Friday, July 24, 2009

EATING OUR WAY THROUGH BORACAY / PART 3 =D

The Beachcomber is dead. Long live Obama!

In 1998, in the absence of all the bars and lounges that now stretch along the entire length of White Beach, people can only be found either at The Beachcomber or drinking themselves silly with an endless stream of jam jars and 14 shooters at Cocomangas. Beachcomber, I remember in particular, because back then, we were cheap enough to bring our own beer and position ourselves on the beachfront OUTSIDE Beachcomber. This we did to enjoy cheap beer while listening to the music that was blaring out of Beachcomber--as each of us took turns at the makeshift "rope swings" that hung from the coco trees. I remember back then, after enduring endless streams of "My Heart Goes Shalalalala...Shalala in the mooooorniiiing.....", BFF Marts marched up to the DJ and requested for some other tune. This, she did repeatedly, realizing that the DJ wasn't exactly giving in to her requests. On the nth time she went up to him, she rushed back to us laughing her fool head off.

"Ano nangyari?" we asked her.

Still laughing, she said, "Sabi niya sa akin, 'Eh, miss, hindi naman kayo dito bumibili ng beer eh.'" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Smart. Baduy taste in music, but smart. HAHA! =D

Hubby Sweet and I went back to Boracay this summer to find The Beachcomber gone with Obama Grill now standing in its place. I'm not sure if the name has anything to do with Obama the President, but it's likely. =)


The place is owned by Sandy Javier of Andok's Lechon Manok fame, and let me just say, that in my past two visits, I have found that most restaurants in Boracay charge too much for too little value. Gone are the days when one can go to the Talipapa to buy the day's fresh catch and have one of the stalls cook / grill it for you for P50. These days, most Bora restaurants charge as much as those in Manila (with our bill averaging P400-500 per person), which is OK really, if they bring someting to the table that you wouldn't mind paying P400-500 for. That said, Obama Grill is not exactly talipapa-cheap, but it is one of the few restaurants in Boracay that I wouldn't mind eating in again. =)

I suppose I find charming that it harks back to the old talipapa-system where you choose your fish (although some are admittedly iced), then you ask the server to have it cooked in whatever way that you want.


Hubby Sweet had a sudden craving for Sinigang na Hipon so that's what he got. Despite my shrimp allergy, I couldn't resist taking a few sips of the broth (Claritin, on hand, of course!). The Hubby protested with rightful indignation as he really doubted there was a decent hospital on the island that will be able to revive me if I, all of sudden, found myself unable to breathe. (Yes, I have that kind of allergy. =)) Still, the few sips was enough for me to curse my stupid allergy. I wanted to sip bowls of that soup. Sadly, I couldn't. =( But Hubby Sweet enjoyed it. =)

Forever enamored with mollusks, I decided to order grilled clams. They looked big and plump on the shelf and my mouth started to water just imagining them grilled with butter and smothered with garlic. ^_^


So I ordered what I thought was a ton, but when they came out....well.....I remember thinking, "Ngyarks. Ang konti pala!" Still, I savored every buttery, garlicky bite. ^_^ The bright side is that if the Hubby got to hoard the shrimps because of my allergies, I got to eat the clams all by myself--as Hubby Sweet has this weird thing about ending up in the ER everytime he eats any kind of shell. =D


So he ate Sinigang na Shrimp (which I am not allowed to touch), while I ate Grilled Clams (which he cannot eat). This one, however, we did share. Thing is, it came much later that we had already dug into it by the time I remembered to take the pic. Haha! It was good. The Hubby's sinigang soup was a good complement to it. It was, however, no match for my grilled clams. =)



Darn it! Now I want more grilled clams.....hay! =)

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

EATING OUR WAY THROUGH BORACAY: PART 2 =D

One of the things I did enjoy is this--and I don't even think it's Boracay-grown. =) I think it's one of those Manila-based shops that put up a branch in Bora. RED BEAN @ D'Mall. Maybe. Maybe not. =D

I remember it to be mid-afternoon. After scouring the beach up and down from Station 1 to way past Station 2, checking up on all the FNR Booths and selling activities, I was literally smoking hot. Haha. Hubby Sweet who walked with me looked at his watch and realized it was time for him to go back to the Hangin Kite Center for his kiteboarding lessons. I think he half-expected me to go with him, but walking to the other side, we passed by D'Mall and I looked to the right to find this bright, white and red, airconditioned shop. Hot and sticky, I practically entered a trance and stopped. Aircon......halo-halo.....shaved ice......

