Cordillera Idiosyncrasies

BLOG BREAK

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:13:00 +0000

I WON'T BE ABLE TO UPDATE THIS BLOG FOR NOW BECAUSE I'M BACK IN SCHOOL AND BUSY WITH MY WRITING PROJECTS. I'LL BE BLOGGING SOON. FEEL FREE TO BROWSE IN MY ARCHIVES. MUWAH!

V-DAY AT THE RUINS

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:32:00 +0000

I spent Valentines with two of my friends in college by having dinner at Cafe By the Ruins. I read one of the poems I've written a few months before during the Presence and Absence Poetry Reading Event sponsored by the Baguio Writers Group after dinner that night Then we went to Ayuyang and Nevada Square for a mini-drinking session that ended the following morning. The things that I noticed last day of hearts were the following:

1. Love was in the air. It was evident with couples (whether boy-girl, girl-girl or boy-boy) seen holding hands while walking along session road.
2. Although the flowers sold during this so-called "commercial holiday" were a bit higher than usual, Baguio lovers and singles still opted to buy their significant others (or their mothers) with bouquets of flowers.
3. Restaurants all over the city were full. Even our group was obliged to wait for customers to leave before we were ushered inside the restaurant since the cafe was already full when we arrived.
4. Burnham park was alive again. Special thanks to the Phantom of the Opera play starred by actor Chinggoy Alonso and a bunch of other atists staged right in the middle of Burnham lake. It was an awesome sight with a foreworks display in SM Baguio making the day even more special.
5. What I'm not impressed though was the traffic in Baguio that was so disappointing. And what's worse? The taxis in the city are starting to choose their customers. Are they following the trend of Manila taxis who's thinking more of earnings than serving their customers?

BAGUIO READERS: SHARE YOUR BAGUIO VALENTINES DAY EXPERIENCES THROUGH THE COMMENT SECTION OR THE CHAT BOX. LET THE WHOLE WORLD KNOW WHAT YOU EXPERIENCED LAST V-DAY! BYE FOR NOW!

I'm Back this Friday 13th!

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:39:00 +0000

I have been out of this blog for about two months now because I have been in the Visayas for quite some time. By the time I arrived here in Baguio last week, tons of work need to be done. Hence, another excuse to postpone the posting of new entries on this blog. I'll be posting some of the things I did while I was on vacation as back post entries. Feel free to read my adventures in Cebu and Bacolod below.

2ND SINING PAMBANSA FESTIVAL

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:01:00 +0000

FACES OF THE 2ND SINING PAMBANSA FESTIVAL
BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
FEBRUARY 11-13, 2009, BAGUIO TEACHERS CAMP
BAGUIO CITY, PHILIPPINES

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RIZALDY COMANDA'S MULTIPLY

FASHIONISTA SEASON 5

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:15:00 +0000

FASHIONISTA SEASON 5
SM CITY BAGUIO
FEBRUARY 7, 2009

PHOTOS BY TIFFANY C. BANHI

Bacolaodiat Festival

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:48:00 +0000

After Cebu, I decided to go back to Bacolod to join my parents in celebrating the Chinese Spring Festival (New Year) with them. While juggling in between my writing of the manuscripts for my new project, I went out with mom and dad during the eve of Chinese New Year. We went to the Capitol Shopping Center which is also known as Bacolod's chinatown. There were lantern and streetdancing parades, tsinoy shows, street performers and carnival acts, and the ever famous chopstix alley where mom and dad and I went to eat Chinese cuisine right on the streets of Bacolod. And why Bacolaodiat? It's coined from Bacolod the name of the city and "Lao Diat" which means celebration in Fookien. Most of the Chinese in Bacolod speak Fookien than Mandarin.

CEBU! CEBU!

