Week in Review

It's like coming home to a totally different world. Saturdays are now meant for BR activities with the gang such as having our nails done at nail spa, taking massages at urban spa, dinning at sumptuous Japanese restos - a far cry from the past five day's trucking experience *It will all be over soon - 3 more days and you "graduate" from this initiation.

April 15, 2008. After 5 or 6 sari sari store visits we chanced upon this medium sized sari-sari store. And being the over eager person that i am, i told my truck mates *yes, that's what I'm calling them now* that we should open this particular account. So walked up to the store, politely asked the owner if we could come in and proceed to enter, we did. Only... i would have never imagined that the main door would be anay-infested and apparently should not be touched much less be opened. I nudge it the first time and it wouldn't budge. Not wanting to piss off the owner by making her wait, tried my hardest to pull the door open. And then suddenly... Horrors! The entire door came crashing face down in front of me. Hmmm seriously thinking of raising my insurance coverage. 

Bus Ride Home

You're all about free speech - but don't you just hate it when you are trying to take some time to clear your mind about the days goneby and suddenly somebody gets up the bus and starts preaching straight out of a book. Before you get branded as an atheiest let's just clear that one thing first, you believe in the Supreme Being - You've always held that there has to be something infintely bigger than you and everyone else - a higher power that moves this universe - otherwise - why's it worth it?!? What you're totally against at are people shoving things down your troat.

Never been big on the whole religion thing. Spirituality, yes. Religion, hmmm. So when someone takes a stand and tries his darnest to convert you, you almost alway try to look the other way. You never understand the need of people to put labels into something they believe in. Why is it so important to have a label? Will that necessarily make you a better person?

And for whoever's sake, there's an appropriate venue for such - certainly not on a moving vehicle with cars whizzing pass by you at 120 kph - yeah nevermind also that you are barely audible sans a few giberrish sounds because all the windows are up and you hear everything outside - it belittles the message you wish to impart. And please when you start preaching don't follow it up by handing out envelops for donation. It just puts a question mark spotlight right smack your true motives.

Sigh - this is what you get for not waiting for the airconed bus to commute back to the hotel.

Location: Emilio Aguinaldo Hi-Way Tagaytay

Monk

Took this a few years back when i was still doing my photo essay about Buddhism. I was quite lucky to be able to find a monk who was willing to be followed around for a few days. Again this was shot using Pentax SF7 SLR and developed manually using F3 paper. I can't remember for certain but i think i used ASA 200 film here, because of the low lights i needed a film with a higher ASA - sacrificing a bit the graininess quality to avoid under exposure.

This is the start of something new...

You can't remember the title of the song..but these lyrics and the melody for it has been running through your head for a couple of days now...(you think you heard it from the o.c. or something)

So you are officially on solo flight

April 9 2008. Decided to book a hotel room in tagaytay for a month. You have been told that you will have to stay in cavite for a good four months, thank the universe that your distributor is just 20 minutes away from Tagaytay - saves you the horror of finding a decent place in dasmarinas (you're going to be away - it might as well be as province-like-un-manila-ish as possible)

Random Photographs

Some photos i took using my trusty Pentax SF7 SLR - ASA 100 film. Developed the film using F3 paper.

Rocks

Statue

Kids

Shapes

The Great Subconscious Club

You are astounded at the amount of heartbreak one could take. Then you learn that the heart - it is very resilient. And it can survive even the most tragic of anguishes. And you learn that it teaches itself to heal over time - but it never fully recovers. Memories, scents, words, little things can trigger an avalanche of emotions and once the dam has been released you learn that it's futile to thwart its eventual downpour.

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Laughter indeed can bring comfort. People laugh about the funniest things. About the silliest things. And sometimes people laugh about the sadess things. But just the same it all serves that one purpose that night. You look around and you realized for the most part, everyone in the circle had had people, they care for with an inexplicable depth, taken away from them. Everyone except you. And while the sounds of laughter reverberate throughout the coffeeshop, you realized that you cannot even begin to fathom the profundity of what has transpired and beyond the noise, there is a silence - the magnitude of which has barely been scratched.

Taken in La Luz. March '07. Jer Macasero.

The Great Subconscious Club is the first album by K's choice

Happy Anniversary To Me

You officially crossed that one year marked. Sigh of relief. You remember going into this whole ordeal a year ago to date. You hated that - it's like being back in first grade...you know that feeling when you are the new kid on the block and you know that everybody pretty much knows everybody else. Fish. While you never had problems engaging people in a conversation, you just dont like the whole trying-to-get-a-feel-of- how much you can get away with things, how much can you clown around, how people are and dadidi dadida...

But now looking back, you are amazed at how time flied so quickly. And how silly all your earlier apprehensions appear now. You never thought that you would make such a genuine connection with people you work with. Just because you have always had this rule that work is work and your personal life is just that - personal. But as you got to know these girls you realized that removing yourselves from the work setting, things would still gel.

Thanks Riz and Joj!! You guys have been such a big help this past 12 months. Especially Joj ms. co-anniversary mate - you can't believe after a year of seeing each other daily you guys won't be in MAO for the next four months. (will defintely crash your cebu digs)

It's time to clip the wings for now you guess. Can't wait until all 15 (25) of us are officially back in MAO.

Chao!

Davao Escapades

You stretched your hands out of the window and you knew instantly…summer has officially started. The heat is just unbearable… Good thing the gang finally got to go on their much awaited Summer 08 adventure. There were 19 bakasionistas all in all. Unfortunately three from the gang couldn’t make it (Missing you dearest, ca, jaynie and rain) Started the day with a little hitch…Hmm this is the disaster crew that went cruising all over Asia after all, bound to encounter loads of adventures and misadventures here.

Jackson got to the airport a little late thereby making him and Maricris missed their flights completely. Horror of all horrors! They had to pay extra charges to wait for the 3pm flight which was moved to a 4pm – 5pm – 6pm and finally 7pm. Egad! You can just imagine them waiting frustratingly at the airport lounge.

March 28, 2008. Davao. Upon arrival, dear ‘ol King of Davao Ed picked us up.