"Uh, can I just follow na lang?" I told the Hubby. "I want to try this one out."

He looked at me, torn, as he really doesn't like leaving me alone in populated places. "You'll be alone?" he said.

He keeps forgetting that before he entered my life, I had spent 30+ years driving around the metro and flying all over, often with friends, but, yes, sometimes alone if I have to.

"I'll be OK," I reassured him, holding up a copy of "New Moon" which cousin Tiririt lent me. "I'll just read inside."

He didn't look convinced.

"It's too hot for me to sit around in the beach, reading," I reasoned, "I'll go to the kite center when the sun is a bit less intense. You're going kiteboarding anyway.....I'll be OK."

I started to roll my eyes, and he took it as his cue that I was not going to back down. So he took one look at the store and decided it was safe enough for me to be left alone (*me rolling eyes again...hahaha =)*).

I entered and ordered a Japanese Strawberry Ice or something that sounds close to Japanese Strawberry Ice. (See, that's the problem with blogging about something almost 4 months after, haha. =)) I quite honestly did not know what to expect. I just wanted something cold on this hot, HOT summer day. I was thinking sosyal na halohalo. One can order the family size (which they will serve in a big bowl with several spoons for sharing) or one can choose to go for the individual servings. I thought, heck, I'm on the beach and am not exactly in my best shape (haha, understatement of the year). Therefore, while a family-sized thingy sounds really, REALLY good at that point, I restrained myself and ordered an individual serving.

They set this before me. =D

At first I couldn't quite get what the things inside were. I figured they would be some sweetened version of some fruit, as it is with the typical halo-halo.

So I mixed it up (as one usually does with halo-halo), and watched as the finely shaved ice mixed with the cream until they fully smudged all the other ingredients and nothing much was recognizable. Then I took my first spoonful. PURE HEAVEN. ^_^

I don't know if it was the sensation of something really, really cold going down or if it was the surprising and refreshing juicy burst of fresh fruits (yes, fresh fruits!) mixed with light strawberry-flavored syrup and cream, but I remember closing my eyes and going, "Hmmmmmnnnnn". ^_^ At that moment, I regretted not having the Hubby to share the experience with me. Hay...I thought about bringing him some when I scoot over to the Kite Center, but I figured, it would probably just melt in the heat and it would be a terrible injustice if he eats it in such a terrible state at first try. So I decided, maybe we should just go back one more time before we fly back to Manila. =)

I stayed in Red Bean for a good four New Moon chapters or so. Then, it was finally time to go.

A surprisingly good book on one hand (as I really hated Twilight--at the risk of incurring the wrath of die-hard fans--and I was really just reading New Moon because cousin Tiririt told me to give the series a chance. =)) A surprising spoonful of fresh indulgence in the other.

Not a bad way to spend the afternoon, I thought. Not a bad way to spend a hot, summer afternoon at all. =)

Friday, July 17, 2009

EATING OUR WAY THROUGH BORACAY: PART 1 =D

This trip was the Hubby's first trip to Boracay. Unbelievable, but true. =D I, on the other hand, have been to Bora several times before (though probably still not quite as often as everyone else these days).

