Maria Marauder

Wish Fulfilled

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 17:32:00 +0000

Oh my golly wow!

Sorry for that lame 80's expression, but you know when Facebook reminds you of the past things you posted? I usually ignore them because that's just the way I am nowadays with FB. But this time, it gave me the creeps when I saw my old blog post dated November 26, 2011, exactly five years ago, about my dream house. http://mariamarauder.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-secret-dream-house.html

I was stunned when I realized that I almost got all my wishes to a T! Amazing how the Universe has really given me what I wished for. I hope my friends who are reading this post wouldn't think I'm bragging or anything. I just want to show how grateful I am and to share that if you wished for something to happen really hard, it could come true. In fact, my home at present is far from the perfect pictures I presented in that post. It may be a miniature scale of that Dream House, but hey, I can't ask for more. I'm just a simple girl with simple dreams.

Let me share with you my Dream vs my Reality.

1. Dream: The Façade: Modernist. Squarish. No balcony, please. Unless the house would sit at the top of a mountain, a balcony would be a waste for me. I’m not hoping for a Romeo and Juliet Drama, so scratch that overhang.

Reality: It's squarish, all right. Modern-looking, although the façade in my Reality House is just barely a quarter in size compared to the Dream version. Haha! Oh, look, there is that pitiful balcony thing-y which no member of my family ever stands on, lest we be accused of being peeping toms by our neighbor less than 10 meters across from us. (I tried asking the developer to scrap the balcony from the design, but they said it would ruin the uniformity of the row houses. Well, at least I tried...)

2. Dream: The living room must have a high ceiling—high enough to put a cool light fixture.

Reality: I got a high ceiling, not in the living room, but above the stairs leading to the family room/boys' room. Hey, a gigantic light bulb counts as a cool light fixture, right?

3. Dream: Open Kitchen and Dining. The Fam should enjoy cooking and eating together. The colors should be vivid, like saffron orange, or sunny yellow.

Reality: Orange color achieved! I don't know who else wants this kind of color scheme combo of orange/black for their kitchen. I'm weird that way. Walang basagan ng trip, 'ika nga!

I didn't get the open kitchen and dining layout though. In retrospect, now I think it's better that the kitchen is separated from the dining room, since the latter's dirt, oil, scent, and all, would permeate the whole house.

4. Dream: The master’s bedroom should have a zen feel to it. And please, please provide for a walk-in wardrobe leading to the bathroom.

Reality: Master's bedroom, zen enough. I feel it's my personal cocoon when I'm in there. The walk-in closet was (hurray!) forcedly genie-given. I had to sacrifice the size of the master's bath to give way to this. Not exactly the kind Barbie would agree to, but I have less clothes than she does, so I am okay with it.

5. Dream: The Master's bathroom should be themed in black and white.

Reality: LBT. Little Black (and White) Toilet. The floor is black, by the way. (Which according to my husband, so it would be okay not to clean it too often. May point siya! 😉)

6. Dream: One room for the Daughter and a shared room for the Boys.

Reality: Daughter's bedroom. Check. Shared room for the boys. Check.

7. Dream: A Family/Study/Guest room. Somewhere the Fam could all hang out together.

Reality: Well, the hubby calls this space their Man Cave, thus the air soft guns and the war posters. So basically, the big boys occupy the whole space when they are here. Once in a while though, the whole Family squeezes in to ~~grudgingly~~ watch a movie together. Reality check: Er, this Man Cave really lives up to its name because it smells musky and looks messy when they are around. Oh well, you can't have it all.

I had wished that my Dream House would be granted by 2012, but my Fairy Godmother missed by two years. (I am not complaining, dearie!) We moved in to our house on December 8, 2014.

And yes, I lived happily ever after.

Thanks, Air Asia!

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 16:31:00 +0000

Do you have personal horror stories of flight delays or airline mishaps?

My experience with my daughter last June 19, 2016 may not be the worst, I must admit--if I would compare it to those of others' I have read on Facebook--but it was still an inconvenience just the same. Hey, the last thing you would want to do when you are travelling is to be stuck for more than 6 hours in the waiting area of ANY Philippine airport! Er, well, unless you revel on sugar-filling your blood with Cinnabon pastries, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Caramel Ice Blended Drinks, or Megamelt Ensaymada.

This story is not all whining and complaining though. It has a happy ending. Don't believe it? Well, I feel incredulous about it myself. Anyway, I'm writing this for all of my friends out there who would find themselves in the same predicament.

Anyway, here's my story:

On June 19, our Air Asia flight from Manila to Cebu was at 3:00 p.m. At about 9:00 a.m., Air Asia texted and emailed me that our flight would be moved to 4:10 p.m. Okay, no harm done. At least when they sent their message, it was still early, and we were still at our condo in Katipunan. We even had time to go around BGC and had lunch there.

When we arrived at Terminal 4 an hour before our flight (we checked in online), it was announced that our departure was moved to 6:00 p.m. At this point, we groaned inwardly, but knowing how this is a normal occurrence to all Philippine flights, we just took it a matter-of-factly.

6:00 p.m. passed by...no boarding announcement. At 7:00 p.m., they announced that the passengers of Z2765 shall be given complimentary dinner. We knew that this would mean one thing--a longer delay. Was I thankful for the Jollibee chicken meal? Let's say that I would have rather flown home to Cebu than be eating Chicken Joy with plastic spoon and fork. But beggars couldn't be choosers, right? So I embarrassingly queued for my meal ration.

At around 8:00 p.m., we were finally asked to board the plane. Tired of waiting for 5 hours, we were just relieved to be boarding. But.....15 minutes.....30 minutes.....an hour passed by. Some passengers had dozed off (my daughter and I included), only to have woken up and found out that we were still at the Manila tarmac and still hadn't taken off. At exactly 9:03, the captain apologetically announced that we had to deplane due to a reason I already forgot. Blame it on the Chicken Joy with rice, instead of spaghetti.

Before this announcement, the passengers were surprisingly quiet and tolerant (probably due to the bribed Jollibee dinner?). But all hell went loose when we were inside the waiting lounge again. Many passengers were angry. One smart-looking lady was shouting about the Philippines' Air Passengers Bill of Rights. That dinner was not enough. That the Airline should not only bring the passengers to the booked destination, but also should reimburse everyone the full amount of ticket.

With my daughter crying beside me, (out of sheer frustration and exhaustion, no judgment please!), I tried to research online whether that lady passenger's pronouncement was true.

And so there's really a law protecting passengers, eh? Note to myself: Complain to Air Asia the moment you reach home.

In the meantime, the Air Asia ground staff gave us another round of snacks. I surreptitiously peered at the others who were eager to get their freebies. This time, the staff gave away two packs of chocolate cream sandwiches and a bottle of water. I refused to line up anymore just for empty calorie snacks. No, sir/ma'am.

The minutes ticked like hours. Finally, 15 minutes before 11:00 p.m., we were asked to board again. We took off at 11:10 p.m. and arrived Cebu at around 1:30 a.m.

That was 8 hours of delay. Surely, that would merit a reimbursement or a compensation of some sort. So, I sent a private message to Air Asia through Faceboook.

After just an hour of sending my message, Air Asia replied and instructed me to fill up a complaint form on their website, which I immediately did.

Today, July 30, 2016, after over a month of filing my complaint, I received an email from Air Asia:

I'm grinning ear to ear. I'm getting Php1,585.72 of credit! I could use this to book a flight within 90 days. I also noted that the actual travel date could be even after the 90-day expiration of the credit shell.

So it's true, folks. The airlines are obliged to give us compensation for a flight delay of at least 6 hours. Sadly, I don't think the other passengers on my flight knew about this. Maybe I was the only one who had the patience to complain. Oh, maybe that feisty lady at the airport also filed one too.

The Air Passengers Bill of Rights is not a myth. Let's fight for our rights, Pinoys!

The Les Miz Fatigue

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 17:51:00 +0000

Let me put this on record that for me, Les Miserables will always be my most favorite musical play of all time.

I was lucky to have watched this spectacular play in 1990 at Broadway in New York when I was with the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus World Tour. I had all the lyrics memorized in my head since the Les Miserables Medley was part of the repertoire we had to sing all over Europe and the United States. So for me to be able to marvel at the original Broadway cast singing right before my untrained eyes, together with my musical friends, was the most surreal feeling.

Hahahaha! 1990 vs. 2016. Spot the differences.

Twenty six years later, I watched Les Miserables again last April 16 at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Manila to celebrate the 22nd wedding anniversary with the Hubby. I even cajoled him into checking in at the Sky Room of Solaire to keep us less focused on the Metro traffic, and more mentally prepared to watch the show.

However, I felt...let's see, how do I put it without being sacrilegious? Unsated? Unmoved? Short-changed? Horror of horrors, I think I even spaced out three times during the show!

I wanted it to work for me, of course, since I had hoped to rub my excitement to the Hubby whom I had to literally beg to come with me (and pay the tickets and the hotel accommodation too! hahaha! ) because he's not into this musical thing-a-ma-jigs. It would be the first musical play for the Hubby ever, and I had wanted him to feel the same near ~~orgasmic~~ explosive experience when I watched it for the first time in 1990.

I felt giddy taking pictures with young Cosette.

But I didn't feel the intensity myself. It fell flat even for me.

Now I wanted to rationalize this. There was something lacking. My heart didn't soar high. My eyes didn't shed a tear. Why? Oh, why?

It wasn't because the cast was bad. Overall, the cast did their parts well, technically. Jean Valjean and Javert dueled. Marius and Cosette sang and kissed. Enjolras was fiery (although I must say his hips swayed a tad bit higher while marching, which distracted me).

Is it too late for me to audition?

In fact, Rachel Ann Go as Fantine was a revelation for me. Her English diction was clear and her pitch was perfect. She has really come a long way in the international musical theater scene.

The Hubby was awed at the set. Being an engineer, he sees those things more than the music. The 1990 version I saw had a revolving barricade. Now, we can only see the barricaders' perspective. The other side was just a mix of voice over and lighting effects to show that there were enemies on the opposite side.

So what was it? Was it because I thought that Solaire's stage was smaller? Was it because Eponine seemed to be rushing through her death scene? Was it because Jean Valjean's red tattoo cross on his chest was bigger than his Prisoner No. 24601?

After much thought, I think that what ruined everything for me was the lack of surprise and novelty. In this day and age of the internet, when we can see a gazillion versions of Les Miserables (or any other play for that matter) on YouTube, On My Own and I Dream a Dream are now ordinary pop songs in the mainstream. At least one Lez Miz song get sung as an audition piece on Britain's Got Talent or the Voice Kids. The songs have been watered down as too trite and common.

But what really, really sealed the coffin, I think, was THE movie Les Miserables. Don't get me wrong. I loved what director Tom Hooper did to translate the play to the big screen. I have watched it four times, and it never failed to make me cry. Except for Rusell Crowe who was a miscast as Javert (note: I'll let go of Amanda Siegfied, Cosette was not my favorite character anyway), I thought the cast gave justice to make Les Miz appeal to the masses.

And so maybe this overfamiliarity has made it less special and less thought-provoking. Now, I don't listen to the lyrics, but listen to how this actor compares to that actor when Jean Valjean sings Bring Him Home. I nitpick how all the other Eponines pale in comparison to Lea Salonga's interpretation of On My Own and A Little Fall of Rain at its 10th Anniversary Concert. I don't laugh anymore at the supposedly hilarious antics of the Thenardiers when they sing Master of the House. I was a step ahead while watching the play this time. If I could call it something, I'd probable term it as the Les Miz Fatigue.

One of my UPCC friends gave me a piece of advice on how to enjoy a play---he said to never compare. He said I should free my mind from any expectations, that I shouldn't sing the songs in my head, but listen to them like I am hearing them for the first time. It makes sense, I guess. Yes, Wizard Lionel, I shall do that next time. I promise.

'Wicked' next, anyone?

UPCC Batch 1990 at 25: The Inception

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 02:22:00 +0000

I can now breathe a sigh of relief. From December 26 – 28, 2015, the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus Batch 1990 celebrated its 25^th Anniversary, and I helped in planning this whole event. Please allow me to brag a little bit, because I would say that it was a resounding success from all aspects—from the resort where we stayed in, the activities, the schedule, the food, up until the night of the concert. Every detail fell into its perfect place.

