X's Pensieve

The Not-So Poetic Poem

Soap scent
Jeepney ride
Wet hair
Fresh morning air

Song in my head
Stories to be made
Vehicle wheeze
Cool breeze

Stories offered
Laughter shared
Warmth of the sun
Wait for the pun

Trees large and tall
Old and great
Deeper we went
Dreading the ascend

Dove into ice
Cold water is the prize

Sink deeper
Swim harder
Next time I jump
I'll swim under

A Night of Mayhem with Slapshock

Last Saturday night, July 23, 2016, Masters of Mayhem brought together Filipino metal acts that set the stage on fire and the crowd crazy, jumping to their feet, and singing along to every song. Come rain or high water, well, traffic actually, metal heads marched to JSpot Resto Bar in Marcos Highway, Antipolo City to watch their favorite bands perform live. I was one of them.

For years, I have been a fan of Slapshock. Though without a specific date, I remember traveling distances just to watch them perform live. This time, they came to me. And since I missed their first appearance on an Antipolo concert stage months ago, this time, I marked the day Red and swore to come--definitely one of the best decisions I've made in my life.

Set to start at 7pm, the event didn't begin until past 9. Blame it on the traffic and the rain but the crowd never once complained--they remained calm and anticipating, drinking their bottles and cans of Red Horse beer, burning their lungs with cigarettes, and enjoying good food.

Finally, the first act claimed the stage and the horns, fists, and peace signs mechanically went up in the air. Lavos Beckon. It was my first time watching the band but I gotta say, they set the mood right for the night.

Second act, Galaw Tao. It was my first time hearing their songs and watching them perform live as well although I've come a bit familiar with their name. Because of this, I waited for their set with some anticipation and boy, did they blew my mind! First song and I was already swaying my body to the music, bopping my head, and listening to the melodious sound with a smile on my face. Soo good.

Valley of Chrome

The next performers are men I've come to love since first year college--ever since I saw how good-natured and dare I say, playful they are behind the scenes. Up until now, I still feel privileged to have seen that side of them and I am definitely glad to see that they haven't changed. Valley of Chrome went on stage next with Rogel Africa, vocalist, smiling from ear to ear and greeting the crowd. I totally missed the guy. The band introduced themselves by playing the anthemic Forever Young. Though they didn't play the whole song, a few notes immediately sent the crowd mad. The drums start banging, guitars start singing, and Rogel starts belting their songs one after another. Not sure if it was originally a 3-song set but when the crowd started chanting "Isa pa! Isa pa!", Rogel, a wide grin on his face, agreed. They ended their set with Love and Devotion and me, smiling silly from ear to ear.

It wasn't long after that Even, the only female-lead band for the night, took the spotlight. And take the spotlight they really did. Well, mostly the vocalist. While fists, horns, and peace signs were raised during the set of the first bands that played, it was cellphones and cameras that dominated the air when the host announced the name of the next performer. Well, couldn't blame them. She's an eye candy who can growl like a beast and sing like a princess. An entertaining set, indeed.

And so, the long awaited time has come. It was almost 1am when finally, Jamir Garcia grabbed the microphone, Chi Evora on the drums, Lee Nadela on bass, and Lean Ansing and Jerry Basco on guitars. Slapshock took the stage = time for mayhem. And it was chaos. I beautiful one. With the crowd going as crazy as they did, falling down and getting trampled on is not impossible. And so, on and on, Jamir reminded the crowd, "Pag may natumba, damputin niyo." And the crazy fun went for over an hour.

Playing in front of their fans, the Slap Army, every song turned into an anthem with everyone singing along. The chorus of voices singing along Jamir's naturally melodious one almost sent chills down my spine. I was bopping and bobbing and swaying and clapping and smiling and screaming and singing along every. single. song. They performed their hit songs Cariño Brutal, Misteryo, We Are One, the not so popular Asal Demonyo, (when I say not so popular, I meant not so popular to non-Slapshock fans), an old song that's definitely an all-time favorite, Wake Up, and what seems to be the official song of the Slap Army, Night Owl. When Jamir sang Langit, I melted. It might just be me but when he sings Tagalog songs, his voice is extra beautiful and it turns my knees into jelly.

Some special scenes that happened during their set:

-One of Lean Ansing's guitar string snapped and so, while a staff change it and he tunes it, Jerry started playing a familiar rhythm. Jamir automatically broke singing to Knocking on Heaven's Door. Of course, the crowd sang along. Beautiful.