In 1994, I went on a "healing trip" of sorts with the extended family after more than a month of going to the Manila Doctor's I.C.U. every single day to visit Lolo Danding (who suffered a stroke) before he finally decided he has had enough of every single son/daughter/grandchild going inside the ICU to sing "You Are My Sunshine" to him. Before then, it was his favorite song, but he probably thought, enough is enough! So he left us to join his Creator....now, before you think me politically incorrect and totally sacrilegious that I write about that experience this way, know that Lolo Danding is the most hilarious person I know (next only to my own Father) and if he were reading this blog, he would have guffawed himself silly (with his eyes reduced to no more than slits) as he reminisced about the ENDLESS stream of visitors who, one after the other, entered the I.CU. and used up their allotted minute by singing "You Are My Sunshine" for him. Over a period of one month. Hahaha. =)

I went back in 1998, this time with the first batch of Key Accounts sales folks to celebrate their first year anniversary at the Pineapple & Tomato company. To get the entire group to go all at the same time required an elaborate scheme that required each person to submit their VL forms at different times, so that by the time the Sales Director realized he had approved the simultaneous VL of more than half of his sales force, the tickets have been bought and the arrangements for accommodations have already been made. Wooohoooo!!! When he realized it, the only request he could say was, "Naisahan niyo ko dun ah. Pwede bang maghiwa-hiwalay na lang kayo ng eroplano in case may mangyari?" Hahaha. =D

Then I went back in 2001, this time with Father, Mother, Bro I-gue, the then-newly-married Sister Pusjing and G-Genius. Cousin Dooders (from my mom's side) had come home from LA for the wedding, and we were foolishly trying to match him up with Cousin Ate Babs (from my dad's side) who had also, back then, recently come home for good from Canada. HAHAHA!!! Wala namang kapag-a-pag-asa that they would get together, as they had spent a good part of their childhood knowing each other with absolutely no sparks flying, but we all thought, over time, malay mo. HAHAHA! =)

So I can define Boracay in different terms, having seen it in various stages. 1994. 1998. 2001.

In terms of accommodations: In 1994, all cottages made of kawayan, mostly found in Station 3. No airconditioning. No concrete structures on the beach. In 1998, most cottages were still mostly found in Station 3 with a smattering of "high-end" cottages on Station 1. Still no structures on the beach (oh, except for the Pearl of the Pacific resort, but it was very small so you kinda "forgive" that it is concrete). Luxury accomodations was defined by one thing: whether your room will be airconditioned or not. Haha. =D In 2000, well, by then Boracay Regency was being built, and that's when I thought (back then), this is the last time I'm going to Boracay. I would want to remember it as close as possible to how I first saw it.

In terms of tourist types: In 1994 and 1998, practically all foreigners with a smattering of locals. This was the age of Caucasian women walking along the Boracay shores topless (as the local men try to "discreetly" ogle them) and the age of Caucasian men walking casually in their skimpy trunks (as the local women shyly look away). They did not care. Boracay was almost deserted then. It was practically a world away. Not so anymore. Even back in 2001, with the availability of more airlines flying to the island, the descent of the local tourists had begun.

In terms of where you go: In 1994, you go to the beach from sunrise till sunset and while the night away in your huts playing cards. You practically bring everything--including the cans of Spam and Corned Beef that you give to the manangs of your resort so they can have it cooked for you. It's either that or you walk all the way to the nearby talipapa to buy fish that some of the stalls would be willing to grill for you. =) In 1998, there was Beachcomber and Cocomangas where you earn your stripes by downing 14 shooters in exchange for a shirt and your name on a wall. To get there, you'd have to walk all the way from the the cottages at Station 2 and 3 to get to the bars at Station 1. In between, there was nothing but the sea and the clear, starlit sky. In 2001, there were a few more restaurants, a few more choices.

But none prepared me for the Boracay that I visited last summer.

For one, the development of Boracay can be defined by how far Jonah's has gone. Haha. In 1994, they were nothing but a makeshift table. By the time we returned in 1998, they had progressed into a makeshift "sarisari store, then to a slightly bigger hut in 2001. Jonah's these days is now a full-fledged restaurant. So even thought breakfast was free where we stayed, I bugged the Hubby on Day 2 to eat breakfast @ Jonah's instead (yes, they now serve stuff other than all permutations of fruit shakes). I thought he must try Jonah's at least once as see why it has outlasted every other joint on the island.

