I can honestly say I’m a fairly nice person. I’m honest (as much as I can be), and polite. But since I’m from Manila, I can be considered one in a million (in Manila)… or at least one in a hundred with my inherent niceness. In Dumaguete, I think everyone is nice. I haven’t come across anyone who was rude here.

Examples:
Everyone, as in EVERYONE, say ‘you’re welcome’ every time you thank them. And I thank everyone whoever did anything for me, like fill up my glass of bottomless iced tea, pick up something I dropped, let me pass him or her in a public vehicle, everyone. So here, if I’m sitting at a table in a restaurant, you’d hear me thanking all the servers whoever came near our table and you’d hear all of them say you’re welcome every time.

Everyone, as in EVERYONE, is very nice about me not speaking Bisaya. You know in Manila when people do not speak Tagalog (or straight English), they sneer at you? Here they immediately adjust to you and are sorry that they didn’t ask you a question in a language or dialect you’d understand. They don’t make you feel stupid because you don’t understand them, but they make you feel like they’re the one who’re sorry that they asked you in Bisaya. There were quite a few who immediately switched to English while talking to me.

My very favorite incident yesterday. I went to school with Jette and stopped by BPI at the corner of Perdices Street and Legaspi (I think… that’s what it said on the ATM locator) to settle my credit card bill, and when I went to the counter, the manong there told me to fill out a deposit slip. I had no idea what to do or which information to put on the slip because in Manila, I just hand over the statement and they process it for me. So I might have stayed in front of the table where you fill out the forms for a solid ten minutes before dejectedly going back to the counter. With puppy dog eyes, I said, “sir, hindi po ako marunong mag-fill out ng slip kaya hindi ko po alam kung anong ilalagay. Hindi po kasi ako hinihingan ng deposit slip sa Manila, eh”.

He looked at my form, nodded and took out a huge pad of deposit slips. He got a sheet of carbon paper, too, put it under the first page, and started scribbling. Then, he tore the deposit slip I made the way I imagine the Katipuneros tore their cedula. I was standing there, biting my lip to keep from squirming, but he processed my payment, stapled my receipt and the deposit slip with my statement and handed it over to me. He said with a smile, “ayan, para may sample ka”.

Is it stupid that felt touched? I mean, who but a Dumagueteño would think to do that? I was impressed with the initiative. So manong, I didn’t get your name, but thank you, thank you, thank you very much.

If everyone in Dumaguete were customer service representatives, there would be very few angry customers. They’re all so genuinely warm and welcoming and… nice, you’d be embarrassed to be irate. Plus the service is always good, you’d be hard-pressed to think of anything to be irate about.

I wish I’m just starting to write Jacob’s story so I could have put more emphasis on the Dumagueteños. I wasn’t able to portray how beautiful it really is here and how beautiful the people are. ‘Di bale, marami pa akong characters na pwedeng dalin dito…

*huwag ka kumindat diyan, nameless-kapatid-ni-Jacob*

Wokies. It’s time for my Dumaguete diaries again.

Day 1: March 6
Landed a little after 3 p.m., went home to drop off our stuff at Jette’s (aka Edith Joaquin) house, then off to get groceries from Robinson’s Place before Gabby’s Bistro! Yay! Had Cajun Chicken Fingers, Mozarella sticks and lemonade (and am now hungry). Caught the start of a National Geographic Channel documentary on the Porsche 911 (and drooled) before losing consciousness.

Day 2: March 7
Woke up at around 9 a.m., had brekkie… did we have breakkie? I can’t remember. Then I went online to catch up on work for a while while Jette cooked pasta putanesca ala Jette (yuuuum). Had lunch, then Jette took a nap while I worked some more. We went to a recital at Siliman University and watched the performances by Sidlakang Negros Vox Orphanorium and Siliman University’s COPA (College of Performing Arts) Chanters. I loved the music and envy those who are blessed. Then we went to Hayahay for Fruit Pizza. I was intrigued enough to try it but thought it was weird. Put a bite in my mouth and heard angels sing. I think I can live on it for days and days and days. Then we went back to Robinson’s Place to watch Alice in Wonderland! I enjoyed it. Love Johnny Depp and Tim Burton and Helen Bonham-Carter and Alan Rickman. Then home where I snacked on leftover pizza and read Kyle before bed.