But, boy, this wasn't achieved with a sleight of hand. The biggest hurdle we had was the distance of the members from one another. Some lived in the US, some in Europe, one in Cebu (that's me, by the way!), and while most lived just in Metro Manila, our work and family responsibilities and other social schedules didn't permit us to have a meeting that easily. So how were we able to we come up with a reunion, and an ambitious full concert at that, if the members didn't have serious regular rehearsals?

Thanks to a very balanced (aherm!) organizing committee composed of Noriz Delos Reyes-Castillo and Lowell Esguerra-Reyes, and the support of two formidable hubby and wifey tandems of Lionel and Cynthia Guico, and Leo and Glynna Cabrera, and with the help of trusty ol' Facebook, we were able to do it! Those who were clueless on how this important event came to pass, let me give you a glimpse of the timeline of what transpired during the eight months behind the scenes.

April 25, 2015 – Egay posted a sentimental message recalling the UPCC Batch 1990’s World Tour.

April 26, 2015 – Lionel reposted some pictures greeting Batch 1990 on its 25^th year. A barrage of comments ensued. That was when Egay suggested a reunion concert. People became excited. Hmmmm....maybe it was possible, I thought.

I've organized reunions of my high school batchmates twice, my husband's college batch's, and my parent's 50th wedding anniversary...all virtually, just in front of my Mac. So what's the big deal this time? The huge difference this time was, we needed regular rehearsals to sing as a group. This wasn't your ordinary reunion where you could attend the party and that's it. Twenty-five years is a long time for us to recall the songs from our old repertoire, blend voices, and...(bless us all!) do the choreography!

Speaking for myself, I hadn't performed in public after my chorus days, and I knew my vocal chords for singing had been sleeping for two decades and a half, so I was doubtful I could perform well as an alto. But the pull of friendship was stronger. I thought we had to do it. The opportunity was presenting itself to us, we might as well grab the chance.

April 29, 2015: I made an exclusive UPCC Batch 1990 FB page. Since we were far away from one another, we needed a conduit where communication line would open. Thankfully, Lowell and Noriz were almost always virtually present on FB:-)

May 2, 2015: I started sending feelers via FB PM to each 1990 member to survey on how they feel about having a reunion concert. The responses were mixed—some were positive, others, especially those who live abroad, bowed out. Opo, marami ring nandedma. But of course, nothing could dampen our spirits.

Pero ang pinakabongga, si Noel. A month after I sent him a PM, BUMILI na ng ticket ang lolo n’yo!

Naunahan pa ang mga unang nag-yes na taga-abrowd!

Little did Nu knew that we were panicking. One balikbayan already purchased a ticket! That was the point of no return for us. This. Anniversary. Must. Push Through.

July 12, 2015 : We had our very first planning meeting for the 25^th Anniversary Reunion. Coincidentally, Egay surprised all of us by coming home.

Lowell, Lex, Egay, and I were the only ones present during the initial planning session. It was then when we asked Lex if he was willing to be our conductor. He said yes. Everything was falling into place (or so we thought it was that easy!)

July 30, 2015: Menoy, Egay, Noriz, Lowell, Lex, and Lionel met again at SM Marikina to come up with a proposed repertoire.

Okay, let me digress just for this once. These two, Menoy and Egay, amazingly remembered all the Tour stories. Actually, no one could confirm the veracity of their narratives since most of us had forgotten what happened back then, so we just took their anecdotes at their face value. Whether they were accurate or padded, no one really knew nor cared. We were just in for the laugh! Pakiulit nga ang "milk" story, Menoy!!!

August 9, 2015: First Trial Rehearsal. Lowell, Noriz, Glynna, Barcy, Lionel, Cynthia, Menoy, and (surprise!) Jerome attended.

August 10, 2015: Egay started uploading the pdf’s of the music pieces on our FB page. No excuses! Time to practice, no matter which part of the world we were in.

August 30, 2015: Only a handful attended the rehearsal—Lex, Glynna, Leo, Bracy, Lowelle, and Noriz. I was not able to fly in from Cebu at that time, knowing that I'd be in Manila after two weeks for my parents' 50th. We were feeling negative about this whole thing. They were not able to practice any songs this time. Fortunately, Leo’s prepared dinner always saved the day.

September 14, 2015: We were able to have a meeting but it seemed like everyone was not so hopeful that a serious rehearsal was going to happen. So we just decided not to push through with a full concert, just an out-of-town get-together plus participating at a GCF service and attending Lionel’s family reunion. Our main purpose at that time was to be able to celebrate our 25^th Anniversary by hook or by crook, with our without the support of the majority. We decided to use more time in threshing out the details of the celebration. Attendees were: Lowell and Lex, Glynna and Leo, Noriz and I.

October 17, 2015: I flew in again from Cebu to Manila just for a night to attend this practice. It was good that the hubby backed me on this. I vowed to attend the monthly rehearsals thereafter, so I had to keep my word. Besides, I was sure mahihiya silang hindi um-attend dahil ako ngang galing sa Cebu, nagpupumilit mag-praktis, sila pang nasa Maynila? Hehehe!

We were able to complete the voices with three sopranos, four altos, one tenor and one bass. It was enough for us to practice the sacred songs. One of the trainees of our batch, Virna Caringal-Divino also joined the practice. Things were getting sunny. I thought we sounded good, considering the lack of guys.

October 23, 2015: To complement Egay's efforts in uploading the pdf's, I made some practice videos for the members to recall their parts. This was very helpful, especially for me, who can't sight read.

November 22, 2015: I flew in from Cebu again, as promised.

Itinerary--check! Pledges--check! Repertoire--check! Minor details needed to be settled but the major ones were agreed upon. I couldn't believe it. We were almost there!

December 13, 2015: It was Melanie who suggested the title of our concert after one of those sleepless nights of chatting with a fellow night owl. I drafted a working poster, and Gay finalized it.

Egay asked his sister to have some tarps printed. I just e-mailed Egay the design. Funny, because it took someone from the US to have tarps made to order in Quezon City. This is what technology can do!

December 20, 2015: The supposed FINAL rehearsal before the event was called. Sara (from Austria) and Nu (from the Netherlands) were already in Manila. Gay, Melanie, Lenelle, and the pianist were there attending for the first time.

And so there was no turning back. It was up until this moment when we became confident that the UPCC 1990 25th Reunion was really going to happen!

To be continued...

UPCC Batch 1990 at 25: Day 1, Tito Chef and Villa Crisanta

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 02:22:00 +0000

To start our three-day 25th Anniversary Celebration, we needed an ice breaker, so to speak. Of course, we also needed a general rehearsal for our performances, especially for the Dinner Concert on December 28. We wanted a private place where we could sing and chat loudly, without other guests being disturbed.

So the name Villa Crisanta Garden Resort in Rosario, Batangas came up during the planning phase. It seemed the resort was the most suitable place for us to sleepover, unwind, and practice.

It was a blessing in disguise that Villa Crisanta is owned by the family of a former 1990 UPCC trainee, Virna Caringal-Divino. She has been Lionel Guico's voice student, and so we also invited her to join the group.

The assembly place going to Villa Crisanta was at Chef Menoy's restaurant at BF Homes, Paranaque, Tito Chef Restaurant and All Things Culinary. I arrived Manila from Cebu at around 8:30-ish. My father picked me up at the airport and brought me to Paranaque, where Tito Chef is located. I was initially worried because I thought I would be the first one there, since the assembly time was at 10:00 a.m. It was a good thing that my two best friends, Egay and Nu, were already there. Nu arrived from the Netherlands a few days before, while Egay arrived just on Christmas eve. Unfortunately, one of his baggage was left behind by the airlines at the LA Airport, so he had to go back to the airport early morning of the 26th to retrieve it. That's why they were at Tito Chef earlier than I was.

After a while, the other Chorus members started coming in. What a riot we made inside the resto. Good thing Menoy was THE Tito Chef! No one dared tell us to keep it down! Well, it also helped that it was still a little early for other lunch customers to come in.

These pictures can't capture the noise we made as we saw one another again after so many years of being separated.

If the food was an indication of how successful our event would be, I would say right there and then that everything was coming in full gear, with Chef Menoy ordering food for us. Ang sarap ng brunch!!!! I don't normally show pictures of food that I eat, but this was exceptional. Everything was PURR-fect! (Er, not to mention that the food was on the house courtesy of the great Chef!)

These radiant, smiling faces only mean their tummies are happy too!!!

We were already having a blast at Tito Chef's, I thought we would not go to Batangas anymore!

A big thanks, Chef Menoy! (Check out Tito Chef and All Things Culinary. President's Avenue, corner Adelfa Street, Paranaque City. 02-8425577)

Finally, after satisfying our gastronomic cravings and singing a little bit (of course, we need to earn our meal!), we set off to the South. Traffic was moderate, thank goodness, so we arrived in Rosario, Batangas at around 3-ish.

But first, we needed to stock up on pica pica and some food supplies. Manong Sam, could we pass by SM Hypermart Rosario, please?

What else to do but do a "groufie" Bibili lang pala ng shoktong si Menoy!

Yep, we bought all kinds of chichirya, some calamansi and honey for those who have colds, some red wine...at sa tatlong bags at isang kahong grocery na binili, nakalimutang bumili ng....kape!!! And what was Mother Lowell's excuse? "E, akala ko, may kapeng barako na sa resort, e!" Hehehe!

When we arrived at Villa Crisanta, we felt at home at once.

We were warmly welcomed by the Caringals at their main mansion. This is where their family stays whenever they are vacationing in Batangas. We were all in awe of the beauty of the place.

Villa Crisanta is all seventeen hectares of pure feast to the eyes and soul. It's ideal for events like weddings, debuts, company team building, camping, and other occasions, especially if you wish an old worldly, close-to-nature ambience.

Who wouldn't fall in love with its raw beauty and quiet splendor?

We couldn't help ourselves but sing for our wonderful and gracious hosts.

And what was the best thing to do after two hours of travelling and thirty minutes of singing? Why, have a hearty afternoon snacks, of course! Virna and her Mom treated us with an indulgent snack organically made by the people of Rosario.

Maraming salamat po, Villa Crisanta and the Caringal Family! (For a relaxing vacay, try Villa Crisanta Garden Resort. Rosario, Batangas. 0906-2273710)

Naturally, a venue like this would not escape our camera lenses from capturing its beauty for posterity's sake. So while the others were busy eating, some of us just had to unleash the hidden models in us. (Itago na lang 'yan!)

When it was time for us to find our place to retire, we trekked a little bit to find the houses assigned to us. Some cheated and rode their cars, but I was glad I walked with the others. We found very charming nooks in the garden, which Virna said were orchestrated solely by her Mom.

So this was the main house where most of us slept. It had two big rooms with a bathroom in each room, a huge receiving area (where we were able to practice our choreography), and a kitchen. It even had a billiard table in front and a table tennis at the back. It was huge enough for all sixteen of us!

There was a swimming pool beside the main house where braver souls like Neysa and Menoy took a dip at once.

Two families, the Guicos and the Cabreras, each had their own casita since they brought their kids with them.

Of course, dinner was served at the main house so everyone had a wonderful time eating and chatting and drinking and laughing and reminiscing our youthful days in the 90's.

We were ecstatic that Sally and Lito Jose drove to Batangas and joined the sleepover. It was a spontaneous decision on their part for them to stay with us for a night. Thanks, guys! Your presence made our first night extra fun!

O, busog na? Time to get serious and practice!!

But honestly, with all the junk food in the kitchen, I don't know how we were able to seriously practice without choking on these chocolates, nuts and chicharon. (Again, why no coffee?)

Sara, kasalanan mo ito!!!

The idyllic setting channelled the romantic kundimans in these oldies:-)

And what is a sleepover if boys and girls can't get together in one room?

And for those members who didn't go with us in Batangas, sorry, but we were also given givenchy by peeps from abroad:-) Thanks, Egay, Nu, and Sara! (Hoy, I gave some givenchy too, ha!)