-It was during Misteryo that Jamir's younger brother (who he claims to have been playing music with him back in the time when he didn't have Slapshock with him yet) took over the drums while Chi excuse himself for a "cr break". Kid brother is good and Jamir, being the proud big brother that he is, boast; "Jet lag pa 'yan, wala pang practice 'yan." Claps and cheers.

-Not long after, ang "misteryo" (pun intended) behind Chi abandoning the drums was revealed. Jamir then requested the crowd to keep their hands up saying, "may sasaluhin tayo." The crowd went wild obviously. We automatically know that it would be Chi. What happened next, see for yourself on this video.

This was gold for me and maybe for the rest of the Slap Army as well. Chi seems to be the serious one in the group. Jamir, being the face of the band, is expected to be friendly and chatty but for the drummer, that doesn't necessarily come with the job description. And so, seeing Chi go wild like this, it's gold, I tell ya!

It was past 2am when Jamir introduced their last song. They ended the set with Ngayon Na. "Hindi bukas, Ngayon Na!"

I walked out of the venue happier than when I came in--definitely one of the best nights of my life. :)

P.S.

Excuse me but last Saturnight, I went Fan Girl Mode On too!

with Galaw Tao

selfie with the jolly boys of Valley of Chrome:)

and a more visible image of us. :P

with THE Jamir Garcia of Slapshock. Can you tell how happy I am? :)

Jamir was seating on the next table which made me sooo kilig! He's so nice to fans. :)

And here's some photos of Slapshock on stage.

Jamir's classic Red underwear. LOL

Overly Polluted

image from: http://verysmartbrothas.com/

We're familiar with water pollution, earth pollution, and air pollution. But with all the violence that's been happening now, I think there's another type of pollution most of us hasn't realized just yet.

The reported killing of suspected drug dealers, users, and addicts have been flooding the news--screen, airwaves, and print. Of course, it's general belief that this is the work of the newly elected President, Rodrigo Duterte.

I didn't vote for the guy. Would never. Not just because of his misogynistic view and broadcasted words but also because of his lack of regard for human life in general. What's sadder, is that he got elected despite this.

I seldom follow the news but whenever I hear about the killings, it makes me sad. No, not angry. Just sad.

I'm sad that the majority of the population believe that what we need is someone who's willing to kill bad people to save and protect the good ones. I'm sad to realize that most people think the same way. I'm sad to hear that instead of feeling bad, they feel relived, if not glad, that those people are dead. I'm sad that most of us disregard human life like that.

Someone I greatly respect and look up to talked about how just these killings have been. I asked further about the topic and felt deeply sad that those words came from someone who's active at church and has been living life through God's words.

I'm no religious. I'm mostly skeptic about religious people in general although I know few people who, in my view of how religious people should be, truly live to their belief. The person I was talking about is one of them.

This being the case, hearing that person justifying the killings made me lose my appetite. It made me deeply sad.

I feel the same way with Chico, an FM radio DJ, RX 93.1 to be exact, that if I could have the ability to change one thing in this world, I would lessen hate.

You see, since the history of men, hate has been polluting us. It gave birth to war which equates to violence, loss, chaos, fear, grief, and death.

Now, I want you to do something. I want you to close your eyes and imagine a world--truly imagine it, a world without hate. I hope you're smiling because from here, it's truly beautiful.

I hope we can do something about this world that has been overly polluted. Overly polluted by hate.

July 17, 2016

Isang Araw Sa Bulalakaw: Bulalacao Island, Oriental Mindoro

creds to James for the photo

Night of April 29, with PlanB Tours, the same travel group I went with on my first visit to the province of Mindoro just this January, we are aboard a van and was headed to Batangas Port where we will ride a ferry that will take us to Calapan Port in Oriental Mindoro.

Bags are packed. Ready to go.

I've always been fascinated with ferry rides. I love the ocean, you see. The cold sea breeze that greets my petite form whenever I stand on the front most part of the ferry (well, the front most part where passengers are allowed). I love breathing the sea air though I must admit that the sea at night can be really frightening. What with the vast blackness looming ahead and the same spectacle whichever direction else you turn your head to. But also because of this darkness, I get blinded from the artificial light of the modern world and get to marvel at the soft light the moon permits and with which the great evening star grace the waves and create on it beautiful specs of crystals, seemingly dancing as the boat disturb the water surface and create ripples as it trudge ahead. For most of the 2 hour ferry ride, I enjoyed this experience and yes, was totally delighted to greet the morning sun as well.

