We ended up having a late lunch in Johnny Chow, and it was actually a pretty good choice because they had a dimsum cart. As it was mid-afternoon already, people were obviously hungry, so we picked up some dimsum to combat the hunger pangs as we waited for the rest of our meal. There were seven of us - me, my two brothers, my mom, my grandma, and my two nephews - but in the interest of trying out a lot of different menu items, we ended up ordering 6 dishes plus pancit and yang chow friend rice (it wasn't gluttony; we could doggy-bag whatever we couldn't consume there). I'm not particularly sure how it happened but we ended up eating everything! That translates to practically one dish per person + rice + dimsum. Thankfully my brother had a Resorts World membership card with him coz we got an extra 5% off of our bill (it would've been 10% if we paid with cash).

My friend Beck had given me two tickets to the free Lea Salonga in Piazza that same evening. Given this, I initially planned to take my nephews to the arcade while my grandma and brother would watch "Unofficially yours". That way, by the time everyone was done, it would be time for me and my mom to go Lea's show. Unfortunately, the video game that my nephews wanted to play - Animal Kaiser - wasn't available there and the next film start was more than an hour away. So my brothers and grandmother decided to just go home. My nephews were supposed to go with them but they insisted on playing Animal Kaiser in Power Station either Shangri-la mall or in Powerplant. I decided to give up my free Lea ticket and just accompany my nephews, and we played in Powerplant because it was closer to Piazza.

My nephews played a truckload of games before we picked up my mom after the concert. On the way home, I was thinking of where we would eat but everyone was already asleep in the car. Makes sense because my nephews did get up really early that morning for their family day. I just got some take out in Jollibee before heading home. It was a great day despite me missing the Lea concert. I'm thinking of bringing my family to Resorts World again soon. Lots more stuff to try there that we didn't have time for.

Bella's Baptism

I attended the baptism of Bella, the daughter of my friend and namesake Christian. About half a dozen of my high school batchmates were there, including Joyce whom I haven't seen in a while so it was but natural for us to spend a lot of time catching up. The fact that our catch-up conversations were set against a pretty lavish baptismal party with lots of really good food and unlimited drinks certainly added to the enjoyment.

The unique twist to this evening was the acoustic band that was playing live music and the fact that members from the audience were invited to perform with them, Rockeoke-style. I didn't know this when I went to the party, and it was funny that as soon as Christian saw me arrive, he had this 'a-ha' look on his face then he headed over to get the song and lyric lists and hand them to me. And here I was expecting a quiet, chill night. I don't like impromptu performances since I like preparing myself psychologically when I perform but I didn't see a way out of it LOL so I decided to pick a song that I knew well. I was hoping there would be a few upbeat rock songs in the list but I couldn't find any. Instead, I picked old reliable - "I'll be" by Edwin McCain. I think I did decently well.

I can't recall attending any other christening celebration that started in the early evening (most of them are scheduled in the morning or in the afternoon) so it was almost 10pm when we called it a night. Joyce felt like she needed some coffee before heading home so we took a quick detour to Starbucks. Flub of the night: I somehow found myself playing with my half-filled coffee cup while talking to Joyce. What followed was a scene straight out of some stupid slapstick comedy as I ended up accidentally tipping my coffee cup over and into my lap and shirt. Sucks too that I was wearing a white shirt that night. Thankfully we were near my home so we quickly said our goodbyes so that I could immediately try to get the cafe mocha out of my shirt before it becomes a permanent stain LOL. (I did. :))

Bobby McFerrin and the Pentatonic Scale

This is a truly amazing and entertaining video. Check it out:


video uploaded in youtube by worldsciencefestival

I love how they have a musician in a science festival. :)

Of 5-car collisions and other road accidents

I've seen a lot of car accidents in my life - some of them quite horrific - but normally only 1 or 2 vehicles are involved. So it was quite interesting for me to see a 5-car collision along Edsa one Sunday afternoon. I'm not sure how it happened since traffic was certainly not bad that day. I guess maybe everyone was going a bit too fast and as driver in the car in front put on the brakes, the drivers of the 4 cars behind him weren't able to react quickly enough and ended up bumping into the car in front. I saw some very irate people outside their vehicles involved in what seemed to be a heated argument. Wouldn't have expected anything less.

A few days later, I was at an intersection with a vehicle on my right. As we waited for the light to turn green, I heard screeching tires, followed by a loud hit. I look over to my right and I was surprised to see another vehicle hit the one on my right. It also just happened to be one of those that had a door at the back, and the damage looked pretty bad so I'm guessing the back door would now be jammed and would require some significant repairs. Once again, I don't know how this happened. I was just happy that it was the vehicle on my right that got hit and not me. Especially since my last trip to the casa wasn't all that good.

Starbucks free upsize

You know those little coupons that come with the Starbucks planner that you get for free once you collect enough stickers from coffee purchase? Well, I've gotten a planner from Starbucks every year since it first came out, but it was only this February that I finally got to use one of those coupons LOL. I got a free upsize, converting my Cafe Mocha from tall to grande! (Not a huge deal, really, since it's 'just' a P15 difference in price, but hey, I'll take it.

