My Latest Baguio Adventure

Posted on September 30, 2007 at 3:58 pm | 13 Comments
Filed under Daily Dose

Last week, I was in Baguio with my family. We went there because of my uncle and aunt who came back here in the Philippines after six or seven long years stay at USA1. We stayed there for exactly 24 hours. Hmm… did I enjoy the trip? No, why? It was raining there last week. That was why we can’t go to Burnham Park or even Camp John Hay.

The place where we stayed for the night was big, it was a nice place. Since we can’t go to a park we decided to eat in the place we stayed in.

BBQ

In the afternoon of Saturday, we went to — um, I’ve already forget how you call that place — somewhere in Baguio to buy pasalubong2. There, I saw the unusual taho vendors3. They also have the strawberry flavored taho but I still haven’t tried it yet.

Then, we went to Baguio Cathedral to hear mass.

Baguio Cathedral

And we also went to the air-con-less SM City Baguio.

SM City Baguio

I tried to look for a good book at National Book Store there, but I haven’t seen any interesting fiction. Actually, I was disappointed, they have fewer titles available there. But I have seen a copy of “Water For Elephants”. So if you live in Baguio and you are looking for a good book, I suggest you buy it. And speaking of books, I have finished “A Long Way Down” by Nick Hornby last Tuesday. I didn’t enjoy the book. Now, I’m reading Khaled Hosseini’s latest book, “A Thousand Splendid Suns.”

The next day, Sunday, I didn’t join my parents to go to the market. I only told them to buy me strawberries. And look at this:

Strawberry

That’s the biggest strawberry that I have ever seen… and ate! And then, we ate lunch in the villa because it was still raining. And that’s all.

It’s not an interesting trip. Oh, I have heard that we’ll be going there again this coming October. I just hope when we will go there again, it will not rain.

*****

I’ve recently updated my WordPress installation to 2.3. There might be some bugs lurking around. If you have seen one, please report them. By next week, I’ll sit my final exams. Wish me luck. Ah, I can’t wait for the sem-break!

  1. But they’re now back in Texas [↩]
  2. gift [↩]
  3. Here in Pampanga, you will only see taho vendors during the morning, and not in the afternoon. [↩]

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Another Story About Books

Posted on September 19, 2007 at 8:17 pm | 12 Comments
Filed under Amazing Adventures • Bulky Books

Every time I bring a new book in school, my blockmates would always ask me what I am doing. Can’t they see? I’m reading? Isn’t obvious? And then, they would ask me what is the title of the book that I am reading. Finally, they would comment that they’re not fond of reading (as if I care). I’ve heard those lines for the nth time! Seriously, I’m getting tired of hearing those lines all over again and again.

I want to ask them if they would mind if they will mind their own business, but that will sound very rude so I don’t ask them.

What I want to point out is that you don’t disturb someone who is reading, just to say that you don’t like reading or anything for this matter. Well, unless there is a life threatening situation. Okay, I’m exaggerating, but you get the point, ‘ayt? I don’t like being disturbed especially if I’m so engrossed with the book; my concentration is being lost. And mind you, it is rude.

*****

I’m already on the fourth book my uncle gave me. The first one “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen was good, I like it. I’ve already wrote a draft of my review of the book but I still have to type it (now, I’m wondering where I put my draft), The second was Mark Haddon’s “A Spot of Bother”. I did not like it much but nevertheless, the story of George was still somehow captivating. Like Haddon’s first book — “The Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” — the protagonist has mental problems. I’ve also finished “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. It is really a good book (and I encourage you to read it also) and I think it is the best book I have read this year so far. The reviews of the book don’t lie! It’s indeed a haunting book!

When I was choosing which book I wanted my uncle to buy me, I was not really considering “The Kite Runner” because of the author being an Afghan1. But I was in short of one title, and I can’t find something interesting else so I chose it. And now, I found out that Amir and Hassan’s story was really captivating and riveting.

And because of Hosseini’s style in writing, I bough his latest book, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” last Friday2. I’m now reading “A Long Way Down” by Nick Hornby. It’s about four people who wanted to end their life and they all met in the building where they were supposed to jump.

*****

Last Sunday, we went to Subic to visit the beach. There were only few people swimming that day and the sun was behind the dancing clouds. After we ate lunch, I decided not to swim anymore, the sea was very salty that you can even smell how salty the sea is! I looked for a secluded place near the shoreline where you can hear the waves smashing. There, I continued reading “The Kite Runner,” I was on page 110 when suddenly, tears started to flow from my eyes. I was glad that no one saw me crying.

Okay, I should stop talking about that. But before I’ll end this entry, I want to tell you all that after two years, we are going to Baguio once again this Saturday! Yahoo!

  1. I’m not being a racist, okay? It’s just that most of the authors of the books that I’ve already read are either American or British. [↩]
  2. Which cost me almost 500 pesos. [↩]

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Restrooms in peace

Posted on September 3, 2006 at 11:38 am | 10 Comments
Filed under Pinoy Pride • Random Realities

Yeah, you read the title right. I’m going to talk about restrooms. If you’re eating right now, I suggest that you stop or finish whatever you are eating first before you continue reading this.

I saw a road sign a couple of week ago that says:

*Insert the name of a famous fast food chain here*
1km away
With restrooms

It has still a touch of advertizing. I think they put there the words “with restrooms” so that people who are travelling and are being called by the nature will drop by that fast food chain and somehow, they’ll be enticed to buy their products. But it does not mean that if you will use their lavatories, you have to look at their menu and order some food. You see, itÂ’s just another way to attract customers: have some clean restrooms in your establishment!

I just got this memory out of my preconscious memories: I’m not sure if this was in Baguio but what I know is that there was this restroom whose roof has a text that says “Clean restrooms”. I haven’t tried doing my thing in a restroom like this (lavatories in malls and the like are okay for me) because from what I believe, these toilets that are supposed to be clear are not clean at all. Sometimes, you’ll see mud and human waste are scattered everywhere and the floor is wet! What’s more is that if you pissed, you should pay a certain amount of money. If you did more than urinating, you should pay two and a half times the payment for pissing. And if you took a bath (yes, took a bath), that is five time the payment for pissing.

Now, I believe that nowadays, there’s no free in this world. Lol. Would you believe that? Urinating in a dirty restroom will cost you some money!

Oh, I also know a school whose lavatories were under in the mercy of the students. I mean the restrooms in that school will only be immaculate and smell like flowers for only half an hour. Lol. There was also this building in that school where you have to pass this certain male’s restroom and you will be able to smell this pungent odor, the odor of urine. (What is the English translation ofmapanghi?) Oh, there were also no available mirrors because some student had already broken it and the management did not dare to buy a new one. The faucets were not working because the knob used to turn on and off the faucet was already missing and the mechanism used to flush the toilet bowl was already broken. And even if the flushing mechanism worked, you could not still flush it because there is something that clogs the toilet bowl. What do you expect? A sickening restroom! Yuck!

The last time I went to that school, the pungent oder was still there and the floor was wet.

I’m glad that the restrooms in the university where I’m currently enrolled have clean restrooms. And if I’m not mistaken, they are being cleaned by working students.

Let us be considerate. Let us show our respect by flushing or by using the toilet properly to the next user or to the one who is responsible for cleaning it. Let us keep in mind that it’s not just us that is going to use it. We are only using it and it’s not us who owns it.

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