So I decided to go for the Tocino breakfast; he decided to go for Huevo Ranchero because it's the closest thing he could get to a low-carb, high-protein breakfast. Both, not exactly earth-shaking good, but it'll do. I was in a forgiving mood. One, after all, does not go to Jonah's for a Tocino and Huevo Ranchero breakfast. =)



This is what we came for. I went for the cantaloupe / melon. Sweet, all natural. As I always do, I told them to leave out the milk. I was happy to note that my Jonah's shake now comes in a much bigger (but on the flip-side, also, a much more expensive) glass. I sipped too quickly and experienced the all too familiar brain freeze. Haha. =)

Hubby Sweet got his first crack at Jonah's with a huge glass of Watermelon Shake. I looked at him excitedly, eager to hear what he had to say. "Well....?" I asked. He shrugged and looked at me quizzically, and shrugged "Tweet....it's fruit shake." His face betrayed the single thought on his mind: what the heck is all the fuss about? Haha! And just like that, the emperor Jonah was stripped off all his clothes. =D


I had to laugh at the Hubby's honest reaction because, I suppose, it's the one thing I kinda knew as soon as I took the first sip of my 2009 melon shake--but something also that my Boracay nostalgia refused to let me accept. Jonah's may have been a special experience to everyone who lived in Manila before all the Big Chills and Fruitas and Fruit Ave, etc., etc. kiosks mushroomed all over the city. Back then, you want authentic fruit shake prepared with real fruits (as opposed to juice powder or concentrate), you fly to Bora and look for this obscure fruit shake stand at the end of Station 1. These days, you either go buy fruits and blend them yourself at home, or you skip over to the nearest mall. Hay....=)

When we got our bill, I also knew that while I am extremely happy over how far the family has gone from the single-table operation to this full-fledged restaurant, I also knew that I will forever miss the Jonah's of old. P15, P 20, P30 was all we had to pay for....back then.

Our breakfast bill in 2009? Almost P700. Ngyar. =(

Needless to say, the Hubby and I thought I have had my final Jonah's fix, and there was no way we were ever going back.

*A moment of silence please for the demise of my personal fruit-shake nostalgia ..... Sigh...=)*

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

BECOMING REAL / JULY 15,2009 =D

Today, Hubby Sweet and I turn three. Three years married. =)

Leading up to today, I've thought about how I would encapsulize the three years in my blog. When one announces that he/she is getting married, people usually get caught up in the frenzy of preparations for the wedding. The dress, the entourage, the venue, the give-aways, the photographer, the videographer, the caterer, the honeymoon, etc., etc. You go through a gazillion bridal showers / stag parties where you are given advice about how to handle married life--none of which you fully ingest because you're too starry-eyed about the idea of finally walking down the aisle to wed The One.

So you get married, and expect that happy-ever-after will come effortlessly on a silver platter.

But marriage takes work. And marriage takes commitment. Commitment that one must make not once on the altar (as we have all been led to believe), but every single day (sometimes, even several times a day) for the rest of your life.

To have and to hold,
From this day forward,
In sickness and in health,
For richer, for poorer,
Till death do us part.

People get married thinking that only health and wealth can happen and that the possibility of sickness and financial strain is remote. But three years later, Hubby Sweet and I have lived through both good and bad. Through hospital stays (both his and mine). Through career shifts and issues with job security. Through the acquisition of two adorable pups who brought joy to our lives, only to be forced to face the sudden death of one. Through happy out-of-the-country/town trips with the family, followed by simple one-viand dinners at home because we can only afford so much after deciding to get a bigger house.

I've thought about how I would encapsulize the past three years and everything that we have gone through, and decided to go with one of my all-time favorite tales. (Highlights mine.)

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THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
by Margery Williams

There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen. On Christmas morning, when he sat wedged in the top of the Boy's stocking, with a sprig of holly between his paws, the effect was charming.

There were other things in the stocking, nuts and oranges and a toy engine, and chocolate almonds and a clockwork mouse, but the Rabbit was quite the best of all. For at least two hours the Boy loved him, and then Aunts and Uncles came to dinner, and there was a great rustling of tissue paper and unwrapping of parcels, and in the excitement of looking at all the new presents the Velveteen Rabbit was forgotten.

