A Dirty Job, Bloodsucking Fiends, You Suck

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Literature & Fiction
Author:	Christopher Moore

First of all, let me say up front: I'm a sucker for twisted fiction stories. So when officemate, Kristen, told me about a humorous book called "Lamb, The Gospel according to Biff," I was intrigued.

I wanted to borrow "Lamb" as airport read during my recent trip but Kristen, who loved the author so much, wanted me to read "A Dirty Job" first as this was the Moore's usual style and he was afraid I wouldn't read the other books after reading "Lamb."

So I brought "A Dirty Job" and left "Lamb" at home thinking I might not be able to read it and I didn't want to be carrying it around during my 3-wk vacation. It was an easy read. You can say I enjoyed Moore enough that after I finished the book, I bought the two other books on the condition that it was on sale. :P

Generally I like the way Moore weaves the unreal into the modern day world as he does in "A Dirty Job" where normal guy Charlie Asher discovers his new role as sort of Death's little helper; "Bloodsucking Fiends" where Jody wakes up one day a vampire, her journey as she discovers her powers and falls in love with her minion, aspiring writer Tommy from Indiana; and "You Suck" a sequel to "Bloodsucking Fiends." (Good thing, I read Bloodsucking Fiends first too.) I found it clever how he infuses characters and sometimes events from these different books in the same way that Buffy made a cameo in Angel (the series spin-off from Buffy the vampire slayer) or how he turns some characters into regulars (as in the case of the Emperor and Inspector Rivera) while changing the character leads.

I like that Moore's writing is light and easy to read. His plots are sometimes predictable but somewhat intriguing and with enough twists to make one stick to the end and leave you wanting to pick up another of his stories. Most of all, I like how Moore also surprises you with quips that will make you laugh-out-loud.

Wicked

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

I only had a few days in the LA area so I was really glad to catch the staging of Wicked. I've heard raves about it so I knew it was going to be good.

Wicked is truly a clever piece of work.

The story mainly revolves around the Wicked Witch of the West. How she came to be. It answers the question: was she born wicked or was wickedness thrust upon her? The musical also tells us where the ruby slippers came from, how the Tin Man, Scarecrow and winged monkeys came to be, where did she get that black pointed hat and flying broom etc. Most of all, it is also a story of hope, friendship, love, discrimnation and how greed for power begets lies, oppression and fear. But don't get me wrong, Wicked is surprisingly funny and witty amidst serious themes.

The production was quite impressive. The lighting particularly set the tone and the mood of each scene. Smoke machines, remote controled props (like the wheelchair), harnesses and trap doors completed the magical effect of the show.

The strong vocals of the actors and intensity of their performances gave me goosebumps especially during "Something Bad", "Defying Gravity" and "No Good Deed." Not to mention, the catchy score, which makes this musical truly successful, leaves you humming to the inspiring music and lyrics as you exit the theater with a smile.

I was also glad to get autographs from the performers, Laura Woyasz who portrayed Glinda and D.J. Gregory who played Fiyero that matinee performance on Aug 3, 2008 at the Pantages Theater, Hollywood Blvd. Sayang I didn't have a camera, D.J. Gregory is quite a cutie. :P
Thanks to good friend Aby for reserving the tickets for me, Candy and Dennis. Much thanks to her also for gifting me with a copy of the original soundtrack.

DIY Coron

I must say the internet truly connects people! 

I actually found DIY Coron thru multiply site of Owen Ferrer, who's part of my network.  Owen posted a calendar trip to Coron and found that he was linked to my college friend, Myra who was going on the same trip prior to finally immigrating to Canada.
The idea behind DIY Coron is not really to Do It Yourself literally but actually to gather different group of friends who want to visit Coron, sharing boat rentals which makes the tour amazingly cheap between P1,800-P3,000 depending on the size of the group and your itinerary.  Yes, it allows you to choose your own itinerary.  And as it turns out, a fun way to meet people and activity partners. 


To use some of Glynn's words, this trip is really "back pack" style. On this kind of a travel, we had to be prepared to have just the basic essentials. None of the pampering, comforts and luxuries of other trips. With this, we carried your own bags, ate simple food (fish, fish, fish... well, there were crabs at one point and some chicken and pork too), slept in very basic accommodations (as in closed/open cottage or tent, swerte if you get to sleep on a bed or airbed).  Accommodations won't have an actual shower, but the trusty old tabo and balde. Also on our last day, nakiligo lang kami sa isang home-restaurant near the pier.

