Ilocos Escape

(3rd week of September, 2009.. just after my 26th birthday)

It was a cloudy Thursday. I wasn’t going to work since Wednesday evening as I was scheduled for a 3-day leave. And though there are no final plans yet, I packed my stuff while Bon was constantly checking the weather update serviced by PAGASA and supplementing it with his own semi-reliable predictions. I know it wasn’t the perfect time of the year, I know planning for an Ilocos  trip may not be appropriate on this absurd rainy season and I know the two of us may be absurd and not perfect, yet, when it didn’t rain on that Thursday afternoon, we packed our bags, rode a taxi and went to the Florida Bus station in Cubao bound for Pagudpud.

Travelling light.. a back pack for each on 4-day adventure

After hurdling the usual Manila traffic monstrosity, fretting under overcast skies brought about by an impending stormy weather and Bon almost leaving his camera battery at home, we finally left Manila at around 9:30 in the evening. It was a trouble-free 11-hour bus ride. The Florida bus, the same bus I rode during my Banaue trip was comfortable enough except for some minor and tolerable interruptions which I haven’t got to notice most probably because I was sleeping.

a stop-over for some seafood snack.. a delicious fish "inihaw" for P50 only!

We arrived at the humble town of Pagudpud at around 8:30 in the morning. It will take another 10-minute tricycle ride going to Saud Beach where we stayed in Jun and Carol Beach Cottages. This resort is situated in front of a breathtaking scenery of blue, crystal-clear water and with waves gently splashing on the rocky seashore. The Bangui Windmills can also be seen from this place, the sand is soft and dirty-white, the water is cool and refreshing and the breeze is as invigorating and healing.

Welcome to Pagudpud!

Paradise found...A View from Jun and Carol Beach Cottages, Pagudpud

Late Afternoon Pagudpud by kAt

Part of our exploration was to also visit the windmills of Bangui so despite gloomy skies, we took a tricycle ride going to the town of Bangui, approximately 15 kilometers away from Pagudpud. The windmills aside from being very nature-friendly (electric) power-boosters, are a magnificent sight. It is not everyday or everywhere that we get to see these giant structures so we really were astounded and amazed in its hugeness and realness.

Super Power (taken by Boon)

photo taken by kAt

We haven’t got to shoot perfect sunset sceneries since it was always cloudy and it went worse when on the next day, the rain was pouring hard and the wind was propelling enormous waves along the shore. Yet, despite this condition, there’s always this picturesque beauty of the ocean tearing up those rocky edges.

Saud Beach, Pagudpud after a stormy Saturday morning

We left Pagudpud at around 11:30 on Saturday morning and then took a local non-airconditioned bus bound for Laoag City. The rain had stopped this time, the places we passed by are a scenic collection of vast farmlands with the mountain ranges as a backdrop, numerous siting of grazing cows by the roadside, wide stretches of rivers and beautiful old churches.

It takes about an hour from Pagudpud to Laoag and first thing we did was to eat our lunch at Dap-ayan ti Ilocos Norte as suggested by a local whom we asked for a good place to eat. Dap-ayan was not some kind of  a plushy resto but rather it looked like a food court, “turo-turo” style. We had bagnet, puqui-puqui, longganisa, pinakbet and Ilocano empanada all of which are famous Ilocano foodies all worth less than 200 pesos.

A must- see... Entrance Fee is P30

After a brief sightseeing in the heart of Laoag City, we took another local bus going to Vigan, Ilocos Norte. After the enjoyable two-hour bus ride with all the provincial sceneries, we arrived in this epic city on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

The place is readily known for being tourist-friendly especially for having the famous Vigan Heritage Village that takes you a stroll back in time. What I truly appreciate about this place was that they were able to preserve these Hispanic relics that stood most probably way back in the 16th century. It’s nice walking around the village where once, was a part of our ancient Philippine history. Where once upon a time, rich mestizos rode on calesas, their pointed noses on the air while the poor Filipino men were toiling and lifting giant masses of rock that built the hundred year-old churches that we see until today.