So, we literally had to shoo the boys out of our room. Time to retire for the night. It was going to be a big day ahead of us tomorrow, with two different audiences expecting a lot from a supposed world class group of performers. Call time was at 7:00 a.m. We all prayed we would be able to wake up and hit those high notes like we did in 1990.

To be continued...

UPCC Batch 1990 at 25: Day 2, GCF Batangas and a Family Reunion

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 17:57:00 +0000

Good morning! The ladies were up and about already putting primer and foundation at around 6:00 a.m. (Okay, was I the only one who put primer on?)

We were expected to be at Greenhills Christian Fellowship (GCF) Batangas City at 7:00 a.m. to have breakfast. But when we saw the putong puti that Virna's mom sent to us that morning, we couldn't help but partake of some. You know, I have been away from Manila for a while now, so I miss all those kakaning Tagalog that I used to eat when I went to my parent's hometown in Laguna--putong puti, champoradong may tuyo, sumang latik--and all of these were served by our gracious hostesses. I was in food dreamland at Villa Crisanta!

...No coffee, but we were alive and looking fab!

After less than thirty minutes of driving from Rosario to Lipa, we arrived at GCF.

GCF Batangas people were so warm and friendly. I think I have never shaken hands with so many people that early in the morning. We went straight to the buffet table--because some of us were unashamedly hungry. But first, we pray. (Lowell, ba't may plato ka na, ha?)

Eating time again!!!

Our performance at GCF Batangas was sort of a litmus test for us--it was the very first time we would be singing together in public again after 25 years. Were we nervous? Not at all.

Without any bias, based on our less than five practice days, I thought we sounded well, given the limited time we had to practice. What I like about the UPCC Batch 1990 is that we have a strong support system and more than two decades of lasting friendship that we give one another the needed moral boost.

We sang some sacred songs like Angelus (San Pedro), The Majesty and Glory of Your Name (Fettke), Alleluia (Wagner), and A Gaelic Blessing (Rutter), and some secular songs Kumukutikutitap, Simbang Gabi, L'Important, C'est L' Rose, and Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas. Thanks, Lex for conducting!

So was it perfect? Not at all. We had a lot of booboos, actually. We didn't start at the right key for L'Important. We boldly sang Simbang Gabi without any piano accompaniment (and for those familiar with the piece, that's actually not a good move to make). Our star soprano, Cynthia, almost fainted at the end of the performance because she was sick a day before we went to Batangas. And the funniest "award"?, well, someone missed two songs because of an emergency. Clue: Tenor siya!

But through it all, none of us were disconcerted. From the training we had 25 years ago, we put our ol' professional foot forward and confidently performed to the best of what the situation had in store for us.

We all knew that the best part was that, we were singing with our fellow UPCC 1990 members again.

Whew! We passed the first hurdle. Look! We even had gifts from GCF Batangas. (Check out the mini-bayongs on the chairs).

After saying goodbye (and yes, making multiple handshakes again) we were off to the Guico ancestral house. We had to park our cars at the town plaza and walk a few meters to Lionel's abode.

Then, we saw a buco juice vendor, and we HAD to (did we really have to?) take pictures in front of it. Sa dami namin, natabunan na si Manong at ang buko istand!

Ang init! Hindi sanay ang mga lola na maglakad sa arawan...ng naka-wedges (ako lang ba yun?) at naka-shocking na kulay na mga georgette blouses (si Lowell at Sara yun!)

In the Chorus tradition, dadayuhin namin gaano man kaliit na barangay, basta makakain lang at makakanta. Parang nasa Europe lang, di ba?!

Lionel's family received us in their charming home and fed us with sumptuous lunch. (I can't forget the empanada!!!!)

Mabusog lang ng konti, tawanan at kantahan na naman!

All recharged and ready to sing again! Our next stop was at the Macatangcay/Guico's family reunion, to serenade them with some Christmas carols and Chorus favorites.

Would you believe that aside from free lunch, we were also given aguinaldo by their family! Salamat po, ambabait ninyo, tenkyu!

We went back to Villa Crisanta for a much needed rest. Wait, ang sabi, rest, hindi lafang! Junk food bingeing again!

Instead of stuffing ourselves with food, some of us opted to take a dip in the pool with Leo and Glynna's boys.

Walang katapusang kainan! Dinner time na naman!

It was our last rehearsal before the next day's Dinner-Concert. We tried to cram our brains with the lyrics and choreography of the Broadway and Filipino songs, especially the most feared, Hibang sa Awit. Did we really have to do the dance of this song, I was asked. Oo naman, that's the title of our concert, kaya umayos kayo!!! Hahahaha!

We capped the night with a birthday greeting to Cynthia. Happy birthday, my dear Bianang!

Oh before I forget, I can't close this day without revealing that some drama happened amid the chikahan and tawanan. As in, natakot akong hindi matuloy ang Dinner Concert! Ganun katindi! Did I hear someone was blaming it on the red wine and a crush ng bayan professor for buying the alcohol? Hehehe! But as the saying goes, what happened in Villa Crisanta, stays in Villa Crisanta. If you weren't there, then sorry, you missed another "historical" Chorus experience.

Nope, I ain't tellin'. My lips are sealed this time...

To be continued...

UPCC Batch 1990 at 25: Day 3, Hibang Pa Rin Sa Awit Dinner-Concert Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 19:51:00 +0000

Had it been already two nights of food trip and never-ending chikahan for the group in Batangas? We felt isolated from the world since cellphone and wifi signals were not that strong at the farm; which was a good thing, in retrospect. It probably helped that it was only Atty. Noriz who could post on Facebook (I can still hear her say, "mag-Smart na kasi kayo!"); else, everyone would be checking on their e-mails and messengers like the online addicts that most of us have turned out to be.

So it was time to say goodbye to Villa Crisanta. We had to set off early so that we could still go home, stretch our legs a bit, and have time to relax before the big night.

But first, Virna's Mom wouldn't let us go without sating our palates with the most heavenly breakfast I had tasted in years. Anong sinabi ng mga breakfast buffets sa five-star hotels!

This is how busog people look like.

When Virna's Mom said to take home some of the food, I didn't hesitate to ask if I could bring to Manila the whole bilao of putong puti. E, alangan namang mag-no si Virna. Wait, before you judge me, I brought it not for myself, but for the whole group naman. I was thinking we could eat it as snacks before the concert. Imagine me, riding a cab from Virna's office in Makati holding a bilao. #iloveupcctalaga. Hehehe!

Again, for the wonderful, wonderful experience at Villa Crisanta, we thank you, Virna, from the bottom of our hearts. Please kiss your Mom for all us:-)

This is it! The highlight of our Anniversary Reunion.

Call time at Xavierville Phase 3 Clubhouse was at 4 p.m. Everyone was there on time!

Nu, the English professor (sabi niya!) at a Dutch university, giving me the final touch for my hair. That's what friends are for!

Final instructions. Up to this moment, we didn't know our final repertoire! Hahahaha!

Blocking an hour before the concert... (sa totoo lang ninenerbyos na ako dyan!)

Sorry for overexposing myself with too many photos (e, blog ko ito, di ba?), but I have to tell you that this skirt was the original Maria Clara garb we wore in 1990. This skirt is Lowell's, not mine, but I was curious if it could still fit me. Hindi ako humihinga nyan, but I was able to close the zipper! Now, project!

The original Bianangs circa 1990 : Mary Ann Uy, me, Cynthia Guico

Just as a background, the original plan was to end our reunion in Batangas. We thought that doing a full concert would be too ambitious for us--the practices, the program, the expenses. But then again, those of us who came from abroad and those who could not join us in Batangas were asking if it was possible to have a show in Manila so that their family members could see them sing again (or in the case of my BFFs Nu and Egay and myself, this would be the first time our families would ever see us perform). It was a request we couldn't say no to. After all, we also wanted our families to share this celebration with us, for they were the ones who supported us twenty-five years ago. Pumalpak man o hindi, we know that our families would always be our biggest fans.

Sara Moreno-Miklin and Family

Sally Castro and Family

Me and my Parents and Sisters and Pamangkins

Arnold Holgado and Family

Noriz delos Reyes-Castillo and Family/My BFFs Babs Peneyra and Nathan Dominguez

Neysa Custodio and Family/Lowell and Lex Reyes/Mommy O

Nu Driz and Family with Gay Ferrer and me

Mol , our pianist, with Melanie Dujunco

UPCC Alumni Family

We really went on Tour! Just look at all these souvenir posters! Thanks, Arnold Holgado for digging them up from your baul!

Mommy O, our Tour Chaperone in 1990, was in the house!

With Nancy Roman, our Tour Manager, Philippines Chapter, attended the Concert.

Our good, good friends from way back our UP days, Nathan Dominguez and Babs Peneyra

After eating that appetizing catered buffet dinner by Leo Cabrera, the UPCC Batch 1990 was ready. It was time to perform.

To be continued...

UPCC Batch 1990 at 25: Day 3, Hibang Pa Rin Sa Awit Dinner-Concert Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 18:30:00 +0000

For those who have the patience to watch the UPPC 1990 25th Anniversary Dinner concert. I leave it up to you to do so. Ang hirap magdetalye! Heto panoorin nyo na lang! Pramis, nakakatuwa naman!

It was a pleasure singing and performing with all of you again!

The Sopranos. Clockwise: Lowell Esguerra-Reyes, Cynthia Culig-Guico, Noriz delos Reyes-Castillo, Melanie Dujunco, Gay Ferrer

The Altos. Clockwise: Bing Alvarez-Cacnio, Sara Moreno-Miklin, Neysa Custodio, Sally Castro-Jose, Lenelle Rosete, Glynna Ong-Cabrera, Jojih Madrinan-de Luna

The Tenors. Clockwise: Menoy Gimenez, Noel Driz, Edgar Labor.

The Basses. Clockwise: Adrian Reyes, Lionel Guico, Leo Cabrera, Arnold Holgado, and Sean Palmiano

Egay: Sulit kaya ang uwi ko?

Kami: Oo, Egay sulit na sulit!

Sa hitsura pa lang, hindi yan watermelon!

The UPCC projection!

Sara and Sean, ilang beses lang ba ito napraktis? Parang flawless ah!

Sally, isa kang Diyosa sa entablado! Buti, gwapito ang partner mo, commercial model lang naman, di ba Adrian?

Stand-up or choreographed..easy piece-y!

I dream a dream in time gone by...Your voice still soars, Sara!

On my own...Neysa Custodio, may pinaghuhugutan ba itoh?

Do you hear the people sing...!

Ang kikipot ng smile! Hahaha!

Maskipaps!

The last pose---Hibang sa Awit!

Teary eyed!

Singing friends forever!

Aherm...THE organizers...Noriz delos Reyes-Castillo, Lowell Esguerra-Reyes, and me

Walang humpay na piktyuran at halakhakan!

Travel bag tags for everyone!

UPCC 1990 with other UPCC alumni! Thanks for attending, you guys!

And just like that...levels at a snap!

Famished after the concert. Thanks Lito and Sally Castro and Chef Menoy Gimenez for the treat!

Till the next concert reunion, beautiful people of UPCC 1990!

Acknowledgments:

Sponsors: Arvin Rustia, Tom/Agness Makiling, Nu Driz, Bing Cacnio, Edgar Labor, Arnold Holgado, Lenelle Rosete, Zoe Arroyo-Nelle, Jerome Castro, Luz Tolentino-Ladrillono, Neysa custodio, Adrian Reyes, Sara Moreno-Miklin, Noriz delos Reyes-Castillo, Lito/Sally Jose, Nhick Pacis, Claire Ampil, Lowell/Lex Reyes, Dada Solomon, Sean Palmiano, Lionel/Cynthia Guico, Leo/Glynna Cabrera, Menoy Gimenez, Virna Caringal-Divino, Jojih Madrinan-de Luna.

Special mention to Lex Reyes, our conductor for the 25th Anniversary celebration.

Thank you for the wisdom and guidance...and corny jokes:-)

You are a Serious ALDUB Fan If…

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 18:17:00 +0000

I went to the MAC counter yesterday to buy a tube of lipstick because my current fave color, Toledo Barbecue, is just a few centimeters away from the bottom and is begging to be replaced. Okay, honestly, pwede pa naman siyang pagtiyagaan. But I was intrigued to visit my friendly MAC suking tindahan to check out the lippie color Yaya Dub supposedly used in her McDonald’s TV ad.

