my pseudobackpack

and then it hit me

2009-12-24T09:12:00.011+08:00

Stockholm, SWEDEN-- “i think i really gained weight on this trip,” i tell my tita as we get our coats after a fine dinner at grodan. suddenly the coat attendant cheerfully goes, “that’s good! it means you’re alive!”

5 days later, i tell myself the same thing on a road trip to ystad in southern sweden. the plan is to drive from stockholm to skäne to get my tita’s things from her old flat, visit a wine cellar, and possibly go to nearby copenhagen afterwards. one hour on the road and we’re all happy campers after getting some coffee and goodies from a gas station. fika on the go. tita’s funky playlist blares from her vel satis. we all comment on how much snow the day is getting. she then points to neat stacks of ice on the right, which look like big marshmallow pieces. unfortunately, she also swerves to a particularly slippery part of the road. her vel satis then slides to the right and then to the left. i realize something is not right when tita keeps saying, “no, please, no.” the car spins thrice on the icy highway and i think to myself in a strangely calm way, “is this it? there are still a lot of things i want to do.” i brace myself for impact as we hit the railing on our right. the car stops. i look around. it's a miracle there are no cars behind us. tita and l are okay. i’m okay. just a little bump and some spilled coffee (some might say renault makes ugly cars but the vel satis seems fine in the more important respects).

so yes, i have holiday pounds to shed (damn swedish smörgåsbord). i also had an unsettling car accident. but i’m writing this, and it means i’m alive. if the universe could flash one word at me in bold letters it would be perspective.

god jul/merry christmas all. let's do fika soon!

frosty 30

2009-12-17T19:06:00.000+08:00

combinação das florzinhas

Uppsala, SWEDEN -- got a bright and happy bouquet one sub-zero, snowy afternoon. i love my girls (and boys). happy birthday to us, joy! have you gotten inked yet? :)

LomoAid by LOMOMANILA

2009-10-04T10:28:00.002+08:00

Manila, PH -- LomoAid is our campaign to get aid and relief for the victims of typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) in the Philippines. Using our analog photos, we choose to inspire and send a message of hope. One can join in just by adding the image above and endorsing trusted relief organizations such as The Philippine National Red Cross ( www.redcross.org.ph/ ) and Unicef ( www.unicef.org/ ).

LomoAid is being organized by members of Lomomanila ( which some of us belong to ), a local community of Lomography enthusiast and photographers. We hope others can join in with their photos and their donations.

Here is our ChipIn Page for contributions. Paypal proceeds go directly to the Philippine Red Cross. lomomanila.chipin.com/lomoaid

We also have a flickr community at www.flickr.com/groups/lomomanila. Check out some of the LomoAid images that are being uploaded. The photo above is one of them it's called Open Your Heart. Click here to read the message.

I know you can do better than reading and admiring the photo though ( hint hint... nah just donate now! ).

waiting

2009-10-04T00:06:00.009+08:00

Manila, PH --

Tropical storm 'Ondoy' has made life uncertain for a lot of Filipino children. Thousands wait in desperation for aid to come to them. Ease their helplessness. Please give what you can.

Donations may be made to the Philippine Red Cross at www.redcross.org.ph or Lomomanila's chipin account lomomanila.chipin.com/lomoaid

give. volunteer. help.

(more photos at lomomanila's flickr page)

What's up with me

2009-09-08T06:41:00.006+08:00

Harbor City,CA-- I told Risa that I have apprehensions on putting entries in our blog. The main reason is that the places we go to and the things that keep me busy are so wholesome. But then she said that not everyone has the same experiences as I do so I might as well share them.

I recently went to Universal Studios and had the studio tour for the nth time. The shark is still there but I was disappointed because for some reason King Kong is not part of the tour anymore and I thought that if there’s one thing that Lucas might appreciate from the tour, it’ll be the gorilla. He was amazed with dinosaurs, cars, water and fire, though. I also couldn’t help but feel sad because E.T. was gone for good and George McFly(from Back to the Future) is out of the scene. =(

When I am off, we sometimes go to the beach or stay for an hour or two on Barnes and Noble. We rarely buy books but I bought Ziggy Marley’s album. If some mom makes their children listen to classical music, I make mine listen to reggae music, blues, jazz. Ok ba? There’s this show from Noggin Channel called Jack and Music show and they have different these variety of genre on their show.

Bikram Yoga does wonders for me although I thought I was going to faint the first time I tried it. I had my first trial on Pilates and I am going to continue it because one, my instructor said I did well ( I chose to believe him!). Two, he looks more graceful than I am when he stretches. Seriously, he was like a ballerina. Three, he reminded me of a shopping partner from one of the 90’s movie and if cheverlu is part of a Pilates get-up, I am sure he would want me to wear one.

I will be off to NYC with my family in October so hopefully, I’ll be able to see Ditas. This will be my second time there but it will be the first for my boys so I will appreciate suggestions on where to go to considering that we will have a toddler with us on this trip. Risa,can you research for me? Hahaha=)

cory

2009-08-04T23:50:00.003+08:00

Manila, PH -- the philippines' first woman president has, as doronila wrote, crossed over into history. i guess we're all grieving but thankful because she made us all want to be better filipinos. even little things about her show her patriotism - the ringing tones on her mobile were 'bayan ko' and the national anthem.

she who fought the good fight will be missed.

* read jordan's tribute here

Oops, i did it again...

2009-07-23T21:29:00.006+08:00

Heathrow Airport, London --- J, remember our ordeal last year before we reached Brazil? You know -- when the airline cancelled our flight 2 hours before the departure and we had to find another flight then find a very nice friend of mine to drive us all the way to JFK airport (about 2 hours away from Neptune without traffic), and then we missed our connecting flight in Miami so we had to stay in a sleazy hotel in very hot Miami then you used your lawyer skills to get as an earlier flight then we had to walk along the very hot Miami highway (while I was carrying a Playstation 3) then we got a cab to the almost deserted airport (it was 1am) then we finally reached Brazil but then they lost our backpacks so we had to go to the cramped hostel with nothing so we took a shower using borrowed stuff and we dried ourselves with toilet paper? Yup, THAT ordeal. Well, it kinda happened again. Ako na nga 'ata ang may balat sa puwet. I have to check...

MY ORDEAL PART II (2009 version)
Okay, just to rationalize a bit, I have been really stressed these past weeks leading to my vacay because I am going through my fellowship interviews. So I had just gotten back from Boston because I had my interview at Massachusetts General. The following day, I had to leave for Spain. I was stressed because I had to pack in a rush and finish all my chief res responsibilities and other fellowship requirements before I leave. Anyway, en route to JFK airport (after 2 hours of weeding through the traffic), I realized that I left my passport. (nightmare!). So I had to call my very nice friend (same friend last year - Anitha) to bring me my passport. She wasn´t too happy about this because 1) I already asked her last year and 2) the drive to JFK was terrible. But because she´s really nice so she did it anyway. I had to change to a later flight because my passport would not make it in time. So I got the last flight available but the stop over is in London. So here I am now in Heathrow Airport. I have to wait for 9 hours (my butt´s hurtin´) because there are no available earlier flights to Spain. I guess everyone wanted to go to the land of the Spanish papas too.