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 08:12:00 +0000

After the Sinulog Festival Grand Parade, I met-up with my sister and brother-in-law in Ayala Center Cebu. We also met-up with my cousin Remel and the family Dr. Gestopa of Mandaue to eat at The Banana Leaf in the new mall strip called The Terraces. Then, the following day, I joined my sister and brother-in-law in their pilgrimage to the Basilica Del Santo Nino and Nuestra Senora de Regla in nearby Lapu-Lapu City. We also took a sidetip to Tops, Taoist Temple, Mactan Shrine, Mactan Su-Tu-Kil, Taboan, Magellan's Cross and my sister's shoe shopping request in Carcar City where I get to taste the famous Chicharon of Carcar. It's P500/kilo and all that cholesterol tempted me to buy some. BTW, I also met a fellow Bacolodnon named Elmer Jun Hilario during my flight from Bacolod to Cebu. He's a great composer/ musician and I had a great chat with him in Cebu while I was there. He plays the harmonica, violin, guitar and keyboards. He lives just a few meters away from our house at the 3rd floor of my ninong Andy's building. His song Next to the Fire became number 1 for three weeks in Bacolod and reached number 6 nationwide. He plays twice a week at Bacolod's Grand Regal Hotel and at Offshore Bar in Araneta Strret. He's an IM student at La Salle Bacolod too. I also met him again at Bacolod's Chinatown during the Chinese New Year! His videos URL at Crown Regency Cebu's The Edge and his music video of his song Next to The fire is posted below.

Next To The Fire Video
Elmer's The Edge Experience

CEBU SINULOG

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:28:00 +0000

I was hesitant at first to go to Cebu for the Sinulog Festival because the weather was not cooperating earlier that week. It was raining and it was windy. I decided to go to Cebu in time for the Sinulog Grand Parade to cover and take some pictures. So all the way from Bacolod, I took the PAL Express flight direct to Cebu to catch up with the festivities there. Thankfully, with the help of some friends, I was ushered to the streets and given the ID to cover the parade. Then, the following day, I met up with my sister and brother-in-law in Ayala Mall to join them in their pilgrimage tour for the following days. I'll post it in the succeeding blog entry.

BACOLOD PARTIES 2 OF 2

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 06:57:00 +0000

Since my grade school years in Bacolod, they have been my friends. Visiting Bacolod without seeing and partying with them will be such a bore and a waste of time. And so, I decided to go extend my never-ending bar-hopping and clubbing with my grade school and high school friends. Gretchen, Keryll, BFF Jan, Rachel, James, Myzha, Badz and Chanel were there. We met at SM Bacolod, ate at Bob's Resto, chilled at MO2 and Lucky Break, partied the night away at ICE, then spent the rest of the remaining hours at my place in Dona Juliana. I also met up again with friends Badz, Lance and Jezelah at Kaffe Pietro in SM (while checking-out their Wi-Fi connection). Then before, I left Bacolod, I went to eat Japanese food at Kaisei with my grade school until now BFF Jan and his sister Jamie who's the current EIC of La Salle's campus publication called Spectrum. Oh, It's so much fun that I forgot to blog about it! Don't you think?

BACOLOD PARTIES 1 OF 2

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:18:00 +0000

Since I mentioned that I have been partying in Bacolod during my stay there, I admit to have been drunk almost every night because of the parties which my friends in Bacolod have been inviting me. Well this year, I met new friends like Jay, Yani and Joe aside from my party mates since 2005 Ian, XL,Andy and Ryan. I missed our friend Troy though, he's currently abroad working as an engineer. We used to call ourselves as the OIST! clan in Bacolod. We used to have parties in many clubs and bars when I was staying there before. Well, we went to almost all the bars and clubs in the City of Smiles like MO2, ICE, Club North, Mushu and in Metrodome. We also loaded ourselves with coffee from Cafe Bobs and stuffed ourselves in McDonald's in Lacson.
And of course the best of all the pictures of the original OIST Clan? Ian, Moi and Andy on our way to the Bars...

NEGROS ROADTRIP

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 05:37:00 +0000

Dad, Mom and I decided to go on a roadtrip to Magallon (my dad's hometown) to visit relatives and the farm, attend the internment of a family friend and check out my sister's business there. Since I have a really bad hangover because I have been out of the house almost every night partying, I slept most of the entire two-hour trip. I also felt ashamed to my dad because I was not able to drive for them. But I know, even if I have driven them for so many times, he isn't comfortable with me on the steering wheel. So, I opted to stay in the backseat instead. It's nice to feel like a kid once again. Being driven by your dad while your mom is beside him, it really brings back memories many years ago when all the family members were still present during our family roadtrips. While I was in the backseat, I was testing Globe Visibilty's signal while in the area by Facebooking in my laptop. It was disappointing to note however that the promise of broadband-speed internet by the telcommunication giant was just a marketing strategy. I know that the signal of Globe was strong in the area because text messages kept on coming but I guess the Globe Visibilty speed is still comparable to dial-up speed. Anyways, I had fun taking pictures of the Negros Occidental countryside and Mt. Kanlaon while on the way back to Bacolod the following day.