Screen grab from Youtube

When I first saw it, I was sure it was Ruby Woo--the blue red color, the matte consistency. My UPCC friend Cynthia Guico introduced to me the MAC color two years ago, and it has been my holy grail of red lipstick ever since. When it was revealed by the make-up artists of Yaya Dub that this was the same color they used on her, I was sure that a lot of people would rush to the cosmetic counter to try it.

Screen grab from Youtube

My suking MAC Lady confirmed that indeed, Ruby Woo is almost out-of-stock in Manila. But never fear, Cebu Ladies! You can find the lippie color at Rustan's Cebu, kaya go na! As for me, I still have my Ruby Woo in my makeup case because I use it only on special events. I was itching to buy and hoard one, but logic (and yes, budget!) prevailed. I bought another very nice dark fuchsia matte color in Flat Out Fabulous instead.

My MAC faves: Toledo Barbecue, Ruby Woo, and Flat Out Fabulous

Ooops, sorry as I disgressed from today's topic. Heto na talaga. Here is a test if you are seriously addicted to ALDUB:

1 You postpone your work/school/pasada/benta sa tindahan until the day's Kalyeserye is over. You don’t want to miss Yaya Dub’s wacky facial expressions and Alden’s cute dimples, right?

2 You have already watched the Kalyeserye live at its regular time slot, but you wait for the uploaders on YouTube at night to watch it again. And again. And again. Until 2:00 in the morning.

3. Ms. Pastillas, who? Out of curiosity though, you may have visited the YouTube videos of the “other" network, or switched the channel during EB's commercial break, but just to check if there is really stiff competition, as the other camp claims. You breathe a sigh of relief, for your Yaya Dub is miles and miles away from all angles and aspects.

4 You over-analyze every facial expression and gesture of Alden and Yaya Dub. The YouTube videos suddenly bring out the psychology expert in you, based on the comments you post. "Check the video at 1:04, and watch how both of them secretly smiled at each other. Kilig!" or "Alden's smile was pilit, maybe he is not really serious with Yaya Dub?" or "Yaya Dub’s eyes look sad when Alden wasn't there. Where are you, Bae?"

5 You refresh your Facebook page every minute to search for write-ups about Kalyeserye, Alden, Yaya Dub, the Tres Lolas, and even about Joey de Leon, and you want to be the first to comment. Or after you have posted your comment, you ~~ask~~ beg others to click the Like button. Or more importantly, you are always on the look out for negative comments of bashers, and make a counter comment, kasi nakakasakit nga naman sila.

6 You never fail to check what the hash tag of the day is, and show your support as part of the ALDUB Nation by tweeting until your nails are pudpod na.

7 You never care for commercials until now. You sit in front of your boob tube so as not to miss the product endorsements of Maine and Alden (McDonald's and TNT), or Maine and Lola Nidora (O+ Phone), or Maine (555 Sardines). And didn't you hear from someone or read from somewhere that there are more ads to come? You are never touching that remote nor going to take a pee break from 12:00 to 2:00! And yes, you are SO eating Chicken Fillet ala King Meal and buying 555 Sardines next time.

8 You get jealous and turn into a green-eyed beast if any girl celebrity takes a picture with Alden (except Ai-ai, of course). Plus Alden being absent for one whole week? What? ONE WHOLE WEEK? Without any video message? Or any answer to Maine’s tweets for that matter? And that Instagram Dubsmash message? Ang ikli naman! Ano, pampalubag loob! Grabe ka naman, Alden! Yes, you have all the right to make tampo for Yaya!

9. For the first time in your life, you can't wait until it's Monday. Monday can be a b@#ch to many, but the mere thought of watching AlDub and the three Lola's inspire you to wake up smiling on the first working day of the week. And the rest of it, for that matter. Plus you can't wait what surprise they are cooking up on Saturday.

10 You dream, no, you TRULY BELIEVE that Maine and Alden will live happily ever after in real life.

How many points did you get? I checked six out of ten. Geesh! Time to get a life.... :-)

A Princess Named Lea

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 19:51:00 +0000

No, not that Princess Leia of the Star Wars saga. I’m talking about Lea Salonga, the Philippines’ pambato in the international music scene.

A lot of accolades have been said about her--and they are all well-deserved, of course. I won’t enumerate all of them here because the list is long. Besides, Mr. Google can give a biography of Lea more accurately, lest I be accused of copy-pasting. Please allow me to mention here some highlights of her extraordinary career that made a personal impression on me.

1. She made a breakthrough in the international scene in 1989 when she was chosen, among the many hopefuls around the world, as the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. At a young age of 18, she enthralled audiences in the West End with her pure, crystal clear, magical voice. In 1989, Lea won the Laurence Olivier Award for her role in the musical. She would reprise the role of Kim in Broadway, winning the Tony, and other prestigious awards in the US.

From Youtube

I must have mentioned sometime in my blog that I was part of the UP Concert Chorus who toured the world in 1990. London was part of our itinerary, and luckily, we were able to watch Miss Saigon with Lea playing Kim at that time. After the show, all the Korus members wanted to be Kim. Scratch that. All of us wanted to be Lea. Getting out of the theater, we held our heads higher after seeing her perform. We felt prouder to be Filipinos.

Me, (third from the left), with the 1990 UPCC Members at West End, London.

Bonus: Lea was kind enough to meet us back stage after her performance.

Photo by Lionel Guico

Of course, after watching the play, we jammed by singing the Miss Saigon libretta in between our UPCC practices and concerts. We learned the songs by heart. Needless to say, some of our members were so inspired by Lea’s success that later on, some of my UPCC friends became part of the Miss Saigon cast when it was brought in other countries.

Oh, and they celebrated their 25th Anniversary last year, and the original cast was there to recall the feelings..and jeez, the kisses!

From Youtube

2. In between Miss Saigon, she lent her singing voices to lovable characters, most notably, Princess Jasmine and Mulan. Correct me if I’m wrong, I think that she is the only performer who had sung as two different Disney characters.

When Lea became Princess Jasmine, I was already starting a family. I sang “A Whole New World” over and over again to my first born daughter. When Lea became Mulan, Issa was already three years old, and it was my daughter’s turn to sing the Reflection song repeatedly. Even my daughter wanted to be Lea!

Just last night, I watched on the internet how Lea and Brad Kane reunited to sing A Whole New World again.Yup, twenty-three years may have passed, but I will never get tired of listening to Lea's version of this song.

From Youtube

Sorry for ramming this to your throats, but hey, don't you want to see the young Lea and Brad when they first recorded this?

3. In my humble opinion, her performance at the 10^th Anniversary of Les Miserables as Eponine was the best ever. Sorry, maybe I’m being biased here. But I get teary-eyed everytime I see these clips on Youtube. Everytime.

She first made the Filipinos proud more than 25 years ago. And she is still at it, mga kababayan. Our Lea is continuing to shine in a role written for her in a new musical called Allegiance. Thanks to Youtube, we can take a glimpse of how glorious a performer she still is.

Kim, Princess Jasmine, Mulan, Eponine, Fantine, Cinderella…the list is dizzying. Now can you blame me if I call her Princess Lea?

Two Heartbreaks on a Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 17:10:00 +0000

Let it be said that October 3, 2015 was the day when my heart got broken twice.

First was when the UP Pep Squad was declared 2nd Runner up in the recently concluded UAAP Cheer Dancing Competition.

I was already squirmish when I heard they were opening the event. More often than not, the first contender doesn't win--unless, of course, you do something extraordinary that can be remembered until all the participants have performed. And boy, did UP deliver more than what I expected. They were almost perfect in their pyramids. Their dance routine was snappy, cool, in unison. The music was apt to their theme, Utak at Puso (UP, in case you missed that). By the end of their performance, when the electrically amplified UP Naming Mahal reverberated in the air, I had goosebumps creeping up my arms. And when they formed the human heart, I was teary-eyed. I was proud to have been an Iska. I was proud to be Pinoy. Where in the world can you find a cheer dance performance that could pull all those emotions?

But Lady Luck (or should I say the Cook?) looked another way. I'm not often bitter about losing. I see logic and reason when my bet doesn't bag the prize. But for heaven's sake, let's all be honest here, what did the judges see in the others that they didn't see in UP's stunt?

In the end, we know that every UP's performance in the Cheer Dancing Competition always sets the benchmark. Inaabangan. Hinahangaan. Pinag-iisipan. 'Nuf said.

The second heartbreak came later at night when Gilas Pilipinas bowed down to China at the 2015 FIBA Asian Championship. Honestly, I was prepared for the worst---biased officiating, noisy homecourt crowd, young fresh-legged giant Chinese players. But what the...? Forgetting to charge the electric bus they were assigned to ride to the game? Tickets were not available to the assistant coaches? Fixing the net during their warm-up practice? I didn't know China was that insecure! If that was not sabotage, then I don't know how you might call it. The Gilas was already at a clear disadvantage, but the organizers made sure that our team would be psychologically damaged even before the game started.

But Gilas Pilipinas fought valiantly just the same. Again, they played with this thing called Puso, and the whole Philippines is proud of them!

Photo from FIBA

Bitter na kung bitter. But two heartbreaks in a day? Isn't that too much for an old hag to bear? Hay, buti na lang may Kalyeserye sa Lunes.

A Revelation of a Secret ALDUB Fan

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 07:56:00 +0000

Should I tell or should I not?

After more than a year of hiatus in writing for my blog, (the main reason was because of basher-phobia--yup, my unknown blog this side of the earth received a few hate comments, thus, the temporary retirement from blogspot), I am once again sharing my humble opinion to the blog world. And all because of this thing called Kalyeserye.

Opo. Ako po ay isang ALDUB fan.

Screen grab from Youtube

It has been a secret I have only revealed to my immediate family. And all of their reactions kind of scream to me how bakya I am for being one. As a backgrounder, please know that I don’t have a habit of watching TV. I have already accepted to myself that I could live without a TV in the house. But after I saw the video of how Yaya Dub fainted in one of their episodes on the internet, I got curious. The fainting looked real. I started digging on Youtube. Unexpectedly, I got hooked.

Even my sister Ben, after I told her I am gaga over ALDUB, jokingly told me, “Ate, nilagay kita sa pedestal…pero bakeeet?” Of course, I know the reasons. Allow me to count the ways.

1. Maine Mendoza a.k.a. Yaya Dub is a breath of fresh air. She is not your usual pa-cutie pie-star-wannabe. She is not afraid to contort her face, show her molars, and act silly in front of the camera and a live audience on the street. She has real comedic timing. I’m often surprised to see her react spontaneously to the feeds of her veteran counterparts, Wally Bayola, Jose Manalo, and Paolo Ballesteros. ALDUB would not have been big if the camera hadn’t caught her raw kilig reaction when she saw her crush, Alden Richards, on July 16, 2015 2:47 p.m., (naks, memorize—e fan nga e!)

Screen grab from Youtube

Suddenly, Yaya Dub became the reflection of every ordinary woman in the planet--for how could a poor nanny be noticed by a popular, good-looking TV star? Whether you are a young student who has longed for your crush to notice you, or a middle-aged married woman (eherm!) who has forgotten how your first love felt, or especially if you are a real yaya who have been told by your amo that it is a taboo to fall in love, we all have our insecurities in our being loved as we are. Yaya Dub shows us that we can find our ideal soul mate even if we are lowly and humble in status, even if we are not a beauty queen in stature, and more importantly, even if our real voice cannot be heard by the society.

2. Alden Richards is gwapo, which is a given, for probably Maine would not have a crush on him if he were not. But what is unique about him is that he is also a real good boy, a genuine gentleman, if you please, and it oozes out in the way he interacts with Yaya Dub. His clean-cut good looks match his ability to shed tears on cue. It may have been acting on his part at first, but in the latter part of the Kalyeserye episodes, his reactions have become more and more spontaneous and natural. In fact, he was overwhelmed by his emotions and cried buckets when he sang Lola Nidora's requested harana song God Gave Me You last Saturday. Tinamaan na rin nga, sabi nila!