Sunrise at sea. :)

We left Batangas Port at 4am after waiting for almost 3 hours. You see, this is the part I hate when traveling to Mindoro. The waiting is tiring. We docked in Calapan Port a little past 6am. From there, it's an over 3 hour road trip, or dare I say, roller coaster ride because of the winding roads, broken roads, and freeways that made our gentle driver step on the accelerator.

It was around 10am when we reached Roxas City where we ate our brunch. Let me tell you now what I see in the city. First, let me say that I like it. Just like when I visited Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro is also clean, modern, and full of life. I like that the citizens really observe proper garbage disposal and make the city seem like a friendly neighborhood to live in. I like it. And oh, I also noticed the absence of jeepneys in both provinces. I realized this just now. People ride tricycles, motorcycles, and vans which, funny enough, looked exactly like our vans. Passengers tried to flag us down many times which I find really entertaining. :)

Brunch done, we hit the road again. This time, our destination is the port where we rode a boat that took us to Talisay (one of the islands of Bulalacao) where we spent the night. Before riding the boat, we shared the free lunch that one of sir Ronie's (the event organizer) acquaintances gave us. She was a daughter of one politician and the food was, of course, greatly enjoyed as there were a lot! #Election2016. Haha!

It was around 2pm when we reached Talisay island. The sun was high up and hot but the water remained cold and inviting. For a while, we all stood still, the heat of the sun paralyzing us, although we moved not long after to pick a spot and pitch each of our tents. That done, I joined the organizers of the tour: sir Ronie, his wife ate Ely, sir Jenel, another guy who seem really close to the team but one I wasn't able to meet during the Apo Reef tour, cool lady Sheng, and sir Frankie, who helped me pitch my tent. Thank you po. :)

We talked. Shared stories. Asked questions about one another. What they do in their regular life, etc. Laughter, food, and more laughter.

The rest of the day dragged on like that. I was bored but the sun was still so hot which mutely convinced me against swimming. yokoumitimkasimaarteako. :P

I greatly regretted that I don't have a book with me to keep me entertained.

See, there are two faces on a coin. And the same can be said about me. Most people I know, they know me as someone talkative, loud, laughs easy, and jokes a lot. People who doesn't know me, on the other hand, see me as someone who talks little, if not not at all, shy, timid, and likes to keep to herself. Well, there are no pretentions here for I am both. Those times when I'm all jolly and rowdy, those are the times when I'm with people I know and people who know me. Those times when I'm all closed up from social interactions, that's when I'm with other people that though good in nature and comes to me with friendly intentions, are still strangers to me.

I remember, the first time I joined PlanB Tours, the 3 days 2 nights Apo Reef tour, I talked the least in my entire existence. Well, the existence I can remember. I remember realizing that the only time I opened up my mouth was to eat. Now that's severe! But I have a book with me then, so that gave me a huge reason to be alone and not talk to anyone. That served as my shield against any attempt at conversation with my fellow travelers.

I actually plan to write this story down in Tagalog, thinking that a play on the word "bulalakaw" in relation to the name of the island we visited could very be enticing to me and to you as well who chose to read this. But I am not really good with written Tagalog, although make no mistake that I love and enjoy speaking my mother tongue. One 3-day trip abroad and having to speak nothing else than English made me realize this. But yeah, I tried writing parts of this story in Tagalog. It souned so awkward that I had to translate them in English. And so, on I will go with English. :)

It was around 5pm of Day 1 when the sun is almost gearing up to set that I ventured alone on the rocky part of the island. With my monopod and phone to accompany me, I found enjoyment in my solitude. There are almost 30 of us in the group yet I enjoyed it best when I'm alone. Some of the 30 were swimming, some are talking idly while submerged in the water, some stayed in the cottage, while the organizers prepare our dinner. On and on I walked, taking pictures here and there, taking videos, and laughing silly though alone. Hah, solitude is so sweet a word. :)

Here are the photos from my solo adventure. :)

Yup, I waited for it to go out of its shell.

How small we can be in this vast world. :P

Gotta love sunsets by the beach.

Nighttime came. We gathered at the main cottage where the food is at. I don't fancy kare-kare because I don't like bagoong when cooked or eaten with a dish. Maybe I like it with manggang hilaw but not with a meal. That night, the food was kare-kare and I gotta say, I like it. I think that was the first time I actually ate kare-kare. Well, there are no other options and I realized that it's actually good.