Our package cost us P2,900pesos (pocket money not included) while in Coron for 2 whole day activities:  Snorkeling (lusong coral garden, lusong wreck, siete picados), Swimming in lagoons and beaches(barracuda, kayangan, twin lagoon, cyc beach, banana island), Climb the stairs up to Mt. Tapyas and get a bird's view of Coron and its surrounding islands, visited Culion (where the leper colony used to be) and truly had an intimate, historic appreciation of the town and what it stands for, 1 night accommodation on Banana island (which was really raw and beautiful, think Boracay 20 years ago), and as metioned earlier boat rental, guide, meals, entrance fees, tricycle transfers.  Going to Coron, we took the Superferry (which is a separate blog altogether).

So, for a truly memorable weekend, lots of sun and sea, amazing sights, loads fun (travelmate Mario and "Inday" was just a riot) and adventure (from climbing the steep and potentially life threatening sharp limestone cliffs of Barracuda lake to snorkeling in not-so-choppy waters of Lusong wreck), and for a total of P6,000, I really wouldn't mind going back as there's still so much to discover in Coron.  In fact, some of our travel mates were already on their 2nd or 3rd trip to Coron this year alone!

For a more details and tips on the trip, do check out Glynn's blog.

New found friend, Wendell, took some great pics (yes, you'll catch me in some of them too): Coron Batch 9 Joiners, Barracuda and Kayangan Lakes, Island Hopping, Coron Town (Mt. Tapyas), Culion Town, Banana Island, Superferry Sunrise and Sunsets.

Superferry: Trip kita!

For the first time in my life, I took a ride on the Superferry.
Glynn and I, together with BNFF (batanes new found friends) Liela, August and Leah along with Wendell (whom Leila and August met during their Batad trip and Glynn knows thru our community --- hanep sa pagka-friendster ano?)decided to go on a budget trip to Coron, Palawan last June 7-8. And since it's a budget trip, that also meant taking the ferry instead of flying in. It also made sense:  we were to travel Friday afternoon and get to Coron by 5.30am Saturday which meant just going on a half day leave from work. Since June 9 was declared a holiday, we had time to rest as our departure from Coron was Sunday 10.45pm and we were in Manila by 1pm. Hence we booked our ferry tickets to Our Lady of Good Voyage (OLGV pic here taken by August) as soon as we decided to go on this adventure, after all the ferry ride was part of the entire experience. And quite an experience it was.

BOARDING

If you booked an e-ticket, you had to go to the Superferry Ticket Office ahead of your departure schedule to exchange this for a real ticket. For safety, we went there 2 hours ahead of our ETD. Pretty much like on a plane, your stuff had to go thru the x-ray machine. But it also had another step where you had to line up your bags and a k9 will smell thru your things as well. That was a first for me. No checking in of baggage here. But if you did have extra baggage than your hand carry, you go thru the baggage handling area where I think a porter will assist in bringing your stuff on board the ferry. But there really wasn't any luggage storage area as your stuff will be literally brought to you and these luggages, baggages or boxes will lie next to your bed.

Immediately after boarding, we saw a convenience store, hair salon (who knows you might need a haircut during the trip), and a prayer room. Quite fascinating already no?

THE TOURIST CLASS
We were only able to book Tourist Class (or blue section) for the Manila to Coron leg of our trip as cabins weren't available anymore. This meant double deck beds in an air-conditioned common area. The bed consisted of synthetic leather covered mattress and pillows. If you wanted bedsheets and blankets, you have to rent for P30 (I think). I brought 2 sarongs that served as my bedsheet and blanket for the night. Unfortunately, if you were a tall person, you may have difficulty as the beds had low headroom. The good thing about Tourist Class is that there were partitions on the beds which provided some semblance of privacy.

As I mentioned earlier, your stuff would lay next to your bunk, or on the floor if you had the upper bunk. It would be cautious for you to padlock your bags to ensure safety of your belongings.

It also meant common toilets which were relatively clean and had good running water. The toilet area also had a shower room in case you need a bath. I just thought the space was a bit too small and cramped to have a comfortable bath. It also risks getting your change of clothes wet in the shower.

