Pinoy Ako!

Matagal ko na rin naisip tong blog na to pero naisip ko na ipost ngayon, ika-114th Independence Day ng Pilipinas.

Kilala ang mga Pilipino bilang "family-oriented" at eto ang 5 bagay na gusto ko:

1. "Ate / Kuya" - Wala akong mahanap na translation nito sa English. Sa Chinese meron, sa English mukhang wala. Matapos ang 1 taon pagkatapos akong ipinanganak, ate na ako. Masarap pakinggan.

2. "Tito/Tita" - Maliban sa "Auntie" and "Uncle", ginagamit din natin ang "Tito" and "Tita" para tawagin ang mga kapatid/pinsan ng ating mga magulang. Pero hindi tulad sa ibang bansa, ginagamit din natin ito sa mga magulang ng ating mga kaklase at kaibigan. Parang wala rin itong translation sa English. Ang alam ko "Mrs. Something" and "Mr. Something" ang ginagamit.

3. "Po/Opo" - Wala rin yata itong translation sa English. Lumaki ako na ginagamit ito at ngayon na ako kay tumatanda na, hindi ko pa rin maiwasan na gumamit nito, hehe. Minsan mas matanda pa pala ako sa kausap ko, haha. Nasabihan na rin ako nito, kasi nga tumatanda na ako. Wala rin ata itong katumbas sa Bisaya. Pero Bisaya man ako, gamit ko pa rin. Ito ay pagpapakita ng respeto ;)

4. "Mano Po" - Hindi ko alam if pure Filipino tradition ito. Pero masaya ako kasi parte ito ng kinalakihan ko. Kilala rin sa tawag na "Amen" or "Bless".

5. "Bahay" - Karaniwan sa mga bahay ng mga Pinoy, hindi isang pamilya lang kundi extended families. Bihira dito sa atin ang mga Retirement facilities kasi mayroon talagang magbabantay para sa mga nakakatatanda nating kapamilya. Nakakatuwa rin na hindi masama ang tingin natin sa mga anak, na may edad at trabaho, na kusang nakatira kasama ang mga magulang at tumutulong sa gastusin.

Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan!

Boracay

Out of the blue, I just heard them booking a trip to Boracay. Honestly, I wasn't that much excited because I wasn't prepared (haha, what a reason!).

Anyway, as our trip was approaching, I got excited. However, weather somehow dampened my mood because there was a typhoon. And then, I just had that centipede bite, which, thankfully, didn't affect my ability to go to this trip, hehe.

So, we took a plane ride to Iloilo then rode a van to Aklan. There were rains along the way and it somehow made me concerned. According to the weather report, the next day should be better (yeah, right!)

We got to Tabon Port (alternative route to Boracay) and I wasn't impressed. Since it was low tide, some were asked if they were willing to ride a small boat towards a bigger boat. And so, we volunteered so that we could get to Boracay quicker.

At Tambisaan Port, we rode a tricycle towards our hotel, Boracay Holiday Resort. It was quite nice - not too expensive but we liked it somehow because the room was big and there was a pool. Thereafter, we went to the beach and had some early dinner. The beach was nice but dark clouds were hovering. It was quite a long walk from our hotel up to somewhere near Jonas' Shakes and back.

Here are some of our Day 1 pics:

That's my brother!

Took this picture!

Family picture

We did not go out anymore at night. The four of them had their massage and then we went to sleep. We woke up hearing the rain. After eating breakfast, we decided that we would go out despite the rain. There were times when the rain wasn't that strong. But there were times when the rain was accompanied by a strong wind. Now, the bad news was that the alley towards the beach from our hotel was flooded. Our hotel wasn't beach front, ok? So, we braved the rain and flood .. imagine? When we got to the beach, we could not stay under the tents exclusively for specific hotel guests. Eventually, we found a vacant tent. Dad, JJ and Bajeck had fun swimming while Mom and I watched them. We decided to go to the D'Talipapa for our lunch and thus, we braved the flood again. Mind you, the Talipapa was really flooded and you can even see Koreans wading through the flooded alleys. After eating, we went back to our hotel, which was near the Talipapa so we did not wade through much flood. We stayed at the hotel and my brother, realizing that a little bit of sun was coming up, tried to ask if we can have the beach activities we already planned. So, at 2 pm, off we went to Bulabog Beach where we had helmet diving, fly fishing and parasailing. It was so fun!