St Paul Cathedral, Vigan City (pic taken by Boon)

Calle Crisologo at night (photo taken by Boon)

There are several musuems in Vigan and we got to visit Father Burgos’s house. Man, they’re rich! We also got to visit Chavit Singson’s (he’s also rich) Baluarte zoo but I have to be honest, I didn’t enjoy it that much. The animals don’t seem to be comfortable with people flocking on them around.

The Ilocos escape was the longest bus ride we ever had by far. It was literally an escape to the storm “Ondoy” that hit Manila at that time. We were blessed to have been spared. We were blessed that the storm didn’t reach Ilocos or else we would definitely be stranded with no enough  money left.

Bantay Bell Tower

Yummy Ilocos foodtrip...

 

World Food Expo 2009

It was a windy Saturday. But at least, it wasn’t raining that time. We have been anticipating this year’s World Food Expo obviously because it’ll be a surefire food fest.

And so we did go; As expected, the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Philippines had become a huge serving dish containing a smorgasbord of anything worth devouring. Aside from a wide array of food and beverages, the expo also featured the latest technologies in food manufacturing and processing .

Dough Making/Designs Demo by Chef Chen... We could not understand on what he's saying but all of us were amazed anyway

Our tummies almost ached, blame it to several free tastes of hotdogs, chicken nuggets, to chips and pastries, fries, chocolates to iced teas, lambanog (coconut wine), and red wine.

Fruity and flavorful Lambanog

Free Taste Galore

It was a delightful afternoon of food and photos, so here are a few of the tempting foodies  we got:

This is a cake!

Choco Mallows

One of the many cutie cakes you'd rather not eat it...

and here's another one!

Donut Making Demo...

Well, it was almost a gluttonous Saturday!

Photos by Kat except for the 5 last cake and pastries photos (by bon..).

 

It Didn’t Rain Today

Wow.. It’s been awhile.

I have just been busy lately — what a lame excuse; but I really am despite heavy rains.

I haven’t done much traveling these days; neither did I attend any of the posted events below, not even a simple mall-ratting on weekends. None. Nadda.

It was the start of the school year again and that means we are back to our Matangtubig Saturday afternoon classes. Me and my friends have been truly dedicated with this volunteer job, we’re off to our second school year of spelling quizzes, story-tellings and never-ending addition and subtraction lessons. It’s just that it rains every now and then so the classes are either canceled or one of the volunteers is sick and will be absent from class. It was me actually.

Sheltered...

So, I was always sick these past few days ; I have relied on a not so reliable kind of therapy – self-medication, gorging on packs of amoxicillin’s, paracetamol’s, guaifenessin’s and ibuprofen’s to name a few. I am not proud of this but I felt so desperate to get well somehow. The good thing is you get to realize there are people who do care for you.

On the lighter side, Bon and I have been crazy over Plants Vs Zombies. We spend Sundays over Tortillas and my own concoction of Guacamole, a perfect blend of avocado, tomatoes, onions and spices. At times, we have our Pasta cooking sessions made easy and sweet. So it’s not that bad being a home-buddy at all.

Spanish omelette as they call it.. Cooked this for a breakfast at 2 am..

My own Seafood Pasta... One of the many Pasta Sessions

Just last week, I got my own Canon EOS 1000D which I first knew about last year. Despite everything, dreams still do come true. And I’m excited to make the most of it.

Carpe Diem!
Photos by Hindipwedeincubon

 

3rd International Silent Film Festival

3rd International Silent Film Festival | Spot.P – Flash Player Installation

 

Shared via AddThis

 

Cinemalaya Cinco (2009)

 

CLICK HERE for the Cinemalaya 2009 Schedule of  Events

 

Thursday Morning

It was a chilly Thursday morning. I arrived in my apartment at half past six, feeling hungry and a little less cold. Things have been gloomy these past few days in which finding a reason to be happy seemed to be real hard work. I opened the door in the apartment, walked up the dark stairs and went into my room. My closet’s open, with my clothes unfurled in such a chaotic fashion, well, I never got time to fix the zipper; my bags spread all over the floor, unfolded blankets, pieces of papers, books I read to put myself to sleep, pieces of white envelopes probably containing some unpaid bill, empty bottles of mineral water, plastic bags, DVDs/VCDs, used clothes, clutter, clutter, clutter. I can only but stare poignantly at them.  But despite the apparent mayhem on my seemingly quiet little world, my aching body dropped into the smooth cushion and fell into a deep slumber.

