Encounter with the Fireflies

I can still remember the time when Marx invited me to join their Donsol trip through Twitter. With no money, I should have said no. But my instinct told me otherwise. Without any second thought, I said yes. Almost two months of planning and then the most awaited day, to me at least, came. 

I met the Butanding Freaks (Chino, Elal, Marx, Paola and Heiz) at the Legazpi Integrated Terminal (LIT). They were practically strangers. Though I’ve been exchanging messages with Marx and religiously following his blog, I never met him in person. And so are the other 4. When I told my mom that I`ll be away for a day and I’m going out with strangers, she freaked out. In the end though, she allowed me to. 

Upon arrival at the LIT, you have several options: a) hire a taxi (though this would be a bit pricey), b) ride a commuter van, c) take a non-air-conditioned bus and d) ride a jeepney. We chose to take a commuter van. It is easy to spot vans going to Donsol. It is located just a few walks across Save More. Since there was a scarcity of passengers that day (it was Sunday), we waited for at least an hour or so before the van departed much to our frustration. The driver doesn’t leave the terminal until it reach the desired seating capacity. The van left the LIT at around 4PM. The drive to Sorsogon was longish and a little bit drag. I/we went to sleep. After 2 hours and so, our vehicle licked the asphalts, the streets of Donsol, Sorsogon. Finally! When I saw the Butanding Fest billboard, I had to stretch my hand out and take a shot of it with some random guy (and random hands) in front of it. And I didn’t care if the background was very unpicturesque.

The driver was kind enough to bring us directly to the Dangkalan Beach Resort where we will stay in, which is 15 minutes away from the town proper. We paid P100 each. The resort is strategically located in front of the ocean (that’s why it’s called a beach resort, duh) and a few walks away from the Donsol Tourist Center where you need to register prior to your Butanding Encounter. There are a handful of resorts in this part of Donsol. I think Dangkalan Beach Resort is the cheapest and the top choice of budget travelers.

Ms. Lalaine, which happened to be Marx’ cousin, greeted us with a warm smile. We checked-in. And guess what, we even had a great deal. We got 2 deluxe rooms (for 3 people) minus the A/C use for only P1,000/night each. That’s P333.33 for each of us. Great, isn’t it? The staff led us to the cottage where we will stay. I’m quite impressed by the room. Nothing fancy about it but it was spacious and well-maintained. It has 2 beds (a single and a doubles), a shower and the bathroom comes with 2 towels and some basic toiletries. The resort’s management was also kind enough to provide us with an electric fan. The only downturn was there was no free wi-fi in the resort and the same goes with the other resorts. I was told.

Firefly Watching 

After we freshened up, it was time for our first activity, Firefly Watching. I first heard about it on the local morning show, Marhay Na Aga Kapamilya. It honestly intrigued me. Miss Lalaine led us to the boat docked on the shore within the resort’s vicinity. I stepped into the boat with Elal, Chino, Paola, Marx and Heiz together with three boatmen. The boat could only board a maximum of 5 people (excluding the bangkeros and the guide) but because we were VIPs of Miss Lalaine we were able to do so (Marx pretended to be our tour guide). She also arranged the boat rental for the Firefly Watching at P1250/boat.

We sailed the night away. (Photo not mine)

Night sailing. That’s probably one of the scariest things I did in my whole life. I may not showed outward signs of being scared but deep inside, my vital organs are coiling. Have I ever told you that I can’t swim? I never learned how to. I looked up, down, from side to side and all I saw was darkness. For a moment, I became scared of the thought that we might get lost or be swallowed by the sea or be lured by mermaids into the depth of the ocean. Hahaha. But thank God, He was with us. The water was calm.

Moving on, because we literally moved on, we sailed for at least thirty minutes. After entering the Donsol River, a guide boarded. As much as I hate to say this, the guide was still a bit amateur-ish and knows a little about the whole tour. There were a lot of silent moments and if not for Chino and the fireflies it would be boring as hell. Anyway, there will be three stop-overs: the first one being the “Huling Puno” (sounds ironic, right?). According to the guide, it houses the most number of fireflies and she was definitely correct. I was in awe. It was magical. In some way, it reminded me of a scene in Tangled.