Screen grab from Youtube

Come to think of it, Yaya Dub could have chosen another fetching celebrity guy to have a crush on, and maybe the result could have been phenomenal too. But Alden’s personality matched the Tisoy Prince Charming any Pinay Cinderella dreams of—handsome, respectful, and a true-blue gentleman. So it was a match MaiDen heaven. (Eep! Sorry, I had to squeeze that in!)

3. The formidable support of the Eat Bulaga cast and crew, especially Wally, Jose, and Paolo made the skit credible, most especially Wally a.k.a. Lola Nidora. Wally’s comedic instincts have given meat and bones to this Aldub Kalyeserye. The Dubsmash portions sometimes become repetitive, but the hilarious antics and side comments of the three veterans made every day unpredictably funny.

Screen grab from Youtube

Not to nitpick though, I find the side comments of Joey de Leon sometimes border on double meaning, which is quite off-putting. I must admit that he is a genius in the play of words, after all it has been said that he coined the show’s name Eat Bulaga, and has penned a lot of classic Pinoy pop songs. But still, with the portion’s take on Filipino good manners and right conduct, his hirits are sometimes out-of-place.

4. The traditional Filipino values that the show wants to impart, especially to the Digital Babies, is really the star of the show. I think that it was just an accident that they discovered a gold mine in injecting good pangaral, and so they rode on the netizen’s wave of approval. Old practices such as pagmamano, saying po and opo, no touch, dressing appropriately made it more justified for the fans to be giddily addicted to the Kalyeserye. At the end of 2:00 from Monday to Saturday, we have laughed, have felt kilig, and have learned a lesson or two from Lola Nidora.

Screen grab from Youtube

To those who have not experienced ALDUB, sabi nga ng friend kong si Atty. Noriz, “try mo lang. Promise, masaya, record-breaking.” (We're talking to you, Lowell!) I’ve heard of a lot of sossy people being hooked secretly and not so secretly--Chuvaness, Daphne O, and did I see Patty Betita in the audience last Saturday? It just goes to show that the theme of innocent love and Filipino values transcend all economic and intellectual status. Sometimes, these comedic breaks, (kababawan to those who are clueless to all the hype, di ba, Ms. Lea?), may be the elixir we need from the political toxicity we encounter in the media everyday.

A flash in the pan? It might be. Ang mahalaga, napapatawa at naaaliw nila ako ngayon. This has brought happiness to my mundane existence, and surely to the millions of ALDUB fans out there. After all, 25.6 million tweets on September 26 don’t tell a lie, right? Hindi pa nga ako nagtu-tweet nyan!

And for good vibes, let's listen to the song Jimmy Bondoc composed for ALDUB entitled "Yaya".

P.S. Fresh from a "loud and proud" fan. If you are clueless and want to catch up with this craziness, watch this short video about this phenomenon made by Cosmopolitan Magazine. Three minutes lang 'to, sige na!

Mindanao Adventure Day 5: Goodbye, Plantation Bay; Hello, Cebu!

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 15:30:00 +0000

Rise and shine, Momma!

While their mother hen was still cooped up in that four-poster bed, the rooster and the chick were up and about ready to explore Plantation Bay. Photo by MDPahed

Photo by MDPahed

Nathan was able to do almost all activities there were.

Photo by MDPahed

Oh, to be young!

And his mom and titas? Well, we just decided to stay inside our room all morning. What a waste, you may say. But what happened in the three hours we were inside Room 214 was the most precious and intimate time we spent on this trip. We laughed so hard we were literally tumbling on the floor. We danced and gyrated our hips to happy tunes. We sang corny, sentimental songs. Yes, we cried so hard too.

Photo by EAPalanca

After those psychotic moments (and yes, we had a recording to prove it, but no, it's for our eyes only!), we finally got to our senses, and decided to walk around the resort.

Photo by BACacnio

Plantation Bay has a lot of pools that we never even swam in. Sige, pictures na lang.

Photo by EAPalanca

Photo by BACacnio

We went to their computer room and checked out our rafting pictures. Then, the little, old girls saw bikes parked outside. They hopped on with glee.

Photo by BACAcnio

Cecilie and I were left behind so we chose to prepare our things for checking out. But first, some more photo ops.

Photo by BACacnio

The others soon followed suit.

Photo by EAPalanca

I requested for a late check-out from the hotel staff, and they graciously acquiesced. They gave us until 1:00 p.m. to linger at our suite. We spent our extra time wisely. We ate Magnum ice cream together.

Photo by EAPalanca

Meanwhile, Nathan was still busy doing all the activities in the resort. Parang gusto nang magpaiwan!

At 12:45 p.m., the staff went to our suite for the Express Check out. Again, we didn't need to go to the front desk to settle our final bill. A cart picked us up to bring us to the lobby.

Photo by EAPalanca

Photo by BACacnio

Cecilie's flight to Manila was at 3:00 p.m, so she had to go to Mactan International Airport earlier. A Plantation Resort car brought her there. As for the rest of us, we had our rented van waiting for us for a short Cebu City tour.

Goodbye for now, Tet! Photo by MDPahed

Goodbye, Plantation Bay.

Photo by MDPahed

Thanks for the wonderful service and facilities...

Photo by MDPahed

...and for the coffee book too!

Photo by BACacnio

Checking out was a breeze, but I still had one more problem left. This group was craving for the famous Cebu lechon. I called CNT at around 11:00 in the morning, and they said that there was no more lechon left in all their branches. Our driver then suggested Rico's, so I called them up. Luckily, they still had stocks to serve us for a late lunch (at 2:00 p.m.) plus a few kilos more to be brought home to Manila.

Photo by BACacnio

We had just a few hours left to go around the city, before their flight at 11:00 p.m. to Manila. First, we visited Mactan Cross. It was not in a good state at the moment, unfortunately. It was under reconstruction.

Photo by MDPahed

Photo by EAPalanca

Even the Basilica del Sto. Nino was also under construction. The church belfry was destroyed by the strong earthquake last year..

Photo by MDPahed

People flock to Sto. Nino just the same. Cebuanos are greatly devoted to the baby Jesus.

Photo by MDPahed

Masses are not held inside the church, but here at the open space.

Photo by EAPalanca

Photo by MDPahed

Devotees also light a candle or two to pray for their personal wishes.

Photo by MDPahed

Photo by EAPalanca

At this point, this was the end of the road for me. I had to attend my daughter's activity, and I couldn't bring them to the airport anymore. They brought me to my house first, then I suggested that they proceed to Shangri-la Mactan before finally going to the airport, which they did.

Photo by MDPahed

So how do I sum up my short week-long rendezvous with my very good friends? If I may choose some words to describe this week--amazing, unbelievable, unforgettable. But honestly, there are no exact words to describe the trip we had.

They say good friends don't say goodbye, they just say, "See you soon". Although it still breaks my heart a little to say see you soon, my dear Premz, I'm still happy I was able to meet you all again. So what do you say, let's meet after......???

Definitely, not THE END.

Mindanao Adventure Day 4 Group 2: Plantation Bay Resort, Cebu + Sutukil

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:30:00 +0000

While the Iligan Group was still on their last leg of the Amazing, Fearless, Survival Trip, the Cebu Group was experiencing a pleasant luxurious downtime.

Welcome to Cebu!

Photo by MDPahed

Photo by EAPalanca

Our next destination was Plantation Bay Cebu. Upon arriving at the Mactan International Airport, there was a rep from the resort who met us and led us to our complimentary ride going to the resort.

Our accommodation was the Riverboat Suite. It's kind of pricey, for they charged us in dollars, but it was so worth it. A special welcome exclusive to guests of the only two suites at Plantation Bay were accorded to us. They drove us to our suite directly, gave us the Express Check-in, and the registration was done right in our cottage. Three lovely staff were already waiting there in front of the cottage to greet us. They hanged a puka necklace around our necks, and gave us a cold towel each. Shucks, we felt special at once.

Photo by CDRamos

There were a lot of free goodies for us which included a tray of miniature cakes, dried mangoes, snacks, canned juices, and complimentary bottled water. Plus a personal welcome note!

Photo by BACacnio

We were just so excited to relax and unwind!

Photo by CDRAmos

Photo by CDRamos

Photo by EAPalanca

We wanted to explore the place and get acquainted with it, so we requested for a golf cart tour around Plantation Bay, and they happily obliged.

Photo by MDPahed

We saw this lechon being cooked in a pit, but we wondered why it was sunog. Our tour guide said it's the unique recipe style of Plantation Bay, which they call Black Lechon. We asked him if we could try it, but of course, he said no, because he said this would be the highlight of their Luau Buffet later in the evening. Baka lang naman lumusot at bigyan kami! Hehehe!

Photo by MDPahed

There were a lot of activities we could do there (aside from enjoying their man-made beaches), like archery, kayaking, biking, and even internet surfing. I realized one day may not be enough to fully enjoy the resort.

It was not peak season, so we had the place almost all to ourselves. There was this cute private sunbathing corner in front of our cottage, exclusive for the Riverboat Suite guests, or so we thought. Later, a group of Korean tourists tried to occupy OUR corner...but we shooed them away ....NOT! They just realized that it wasn't their turf so after a few minutes, they packed up and left. Or probably they felt Maer's dagger looks on them? Hahaha!

Photo by EAPalanca

We saw that it was a little bit cloudy, and it might rain in a while, so we decided to hit the pools at once. Let's go for a swim!!

Photo by MDPahed

We bought an inflatable beach ball and a frisbee and tried to play catch. After a few minutes, it rained, so we sought shelter under one of the caves in the pool, because, you know, we didn't want to get wet. Hahaha! While supposedly waiting for the rain to stop, we just ended up just telling stories and catching up on our lives. In other words, nagtsismisan lang pala sa pool!

It was Nathan who was able to enjoy the pool the most.

Photo by MDPahed

He was even able to explore the beach.

Photo by MDPahed

And the oldies? Well, they went back to the cottage to make more chikas!

Photo by MDPahed

Preparing for dinner. We heard that it's Luau night for Plantation Bay's dinner buffet. We would have wanted to eat there, with all the Hawaiian dancers entertaining the guests and all, but I promised my Premz I would bring them to the island's famed SuTuKil (SUgba, TinUla, KiniLaw) near the Lapulapu Shrine in Mactan.

Photo by MDPahed

You know they are your best friends when you can't stop laughing,

even if they are not saying anything coherent...

Photo by MDPahed

Okay, one more pose, Rhod, because we are already starving!!!

Photo by MDPahed

We hired another van from outside to bring us around Mactan (no more free ride from Plantation--abuso na yun!) There was a little traffic going to the Sutukil area, which made us more gigil to eat seafoods. When we reached the place, there were a lot of "callers" from the different restaurants there. One even said they were featured on Kris TV. I got confused with all the sales pitch, so I just chose the first big carinderia we saw.

Photo by MDPahed

We had to choose first from the fresh goods laid in the front of the restaurant, and then request how we wanted the food cooked.

Photo by MDPahed

Magkano po? Wala nang tawad?

Photo by MDPahed

Don't expect a fancy restaurant setting when in Sutukil. People flock here for the fresh, mouthwatering food. Period.

Photo by MDPahed

We ordered tinolang shellfish, crabs and shrimps in garlic sauce...

Photo by MDPahed

Steamed lapulapu in soy sauce...

Photo by MDPahed

...and sinugbang pork belly, which suddenly disappeared right after it was served. It was so good that they ordered for a second round of it again! For a total of around P4,000, we were so happy with our meal! Oh, thanks to my kababayan friends, Clara, Cecilie, Edna, and Melizza and Rhod for paying for our dinner. Whew, ligtas tayo, Maer!

The Sutukil line of restaurants is just a stone's throw away from the Lapulapu's Monument. Melizza's son, Nathan, had a project in his school about explorers of the world. Now this was the right chance for him to know about Magellan and Lapulapu, and discover a little bit about Philippine history.

Photo by MDPahed

That amazing, huh? Photo by MDPahed

We bought some food and drinks for the next day's breakfast from the nearby Mactan Newtown Center. When we arrived back at the resort, we had a few cocktails and talked some more till dawn.

Photo by EAPalanca

We really couldn't get enough of one another.

To be continued...(Last episode na, pramis!)