Day 3: March 8
Woke up at around 7, got up at 8. Worked, worked, worked after a breakfast of leftover cheese popcorn. Cleaned up the living room (which I’ve already messed up again) a bit then plunked down to watch the Oscars. Ben Stiller was awesome as a Na’vi haha loved Sandra Bullock’s speech. Now have a long list of movies I want to watch. Congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow for being the first female to ever win an Oscar for Best Director. She’s extremely talented and also very pretty. Twilight’s Anna Kendrick was also gorgeous. I loved Kirsten Stewart’s gown but she looked awkward in it especially when she was introducing the horror movies whachamacallit. Brain stopped function when I saw Ryan Reynolds, Sam Worthington and Robert Downey, Jr. Had a sandwich, milk tea and leftover pasta for lunch, then watched videos on YouTube. Such as the one posted below:

Bathe, did the laundry, then worked on this entry. The day’s still kinda young

Will update later.

I’m not a shopaholic but sometimes, I just want to go to the mall and spend money (so thank you, Lord that you never get tired of giving me money for random shopping trips). So earlier today, I went to MY SM Megamall to… shop. I kinda promised that I’d buy myself clothes new clothes or shoes. I’m kuripot when it comes to clothes. Most of my clothes are years old (basic shirts and jeans that never go out of style) so most of them are faded or filled with holes that I find at the most inopportune of times.

So, anyway, earlier, after having lunch all by my lonesome self at Sbarro where I had a green garden salad (with a huge slice of sausage pizza with extra mozarella cheese on the side), I passed by National Bookstore first to see if they already had Bookware’s January release. Unfortunately, wala pa si Kyle, but fortunately, dala ko siya sa bag ko

I went to several stores and bought myself a new top (it’s brown, basic and hides my four tummies), a cute skirt (shin-length, flowy and of a kinda shiny bronze color), a new bracelet made from colorful pukka shells), a new bracelet whatchamacallit, kinda like a cuff with shiny stones, and, of course, a new book. I wanted to look at bags and new shoes but I figured, OA na, so I restrained myself.

Sitting in bed, surrounded by my booty, I’m alternately feeling proud of myself and guilty. Marami kasing naghihirap and here I am, going on shopping sprees. I just tell myself that I don’t do this every day, and I also owe it to myself to provide me with clothes and other… things. Ewan ko ba kung bakit nag-iinarte pa ako, wala namang pakialam ang madla kung mag-shopping ako, ‘di ba? Hmp.

Though I still think I need to promise myself that I will buy new clothes every month so my mom doesn’t feel sorry for me LOL A few months ago, I bought myself a few shirts and she thanked the Lord (very fervently) that I atually bought new clothes instead of books.

I will now head on over to my closet and toss out the clothes I don’t wear anymore since most of them don’t fit, HA! and ask my mom to give them to my cousins in the province.

So there.

Because I listed things I wanted to accomplish in 2009 and I was able to accomplish most of them, I’m going to write my 2010 To-Do List down as well.

1. Finish 12 to 15 manuscripts and have most (if not all) of them approved.

2. Again, go on a minimum of 6 different places. Doesn’t matter if I’ve been there before so long as it’s outside the National Capital Region. Ride a plane again, whee!

3. Live somewhere else for a minimum of one month. I’ve always wanted to live in Baguio again, or maybe in Dumaguete, if Edith Joaquin would adopt me… but then, that’s not exactly living independently since she’s gonna be cooking for me Di ba, sweetness?

4. Lose weight. Ha! This has been on my list for the last five years. Wish I could go back to my college weight of 112 lbs. LOL Wiiiiish ko laaaaaang! I need a miracle.

5. Save at least $500 until Christmas and/or pay off up to half (if not the whole) of my credit card debt.

6. Kinda an addendum to number 5, but I want have to make enough money to help send my sister to college.

7. Buy one of the following: a new 32 or 64GB iPod Touch (probably after September when they’ve released their new, if they have it, model), a new laptop or a netbook.

8. Get my passport once and for all. Ano ba? You have everything you need to get one. Ang dali-dali na lang, nagpo-procrastinate ka pa!

9. Watch at least one movie every month.

10. Buy at least five books a month for Angel Bautista’s Christmas Outreach program.

There. I’m sure the list will grow as I go along but, so far… these are what I can think of.

because I met wonderful new friends and they have given me laughs and tears and joys and dramas. You’ve given me sisters and you’ve given me more people to cherish.

because I was able to surpass my 10 ms goal, finished 12 manuscripts, and 6 of my books were released. You taught me that I’m my greatest adversary, and that I can do anything so long as I believe I can.

because you gave me a wonderful boss and a great opportunity to be semi-internationally published this year, and you made me understand how hard it is to be a real writer, and how much I appreciate the talent I’ve been given.

because I finally got my website up and running which means I’ve learned something new.

because I also overshot my travel quota, and I was able to go to places I’ve never been to before like Dumaguete (which I’ve fallen in love with and plan to visit again in 2010) and Siquijor. I’ve also gone to Subic and Nueva Vizcaya ON MY OWN which is a very big thing because I am such a wuss when it comes to traveling alone.

because you spared us from Ondoy and Pepeng, and gave us the opportunity to be heroes to other people, even through small ways. You also opened our eyes to the importance of environmental issues, and allowed us to rethink our way of life.

because even through all the things that have happened, the tragedies out in the seas, the election-related violence and such, you made us realize that there is hope that tomorrow will be a better day if we make it so.

