road trip, part 3

ok, since i'm waiting for something anyway... and this is not much, might as well do it, right? :P Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte we arrived in Pagudpud on Sunday night, tired from the commute and a bit pissed that we missed the sunset. the sun just set and left the sky orange when we finally chose a resort to stay in. the room we had was not as good as the one we had in Vigan, but we'll just be sleeping in there anyway. funny thing though is that half of the bathroom door is just frosted glass, so you could quite make out what is happening or who is in the bathroom. that leaves you the shower area to strip, however the rods and wherever you could hang your clothes are on the side of the bathroom "covered" by the door. ahem, period. we had dinner at a restaurant there, which funny enough is a "Wifi Hotspot". funny because we were in the middle of the province, trying to get away from civilazation... and here it is, on the edge of the country, is a wifi hotspot. anyway, we had bulalo, mini lobsters and bulanglang. food was good enough to restore some of our energy. we walked by the beach afterwards. i was surprised to discover how fine the sand was, almost comparable to boracay. anyway, we didn't get far by walking because we started "writing our names" with Allen's flashlight.

this is what you can do with a flashlight, and some kind of fireworks mode on a point-and-shoot camera having breakfast the next day. last shot before we all got burned for not bringing sunscreen.

we went on a little walk to reach this side of the beach, where there were less crowds, less rocks and more shade. the windmills are still visible from here.

almost 2 hours later, this is what we turned to. last group shot by the beach. too bad we can't get the windmills in the picture.

well, we left pagudpud with a heavy heart as we didn't really want to leave, but we have that 14-hour drive back to manila to "look forward to". it was pretty as boracay, yet it doesn't have that commercial bustle. it's definitely a place where you can relax. ayayay, if only it's not so far, i will be back next week! i can still afford to get a bit more tanned, right? :D

road trip, part 2 - on the way to pagudpud

Paoay, Ilocos Norte

St. Augustine's Church, more commonly known as the Paoay Church, is one of the few remaining Baroque churches in the country.

the side entrance of the church, and the ruined seminary/convent.

the "touristy" pictures

Laoag City, Ilocos Norte we only stopped by Laoag to buy some food as it is the last city on the way up north. while there, of course we had to take pictures of the Sinking Bell Tower.

the Sinking Bell Tower of Laoag. there are old tales that before, a man on a horseback can enter through the vaulted door without stooping. now you can see that Allen is almost as high as that vaulted door.

Burgos, Ilocos Norte

the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

South China Sea as seen from the top

top of the lighthouse. do we look scared? not so much, it was just so hot up there, that's why we all look like that. :P

Bangui, Ilocos Norte

the Windmills of Bangui. and as far as i know, this is the only place in the country where you can find windmills.

Patapat Viaduct, Ilocos Norte our last stop before resting in Pagudpud. we went here thinking of catching/watching the sunset. 10 minutes in the place and not seeing where the sun is, we realized we were facing north. pfft! no sunset pictures then.

this was one long and scary road. but being here really did feel like i was on the edge of the country, which is well... the reality.

anyway yes, we all went to these places within half a day. now, that really is a road trip. some of the pictures here are from Allen's and Angel's cameras. you can tell which ones because they look a lot better. ;) next is the final installment in the road trip series... Pagudpud!

road trip, part 1

Vigan City, Ilocos Sur 10-hour drive, 5 provinces away... need i say more? well, the trip/commute itself was tiring, especially for Allen who was our only driver. but it was worth all that once you get there. the place was sort of dreamy, since it sorts of brings you back to the late 1800s. food was great too, especially the local delicacies like the longanisa, bagnet, tinubong and bibingka. i'm sure the old Crisologo road would have been more impressive for me, if only i have not been to Norway first. the cobblestoned street is sort of what sets it apart from the rest of the city, and well... i've seen cobblestoned streets before. :p anyway, i am too lazy now to go on more details. besides, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? well, a short story is coming right up!

touch down at Vigan on Saturday! my road trip companions: Allen, Luz and Angel

time for a tour of the city. of course we had to take a calesa for that! :)

Crisologo Street, Vigan City at night after the rain

well, before leaving on Sunday, of course we had to trash the hotel room. oops, i mean, act like children and jump on the beds.

finally, on the way back to Manila on Monday, we stopped by Vigan again to buy more pasalubong and take group shots

I adore Vigan City. Anyway, for the rest of the pictures, i will be uploading them to my multiply site. Meanwhile, for much better pictures, check out Angel's blog. up next: Paoay, Laoag, and Pagudpud!

dibidees!

i am now the owner of 83 movie DVDs and 7 seasons of Friends (DVD box-set). for those who don't know yet, yes this is my main vice. i figured since i really like movies, i should support them by not just collecting them, but by buying the original ones also. i even bought some "unknown" DVDs just to check them out. some turned out well, but of course there's also a few that are mediocre and/or not worth it. anyway, i am still looking for several DVDs. i cannot find them in any of the stores here and i am now seriously considering of ordering them from Amazon, but the shipping price kinda scares me. and besides plane tickets, i have never bought anything else online. has anyone tried ordering from the Philippines? any tips? well, if any of you guys know where i can find these DVDs, please let me know. i really want to get my hands on them soon. you may also give them to me as an early christmas gift. :p

1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Gangs of New York
4. Count of Monte Cristo
5. Sleepers
6. Meet Joe Black
7. Lost in Translation
8. Lord of the Rings 1-3, Extended Edition
9. Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2
10. With Honors
11. Fight Club
12. The Wedding Singer
13. The Matrix
14. A Lot Like Love (only because of the song)

i am also looking for the DVD of the local film "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" and of course, "Pisay" once it gets out. btw, if you guys have any suggestions also of what i should get/watch, please tell me. i am sure there are still a lot of movies out there that i don't know of. :) edit: while playing the Never-Ending Movie Quiz on Facebook, i realize i haven't seen and/or i want the following movies too.