I love lists. So here is my list of things I am going to do while I wait:
1. people-watch
2. watch out for any Beckham sightings
3. listen to my iPod
4. look out for Becks
5. look at the clock 1,000,000 times
6. read my book (House of God)
7. watch out for Becks
8. read my pediatric journals ( yup, I´m a nerd)
9. listen to podcasts about pediatric critical care (yup, i´m a dork)
10. people-watch
11. ogle at European men in skinny jeans
12. watch out for Beckham

how to travel together and stay friends

2009-07-22T15:37:00.002+08:00

this made me laugh. i can relate especially since a few years and several countries later, you can’t expect traveling with your best buddies to be perfect. yes, we love each other. but each one of us has a different travel style. minor hassles can get amplified on the road, and proximity 24 hours a day can breed contempt. examples: waking up an hour late and making the rest of the group wait , being cranky while getting lost, and having enough drink to require assistance to get to the nearest tuk-tuk the next day. and we’ve had serious heart-to-hearts/bull sessions while backpacking, too (last one in recent memory: at a rio de janeiro club, while politely explaining to an african guy to mind his own business).

but the little arguments/misunderstandings also make for interesting stories. the good times definitely outweigh the bad. once apologies and time-outs have had their run, we can just laugh at the pettiness while planning the next big trip ü right, girls?

the philanthropist

2009-07-02T14:01:00.019+08:00

what do you get when you cross a british rock star with an american billionaire?

sting was at a brazilian bar a few years ago when he met a fellow traveler. the man had a distinctive boston accent and a great story to tell. he wanted danger & excitement in his life. he wasn’t happy just wallowing in wealth and he wanted to give it away. tons of it.

it’s easy to throw around the phrase “life-changing” but it describes the path the man chose when he decided to give his dollars some mileage on a full-time basis. no mere check-signing and photo ops though. he practiced his “eyeball-to-eyeball” philanthropy, making his way to poor countries and getting in the thick of things. he has even lived in a tent in pakistan and has shared a toilet with 40 monks in the himalayas.

sting hit it off with the flamboyant american and they ended up as good friends and travel buddies. the englishman was so inspired by his friend that he worked to have a show based on his adventures. flash forward to this month and sting and his wife’s pitch has become “the philanthropist” on nbc.

of course, the tv version is glamorized. he's a suave briton living the CEO life in the big apple (“englishman in new york" is cheekily played in the background in one scene). a lady’s man who thinks nothing of tipping a pretty bartender with $1,000. he works his charm in africa and seduces the skeptical doctor who needs his help getting vaccines. and unlike the real philanthropist, he doesn’t bring along his entire family on his altruistic expeditions.

more on bobby sager (the real deal) and his traveling foundation and roadshow here.

park life

2009-06-04T08:37:00.007+08:00

Manila, PH -- there’s a fantasy of mine where i’m at work and during lunch break I go out of the office. outside, I don’t see a sidewalk painted in a dizzying mix of red, blue and yellow. the pavement isn’t tiled like jigsaw puzzles. pedestrians don’t need to bump each other while walking through the narrow street filled with vendors and beggars competing for their attention. puddles don’t make portions of the sidewalk impassable. instead, there’s an expanse of trees before me, and a park in the middle of it. i pick a bench to sit on and watch kids running by while eating my sandwich. the grass in the field is so inviting that people take off their footwear and just wander about barefoot.

i’m sharing this because I chanced upon this local TV show last night and they were talking about urban planning. the guest was my friend’s dad, a well-known architect and urban planning advocate. he talked about new york, paris, london, and other places where people value open spaces. parks aren’t considered a cost penalty but an asset to the community as these serve as the lungs of the city. they also talked about public transport, which is really not one of our country’s strengths. the average person spends 300 hours in traffic annually. i, on the other hand, spend at least 180 more than that here in manila. in places like singapore, mass transit systems are thoughtfully built next to high-density residential buildings so more people can get to work in just a few minutes. wasted time and carbon footprints (plus incidents of road rage) are reduced.

getting to work in 15 minutes. leisurely lunches at the park.

one can still dream.

photo from here

bohol part trois

2009-05-14T18:23:00.004+08:00

Bohol, PH -- island life 101. when it's a weekday and you're stuck at work, it's not a lot of fun to be in the middle of summer. the heat is oppressive, you feel like taking a shower 3x a day (or more), and you wish there was life beyond staring at your computer screen.

thankfully though, today is different. instead of heading to the office before 6 a.m. i joined the family on a flight to tagbilaran. we took zest air ("asia's most refreshing airline"), the dad's employer, to the land of tarsiers and chocolate hills. by 11 a.m. we were on the road to a yet-unspecified location. we ended up at amarela, a resort that's not very close to the famed alona beach. it's all good though, this place is fantastic. it's a relaxed confluence of asian and spanish touches (nuks). the place reminds me of this quiet and secluded villa we stayed at in bali (it's not as cheap though). you can see clearly see what the owner is passionate about: even before we met him, we concluded he was an art lover, a voracious reader and a music aficionado. his resort had shelves filled with books (including a couple on bali), its own art gallery, and carefully selected songs were softly playing in the dining room. when my dad introduced him to me i was surprised to hear him call me compañera (i was not in lawyer mode). turns out he retired from the world's most-maligned profession 4 years ago and was now engrossed in running amarela full-time.

so now it's still hot but the sun seems to be gentler. the bogged-down office airconditioning has been replaced with the endless crashing of waves. and instead of refilling my water at the office pantry, i'm enjoying my citrusy welcome drink. is citrusy a word?

Greek & Stuff

2009-04-20T04:38:00.006+08:00

CA -- I was checking out the farmers' market near our place. I suddenly thought of Ditas when I saw this goodlooking Greek guy (at least he looked like one.. and besides, he was selling olives and stuff). Here's how the conversation went:

Me: "Ditas!"
Ditas: "Ano? San ka?"
Me:"Farmers' Market. Alam mo ba yon?"
Ditas: "Ako sa Hopkins, o ano?"
Me: "Sosyal!"

The rest of the conversation was not much because apparently, several eyes were on her. Probably because she's new there, or perhaps as I usually tell her, "nai-insecure kasi ang ganda mo daw," as we both laugh. I wonder how she spent her birthday. Did you get the flowers??

My family and I were back home last month but we didn't stay that long. But it was enough, at least for me, to catch up with my family, relax a bit and go to a few places I haven't been to. I went to Cav, I definitely enjoyed wine- tasting but I think I appreciated it more because I was in good company. We went to Anvaya Cove and it's definitely a place I will look forward to visiting when I get back. I'll post pictures soon.

hot fun in the summertime

2009-04-09T11:56:00.008+08:00

Bali, INDONESIA-- or memories of bali, indonesia. it's almost noon here in manila and i'm home on a thursday. everyone is still in pajamas. as the only catholic nation in asia we're observing holy week (my mom is fasting from texting and making calls).

i know justine/ketuta was down with something last week (not a resurfacing inca virus, i hope) and she hasn’t seen any of the photos from my camera(s). here’s a little reminder of how, just a month ago, we were baking under the sun in our little piece of heaven called villa jerami.

the photo’s actually from another resort but you get the (pun pun pun) picture. great times filled with tasty nasi goreng, lovely museums, tipsy tourists singing ‘sex on fire’ with the local band, and yummy bintan beer and mojitos (bubbly for the birthday girl). plus a costa rican dude who invited himself to our all-girls party at ku de ta (to quote nimal, “there has been a security breach!”). note that it was a group of 15 girls with (mostly) big personalities. ballsy guy.

reprieve

2009-03-10T09:54:00.006+08:00

Taipei, TAIWAN -- i'm here for an extra day. apparently my flight to manila yesterday was cancelled last week and no one bothered to inform me. at least now i know how to take the bus back to the city (cost: 90 taiwanese dollars).

i hear the heat back home has been intolerable so i guess i should be thankful for my reprieve (it was 13 degrees here yesterday).

the past few days have been just great. the food has been excellent - from fancy restaurants to crowded little joints. i even got to try veggie chicharon in sweet and sour sauce. it doesn't come near the real thing but it was really good nevertheless.

off to bali

we spent the weekend in beitou and danshui. we people-watched by the river and took the ferry to go biking in bali (a fishing village near danshui - now i can say i've been to bali twice). had a good laugh at this restaurant called 'large footprint' as they serve 'brazilian mushroom soup' and l the brazilian has never heard of it.

back in taipei we rushed to the zoo to say hi to the pandas that were a gift from the chinese government. taken together the two pandas' names mean 'reunification.' pretty smooth on china's part - all the locals were just crazy about the furry couple.

panda diplomacy 101

later in the day we threw in some pinoy flavor and headed to little manila to attend mass. st. christopher's was packed with OFWs and l got to practice his tagalog with the parish priest. the row of pinoy stores next to the church reminded me of quiapo. people were selling pre-paid load, ligo sardines and dried mangoes, plus liwayway magazine (i didn't know that was still around). there was even a TV showing a live broadcast of the late great francis m's wake.

we headed to SPOT taiwan film house afterwards for dinner and smuggled in some red horse from a little manila grocery to cap the night.

good times.

ilha formosa

2009-03-07T22:03:00.006+08:00

Danshui, TAIWAN -- ni hao from ilha formosa! i'm in a town that's known as the coney island of the country. it's been pretty cold and wet the past few days and i've been so inappropriately dressed coming from humid bali. i had to go get myself a scarf and i found a legitimate excuse to buy boots.

