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

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".

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!

In Defense of the Azkals

Disclaimer: This article is neither written to ingratiate myself with the Azkaleros nor this is written to contribute to the ongoing battle between the fans and the non-fans.

There’s been some bashing and resentment in the Azkals on several fronts. While I can understand both sides, it seems that the side that wants to bash them is starting to get ugly, if not hateful. And as a young man who loves the Azkals as a team, I just can’t shut my mouth and wait for the worst. 

ISSUE # 1: “Di naman Pinoy ang mga yan!” 

It makes me sad that until now there is still this “half-Filipino” vs. “pure-Filipino” debate in Philippine football. It’s not only politically incorrect but also stupid in my opinion. Clearly, there is nowhere in our laws that gives a measure of being a Filipino by blood or by breed. Per Article IV of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, one of the criteria to be considered as a Filipino citizen is “those whose fathers OR mothers are citizens of the Philippines”. Some of the current members of the men’s national football team have either a Filipina mother or a Filipino father, thus qualifying them to be natural-born Filipino citizens. Plus, if we take FIFA’s requirements for a national player, everyone who makes it to the Philippine national football team is definitely a Filipino. To question that, as well as THE Philippine Constitution, is a mark of ignorance. Or stupidity perhaps. 

But still, if you’re going to bash the team because they don’t look like Filipinos, you should carry that out to the other sports organizations that send representatives in international tournaments that do not fit your stereotype. Just to be fair. If you go along the stereotypical way of thinking, why not question Smart-Gilas for sending Chris Tiu (Filipino-Chinese) or Asi Taulava (Filipino-Tongan) to basketball tournaments abroad? Or question the Philippine Olympic Committee for sending 3 Filipino-American swimmers to the 2008 Summer Games? Or Binibining Pilipinas for sending Venus Raj (Filipino-Indian) in Miss Universe? I know it’s not a sport but what the heck. Nobody seems crying about that. Why question only football? Why? Besides, when these half-Filipinos do well in American Idol, we are quick to point out “Proud to be Pinoy!”. Ba’t di natin yun magawa sa Azkals? 

These players have very little to gain compared to the privileges they would receive in Europe. Yet, they choose to wear the Philippine colors. And for that, we should be grateful. The Azkals are Filipinos. They represent the Philippines. Like their looks or not, they are Filipinos.

Issue # 2: “The Azkals are bunch of losers. They should be winning. Otherwise, there is no point in continuing admiring them. Praising a losing team for years and years di’ba?” 

Really? Where were these voices when the Azkals trashed Vietnam 2-0 (AFF Suzuki Cup 2010), when the Azkals entered the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time and beat Sri Lanka 5-1, when the Azkals came second in the Long Teng Cup or when the Azkals whipped former AFC Challenge Cup champs India and Tajikistan and made it to the semis of the AFC Challenge Cup for the first time evaaar? 

I find it totally weird when people are quick to point out, “talo na naman ang Azkals, ang bobobo kasi”, when in fact, they didn’t even bother to watch the game. Hypocrisy at its best. If you know football, you should know that winning is not easy as that. We have just rediscovered our love for football two years ago and some people expect na panalo agad lagi. Sorry darling but things don’t happen overnight. But by looks of the games the Azkals are playing now, the team improved by leaps and bounds. It is a far cry from the days when we used to score 0 against the opponent’s 15 (Philippines 1-13 Indonesia, Tiger Cup 2002).

And I dare say, the Azkals are worthy of being idolized. Because, hell, why not? The Azkals have given us something to start with. They may not be up to world standards (or your standards) but what’s more important is that they inspired a new generation of kids to play “the beautiful game”. In fact, there is now a long-term plan in football. There is already a U-13 homegrown team that has recently tied against its Malaysian counterpart. Lovely! Super freakin’ lovely! 

Let the Azkals do their job and let them achieve whatever success they can. Allow them that. 

Issue # 3: “Mga rapist naman yang mga yan.” 

All these are accusations that haven’t been proven in court. There was a past accusation and it didn’t go anywhere simply because it wasn’t true. And this new accusation is still being investigated and still unproven. Like all of us, they deserve due process, not public judgment. And like any other citizen, one is consider innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law. 