Have a blessed New Year everyone! And here’s to 2010!

• Edith Joaquin, and laughing because of something we couldn’t remember five minutes later; sudden silences because we’re both busy writing; talking about Kyle, Ryan, Russel and TJ like they were real people (to us, they ARE!); and laughing again because it only hit me that Kuya Father really WAS a Father (i.e. priest) when he gave me communion. Sayang talaga, Father. Pero Lord, I’m just appreciating the wonder of Your creation, ha. I don’t mean anything by it. I’m not going to lure him into temptation or anything *weak laughter*

• Gabby’s Bistro, and closing my eyes and pointing at something on the menu, and knowing that it would taste great whatever it is; desserts like the Dirt Cup or an Apple Crumble or a That Banana Thingy that had my eyes rolling to the back of my head with pleasure; hanging out with Gabby when he’s not too busy in the kitchen; hearing that stupid cow sing; the pretty toilets LOL

• Gifts Fashion, and browsing through accessories I wanted to scoop up and run out of the shop with. And NOAH, for the same reason.

• Getting coffee and dessert at Mamia’s, or meeting Jette there for lunch.

• Walking from COSCA to the boulevard if I wanted the sea; sitting there, grinning like an idiot while listening to the waves.

• Lying on my tummy at the house while surfing the net, or working at the dining table when one of my characters wants to make an appearance; waiting for Jette to come home at night; eating leftover pasta and the multitude of left-overs we’ve accumulated for the week.

I feel displaced at the moment, like I shouldn’t be here yet. Every time I open my eyes in the morning and it’s dark, I wonder if I’ve forgotten to leave a light on for Jette. Then I’d think that I want to go to Gabby’s for dinner again, or that I really should go back to Gifts to get that butterfly necklace that I resisted buying. Kaso wala eh. Nasa Maynila na ako *bulahaw ng iyak*

Oh, well. I promise, once Mac has been written, I don’t think I’d even wait for it to be accepted. Basta. ‘Pag natapos ko ang Sentinels series ko, reward kaagad. Jette! Ampunin mo ako ulit ha!

* Quote from Claudia Ghandi

Yep. I’m back in Manila. Got back last Monday and for some reason, I just got stressed again. The moment I got off the plane, I wanted to go straight to a PAL office and book a ticket to Dumaguete.

Anyway, my last day was great. Lemme just give you the bullet points version again.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Dumaguete Day 10 and 11: Stayed at home to write, write, write! Malapit ko na matapos si Sam, and Wesley, while put on hold dahil mas mahalagang matapos ko muna yung last two Legaspis, is at 12K words. I finished the outlines for Francis and Jacob and Mac, at na-conceptualize ko na rin si Cameron. I love you, Dumaguete!

• Dati, medyo nako-kornihan ako kapag nakakabasa ng Tagalog na libro na biglang magshi-shift sa English yung lenguwahe. Ngayon… sige, ikaw ang mag-sulat ng love scene na purong Tagalog. Tignan lang natin *hmp*

• The point in writing an outline is so that I can remember the different scenes I want to put in the story. If so, then tell me, kung bakit ibang iba sa outline ang kwento mo, ha, Sam?

• While having a shower, I realized just how toasted I’ve become from out trip to Siquijor. Tapos naalala ko bigla yung Caucasian guy who was with his wife/gf in the boat with us on our way back. Nag-aalangan kasi kami ni H umuwi ng basa ang suot dahil nag-swimming kami, yun pala pwedeng half-naked wahaha Although mas maganda ng ‘di hamak ang dibdib ni Ryan… which brought my wayward thoughts to Hungarian sausages… ay! Bumunot ng baril! Salami pala hahaha *sorry, private joke*

• I want to hold on to Carla Giopaolo. Her dad passed away this morning. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang sasabihin sa kung kanino nangyayari ang mga bagay na lagi kong pinagdarasal na hindi mangyari sa’kin. Hugs, Queng. Be strong.