FAMILY HOLIDAYS

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:19:00 +0000

My first week in Bacolod has been worthwhile since I spent it with my family. Oh Yes! My Birthday celebration wasn't that grandiose because my Mom and Dad opted to have dinner outside. Only the three of us spent Christmas at home because the other family members also have their own celebrations with their own family. My two sisters are still in Manila working their asses to eke out a comfortable life. So, the three of us decided to eat at Pendy's along Lacson Street because of its quiet ambience. We had Pancit Molo soup, Kare-Kare, Porterhouse steaks, Fish Fillet, Noodles, Red Wine and Napoleones which I craved so much while I was staying in Baguio. Then the following day, my sister and his husband together with our in-laws spent the day in the Pacific Shores clubhouse in Talisay City after eating seafood lunch at 18th Street Pala-Pala (akin to SUTOKIL of Cebu). We also went to nearby Silay City where we ate at the El Ideal Bakery that serves the famous Guapple Pie.Then the rest of the week was so filled up with many things to do like writing again in my native Hiligaynon and attending get-together parties hosted by high school friends.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:26:00 +0000

It's the season of Simbang Gabi, Christmas parties, Gift-giving and food in gargantuan proportions. I'm very busy doing last minute shopping for pasalubong because I will be spending Christmas in Bacolod City with my parents. And that means there will be less time for me to blog because I will be preoccupied with enjoying my vacation. It has been three years since my last Christmas in Bacolod and I know there will be lots of catching up to do with high school friends and lots of adventures whether it be in the beaches in the Visayas or in the mountain resorts in Negros island. I will surely miss Baguio but I know that by the time I come back next month it will be awesome since the Centennial celebrations and the Pangbenga festival is fast approaching. And yes, I'm turning 23 on December 25th. The same birthday as my Creator. Now, for those who haven't prepared their gifts for me, I will be expecting it in Bacolod. Ha!

Here are 23 things I need to do during my vacation on December 23rd - January 15th:
1. Come up with a new blog called Simply Bacolod
2. Eat Napoleones at Pendy's and Chocolate cake at Calea
3. Binge on Seafoods from Diwal, Blue Marlin, Maya-Maya and Oysters at Imay's
4. Swim in Lakawon in Cadiz City or Punta Bulata in Cauayan town
5. Write Hiligaynon poems again with my mom (Yes, she writes better than me!)
6. Enjoy authentic Bacolod Chicken Inasal every day
7. Jog every morning at the Provincial Capitol lagoon or in our neighborhood
8. Explore Silay City and eat at El Ideal again (Guapple pie and Buko pie)
9. Go camwhoring at The Ruins and Palmas del Mar
10. Pray at the seminary of the Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross in Silay
11. Visit century-old mansions in Silay and Talisay
12. Party hard at Mugen, ICE, MO2, Bar21 and Club North
13. Spend quality time fishing with my dad at Jewels in Pulupandan
14. Travel to my dad's hometown in Moises Padilla and mom's birth place in Murcia
15. Go bat hunting in Mambukal or bird watching in Guintubdan in La Carlota city.
16. Adventure in places I've never been before like Hinoba-an's white sand beaches
17. Go jologs by going to the Bacolod Public plaza, old and new city hall and the public market
18. Write more poems and short stories in my room that I missed the most
19. Head over at my old school UNO-Recoletos and visit my favorite English teacher
20. Say Hi and Hello to friends at PIO Negros Occidental and Ms. Jo's Music School
21. Try to head over to the other side of the island: Dumaguete and Zamboanguita
22. Ride sea ferries to Iloilo and sun-bathe in Guimaras island
23. Heal my worn out soul in My Own Private Idaho

I'll update this blog as soon as I could. Promise! I'm already dreaming of this place again...

And this one too...

Baguio's Brotherhood for Peace

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:42:00 +0000

Are Baguio gangs up for the challenge of peace?

