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| Sun and Moon (UP Lantern Parade) |
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| Basilica Minore del Santo Nino de Cebu (right) during week of Sinulog Festival |
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| People hearing morning Mass during Sinulog Festival |
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| Dan posing in front of Ati-Atihan souvenirs |
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| Coal painted face |
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Random pictures
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Of bad hair days and blank screens
Matagal ko na rin itong hindi napapakinggan.
Tamang-tama sa mood na medyo kalat at lutang.
Ohwell.
Echo & The Bunnymen | The Killing Moon
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
The full weekend and my newly acquired books
Been away from digital life for a while because I was (1) busy finishing my work deliverables (2) traveling over the weekend (3) too cash strapped to buy smart load for my internet stick.
Add to that, I am closely managing my domestic chores now because of my impending relocation to Manila by early February. Yeah, my Cebu adventure is coming to a close I need to plan ahead about shipping, packing and all the nitty-gritty business involve in moving out. My Cebu farewell write-up will be up soon, hopefully by next week.
So last weekend, I made a major decision. Instead of celebrating Sinulog with the jolly people of Cebu, I was convinced to fly to Kalibo and celebrate Ati-Atihan. Well, actually Kalibo was planned months before I got the Cebu contract so yeah, it will be best to honor that decision.
Ati-Atihan is a crowd celebration. Every minute, a marching band, consisting of mainly of drums plus lires, some have trumpets, will push you to dance to their beat. Add to that the colorful costumes of children and adults participating in the parade. They all painted their body and face with coals. Nice. In Ati-Atihan nobody is a stranger, because when you dance to the beat, you are dancing with the whole community. You are one with the rhythm of the tribes, of the streets and of the city.
It is my first time to celebrate it. And it was amazing. Full of colors and drum beats. You cannot block the marching of the people, one must either seek the safety of sidewalk or you dance with them. Participants have bottles of beer in their pockets to quench their thirst when they finish drumming to a song. These people are impossible. They start playing and marching as early as 5am up until 12 midnight for 5 days with small periods of rest.
I remember in my Anthro class, my professor said the first to enter the state of trance are the drummers. They get lost to the beating of drums, they repeat the rhythm until they reach the building climax, release. Tapos meron pang alcohol, wow, todo-trance!
Aside from trance, dancing and costumes, my stay in Kalibo was made worthwhile by their yummy pizza places: Zabroso and Jads. Although exploring these places during Ati-Atihan is not so comfortable because volumes of people who flock the city to celebrate end up ordering their lunch/dinner in these pizza parlors too. So you have to count extra minutes before you get your hands to a pizza slice.
My flight back to Cebu was also tense. I was beating the check-in deadline when I arrived at the airport 30 minutes before my boarding time. The long lines of people waiting to enter the airport was enough to make me lose my faith in catching my flight. But luckily, I was permitted by the guard to enter right away (since I made an online check-in) only to find out that my flight is one and half hour late. Big relief.
Whew.
So am happy that although the plane arrived 2 hours later, at least I am inside the airport, writing my weekend adventures.
Now back in office in Cebu City, I am very intrigued by my new book acquisition:
A history of mourning by Richard Devey
Ruins of Ancient Cities vols I and II
A journal from Japan
Brave New World
Study in Emerald
Excited to read.
But I will work first. So Dr Who season 2 has to wait because I have to read my books first before watching the doctor.
Add to that, I am closely managing my domestic chores now because of my impending relocation to Manila by early February. Yeah, my Cebu adventure is coming to a close I need to plan ahead about shipping, packing and all the nitty-gritty business involve in moving out. My Cebu farewell write-up will be up soon, hopefully by next week.
So last weekend, I made a major decision. Instead of celebrating Sinulog with the jolly people of Cebu, I was convinced to fly to Kalibo and celebrate Ati-Atihan. Well, actually Kalibo was planned months before I got the Cebu contract so yeah, it will be best to honor that decision.
Ati-Atihan is a crowd celebration. Every minute, a marching band, consisting of mainly of drums plus lires, some have trumpets, will push you to dance to their beat. Add to that the colorful costumes of children and adults participating in the parade. They all painted their body and face with coals. Nice. In Ati-Atihan nobody is a stranger, because when you dance to the beat, you are dancing with the whole community. You are one with the rhythm of the tribes, of the streets and of the city.