Just a reminder, don’t shoot with a flash on. It scares off the fire flies. Plus, it affects their light synchronicity whatever that means. I’m just a bit disappointed that my P&S can’t capture it. And so were their DSLRs. Mehehe~ We went like that for another 30 minutes or so, jumping from one tree to another. At first, it was amazing but a few minutes into it, it became repetitive and in a lack of a better term, boring. I was like, “can you please row fast Manong bangkero so we can get out of here”. Sorry :3 I hope the Tourism Office can do something about this. Make it livelier, more entertaining. 

We told the bangkero to drop us off near the town center. You have a choice to either ride a tricycle or just walk. And because we are responsible tourists, we walked. It took us at least 15 minutes to reach the town center. The original plan was to find a cheap resto that serves local dishes. The one inside the resort where we checked in are bit pricey in our opinion. But because it was already past 8pm, all the local eateries are closed (except for those inside inns and resorts) much to our dismay. Heiz passed by a fruit stand where she chanced upon ripe mangoes and watermelon. She bought a couple of kilos. We then went to a grocery store to buy some stuff. Then went straight to the resort. Lines of tricycles are waiting to bring you to your resort. The tricycle driver charged us P20/person and it can accommodate a total of six people. 

Tips: 

 • Buy things you need or you want in the Centro – the commercial center of Donsol – before you go to your resort. It’s cheaper and besides, it’s really hard to find stores near the resorts. 

• If you’re on minimal budget, I suggest that you take an early dinner in the Centro where the local eateries are found, sometimes they run out of food during peak hours. 

Siram Sana Resto and Bar 

Siram Sana is the restaurant found inside the Dangkalan Beach Resort. A single meal costs P150 and above. I told you it was a bit pricey. Little did we know that each serving is good for 2-3 people. So lesson learned, don’t be fooled by the menus. Charot! 

I ordered chicken adobo. And it was so yummy that it can probably match my mom’s. The others ordered tinolang manok, pinakbet and of course your Bicol experience won’t be complete if you haven’t tasted local dishes like laing and Bicol Express. 

Contrary to popular belief, Bicolanos don’t get to eat Bicol Express every day. Their version of Bicol Express is good but ain’t great. The laing on the other hand, well, I’m not buying it (high standards ba?). Then we had some ripe mangoes for dessert. I was so full at that time. It was like a “getting-to-know-each-other” dinner. I even taught them some basic Bicolano words. And I even told Chino a little bit of the legend of Magayon and Panganoron. Sorry, I don’t want to do the story-telling here.

After dosing ourselves to a splendid dinner and several Vice Ganda jokes, we went back to the girl’s room. We bought a bottle of a cheap hard drink and some chips when we were still in the Centro. I was a bit hesitant to drink because my alcohol tolerance is low. And when I say low, it’s really really low. I can only tolerate a bottle, two at the most. And indeed, after just three gulps, I rushed to the bathroom to puke. I didn’t push myself farther after that. Nobody likes to puke. To me, that’s not fun. 

• Legazpi City to Donsol, Sorsogon (2 hours) – P100.00/person

• Dangcalan Beach Resort

           • Deluxe room for 3 (fan cooled) – P1000.00/night 

• Firefly Watching (arranged by the resort) – P1250/boat (good for 5 persons)

• Centro to Dangcalan Beach Resort (tricycle) – P20/person 

• Siram Sana Resto and Bar 

           • Chicken Adobo + 2 rice - P175.00 + P15.00 

           • Ripe mangoes – Free courtesy of Heiz

BACK FROM THE GRAVE

This is a sort of an obligatory entry for today so I’ll get back to regular programming on the weekends. 

 

I am still breathing, thank you very much. 

The 3-month long blogging hiatus was the result of the delinquency I have provoked these past weeks. I’ve really been a “bad” blogger. In my case, “bad” is defined as being inactive for 90 freaking days or so and not doing my blog hopping duties. I was busy. Having a social life, 12 hours a day/four days a week work schedule, normal sleep, maintaining two blogs and balancing all those is not an easy thing after all. Even if I could find time to be here, my guts is manifesting to have at least a leave of absence. This is especially true as I feel the pressure of my work increases as the end of the year draws near. My work is destroying every brain cells I have. My virginity was as well ruined (and you can take that anyway you want). I was fucked with these things for the past weeks. But with positive thinking, I’m going to turn everything upside down from now on. I promise! Cross my heart. Hope to die. 

This is getting boring so I’ll put the rest in bullet form. I have to remind you though, this post is everything in my mind at the very moment. 