Helmet diving was a unique experience. I was happy that my dad got to experience it. My mom was afraid so she just waited for us. While it was nice, I was worried about the coral reefs.

Helmet Divers!

Fly fish was up next. I was excited for my brother and sister. I have tried the banana boat twice so I already had an idea, more or less. But with just the three of us, the fly fish went flying. Each of us fell only once - it would not be that fun if we could not get to experience it.

All set!

Flying! We're at the back of this holding for our dear lives .. hehe

Initially, we thought we could not go parasailing that afternoon due to the weather. But the weather turned out to be better and so we were able to parasail. Woot! Woot! It was a nice experience being up in the air! Admittedly, we got a bit dizzy towards the end thereof. And then, we were dipped into the water twice. I am also happy because Mom and Dad got to tag along and got to experience speed boat rides!

Up, up and away we go!

Beautiful eyes .. haha!

It started to drizzle on our way back to the shore. And while riding the shuttle on our way back to the hotel, it started to rain hard. Call it lucky! I call it blessed! In the 3 hours when the sun was up and the weather was ok, we were able to do the activities we planned. For the rest of the night, we had dinner and watched some tv inside the hotel. We could not go out because the rain was hard and the alley was flooded.

On our third and last day, we woke up with a bit of sunshine but the alley was still flooded. We walked through the main road in order to get to the beach. It was a longer walk, but at least, we did not have to wade through the flood. I was looking forward to swimming at the beach but the waves were too strong and there lumot and nature's "dirt" all over. So, we just went around D'Mall to shop for souvenirs. We went back to the hotel and swam at the pool. After a while, it rained again. I prayed that the weather would be ok by the time we cross the sea. We checked out and we crossed the sea towards Tabon port safely.

We went back to Iloilo and stayed overnight at a hotel. We had a sumptuous dinner and off we went to bed.

Admittedly, I had high hopes for Boracay. Maybe I just expected too much. I don't know. All I know is that I am lucky I live in Davao where nice beaches are not that far away ;)

All in all I was happy I got to spend time with the family and visit Boracay for the first time. I am also grateful that we had a safe travel, with no delays, and that we got to experience Boracay despite and inspite of the rain.

Until the next trip!

Bite Me!

I have come across a few centipedes. However, my sudden encounter with such kind last May 29 made me go to the hospital.

I was going over my clothes that fateful Tuesday night, trying to pick out what clothes to bring for our upcoming trip. As I was rummaging through my closet, a number of clothes fell on the floor and something bit my big toe.

That was so painful! I saw some blood and tried to adjust to the pain. But it was so painful! I then tried to lift the clothes to check what bit me and lo and behold, I saw one long centipede scampering away from me. I then called my brother that I got stung by a centipede and to go after it. But we could not find it anymore.

Anyhow, I remain seated on the floor and tried to release blood from the sting. I could not help but cry. I decided to wash the wound but the pain remained. Later, my brother tried to elevate my foot and put a cold compress, and later a hot compress. But the pain remained. I then felt some cramps and I was worried that the centipede might be venomous. And it was still painful!

I told my brother to tell mom and dad that I got stung by a centipede and the sting was so painful. I was rushed to the emergency room of the hospital and the hospital staff was not aware what was the first thing to do. After a few minutes, they put me in a stretcher, put some ice on my toe and injected some pain reliever into my veins. The hospital staff said that all they could do was to manage to pain. There was no need to worry about the poisonous sting because it would not spread to the other parts of my body, only to that part bitten. However, it was indeed poisonous such that it was so painful.

I was anxious and agitated because the pain was still there. My mom asked how painful it was - I said "parang kusi na dugay kaayo". I was admitted to the hospital. It was after more than an hour when the pain somehow subsided but the pain was still there. It was only the next morning when there was not much pain but the swelling remained. I stayed in the hospital for two nights for observation.

What an experience! I can't say if I was traumatized. I hope not. I just hope it would not happen to me or to any one I know. I would not wish such pain to anyone. And I thank GOD that I got over it!