In the past years, news of stabbing incidents and brawls during the wee hours of the night hound the main thoroughfares of the city. The police points to the different gangs of the city composed mostly of high school students, college students and the out of school youth to be the main cause of these street violence. But now, these gangs in Baguio drafted a peace pact for them to foster a harmonious existence with each other ending the violence that has caused fear in many Baguio citizens every night. Now, there are 18 youth organizations who formerly associate themselves as gangs came in the open to involve themselves in worthwhile activities such as rap music rather than being involved in gang-related crimes.They are calling for more groups in the city to stop the existence of 'frat or gang wars' in order to prevent the death of more victims such as Germaine Calpito, a student of Baguio City National High School who was stabbed on his way home by rival gang members who were not yet members of the Brotherhood for Peace.

World Human Rights Day

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Let's pray for all the human rights victims

Let us offer a prayer to all the human rights victims all over the world. The Day marks the anniversary of the UN Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Let this declaration be an instrument for the condemnation of all people,groups and governments who oppress basic human rights.

Cordi studes barred from performing in 'bahags'

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:12:00 +0000

SM gives formal apology to PCNHS Teatro Pino

Before my blog turns into a Philippine showbiz-oriented blog, I will post some good news to the people of the Cordillera region. I was thankful that the assistant mall manager of SM City Clark already issued a formal apology to the Teatro Pino of the Pines City National High School for causing them inconvenience and embarrassment after barring the group from performing their ethnic Cordillera dances because they were wearing g-strings. Mall authorities barred the students from performing because of their allegedly skimpy attires. Wearing of g-strings more popularly known as "bahag" of course is common in the ethnic performances of the indigenous peoples of the region. This happening caused the outrage of leaders in the Cordillera region including Congressman Mauricio Domogan who arranged a meeting with the mall authorities to talk on this matter last November 29. Other Cordillera leaders who also condemned this discriminatory act of the mall authorities were governors Nestor Fongwan of Benguet, Maximo Dalog of Mountain Province, Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao and Floydelia Diasen of Kalinga.

JC Tiuseco: Pinoy Sole Survivor

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:28:00 +0000

True or False?

Since the spoiler on the result of Survivor Philippines came out in Showbiz Juice a couple of months ago that JC Tiuseco is the winner, I began doubting the result of the show. Then tonight, after the result of the final two survivors was announced. The spoiler's truthfulness is finally beginning to be more evident and clear to me. All I know now is that JC Tiuseco won the show and that the whole program was all done after all. Too bad the entire production didn't hold on to the surprise any further. Survivor Philippines was the one of the few shows I watch in GMA 7. At least, all the people in gay-lala land will be happy of this result. Congratulations JC!

JC Tiuseco

Again, this is just my prediction and own opinion. Maybe the show will have a different ending in the following nights with Rob winning. Who knows right? Showbiz is such a "magical" place. Anything can happen.

Manny Pacquiao Arrives in Manila Tomorrow

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:50:00 +0000

And takes the title Ambassador of Peace

Manny Pacquiao

Now that plans for a fight with Hatton and Mayweather Jr. are likely the next step for Manny Pacquiao, the man dubbed as "Pambansang Kamao" is not yet looking forward for his next big fight until he savors his latest victory with Oscar dela Hoya. He is arriving tomorrow in Manila. It seems the politicians are like leeches again sucking photo ops with the sports hero. I hope he doesn't get blinded with all the attention being given to him much more get all the fame into his head.

TAG TUESDAY

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 03:36:00 +0000

Redlan tagged me for this one so here it goes:

THE TAG:

A. Attached or single? Single (Afraid to commit again...)
B. Best friend/s? Cousin A, Dayny, Anthony and Jez (BFFs)
C. Cake or pie? Cake ( I miss cakes of Calea in Bacolod, Tea House cakes)
D. Day of choice? Saturday (Booze, Party, Fun)
E. Essential item/s? Laptop, Phone, Money (internet)
F. Favorite color? BLUE (Is white a color?)
G. Gummy bears or worms? Gummy bears (a packful)
H. Hometown? Bacolod (Baguio is already paradise)
I. Favorite indulgence? Books, Clothes, Gadgets (yes!)
J. January or July? January (because it's the start of the year!)
K. Kids? Oh I have one... (Just KID-ding!)
L. Life isn’t complete without? LOVE (it's supposed to be...)
M. Marriage date? WTF (celibate geek)
N. Number of magazine subscriptions: Two (Reader's Digest and Newsweek)
O. Oranges or apples? Sagada oranges! (cold Fuji apples too!)
P. Phobias? Flying cockroach and venomous snakes (Yay!)
Q. Quotes? SHIT happens! (Short but meaningfulL)
R. Reasons to smile? Secret (hikhik!)
S. Season of choice? Summer (525, 600 minutes...seasons of love)
T. Tag 5 people. I don'twant to tag anyone. (silly)
U. Unknown fact about me? I can stay awake for more than 48 hours! (Insomniac)
V. Vegetable? I love veggies! (Salads, stews and soups)
W. Worst habit? Smoking, Laziness (I am so lazy!)
X. X-ray or ultrasound? Got x-rayed due to a broken leg (when I was a child)
Y. Your favorite food/s? Chicken Inasal, Veggie Salad, Cakes
Z. Zodiac sign? Capricorn