i also checked out the big fuss about the taiwanese and their tea (i asked for water at one restaurant and the server looked at me quizzically and asked, "you don't like the tea?"). so far i've had chrysanthemum, madler (?), longan, oolong, and black.

one afternoon while i had some free time to myself i got a pot of milk tea and picked up a borrowed copy of 'kitchen confidential.' i'm reading this anthony bourdain bestseller in spite of his "naked contempt" for certain kinds of people (i belong to the vegetarian category). that's honey cake that's sitting next to the cup. it tasted like a less buttery sara lee pound cake.

more to follow.

outrage

2009-03-05T09:05:00.003+08:00

Bali, INDONESIA -- apart from the great service, food, and professionally-run surf schools,one thing striking about bali is the post-bombing psyche. on our way to a temple, our driver dewa was telling us that in bali, there were two bombings. in jakarta, "too many."

when we got to danung lot for a really gorgeous cliffside sunset we saw stalls selling shirts that very openly dissed bombings. one white tee read, "bali bombing outrage" in bold black letters. another simply had "fuck terrorism" on the front.

more lator.

giddy

2009-02-26T22:38:00.006+08:00

Bali, INDONESIA -- "girls gone wild: bali edition" is now on after months of email, bookings and such. jan, justine, claire and i are now waiting for the ten other girls joining us at our villa. ten girls! and yes, we're staying at a v-i-l-l-a. no couchsurfing, no backpacking, hardly any public transport-taking. jan and i are unaccustomed to all the luxury and perks of hanging with the high-rolling singapore girls. it's a nice change.

last night we went on a mission to see the seediest place we could find. the winner: the bounty discotheque. cage dancing,anyone?

more on justine's bali birthday blowout next time. happy birthday, ketuta!

bem-vinda!

2009-02-10T08:25:00.010+08:00

Manila, PH -- welcome to las islas filipinas! especially to all the superstar OFWs (overseas filipino workers). jushtine was here for christmas and new year and jeetas was here just last week. my favorite commies, jordan and lemon, spent christmas day with us in alabang.

a few highlights:

1) dolphin-watching in bohol

2) indie film-watching in makati

3) ziplining in tagaytay, with taal volcano in the background (with mouths wide open for the cameras)

4) beer-swigging at the saguijo parking lot with ditas' long-lost frat brothers

5) stopping over in cebu just to take the supercat ferry to tagbilaran city (the alvin and the chipmunks movie wasn't so bad)

pseudobackpacking fun!

joy, jan and i will see you here in the islands soon…

new year's eve in dublin

2009-01-13T10:41:00.003+08:00

Manila, PH -- "Is this knotted fist of a voice a clue to the next year? In the mist of uncertainty in your business life, your love life, your life life, why is Sinatra’s voice such a foghorn — such confidence in nervous times allowing you romance but knocking your rose-tinted glasses off your nose, if you get too carried away."- bono on sinatra singing 'my way,' in the ny times.

(the man can write.)

photo from viawest

my indie band, my couch

2009-01-02T18:11:00.006+08:00

Manila, PH -- what if your favorite band wanted to surf your couch? like, say, stars or a little irish band called snow patrol. do you charge a CD for every night they stay with you? in world hum .

feliz añonuevo/feliz ano novo/ manigong bagong taon!

a good week for movies

2008-12-26T19:43:00.005+08:00

Manila, PH -- l asked his girlfriend j why we were watching a couple of flicks at glorietta when there were much nicer cinemas in the area. the answer: it was the only place showing something less fluffy than twilight. a good call if i may say so myself.

i went to this party a few days before watching the chris martinez indie film '100' and later realized the i had been talking to one of the film's producers that night. '100' is funny, poignant and the most meaningful use of post-its thus far. in it, thirtysomething joyce finds out she has only 3 months to live and sets out to do a hundred things that make life matter ( from skinnydipping to finding the long-lost love of her life). one of the most striking scenes: when she quietly lets her married ex-lover cling to her and cry unabashedly when she breaks the news to him.

so movie review website rotten tomatoes gave it a 58% on its tomato meter. i still enjoyed this guy ritchie london thriller. it's funny, stylish, and serves up a good soundtrack. best tom wilkinson line: "there's no school like the old school and i'm the f*cking headmaster." and gerard butler as a thug named one-two? cute touch.

here's to more good stuff to watch. merry christmas & happy last week of 2008 ;)

Adventures in Couchsurfing

2008-12-21T04:48:00.005+08:00

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:31:00 12/14/2008

It’s a novel experience and a leap of faith. To enjoy Couchsurfing, one must be open-minded, willing to trust people, and must not be solely motivated by the prospect of free board and lodging

EVERYTHING started through a chance meeting. It was a cold January morning in Banaue. I was dozing off in a jeepney en route to Sagada when I noticed that half of the Caucasian couple across from me was now inches away, introducing herself to my friends. That stranger’s unexpected friendliness on that bumpy ride set in motion something I have been decidedly enthusiastic about for over a year now—Couchsurfing.

Our new friends Jean Philippe and Caroline, as it turned out, were Swiss backpackers on the final leg of their round-the-world eight-month journey ("RTW,” in Lonely Planet speak). Having hit it off with them, we shared two days of spelunking and hiking. At night we talked about past and future travels over some local rum (strawberry lambanog). My friends and I, all twenty-something girls afflicted with wanderlust, told them we wanted to go to places we had never been to. In turn, Jean Philippe and Caroline regaled us with their South American adventures in Couchsurfing (CS), a yet-unknown activity to us.

Caroline recounted how they were hosted by people in Chile and Brazil through the non-profit online network of the same name. For them, it was a fun and more inexpensive way of getting to know a place through its locals.

Flash forward to this year: I now consider myself somewhat of a CS veteran. I joined the network a few weeks after I heard about it, intrigued at the thought of “surfing” someone else’s couch. After initial apprehensions, I was reassured by the sheer volume of positive feedback and the sensible advice on safety. I plunged into my first CS encounter quite randomly: a South Korea-based American teacher, Melissa, e-mailed me and asked if she could stay with me for a couple of days. Although initially wary, I checked out her profile (members must have one to be able to contact other Couchsurfers), and saw that Couchsurfers from different countries had left good feedback about her as a friend and as a guest. A few days later I picked her up at the airport, brought her to Saguijo (to watch a “rockin’ show,” as she described it), and showed her around Intramuros. After a few days she had to catch a plane to Boracay and on our last lunch together, we exchanged tokens. She gave me a necklace from Kenya and I gave her a book by an author she was eager to read.

Over the next several months after my first hosting stint, I had more positive CS experiences. I went to a couple of parties by the active CS Manila group. Sometimes I would host people for a few days (no more than two guests as my profile states).When it wasn’t a good time for me to host, I would opt to meet visiting Couchsurfers for dinner or drinks (the network has a “meet for coffee or drinks” option; members are not required to host people in their homes).

I relished playing both host and tour guide. It reawakened my sense of nationalism and challenged me to brush up on Filipino history and culture. Once, a guest asked me the exact year when Spain ceded the country to the US, and I was stumped. Suffice to say that from then on I’ve been trying to be more reliable when it comes to dishing out Pinoy facts and figures.

I’ve met such interesting Couchsurfers that if I could have all of them over for dinner, my guests would include a vinyl record-loving French photographer, a German theater actor eager to educate children in Africa, and a young American retiree (only 40-plus years old), who was passionate about scuba diving in Philippine waters. The cultural exchange has been more interesting than any of the guided tours my family has taken in Asia and Europe. Aside from the lively discussions on politics and religion, I learned that the Danish ride a bicycle everywhere, even when they go clubbing at night (they also invented the chat program Skype). I heard about the crazy “free parties” Parisian college students used to hold on empty fields. And I was pleasantly surprised to find out that two young German Couchsurfers I recently met chose to take their one-year internship in a little-known Eastern Samar town so they could help out a small community.

with fellow Couchsurfers in Brazil

No Couchsurfer can come full circle without surfing someone’s couch. A few months ago, I did exactly that. I traveled to South America with three of my equally gung-ho friends, excited to be traveling for the first time as Couchsurfers. Our first stop, Brazil, was an absolute delight—thanks in part to our CS hosts. Rio De Janeiro natives Patricia and her brother Marcos (we fondly called him “Markinho” or little Marcos) showed us around their beautiful city and treated us to where the locals had their feijoada (stew of black beans) and guarana juice (a soda made from tropical berry). We watched a wild and loud soccer game with a dozen Couchsurfers, who taught us their team’s cheer and made sure we didn’t get lost in the huge Maracana Stadium. Another host, Rosangela, welcomed us to her apartment along with her gracious mom who didn’t speak a word of English, but cheerfully gave us shots of cachaça (an alcoholic drink from sugar cane) to wash down the meals she had prepared for us. We went out in Lapa and Copacabana along with local Couchsurfers who were naturally great dance instructors. Another lovely host, Maira, brought us to the beach, patiently taught me how to dance the forro (a northeastern Brazilian dance), and introduced my palate to the açai berry. She and her friends showed a sincere interest in where we come from to boot. It was amusing to see them go to Google Earth just so I could show them exactly what part of the world I call home.