1. Dead Poet's Society
2. Good Will Hunting
3. American History X
4. The Breakfast Club
5. St. Elmo's Fire
6. Schindler's List
7. Pan's Labyrinth
8. Murder at the First
9. Se7en
10. Pulp Fiction
11. Cutting Edge
12. The Devil's Advocate
13. When Harry Met Sally

now, let's see if i can find any of these in the midnight madness sale later! :D

to mister brooder

jam, you'd be proud. i finally did it, i took your #1 advice. can you see??? now, i just hope it won't haunt me. :P i am on step number 3 and moving forth!

what do you call it: dependable or work-a-holic?

in the 4 years that i have been working, i have never considered myself as a work-a-holic. all my life though, i have always thought i was dependable. ok, there may be times when i wasn't so dependable as a friend or a child... but that's another story. anyway, i always step up to the plate when i can. and when it is my idea to step up, it's just natural that i give more than 100% of my best effort. otherwise, for me, it's just embarrassing. since i got back here from my trip to Europe, my "usual" work hours became from 10am to 2am. that is, if i manage to come in around or before 10am in the office. most of the people i'm working with on my current project is based in Madrid and/or Oslo, thus i extend my work hours to confer and basically, work with them. but anyway, it's not like i spend 16 hours straight working. i usually break away for 2-3 hours during dinner time and then just come back. of course there are the occasional extra extra work hours; like when i worked until 6am the next day last Thursday night, and when i had to come in yesterday to work even if it's a holiday. but i am not complaining. truth is, working for extra hours is my choice. nobody really asks me to stay and work longer. it's just that i have this weird notion in my mind that i am needed. and these colleagues of mine are doing most of the testing for me (since i cannot really test most of the things from here). i just feel bad about asking them to test and then leave them. that is normal behavior right? anyway yeah, i'm a bit concerned if i am going over the top here. besides, my work attendance is suffering. i mean, when i don't work for extra hours, i'm already very bad at coming in on time. can you just imagine what's happening now? edit: i have therefore concluded that i have become... a work-a-holic. so next question is, how do you stop? :D

the bad thing about living alone is that we you get that rare pang of loneliness, then it gets really lonely. when do i get to the part when i'll stop caring? ok, emo again. i hate feeling emo.

question #1

so, i was having some drinks with my long-time (anonymous) friends A and J last Saturday when a statement from J threw me off guard and made me think... basically, he said that guys become more "attractive" or interesting for women when they are taken (i.e. have a girlfriend) or is seriously courting somebody. my initial reaction of course was "wtf?!?!". but then again, is that true??? what do you think??

brighter than sunshine

pagbigyan nyo na ako, i haven't done this in almost two years. and this song has been in my head since yesterday afternoon, after seeing the ending of the movie A Lot Like Love. yes ending, i think i only saw the last 15 minutes of the movie, and i now plan to buy its DVD. anyway, for some reason, this song feels "special" even though the lyrics and all is nowhere near applicable in my life, or love life. maybe it's just a really good song. i'll be uploading it in my multiply site in a while, just in case you want to listen to it. do listen to it if you have the time! :) ----------------------------------------------------- i never understood before i never knew what love was for my heart was broke, my head was sore what a feeling tied up in ancient history i didn't believe in destiny i look up, you're standing next to me what a feeling what a feeling in my soul love burns brighter than sunshine brighter than sunshine let the rain fall, i don't care i'm yours and suddenly you're mine suddenly you're mine and it's brighter than sunshine i never saw it happening i'd given up and given in i just couldn't take the hurt again what a feeling i didn't have the strength to fight and suddenly you seemed so right me and you, what a feeling what a feeling in my soul love burns brighter than sunshine it's brighter than sunshine let the rain fall, i don't care i'm yours and suddenly you're mine suddenly you're mine and it's brighter than the sun it's brighter than the sun it's brighter than the sun, sun, shine love will remain a mystery but give me your hand and you will see your heart is keeping time with me i got a feeling in my soul love burns brighter than sunshine (it's) brighter than sunshine let the rain fall, i don't care i'm yours and suddenly you're mine suddenly you're mine and it's brighter than sunshine --- "brighter than sunshine" by Aqualung

i am back

okay, so in case there is still somebody out there who doesn't know -- i am back in manila! yes, i am back in humid, hot, polluted and raining manila, and it doesn't get better than that. i miss the cold oslo weather but really, there is no place like home. and i'd gladly stay here for one more year, just for that. ;) so, a lot of things happened in my real life while i was away. things that i can ignore while i was on the other side of the world. i was afraid to come back to manila and have to deal with these changes, but thankfully, things are rushing in gradually. i think i can deal with it now. anyway, it's only been last week that i was in Madrid and Oslo, but now it seems so long ago. a lot of things happened on my first week back, and i'm really happy about that. i haven't recovered from the trip though. i haven't unpacked yet and i haven't been able to meet up with everyone i wanted to see. and i seriously need to do laundry and clean my apartment before guests can come in. but well, i'm back and it looks like i'll be staying for a while, so there's time for that. but if you guys are free to meet up, let me know. i'd love to see you all again. :)