Surprisingly or not, there was also common celfone charging area! How interesting the way we've developed such a celfone dependent culture that Superferry felt the need to provide its passengers with a charging area. I digress, but Glynn noted that the charging station was pretty much used 95% of the time with boys or men as majority users. Actually there was hardly any signal in the Tourist Class area so it makes one wonder what they used their phones for... maybe for games? Drafting messages to their txtmates? Taking pictures with their camphone? Who knows?

Our booking also came with dinner (menudo with rice was the ticket meal at the time). Food was your typical canteen meal in a typical canteen atmosphere. You had to line up (and it was quite a long line). We decided to try the restaurant aka Horizon Cafe for dinner as we didn't want to line up initially. It turned out that service took quite long for orders. Given the long waiting time, we were able to get our ticket meal from the canteen aka Island Fiesta faster. I guess the Cafe is not equipped to respond quickly for additional orders. Oh it would be wise to bring your own water or drinks as it tends to be expensive on the ferry. At least for the duration of the 12hr trip.

Curiously, the canteen area also had a videoke for entertainment among the other ammenities being offered by OLGV.

Downside to Tourist Class:  Be prepared to be awaken at 4am by busboys offering coffee, as in "kape kayo diyan?" Also, there are passengers who wake up that early and would start chatting without caring if they wake up other passengers in the process. Also, you will be bombarded with all the Superferry jingles ever made as this will be played over and over except for sleeping hours.

THE CABIN

On the way back to Manila, Glynn, Liela, August and I were able to reserve a cabin (picture here c/o August). Ah, what a world of difference a cabin makes. You have your own toilet and bath. There was also TV provided which played The Matrix Reloaded the next morning. It also played a video of the safety reminders for the trip. There was a cabinet provided to store your things. The bunk beds had extra curtains for more privacy. There's a small side table with chair as well. I wasn't sure why there was an electric fan as it was freezing cold. Not to mention, we had our OWN CHARGING AREA! Ayos ba?

A word of precaution too. Make sure to check that all four of you are booked in the same room. When we were getting our key to the cabin, to our horror, we found out that Glynn was assigned to another room! How can that be when we booked the rooms together? Anyway we had to talk to the guy assigned to our room and ask him if it was ok for him to exchange rooms with Glynn. He was kind enough to oblige to our request. With this we realized that booking a cabin, you had to be a group of 4. If not, the ferry will assign a 4th person to your room. This meant being in a closed room with a stranger. With this, I think taking the Tourist section would be the more palatable option.

Overall, it was quite an amusing ferry experience for me. I wouldn't mind going on another ride. Friends, balik tayo ng Coron!

Batanes: Untainted Treasure

I've always heard about the beauty of Batanes: how it looks like Scotland moors or New Zealand landscapes. But I've also heard of the horrors of travelling to this far north islands of the Philippines; how it's typhoon stricken, flights getting cancelled and as a result preparing to get stuck for a week when you do visit the place.

My friend Glynn invited me in November 2007 to go, I said yes on the condition that we go during Holy Week just to make sure that the trip doesn't conflict with any work schedule. We booked our flights and accommodations in December and went on March 19 -24, 2008 for five full enthralling days in Batanes.

This is what I discovered: Batanes is trully an untainted treasure of the Philippines.

1. Majestic landscapes and seascapes surround the islands of Batanes.

Waking up to such beautiful scenery reminds me how small I am compared to the big world that God has created. And that everything He has created is truly beautiful and good. I sometimes wondered how the Ivatans felt about seeing such wonders everyday. Has it become common fare to them like eating kamote or is it something they continue to thank for everyday? Ah, my question is answered in the way they've preserved their surroundings for as long as Magellan has landed on the Philippines in 1521. To this day, only Ivatans are allowed to own property on the islands. I've heard that outsiders have been wanting to purchase land but to no avail. Thanks too to Mother Nature's own care of the place that the awe-inspiring landscapes remain.

2. Ivatans have a refreshingly Preserved Way of Living

The somewhat isolation of the island has likewise become a blessing to the continuity of a simple lifestyle. Farming and fishing remain to be a way of life. Cogon planted as windbreakers to protect their crops from the sometimes harsh winds is a practice handed down thru centuries. Camote remains to be the staple food. Flying fish and dolphin fish are still part of their regular daily meal. Also, people generally walk to nearby towns. As Sr. Nenita and Sr. Mary Philippe (Dominican nuns we got to chat with at the Basco Church) pointed out to us, most Ivatans are fit. Ang matataba lang eh yung mga dayo. And this is attributed to their working on the farm or walking to places. Oh but don't be mistaken, they are not completely remiss of technology as they do have cable, internet and cell sites too.