Mindanao Adventure Day 4 Group 2: Goodbye, Dahilayan

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Today was a gorgeous day to wake up in Dahilayan!

Regrettably, there were a lot of activities in Dahilayan we missed because of the rain yesterday: the All-terrain Vehicle, Buggy Ride, Dropzone, Trampolines, Flying Lizards, etc. etc. Perhaps an extra day (and a few thousand bucks more!) could have helped satiate our thirst for outdoor activities. Oh, well.

Since our flight from Laguindingan Airport, CDO is still at 1:00 p.m., we lingered at the Forest Park some more to explore the nooks were weren't able to see yesterday.

Photo by MDPahed

"Nothing compares to the stomachache you get

from laughing with your best friends..."

Okay, Rhod wants to go, girls!

Before going to the airport, we passed by the First Rafting Pioneer to get the CD copies of our white water rafting adventure, then to Vjandep Store to get some pasalubongs.

At around 10:00, we were at the airport checking in for our Cebu Pacific flight to Cebu...

And then there were eight.

To be continued...

Mindanao Adventure Day 4 Group 1: Tinago Falls, Iligan

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Group 1 had to set off early. They had a four-hour trip ahead of them. (Note: Since I was not there with this group, I asked them to give me some anecdotes on what they recall about their trip. At heto ang kwento nila!)

Osang: On the way there we even stopped for a breakfast break...

Photo by TCHashiba

...tapos we saw this trike naaliw kami so super pictorial ulit! Sa province pala di wifi zone, kundi paipai zone!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Photo by AAMaruyama

Osang: Yung mga binaon namin for lunch on the way to the falls were just bought along the sidestreet, lechon, 3 kinds of fish, seaweeds, chicharon, kanin na nakabalot parang suman (Note to Osang: It's called 'puso')...

At last, they reached their destination: Tinago Falls, Iligan.

Photo by AAMaruyama

Tinago Falls is located in a deep ravine that plunges 240 feet (73 m) hight from a cliff. Tinago in Filipino, means "hidden", aptly named because one has to trek approximately 500 steps built in a winding staircase.

Photos by TCHashiba

Midette: Going down the steps was easy. But going up...??

But of course, it was all worth it!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Photo by RLEncarnacion

Let me share you the Legend of Tinago Falls:

A long time ago, there lived a certain Sultan Agok and his wife who were appointed as king and queen by the people in the village. They later on became selfish and too proud of themselves.

Photo by AAMaruyama

It happened that they wished to have a child that would inherit their wealth, and soon, the Sultan's wife became pregnant.

Photo by AAMaruyama

One day, an old beggar, who was really a disguised enchantress, came to them for help. The couple ignored and rejected her. The enchantress got angry and cursed them that their baby will be as ugly as their character.

Photo by AAMaruyama

And so it became true that their baby was born very ugly. The couple, remembering the beggar's curse, became sad. They hid the baby in a cave to keep her from the prying eyes of the people. They named her Tin-ag, which means "hidden face".

When Tin-ag became older, she tried to go out the cave and saw the beauty of the outside world. However, she saw a person outside her cave, and she immediately hid from her. Little did she know that it was the enchantress she saw. Out of pity, the enchantress told her not to despair and offered her a chance to be turned into something of great beauty and splendor. Tin-ag chose to be a waterfall since she always wept alone in the cave. The enchantress granted her wish--Tin-ag is now the amazing Tinago Falls we see today--The Hidden Beauty.

Photo by AAMaruyama

Baby: Basta ako ang natatandaan ko nun time na yun, marami akong PA sa puzzle kong bathing suit....dun na rin ako sa falls naghubad,nakitaan at nag suot ng bathing suit...in other words galit na ang director at ang mga PA! Hahaha!"

Anesa: Wala lang kasing gunting eh... Guguntingin na din sana ni Osang!

Osang: Ay ayan yung bathing suit ni Baby Mina na di nya alam paano suotin! 48 years tayo dyan ha! Sabi ko nga, pack up na!! Pahirap ang costume ng supporting actress!

Photos by AAMAruyama

Photo by AAMaruyama

Teresa: Pagdating sa baba kainan muna bago maligo!! Sarap!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Osang: We had lunch facing the falls, sayang talaga kasi tamang madali kami! Di ko tuloy nanguya nang husto ang kinain ko te!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Grace: Ang tamis ng pinya pero si Anne, nangangasim. Hahaha!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Osang:...just by paying 10pesos each we got to go nearer the falls using a bamboo raft...

Midette: Amazing yun, when we we were on a  bamboo raft, with the help of locals who took us near the falls... as what they say it was majestic..the place was really peaceful.

Photo by AAMaruyama

Midette: You can really stay there the whole day without noticing the time..

Photo by AAMaruyama

Dorie: Si Baby bumawi nung nasa tubig kami--after tayo pahirapan ng bathing suit nya! Hahaha

Photo by AAMaruyama

Midette: It's deep mga 65 feet lang naman! You can go diving...we we're amazed dahil yung guide namin can go up the rocks and dive...I sometimes wonder, sana I tried diving too...

Midette: We took a bath and dressed up in less than 5 min each, parang girl scout..

Anesa: Ang ligo namin di ligo buhos lang... tulo tulo pa ang buhok amazing race talaga!

Osang: ...'yung papanhik ang matindi, sis...pagod kami and even if the adrenalin was high because we were rushing to the airport, ang mga katawang lupa na namin ang umaangal..."

Teresa: Pag akyat sa hagdan, nangangatog mga tuhod.. Hahahahah at hingal na hingal:))

Anne: I remember telling the lady who was in the reception sa falls, na i-insist nila na delikado sa mga may heart problem ang paakyat. Talagang hihingalin ka, I had my head spinning. Tapos sinabihan ko rin sya na gawan nila ng paraan na alisin agad yung punong nakaharang sa stairs kase pwedeng magkaaksidente doon. Ay ang taray no?

Midette: On our way to the airport--tulog uli kami...pagod at busog...

Osang: Roughly about 2 hrs travel time from Tinago Falls to Laguindingan airport....Galit galit na kami, te! Kanya kanya na kaming tulugan. Actually I saw Tere in that condition so tawang tawa ako pero naawa naman ako kung kukunan ko ng stolen shots ng nag iisa sya--so dinamayan ko, te!

Grace: Kinaya natin ang challenge ni Midette! We survived! Hahaha! Umabot tayo sa flight natin back to Manila!

Osang: Wala nang tulugan....wala pang liguan!

Anesa: Basta alam ko di kami late hehehe naka pag donuts pa and coffee... relaxs na lang kami...

Photo by RLEncarnacion

Osang: May extra 30 mins pa kami sis....mga before 2pm ata, memory gap! Basta nagcoffee pa kami dunkin donuts e, may yosi break pa!

Photo by RLEncarnacion

Dorie: Please help me, di pa ako maka-move on!

Photo by RLEncarnacion

"The best things in life are free:

hugs, smiles, friends, kisses, family,

sleep, love, laughter, good memories."

To be continued (in Cebu)...

P.S. Lost and Found: The mysterious shorts!

Mindanao Adventure Day 3 Part 3: Cowboy night and Scooby Doo in Dahilayan

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 15:00:00 +0000

Howdy, Pardners! The night has caught up on our tired legs and hungry tummy. It's time to eat like cowboys! All in checkered outfits? Check!

It was a plated meal of fish fillet, plus side dishes of calamares, beef stew, and sinigang for the night. Thanks to the sponsors: Clara, Edna, Melizza and Rhod.

The Presidential Table. When the others started clinking their glasses with their forks, Rhod wiped his mouth with a tissue at once and kissed the red-faced Melizza. Nahiya pa raw! Nathan was so amused!

Napasayaw tuloy ang bata!

Time to pack up...

...and share sweet smiles to everyone...

Osang sequestered Doc Gen's PJs. Parang awa mo na, kapatid, alagaan mo si Iskoobi!

Scooby went around....

...to spread some warm huggies...

...and wind-blown kisses too!

Take me with you, Claring!

It was our last night together as an 18-person group. Tomorrow, half of us are going to Iligan, then back to Manila. The other half are going to Cebu for one more night.

For some of us, this is goodbye, at least for now...

Photo by MDPahed

Goodnight, Dahilayan!

To be continued...

Mindanao Adventure Day 3 Part 2: Dahilayan Zipline, Zorbit, and the Luge

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 09:30:00 +0000

Oh, no! After eating our brunch, the rain started pouring...hard! Nathan had been raring to do the rides after he had surveyed the place, even to the point of not wanting to eat brunch anymore. We told him to wait until after eating, but then it rained. I was so afraid we would be cooped inside our room for the rest of our stay in Dahilayan. I was sad, especially for Nathan. The boys waited for the rain to stop by playing pool.

Photo by MDPahed

I guess the rain was a blessing in disguise because we were forced to take a nap for a while. At around 2 p.m., it subsided a little bit. Melizza woke us up to tell us they had done one round of Luge. Nathan (or was it Rhod?) wanted us to ride with him. Bangon na, mga Tita!

The game is on! Photo by MDPahed

First stop: Zip Zone at Dahilayan Adventure Park. This amenity is not part of the Dahilayan Forest Park. We had to walk a few steps outside to reach the ticketing booth.

Claimed as Asia's longest dual Zipline, there were three lines to be had at the Zip Zone. From a launch point at 4,700 feet above sea level, and at a possible speed of 90 kph, zooming through the lush greenery and the river below, this would be an adventure of a lifetime for any one.

We had three options:

a) The 320+150m zipline costs Php250. It's a dual line and to tell you frankly, it's kind of bitin just to ride this one. But if one is scared of heights, then this is a good start to conquer one's acrophobia.

b) The 840-m zipline costs Php500. It's fierce, it's high, and it's scream-inducing. So this was the one we were excited to ride.

c) We decided to try both, the All Zip Ride, which cost Php600. That's a sweet deal if you ask me.

Off to the harness station!

The Li'l Girl with Tim's shoes

Say Premz!

Now for the 840-m zipline. Full safety gears are provided by the staff.

Photo by MDPahed

Already in full flying gear, we had to be brought to the launching place at the top of the mountain.

Photo by MDPahed

However, Nathan was not allowed to take the 840-m zipline because of his age. He was left behind with Levi. Awww!

Photo by MDPahed

I regretted not to have brought a camera at the top of the mountain. Next time na talaga!

Photo by MDPahed

Rhod and Mel looked like they could hold hands up there.

Photo by MDPahed

It was too foggy to see the trees, river and the ravine I was breezing through.

Photo by MDPahed

Grabe! Nakuha pang magpa-kyut!

Photo by CVMejino

We had a grand time despite the fog!

Photo by MDPahed

The family that ziplines together...

Photo by MDPahed

The other group skipped the zipline because they said they had done it in Ilocos. So they proceeded to the Luge instead. They had to buy raincoats because it was drizzling at that time. Ay, mga takot sa ulan?

Photo by AAMaruyama

The Forest Park Luge is the first and only (?) mountain luge in the Philippines.

Photo by MDPahed

It was easy to maneuver the go-cart/ sled ride---just move the lever up to move forward, and bring it down to control the speed--and gravity will do the rest for you.

Photo by AAMaruyama

Ambilis, parang mga Power Rangers lang!

Photo by AAMaruyama

The Php600 we paid for the Forest Park Luge gave us two rounds to ride it. We had to be brought up twice. Kaso, heto namang grupong ito, nasiraan....hindi nakayanan dahil sa bigat n'yo?

Photo by AAMaruyama

It's our turn!

Photo by MDPahed

The Paheds were given an extra free round by the Luge people, since there were no other people around. But Nathan was still asking why he wasn't given an extra--he lost count that he just finished his third!

Photo by MDPahed

One happy kid! Photo by MDPahed

If you ride the Luge, you will be allowed to play a free mini-golf game at the Forest Putt. Some of us teed until sunset.

Photo by AAMaruyama

And now, the Astrozorbit. I can't, for the life of me, understand why normal people would pay to be strapped inside this huge rubber inflatable ball, and be pushed downhill. But I guess these girls were not normal, crazy even--they knew no fear, or vertigo, or motion sickness. All for the spirit of fun!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Ang gaganda pa ng mga smile nila rito! (Pardon the kuya at the background)

Photo by AAMaruyama

Mga ka-tribo, talian na sila!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Paalala lang po: Bawal ang sumuka sa loob ng bola!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Si Tere, naging soprano! Pero si Doc Dorie, parang wala lang! (At umulit pa!)

