Oxymoronic as can be...

Presenting the waterless swimming pool of isla grande...

Now you see...

Now you don't!

Isla Grande, Bulok!

When we're disappointed, we can't help but choose to see the ugly things that get into our nerves. We tend to magnify every little flaw and blow the minutest issue out of proportion until we exasperate ourselves. There is no reason to whine, really, because all there is to do is get out of that situation and free yourself of worries. But what if, that option was suddenly taken out of the equation, and all that's left is the hovering reality that you can't do anything about it anymore?

Freaking out is a valid option. And that's just what we did the whole two days on that freaking island. We also tried hard to enjoy the very little activities we can do, given that miserable situation. Pinoy eh! But one thing's for sure, that was the last of Isla Grande for us. Bulok!

Before the deception...

The alcatraz

Almost paradise...kuno!

This is beating David Letterman's Top Ten.
Top Ten Nightmares that will haunt us until the next summer:

10. Visitors cant bring food and water into the resort. Apparently, a 320ml of bottled water in the resort's menu costs P27.00. Back on earth, it's only P10.00

9. The 500m brisk walk from our chalet to every important point in the resort. It's like the eco-challenge of the century!

8. Swimming inside a perimeter fence made of floating Shell and Caltex oil gallons.

7. Provisions for snorkeling when there obviously isn't a coral bed anywhere within a radius of 1 mile. The only colorful things in the water are candy and chip wrappers.

6. Each chalet has a shower room with huge glass windows facing the bedroom in case visitors get a bit kinky.

5. Jumping off busted walls before getting to the beach where the sand is scarce (let's not forget that this used to be a rest and recreation place for American military officers during World War 2).

4. Holding off hunger for almost 10 hours because the evil, deaf, bus driver hates stopovers!

3. The fresh orange juice for P66.00 (+10% VAT) is actually a freshly opened bottle of Tampico juice, that costs a freakin P7.75 in SM!!!

2. Five slices of loaf bread + 2 medium-sized pandesal to be shared by 2 people. And we ought to have a freaking continental breakfast! (In fairness, We were able to talk to the head waiter that an assortment of bread does not amount to a continental breakfast. And so we were given a real continental breakfast composed of 2 poached eggs, 2 sausages, a small serving of greens, and a small plate of fresh fruits).

Smile! Ilang minuto nalang balik Earth na tayo!

1. Frangy: Miss, wala bang complimentary drinks, or bottled water?
Receptionist: Sir, wala po eh, potable naman ang water sa faucet.
Us: What the freaking F$@#k!!!!!

Me: San po ang swimming pool dito?
Waiter: Yung malaking area sa labas. Kaya lang wala pa pong tubig.
Eden: Kelan po mapupuno yung pool?
Waiter: Mga one week po.
Me to group: Sinong gustong mag-Pansol?
Group: Ako! Ako! Ako!!!!!

Uwian na, wooooo!!!!

the inevitable circle

She bares her soul. Another succumbs to weariness. The other admits defeat. I miss these talks... i miss the honesty. The laughs. The tears. The stories of triumphs, of defeat. The story of our lives. It doesn't matter if we dish out the garbage we hide from other people. Or the lucid fantasies we try so hard to suppress in our waking hours. It doesn't matter how trivial the issues are, or how life-changing they can be. We take comfort in the fact that we are not being judged. We are simply heard. Our words are taken as they are...raw and unpretentious. We are heard. And in the tacit silence of the moment, we knew we belong. It's amazing how far we've come.

I am blissful. And i miss both your presence more.

One less chronic coffeeholic in the house

See you in two months! Oh, and don't forget to get an accent! Hehehe ;)

No rain

I never liked the rain :( and the constant showers the whole weekend wasn't lovely at all. I missed home, naturally. So I failed to give my mothers day gift to my dearest mama. Gave her a call instead with Gabby first taking the call and greeting me "happy matirs day po tita." Awww....hehehe...and she's only two years old! Smart kiddo.

Too lazy to lift the pages of James Frey. Watched tv the whole day. Poor bean bags would have protested for abuse if they can only talk. Feasted on popcorn and all sorts of junk. Kept the 2-pounder dumb bells within my sight just in case the urge to break a sweat finally happens (it never did over the weekend). I watched the rain outside my window...while watching tv. I watched the street turn from yellow-orange to black. Thought of finally getting on my feet and popped in the belly dancing 101 disk...changed my mind a few minutes later, watched Lorenzo's Oil, instead, until its 2am. Dang, i sure am a professional bummer. Damn you, rain.