“Hindi ko kayo ka-kultura. Kasi wala dito (pointing to his chest)… at wala dito (pointing to his head)…”

“Hindi naman kayo Pilipino. Nagpapanggap lang kayong kayumanggi. Hindi kayo dito lumaki”… 

I have no idea what prompted Mr. Clavio’s kayumanggi rant. Moy and Guirado might have had their faults, but if we we’re talking about the alleged sexual harassment case, does it really need mentioning a person’s race, lineage or cultural upbringing? Hell no! 

“Alam naman nila yung mga sexcapades nila sa isa’t isa eh, di ba? Sino ba nag-penicillin.. Alam naman nila yun.”

“Akala siguro lahat sila gusto silang matikman siguro… makasama…Diyos ko.” 

O.O Seriously Arnold, seriously?

I see nothing wrong with expressing your opinion in front of national television because everyone (including tv personalities) has the right to speak themselves (Article III, Section 4, 1987 Philippine Constitution). However, I can’t and will never understand statements made by individuals that reeks bigotry and discrimination. What Mr. Clavio did and his sniping remarks were way too much and totally unnecessary and unprofessional for a journalist. There are so many way to express your displeasure without being uneducated and overall stupid.

We need to make the guilty pay for their mistakes. If Moy really said those things while referring to the accuser, he should be by any means, punished by the virtues of the law. But not until Moy is proven guilty. Due process dude, due process.

We Filipinos should think twice when we say something bad about our fellow Filipinos. It reflects the kind of attitude we have towards each other. Our attitude towards the Fil-foreigner players of our men’s national football team is one of the reasons why our nation is not only geographically divided but also morally worlds apart. 

And puh-lease let us stop this Azkals vs. (insert name of sports team here) thing. This is not football vs. basketball. Or dragonboat. Or boxing. These sports can co-exist. Wag hilahin pababa ang isa para itaas ang isa. We need to support our sportsmen and women, whether they performed well or not.

Let us kick discrimination, bigotry, hatred and crab mentality in Philippine sports. I’ll look forward to the day when the 95 million Filipinos could shout in unison: GOAAAAL! 

Go Philippine Azkals! TEAM PILIPINAS # 1!

# 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. :)

THE REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

I am a sports' lover. (Well, don't be fooled by the statement. I don't do sports. I just love watching them on television. Lol.) And for sports' lovers like me, the second week of November crunch will be an action week 'cos it's - drum rolls - SEA Games season again! I can't hold my excitement. I've been waiting for this since the Laos' edition 'cos it only means one thing to Team Philippines - it's PAYBACK TIME!

Team Philippines had quite disastrous performances in the last two editions of the Games - placing 6th overall in 2007 (Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand) and 5th in 2009 (Vientiane, Laos). It is a bit frustrating knowing that we were once the "team to beat" in the region. Review your history books and you'll find out that we gave Southeast Asia its first ever Olympic medal - a bronze (1932 Los Angeles). And hear this, not just one but three. Fuckin' lovely! But unfortunately, our team has been sluggish the past decade. Well, blame it to our half-assessed, ever-loser sports program.

This will going to be a "bloody" battle, a war if I may. Everyone is bringing out their A-game even Timor Leste - I'm quite impressed. I'm pretty sure Thailand would be on the Top 3 sin duda. But watch out, Vietnam could be a "scene stealer" and will give everyone a run for their money. Indonesia, well, the mighty Indonesians could easily make it to the podium. But still, my heart beats for Team Philippines. Team Pilipinas # 1! I know that my team have the spirit of winners and the heart of champions. They are ready for battle and will never look back.

The cynic in me says that people wouldn't pay attention to this that much because they are more interested in watching sappy telenovelas. So just imagine my delight when I heard that a local channel (privately owned, mind you) will put them on national television. Woooohoooo! There is something glorious, liberating watching how medals are won and lost. The anxiety. The excitement. The pride. Borrowing a line from a UEFA ad: "The best part about winning is knowing how we get there".