3. Beautiful, Trusting People

One thing I noticed about the Ivatans is that they're physically beautiful people. But beyond that where in the Philippines can you find a shop that does not have a storekeeper at all? Only in Batanes! The Honesty Coffeeshop is pretty much like any small sari-sari store or eatery except that no one's there to tend to your purchases. Every product for sale is labeled with a price tag. You just take what you need, log it in the notebook and leave your payment. You may also get the change from the money that is laying on the counter with the log book. If you need extra change, you may go to the next door to ask for change but if no one answers, you are thanked for paying the extra amount and given wishes "may your tribe increase." Of course, you are likewise reminded, "honesty is the best policy" and that "God is the store's security guard."

4. Great Food

It was fish and kamote galore but we enjoyed every bite immensely. Fish lumpia is easily my favorite. And of course the ever elusive Coconut Crab or locally known as Tatus. Not yet endangered but the locals are controlling the consumption of these ultra yummy crabs. You definitely have to pre-order it. You are not assured that there will be crabs available since it will depend if they find those which are within the size limitations (at least one foot in length, if I remember right.

View some of the pics here.

If you want to plan a trip, here are a few details that might help:

Airfare

c/o Asian Spirit - P10-12k
http://www.asianspirit.com/
Flight sched: MWF
Manila to Basco - 5.30 - 6.45am
Basco to Manila - 7.15 to 8.30am

Accommodations

Batanes Resort - 0917 8833279 / 0920 849 2496
The room rates: Fan room - P550 (single), P672 (double), P764 (triple) Aircon room - P800 (single), P900 (double), P1000 (triple)
Ask for Itbayat (we stayed in this room) and Sabtang cottages because these have the best view of the place.

You can check out other resorts in this link.

Meals

Resort Breakfast - P100 (choice of daing, longganisa, arozcaldo, tocino)
Lunch/Dinner - P150-250 depending on what you order.

Suggest you advise the hotel in advance if you'll be eating coz it took them about one hour to prepare our food. Same thing with eating at other places to make sure your food is ready when you arrive.

Must try is the Coconut Crab (super yummy pero cholesterol all you can. P750/kilo. This is something you also order in advance since it may not be readily available. We had to order 2 days before. You see, they are controlling the supply and demand as it takes years to grow the crabs. They must meet a certain size before allowed to order for cooking.

Some Restaurants:
Shanedel's - 0920-4470737 - we got to eat crabs here, together with flying fish, fish lumpia, camote (for dessert). P340/head for a group of six
St. Dominic's canteen - in front of police station - cheap P60 for rice, adobo and soft drink
Casa Napoli (Abad Street) - 0920-2842019 - we wanted to try this place but it was closed during our holy week stay
Doque Grill Xaus (highway) - served the usual fare e.g. adobo, kaldereta etc so didn't try this place anymore but if you miss that kind of food, then maybe this is the place to go

Tours

Our contact was Gemma. She used to be the exclusive agent for Batanes resort. She's from Batanes but now based in Manila. Mobile: 0919-6051109, Landline: 799-2366, 427-0234. You can see the itinerary on her website.

Must see: South of Batan, Sabtang and Rolling Hills/Lighthouses/Windmills/Fundacion Abad

Two Concerts: Maroon5 & Incubus

MAROON 5, March 5, Araneta Coliseum

I really liked Maroon 5 when Songs About Jane first came out. They sounded fresh and new to my ears unlike most bands that came out. I was eager to hear the new album Won't Be Soon Before Long but I didn't feel it to be as good as the first album. So I wasn't too eager to watch the album tour that was passing thru Manila but I decided to go anyway since it won't be often for a band like them to come over. It's been said that most foreign artists come to Manila kung kelan palaos na sila. Although this can't be said of late as we've had visitors like Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce, Akon, Ne-yo of recent.