(1) It does feel quite miserable when it turns out that I haven’t accomplished even half of my 2012 to-do list the fact that the year’s almost over. 

(2) I was drinking the other night and in between gulps of beer, I realized that I still had not blogged about my summer trip to Donsol with some travel bloggers. Wow, that’s funny! Talk about eternal laziness. 

(3) I’ve been getting few comments (peppered with unsavory words) on my article, “RH Bill is not anti-life”. But I’m trying to just ignore them. At the end of day, like me, they are Filipinos too who wants the best for the country. 

(4) Speaking of RH Bill, my article has been getting a lot of views lately. I didn’t think it would reach even half the number shown on the blog stats but I am very grateful that it did. At the time I wrote that piece, I was simply putting my feelings and thoughts in black and white. My objective was to share it with young adults like me who have yet to make a stand. 

(5) A close friend confessed that he has feelings for me. No typo error there, he’s really a “h-e”. Awkward. 

(6) I am trying to focus and be serious right now since (if things went as planned) I’ll be signing a three-year contract with Star Magic next week (fingers crossed). I’m also trying to build up a habit of reading legit health-related books so that I can do better at work. 

(7) I’m crushing on someone. She’s from Tumblr. The thing is, she’s five years younger than me. Saklap. 

(8) I cancelled both my Calaguas trip this November and my Batad trip this December cos I got no money, baby. Yay! 

(9) We got a new apartment. It’s pretty small though. Only 2 rooms for the four of us. I have to share a room with one of my sisters. Not cool. But for me, it’s more home-y compared to our old house. 

(10) Finally, after 1672 years of having no communication and being cold at each other, my ex talked to me. I was even surprised that she was the first one to hit me on chat, which she rarely does ever on Facebook. 

(11) Christmas is fast approaching. I’m thinking of Samsung GS3 as a perfect Christmas gift. For sure, I’ll be the happiest. Or a girlfriend. Yeah right, a girlfriend. To keep me from being bored with my existence and thinking about coma or something. 

Tomorrow’s another work day. I hope it will be sunny. Not that I hate the rain, I just hate the way it makes me feel sometimes. Sticky, wet and dirty and it’s nowhere near sexy, sexy! I love the rain when I know I won’t get wet or I know I don’t need to look dry, presentable and neat the whole day. 

I apologize if this is nothing but blabber. I just want to update you guys. Anyway, long distance back pats and high fives to all my awesome readers – you are all great. Exclamation point. Exclamation point.

Are you a Proud Filipino?

Excerpts from the article "Proud Pinoy?" written by Jubert John Requillas Marzan dated June 12, 2010~

To the people who think that there is no hope for the Philippines, to the retarded columnist who called the Philippines a nation of servants, to the desperate housewife that insulted the quality of Philippine medical education, to the Comedy Central loser who called President Cory a slut, to the fugly Adam Carolla who called the pound-for-pound king illiterate, I feel so sorry for you. And to all the Filipinos who proclaim that they are ashamed to be Filipinos, to tell you, I'm much more ashamed to have you as "kababayans".

Excuse me Juan dela Cruz, before you judge our country, before you look down and spit on us, before you shove in anyone's faces that the country sucks big time, pause for a moment and ponder, "What exactly have YOU done to make this the place you want it to be?". If none, then just zip it. You don't have any right to complain, you don't have any right to whimper and snivel because you yourself have done nothing.

I have come to realize that it is the people who makes the country and not the other way around. Moreover, I have come to realize that if we want this country to gain its lost glory, we must put our shits together and work towards a united goal. This will not be an easy ride, there will always be the pain of defeat and pleasure of triumph. But what separates the two is the attitude we Filipinos possess. We are known for our resiliency. We can manage to laugh even after a tragedy. It is not that we can't take anything seriously but because we prefer to move forward with renewed vigor and rising expectation than to just sit down and cry.

Some of us may be exhausted of "Philippines-in-deep-poo-poo" state and some may think that the only way to get out is to give up. No puh-leez, keep holding on. Sino pa ba ang magmamahal at mag-aaruga sa Pilipinas kung hindi tayong mga Pilipino? Sino pa ba ang magmamalaki sa ating lahi kundi tayo-tayo din? If nobody wants to lift our chair for us then we must do it ourselves. Or else nobody will know how much we're worth. 

As for me, I refuse to believe that my country is a hopeless case.

I refuse to be humiliated by my own lineage.

I refuse to lambaste my own countrymen. 