Our excellent CS adventure extended into chilly Argentina, where we hung out with CS friends and flatmates Camila and Elisabet. Camila, a hotel manager, cooked dinner for us and marveled at how a lot of Filipino words were rooted in Spanish. Elisabet, a Swedish journalist, entertained us with tales of her enviable six-month stay in the country. They brought us to a milonga, where the locals dance the seductive tango. We had traditional churros con chocolate too, plus an evening at the theater to watch a hip improvisational percussion show.

You can say I fell in love with the South American cities we visited largely because of the people we met through CS. Our new friends helped us with everything imaginable. On our second day in Rio De Janeiro we were unable to change our dollars into the local currency. Markinho generously loaned us his school allowance for the day so we could go around and see Ipanema beach. We got to sightsee, explore the nightlife, try homemade local dishes and practice our Spanish and Portuguese with our fellow CSers, something guidebooks and guided tours can’t offer.

It’s a leap of faith, this Couchsurfing thing. You have to be open-minded and edge out that cynic in you that finds it hard to trust people in general. There have also been notable accounts of some CS members receiving negative references. On one Couchsurfer’s profile, one female member wrote that he tried to hit on her while she was visiting. A Filipina member, on the other hand, reported that one CS guest was unbelievably demanding during her stay in her home. Safety too cannot be guaranteed a hundred percent. But as CS member Daniel told his skeptical parents, no one is going to fly a thousand miles just to steal your TV.

full-fledged Couchsurfers

As with any novel experience, just be extra careful, read the site’s introductory tips, and have your wits about you. Follow your instinct when judging someone’s trustworthiness online or in person. It is a must as well that you are not primarily motivated by having free lodging and food. You must have a genuine desire to see a travel spot’s charms through local eyes. Now that’s the stuff of many a priceless CS story.

* my first time to post in regular, non-ee cummings caps ;p

Happy birthday to us!

2008-12-19T09:35:00.006+08:00

CA -- I just got home from Coffee Bean exhausted but Risa's article really made my day! My co-worker and I were actually talking about North face products yesterday and when I told her that I used it when we were backpacking, she seemed a bit surprised (well, I didn't tell her that I brought a lip and cheek tint with me).
I haven't had an entry for quite some time but if you're interested in Sea World, Aquarium of the Pacific and carousels inside a mall, let me know.
Oh, happy birthday to us, Risa! =)

Ho ho ho!

2008-12-10T10:50:00.000+08:00

midweek!

2008-10-08T20:11:00.009+08:00

Osmeña Highway, PH -- photo above: view from my windshield. some manila schoolgirls on their way home (or to the nearest sari-sari store, perhaps).

we've almost completely moved into our new office and have fixed a trifling detail: we now have air. and water. now i have no excuse for sitting idly and doing as little as possible to conserve my share of oxygen and potable agua.

where is everyone? i want to hear about your october (or the last 4 months if you're justine & jan).

it's wednesday, it's business time, it's mid-week... funerals, global financial crises & other stuff aside, we made it!

soundtrack while writing this: love shack, b-52s

On the freeway

2008-09-16T04:11:00.009+08:00

Redondo Beach,CA -- I haven't posted anything for months and here's what I've been doing: Practicing how to drive around (Yes, I already got my license!)I headed to my aunt in Redondo Beach as soon as I got my own car. I've been working (Yes, I already have a job.)which made me decide that I have to review EKG and cardio meds. I'm learning money matters and tax system here. I spend time with my family, watch Lucas grow, run errands in between and hoping that we'll go out of LA county before fall starts. Sounds busy? I'm actually having fun and it's a new adventure for me. Photo from redondobeach.com

and the winner is...

2008-09-01T18:43:00.007+08:00

runners trixie and van (this dude had to work on a u.s. flight the same day!)

Fort Bonifacio, PH -- "running is one of the greatest expressions of human potential," says tour de france champ lance armstrong. a million other runners happily (and sweatily) agreed with him at the nike + human race last sunday.

according to the official site:

"Race courses take runners by famous landmarks such as the famed LA Coliseum, Taipei 101 (the world’s tallest building), Mexico City’s historic center and the Puerta del Sol in Madrid. Istanbul’s race course will span the city’s famous Bosphorus Bridge, closing it to car traffic to literally allow participants to run from Europe to Asia and back again."

how cool. and cooler still - my mother won an award! note: it would have been nice if they gave the winners the cruise-for-two prizes they gave away at the raffle. mamma mia won in her age category and finished 106 out of 300 runners. yes, trixie proves that vegetarians can be ass-kicking sports achievers. i'm a different story, of course. i just choose to be non-athletic. i even proudly belong to team klutz (hi justine!).

thanks for my nike loot

maybe i'll join next year. for now i'm trixie's official photographer/one woman cheering squad.

high-five to everyone who finished this race!

i won!

for posterity: nike awards

fahrenheit

2008-08-28T11:07:00.004+08:00

New Brunswick, NJ -- I've been rotating in a different hospital this month. I actually appreciated this change in environment. Somehow Neptune was getting to me. And I love getting lost in a place where no one knows you. You can just hide in one corner, and just watch people pass by. People don't mind you because they don't really care. It's a bigger hospital so it's easier to get lost. And I love love love the fact that I don't have a pager on me. No one can control my day; no one can control my life. I am my own master. My favorite spot is under the giraffe statue that says every 2 minutes,"Come under my head, and I'll measure your height." I go under her (it has long eyelashes so I think the giraffe's a girl) and wait for her to say," You are 5 feet 10 inches." I do that at least 2 times a day. Somehow, I just need to confirm if I'm still me and not shrinking away to nothingness.

You can detect from my writing that i haven't been my happy self lately. Not going home is the biggest factor. My grandfather's death is another one. So in this state of melancholy, I go drag myself to that hospital every day. Mind you, I have to wake up really early because I have to drive 33 miles (50 minutes) to get there. One day, I was in the elevator on my way up to see patients. My head was down because I was just sad and I don't like making eye contact with strange people. Then comes in this dorky doctor (I hate dorks) reeking of Fahrenheit perfume (I didn't know they still made this perfume). Suddenly, flashes of Mr. Cruz and all the happy memories of high school came back to me. I closed my eyes and imagined walking along the halls of dear St. Scho, surrounded by friends and teachers dear to me. I sniffed and sniffed until I sniffed out all the Fahrenheit I could sniff out of the dork's pathetic pale blue polo. I walked out of the elevator with a silly grin on my face. For the first time in a month, I found a reason to smile.

travel itch reads for the brokenhearted (or just plain broke)

2008-07-27T14:56:00.005+08:00

Manila, PH --been staying home a lot. my last night out (as in outside my house) was actually at sparklemind's place, playing rockband. i want to be inspired to learn greek for next year. somehow sisterhood of the traveling pants and mamma mia just don't cut it. and i'm still nursing a brazilian hangover.

i want to read something along these lines:

read justine's copy last year. hilarious and entertaining take on reinventing yourself and taking off to exotic locales, just because. it's after our own pseudobackpacker heart.

part french travelogue, part hot pursuit page turner involving a broke brit who's trying to stay in southern france for as long as his money will let him. his ad offering his services to any takers: "anything considered except marriage." cute.

how can a woman get paid to spend a year off eating all the pizza she can handle? while having lunch with a hot italian everyday? no spoilers. just have to mention "wayan's fail-proof broken-heart curing treatment" -- "vitamin e, get much sleep, drink much water, travel to place far away from the person you loved, meditate and teach your heart that this is destiny."

holla back if you have any recommendations

apt

2008-07-20T04:12:00.007+08:00

Manila, PH -- you know how you generally don't believe in horoscopes but sometimes wonder how they seem to be spot on? my friend cat showed me mine today:

Back from one of your grand adventures, real life seems challenging. The routine that used to be fitting now seems terribly out of step with who you've become. Be patient. Don't make changes. Give it a few days.

a few days, and then what? maybe cat will have the answer to that as well (since hers says she makes toned precise messages).

olodum!

