Remembering My Late Dad

As a kid I grew up seeing coffins being spray-painted in our backyard and my younger siblings playing hide and seek inside these. When typhoon comes these coffins are placed inside our living room and we have lots of barrels of formalin stored too. I somehow got used to getting a chuckle or a quick laugh whenever I would mention what my dad does for a living. 

Papa never liked school when he was young. He would cut classes and eventually became friends with some guys in the funeral parlor back home. This is how he got into this business. I am used to waking up from loud door knocks in the middle of the night or early mornings from people whom their loved ones just died. Papa never mind though be woke up anytime because this means money to him and food for us.

Reflections of a Woman

A woman who is approaching or in her early thirties should have already found a career she is happy with  and at least have been to a romantic relationship.  When asked she should be very comfortable  sharing her unbiased views about different bed positions,  most effective birth control methods and the latest fashion trends. In reality, not all of the women are.

Yesterday I was having some chat with Eve, a very good friend. She was a former coworker but we manage to have a tea together every once in a blue moon to catch up to each other. Me at 28 is feeling this going-to-thirty-what's-gonna-happen drama and her having a i-am-now-in-thirties-what's-next drama. Still single at 33 when asked why, she says "I just haven't found the right one." Both of us are in the stage of reflecting about our career and personal life. I am sure every woman in our age bracket could have or at least felt this once in her lifetime.

El Dia E 2012: A Celebration of Spanish Language Day

When I learned the El Dia E 2012 will happen at Shangrila Plaza Mandaluyong through my email subscription, i was glad since it is only a dozen cartwheels, 5 tumbles and a split away from my place. I went there hoping to see my former colleagues or my professor but I saw none of them. The event was full of activities to test your proficiency of the Spanish language. The first activity I joined is together with 8 participants were given 30 Tagalog words and we have to translate it to Spanish. Would you believe I got 20 out of 30 so I was one of the three who got free books. I also tried the scrabble version of which you have to think of Spanish words that have equivalent meanings in Tagalog. Then I got to chat with one of the participants Wendy and we got along well. Muchas gracias por las fotos!

Living in Manila

"Call me old-fashioned or call me out of my mind but I still wanna see Manila with houses that has Capiz window shells, wooden furniture, paintings and arts that represent our culture and heritage in any private and public establishments. If my idea sounds not pushing our image of globalization – I think not because it is only a matter of mix and match like matching your newly bought blouse to your old favorite maong. So if you are one of me – call me maybe (parang kanta lang) let’s have a tea for this and  do  collaboration."

A Catholic school on top of a hill is where I had my first job as a Records clerk after I graduated from college. I only stayed there three months for two reasons. First I was the youngest at 21 and I find it hard to join my officemates’ daily conversation of being a wife/husband and having kids. Second, I work so close at home that I felt the urge to exercise my right to freedom away from my parents’ sight. So when I heard about this opportunity in Legazpi where I spent my three college years I grabbed it. As expected my late dad is against the idea but my mom was very supportive.

Batanes Tour Package and Itinerary

"Batanes is a picture that reminds me of those elusive Scottish highlands and lighthouses, women wearing "strange" headdresses, houses made of corals, cogon roofs and limestone walls. It is also as synonymous to a faraway place which is very true. Batanes is geographically nearer to Taiwan than in Manila and is the smallest province in terms of population and land area situated in the northernmost part of the Philippines. It is composed of ten islands which only three has inhabitants - Batan, Itbayat and Sabtang. The people of Batanes are called Ivatans mostly having similar features of a Chinese' almond eyes and the Spaniards' aquiline nose. " [ALL PHOTOS HERE ARE CREDITED TO RYAN LARA CARDONA]

What is June for Me?

Can't believe it is half of the year already! I have witnessed old friends from work leaving and I felt sad for two reasons. One, I will miss them and and two I feel like I am left behind again. But life should keep going and so is this blog! After joining the iBlog8 Philippine Blogging Summit - an annual gathering of the bloggers in the Philippines last month, I wished I have blogged as early as I can.

Being a social media addict slash enthusiast slash I am, there are two things I am looking forward to be part of this June.  WheninManila.com will be having The First Eyeball Dinner and Cocktails event and looking for writers, contributors and photographers and Manila Social Media Day 2012 meetup. I am crazy about meeting people, knowing key people who  influences others according to their niches, networking and building relationships so I hope these events will give me opportunities. If there is one word in this world that I am very much "in love" with, it is collaboration. 
Please allow me to give my definition of this word - it is about contribution of efforts, time, skills etc of more than one people from their expertise or skills towards a positive goal. After visiting Colab Manila last January, I have fallen in love of this word more! I am inspired by these people who does not work in the offices, (but does not mean I feel the opposite for those who do) called as entrepreneurs.

Where to Travel Next in the Philippines?

Lately I have been featuring about local travels here but this is a reminder that this is not a travel blog. This blog is about culture and heritage. Just that I guess there is really a thin line between these two niches that the more that I have to blog about culture and heritage the more I have to travel to places. My work is my biggest hindrance technically because I am in night shift and I even squeeze my ass off inside the office even holidays! 

Travelling is not my interest until I met a lot of people last year who travel constantly. January this year I went to Ilocos and February I went to Cebu. After 11 months of not going home last April, I made a surprise visit to my mom and siblings in Bicol for a day only. "You should have not gone home if you will stay this short." She said. That pinched my heart but I know what she meant is "I wish you can stay here longer with us." I told her that as much as I want to spend time with her at home I have work in Manila. 

My mom knows the pressure and how I am feeling so stressed in my work of nearly seven years in the same company and some personal issues that she told me to quit. I said I have learned to be an independent woman: I pay my own bills and fix my own mess. I told her If I stay in the province, I might end up as an old lady and I want to have a child when I reach 30's. There's one more that I enjoyed living independent is I can go out and go home anytime I want. Of course I can't tell this to her. 

Manila Social Media Day 2012

How do i  live in a  social  media infused-life  in Manila? When I wake up in the morning as soon as I have a hot coffee in my hand I grab my laptop and go online. Login to Facebook: read my Friends' posts, see what is being talked the most and view profiles of a few actually just one, ok, a few significant persons I stalk.  Check my messages:   friends sending where-is-our-next-hangout details, online people within my niche exchanging thoughts about collaboration and wondering this guy I met online whom I had good times together if I have a when-can-we-see-each-other-again reply blah-blah. Check my  blog as if it miraculously changed in anyway when I am the only one who has admin access to this. Check my Yahoo and Google emails for my subscriptions, forums and newsletters I joined.

Cebu Tourist Spots

One of the craziest things I have ever done in my life is on my 28th birthday I took a flight and traveled solo to a place I have never been before in Cebu for exactly 28 hours.  If you are into heritage and culture please listen to my list of Cebu tourist spots I visited for only a day! Like the movie “The Holiday” starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz each of them swapped homes during the holiday season aiming to escape the birthday pressure and yeah, escape someone back home.  Start your day with breakfast in Tablea Chocolate Café in JY Square Mall, Lahug. Try their puto maya (sticky rice) with fresh mango slices and dark tsokolate (unsweetened tablets from pure cacao beans) for P90 only. These local cacao beans are world – class and made from the purest grains ever! Don’t miss this since they only have cafes in Cebu so far.