Re-living King Kong

One of the early memories I have is watching movies with my father. Before my mom took over, where all I was able to watch for childhood entertainment were strings of Tito, Vic, and Joey films, I know by heart that I have watched ET, King Kong and Return to Oz on the big screen with my father.

I failed to catch King Kong last year and had the chance to watch it just last night. I knew Kong died in the 80's version (although what i vividly remember is Kong biting off a man's head and spitting his hat...) but the way Kong died in the recent version was shocking...even bothering for me. I don't know what was wrong, but I was actually secretly crying the whole time Kong was climbing the Empire State. As if i knew what's going to happen next. The scene where Kong touched Ann before he fell from the Empire State was just too much :(...Then of course it could be that I have this image of Kong in my head as a child, hence watching it again last night got me emotional. Buut...i checked the official filmography and it says that Kong was last shown in 1976...weird...it can't be because I wasn't born until two years later...It's another one of those things that boggles the mind.

Calloused

I'm sorry I forsake you
I'm sorry that I left you
I'm sorry I did forget you
And I'm sorry that I made myself feel better
By making you feel never good enough
I know you'll shine much brighter than I ever could
Maybe that is why I was scared of you
and in everything I do I'm still thinking of you
And I know you were scared of me
but everytime I tried to love you I just fell through
--Nelly Furtado

I don't know if I want to salvage anything, if at all. I want to wash myself clean...stay numb for a while, deadened. I am broken but I'd wallow in emptiness to see how far it can cripple me still -- the atonement for all the wrongs I've done. I'd like to believe I made you. But I don't have any right. For I myself am unwhole...broken. I like watching you drift away like you do...only to swim your way back to me. You always do. It is now your fault. There will never be a better version of me. This is what I am...I am sorry.

Iron Chef Shaui

Fire said my fetuccine ala pobre was a hit. Krix played iron chef judge as he named my creation the best pasta in the party. Wasn't there to witness the "judging" since i fetched Gabby for our celebrated Gabby-Tita day out. On my way home, I dropped by Barbie's place again just to say hello to the girls. Too bad they already left "laughing all the way." Not shocking at all, i bet the foodies were spiked as always, either rhum-ed or wine-d, or maybe even tequila-ed. No doubt that Barbie's and Fire's signature are all over them.

I actually played iron chef, too. Hence, my fetuccine ala pobre. I first prepared this dish sometime before Christmas for my buddy Eva. She loved it too, for some reason. For the brave and the curious, here's what you need to prepare the pasta:

1/2 kilo of fetuccine, cooked until al dente and set aside
4-5 medium cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup of fresh ripe tomatoes sliced into slim wedges, seeded
3 large bulbs of sweet onion (the white ones), sliced into slim wedges
1 large can of button mushroom ("champignon" in french)
1 cup of fresh sweet peas
1/4 cup olive oil (I used extra virgin)
1/2 cup soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Dried basil for aroma and extra taste (I used McCormick)

Heat olive oil in a pan. Brown the garlic and toss in the rest of the ingredients starting with the onions and then the tomatoes, the mushroom, and the sweet peas. Sweet peas are best crisp so try not to overcook. That's my mantra now, hehehe. Add the soy sauce and bring to simmer. When done, pour the cooked ingredients over the pasta. Gently fold it with the pasta to make sure the pasta is evenly coated. Add salt and pepper to taste and season with dried basil. Voila! Enjoy with your favorite bread.

Gabby's Weekend

I could have bummed around for the long weekend, but not this time. Borrowed Gabby for two days in a row, we went back to Loreland Resort for another bout of swimming. First because I know lil Gabby was not satisfied when we had our night swimming there. The cold was unbearable. Second, Antipolo is a stone's throw away compared to Laguna and Batangas. I had to sacrifice the sea and sand for a child-friendly swimming pool. This time I made sure Gabby enjoyed the water, and she did! We stayed all day in the water, only getting out when Gabby starts shivering. By 5pm, Leo thought we had enough. I even protested a bit because, obvously, Gabby hadn't..okay and maybe Tita, too. Leo was adamant,though, so we had no choice but prep to leave. It was a nice day with both Gabby and Leo. My only downer is the loong freaking line to the shower room.