For a long time he lived in the toy cupboard or on the nursery floor, and no one thought very much about him. He was naturally shy, and being only made of velveteen, some of the more expensive toys quite snubbed him. The mechanical toys were very superior, and looked down upon every one else; they were full of modern ideas, and pretended they were real. The model boat, who had lived through two seasons and lost most of his paint, caught the tone from them and never missed an opportunity of referring to his rigging in technical terms. The Rabbit could not claim to be a model of anything, for he didn't know that real rabbits existed; he thought they were all stuffed with sawdust like himself, and he understood that sawdust was quite out-of-date and should never be mentioned in modern circles. Even Timothy, the jointed wooden lion, who was made by the disabled soldiers, and should have had broader views, put on airs and pretended he was connected with Government. Between them all the poor little Rabbit was made to feel himself very insignificant and commonplace, and the only person who was kind to him at all was the Skin Horse.

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.

"The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."

The Rabbit sighed. He thought it would be a long time before this magic called Real happened to him. He longed to become Real, to know what it felt like; and yet the idea of growing shabby and losing his eyes and whiskers was rather sad. He wished that he could become it without these uncomfortable things happening to him.

There was a person called Nana who ruled the nursery. Sometimes she took no notice of the playthings lying about, and sometimes, for no reason whatever, she went swooping about like a great wind and hustled them away in cupboards. She called this "tidying up," and the playthings all hated it, especially the tin ones. The Rabbit didn't mind it so much, for wherever he was thrown he came down soft.

One evening, when the Boy was going to bed, he couldn't find the china dog that always slept with him. Nana was in a hurry, and it was too much trouble to hunt for china dogs at bedtime, so she simply looked about her, and seeing that the toy cupboard door stood open, she made a swoop.

"Here," she said, "take your old Bunny! He'll do to sleep with you!" And she dragged the Rabbit out by one ear, and put him into the Boy's arms.

That night, and for many nights after, the Velveteen Rabbit slept in the Boy's bed. At first he found it rather uncomfortable, for the Boy hugged him very tight, and sometimes he rolled over on him, and sometimes he pushed him so far under the pillow that the Rabbit could scarcely breathe. And he missed, too, those long moonlight hours in the nursery, when all the house was silent, and his talks with the Skin Horse. But very soon he grew to like it, for the Boy used to talk to him, and made nice tunnels for him under the bedclothes that he said were like the burrows the real rabbits lived in. And they had splendid games together, in whispers, when Nana had gone away to her supper and left the night-light burning on the mantelpiece. And when the Boy dropped off to sleep, the Rabbit would snuggle down close under his little warm chin and dream, with the Boy's hands clasped close round him all night long.

And so time went on, and the little Rabbit was very happy–so happy that he never noticed how his beautiful velveteen fur was getting shabbier and shabbier, and his tail becoming unsewn, and all the pink rubbed off his nose where the Boy had kissed him.

Spring came, and they had long days in the garden, for wherever the Boy went the Rabbit went too. He had rides in the wheelbarrow, and picnics on the grass, and lovely fairy huts built for him under the raspberry canes behind the flower border. And once, when the Boy was called away suddenly to go out to tea, the Rabbit was left out on the lawn until long after dusk, and Nana had to come and look for him with the candle because the Boy couldn't go to sleep unless he was there. He was wet through with the dew and quite earthy from diving into the burrows the Boy had made for him in the flower bed, and Nana grumbled as she rubbed him off with a corner of her apron.

"You must have your old Bunny!" she said. "Fancy all that fuss for a toy!"

The Boy sat up in bed and stretched out his hands.

"Give me my Bunny!" he said. "You mustn't say that. He isn't a toy. He's REAL!"

When the little Rabbit heard that he was happy, for he knew that what the Skin Horse had said was true at last. The nursery magic had happened to him, and he was a toy no longer. He was Real. The Boy himself had said it.

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Happy third anniversary, Sweetie! The past three years may not have been fairy-tale perfect, but know that I am blessed that through it all, I had you.