• Lazed around the whole of the morning. Jette was working on her laptop (si TJ ba yan?), H was having a Carla Giopaolo marathon, and I listened to Mackenzie’s Pleasure by Linda Howard on the iPod while reading Pugad Baboy 21. Jette finally got to lift her back off the bed so H and I followed. My thigh muscles hurt so I try not to move too much. Or if I’m moving, I try not to stop so that the muscles get exercised. I swear. It’s back to doing yoga for me.

• Drove to Pura Vida Beach Resort in Dauin (15 kms. south of Dumageute). The beach is also beautiful and the accommodations look great even from the outside. We only went there to have lunch so we didn’t need a cottage or anything. We just sat at a table, stared at the beach and ogled this handsome guy who was walking with a little girl who was probably his daughter. As usual, we had some of the yummiest food on the planet: Greek Salad, Chicken Cordon Bleu (which is one of my favorites), kilawin and this baked fish dish. Before that, H was so immersed in a Carla Giopaolo book that she pretty much ignored me and Jette. I also bought a few post cards as souvenirs.

• Drove back to town where Jette stopped at NOAH (Negros Oriental Arts and Heritage). She just had an errand to run but when she said it was a souvenir shop, of course I had to take a peek, and walked out almost P500 poorer. I realized I just did not have the self-control when it comes to accessories. I bought myself a butterfly ring and my sibs, keychains. They have more products like jewelry boxes, serving trays, shoes, pots and vases, all of which I wanted but controlled myself before I bought one of each. I keep thinking about the plane ride and how heavy my bags would be on my trip back home. But you should check the website and see their products. As they said, their products are “purely handcrafted with love and patience by the Negrenses in the province of Negros Oriental”. Really beautiful.

• Drove H to Gifts Fashion. Because I already bought my quota of accessories (in my opinion), I stayed in the car with Jette rather than risk me going to the display rack of necklaces and getting this butterfly necklace. H bought the scarf (scarf ba yun o sarong?) she wanted when we went there the other day. Hindi na ‘ko lumapit sa tukso. Went to Sans Rival to buy pasalubong, then we drove H to the wharf for her trip back to Cebu. We were trying to convince her to stay another day but she had work tomorrow.

• Home. Jette and I passed by a pharmacy to get drugs (anti-histamine po) then to a convenience store to get my drugs (Pepsi Max because I was planning to have an all-nighter). I’ve finished the plot outlines of my series but yesterday, on our trip to, and around, Siquijor, I finished conceptualizing two novels. Sulat na lang ang kailangan. Now we’re home and both writing.

Hay. I’m so not looking forward to the 7th when I’ll be coming back home. Mamimiss ko talaga ng sobra sobra ang Dumaguete.

Day 8 is absolutely great. Nagpunta kami sa Siquijor! Yup, yup!

• Woke up later than planned. Dapat mga 5 a.m. daw kami gigising eh but when I opened my eyes at ako na lang ang nasa higaan, six a.m. na siya so speed ligo na naman ako at nagbato na lang ng gamit sa backpack. After that, we went to the pier to get our tickets for the fast craft (Delta Fast Ferry) that will leave Dumaguete at 9 a.m. then went to leave PJ at the school then walked to the market to have breakfast.

• Had breakfast at one of the stalls at the market selling puto, yung malagkit na klase na parang bico, with chocolate na parang chocolate na ginagamit sa churros. Ang sarap niya! Of course. I had my hit of morning caffeine (Coke) while Jette and H had coffee. Masarap rin yung may peanut butter.

• Went back to the pier to check in. We waited at the floating dock for a while before we could board the boat. Kung bus yung ferry, Baliwag siya at hindi Victory Liner. I sat between Jette and H na parehong tulog sa biyahe. Because it was my first time on a fast craft, I tried to stay awake for a while pero inantok din ako mga twenty minutes into the trip. After a ten minute nap, nagising na rin ako. ‘Di ko kasi ma-enjoy ng todo kasi hindi clear yung salamin. I couldn’t really make out the waves.

• Welcome to Siquijor. When we got to Siquijor, we were met by Kuya Jun who used to work for Jette. May dala silang mini-pick up that would take us around Siquijor. It’s the best way to travel. Doon kayo maupo sa cab nung pick up. Slather on sunscreen (na hindi namin ginawa) so that you won’t get toasted (which we are at the moment), then enjoy the sight. Ang ganda! May bundok one moment tapos biglang dagat yung makikita mo. And for those asking, Siquijor is not the place reputed to have aswangs. I believe that’s Capiz and Antique. Siquijor is the island reputed to have witches (mangkukulam). We didn’t ask to see one, of course, ano ba? But the people there are nice, too. Like in Dumaguete.