I refuse to exchange my citizenship for anything else.

I refuse to give up.

I am a Filipino and will always be a Filipino, "sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa".

Forget Me. Forget Me Not. I`m 21.

I turned 21 just recently! Not that anyone really cares. And it’s no big deal for me, really. I don`t celebrate birthdays. And I can’t remember a time that I celebrated my birthday in a grand way (except when I was a kid). I rather have a “me-alone” time, watch a movie, shop or something to that effect. I’m always single during my birthday so I don’t have any dates with whomever. And I don’t receive gifts during my birthdays, probably because: 1) my friends are kuripot (on second thought, so am I) or; 2) they perceive me as someone who is not materialistic which is partly-true.

This birthday was no exception. I did not celebrate grandiosely. Because the 17th fell on a work day, it was work-as-usual for me. I went to work and was surprised that “Happy 21st Birthday Jubert” was all over the place. Then in this instance, Ate Ching (a midwife that has been working in the hospital for 20 years) greeted me. It kept coming as I saw work mates whom I identified as friends greeted me. I could scarcely say “Thank you” knowing that I nauseate from corny statements. I may not show outward signs of being (over-acting-ly) thankful but deep inside, I was like “Okaaay, I wanna cry”.

But it was just like any other day (or so I thought). I was busy most of the day. I even accompanied a patient who went to a tertiary private hospital for a scheduled CT scan that afternoon. After about an hour, we went back to the hospital. The patient’s wife gave me a take-out pre-dinner from Jollibee and her daughter-in-law (she prolly overheard my work mates or read it in one of the posters at the station) greeted me “Happy Birthday”. I reciprocated by giving a humble smile. I was touched. I really appreciated the nice gesture. The next day, my workmates surprised me with a birthday cake and ice cream. Wow, ang sarap sa feeling. It was the first time that someone gave a me cake (aside from family members). 

Me and my cake <3

Thanks to all those (1) who celebrated my birthday with me, to those (2) who were with me that day but didn’t celebrate with me, and to those (3) who said they would celebrate with me but didn’t. I love you all! Thank you to everyone who took the time to greet me personally, text, call, sent me TA, sent me PMs, tweet, and post their words on my wall. This so overwhelming and touching knowing you people remembered and took even a little time and effort to greet me. I’m also grateful to those who knew my birthday from somebody else’s mouth. Ang sarap ng feeling that I had a vast social life. 

Cheers to being an adult now. Goodbye teenage years, you were pretty darn awesome!

WRONG SPELING

 
I`ve been keeping myself updated with the news through the internet for as much as I can. These days kasi, I’m on the grave yard shift (7pm-7am, I know right?). Meaning, I don’t have time to watch the prime time news.

Yesterday, I was browsing a certain showbiz-oriented website when suddenly a headline catches my attention: “Philippines win Miss Teen Universe 2012 First Runner Up”. Lovely, I thought. Because I haven’t heard the pageant before, I did some research. Okay, it’s a new one. With 13 candidates. Held in Nicaragua. I also did some research on Miss Philippines Clarisse Obia. 

I had a fantastic run until I saw this -

PHILIPPNES. Ano ‘to, lokohan?!

Miss Philippines must be such a sweet and nice girl not to complain that the name of her country was misspelled. Or she did complain nicely but the organizers took 123456789 years to print the correctly-spelled sash.

This is not the first time that a Miss Philippines wore a misspelled sash. Remember Miss Philippines in Miss Universe 2008? That’s the epic-est fail of all times. To think that it’s Miss Universe. Like, hello? 

So, let me ask you my dear readers, if you are representing the country in an international event like this would you still wear the sash even if it is misspelled? 


Would you or would you not?

FIFA Rankings & Southeast Asia

This week has been pretty hell for me ~ sobrang toxic sa duty then depressed `cos di pa masyadong nakakapag-blog and I`m really bored out of my skull. There`s nothing good to watch on TV. I am broke. And still, loveless. Hahaha. So imagine my delight when I learned that the newest FIFA Football Rankings is now up! :) As expected, Spain still leads the pack. Then Germany, Uruguay, Netherlands and Portugal complete the Top 5. Oh God, Europe is on the run! *inggit much*

It made me think - how did our Southeast Asian football teams fared on the 200+ nation ranking? Southeast Asians are great football lovers and I guess we did well. OR HAVE WE? 