Photo by AAMaruyama

Pikit lang, GenT!

Ay, hwag pala! Photo by AAMaruyama

At itinulak na nga sila...

Photo by AAMaruyama

Going...

Photo by AAMaruyama

Going...

Photo by AAMaruyama

Gone! O, di hilo!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Makakain pa kaya sila mamaya?

Abangan...

Mindanao Adventure Day 3 Part 1: Dahilayan Forest Park

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 02:00:00 +0000

I can't believe that we were still alive on our 3rd day. We probably got our adrenaline juices from one another, for when one felt a little enervated, another person would make some funny hirits.

Checking out from Paras Beach Resort at 4:30 a.m. was a breeze. The hired vans took us immediately back to Benoni Port, and we were able to take the 5:30 a.m. trip. to Balingoan Port.

After another hour on the ferry, we were at Balingoan again. We were able to ride our SLT Vans immediately. I heard the drivers spent the night there at Balingoan Port to wait for us.

Another van ride, this time going to Dahilayan

The trip from Balingoan to Dahilayan was at least two hours. On our way to Dahilayan Forest Park, Melizza had to see the brother of her friend in the U.S. to pass on to him some gift. He is the Head of Security of Del Monte Plantation, so Melizza (and therefore, we) was given two boxes of sweet, sweet Del Monte pineapples. Woohoo! (Naku, andaming kwento ng mga pinyang ito!)

Thanks, Sir!

Dahilayan Forest Park is chock-full of wonderful outdoor activities kids of all ages can enjoy. It is located at the foot of Mt. Kitanglad, 4,700 feet above sea level, in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

I have been there before when the hubby had their own college reunion, and I enjoyed the place immensely. I was sure that my good ol' high school friends would find the place exciting too.

We arrived the place at around 9:00 a.m.

I was just a little disappointed when I checked in for our group because they seemed to not know of my two-month-old reservation. They had corresponded to me through Facebook and text messages, acknowledging the scanned deposit slip I sent them, but when I reached the place, they were still looking for the hard copy of my deposit slip! How could I have had a booking if I hadn't deposited a down payment, I asked the front desk clerk! Good thing I brought all the documents with me. Even when I was trying to call their number on our way to Dahilayan to inform them of our arrival, their number couldn't be reached. Their reservation system and front desk were not well-coordinated. Actually, among all the accommodations I arranged for this trip, it was Dahilayan Forest Park that was the hardest to contact. That was my only beef with them. I hope this can be improved. Yun lang powz.

Anyways, the girls have already settled in the room before I could even finish registration. We got Forest Park's Barkadahan Room which can accommodate a maximum of 30 people at Php500/person. It was spacious and clean, and had two separate T&B's. Were just 15, so we all fitted in just fine.

The Paheds were assigned in the Standard Room (Php2,800 good for 3 pax).

We went to their restaurant for some much needed breakfast.

The view was spectacular and we couldn't help but take loads of group pics.

Looking forward to a day filled with extreme activities ahead. We still had a long day to go.

To be continued...

Mindanao Adventure Day 2 Part 4: Luau Dinner at Paras

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 15:30:00 +0000

It was a luau-themed party this time. Sabi pa ng isa sa amin, laua /la-woo-ah/ party na!

I know it's kind of cliche to adopt this never-dying theme, but hey florals still make us feel feminine and beautiful. So here we are. Osang even went all out and bought leis for everyone in Divisoria, while Cecilie brought frangipanis from New Zealand. (If you don't know what frangipanis are, then do what I did when Cecilie asked me if the girls would want her to bring some--google the word!)

The godmothers for this dinner were: Midette, Baby Rose, Dorie, and Anne. After that long day of touring Camiguin, we were looking forward to having a sumptuous dinner.

The fairy godmothers of the night Photo by MMMina

Isn't it more fun to eat with flowers in your hair? Teka, GenT, 'san ang frangipani mo?

Photo by MMMina

Even the Pahed boys gamely followed our motifs. Lookit Nathan's awesome necklace!

Photo by MMMina

Photo by MMMina

The food we ordered was their set menu at Php350/person. (Total was Php6,300). I felt there was not enough food served. Medyo bitin. Anong masasabi mo, Osang?

Photo by RLEncarnacion

As I mentioned at the start of my Day 2 Part 1 post when we were on a ferry to Camiguin, it was our Mama Nes' birthday. Anne had the idea of surprising her with a birthday cake (and she paid for it too!), so I surreptitiously ordered a chocolate cake from Paras.

After dinner, the lights suddenly went out, and the Paras staff went out bringing a cake singing "Happy birthday to you..." Syempre, touched to the max ang lola!

Photo by MMMina

Photo by EAPalanca

There was a nice stage set-up for the night at the restaurant. It seemed like it was magically designed and lain out just for us.

Photo by MMMina

Photo by EAPalanca

Photo by MMMina

Yan na ba ang pinak-wacky n'yo, Cecilie at Cecile? Bakit 'di n'yo gayahin si Levi? Toink!!!

Photo by MMMina

The night was capped by a relaxing massage for each one of us. Cecile volunteered to treat us this time. (Aah...to have such generous friends!) Five masseurs were arranged by Paras to give us room service rubdowns (at P400@). We were snoring in no time as soon as the healing hands touched our aching backs.

Just as well, for we were setting off for another long adventure the next day at 5:00 a.m.

To be continued...

Mindanao Adventure Day 2 Part 3: Camiguin Island Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Photo taken form the web

Camiguin is a trove of sight-seeing treasures indeed. Checking the map, one would need at least eight hours to needle through the different places on the island. Volcanoes, hot and cold springs and waterfalls abound the area, so one has to be swim-ready when taking the tour. That was our original plan, actually. However, Melizza and Midette insisted that we insert White Island in our itinerary, so we had to forego the other sites. And as you have seen in my previous post, we didn't have any regrets.

Coming back from White Island, we had a little time to freshen and dry ourselves up. But we hadn't eaten lunch yet, and all those photo shoots left all of us famished. The tour van arranged by Paras was ready for us. We were brought to Northern Lights for our lunch.

Photo from Northern Lights Facebook

Photo by AAMAruyama

This time, the meal ninangs were: Grace, Anesa, Tere, and Levi.

Photo by AAMaruyama

First stop was Katibawasan Falls. Entrance fee was P20.00 each.

Photo by MMMina

Photo by CDRamos

You may be wondering what was that round thing-y some of us were holding (and biting!). It's called kiping--a local delicacy made from pounded cassava, dried, and fried like a thin wafer. Then, upon buying one for P10, they slather it up with latik. Yum!

Photo by CDRamos

Katibawasan Falls cascades from the top at 250 feet down to a pool of cool waters with lush vegetation surrounding it.

Photo by MMMina

I thought the water was freezing cold when we dipped our feet in the pool.

Photo by EAPalanca

Photo by AAMaruyama

Photo by EAPalanca

Photo by CDRamos

But that didn't stop some of us from braving the cold temperature and plunging in the water. Ang tatapang, parang wala pang mga rayuma!

Photo by ARValmores

Photo by MMMina

Next stop was the Guiob Church Ruins. When Mt. Vulcan erupted in 1871, it spewed lava for four years, devastating the town of Catarman. What was left to remind the people of the wrath of the volcano was the remains of the 1697 church in Barangay Bonbon--the belfry, convent and its adobe walls.

Photo by EAPalanca

We saw Walkway to the Old Volcano and Stations of the Cross; and our driver asked if we wanted to go down. This place gets crowded during the Holy week as devotees go up the mountain to pray the Stations of the Cross. After finding out that it has more than 200 (?) or so steps, not to mention that it was already getting late, we decided to pass up. Maybe next time?

What we couldn't pass up was to view the White Cross at the Sunken Cemetery. It is a landmark in Camiguin to reminisce the hundreds of lives lost in the 1871-1875 eruption of Mt. Vulcan. The continuous lava swept the town and buried the cemetery in the sea. The White Cross was erected in 1982.

We heard that we could actually hire a boat to go to the White Cross. Unfortunately, we were pressed for time, so we could only take pictures with it from a distance.

Photo by MMMina

It was getting dark. Our bodies were aching from all that walking. The best way to cap our Camiguin tour was to soak in the hot springs of Ardent.

I couldn't believe that such a relaxing warm dip cost us only P30 each.

Photo by MMMina

We didn't want to leave the steamy water, but our tummies were rumbling. Besides, a luau birthday banquet was waiting for us at Paras.

To be continued...

Mindanao Adventure Day 2 Part 2: White Island, Camiguin

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 07:56:00 +0000

Aahh! The White Island of Camiguin.

Those who still have doubts in the beauty of the Philippines should take a peek at this wonder and spend even an hour there. Medan Island, more popularly known as the White Island, is a C-shaped sandbar located just 1.4 kilometers from Mambajao, Camiguin. Because the topography is composed of solely white sandy beach, no trees or plants can be found on the island. Thus, it has remained solitary and uninhabited, and thankfully, devoid of commercial establishments.

Paras Beach Resort arranged our boat ride going there. We paid P400/boat for the 10-minute ride to White Island. We were 18 people, so supposedly there should have been three boats to bring us there. However, my gripe was that there was only one boat made available for us, so some of us spent time waiting for the lone boat to bring the others to the island and go back again.

But of course, it was worth the wait. The island was heaven on earth.

The girls were just so happy to be there.

Because there was no shade or shack available, we were worried where we would leave our things. We found some Camiguin locals renting out beach umbrellas for P200 each, and got one (or did we get two?)

Photo by RLEncarnacion

Photo by AAMaruyama

There were some locals who sold sea urchins for Php50. Some of us were daring enough to try this uni.

Photo by BPCortina

Among all the beaches in our country I've been to, this was the closest to paradise I've ever seen. With its white sand, crystal clear sea, Mt. Hibok-hibok a mere two-kilometers away, and with no one selling you anything commercial or wanting to give you a henna tattoo or a braided dreadlock, this C-shaped sandbar is sure to make you forget the stressful city life.

Photo by AAMaruyama

Luckily for us, because we went there on a Monday, we had the island practically to ourselves. What else was there to do but to bask in the sun's glory and fantasize we were Sports Illustrated Models! Hahaha! Mga pretensiyosa! It was the quintessential photo shoot location for us, forty-sumthin' girls--a deserted picture-perfect island, with no prying eyes to judge our age. And bulges.

Let me introduce you my beautiful friends. (Warning: Skip if you haven't the guts to see hot mommas! It's my blog so beat it, haterz!)

Contestant No. 1: Midette. Businesswoman and housewife with one talented son and two adorable daughters. From PARANAQUE!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Contestant No. 2: Arlene aka Osang. Talented events organizer with three elementary Jap boys. Representing PARANAQUE!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Contestant No. 3: Teresa. Two kids and one grandson, Rikubibi. Can you believe she already has one apo? So what is YOUR excuse? From JAPAN!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Contestant No. 4: Mary Rose. Fulfilled (or so she claims!) housewife with three kids. From PARANAQUE!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Contestant No. 5: Anesa. Batch '84 President. Counting suitors. Three sons. From PASAY CITY!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Contestant No. 6: Rhodora. Professional dentist with two daughters. From QUEZON CITY!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Contestant No. 7: Cecilie. Manager with one son. Nakalimutan ang swim suit, pero carry na rin. From NEW ZEALAND!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Contestant No. 8: Melizza. Nagdala pa ng props! From the USA!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Contestant No. 9: Moi. Read my other posts for the statistics. 'Nuff said.

Photo by AAMaruyama

The other contestants were eliminated from the pictorials. Pang-group na lang daw sila. Hehehe!

Ay, may pahabol pa. Heto ang aming bouncer. Introducing the long lost daughter of Darius Razon--Grace Tee. Hehehe! Dentist ng barkada. The only thorn among the roses.

Photo by AAMaruyama

Ang gwapo, di ba? At gumamit pa ng Axe. Hayun, hinabol tuloy ng mga lola!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Seriously speaking, we were just too excited to capture our moments together. We swam, jumped, posed and frolicked in glee! Indulge my corniness as I also put in some words to describe our sisterhood.