THE TEXT:

"Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by heart and his friends can only read the title."

-Virginia Woolf

Marky Cielo dies in his sleep

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 11:28:00 +0000

Marky Cielo

I was on my way to St. Joseph Church in Pacdal today when I received a text message from a tabloid writer friend from Manila that Marky Cielo was found dead in his room early this morning. Mark Angelo Cadaweng Cielo more popularly known as Marky Cielo is a Filipino TV actor and dancer and the ultimate survivor of Batch 3 in the popular reality TV show Starstruck. He was born in Butuan city but his family moved to Mountain Province in 2001 where he would spend his teenage years. I remember then that the entire region was campaigning fervently for Marky with posters and tarpaulins of him scattered all over Baguio city. He was then a first year Architecture student at Saint Louis University here way back in 2005, when text votes from the region mostly from students in the educational center of the north helped increased his chances of winning the reality show which eventually resulted to his win. He was hailed as the Pride of the Igorots as he was quoted in national television saying : "I am proud to be an Igorot and I am willing to wear my bahag (g-string, loin cloth) as a symbol of my pride as a Cordilleran." Though he has made only one movie (Till I Met You in 2006), Cielo starred in numerous television shows at GMA network and his latest role was playing Bryan Lobregat in primetime romance-comedy Lalola. Upon finding him lying on the floor of his room this morning, his mother and sister rushed him at Antipolo Doctors Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival at 10 a.m. today. As of this writing, doctors are still investigating the death of the actor. His body will be brought to their house in Mission Hills, Antipolo where a wake will be held for two days. This Wednesday, his body will be brought to the Cathedral of the Resurrection along Magsaysay Ave. in Baguio City. After which, the family has decided to travel his body on Thursday to Bauko, Mountain Province.

Manny Pacquiao triumphs over De la Hoya

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:26:00 +0000

And rakes in a guaranteed $11 Million

Is Manny Pacquiao really a hero?

He's now lording over all the weight classes in boxing and receiving accolades from boxing aficionados the world over. And now after beating Oscar de la Hoya, what's next for Manny Pacquiao? Let me hear your opinion everyone!

December Chill

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:16:00 +0000

Sunday Coffee Musings

I woke up with the boisterous alarm clock sound ringing continuously as I lay curled up and in a fetal position on my bed today. My comforter is twice as thick as compared to last week's thread count. In pajamas and sweater, with a knitted wool bonnet on my head and thick socks, I hugged my hotdog pillow and covered my entire body with a comforter. I knew that the sun was about to rise yet my lethargic body didn't want to get out of the bed. The early morning chill here in Baguio made me lazy to get up or even open my eyes. But I had to get up just to put off the alarm clock that I strategically placed on my desk five meters away from my bed. With eyes half closed, I stood and dragged myself up just to turn it off or else the neighbors would be awakened by the shrill noise coming from my alarm clock. The four year-old alarm clock that my mom gave me in Bacolod showed that it was already six o'clock in the morning. I opened my eyes slowly and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. It's already December and the chill was starting to slowly creep unto my bones with my constant shivering as the most noticeable reaction. I saw the sun slowly rising on my glass window inviting me to a new day. With mist slowly forming on the other side of the glass window, I scribbled my name on the glass and drew a smiley. I poured water on my coffee maker and placed a scoopful of freshly ground coffee my friend sent me from Kabayan, Benguet. The smell of the coffee slowly brewing made me beam my pearly whites unto the clear sky I saw on my windowpane. I checked our in-house thermometer and 13 degrees Celsius was registered. A few minutes later, I went to the kitchen and grabbed my favorite mug and poured piping hot and freshly brewed coffee on it. I scooped a teaspoonful of creamer and sugar and stirred vigorously as the aroma of the coffee made me smile again. I placed Josh Groban's Christmas Album on the CD player and hummed a few lines while alternatively sipping my coffee.Have a blessed Sunday everyone!