To Team Philippines: Kick some ass. Seriously.

Lessons I Learned From the Azkals

We are a basketball-insane archipelago! We all know that so don’t argue. We claim that game as ours. It’s in our culture. A religion for hard-boiled disciples. But in 2010, a team called Azkals, purporting to be our men’s national football team, made us forget about slam dunks and three point shots for a moment and (from out-of-nowhere) created a one-of-a-kind football revolution. Since then, the team inspires more and more hoop zealots to follow the “beautiful game” as well.

But more than the inspiration and the pride, the Azkals taught me and continues to teach me sensible lessons in football and in life. And please allow me to share some.


1. Not all zeroes are as bad as it sounds. Following and watching the Azkals is for me like watching and awaiting the results of a Pacman match. The excitement. The intensity. The madness. The game is long because the struggle is hard. But never ever boring. Even a scoreless draw is full of excitement because passion and determination prevail. One goal would have the same effect as a 20-nil in the first quarter of a basketball game. And in a country weaned in instant gratification, we are starting to appreciate low scores earned with great difficulty.

2. It’s not how you fall. It’s how you bounce back. The Azkals’ pride to play is tarnished for it has felt defeat, not only once but many times. A nil score is part of our men’s national football team’s history. After all, a whipping boy is not a whipping boy if he always wins. But no matter how many 3-0s or 5-0s it suffers, it keeps on fighting. Despite the odds, it still manages to give good results and deodorizes whatever failures our government has had in many years. If determination has a face, we will surely find the Azkals next to it in the dictionary.

3. Not all bad seeds came from the same fruit. A Thai-Belgian blogger once argued that foreign-trained Filipino athletes played for the country mainly due to sponsorships. But the Azkal players beg to disagree. Considering that they have better paying jobs abroad, one would truly find it remarkable that the Azkal players choose to come home and wear the Philippine colors, even if the monthly allowance of our athletes is “barya-barya lang”. I read a comment someone posted on the Azkals’ fan page that said “sometimes those half-breeds love our country even more” and I agree.

4. Take chances. Remember, there is no harm in trying. Football is too short. In this game, nothing happens to a coward. Seize every moment, every opportunity. Don’t be afraid to take risks, chances. Don’t be afraid to fail because failure is inevitable throughout the game. We are humans, after all. Prone to errors; never exempt from failures. So when you meet shattering number of near-makes and misses, you are left with only two choices. It’s either you continue to strike for a goal, more driven than ever and discover how far your passion can take you or just fold and give up.

5. Sport unites. I am a sports fan. I know that sports unite us, with what Pacman has done for us over and over again. I know that sports can bring a divided nation together and can be a source of pride among us. I am so amused by the support and adoration the Azkals has been getting from the Filipinos – it is impassioned, it is amazing, it is crazy. Others have gone to the extent of professing their undying love to the players. And I have a feeling that such sentiment will truly last. Why not? The Azkals sparked a national bayanihan movement. You see not all national teams get the same level of adoration accorded to the Azkals. To get the love and support of a nation is like winning half the battle.

And the biggest lesson I learned (and the simplest actually) is…

6. Never doubt your own. As cheesy and mushy as it may sound, this is one simple lesson we deeply needed to relearn. Many times, we doubt our abilities as Filipinos. We became fearful and coward. And worse, we feel being inferior to somebody else. We always think of what we cannot do. Rather think of what we are capable of. The Azkals showed what Filipinos can offer the world – our talent, our passion, our determination, our heart and our soul. In the few months that we displayed our love and respect to the Azkals; we had also, unconsciously, displayed our love and respect to our country and its people.

I know the Philippines is broken-hearted. We have been dreaming of Brazil for days. We dream of cheering our own team from the stands of Maracana. It only took an opponent’s victory to author the death of our World Cup dream (at least for now). And it was enough to break our hearts. There are a lot of things I could say that would probably make me feel better. I could whine about how poor the Azkals’ offense was. I could whimper on how Etheridge seemed out of it. I could snivel on how Coach Weiss miscalculated everything. I could sulk in and sour grape for days. But to tell you, I won’t. Should the team apologize for not conquering Kuwait? Of course not.