2008-07-19T03:46:00.008+08:00

Salvador, BRASIL -- Olodum: world-renowned Afro-Brazilian cultural group from Salvador da Bahia, known for developing “samba-reggae” and for its active participation in carnaval each year. I was curious to see Olodum's drum corps (they've performed with Michael Jackson and Paul Simon and have worked with Spike Lee) so Marcos and I hit the streets of Pelourinho one rainy Sunday night to catch their first ensaio for the winter season.

For 20 reais, we witnessed powerful, heart-thumping, non-stop drum beating that accompanied the vocals of some of Salvador's most popular artists. The place was packed with both tourists and locals alike, all dancing to the intense and infectious rhythm. Wild! I'd never experienced so much energy in one show.

I think I'll pick up an Olodum CD at the mall so i can pack some of that rhythm and energy into my suitcase before I head home to Manila.

off to niterói

2008-07-13T21:33:00.007+08:00

Niterói , BRASIL -- back in june (has it been that long ago?) we spent half a day getting to and from ipanema to the island of niterói by cab, bus and ferry. the oscar niemeyer museum (the MAC) was pretty cool but we were just so pressed for time that it was about all we saw on the island. marcelo our airport transfer guy was right: the exhibits can be pretty disappointing; it's the architecture that you really admire.

take a look at the kindergarten class that was at the museum that day. ang cute.

space-age museum

he wanted his photo taken with us

and we wanted a photo with these adorable little crianças

the only photo i got to take inside. shhh.

feliz aniversario, caras!

2008-07-09T09:46:00.004+08:00

Salvador, BRASIL -- A belated birthday greeting to our favorite gemeos (twins) in the world, Marcos and Ramon (a.k.a. meaty hamon)! We enjoyed your lively festa of feijoada, batida and samba samba samba! Have a fantastic year ahead :)

Hot Male to Go, Please

2008-07-07T19:23:00.004+08:00

Aguas Calientes, PERU -- Vegetarian or Hot male? Hmmm. We just couldn't decide...

Ode to Hamon

happy-sad

2008-07-06T10:04:00.007+08:00

Los Angeles, CA -- it's time to go home. my boss, my dad, and my dad's lawyer have been looking for me and, you know, all good things must come to an end.

my tita is the first pinoy i've seen in 5 weeks. she and my tito picked me up at LAX after my tiring brasil-argentina-lima-us flights. i only have several hours before my next flight leaves for manila. i spend it wisely by having american-style comfort food at their house: a peanut butter-jelly-banana sandwich with hot chocolate. i shower, nap, pack my things and have a strawberry milkshake and cheesecake afterwards (my relatives know how to fatten up their guests).

i'm catching the last philippine airlines flight tonight and will be sharing space with manny pacquiao, recent victor against mexican boxer diaz. i only know this stuff since the pinoys at LAX are excitedly talking about the pacman. when the man of the hour arrives with his entourage and media crew, people shout "manny! manny!" and a man yells "manny! what's up, baby?"

more stuff on sulamerica, when time permits.

see you in manila, chickies.

Inca Postcards

2008-07-05T19:05:00.007+08:00

Somewhere in PERU -- photos of our ollantaytambo and machu picchu escapades. ang ginaw!

carved out of an entire mountain (probably sent a lot of inca workers to their deaths)

paparazzi shot while looking for a hostel

are we there yet

it got hotter up the sacred valley ruins

something about peruvian water made our hair look nice

jeetas with croatia's answer to borat (croatian morning gymnastics, anyone?)

capoeira!

2008-07-04T09:17:00.008+08:00

Salvador , BRASIL -- bahia is the birthplace of capoeira so we can't not post on that now can we? we weren't able to catch the masters at pelourinho on video so for now here's master marcos vinicius and top pupil jeetas (this was how we would start our day: waking up in a condo overlooking the ocean, to the sound of afro-brazil beats and a half-naked bahiano getting our coffee ready...such was the life we had)

manay, get your namorado to show us some serious capoeirista moves!

putting an end to saudades

2008-07-04T00:30:00.009+08:00

Salvador, BRASIL -- On June 5, after a week in Rio de Janeiro, I eagerly hopped on the plane to Salvador de Bahia with Risa, Justine and Ditas. I was anxious to see Marcos after our three-month (endless) exchange of muitas saudades (missing with a heartache) over Skype. After retrieving my suitcase at the Salvador airport, I hurriedly made my way to the exit. No sight of Marcos. Risa: “I'm sure he'll be here soon.”

And so he was. I saw Marcos burst through the glass doors and run to me with a bouquet of flowers. And then the cinematic embrace. (Photos courtesy of Ditas). I can't remember the last time I felt that kind of high. When I passed the bar exams probably.

The girls and I spent five days in lovely Bahia before heading to Lima. More on that next time.

Now, after two weeks of near-arctic weather in Peru and Argentina, I'm back in Salvador. It's good to feel the sun on my skin again.

hey, im having fun too!

2008-07-02T07:27:00.007+08:00

Manila, PH -- while the girls are having the time of their lives halfway around the world, i guess i can do the same here in our beloved metro. i haven't been traveling but having such a good time. just hanging out, shooting or even staying at home! yeah, of course i'm dating someone. what else can make me stay at home ?

ladies, meet rossy. make that rossy and robert. since we are a couple.

she's a 23 year old interior designer and the sweetest girl in the world! well that's not counting the 5 of you.

been very busy shooting lately, portraits and people. i think, its been more than a year since i took portraits of the pseudobackpackers. why not check my latest shots here ?

the boston celtics won the nba title again after 22 long years. i just had to wait 2 years for this one though. but that's two things that made me really happy this year.

oh did i mention i'm in love ? or that's too cheesy na ? hahaha

brazil in the baggage

2008-07-02T05:58:00.006+08:00

Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA -- marcos once explained to our manay jan what the word saudades meant. it´s a special kind of missing, when you miss something or someone so bad that your heart aches. i think i feel that way about feijao com farofa. that´s black beans with traditional brazilian farina (flour). i´m pretty sure i´ll be craving for that when i get home.

right now i´m at the ezeiza airport thankful that i got to extend my stay in rio but wishing i had more time there. my last night in rio was spent at a laranjeiras flat perched on a hill. my friends and i listened to joao gilberto and ravi shankar while drinking wine and laughing at this.

my carioca friend maira says we´re the same because we both have espiritu de gorda. a fat spirit. this, after she witnessed me order pizza and grape juice from a madureira food stall just an hour after i had wolfed down a plate full of feijao and a mini chocolate fondue.

beijao to all the brasileiros who gave our fat little spirits a lot of room to play! all you people did was make us eat, dance, sing, and eat some more. the shame, the shame. piscar, piscar (wink, wink).

tempos felizes

2008-06-27T04:53:00.006+08:00

our little festa at the corcovado tram ride

maira and our leblon chef making pasta a la jeetas

Ipanema, BRASIL -- happy times above.

it´s looking like it will be time for me to leave cidade maravilhosa tomorrow. if lan airlines would just cooperate i can spend another weekend here.

i am, again, waiting for my galera to finish their to-do lists. i´m watching the sound of music later with my friend and his folks. i´m not sure if it will be in english. como se diz "how do you solve a problem like maria" em portugues?

some replies:

jan: i miss you, marcos, and the lovely people of salvador. i was at centro again today and i found acaraje from a vendor who was an honest-to-goodness bahiana...wish i could have more over there. saudades!

sparklemind: that´s not emo yet. watch out.

jushtine: haven´t gotten any text messages from you or anyone back home (except for a spammer offering me a car loan)... attempting to apply that lovely italian word. here´s to building things that last!

constant rain

2008-06-26T06:56:00.012+08:00

Rio de Janeiro, BRASIL -- it´s wednesday night and i´m alone at a cafe in leblon reading that elizabeth gilbert book jushtine and jeetas kept throwing spoilers of back in peru. it´s so popular you can get a copy of it here in portuguese (comer rezar amor).

getting a bit lonely. i´m back here in rio for the second time in 4 weeks. i flew in from salvador de bahia last night without jan (hi manay & marcos). the terrible tandem left south america a week ago. right now i´m waiting for my friend to finish his errands. i called my other friend daniel to see if he wanted to hang out but he doesn´t get off from work ´til late.

this is just fine, though. i´d rather be lonely halfway across the world than back home. it´s easy to feel hidden here, away from things and people you´d rather not think of.

maybe it´s the constant rain.