And I blinked again. It was already 08:10 on my 20-minute-advanced clock, the hiatus between bleakness and the feeling of being new isn’t so distant at all. Summoning all the strength, I got up, played my favorite Duran Duran song and started fixing things, putting the stuff back in their proper places, throwing away the trash until I gradually found my peace of mind. At last, things were put back into order.

I washed my face, went down the stairs and headed off to market, aimlessly strolling by the sidewalk..thinking of something good to eat and I ended up cooking my all-time favorite chicken tinola which turned out to be really interesting and delectable; I have no one to share it with so I have to consume a whole potful of it, good thing we have this homeless cat downstairs I call “Garfield” which helps me with my leftovers.

This has been the life I’m living. My strange comfort zone of a cluttered room, insurmountable laundry, an odd-looking little kitchen with an LPG that wasn’t replaced for ages, and a mini-dining table which isn’t conducive for dining at all. But I loved the life even if things drive me mad sometimes and my own troubled and frenzied thoughts get the better of me. I am nearing complacence but this has been my choice, I guess. That’s the bottom line after all.

Frenzied thoughts - took this pic (tsamba!) last 11/02/08 at Star City...

 

Sampaloc Shimmer

Despite the chronic turmoil that is running within us, the reluctance and the uncertainties,  we still wanted a getaway.

And so it was. A Monday on Memorial Day. And because it was already too late for a weekend-long adventure, we decided to have a day tour to San Pablo Laguna, thanks to Viaje del Sol.

Wide-eyed Welcome: Sampaloc Lake, San Pablo City Laguna

It was already lunctime when we took the Jac Liner bound to Lucena, although we weren’t really sure if it was the right bus for our point of destination. We asked, nevertheless.  We would be getting off at San Pablo, Laguna, approximately 2 hours south of Manila where we would be proceeding either to Sampaloc Lake or Pandin Lake, both of which are very picturesque lakes among San Pablo City’s seven crater lakes.

Facing the fierce Mt. Cristobal

And since we feared we won’t have enough time for touring since it’s already nearing the afternoon, we decided to go to Sampaloc Lake which was a little nearer since all we have to do is ride a tricycle after getting off the bus.

And so we arrived. And what welcomed us was a tranquil, peaceful lake in bluish grey and up above were a puff of cloud shaped like a giant whip cream.

Afternoon Passion

 

The park was also filled with people just wanting to take a sit and enjoy the scenery in all its stillness. But what went exciting for this tour was our biking adventure since there was a bike rental nearby that only costs PhP 10 and you can already bike around the lake which is roughly 3 to 4 kilometers of distance. I’m poor at estimating by the way. It’s great to be like kids again, to feel the rush and be happy again. Even if only for this moment.

There were also lots of street foods by the roadside including barbecues, hotdogs on sticks, bananacues, sago’t gulaman and the one-of-its-kind japanese corn. You will know what I’m talking about if you visit Sampaloc lake.

The Escapist's Embrace

And as always, we waited for the sun to set to revere in its beauty; We watched the skies turn bright orange as another day ends.  Everything went well;  It was one exciting and exuberant afternoon. It was only that one afternoon.

it was one afternoon by the lake

words by katharsis

images by katharsis except for “The Escapist Embrace”

“The Escapist Embrace” – take by incubon

 

Walking Down the Road with Cynthia Alexander

“What is tomorrow it may never come, what is yesterday is now done“- from the song Intertwyne by Cynthia Alexander

But I waited for this day.  5/30/2009. Good thing I was Ms. Cynthia Alexander’s fan, thanks to Facebook; I was able to get the news that CA’s performing at Capones, Makati Avenue.

The gig was presented by Underground Radio 105.9 in which they hailed Cynthia Alexander as the Pinoy Rock Icon for the Month that went timely as she is releasing her newest album, Walk Down The Road, a live album commemorating a decade of splendid songwriting. There were also other bands that played before Cynthia’s performance which included Tao Aves, Purplechickens and Playphonics – Undergrounds Hot Pick of the month .