I've looked through the rest of the coupons and I can certainly use a few of them. The different freebies are valid on different months though so it's important to remember when to use which one. Hopefully I don't forget. Of course, I do have a planner, so I should just mark down some coupon-use reminders there. :)

Flo Rida samples Etta James

Flo Rida's 'Good Feeling' is a big hit right now, but did you know that arguably the best part of this song is a vocal sample of the legendary Etta James from her 1962 song "Something's Got a Hold on Me"? Check out the original song:


video uploaded in youtube by nyseamex

Etta James passed away about a month ago on January 20, 2012 which prompted Flo Rida to dedicate his 'Good Feeling' to her.

Car maintenance mishap

I brought my car to the casa for a 40,000 km check-up. These regular check-ups normally take a few to several hours - you are sure to get your car within the day - so I certainly wasn't expecting to get the call I did late afternoon. I thought I was gonna be told that the car was ready for pick-up. Instead, I was shocked to find out that one of the guys working on it accidentally hit the front bumper against something, leaving it badly scratched.

They would obviously cover the cost of repairing the bumper but the sucky thing was that they weren't initially giving me any options. They just said I could pick it up in its damaged state and return it the week after (I brought it there on a Friday). After an initially calm conversation that didn't seem to be going anywhere, I started to get riled up and demanded that they prioritize repairing my car and have it ready the next day. Initially they weren't committing to have it ready on Saturday, but I pressed them and said they can't leave me without a vehicle for an entire weekend after causing damage to it. It's a sad state of affairs, but I have found that often, you only get the help and service you need when you get angry.

I shared this story with my colleagues over dinner that evening, and the common sentiment was that the casa should have given me a service car since it was their fault that I was left without a vehicle. Good point. Next time this happens - although I certainly hope it never does! - I know what to ask. In any case, I did get the car at 5:30pm on Saturday, very shortly before the casa closed for the weekend. At least the repair job was done pretty well.

Back at the cinema

Before 2012, the last time I was in a movie house was *gasp* back in June when I watched Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon. I somehow managed to find time this year to watch a couple of films in the theater.

The first was 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol', the 4th installment of the Mission: Impossible film franchise. This has to be one of the best action movies I have seen in recent history (or maybe ever). It's a pretty fast-paced and intense, but what made it really good for me were the bits of comedic relief provided by Simon Pegg. It's sometimes tough to watch movies filled with a relentless stream of heart-pounding moments but MI4 provides enough brief pauses that allow you to chuckle - and breathe! - and thus enjoy the movie a lot more. The great thing about Simon Pegg's performance though is that he is funny when he needs to be but he is equally believable when he needs to be serious.

I also got to see 'Chronicle'. I'm a sucker for superpower films so when an evening meeting didn't push through and I found myself with a couple of extra hours, I decided to watch a movie and ended up picking this movie about a group of teenagers who somehow find themselves developing telekinesis. I'm not a fan of the "handycam" style of filming because it tends to make me dizzy, but despite this small hiccup, I found the film to be quite compelling. Character development was done exceptionally well, and it was actually quite interesting to see the kind of paths that people can take when they find themselves in a position of power and control.

Hopefully this trend of me finding time to watch movies in the theater again continues the rest of the year.

Adele sweeps the Grammys!

Congratulations to Adele for winning all 6 Grammy awards for which she was nominated!

• Album of the year for '21'
• Best pop vocal album for '21'
• Record of the year for 'Rolling in the deep'
• Song of the year for 'Rolling in the deep'
• Best short form music video for 'Rolling in the deep'
• Best pop solo performance for 'Someone like you'

With this trophy haul, Adele becomes the second female artist to win six Grammys in a single night. At 23 years old, she also becomes the youngest artist to win the 'Big Three': album, record, and song of the year. Previous record holders were Paul Simon, Carole King, and Christopher Cross, all of whom were 29 when they achieved the same feat.

Congratulations, Adele! Here's her performance of 'Rolling in the Deep' during the Grammys.


video uploaded in youtube by 9adachnnl

700 club

I started this blog in March 2005. 7 years - and 700 posts - later, I'm still blogging. Cool! :)

Jesse Campbell on 'The Voice'

Jesse Campbell performs 'A Song for you' on 'The Voice'. I love this song and this performance gave me goosebumps.



That 3 judges pressed their button within 8 seconds of him singing while the fourth judge pressed his button within 25 tells you just how good this was.

Question of the day

Why does it always take me 2 months or more to get my next haircut? I always tell myself that I shouldn't wait that long 'til I get a trim, but somehow I always keep putting it off 'til my hair starts resembling a helmet.

(Actually, as I write this, I realize I know why. I don't have great hair, and I've tried some barbers and salons where I work or live and the haircuts I have gotten from those places don't look good on me. There is only one place I go to where the cuts I get are decent on me so I keep going back there, but it's a 20-30 minute trip from where I live or work. As such, when timings get tight, it's the first thing I drop.)