Dinner done, I went by the shore for my ritual of stargazing by the sand whenever I go to the beach. Due to my vigilance to pack light, imitating a fellow Apo Reef tourist who travelled with a regular sized bag with only a complete set of clothes in it, I totally forgot to bring something I could lie my back on while I stargaze. As for that man, it's amazing how he packed the lightest among us all for a 3-day trip. This recent trip made me realize that I have a long way to go before I could imitate him.

So, back to my stargazing. Alone. By the beach. In the dark. I heard the organizers calling out to me. I actually heard one of them say; "Ano'ng ginagawa niya dun?" I had to shout, without looking back at them, "Okay lang ako dito." Just so they'd leave me alone. Sorry, guys. :P

And so, my solitary confinement continues.

It's a tradition for PlanB Tours to light and fly sky lanterns on the eve of the tour and that night wouldn't have been an exemption had the sky lanterns stayed where anyone can see it. Translation: the sky lanterns were either left behind some place else, or they just weren't able to locate it until we leave the island the next morning. In line with this traditional gathering of tour members, PlanB also always drink the night away and ask the tourists to join them. Well, maybe you've guess it and I think your guess is right. I didn't partake in the gathering. After cleaning up, I zipped my tent and went dead to the world. But that was until I woke up at midnight to hear them still at it and some bugs pestering me in my safe place. It's also a little hot, even for me who doesn't easily get hot. Sleeping in a tent is not the most comfortable place for me.

And now comes the dawn of the new day, April 30, 2016, Sunday.

I was awake even before I open my eyes. Though remote, the island is alive with goats who are already up and enjoying an early breakfast of the plants rooted around our corner of the island. Went to the bathroom and was happy to say that, indeed, a complete sleep does great things to the body. I feel light and cleansed. Haha.

After answering to nature's calling, I went and changed to my swimming clothes. Before everybody wakes up, I was all packed and ready to leave, camera and snorkel gear in hand, and out of the water to have breakfast.

It was past 8am when we left the island we called home for the night. It wasn't really pretty, that island. And so, I was more than happy to venture out and see what the island hopping itinerary has in store for us.

From the boat, the view of the island we called home for the night.

15 minutes into the 1 hour boat ride, we met with large and active waves that got everyone sitting in front of the boat drenched with salt water. I was sitting by the side of the boat and can still feel the rage of the ocean as we push forward and against it. That seemingly frightening yet totally exciting ride against the waves continue until we had a glimpse of the next island, the first of the 4 that we visited that day.

Now this island. It completely reminded me of Calaguas Island. If you haven't been there, well I say you should. If you have, then you can imagine the beauty of the turqoise water which was emerald in color on the shallow parts, the white sand that shines even brighter under the bright sunlight. More than anything else, it's the sand that got me hopping in joy and smiling from ear to ear. Now safely anchored, I quickly run and breathed lungfuls of air, all the while smiling until I remembered to take some photos. And yes, I took videos too! Ah, to see such a beautiful place! One should experience that even once in their lifetime. :) Whatever sad thoughts I have when I saw the island where we spent the night in, all were washed away thanks to the beauty of this island. The boatman said that this was the last, therefore the farthest of the Bulalacao Islands.

These photos didn't give the paradise justice.

We got 15 minutes to drink in the beauty of that island which, shame on me, I forgot the name of. Pictures both digitally and visually taken, I went for a quick dip in the water before we set the sail towards the next island which took another hour.

Again, we anchored though didn't leave the boat this time. In the middle of the sea, we had lunch and ample time to breathe in the sea air. Some of my fellow travelers went out of the boat and into the water but I remained inside. Call me whatever but the sun is directly above us and it's too hot! Nope.

Lunch done, again we set sail for the next island. Along the way, our boatman said that there are actually 7 islands in Bulalacao. Sadly, we are short for time and couldn't visit them all. The next island, we were only allowed to take pictures of from a distance. We didn't go nearer for anchoring and was quickly out of the perimeter. Sad. And it looked so pretty too!

Here's a photo of that island. It's soooooooo beautiful!

The next and last island on the list is called, Target. Why that is so, I failed to discover. Anyway, Target is another beautiful island with more to see than the first one we visited. There's a private beach house with private driveway and a private pond with mangroves in it. Here we anchored and stayed for at least half an hour. We went around following the path the guide told us and took pictures and videos. The scene above ground is as enchanting as the scene under water. Target is rich in marine life and though I got to take underwater videos, I wasn't able to save them and show anybody else just how pretty it was down there. Why? Because I'm stupid.