I love you always,

T =)

Monday, July 13, 2009

TODAY, I JUST NEED A REALLY GOOD LAUGH....=)

Yup. And just as I was cleaning my email inbox (which was bursting at the seams and shutting down), I ran into an old e-mail that I deliberately did not erase because I found it too funny, but also too true. So there, I read it one by one, and found myself feeling a bit better. A bit. Not entirely better, but every bit helps. *Sigh...Smile. =)*

In any case, I don't know who Bob Ong is--and yes, this made the e-mail rounds quite a bit of time ago, but it is one that is worth revisiting. Heck, o, sya! Yes, it is even worth "immortalizing" in my blog. Haha! =D

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BOB ONG QUOTES

PAG-IBIG

"Kung hindi mo mahal and isang tao,wag ka nang magpakita ng motibo para mahalin ka nya."

"Lahat naman ng tao sumeseryoso pag tinamaan ng pagmamahal. Yun nga lang, hindi lahat matibay para sa temptasyon."

"Gamitin ang puso para alagaan ang taong malapit sayo. Gamitin ang utak para alagaan ang sarili mo."

"Huwag mong bitawan ang bagay na hindi mo kayang makitang hawak ng iba."

"Huwag mong hawakan kung alam mong bibitawan mo lang."

"Huwag na huwag ka hahawak kapag alam mong may hawak ka na."

"Parang elevator lang yan eh, bakit mo pagsisiksikan ung sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sayo. Eh meron naman hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin."

" Kung maghihintay ka nang lalandi sayo, walang mangyayari sa buhay mo.. Dapat lumandi ka din."

"Pag may mahal ka at ayaw sa'yo, hayaan mo. Malay mo sa mga susunod na araw, ayaw mo na din sa kanya, naunahan ka lang."

"Hiwalayan na kung di ka na masaya. Walang gamot sa tanga kundi pagkukusa."

"Pag hindi ka mahal ng mahal mo wag ka magreklamo. Kasi may mga tao rin na di mo mahal pero mahal ka. Kaya quits lang."

"Bakit ba ayaw matulog ng mga bata sa tanghali? Alam ba nilang pag natuto silang umibig e hindi na sila makakatulog kahit gusto nila?

"Hindi lungkot o takot ang mahirap sa pag-iisa kundi ang pagtanggap na sa bilyon-bilyong tao sa mundo, wala man lang nakipaglaban upang makasama ka."

"Kung nagmahal ka ng taong di dapat at nasaktan ka, wag mong sisihin ang puso mo. Tumitibok lang yan para mag-supply ng dugo sa katawan mo. Ngayon, kung magaling ka sa anatomy at ang sisisihin mo naman ay ang hypothalamus mo na kumokontrol ng emotions mo, mali ka pa rin! Bakit? Utang na loob! Wag mong isisi sa body organs mo ang mga sama ng loob mo sa buhay! Tandaan mo: magiging masaya ka lang kung matututo kang tanggapin na hindi ang puso, utak, atay o bituka mo ang may kasalanan sa lahat ng nangyari sayo, kundi IKAW mismo!"

PAG-AARAL

"Mag-aral maigi. Kung titigil ka sa pag-aaral, manghihinayang ka pagtanda mo dahil hindi mo naranasan ang kakaibang ligayang dulot ng mga araw na walang pasok o suspendido ang klase o absent ang teacher. (Haaay, sarap!)."

"Nalaman kong marami palang libreng lecture sa mundo, ikaw ang gagawa ng syllabus. Maraming teacher sa labas ng eskuwelahan, desisyon mo kung kanino ka magpapaturo. Lahat tayo enrolled ngayon sa isang university, maraming subject na mahirap, pero dahil libre, ikaw ang talo kung nag-drop ka. Isa-isa tayong ga-graduate, iba't-ibang paraan. Tanging diploma ay ang mga alaala ng kung ano mang tulong o pagmamahal ang iniwan natin sa mundong pinangarap nating baguhin minsan..."

"Hikayatin mo lahat ng kakilala mo na magkaroon ng kahit isa man lang paboritong libro sa buhay nila. Dahil wala nang mas kawawa pa sa mga taong literado pero hindi nagbabasa."