* i´ll stop here before you all let out a collective aww which i might not appreciate ;p

the most "GP" entry!

2008-06-25T01:59:00.010+08:00

Torrance, CA -- I was having second thoughts of posting this 'cause it is SOOOO wholesome compared to Ditas' "meaty" entry. Oh well, just try to look at my shoes!;-)

i know i owe blog entries, but this picture is just too funny.....

2008-06-23T12:38:00.006+08:00

Salvador, BRASIL ---
THE NIGHT THE VEGETARIANS GAVE IN......TO HAMON.
Let's slice the ham.
Let's bring home the ham.

mais que nada

2008-06-20T13:56:00.005+08:00

Machu Picchu, PERU -- i'll leave the post about bahia and other happenings with "jeetas," "jani," and "jushtine" (love the portuguese way of saying things).

so manay jan and i arrived ahead of the terrible tandem by a couple of hours. the lima airport had an unusual concentration of metalheads in black sneaks. when we asked our cabbie why there was a commotion at the arrival area he simply said: "megadeth." yes, they're still around and we flew in on the same flight. they are apparently on the latin america leg of their "tour of duty 2008."

after lima we went to cusco, ollantaytambo and finally aguas calientes, the last stop before macchu picchu. if you want more historical info just borrow cely's print-outs on peru (that's jushtine's cousin). just know that machu picchu means "old mountain" and it was discovered in 1911 by our man hiram bingham.

we were such penny-pinchers when it came to sightseeing that we refused to hire anyone and tried to eavesdrop on the machu picchu guides holding their nth lecture for their big tour groups. and when we couldn't hear everything we would just dismiss it with "it's all just speculation, anyway."

i can't post it right now but i have photos of my footwear problems right before the bus ride for machu picchu. great timing. so i can proudly say: i conquered machu picchu in tsinelas! and we have a dance video to prove it.

watch out for our mais que nada in machu picchu samba number. teehee.

highlights:

ditas' ollanta, cusco and lima admirers
sacred valley ruins
best meal at indio feliz, aguas calientes
450-year old monument-turned hostel (loki backpackers' hostel in cusco)
wayna picchu jungle hike - congrats manay (almost there) and deets (made it)!

futebol e vida!

2008-06-13T04:45:00.009+08:00

the flamengo seal

pre-match with the couchsurfers

pati with the new flamengo fans

Maracana, BRASIL -- football is life! in brasil, anyway. and we had a thrilling first-hand encounter with brazilians´love affair with the sport. we watched a match between flamengo and fluminense, 2 of the top 4 clubs in the country. the electric vibe at the stadium was infectious. the drum beats, the huge car-sized bandeiras, and the passionate fans all made the match more memorable. we were on the flamenguista side and by rooting for that team we learned a slew of new portuguese cuss words (my sources were right: it's the flamenguistas who know how to have fun. you can liken their fan fever to our own ginebra pba fans).

the match also earned me a souvenir on my left thigh, a big purple bruise caused by an overly-excited english fan. when flamengo scored a goal on a penalty kick our side of the maracana stadium went crazy and his wildly waving arms caused me to land hard on my seat. the screen proclaimed: goool!

patricia offers this simple summary for soccer love: you can change your wife, you can change your sex, you can even change your country. but you can never change your soccer team. to do that would make you a traitor to all that brazilians hold dear. 'til the next crazy futebol game!

* flamengo won, 1-0. we went home a happy bunch.

Corcovado

2008-06-12T08:36:00.005+08:00

Rio de Janeiro, BRASIL--On our second day in Brasil, we paid a visit to Cristo Redentor in Corcovado. Since we had in our previous travels caught the sunrise in Angkor Wat, we thought it would be perfect to catch the sunrise overlooking this marvelous city. Tip: the first tram up the mountain only starts at 8.30am. Whilst killing time we went on a hunt for some food. One of the locals pointed us to Princesa Supermercado where wonders of all wonders, it was also still closed. Sleep deprived and cold we were in no mood to wait until an elderly Carioca came up to us just to tell us we were such garotas lindas (pretty girls). Suddenly, the morning didn´t look so bad. After some pao de queijo (post about this to follow) and cafe with leite (but separa por favor), we trooped back to the tram station to make our way up to Cristo. The first time I looked up at Cristo, I felt a rush to my head and realised...oh my god, this statue is big. Second thought: I promise to be good, really. Once we were done gazing up (way way up) at the Cristo, we busied ourselves admiring the view of the city. Perched on top of a mountain, we could make out the marina, the race track, the famous Pao de Azucar and Maracana (post on this to follow).

Taxi fare from Ipanema to Corcovado: 15-20 reais

Tram fare to the top of Corcovado: 36 reais

oi!

2008-06-10T12:38:00.007+08:00

Ipanema, BRASIL -- the terrible tandem of justine & ditas finally made it to south america. they weren´t all bright & cheery when they got here, thanks to their missing luggage (courtesy of american airlines). plus we welcomed them to our terrasse hostel room, which deets proclaimed as our nice "walk-in closet" (had a shared bathroom for the first time and it wasn´t so bad). we brought them to corcovado to see cristo redentor and partied at house, this bar in leblon.

i´m a bit frustrated as the pc i´m using right now is ancient and i can´t find the usb port. so no photos for now.

i forgot to post about our first time in ipanema. jan and i were a few blocks from the beach when she gasped all of a sudden. in front of us were these two dudes walking, like regular pedestrians. except that dude number 1 was wearing a tee and... skimpy red speedos. imagine seeing that while you´re walking outside greenbelt. and then while we were outside the botanical gardens in tijuca we saw this guy walking in the opposite direction. shirtless and looking like a bronzed baywatch surfer extra. jan and i were in unison -- "temptation!" giselle, our new puerto rican friend, agreed. they´re everywhere.

will post soon about the football game we watched at maracana stadium. tchau for now!

sextas-feiras em rio (thursday in rio)

2008-06-01T08:29:00.008+08:00

Copacabana, BRASIL-- our first night out in o brasil! it was funk/"hipy-hop" night at clandestino bar.

after watching indiana jones (with portuguese subtitles) we headed to copacabana with cariocas rosangela, bianca and daniel. it was a rainy night at 17 degrees but inside the club the dj residentes "dropped it like it´s hot!"

we had our strongest caipirinha (with fresh strawberries) and it took us three hours to finish half a glass. daniel was careful not to drink too much lest he lose his english proficiency. rosangela, with non-alcoholic sprite in hand, had the best moves of the night. and bianca showed us some mean forro steps which we miserably attempted to copy.

on the way home the cristo redentor greeted us again, this time bathed in fog and city lights.

day 3 in rio. super-legal!

cidade maravilhosa

2008-05-29T12:26:00.010+08:00

Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, BRASIL--"saúde!" says the cute brazilian shop clerk as i sneeze while walking past him. we´re in shopping tijuca, a mall near our host´s apartment. patricia, our couchsurfing host, says the expression means "bless you!" in portugues. so it´s not just a way to toast to good health, i´m finding out.

a few hours earlier i woke up with a jolt as the plane´s tires screeched on the pavement. i turned to jan and the first thing she said was "we´re here!" with a huge smile on her face. i was so out of it after an 18-hour flight. we were jetlagged coming from los angeles and we had a stopover in santiago, chile plus undisclosed stops at lima, peru and sao paolo, brazil. we only found out about the other stops when the pilot announced the whole route on the plane!

hasten was asking about first impressions when i texted her earlier today. we haven´t been around yet but i love how we´re in a city surrounded by mountains, a forest, and beaches.

also, the locals we´ve met thus far are just great. marcelo, the driver who picked us up at the airport, was also an excellent tour guide. he pointed out some landmarks like the maracana soccer stadium and told us not to worry about dengue fever as it hadn´t been raining for 18 days. quite a character, that guy. he´s not sure if he´s really brazilian as he dislikes soccer and the samba.

i´m writing this from marcos´ laptop. that´s marcos, patricia´s sister. not jan´s namorado ;)
it´s almost 2am and i have to sleep soon. we´re off to parque national da tijuca in the morning.
later!