Marapait

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:11:00 +0000

A Tale of Baguio's Sunflower

These past few months, while going around the city, I noticed the abundance of yellow-colored blooms that has become a trademark and a symbol for Baguio city. Marapait is the local term for the wild sunflowers growing like grass here. How it got its name is because of its bitter-tasting leaves. Mara is an Ilocano term for “parang” (like, similar to) while pait, as we know it in Filipino means bitter. This often neglected wild flower has been a witness to Baguio city's growth as a highly-urbanized city. Slowly by slowly, these flowers have been disappearing in the mountainsides. Some hillsides, even though they are considered as geo-hazard zones that are not suitable for erecting buildings, has now been turned into subdivisions which in turn brought about the demise of the lowly Marapait.

The Marapait aside from being a great boost to the aesthetics of the Baguio hillsides, may also be used as a substitute for floor wax as its leaves when scrubbed on wooden floors would make it shiny. The plant is also a medicinal herb used for its ant-inflammatory properties. And who would not remember a young lover's ire for Baguio's sunflower by picking slowly its petals uttering repeatedly "she loves me, she loves me not" until there's no more.

The Marapait is indeed a beautiful metaphor for Baguio City. The city that has been loved by artists, tourists and just about everyone like me that has considered this mountain city their home.

Let's all love the Marapait! Let's all love Baguio City!

It's December!

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:52:00 +0000

And I'm not getting any younger

Today marks the start of my birthday month. It's approximately 24 days before my birthday and that of my Creator. With all the hassles and busy days that I have to go through everyday, I am thankful that I am still here blogging about it with a smile on my face. This past year has been another exhilarating journey for me. Life has been a roller coaster ride with a few setbacks, unplanned decisions and last minute change of plans. So far, I am enjoying everything. I promise that by the end of the year (or next year perhaps), I would be able to accomplish some of the things that I wasn't able to do. First, I want to travel more. I haven't been traveling for quite some time now mainly because of work and school. I hope that my trip to Bacolod on the 23rd would suffice for that. I would be spending some time in the Visayas until January 17th. My sister and I will also go to Coron,Busuanga in Palawan come March. We have been planning it for some time now and the expenses are already mounting much to my disappointment. Secondly, I'm planning to have some Baguio adventures of my own before December 23rd so that I wouldn't be bored with my daily activities. Lastly, I have a big project (that I will be announcing in this blog in the future) coming up that will keep me busy for some time. I hope this will not be a hindrance to keep my posts updated. This post is starting to be long now.

HAPPY WORLD AIDS DAY! LET'S ALL BE AWARE!

Blogs of Note

jmagreda@mail2philippines.com (Idiosyncrasies) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 01:25:00 +0000

Cordi Daily Reads

Since I have been blogging for two years now, I want to keep this blog updated and growing in content with a few noteworthy blogs that I think would interest my readers. Here's a rundown of the blogs that I frequent and whose links are already posted in the upper left side of this blog. I would discuss them in no particular order as to importance. Here they are:

1. http://abouben.blogspot.com/ Abou calls himself a part-time saint and a full time sinner. I read his blog often usually during the dead hour of 3am. I don't know why either, but it became a daily habit reading his blog.
2. http://www.i-baguio.com/ Consider me a fan of the pioneer bloggers in my new home -- Baguio City. Lisa's blog Baguio Insider gives you a taste of Baguio like no other. Her posts on everything about Baguio has been a consistent must-read for me.
3. http://anukayayun.blogspot.com/ Coldman's blog always inspire me to smile and take a breather with life everyday. He's my idol when it comes to traveling, photography and humor all mixed into his blog content that has been overflowing with wonderful photographs of his exploits in the US and his crazy antics.
4. http://msc-quest.blogspot.com/ Cedeux is a student of medicine in Metro Manila. I have been following his blog since last year because it's just as honest, entertaining and enlightening to readers.
5. http://www.igorotblogger.com/ Igorot Blogger is a must read for every Cordilleran. It encapsulates everything that a Cordilleran should now in a nutshell. He's been around for quite some time now and has been an inspiration for all bloggers here in the region. Bill's blog is definitely incomparable to mine when it comes to content and his blog has been an inspiration for fledgling bloggers like me.
6. http://rsandarino.blogspot.com/ Aryo's blog is called Islander in the City. He's a photographer, a traveler and a young professional based in Japan (for now). I have been following his blog since he was still in Manila and it never failed to delight me whether it be his photos or his wacky takes on life in Tokyo.
7. http://mcvie5.blogspot.com/ Joel Mcvie's blog is overflowing with wit and creativity probably because the blog author is part of the advertising industry. He's also one of the famed fabcasters whose podcasts have been my source of knowledge when it comes to GLBT issues and other things that concern us.
8. http://www.jovefrancisco.com/ Jove Francisco's blog is also part of my daily blog reading list because he is a broadcast journalist who has been passionate about his craft for many years now. It has become a weeknight habit for me to watch TEN: The Evening News because of their poignant takes on news events in the country that cater to us the youth of the MTV generation.
9. http://www.krisjasper.com/ Krisjasper's blog has been a daily reading habit for me because he is a funny and loving guy (to A), a fashionista, a Filipino diasporist and a fellow Bacolodnon. His blog entries about life in the UK is truly worth reading.
10. http://www.lagawan.info/ Lagawan means "a person who travels a lot" in Hiligaynon. Indeed, the blog author will take you to her different travels around the country. What I love about her? I don't know...but her blog is still a worthy read.
11. http://www.quezon.ph/ Manolo Quezon's blog I think is in every Filipino blogger's blog roll. His blog explains politics always with a historical perspective which he does best. Plus, I'm a fan of his column at the Philippine Daily Inquirer and his show at ANC called The Explainer.
12.http://morofilm.blogspot.com/ Teng Mangansakan is an award-winning Moro film maker and writer. His blog tackles everything from the plight of Moros in Mindanao to gay rights. I have written a book review of Children of the Ever Changing Moon, the book he edited, at local paper here in Baguio.
13. http://myracounteurattempt.blogspot.com/ Lovelyn's blog contains her daily take on life as a Cordilleran in Italy. She talks about evrything from OFW life to people-pictures-places.
14.http://www.orangeinapod.co.nr/ Oliver Twist's blog is resurrected recently. He's a proud gay podcaster from Baguio City. Ever since I stubled upon his blog, I became a fan of his podcasts who tackles topics ranging from Pinoy superheroes to GLBT issues. He's a former DJ at a local radio station here in Baguio.
15. http://unholyhours.blogspot.com/ Pine for Pine is PDI Correspondent and award-winning writer Frank Cimatu's blog. It's a blog that has been a daily reading habit for me because its content is truly out of this world. It's a smorgasbord of the odd, the funny and everything that falls in between.
16. http://redlan76.blogspot.com/ Redlan is the most loyal and the most avid commenter of this blog. We have talked on the phone or exchanged texts simply because he's the most amiable fellow Ilonggo that I've ever known in the Philippine blogosphere. His blog will surely interest art aficionados.
17. http://eatingthesun.blogspot.com/ Spy in the Sandwich is the blog of Palanca winning author and Silliman University professor Ian Casocot. He's blog is every young writer's must read because it is a repository of links of Filipino writers in and out of the country.
18. http://www.theasiantraveler.com/ The Asian Traveler is another read-worthy blog because it features the hobby that I love the most -- traveling. If you are a domestic traveler or in Asia, you should check out this blog.
19. http://www.siegemalvar.net/ The Siege Malvar is one hell of a funny guy. I have met him in a performance poetry workshop here in Baguio and the rest was of course history. He has a "not quite unreal novel" entitled ROLES and I am awaiting its sequel CRASH. It's a very entertaining high school setting novel that will eventually takeover the bestseller list of Philippine bookstores...and even the world. Di ba Kuya Siege?
20. http://theveganprince.com/ Mark Xander is a former Hari ng Negros winner and a local celebrity in Dumaguete. I have been following his blog for quite some time now because of topics ranging from fashion to being a vegan. As the blog name implies, he's a vegan. So please don't hurt the animals and let's all save the world.
21. http://www.nickballesteros.com/ Nick is one of the first bloggers from Baguio. I have been following his blog since he was still in Baguio until he moved to New Zealand together with his family. His blog is every Filipino migrant family's must read.

Wow, this is a very long post. I hope you had fun reading all of the blogs I mentioned above. Expect more developments in this blog in the near future. For now, Happy Bonifacio Day!