Vietnam is now the best national squad in the region at the 97th place. Wow! From being tied with the Philippines on the 165th place about 4 years ago to being Southeast Asia's best. Hats off to them!

Thailand at 141st place. 

Indonesia at 151st.

Malaysia at 156th. Together with Yemen.

Singapore at 158th.

Cambodia at 173rd tied with Myanmar.

Laos at 175th. 

Brunei at 202nd. Together with Mauritania.

And Timor Leste at 204th.

Yes, I know what’s on your mind right now - Where's the bloody hell is the Philippines? Don't worry, I saved the best for last. Whaaaat? Hahaha.

Ayun oh. *sabay turo*

BREAKING NEWS: The Philippines is the biggest ASEAN mover in the latest FIFA rankings.

Is it real or we are just being punk'd?

*slaps*

Yes, it is for real. FOR REAL.

The Philippines moved eight places up from 156th to 148th. I know bitters/haters/inggiteros out there would quick to point out "Lang? 148th lang? Sobrang proud ka na? Ambabaw mo naman". (Well, haters gonna hate. That's what they are born to do. Just hate.) Ok, just to piss them more - I.AM.SO.FREAKINNNG.PROUD.  Why shouldn't I? Ever since the world was created billion years ago, this is our highest FIFA ranking evaaar. Fucken lovely, simply fucken lovely!

World Cup 2018, HERE WE COME!

Pursuit of Happyness

(Photo got from Tumblr. Thanks to the owner.)

I was preparing to sleep the other night when I suddenly realized that I hadn’t blogged for a long time – 38 days to be exact. I miss my blog and I know you’re wondering what might have happened to me. So there we go. I’ve been busy. Hell busy.

You might be asking what I could be busy with. A new girlfriend? Hell nope. I wish I could still have time for that. A new hobby? No. A new “job”? Yes! And I’m happy.

...

Coming in and out of post-college depression, the months leading to this week were a bit of a struggle for me. I’ve felt so unfocused with what I wanted to do in life. I just can’t seem to find the direction to where I’m headed. I was lost. I prayed for directions. Or signs. Or clues where to go.

In high school, I used to believe that I can get everything that I want to the point when I thought I could just sit quietly and wait things to fall in my lap. And I’m self-centered like that. But then, reality kicked in. At the end of 2011, I was beginning to think whether I should start following a different career track. Then my friends started getting their dream jobs. I can’t say I didn’t feel envy. Actually, I did. From there on, I started doubting, hating myself.

And then something hit me strong in the head (prolly my mom’s nagging). I could not just let insecurities swallow me. I could not just let my awesomeness fades away. And besides, sayang ang looks ko kung magiging tambay lang ako. 

It was only the last week of February when I started sending resumes and stuffs and hoping that someone out there is willing to give me a job. Luckily, someone did. I now work as a nurse in a private hospital in our province. Needless to say, I have a made a decision to pursue my profession. When I accepted the job, I felt I was doing the right thing. I know you know the feeling of doing something you’re really passionate about – in my case, to help others and save lives. I felt infinite. Cheesy shit but true.

Life didn’t become any easier. But slowly, I’m starting to get a glimpse of what my life would be in the coming years. I may not exactly where I want to be but this is a start – a good start. I’m not proud of what I was (which was a total mess) a few months back but I’m not ashamed of it either. Life isn’t always peaches and cream. What separates the successful people from the unsuccessful is the ability to deal with life issues maturely, realizing that the hard times are learning opportunities and that’s what makes us wiser in the long run.

# ItsMoreFun: It's not who made it first, it's who made it better

When I first saw the new tourism brand, It’s More Fun In The Philippines, I was like “wow, that’s funny!”. After a year of research, the DOT boys can only came up with this? I was totally dismayed. It seemed too plain, too lame and too generic - at least, until I saw the promotional photos, the leaked video, the website and read the future plans of Mr. Secretary. It may not be as brilliant as “Wow Philippines” but it’s not cringe-worthy. Being too generic could actually work out in our advantage if done right.

Then someone released the bomb: a Swiss poster using the same tagline, well, “It’s More Fun In Switzerland”. As expected, passed on by tweets on Twitter and statuses on Facebook, the old Swiss poster suddenly became the toast of town. Angry, flabbergasted netizens flooded every social networking site there is. I read some comments that they find this mediocre; some say a copy cat. But I think some people (read: haters) overreacted over that old Swiss ad. Seriously, I don’t think there’s need for us to make a big fuss out of it.

