There are just days when, even if you never doubted God’s existence, you are presented with conclusive evidence of His existence and power. Like seeing the sun rising behind the hills, its rays reflecting on the ocean. Or when an unexpected solution to a problem arrives at exactly the right time! In my case, it’s always been a combination of both, but lately, it’s been the latter.
Archive for April, 2008
In keeping with the season, I’ve changed my template…again! It’s also a tribute to one of my all-time favorite drinks. I’ve also created a new page. It’s a post about my major in College – Organizational Communication – which I wrote more than a year ago. It has somehow generated a number of quality comments, making that part of the post seem like a mini-discussion board, and I thought it would be helpful for other site visitors who would like to know more about Orcom. It’s also nice how fellow UP Manila Orcom alumni/current students have come together through that post. As I wrote on the page, I’ll be updating it each time a new comment comes in.
I’ve never been that sick since high school! I didn’t go to work from Monday to Friday last week. I had the flu and bronchitis…with the added complication of eyesight problem! So I’ll be wearing glasses starting tonight. No more denial. My vision is now 100/100, and I’m still a bit dizzy, so it’s on with the glasses for me. Contact lenses are not yet an option since I think it’s even more of a hassle than glasses.
That being said, I’m really glad to be back on my feet again. I’m going to Negros in less than a month so I really need to get my strength back…and not miss work again until then!
Ta-ta for now. Not much to say since I’ve been off my game for a week.
Do you remember the 1998 movie, “Sliding Doors” starring Gwyneth Paltrow? It was one of her lesser known movies but one of her best, in my opinion. I liked the premise of the movie – the vastly differing turn of events that result from two alternative situations. One part of the movie depicted events after Gywneth’s character was able to enter the train before the doors closed. A parallel story ran, which showed what would have happened instead if she had missed the train by a split-second. Nice movie; watch it.
Last night, I was able to catch the MRT just as the doors were closing. In fact, the doors actually closed on me, squashing my body a little! Darn sensor. Actually, I had no choice but to really make a go for it since I was with Tricia, and she was already way inside the train. Anyway, as I finally found my bearing after catching the train, I suddenly remembered “Sliding Doors”. Hmm…wonder what would’ve happened had I been left behind on the platform? Would there really be a life-altering sequence of events unbeknownst to me, just like in the movie? Or what major chain of events could have been set forth caused by my being able to catch the train? Or am I just being a tad dramatic again? Yes, I think that last one may just be it. 😉
This was one of the first beaches I’ve ever visited. It’s in Roxas City, Capiz, about 5 minutes from the airport, and 20 minutes from our hometown, Pan-ay. The name ‘Baybay Beach’ is actually redundant since ‘Baybay’ also means beach in Ilonggo.
Baybay has grayish black sand that is as powdery as Boracay’s but much easier to brush off from the body. The shoreline is littered with seashells and if you’re lucky, you may also find big Capiz shells. Baybay is also not your typical beach destination like Boracay, Cebu, Bohol or Batangas. It is more like a local, neighborhood beach mostly visited by young families. Every now and then, occasional tourists pop up.
The beach is perfect for a quiet, relaxing time. There is really not much to do but swim and walk the length of the shore. You can’t go island hopping or snorkeling since there are no corals anywhere in the vicinity. There is a tiny, uninhabited island nearby, but there’s really nothing to see or do there. When we were there, Tin and I chanced upon kids playing on the shoreline and we enjoyed watching them and taking pictures.
There are not too many resorts and hotels as compared to the mainstream beaches, and most of them are not located on the beachfront, but along the highway, across the beach. Instead, the beachfront is lined with cottages that can be rented for the day since most locals rarely stay overnight. An average-sized cottage can be rented for P150, while the larger ones can go for as much as P500. Cottages are good if you’re not too squeamish about bathrooms. There are clean, pay public bathrooms. What we usually do is just rinse off and maybe shampoo and soap a little then just take a full-scale bath when we get home. If you’re really very particular, then it’s better to get a room at the more upscale resorts on the highway. Room rates range from P700-P2000. Food is also a lot cheaper but just as or even more delicious (in the case of seafood) than mainstream beach destinations. Your P500 can already go a long way. If you’re staying with relatives or locals, it’s even better to just buy fresh seafood from the market, have it cooked, and bring them with you.
For our Black Saturday outing, Tin and myself shelled out just P500 each, which covered everything – cottage and food for 5 people! My cousin bought fresh crabs, shrimp, squid and fish from the market, cooked it in her house, and brought it to the beach.
On some of my previous sunset visits to Baybay Beach, I usually see fishermen hauling in huge nets containing the last catch of the day. It’s a nice, bucolic scene that I enjoy since I rarely get to see such things, being a city-dweller.
Baybay Beach is great for people looking for an authentic ocean experience, and not the glamorous party, sun-sand-and-surf concept most commonly associated with beaches nowadays.
Pictures! (see more photos in ‘Images from Capiz’, three posts below)
I had lunch today at Blanvil Restaurant on Leviste St., almost in front of the Makati Sports Club, with my officemates JC and Tanya, JC’s sister and her college friend. Blanvil has an eat-all-you-can buffet for P220. Not bad, considering I had soup, salad, stuffed chicken, a mixed seafood dish, young bamboo in coconut milk, roast beef, and watermelon with a little milk for dessert. I skipped the roast pork. I had no more room for the coffee or tea that was also included in the meal. I liked everything, except for the bamboo. There was really nothing wrong with it, except that I really do not like food with coconut milk in it. I just got some of the bamboo for the sake of tasting it.
I also liked the ambiance of the restaurant. Perfect for sneaking out for a lunch date, haha! The lights are dim and warm, and the biggest table is for four people only. I didn’t feel that it was daytime when we were inside.
Hmm, could this be the start of a new restaurant exploration, this time on Leviste and de la Costa? On my previous job, it was the Valero restaurant row, and Chili Pepper became my favorite.
Under the Sun 