Photo by AAMaruyama

At 12 noon, it was time for us to leave this Paradise. Hey, the day was not even done yet.

Photo by RLEncarnacion

Camiguin Island was still waiting for us to be discovered.

Photo by RLEncarnacion

Oh, it'd better be ready for us!

To be continued...

Mindanao Adventure Day 2 Part 1: Paras Beach Resort, Camiguin

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 01:00:00 +0000

On our way to Camiguin!

At 3:00 a.m., I thought all the girls were already at the lobby ready to check out. Anne Marie realized that two lolas and one lolo(?) were still left in their room. When she tried to ~~knock~~ bang on their door, that was the only time they woke up. And faster than you can say Camiguin, they were already dressed up and saying French words to everyone.

We were finally able to leave at 3:40 a.m. riding our hired vans. We had to set off at this unholy hour because we wanted to maximize our time in Camiguin. The trip from CDO to Balingoan Port was a little less than 2 hours, and we were aiming to ride the first ferry trip to the island. Luckily, we reached the port five minutes before the 5:45 a.m. first trip. And we made it! (Fare from Balingoan to Benoni Ports=P170/person plus P2/person tax)

It was Anesa's birthday that day. We love her dearly because she has acted as the mother of our batch, that's why everyone calls her Mama Nes. What a blessing for her to be out in the open sea at the crack of dawn on her birthday!

Photo by AAMaruyama

While other people looked like zombies (ingat ka sa katabi mo, Baby!), at this time of the day, our group exuded freshness--kape lang ang katapat nila!

Photo by TCHashiba

Photo by CDRamos

Sorry, but we just had to take pictures in every nook and cranny we could find!

Photo by EAPalanca

Another set of vans met us at Benoni Port and took us to our next destination: Paras Beach Resort, Camiguin.

Photo by EAPalanca

I like Paras Beach Resort's staff. They were very accommodating to my requests since I started communicating with them to book our rooms. They answered promptly to my email, even at the wee hours of the night. They were able to answer all my queries and gave in to my ~~demands~~ wishes--from island package tour, van hire, massage service, copy of their menu, change in the number of pax, etc. etc. Their service was impeccable--both virtual and personal. (Their island tour package for 18 pax with one night accommodation was P1,245/person, breakfast included.)

We got two rooms--the Dormitory Room, which housed 12 girls...

Photo from www.parasbeachresort.com

...and the Family Loft, where the Pahed Family and another three roomed in.

Photo from www.parasbeachresort.com

The place was charming...

Photo by TCHashiba

...clean...

Photo by TCHashiba

...and picturesque.

Photo by AAMaruyama

Our nautical look suited the place so well...

Photo by AAMaruyama

With the fresh sea breeze and a rocky landscape behind us, how could we pass up this chance to feel like GAP models for a day?

Photo by AAMaruyama

A little chitchat (and collection of boat fare money) was needed while waiting for our breakfast to be served. You see, we were supposed to have an-eight hour Camiguin Tour, but later we changed it to just a half day tour to visit the famed White Island, just across Paras Beach Resort. We had to hire three boats (P400 each x 3=P1,200) to go to the island.

Photo by RLEncarnacion

Photo by AAMaruyama

Full Filipino breakfast was served plus a choice of coffee, tea, or juice. ('Te Osang, parang 'di ka happy sa kape mo?)

Photo by EAPalanca

After breakfast, we sailed off to White Island...

Photo by TCHashiba

Can you see the white beach up ahead?

To be continued...

Mindanao Adventure Day 1 Part 3: Polka Dots Night at Kagay-anon Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 15:00:00 +0000

We were so tired after the rafting activity. Who wouldn't be, especially at our age? Need I remind you that these ladies are all in their 40's...to be exact, 46 and up! Ay, nambuko pa ng edad!

Call time was at 7:00 p.m. The SLT vans were already at the parking lot, waiting for us. I was still in dreamland by then. Melizza (we called her the Bossing!), barged into our room, and shouted, "7'oclock na!" I automatically stood up my bed, not remembering that I took off all my wet rafting get-up before taking a nap, including my undies. So when I stood up in my birthday suit, napanganga lang si Osang at nasabing, "Ay, si Eba!" When I came to my senses, I realized I was already in the shower. Parang lasing! Hahaha!

Photo by RLEncarnacion

And so it was polka dots night at Kagay-anon Restaurant. Before taking that power nap at the hotel, I called the resto to order our food. I wanted the chow to be ready as soon as we arrived. Ayaw ko kasi magutom si Cecile, nagsusungit daw siya kasi pag tomjones!

Unfortunately, we still waited for 30 minutes for our pre-ordered food to be served. But at least a long table was reserved for us.

Photo by RLEncarnacion

Photo by ARValmores

Melizza's hubby and son didn't fly in with us to Cagayan. They flew in from the States the day before, so their flight to CDO was 8 hours later than ours. Thus, they missed the rafting thing-y. Aww, and that explains why her son, Nathan, was dazed all throughout dinnertime.

Photo by RLEncarnacion

I chose Kagay-anon Restaurant because they serve exotic local dishes like ostrich meat, kinilaw, and their veggie specialty, pinakbet. The prices were also very reasonable. When you are feeding 18 people at a time, you have to be budget-conscious. I read in a blog that we could book a function room for a consumable price of P4,500. When I called them, however, they said their function room is for P10K minimum. Atras ang lola! Sige, sa labas na lang po kami! Hindi naman kami siguro mag-iingay masyado! Hehehe!

By the way, during this trip, sponsors were assigned to the major meals. For this Polka Dottie night, the sponsors were Osang, Maer, Cecilie, and me. (The total bill was P6,700+)

The famed Ostrich Salpicao and Sizzling Boneless Bangus

Beef Pochero

Kinilaw at Chicharong Bulaklak

Sizzling Squid and Pinakbet.
Hmm...I wonder how many times this kalabasa had been used?

O, busog na. Pwede nang mag-kodakan!

Photo by RLEncarnacion

Naka-polka dots nga sila lahat!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Iba talaga pag busog na ulit!

Photo by AAMaruyama

Our vans were waiting for us to bring us back to Riverview Inn. We had to rush to our rooms and sleep. Our call time for tomorrow? 3:00 a.m. Good luck to us!!!

To be continued...

Mindanao Adventure Day 1 Part 2 CDO: White Water Rafting

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Marauder) — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 09:00:00 +0000

Among all the rafting companies I emailed, it was 1st Rafting Pioneer which promptly emailed me back. They gave me a good package deal of (6+1) for 16 people:

1^ST RAFTING ADVENTURE

Tiano Hayes St. Cagayan de Oro City

Contact Nos: (088) 856-3514 / 0917 325 5544

Email add: riverguide95@yahoo.com

Website: www.raftingadventurephilippines.com

Facebook Account: Rafting Pioneer

Quotation for 16 pax:

Beginner course 700/head

16pax @ 700 = PHP 11,200.00

Less: 2pax @ 700 (FOC) = 1,400.00

Total: PHP 9,800.00

Inclusions:

Transportation

Certified River Guide

Free pictures of the whole group

Free Video exclusive for your group

Free Bottled Water to all individual

From their website, I saw that 1st Rafting Adventure was the pioneer in this field of extreme sport in Cagayan. That proved that they have expert guides and years of experience. I also liked that when I PM'd 1st Rafting on Facebook, they immediately corresponded to me. We were required to deposit a downpayment of 50% to seal the deal. They have two schedules--one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. For us to have a breather from our early morning trip from Manila, I decided to take the afternoon schedule set at 1:00 p.m.

At exactly 12 noon, the front desk called me to inform us that our jeepney bringing us to our adventure site was already waiting in front of our hotel.

Still a little groggy from a lack of sleep, I went down to find almost everyone dressed up in rash guards and aqua shoes, riding in the jeepney, all excited to rip their arm muscles to white water rafting. Shucks, kaya ba ng mga lola n'yo 'to?

This extreme sport is called white water rafting because using an inflatable raft, one has to navigate a river through numerous rapids. These rapids form bubbly or aerated currents, which produce a frothy water that looks white on the surface.

After a little over 40 minutes of jeepney ride, we finally reached our jump-off point at the Cagayan de Oro River. We were outfitted with safety gear like helmets and life vests, and were given single-bladed paddles each. Syempre, feel na feel namin ang aming outfits!

One of our tour guides, Ricky, gave us a short orientation on how to survive white water rafting. At first, he was just introducing info about Cagayan river: Bukidnon being on the left side, and CDO on the right side. But later on, the tips became more and more alarming like: "If you fell down from the raft, just make sure that you don't panic; float by positioning your feet first going downstream; and wait for your guide to rescue you." When I looked at the faces of the girls, ang iba namumutla na! Hahaha! I was so afraid that someone would back out. But hey, we are all Marians, so walang uurong dito!

And yes, we were all ready! Paddles up! Ahoo Ahoo!

The river was originally named Kalambaguasasahan because of the presence of Lambago trees along its river banks. When the Spaniards arrived, it was renamed simply as Cagayan River, coined from Ag, which means water, and Kagay, which means river, thus a place with a river. Obviously, they couldn't pronounce the original name. Buti na rin lang. Imagine people saying, oh we just finished white water rafting in Kalambablahblah River. Ang hirap, di ba?

Cagayan River is the natural boundary between the provinces of Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro. Hmmm...the river doesn't look white at all....

We were also taught some basic rafting terms like: (1) forward, (2) backward, and (3) paddles up. Hindi naman kami mahirap turuan, kuya?

Off we go!!!!

After a few minutes of paddling on still waters, it started to rain.

And the adventure began when the rain poured heavily...

Nahulog tuloy si Maer!

We still could manage to smile!

Here we go again!

Ibang klase ka, sis, beauty pa rin ang smile mo, kahit na nasa rapids!

After the first two rapids, we were not afraid anymore. Besides, our guides spieled out some scripted jokes and trivias, sometimes funny, sometimes predictably corny, so we were not bored at all!

See? Nakukuha nang magpa-cute.....nina Kuya!

When we reached a certain calm part in the river, this "Kulit" Team decided to test the cool waters.

Our guide told us we could do the same if we wanted to. But when we saw how the guides pulled them out from the waters, we opted not to follow suit. Para silang ginawang tsaa kasi--hawak sa vest, iaahon, tapos iluloblob ulit! Hehehe!

No, thanks! Kodak-an mo na lang kami, Kuya!

Tama na ang smile. Another rapid comin' up! Heto naman si Mary Rose, nagpauto sa guide nila na umupo sa unahan ng raft. Tuwang-tuwa pa siya nung una...

Pero nung dumaan na sila sa rapids...

Hayun, yung legs na lang nyang naka-form ng V sa itaas ang nakita! Ang kukulit talaga!

Ang tawag daw dito ay "Kiss the Rock!"

Heto na nga ang totoong batong sinasabi nila!

Dyoskup, ayoko pong tumaob!

Now you know why it's called white water rafting?

Heto pa ang isang biktima!

H'wag po, Koya!

Kami naman!

Ay, nawala po sila nang parang bula!

At pakaway-kaway ka pa dyan, Tere! Akala ko, mga takot itong nasa raft na ito? Biglang tumapang! Pero teka, pagmasdan si Kuya--lawit na ang dila nang guide n'yo!

We conquered the 12-km stretch of 14 rapids for the Beginner Course in three hours. Iba't ibang reaksyon!

That's it?

Yun na yun? Sabi ni Kuya may free daw bukas! Kaso, pabalik ang direksyon. Upstream ang pagsagwan!

Mga basang sisiw!

Can't bilibit..but we did it!

The same jeepney picked us up again at the end of the course and brought us back to our hotel. My only concern was we were wet inside the jeepney while the chilly wind was hitting us. It was good that no one caught a cold. 'lam mo na, mga tanders na kaya kami. The girls were all game though. We were sleepy ('di ba, Claring?), exhausted, but happy.

White water rafting was truly an exhilarating experience. I thought we could do the Advanced course next time--ambisyosa! For now, though, we need some chow and catnap....

To be continued...

(Note: Photos and video by 1st Rafting Adventure)