First off, like what I said, the line “it’s more fun in” is too generic. Anyone can use it. So it’s not surprising if it may have been used before. And it was.

Second, the Swiss poster is not even a campaign; it’s just for an advertisement. And anyone who went to school knows the difference between the two. It’s not that hard, right?

And my gosh, the ad was used in the freakin’ 1950s. That’s more than half-a-century ago for crying out loud! Seriously, who remembers that one? I doubt that the Swiss knows that they used that before.

I don’t think it’s plagiarism. I think it’s a mere coincidence that really means nothing in the end. Some stupid people just wanted to find holes in it. They search deep into details that are not significant and unnecessary. Some even came up with a brilliant idea: drop the 5.6 million-worth brand. *start of rant* Seriously people? Are we gonna spend the six years of this administration trying to come up with the most brilliant tourism brand? Why not we just let this one go so that the DOT can start with the campaign? *end of rant* Seriously the intellect of some of these people is totally questionable.

Some also suggested to just revive the old “WOW Philippines”. In my opinion, we shouldn’t. Though I admit that it’s the more creative slogan with all that wow acronym stuffs, the line seems to be a jargon to some foreigners. “The Philippines went with WOW Philippines which said absolutely nothing about their country. WOW WHAT? A few more words won’t hurt. Wow naman pare. Wow talaga. LOL. I’m almost pretty sure the one who came up with it was holding a bong! The old Pearl of the Orient is one of the best I have ever heard.” ~ Pisanu, Thai-Belgian blogger (bisean.blogspot.com). Besides, the campaign was poorly executed. I barely saw its ad spots on the television unlike the “Amazing” or the “Truly Asia” ads that were being advertised every 5 minutes and 36 seconds. And besides, the former website makes me wince.

Hell, enough with the bad vibes. I told you that I wasn't satisfied with it at first but slowly fell in love with it as I walked through the possibilities and here are the reasons why.

7 reasons why I think the new brand and the campaign could work out

1. With billions of words tossed every minute of every day, I’m glad they chose “It’s More Fun In the Philippines”. The idea of making a tagline is pretty brilliant. It’s what will make us stand out. It is not as conservative as what you might prefer but it does set a different tone than existing slogans. So thumbs up DOT.

2. The slogan itself is a good punch line. It can be an actual part of a conversation. It comes out naturally, not forced. And what I also love is how I can use a bunch of lines as a segue into the slogan. I’m just wary that some stupid people may end up using it to a negative or sarcastic effect.

3. And the banig-inspired logo? Ah, I can’t think of a more perfect logo. I really don’t mind if the country is in color yellow. It’s well designed and not a pain the eyes. It gave the whole look a different effect on the viewer. Again, a breath of fresh air.

4. The website is also commendable. It gave me a festive-vibe. I dunno, maybe because of the banderitas and all which I think totally captures the feel of our country. I can’t wait for it to be officially launched. Excited much. I hope they would provide more-specific information about our attractions like tour packages, hotel accommodations, convenience of transportation and stuffs. Online reservations would be a plus, too.

5. What I personally love about the new campaign is that it encourages people to be part of the whole campaign. It’s a silly but a brilliant idea. Personally, I had fun tweeting about it. I can extend it anyway I want. Yes, we may not have the tourism budgets of the Thais, Singaporeans or Malaysians but we have Twitter and Facebook users – tons and tons of it.

6. Mr. Secretary himself. I love the way he defended his work, no “yung satin mas makulay, may tarsier at may sun” bs. It shows maturity. This only happens when you have competent people in the government and not a bunch of air-heads. Hear that President? And he has a twitter account, yay!

7. And if you people don’t know, there's such thing as “truth in advertising”. The line maybe simple but it’s honest and direct to the point. No bs or whatsoever. Overly pessimistic netizens won’t succeed for the simple reason that the line is so real, it’s so us. I, and every Filipinos around the world, knows that “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” so don’t argue.

I think this is worth giving a try. Of course, it takes much more than a catchy slogan to bring tourists to our shores but I think if the slogan is the start, then this is a great start. I’m really excited for the international launch in April. I can’t wait for the promotional vid to be released. (For the record, I love “Forever Young” and “If you’ve waiting, you’ve been waiting for long” ads, both from NZ.) I hope that they can come up with a song that can go viral. And if “It’s More Fun In The Philippines” is shouted by a celeb at the end of a highly-stylized commercial, all the better!