* photo of cristo redentor taken from here. will post our own photos soon!

How it started

2008-05-28T07:53:00.010+08:00

Los Angeles,CA -- I wanted to cry when I saw Janice get off from the shuttle, more so when we met Risa 2 days before they left for Rio. I was so happy that the South Am plan pushed through (even though I'm not joining the girls..) We reminisced about how we actually came up with South America. I was personally asked a couple of times why we decided on South Am. I'd always tell them that it's because of a Swiss couple we met in Sagada--Jean-Philippe & Caroline.

Later on, while talking about learning the salsa and waiting for Justine at her surprise despedida, Risa looked at me and asked, "alam mo ba yung blog?" We were thinking of the same thing but didn't know how to start. Then we met Sparklemind, and "mypseudobackpack" was born.

While the girls are enjoying their adventure, I'm hooked on the Travel Channel, taking down notes on food, people & places, and planning on where we can take Lucas. I think I'll let Lucas explore South America by himself when he grows up =)

Any suggestions for baby- friendly places? Please spare Disneyland!

first stop: L.A.

2008-05-27T16:03:00.007+08:00

Lawndale, CA - after a 13 hour flight out of manila with a 20 kilo suitcase and a 40 liter backpack i arrived in LAX on may 25...exhausted. along with the USA men's volleyball team and a pack of japs headed for vegas, immigration inspector asked me the purpose of my visit (stopping over before rio de janeiro, sir) and customs officer asked me if i brought longganisa and balut (no, but i could bring you some next time). once out of the airport, i hurriedly took my supershuttle ride which joy so kindly booked. 20 minutes on the road and i was at joy's doorstep!

i had missed joy so much it felt surreal to be seeing her, this time with 6-week old lucas and hubby rico. twas great catching up on a year's worth of life stories.

risa and i spent our last day in L.A. with joy and her boys over breakfast at denny´s and animatedly planned our next big adventure: turkey/morroco/greece in april ´09.

first things first, though - vamos a sul america!

Pseudobackpackers Packing List (subtitle: I should be working but I choose to maintain my sanity by blogging about the essentials)

2008-05-20T17:12:00.007+08:00

Suntec City, Singapore--On a recent trip home, Reese and I got last minute tips from my fabulous cousin Cely who backpacked around South America for almost 3 months after taking the bar exams. Here's her list of what to pack:

1. two pairs of pants - 1 pair of jeans and 1 pair of cargo pants or gauchos

2. 1 mini skirt

3. 4-5 tank tops (two of which must be black and white)

4. 3 tops for going out (ehem ehem)

5. all weather jacket with hoodie

6. 1 long sleeved top

7. 1 pair of sneakers/trainers

8. 1 pair of going out sandals

9. 1 pair of flip flops

10. gloves, scarf,extra socks (folks, Peru will be in the lows of 35 F when we get there)

11. photocopies of all travel documents

I have done some pre-packing of my own and would like to add the following essentials:

12. lock for backpack (be sure to get the TSA approved ones, i.e. the ones with a digital combination lock and the keyhole that can be opened with a standard international key)

13. money belt (to be worn inside jeans..not very fashionable but oh so essential)

14. universal plug

15. anti-mozzy repellant

16. bikini

17. camera and film of choice

Words of wisdom from Cely, if you have extra space, bring more tops for going out! Wise woman, that cousin of mine.

Any other suggestions? Less than two weeks to go!!

me, prepare for brazil?

2008-05-15T22:25:00.005+08:00

Manila, PH -- joy, i am an obedient girl so i'm posting my list.

1. got immunization shots (hepa a, typhoid, flu). bawal magkasakit! tomorrow i'm getting yellow fever shots with manay jan. apparently you can only get these in manila at the bureau of quarantine. right, hasten? (we were teasing her that because of her tiny tidy island's requirements, she'll be the only one getting the shots & falling in line with livestock & such. look who has to go now.)

2. been somewhat faithful to my brazilian diet. brazilian diet: because i need money for brazil i can't go shopping or have lunch out! hopefully next year i'll be on a turkish diet. wink, wink.

3. looking for a good 55-liter up backpack. my sister the mountaineer is using hers daw. sigh. i don't want to blow $300 on something i can't wear/take pictures with.

4. brushing up on my portuguese/spanish. i'm not doing great, though. today i learned how to ask for food in a restaurant: "�tiene comida vegetariana?" jan, if i can't remember how to conjugate i'll leave all the talking to you...unless i decide to bring my 'wicked spanish' phrasebook (and we all know how useful that will be).

5. couchsurfing! i've hosted several people here but crashing a relative stranger's house will be quite a plunge for me and the girls. the people who are hosting us are mostly from the north zone of rio de janeiro. i've got their contact details on my notebook & i'm excited to be a part of their homes for a few days. will post on how this goes.

lomo above of mutch & me: in the justine tradition of posting photos that bear no relevance to the text. by eazy of lomomanila.

About Her Recovery

2008-05-15T02:27:00.010+08:00

Harbor City, CA -- I was searching for a tunic dress online and looking for what's new in one of my favorite boutiques back home, I Love You Store, when I came across this site: www.aboutmyrecovery.com. Although the site was intended to be therapy for a mom's loss, i think it turned out to be a labor of love. It is inspiring (and you don't have to be a mom to be inspired by some of her entries), and informative as well.

Ladies, can you write something about how you are preparing for your South Am adventure?

Me & Mr (Kelly) Jones

2008-04-29T17:48:00.010+08:00

Fort Canning, Singapore--It felt almost ILLEGAL to walk out of the office in jeans and a shirt but as I raced to the City Hall MRT to meet my mate Nat with Dakota blasting on my ipod, I knew it was going to be an amazing night. The boys definitely know how to put on a good show--they played a mix of old songs (traffic, hurry up and wait, i'm just looking, local boy in the photograph, the bartender and the thief, and of course dakota as encore) and tracks off their new album (bank holiday monday, pass the buck, it means nothing). I didn't know all the words to the songs (unlike Nat who reckons she was 16 when she started listening to a thousand trees) but every inch of me was feeling it. And when Kelly came on stage solo to do maybe tomorrow (used in the movie Crash), it was pure bliss. Everyone needs to go wild once in a while, to let loose, jump and wave your fists in the air. Hell, everyone should take off their shirts and rock in their bras. And this is Singapore, mind you. God bless the Welsh!

Dengue fever alert

2008-04-28T14:48:00.009+08:00

Online, World Wide Web -- Justine has an update on Brasil: there’s a huge dengue outbreak in Rio de Janeiro. It’s a worrying turn of events as we’ll be South Am-bound in 4 weeks. On YM conference, Dr. Deets explains to us non-doctors (Reese, Jan & Hasten/Justine) how to prepare for dengue before and when we’re there. Here’s the edited version of our little medical convo (suffice to say that we digress a lot, hence the need for some snipping):

Hasten: How long do these things last?

Deets: Uhmmm…years?

Hasten: 96 dead, 96 more suspected deaths. Crap.

Hasten: Bloody hell! Years?

Deets: Well, depends on their climate. The mosquitoes usually come out after the rainy season.

Jan: Now I’m really scared. Are there anti-dengue shots?

Hasten: I need to get yellow fever shots or else the Sing government won’t let me back in

Reese: That could turn out for the best.

Hasten: Reese is also setting up typhoid and hepatitis shots for me…Jan if you haven’t had these, let’s go together when I go home on the 17^th.

Reese: Jan if Dr. Kitts is away can we ask Manay to do it?

Jan: I hear the hepa shots should’ve been taken months ago

Hasten: Better late than never?

Jan: Ok I’ll schedule it with my sister.

Hasten: Jan ask Manay if we can do yellow fever, typhoid, and hepa all together and how much please.

Reese: Deets how about malaria shots?

Hasten: The thought is making me queasy.

