Ceboom! The Queen City

in my unexpected net surfing, i happen to stumble upon a page that tackles about the Edge Coaster.. this was the primary reason that got me thrilled in going to Cebu - my first ever independent domestic destination..

every time i am about to visit a foreign land, the first thing i do is to of course consult Mr. Google so that i would be able to gauge the place's geographical location with the airport as my reference point..

as you would notice, the tourist spots are located on the western side of the map.. this determines your place of stay because you need to be closer to them.. the eastern part on the other hand, being the Lapu-Lapu City in Mactan Island, is renowned for its wonderful beaches and sanctuary coral reefs.. 

cabs are the popular mode of transportation.. from the airport, it would take about an hour to cross to Cebu City via the Marcelo-Fernan bridge..

in this case, we chose to stay at Paragon Suites (encircled in red ink) which costs us around P1200/night inclusive of breakfast.. so after unpacking our bags and freshening up, we decided to have dinner at the famous Larsian sa Fuente..

Larsian sa Fuente is an arcade of barbecue stalls that is open 24 hours daily.. this place is a hit after-party destination especially to the Cebuanos working night shift and has also become a tourist spot.. they cater all sorts of grilled dishes from squid, fish, pork, chicken and other street foods (animal body organs such as intestine, liver and the like..) at a very affordable price.. they also serve spicy siomai and certain beverages.. must tries are their famous chorizo Cebuano longaniza and the well-known puso (hanging rice) should be inseparable in your order..

the best way to pig out in Larsian's is to do the drill of wrapping your dominant hand in plastic, your free hand coming in assist.. the puso gets to be torn in half and munched down like a bread.. prepare yourself to sweat and your clothes to get smoked since it is really hot in this place that the fan does not help.. but that's the beauty of it.. you would enjoy eating anyway! :)

after having that sumptuous meal, we headed to a nearby bar in Mango street to get a drink before ending the night..

DAY 2 - Cebu Water Sports Adventure

DAY 3 - Cebu Tourist Spots

License for Student Drivers (Pinoy Style)

on my not-so-busy day, i had a chance to do what i have been wanting to do ever since i was 16.. to get a driver's license.. to americans, it's like graduating from childhood.. it goes the same to first time pinoys like me.. and yes another responsibility comes alongside of it..

the whole process took two hours.. you just have to bring a photocopy of any government-issued ID or NSO birth certificate (yes, just one!) plus of course, the most important thing of all, EXACT amount of money for payment.. which i want to be serious about.. not only this promotes hassle-free counting-of-change-before-you-leave.. but also an anti-corruption campaign..

yeah, allow me to elaborate more on that! :)

this tarpaulin was posted on a glass wall of LTO.. notice on the bottom part that the fees to be paid are in red ink.. a way of emphasizing that the office is promoting honest payment transactions within its portals by being transparent of public information.. (outside its portals of course are so-called "fixers", so if one does not know payment prices, fixers may confuse them)

when i fell in line for payment, i noticed that given the P317.63 fee, the cashier had always asked for a P320 payment.. and every time the client pays, they just walk away without the change.. it was like a mutual understanding for everyone to not get hassled by it anymore.. the cashier does not give it, and the client does not ask for it.. 

but i am pretty sure at the back of their mind (client) they know that they should have received their change, it was just that they did not bother to do anything about it.. and this is where the cashier took advantage of it.. it was like a consensual corruption.. corruption here being defined as any misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits.

well, of course i cannot blame them.. so as i always do, i did the math..

for P320 payment, one should get a change of P2.37

for every 10 person who would not bother to get their change, P23.7 goes to i do not know where or who..

for every 100 person who would not bother to get their change, P237 goes to i do not know where or who..

for every 1000 person who would not bother to get their change, P2370 goes to i do not know where or who..

and the calculation can go on.. with LTO having over 300,000 transactions daily..

this may also be happening to those acquiring/renewing their professional or non-professional licenses.. this may happen in other branches.. or other government agency.. or in any office or institution.. and the sad fact that it may be happening nationwide..

i cannot wash my hands clean with regard to this issue.. i myself have been a contributor to this mishap.. because as everyone of us who has experience this, we were left with no choice.. the fact that not everyone has coins.. ^__^

the best thing i did to minimize it was that i took effort in opening my purse so that i could come up with the closest possible amount i could get - P318.00

there is nothing wrong with the term, "keep the change" as long as this was willfully given.. in this situation, the clients were left to accept the fact that the office can not provide for their change and worst, this has even turned out to become a burden to them.. it was like a preset condition that is unknowingly unfair to the clients.. a misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, indeed.

Give to Caesar what is Caesar's. 

Mathematics is needed in our everyday life. - Elementary Math Teachers

Cmown Amigas! Lez Drive! :)

A Sweet Escape to Calaguas - The Ultimate Beach Camping Experience

have you ever felt the need of leaving everything behind and not care about anything at all??

sometimes we get so lost in leading our busy lives that we badly need an escape from all of it.. that feeling where you just want to walk away from things that you usually do.. you needed to have that chance of breaking your routine.. where a bit of solitude is much needed once in a while so that you may enable yourself to reflect and even more magnify your focus..

we all felt this way. so what was your escape plan?? here's mine: http://melvicbrinas.multiply.com/

from Cubao, it was a nine-hour (9pm to 6am) bus ride to Daet, Camarines Norte.. we slept over the whole trip and upon arrival, a minibus fetched us from the terminal and brought us to a fastfood for breakfast..

we then went to a ferry terminal for a two-hour boat ride..