Give the new slogan a rating: (+/-)

A. I can’t think of a better slogan. Two thumbs up DOT!
B. It’s million times better than the previous attempt but still WOW Philippines is the bomb.
C. Nice try guys. Back to the drawing board.
D. WTF, Pilipinas Kay Ganda for the win!
E. Fuck you DOT! Bow.

Shameless plug-in. :)

21 Things I'll Do Since I'll be 21

Inspired by Ate Chyng’s “A Goal Without A Plan Is Just A Wish” list, I started off 2011 by writing down 11 random things that I have to accomplish within the year. The legit goal is to completely finish everything on the list by 11:59 pm December 31, 2011. The list went like this.

○ Learn Photoshop – PARTIAL SUCCESS! My sister downloaded Adobe Photoshop CS5 a few months ago but I just started to use it last month. I started with basic, Tumblr-worthy stuffs. In fairness, I’m quite satisfied with the outcomes but I know I can do better. So practice, practice, practice. Next project: a new blog banner.

○ Grab my second license – SUCCESS! Passing the test really means a lot to me. I’m not just satisfied with my score. Ewww, ang baba lang. I kind of deserved it though. Anyway, I got another license this year – DOH-HEMS Basic Life Support Health Care Provider. Bongga!

○ Get a job – PARTIAL SUCCESS! I won’t go into detail anymore, I know you’re just too sick of that story. Me too! Lol, I’m so bitter.

○ Give Mom a decent gift on her birthday – FAIL! I was broke then. I gave my mom a grocery spree last Christmas but I think it didn’t count.

○ Watch 20 movies in theaters – FAIL! I managed to watch only four movies this year, 2 local (No Other Woman & Praybeyt Benjamin) and 2 foreign (X-Men: First Class and Real Steel). Still, 2009 is my best “movie-watching” year.

○ Get a phone – SUCCESS! It’s not a high-end phone but it’s definitely thousand miles better than my old one. My former phone was so overused and outdated, I used to refer it as the “jurassic phone”, that I’ve wanted to get rid of that phone (without feeling guilty) since 2010. So just imagine my delight when I accidentally lost my phone on a bus. That’s a valid reason for Tita O to buy me a new one.

○ Buy a DSLR – PARTIAL SUCCESS! Tita A bought a Nikon D3100 as a reward to me for passing the NLE. The thing is, she has yet to ship it from Dubai. Sheeze. And the LBC people are charging her too much. Double sheeze!

○ Learn Bisaya – NO PROGRESS! I can only manage to speak a few phrases. I didn’t expect that learning Bisaya would be so damn hard. And it’s so hard to find free Bisaya tutorials online. Lol. Walang basagan ng trip, kuripot ako. Thank God, I have Bisaya friends who are ready to help me out. The only problem is I’m not a fast learner. :P

○ Corregidor & Calaguas/Caramoan – DOUBLE EPIC FAIL! But then, I haven’t travelled as much as I have this year. In a year, I went spelunking with friends in Hoyop-Hoyopan cave, enjoyed a beach in Cebu, climb Mt. Mayon, attend the Penafrancia Festival in Cam Sur and splurged with the family in a 5-star hotel. I even experienced my first airplane ride ever to Cebu City!

○ Invest in a good pair of shoes – SUCCESS! I bought a pair of black MFG shoes last September. The first time I saw it on the racks, I just HAD to buy it. I knew it was a good find. And true enough, it’s worth the money I paid for. And the 10% off was a bonus.

See? I messed up big time this year. It was barely completed, it’s pathetic really. It’s heartbreaking that I had all this time in the world to do these stuffs but I made a terrible job out of it. This year, ‘cos I still believe wholeheartedly in the power of telling the universe of what I hope for, I’m starting over. I will put those failed/partial success goals on the list for 2012, again, with a note to myself to try harder. I’m also gonna add 21 new, random things to do. I know some of the stuffs that I have in my list are too common for others and embarrassingly it may sound but I haven’t done them before.

# 1 Gain at least 20 pounds. I really, really have to do this year. I’m planning to enroll myself in a gym class (please refrain yourself from laughing); but I still have to study and choose the best program. And in connection with this, I really have to work on my discipline. Masyado akong tamad!

# 2 Read at least one book per month. My only problem is that I tend to read a lot of books at the same time and it takes me forever to finish one.