"Dalawang dekada ka lang mag-aaral. Kung 'di mo pagtityagaan,limang dekada ng kahirapan ang kapalit. Sobrang lugi. Kung alam lang 'yan ng mga kabataan, sa pananaw ko eh walang gugustuhing umiwas sa eskwela."

BUHAY

"Nalaman kong hindi final exam ang passing rate ng buhay. Hindi ito multiple choice, identification, true or false, enumeration or fill-in-the- blanks na sinasagutan, kundi essay na isinusulat araw-araw. Huhusgahan ito hindi base sa kung tama o mali ang sagot, kundi base sa kung may kabuluhan ang mga isinulat o wala. Allowed ang erasures."

"Mangarap ka at abutin mo. Wag mong sisihin ang sira mong pamilya, palpak mong syota, pilay mong tuta, o mga lumilipad na ipis. Kung may pagkukulang sa'yo mga magulang mo, pwede kang manisi at maging rebelde. Tumigil ka sa pag-aaral, mag-asawa ka, mag-drugs ka, magpakulay ka ng buhok sa kili-kili. Sa banding huli, ikaw din ang biktima. Rebeldeng walang napatunayan at bait sa sarili."

"Tuparin ang mga pangarap. Obligasyon mo yan sa sarili mo. Kung gusto mo mang kumain ng balde-baldeng lupa para malagay ka sa Guinness Book of World Records at maipagmalaki ng bansa natin, sige lang. Nosi balasi. Wag mong pansinin ang sasabihin ng mga taong susubok humarang sa'yo. Kung hindi nagsumikap ang mga scientist noon, hindi pa rin tayo dapat nakatira sa Jupiter ngayon. Pero hindi pa rin naman talaga tayo nakatira sa Jupiter dahil nga hindi nagsumikap ang mga scientist noon. Kita mo yung moral lesson?"

"Nalaman kong habang lumalaki ka, maraming beses kang madadapa. Bumangon ka man ulit o hindi, magpapatuloy ang buhay, iikot ang mundo, at mauubos ang oras."

HALO-HALO

"Wag magmadali sa pag-aasawa. Tatlo, lima, sampung taon sa hinaharap, mag-iiba pa ang pamantayan mo at maiisip mong di pala tamang pumili ng kapareha dahil lang sa kaboses niya si Debbie Gibson o magaling mag-breakdance. Totoong mas importante ang kalooban ng tao higit anuman. Sa paglipas ng panahon, maging ang mga crush ng bayan sa eskwelahan e nagmumukha ring pandesal. Maniwala ka."

"Ayokong nasasanay sa mga bagay na pwede namang wala sa buhay ko."

"Hinahanap mo nga ba ako o ang kawalan ko?"

"Hindi dahil sa hindi mo naiintindihan ang isang bagay ay kasinungalingan na ito. At hindi lahat ng kaya mong intindihin ay katotohanan. "

"Sabi nila, sa kahit ano raw problema, isang tao lang ang makakatulong sa'yo - ang sarili mo. Tama sila. Isinuplong ako ng sarili ko. Kaya siguro namigay ng konsyensya ang Diyos, alam niyang hindi sa lahat ng oras e gumagana ang utak ng tao."

"Obligasyon kong maglayag, karapatan kong pumunta sa kung saan ko gusto, responsibilidad ko ang buhay ko."

"Masama akong tao, tulad mo, sa parehong paraan na mabuti kang tao, tulad ko."

"Mas mabuting mabigo sa paggawa ng isang bagay kesa magtagumpay sa paggawa ng wala."

"Iba ang walang ginagawa sa gumagawa ng wala."

"Iba ang informal grammar sa mali!"

" Para san ba ang cellphone na may camera? Kung kailangan sa buhay yun, dapat matagal na kong patay."

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=)

Thursday, July 2, 2009

STAR TURN! =D

Before I move on to the rest of the Bora posts, 'just need to make this yabang. Haha! =D

Check out Hubby Sweet's interview in the Stoked, Inc. site. (Pic also borrowed from the Stoked gallery =).)


Wakeboarding has taken over his (and consequently, my) life. Haha. His star turn. Read on. Click here for the full interview. =)