it was quite a long travel to the much-awaited island..  there came a point where we almost felt like we were a pirate in the middle of nowhere since there is no nearby island and our boat battles alone in the raging waves of the sea.. a typhoon had just passed, and we are still experiencing its remnant rainfall.. such an awesome nerve-wracking experience.. we were almost unsure if we could ever come back.. 

by the time we finally reached the island, like in movies, we were so overjoyed! we had this unexplainable feeling that our feet couldn't even wait to touch the sand.. everyone almost jumped to the shore..

and yeah, like pirates we were crazy like hell! geez, it was a treasure island! a paradise indeed..! 

what else to do? of course, to do the thing you've been wanting the most.. 

la dolce far niente

bags were unpacked and a tent was setup.. 

lunch was served..

and the beach was enjoyed..

the moments of solitude were savoured.. 

this is a place where you can leave all your worries behind..
indulge yourself into doing nothing..

lay down and just forget the world..

this is the kind of relaxation wherein you enjoy the moment just as it is.. a time to reflect about how life was and how life would be.. and when you get tired from of all of it, just doze it off to sleep.. when you wake up, it would be another moment different from how it was just a while ago.. being at peace with yourself is a best way to battle stress.. loosening up a little bit by creating space from what fills up your mind is a road to tranquility..

All Rights Reserved.

Wandering Kesh ©

Guide to First Time Traveller

Planning Your Itineraries

in planning your itineraries, the first thing you should do is of course, like Dora the Explorer, check the map.. you dont need to memorize every corner, but this will give you an idea of the place's land orientation so that you may know where you are in that certain place.. it will also guide you in the direction you would take, being north, south, east or west.. you may use the airport and your place of stay as your point of reference, since going back is twice as risky as going out there.. and being lost is not included in the itinerary..

line up your itineraries according to its location and time you will spend on each place. the nearest place may go number 1 or vice versa.. this one's up to you.. prioritization is the key in maximizing your travel experience.

Choosing Your Place of Stay

the place of stay need not be near the airport since most tourist spots are situated far from it.. though some prefer it, this may limit your chance of wandering around and exploring the certain place because you are tied up to the idea of it's easy accessibility.. you may just choose an accommodation that would include round trip airport transfer so that you would not have any problem going back home..

your place of stay need to be near the places you would want to visit.. this not only saves travel time and money, but also keeps you well-versed about the area.. 

and yes, if you get tired or something urgent just came along, you can just go home immediately.. always prefer having the accessibility of your comfort zone since this is your second home in a land that is not your own..

also, if possible, choose an accommodation that includes the most important meal of the day.. a free breakfast.. this would help you jumpstart your day with vigor and accomplish your plans for the day enthusiastically.. 

Gauging Your Financial Standing

it's very important that you don't go out of budget.. book your flight and accommodation early.. make sure that everything is paid in advance so that all you have to worry about is the expenses you will incur while you are already there.. allot a big amount of money for food and transportation expense.

have a cash on hand that is a bit enough for your budget.. do not bring exact amount as certain things may go out of the way.. have your ATM card ready, and withdraw only when necessary.. having a credit card gives you an advantage since not everything is payable in cash.. be disciplined enough to not overspend by following your budget strictly without compromising your travel experience..

Packing Your Luggage

the type of bag that you would use depends on the nature of your trip.. luggages are popular for tourists that would spend days or even weeks in a certain place.. for faster mobility, buy a luggage that is four-wheeled or what they commonly call a spinner.. this enables you to make turns without difficulty.. this one is more convenient when climbing up/down stairs as well as moving up/down any slope.. believe me, this is waaay better than the conventional two-wheeled luggage.

for adventure or nature trips, it would be better to use a backpack so that your hands would come out free.. this is also good for short-time travellers who pack light..

so there you go.. we all differ in prep styles, and these are things i learned along the way.. remember, there are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign so equip yourself as much as you can and enjoy the journey. ^__^

Wantusawa Talaba (Unlimited Boracay Oyster)

just this March 2011, i was overwhelmed by Boracay's seafood buffet especially that oysters are  really bountiful.. since they are really costly when you're in Manila, like about P300 in every plate of 10 oyster shell, it was indeed a chance for tourist like me to eat all the oysters I can for just a price of P300.. including other Filipino dishes.. it was such a wonderful cheap treat.. 

so there i was, opening every shell, dipping it in my spicy soy sauce condiment and slurping it up.. the softness and the gooey feel is addicting to the tongue! we did this for three consecutive days, for the whole span of our stay in Boracay.. to which time my tummy already feels bloated, and of course i ignored.. this is called dyspepsia in medical term wherein there has been a slow progression of food movement in the intestine..

on the 4th day (when we got back to Manila), the effect of loose watery stools came in almost every three hours for 24 hours already.. being a yakuzaishi that i am, i tried to hydrate myself by drinking lots of fluids and electrolytes (Gatorade, Hydrite) plus Hidrasec 100mg capsule three times daily.. still my self-medicating cannot compensate with  my body's fluid loss to the point that I was already having high grade fever of 38.6 C.. having fever after diarrhea is a sign that you're body's in danger because of fluid and electrolyte losses, and you need medical attention.. 

so then i sought. i was admitted in the hospital for 2 days, diagnosed with Acute Infectious Diarhhea. treatment management included intravenous hydration of up to five liters of Dextrose 5% Sodium Chloride solution. oral medications of Kalium durule 750mg three times daily for 2 days, Hidrasec 100mg cap three times daily for 3 days, as well as Paracetamol 500mg tab every 4 hours for fever. my home medication included Ciprofloxacin 500mg tablet every 12 hours for 5 days. i was advised to drink lots of fluids and to include banana in my diet.

  the lesson of course is what our mom always say: to eat in moderation..

All Rights Reserved.

Wandering Kesh ©