# 3 Purchase DVD of “FRIENDS”. Yes, the complete 10 season. Shikes! That would cost me a lot, like thousand bucks but I don’t care. This is for Phoebe and her smelly cat. :>

# 4 Seriously start with my savings program. I have to think of the future ‘cos I’m not getting any younger. I’m 20 for crying out loud and still, I’m broke. I have 3 ATM cards but only one has funds (if you call a few bucks a fund). Shikes! I also need to be more frugal whatever that word means. I’m a compulsive shopper, just so you know, and I’m not proud.

# 5 Be published in a magazine. I never really thought about this but after a friend asked me to write for their college magazine, I gave it some thoughts. But because I’m ambisyoso, I want to write for a widely-published magazine. Hello Garage Mag, I’m here!

# 6 Meet a blogger. I’ve been blogging since junior high but I’ve never met even a single blogger’s soul. Shame on me. So I’m really looking forward to meet my blogger buddies. Really.

# 7 Write for a cause. I’ve been writing loads and loads of nonsense stuffs in my blog. I think it’s high time for me to incorporate my passion to write in supporting NGO’s. #TheAwesomeGivesBack

# 8 Take part in a charity event. In college, I’ve been involved in a lot of outreach programs and charity works. I really miss that. Nothing beats being a help to others. #TheAwesomeGivesBack

# 9 Learn how to use a DSLR. I have to start with these, I’m thinking of three; one, buy photography books (pricey); two, enroll myself in a photography class (again, pricey); three, talk to a travel photographer (afford!).

# 10 Go to Manila Ocean Park. Don’t you know that I’m a fan of underwater creatures? I want to go and see the wonders of the Tubbataha. But for a broke man like me, this is the closest thing I can get. I hope to bring my family with me.

# 11 Join a fun run/marathon. Trust me, I’ve been wanting to take part in the Milo Marathon since 2010 but to no avail. I really admire their advocacy.

# 12 Watch an Azkals’ game live. If you’ve been following/stalking me for a while now then you prolly know that I’m an Azkals’ fan. But I’ve never been to one of their games. Shame on me, again.

# 13 Refresh my wardrobe. My current wardrobe is rather monochromatic. My clothes aren’t colorful. I try to minimize my look and I’m boring like that. I hope to add, at least, some colors in my classic black-and-white (+ gray) wardrobe.

# 14 Get a Blackberry/Samsung Galaxy S. *drools* Honestly, I don’t know how to get one of these. (I’m broke nga, di’ba? Paulit-ulit, paulit-ulit? UNLI?!) Maybe I just need to be a good boy. Di’ba Tita A?

# 15 Go back to my birthplace and see the Hot-Air Balloon Fest. We used to go to Clark to watch hot air balloons when I was a kiddo but since the time we settled here in Bicol, we never got the chance to see the huge balloons again. *sigh*

# 16 Write for another blog. I want to get out of my comfort zone and write in someone else’s blog. I think it’s pretty cool. Besides, it’s also one way of promoting me. Lols. Who wants to be my host?

# 17 Try lone backpacking. Because, hell, why not? I love doing things alone. I often go to the movies or shop alone. So, why not travel alone? I would like to go somewhere I have never been to before like Batanes, Batad or Palawan. This is where the saving program is badly needed.

# 18 Learn how to cook, at least, 3 dishes. If you think that I’m the typical lazy teenager who doesn’t know how to cook, then you’re right. But I don’t want to be a cliché anymore *with full conviction*. And someone told me that “a way to girl’s heart is through her stomach”. I agree.

# 19 Go out on a date with an old friend. We’ve been planning this since October but, for some reason (my fault actually), it didn't push through. I don't want to call this a date before 'cos I have a girlfriend then, but now it's really a date. (Newsflash: we both had a crush on each other in 6th grade. Aww.) Let’s see how this goes.

# 20 Go ziplining somewhere. Thank God, I'm not afraid of heights! And besides, ziplining fees in the country are quite cheap.

# 21 Decide on my future. This is maybe the hardest thing to do. Honestly, I’m pretty clueless now. I don’t know if I’ll pursue a master’s degree, change careers or just enter showbiz. HEEEELP!

This is a longer list compared with last year. For real, I’m going to take a serious whack at it this year to make up for my pathetic attempt last year. I’ll give myself until 11:59pm December 31, 2012. The ultimate goal, though, is to have fun!