The concert: It was expensive but a good one nonetheless. (How expensive? the patron seats in Manila cost P10,000 while the most expensive tickets in the HK leg only cost HK$690 or P4,140.00 plus taxes.) Maroon 5 didn't have a front act! You get them right off the bat. They played songs from both albums and it was a great set list. What I loved most about the concert is how much the band enjoyed performing for the Manila crowd. My favorite part was when vocalist, Adam Levine , in the middle of "She Will Be Loved", stopped singing and just closed his eyes, drinking in the moment where the fans just kept screaming their adoration and he can't help but break into a smile. Also the performer that he was, Adam Levine, engaged the audience by counting off in tagalog (american accent: isa, dalawa, tatlo, apat), saying Mahal ko kayo. During the song "Won't Go Home Without You" there was a portion where they just played back the chorus several times and let the audience sing along. It reminded me of the Lotus Eaters concert a few years back where the audience kept humming the intro to German Girl until they came back out for a 3rd encoure. What I really appreciated the most was how I felt his sincerity when he said something like "We’ve been on the road for so long that it’s so nice to come to a place and feel so loved. This has got to be one of the best concerts we’ve ever done."

INCUBUS March 9, Araneta Coliseum
First thing I noticed was the Incubus Concert had a younger crowd. It may be attributed to the "noisier" music or the ticket prices costed half of what Maroon 5 organizers charged. I'm not really an Incubus fan. I'm familiar with their more popular songs like Megalomaniac just because it gets a lot of radio air time. So why did I go? Mike wanted to go.
Up Dharma Down served as front act. I never liked their music. I was never sure what to make of it. It generally sounded ethereal but fused with rock to me. It just didn't make sense to my ears. So when they were playing, Mike and I decided to step out and get some hot tea and coffee. (I love it that Mike and I don't love the same music all the time, but we both dislike the same bands/types of music most of the time.) Later as we were going back to our seats, I saw a really excited male fan jumping up and down (really giddy), shouting thru the ladies room door what sound like: Be, bilisan mo, mag-uumpisa na! I was amused.
The concert: It was rock and roll mayhem. Pretty much everyone was jumping up and down. I felt the vibration on the floor and was afraid of the thought that the 20-something year old structure would come crashing down as if struck by an earthquake. The audience was singing along to pretty much every song and sounded louder than the band at times! Incubus vocalist Brandon Boyd was really energetic and tickled the female population in the audience as he slowly stripped during the concert: first he took off his long sleeved shirt after a few songs leaving his sleeveless undershirt and a few more songs later he was just down to his pants. Oh yes the female fans shouted their approval as he did all these.
One thing I didn't know was the band had a dj as part of the group. It was quite interesting as it worked quite well for their music. Most interesting for me was when the band played Aqueous Transmission and guitarist Mike Einziger pulled out a Japanese Koto for this song. I thought it was the perfect instrument for this song as the instrument produced a unique sound that just made one think of flowing water. Just goes to show, these rock bands are really music geeks deep down inside. Overall, it was fun for a non-fan.

At dahil hindi ko naman mapapalitan ang mukha ko...

...I've been quite experimental when it came to my hair.

I've always sported short hair in high school. Back in those days, I'd fix my hair into mohawks whenever I could (it required a lot of time! and the nuns in our school just won't allow it). So, I generally styled with spiked bangs every morning as I'd gel and blowdry and kill the ozone layer with tons of hair spray (or more commonly known as Spray Net, the popular brand in the 80s!)

 

In college, I had an asymetrical hairstyle. How will I describe it? Just above the hairline of my nape, I had sort of layered hair but the layers were literally like a reversed staircase. From the nape, I had a thin layer of hair, sort of wisps that just about coverend my neck . I didn't really have bangs but the hair, that was supposed to be the bangs, was longer than the rest of my hair even when it was swept all the way back. Sounds crazy huh? But people thought I was cool enough to wear such a wild 'do!

In 2003, I started growing my hair long like those girls in the shampoo ads. I also had my hair relaxed straight in 2004. I kept my hair like that til late 2006 when I finally mustered enough courage to get a perm. It was a refreshing change to my look. I received a lot of compliment then. And I kept it that way for over a year as I didn't know exactly what to do next.

My hair has grown past midway down my back. It had been feeling heavy for quite sometime (count months!). Plus nagmumukha na akong buhok na tinubuan ng mukha! This was the sign that said I had to get a hair cut. So last Jan 28, I went to the salon near our house. I just told the hairstylist that I wanted a trim and cut my hair shorter by at least 4 inches. That she did. She also layered my hair a bit more. She also told me to change the parting from the middle to the side. And what a difference it made!

How do you like my "new" locks?
Note: As I post this, it's been 2 months since this haircut. I'm starting to think I'm due back at the salon. :-)