“Walk Down The Road” is Cynthia Alexander’s 4th album following Insomnia and Other Lullabyes, Rippingyarns and Comet’s Tail. It is a live performance recorded last November 28, 2008 (on a new moon) at 19 East Bar, a stunning collection of CA’s melodies that included Motorbykle, U&I, Knowing There Is Only Now, Intertwyne, Weather Report, Walk Down The Road, Hello Baby, No Umbrella, Wait, Emptyhanded, Kawikaan (a Metro Pop Festival entry), and Dumaan Ako.

Together with Bon, we had a great time singing along with Cynthia’s songs that we loved. She sang No Umbrella and Comfort In Your Strangeness with so much soul and emotion, I like to cry! The rest of her band including Mlou Matute and Charanjit Wasu, who we adored, were all talented musicians.

The performance was really terrific it was one of those that you never want to end. How I just wished that those party people within the bar mindless of the show took some time to listen so they would realize that there are things more substantial than the usual night-clubbing. HAH!!

I got the chance to talk to Ms. Cynthia since we already met at the Music and Arts Fest at Tiendesitas. No, we haven’t really talked, maybe it was one of those things called starstruck, grrr.. I haven’t told her I loved her paintings and everything about her. But nevertheless, she gave me a hug and said some words of thanks but that went inaudible to my already delighted senses.

It was a great night. The pizza really tasted salty but still, it’ll always be memorable.

photos by kat

 

HoMe again…

I just got back from HOME.  I went there last week.  And just like any homecoming, everyone’s delighted to see me. But I was happier to see my family – my Ma and Pa and my brothers most especially my youngest brother.  One whole week is never enough to spend time with the ever-loving family, cousins and relatives or with some good, old friends. One whole week is never enough to spend some time alone in your home watching movies or read a book randomly pulled out of the bookshelf. Just one week and it’ll never be enough. And it’ll never be the same again.

On that one week, I got sick, I cursed my self for getting sick but at the same time I was thankful I have my mother this time to take care of me. And I have to get well ‘cos I don’t want to spend the rest of my days stuck on bed.

It’s nice to be home again. I became Ate again. Home-cooked meals never tasted this delicious and it’s really something special when all in the family are eating dinner together. I remember my youngest brother commenting that we are now a family..  Everyone’s around. All five of us. We all were happy.

But nothing hurts the most when someone has to leave. My brother had to leave and get back to college. I have to leave to go back to work. I could feel and see it in my mother’s eyes when I left her at the airport. I know she never would want to let go any of her children but she knows she has to. Good thing my father understands all of these.

This has always been my dilemma. I could never stay in just one place and get everything or everyone I need. I have to go places and though it feels liberating to go out and be on your own, I am, up to now, still can’t get used of leaving home.

On the lighter side, I feel blessed that wherever I may be, I can always feel their love. And for now, that is enough for me to go on cos I know someday, I’ll be home again.

never letting the moment slip away...

 

Tiendesitas Music and Arts Fest 09

This may be a late post.. but it’s still worth it I guess…

I am thankful my office-mate told me about this Music and Arts Fest in Tiendesitas which I didn’t have any idea they had one.. So after a gluttonous breakfast with colleagues, Shiela and I went to Tiendesitas to witness the Arts Fest’s first day.

It was a 2-day activity packed with music lessons, art exhibit and superb performances, I was glad we were able to go there – a weekend diversion from the usual, routinary workdays. The first day had guitar lessons with Francis Reyes, songwriting workshop with the The Jerk’s Chickoy Pura, performances by Scarlet, Pinikpikan, Fuseboxx and Kjwan, paintings galore and a lot more surprises. There were also stalls selling streetwear, cds, accessories and other stuff..

some guitar lessons from The Dawn's Francis Reyes

artworks galore featuring Pinoy artists

Kjwan... looking hot as ever.. They are releasing their new album: 13 Seconds to Love..

This day was also the time I met Ms. Cynthia Alexander on Bayang Barrios stall where she’s selling hand-made accessories and CDs which unexpectedly included CA’s new album. Without 2nd thoughts, I got the 1st copy of her Walk Down the Road album (ever!) since it wasn’t officially released yet at that time. When I recall the moment, I’m still at a loss for words…

Heya Cynthia!