Target, everyone! :D

Beautiful, isn't it? :D

It was around 4pm by then and the shadow cast by our boat provide enough shade that set me at ease and convinced me to take a swim. How marvelous that was. The cooling water, soothing the heat of the day away, plus the wonderful marine life in its womb. Love it!

And just like any other story, this too, has to come to an end. Although luckily for us, Bulalacao didn't let us go without a little more adventure to remember it with. On our way to the resort where we washed up got ready to go back to our daily lives, we were accompanied by even greater waves than the ones we had earlier in the day. This time, not just the people sitting in front (me included) are drenched but also those who are seated on the back. It's that outrageous. We found ourselves laughing despite the constant beating and the stinging salt water in our eyes. It was fun! :)

A few notes about this trip:

1. I really love that I get to meet a lot of good-natured people with every trip I make. On this trip alone, there's this group of English-speaking friends who are always smiley and friendly.
2. Sir Frankie who voluntarily helped me pitch my tent.
3. Sir Ronie who always sees that I get all the assistance I might need.
4. Sir Jenel who offered me the last of the jelly ace even though I know that he liked to eat it. (I declined because I know he likes to eat it)
5. Micah, one of the 4 English-speaking kids, who decided to sit on the back because it's sooooo damn uncomfortable to sit between the driver's and the passenger's seat. She knows this because this was their seat coming to Mindoro. I want to make an appeal here. I want to say that making any human being sit on that cursed sit should be illegal! But yeah, thank you, sweet Micah! :)
6. Ate Ely who always made sure that I don't get left behind again. Yes, again. I was left behind in the meeting place while the rest of the group are almost on their way to SLEX. Talk about a way to start the trip, huh! There goes miscommunication.
7. Sheng and the other guy (James! I only remember his name now. LOL!) who also makes it a point to locate me and make sure that I won't be left behind again. This is all too funny for me and I thank you for the concern. :)

I won't say a thing about the trip back home because as always, it was tiring both physically and mentally. I'd rather keep the beauty of the islands we visited and the joy the whole experience gave me fresh in my memory. After all, that's what make travelling worth all of it and oh-so fun!

Until my next adventure!

Summer 2016 Family Getaway: Cebu

DAY 1

Seems like this year is another year for a lot of firsts, not just for me but for everyone else in our family. First we went on our first family water park visit last February and now, the four of us experienced our first plane ride together. Exciting!

The trip was all thanks to Mama's company, NCL. Annually, they hold a week-long seminar for seafarers where each of them could bring up to 4 of their family members. And so, here we are! (Mama went ahead of us after deciding that it would be too boring for the rest of us to be in Cebu for a whole week :P)

Before the clock struck 4am, here we are waiting for our jet plane. XD

Selfie with Nanay inside the plane.

Ayan peeking from his seat behind me.

And here we are in the hotel room with Mama in Cebu! :D

Buffet breakfast before exploring the hotel and the beach.

With these two great women in our lives. :)

So this is how we look when peered at from the peeping hole. :P

White sand, baby!

What occurred next is hours of soaking in the water and bathing in the sun. The sand is so White and so fine. Marine life is awesome too! We found lots and lots of fish - different colors, patterns, and sizes. It's a shame we don't have an underwater camera with us. Could've shown you the beauty of the world down under. Hehe

Night time. Here we are at the Ibiza Restaurant by the beach.

DAY 2

After filling our stomachs with a hearty breakfast, we made our way to the Sto. Niño Church in Cebu city proper. (Our hotel is located in Lapu-Lapu City). The heat of the sun was scalding but it didn't stop Nanay from having her photo taken with the Sto. Niño. Actually, the one which people actually visit to touch is the one safely inside the church. Nanay was able to see that too however, picture taking is prohibited as there are a lot of people at the time (it's Sunday).

We also visited the Cebu Cathedral where another mass is ongoing. Yup. We get to hear 2 masses in 2 hours. The first one was in Cebuano, the second, in English.

Back to the hotel, here is our meal stub for the lunch buffet. Again, c/o NCL.

That night, it was Reggae Night. A reggae band was playing while we were enjoying our dinner. Cool! :)

Kasama ang pinagmanahan ko ng kagandahan. Haha!

DAY 3

And we're back to the beach! Since we will be checking out of the hotel by 12 noon, we took off to the beach as early as the management allowed us to. (That's 7am since lifeguards begin their duty at that time).

The beach was visibly empty than the other day when we swam with beachgoers of different nationalities - Korean, Japanese, Chinese, American, French, and other Europeans I couldn't place the language of. Hehe.

It was still nice, despite the inactivity. :)