I don’t defend them just because I'm a fan. I defend them because I'm Filipino. Maybe this is what I learned growing up cheering for and supporting teams which don’t win all the time. No matter how hard we wish, the Azkals can’t have it all. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. No matter how ready, no matter how competitive we are, if we are not destined to win, we will not. And that’s the bitter reality: aiming for things that seem too easy to achieve yet very difficult to pursue because it is not meant for us.

Though we didn’t soar as high as we wanted to, I cannot help but feel happy and proud of our football team. Why wouldn’t I? I witnessed how our boys shocked the field. How they jostled it out with the region’s best. How they turned skeptics into believers and believers into fans. How they earned the salutation of the opponents. And most importantly, how they united the country. And for me, that’s more than enough. Even if the Azkals lose, they sort of win.

When the dusts settle and the hullabaloo is gone, it’s easy to see who are the fair-weather friends among the die-hard fans. Because anyone can support a team that is winning - it takes no courage. But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you, that takes a lot of courage.

Cebu baby, here I come!

I always dreamed of going to Cebu since, uhm I-don't-know-when, well let us just say, since the time I first dreamed of it. This is one of the most raved about places in the country and been receiving a lot of good reviews from tourists. Now, I will murder (or hang or whatever) my curiosity and find out why. Courtesy of Mama and Papa, of course.

It was December last year (while eating in this certain overrated fast food chain) when Mom broke the good news that we're going to Cebu this month. Yes, my mom told me that we're going, uhm not only going but spending seven days in freakin' Cebu. YEEEEEEEHA! I may not have shown signs of excitement but deep inside, deep inside of me, I was screaming like crazy. Why wouldn't I? This will be my first time to set foot in Visayas and believe it or not, this will be my first plane ride evaaaaaar. So please understand if I am making a big deal out of everything.

I've mentioned before that I'm reviewing for the NLE. So ayun, I asked the permission of SRG Legazpi Head if I can take a more/less two-week vacation. There's no reply yet pero echos lang yun. With or without permission, I'll go on with the trip. I wouldn't miss this for the world. Sorry Sir P. XD

(Good pm Sir Pogi! Sup? I'm gonna ask permission lang po if I can take a vacation from April 19 to first week of May. We're going somewhere with my family. I promise to scan my notes while I'm away. :))) I'm hoping for your kind consideration. - JUBERT)

UPDATE: May reply na si Sir: Okay lang. Basta aral ng mabuti.

Our primary reason of going there is to attend the wedding *bells ringing* of my Tito Ninong. As of now, I do not know our itineraries yet but I'm already researching for the must-do and must-visit in Cebu, just in case, they asked for my help. Well, if you're a blogger it's as easy as ABC. Thanks backpackers! （´ 3｀)

The bride and the groom
(Stolen from Tito Ninong's Facebook account. Peace!)

As early as now, I am super duper excited to see the wonders of the Queen City with my very own eyes, to indulge my taste buds in a food porn, to meet creatures as awesome and as gwapo as me (meron kaya?) and on top of everything, to be in the company of my family - as far as I can remember, our last family bonding (with Mom, Dad and two sisters) is way back 2005 in Baguio.

See you Radisson!

For now, I'm in the last-minute preparations. I'm going to Pampanga tomorrow and we'll be staying there for a week. And on the 27th, we'll fly down south. Vavush! I will get back to everyone as soon as I can.

How my Patricia Lost A Crown

I was happy to know that Shamcey made it and she definitely deserved the title. She's the best of them all last night! She was a diva and a motivational speaker. The moment she finished answering, I know she will be the one. Next stop: Sao Paolo, baby!



Patricia, my dear Tricia, made it to the semis - which was a good run. She was superb in swimsuit and evening gown but...

Oh yes, her final answer:

What advice can you give to a teenage? She said "Just be yourself. In this world, we tend to be someone who we are not" blah blah blah.

It was good but not quite. I was thinking of a 4th runner-up finish for her (if there's any) based from her answer.

