Off on a Break

Guys, I will be taking a long-awaited vacation with my family, so waray in the city will be quiet for a while. Yah, I know, I can connect anywhere but this time there will be no distractions, just me, d hubby and my baby. Will be back in a week...Ciao

A Funny Felllow Called Pete

I'm now on panic mode. Was lying down last night and happened to look down below. Guess what I saw, just my tummy and nothing else!!!!!! Golly mia, mama mia, am I turning into Pete, the funny guy of my grade years?

For those of you out there who had the lucky break to have your elementary years in this then laboratory school, now university in the city known for its, ahem, quality education, and you had Miss C. as your teacher in Grade One, then you have an inkling as to who Pete is. (Oh,oh, this post is getting warm as to my real identity).

For those in the dark, let me introduce you to Pete...

Pete is a funny fellow.
Pete, who's Pete?
He's a boy so fat that he CAN'T SEE HIS FEET AT ALL
My, he's so fat.
And you know, he eats five meals a day.
Five meals a day???....

For the rest about Pete, view in the comments section from those in the know (calling all you you-know-who-I'm-talking-about, please answer)

Abortion Roads No More

My hubby read my post about flights to Borongan and took exception to my mention of Samar's "abortion" roads. He said, and I quote, "Di na gud duro ka lubak-lubak an kalsada, asphaltado na an kasagaran han tikadto ha Catbalogan"(It's not that pot-holed anymore and most of the road to Catbalogan is already asphalted) end of quote. In fairness, it really is a lot better than a year ago. This pock-marked stretch of the national highway has now undergone a "facial" but if you ask me, what it really needs is a "diamond peel". Its smooth sailing, or should I say driving, all the way from Tacloban City to Paranas, Samar, but from thereon, on certain portions of the road, the motions of the car imitate the undulating waves of the sea (if you get my drift).

The "diamond peel", er construction and rehabilitation, is still ongoing and hopefully by the end of the year (fingers crossed) the infamous roads would have totally erased its "killer" moniker.

Travel Light

It seems Cebu Pacific Air has taken the phrase "travel light" to a whole new level with its newest "go-lite" promo. This is how it works, you get a P200 slash from your "go" fares if you check in with only a hand-carried luggage. Neat, huh? And to make sure you don't try getting around its "no-bagage-check-in-rule", they will slap you P100 penalty over and above the P200 that you have to pay back in case you try sneaking in the baggage come check-in time.

Now that were on the subject, why not "travel light" indeed without all the excess emotional baggage? Time to unload all past grudges, long-standing insecurities, unresolved fears and needless worries and anxieties. It's just a drag lugging all these around when you can have an "oh-so-light, I-am- free, life-is-good, I-can-do-it " feeling when you don't have that proverbial chip on your shoulder.

So take my advise as you journey down this avenue called life and "go-lite". Make friends with your enemies (if that's not possible, then forgive then in your hearts), kiss and make up with your estranged loved ones, go climb a mountain and overcome your fear of heights, sing in front of the mirror, "I am beautiful, no matter what they say..."(with apologies to Cristina Aguilera), go call that boy/girl that caught your eye, and keep faith, leave to God what is beyond your control (huwag naman kay Batman). Easier said than done? Then repeat after me, "I am beautiful no matter what they say, words can't bring me down..

Good News for Estehanons (Eastern Samarenos)

SeaAir now have flights to Borongan Airport twice a week!!! For all of you who wants a faster way to the eco tourist spots of Samar, flying is now a way to go and you can kiss those "abortion" roads good bye...

Will Still Be Posting in Everything Waray

Guys, I will continue to post in my everything waray blog, so do visit it still just as you do here.

Just came from Samar and inspiration struck as I saw one of those people carrying what is known as an alat, a native basket made of uway, a kind of grass that grows in Samar. Why not a post about them? Tried to interview one of these alat-carrying folks but failed to catch them as I woke up late on Sunday, the town's tabo. They are there only from 5 to 6 in the morning and left by the time I arrived there. I will do my best to wake up early next time on my return trip to Samar so you can get a glimpse of the life "behind an alat".

The Banig of My Childhood

It was no thicker than two cartolinas and measured two by three meters. Yet it was big enough to contain the memories of a languid childhood and siestas in the afternoon.


A colorful banig from Basey, Samar

Many years back when we were still between the ages of nine and thirteen, every afternoon on school breaks, my sisters and I gathered in the sala and set aside the sofas to spread out the banig on the floor. We packed our then still slim bodies across it and tried to catch the sleep that proved to be elusive in the wake of anticipation of the playtime that was to come. So we closed our eyes and pretended to sleep when Mama would come around to check or else forfeit the snack that was to be our reward for taking the afternoon nap.

Then on weekends, my cousins, aunts and uncles on my mother's side would converge at lola's house and the result would be one fun ruckus. We slept on the floor, on banigs rolled out in the sala while the adults played mahjong.

We bought the banig from from the stalls lining the street immediately after the post office building, just below the Gran Hotel that never was. There you would find(and still find) all sorts of banig (sleeping mats) made from the "tikog", a reed plant that thrives in swampy areas. There were the colorful ones which are more expensive and then there were the simple mats which could only be rolled as it was too thick to fold unlike its more colorful sisters. All these mats were sourced from the small coastal town of Basey, Samar, the place where the paraglaras (women weavers) make the banig beneath its cool caves.

The banig we used to sleep on many years back has long been tucked away and is now frayed at the edges. It has since been replaced by the new one I bought, and like in my earlier years, my daughter now sleeps in it for afternoon naps after being lulled to a slumber by the tv and a bottle of "susoy" (milk). The banig of my childhood has now come full circle.

(Photo courtesy of Bimbo Tan of OTOP Phils.)