Jan: Surely teets! There’s anti-flu as well in case you’re interested

Reese: My dad got anti-cholera. Syrup lang.

Deets: For malaria you just drink the anti-malarial drug. For hepa you get a vaccine if your titers are low. There’s no anti-dengue.

Hasten: Titers??

Jan: I’m really scared about dengue. Seriously! Mosquitoes tend to gravitate towards me.

Hasten: I don’t think I want to go to Brasil if the outbreak is serious pa in June. S***t but our tickets are non-refundable. And so are my NY tix! So dengue, please go away!

Deets: Just put a lot of mosquito repellent.

Hasten: Seriously? With an outbreak that has killed 200 people?

Deets: We had more deaths than that during the outbreak in the Philippines, but it didn’t affect you, right? They don’t give you the demographics of those who died. They’re probably those with no access to medical care.

Jan: Ah ok. That’s comforting! Thanks, Deets. What precautions should we take besides Off Lotion?

Deets: Wear protection – pants, long-sleeved blouses.

Jan: I guess we won’t be getting a tan at Ipanema too often!

Deets: Maybe we can get a travel advisory, like where exactly in Rio are the outbreaks so we can avoid those places.

Hasten: Plus the Sing government is really strict. They may restrict travel to Brasil. And I don’t want to be quarantined when I get back!

*** end of medical talk***

So Dr. Deets, what are titers?

My Baby is Here!

2008-04-22T05:55:00.009+08:00

Harbor City, CA -- Here are the first few things that I did after Rico and I were told by my obstetrician that our baby is coming.
1) Shave my legs
2) Exfoliate
3) Plucked my eyebrows
4) Charged the camera
5) Pray
6) Try to stop giggling with excitement
38 weeks, few Tums, 40 -something pounds and tubes of anti-stretch marks later, my Lucas finally arrived.

I had to stay for a few days in the hospital so when the baby was asleep, there was pretty much time for "his pictorials"

If you'll ask me, "Was it all worth the time, pain, the drama and losing a South Am adventure with my fellow pseudobackpackers?" After seeing him all I can say is "Yes, it is." After all, training a little traveller sounds fun. =)

To the Man Who Has Everything...

2008-04-18T08:41:00.005+08:00

And by everything, we mean good friends, great artistic pursuits, tons of good music, a mysterious-but-blossoming love life, all the toy cameras in the world and of course, Rock Band!

Happy Birthday, Sparklemind!

Year one of hanging out with you. Here's to more of those!

Live from New Jersey...

2008-04-17T09:35:00.007+08:00

It's "Ditas Turns 28!"

With performances from all over, including Nada Surf, DMB, and Justine's favorite singer, Nyoy!

Happy Birthday, Deets! You've come a long way from your no- social security- days!

One round on us when we're all together in June. Have a crazy birthday weekend adventure ;)

* note: your song should be 'blankest year' - oh f**** it, i'm gonna have a party!

* all photos from sparklemind

Hello Baby!

2008-04-13T01:31:00.003+08:00

an 11pm text message from Joy says:

"Hi! I gave birth last April 10 to a healthy, goodlooking, 7 lbs. 7 oz. baby boy. His name is Lucas Michael. ;) "

Welcome to Earth, Baby Lucas! Hope to see you and your beautiful mommy soon.

a lo-fi summer

2008-04-03T10:37:00.010+08:00

summer days - phoenix

Manila, PH -- why, hello global warming! the long, hot summer on these islands has just begun. make that a long, hot, lo-fi summer. here's a preview of the next lofi issue from lomomanila, complete with soundtrack.

so nice (summer samba) - bebel gilberto

feel flows - beach boys

what i wouldn't give right now to watch bebel gilberto live, on the beach, with a cold one in my hand...

* thanks for the lomos + music, sparklemind

in this blue shade

2008-03-25T19:40:00.018+08:00

The Huntington, Singapore-- Music for those days when you just have to wallow (but refuse to play anything that wails, drags, or just plain stretches on forever):

1. tears dry on their own - amy winehouse
2. dakota - stereophonics
3. when your mind's made up - glen hansard & marketa irglova
4. if i had eyes - jack johnson

5. feel like a woman - mary j. blige

as amy says, we should just be our own best friends. not f***ourselves in the head with stupid men.

wallowing: check.

*lomo by reese

Didn't your momma ever tell you not to go skinny-dipping

2008-03-16T21:42:00.007+08:00

Kata Beach, Phuket -- Independence and lovely girlfriends aside, I was determined not to spend my birthday in the tidy island of Singapore. Good girlfriend and constant Sunday date Rach to the rescue, and my Phuket birthday weekend was born. The plan: a relaxing weekend of sun, swim-up bars, eight hours of sleep, good food and good wine. Just what the doctor ordered.

Day 1: We were bumped off our 8am flight and got transferred to a different airline, at a different terminal, 5 hours later. I am never flying Tiger again. I was "taking things in stride" when someone bumped into Rach's suitcase and crashed our two bottles of red wine. SGD 100 down the drain. Deep breaths, Justine. We finally arrive at the Sugar Palm Resort & Spa which was every bit the boutique hotel I had hoped for (3,000THB/night/with breakfast). Things are looking up. Trudged to Patong for a fabulous Thai dinner (over ordered and overate, of course) and wandered around for a bar to party at. No such luck. Isn't this party central? Images of Clarke Quay come streaming in. Uh oh.

Day 2: We head off to the beach bright and early after brekkie and realise--everyone on the planet had the same idea! For those of you who have read that Kata is the less touristy area of Patong, you are sorely mistaken. Sigh. But alas the sun is out and we plop onto a pair of beach chairs (30THB/day). Aaah this is the life, time for some Chico Barque. Convinced that I'm sufficiently tan (insert Chit's voice reminding me not to get too dark), we head back to the hotel for our hot stone massages. Just add a cute boy and this could be heaven.

Birthday eve: Anyone going on holiday in Kata shouldn't pass up the chance to eat at Mom Tri's Boathouse. Dinner was wonderful - scallops, fish, and creme brulee for dessert (hey no one said you could only have a birthday CAKE!). Expensive but worth it (SGD100/head/appetizers/entree/wine). It doesn't hurt that they sang for me and gave us 7 roses! After dinner highlights include: a shabby reggae beach bar, strangers getting up to dance with us (they probably got sick of watching two poor girls dancing by themselves), a whole bar singing happy birthday (to me!), fun Aussie chicks Jem and Julie, swinging 60 year olds from Jersey (the country), cute Jap boy with a penchant for posing, (cute) German birthday boy Max, a Chelsea futbol jersey, and an incident responsible for the title of this post. Boys and girls, listen to your momma and if after a bottle of vino, a couple of margaritas and five or so vodka seven-ups you can't, leave your valuables within arm's reach. Otherwise, the first voice you'll hear on the other end of a telephone line wishing you a happy birthday is a Citibank stolen card hotline operator--"Oh, happy birthday Ma'am." Indeed.

So that's it, I'm officially (gasp!) 29. Neither here nor there but definitely getting somewhere. Tough but will turn to a hopeless schmuck from time to time. Surrounded by good friends but missing the old ones dearly (biggest thanks to bestest girlfriends Bon, Rochie and Reese for sending love across the miles). Happy but wanting more. Living my life but wouldn't mind sharing it. In the meantime, as Reese so wisely reminds me, enjoying the moments. Like the ones involving kissing in the rain.

we're on a roll

2008-03-04T12:17:00.004+08:00

Manila, PH -- happy birthday, jan! feliz aniversario coisa mais linda! shake your bunda today, alright? alraaaayt! ;)

happy birthday hasten!

2008-02-26T09:17:00.004+08:00

Manila, PH -- * insert greeting from imp named migs *

from your naughty little nephew & everyone else, have a good birthday week! post on your celebratory beach escape ;)

pinoy postsecret valentine

2008-02-17T14:05:00.008+08:00

Manila, PH -- it's always amusing how we pinoys can be such an open, confess-all culture. we display in the most public spaces our deepest longings, all sorts of unsolicited advice, and cryptic messages. all this, long before the postsecret craze.

take this shot of a public bus plying manila's osmeña highway:

was this just some space filler or a heartfelt plea? that's your post-valentine mystery for the day.

* another winner is what my friend recently saw printed on a jeepney mudguard: "I never said it would be easy, but it would be worth it."

yebba.