I was quite disappointed that she didn't make it as a finalist but getting herself together and moving forward after Miss Philippines - Earth is a brave feat. I'm done with the should-haves and could-haves and just salute her. With or without a crown, she will always be my queen.

Anyways, I fell in love with Janine's answer. Her answer "men must love unconditionally"made a mark in every man's heart (read: tinamaan). She deserved a crown.

I don't question the panel's choice for the Top 5 but with the way I see it the result must be (based from their answers and the way they delivered it):

Bb. Pilipinas - Universe: Shamcey Supsup

Bb. Pilipinas - International: Janine Togunon

Bb. Pilipinas - Tourism: Dianne Necio

1st Runner-up: Diana Arevalo

2nd Runner-up: Isabella Manjon

From the choices I posted yesterday, I got 11 out of the fifteen semifinalists or 73% which I think is good. And all the girls in the Top 5 are in my list. Oh. I'm all smiles.

(Pictures courtesy of Missosology. Thank you!)

The Battle of the Eye Candies

(DISCLAIMER: I've never seen the girls personally. These are just based from the plenty of photos and videos available through the net)

I have just completed the first and final list of my Bb. Pilipinas 2011 bets. That's sorting 40 of them and it wasn't a joke. It is not easy choosing fifteen girls without the smallest hint of bias. Of course, I have my favorites but some girls whom I ignored in the past has penetrated most of the slots. I've made several erasures but oh well, here it is:

Bb. Pilipinas-Universe: The moment I saw Patricia Tumulak months ago, I'm pretty sure she would be in the finals. Call it a fan's instinct. Oh, she's so pretty. It's always a delight to see her in the television. Tricia shoots it in the bag this year!

Bb. Pilipinas-International: Bb. Pilipinas almost always pick a girl who is fresh. Well, it's Shamcey Supsup for me. If my Tricia babes fails to snatch the main crown, she's the best alternate.

The Runners-up:

With a body bootylicious and an enormous sex appeal, MJ Lastimosa can win it all but I prefer Tricia and Shamcey over her. And you know why.

Almost everything is perfect for Diana Arevalo. If she reaches the Top 15 or whatever, she'll be unstoppable. I'm betty my ass on it.

I don't know where to put Dianne Necio, honestly. I want to put her in a lower ranking but given her 1st runner-up finish last year, she's quite assured of a placement. Oh yes, politics!

Completing the Top 10:

The judges cannot ignore Isabella Manjon. You cannot just ignore a girl with a face like that. And besides, she's Madam Stella's favorite. I was told.

Paula Figueras who I ignored before had become a soft spot. She's stunning. I have a strong feeling that she will surprise us in the finals. If there is a beautiful surprise, it has to be her - pleeeease!

I'm not an expert or whatever but I know beautiful when I see one. Chloe McCully is undoubtedly the face of Bb. Pilipinas 2011.

I don't know to you but I find Queenierich Rehman mean-looking but (yes, there's a but) I think something special is in stored for her. Her name sounds expensive, btw. Nah, I'm just saying.

I see some sparks on Janine Tugonon and she deserves to be in the Top 10. Those who would disagree can lick my balls, huh.

And if there's a Top 15, these girls should be included:

Although Sabrinne Al-Tawil's beauty is not my cup of tea, she's a sure shoo-in in the semis.

There are underdogs that might get upset victories in the final night. Jen-Roe Gubat and Luzelle Felipe are those we need to watch out for. Who knows, they might pull a Gatbonton-kind of win.

Oh Arabella (Hanesh). She's fierceeeesh! The camera (or is it the photographer?) loves her big time.

Krystle Grant is another eye candy that cannot be ignored though I find her quite boring.

Here you go, my personal bets for tonight's 2011 Bb. Pilipinas Coronation Night. Like what I've always said, don’t throw me the “why is she there/not there?” shit. This is my list.

On my final note, I predicted six out of the 10 semifinalists last year. Not bad, not bad for a first timer. Krista and Venus were my top two choices and they both bring home a crown. I also correctly predicted Dianne's 1st runner-up placement.