It is my first time to celebrate it. And it was amazing. Full of colors and drum beats. You cannot block the marching of the people, one must either seek the safety of sidewalk or you dance with them. Participants have bottles of beer in their pockets to quench their thirst when they finish drumming to a song. These people are impossible. They start playing and marching as early as 5am up until 12 midnight for 5 days with small periods of rest.
I remember in my Anthro class, my professor said the first to enter the state of trance are the drummers. They get lost to the beating of drums, they repeat the rhythm until they reach the building climax, release. Tapos meron pang alcohol, wow, todo-trance!
Aside from trance, dancing and costumes, my stay in Kalibo was made worthwhile by their yummy pizza places: Zabroso and Jads. Although exploring these places during Ati-Atihan is not so comfortable because volumes of people who flock the city to celebrate end up ordering their lunch/dinner in these pizza parlors too. So you have to count extra minutes before you get your hands to a pizza slice.
My flight back to Cebu was also tense. I was beating the check-in deadline when I arrived at the airport 30 minutes before my boarding time. The long lines of people waiting to enter the airport was enough to make me lose my faith in catching my flight. But luckily, I was permitted by the guard to enter right away (since I made an online check-in) only to find out that my flight is one and half hour late. Big relief.
Whew.
So am happy that although the plane arrived 2 hours later, at least I am inside the airport, writing my weekend adventures.
Now back in office in Cebu City, I am very intrigued by my new book acquisition:
A history of mourning by Richard Devey
Ruins of Ancient Cities vols I and II
A journal from Japan
Brave New World
Study in Emerald
Excited to read.
But I will work first. So Dr Who season 2 has to wait because I have to read my books first before watching the doctor.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Monday, December 9, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
Actually, who wouldn't
Habang nagpapahinga ako sa kwarto dala nang fever at ubo at allergy, napag-isip ako: Bakit medyo mahirap talagang maintindihan ang buhay, laging may problema, may issues, may mga challenges at di matapos-tapos na worries. Tapos, may sakit pa ako, at tambak ang mga hugasang bowls at kutsara at tinidor at mga labahang kailangang labhan, banlawan at isampay. Idagdag pa dito ang hindi matapos tapos na pagtanggal nang tiles sa aming apartment floor para palitan nang mas matibay na flooring, kasabay nito ang ingay nang tiles na binibiak, alikabok at pagpukpok ng martilyo sa sahig. Read: allergy at alikabok; fever at maingay na hallway; bed rest at mga domestic stuff na hindi pa nabibigyang pansin. Hindi ba ito ang mga kondisyon na nakaka-snap? Yung tipong konti na lang ang hinahawakan kong sanity at kahit ano mang oras ay malapit na akong bumigay? Perhaps get hysterical?
Nanduon aang train of thought ko nang bigla kong na-realize (after calling in life all the patience I have left), maybe the question is who wouldn't snap?
Yun. Spot on. Something to keep my day sane. Something to hold on to to bring back my faith in life and universe.
I convinced myself, it's ok to snap. It's ok to tumble, to fall, to breakdown. To let the flood rush in and rush through and then let go. THEN I laughed, with all my might. I laughed at myself. (I made big boo-boo yesterday night, the electricity went out while I was washing my clothes, so dark all around esp inside the laundry area. I rushed to my room to get candle. Then ran down four flights to have it lit by guard bec he has matches, (and I don't) and I ran upstairs again carefully guarding the light. Upon reaching 4th floor, my apartment-mate commented, parang baligtad yung sinidihan mo, and yes she was right, yung bottom part yung sinindihan ko hindi yung talagang wick sa kabilang dulo, upon realizing the crazy blunder, I laughed so hard at myself, it was even better bec my apartment mate is laughing hard with me. Oh goodness)
Maybe the crack/the snap is what it is all about and it is about accepting it, that it exists, and that in life there are a lot of things out of our control. We tried our best and we have to let it go. Fall when it is time to fall. Empty out when it is time to empty out. Laugh. Laugh at our crazy attempts to live life like we know how it works, like we have full grasp of it, like we are on top of things, because laughter is our most powerful weapon: it is a signal that we are at our wits end but we are still fearless; we are helpless but we still believe, we still hope. I read somewhere that where there is laughter, fear cannot enter.
Share laughter with friends and loved ones.
Then start all over again.
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