• Lunch at Salagdoong Beach. The first thing that came to my mind when I saw Salagdoong Beach was “Lord, you are an amazing God”. Promise! The view made me pray. The water was green and blue and purple as far as the eyes could see, and the sky… I just said “Thank you, Lord. Thank you” over and over while I walked the shoreline and took some pictures. And can you believe that when we went there, they only asked us to pay P45? We took lots of photos. It’s a place you can’t NOT take photos of every minute. Then we had lunch.

• Drove to Lazi to visit the Lazi Church and the old convent. Again, took some pics. H went inside the church before I did because I took more pics. Jette told me to make a wish when I go inside. When I went in, there was a man praying at the back of the church and a few other people walking towards the door. I sat near the middle and started praying. Of course, ang unang lumabas sa bibig ko ay “thank you”. Then I made a wish. The pews were made of wood so they were prone to creaking. But at home, when the wooded bench in our living room would creak, I’d usually see my bantay, my “guradian angel”. So I turned my head towards the sound and saw a shadow at the other end of the pew from me. So ayun nga siya. He’s with me in Siquijor. It also comforts me that he can go inside a church which means he’s not from the other side LOL I smiled, said another short prayer, then went out.

• Cambugahay Falls. Next stop on the trip was Cambugahay Falls in Lazi. You need to climb down 134 steps daw sabi ni H to get to the falls. To be honest, I’m am so not the outdoorsy type. I easily get off-balanced and squeal like hell when I do so I had to hold on to Jette or to Kuya Jun while climbing down. I also hate climbing down because I’m clumsy and feel like I’d take one wrong step and fall down and break my neck and die. Seriously. But the climb was worth it when I saw a real waterfall for the first time in my sheltered little life haha It’s not tall. Definitely not Hinulugang Taktak or Bomod-ok Falls, but it’s beautiful just the same. We weren’t planning to swim. At least, I wasn’t because I’m afraid I’d lose my contacts in the water. But after the descent, I felt hot and sticky and the water was so inviting. The next thing I know we were climbing down the rocks to take a dip. Hay, refreshing. After mga twenty minutes siguro, we decided to get out of the water and start back up. I didn’t change clothes anymore because the ride at the back of the pick up would surely dry my clothes anyway. I followed H up the steps and was alternately panting and laughing, and that’s when the problem happened. Muntik na akong himatayin LOL No joke! When we reached the top, I drank water and laughed with Kuya Jun for a few minutes before I realized I was seeing white spots and Kuya Jun had a halo behind his head. Akala ko light at the end of the tunnel na at kukunin na ‘ko ni Lord!

• The first time that happened to me, I was in high school. Physical fitness test noon in P.E. and to pass, we had to make 15 rounds of the old audi/gym. You have to run around, climb up stairs, go back down (still running) then back again. I made it to seventeen before I stopped, and before I realized that the light was too bright and there were spots dancing in front of my eyes. What I did wrong was that I held my breath while climbing, the same way that I was too preoccupied by climbing up the steps from Cambugahay Falls and didn’t realize that I was holding my breath! And we were climbing too fast for my really fit body :p

• When Jette came back, I told her I was dizzy and she told me that I was pale. They made me sit at the driver’s seat and I hugged my knees to my chest. Sabi ni Kuya Jun to sit up straight but I knew that I had to equalize the blood flow from my feet to my head. Then, from what I learned from yoga, I slowly, slowly sat up, keeping my chin to my chest so that the blood won’t rush to my head. When I lifted my chin and opened my eyes, ayun! I saw Jette handing me a towel, but I could see her instead of bright, dancing lights so ayun! I was already okay.

• Back to the pier. We went back to the pier for our trip back to Dumaguete. We caught the 4:30 p.m. trip yata yun and we sat at the top deck of the pump boat. This time the view was better. The waves were bigger too, but I enjoyed it more than the trip to Siquijor. Guess I don’t get sea sickness! Climbing sickness lang wahaha Back in Dumaguete, we picked PJ up from COSCA then went to the tempurahan (kikaim-an) and had kikiam and balut. Then we went to the grocery so I can get my Pepsi Max and some munchies before going home.

• At home, Jette cooked pasta for dinner and H washed the dishes! Yay! Senyorita ako wahaha I finished a 500ml bottle of Pepsi Max so that I can stay awake but I was too tired and too sleepy (I only slept for 2 hours the previous night) so after a shower and dinner, I fell asleep.

I absolutely love it here. I think I’ll cry on the plane on my way back to Manila