The Freudian Slip Of A Bacolodnon

     There was a time when I lived aboard a ship, waking up everyday in a different place, eating for free and just walking to work a few decks above me. When I was working as a Medi-spa physician aboard Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, I became exposed to the ship life, experiencing the life of a seaman working far from home, away from family, traveling the world for free.     I remember the very first day I arrived in Galveston, Texas where the ship used to dock. I didn't know what to expect. Finding my own cabin was difficult enough, trying to navigate the maze-like deck for the crew. Because I came a week earlier than they expected, there was no available cabin for me yet so I had to spend 2 weeks in a guest cabin instead.     It was difficult at first, trying to adjust to this new home. After 4 weeks, I was able to get the hang of it. I have my own favorite spots on the ship. Of course, as a medi-spa physician, I could eat in the W...

When I had the opportunity to visit Florida, I was lucky to have stayed with my parents' friends who are now living in Florida. Of course, when I found out that I was heading there, what came to mind was really finding time to visit the famous beaches in this State. So, the day after I arrived, my hosts brought me to Clearwater Beach in Clearwater, Florida. Clearwater Beach is a resort facing the Gulf of Mexico. It has a wide stretch of white sandy beach. According to information, it has been ranked as one of the top 20 beaches in the U.S. There are many restaurants and bars along the beach. There are also a few street performers who would provide some random entertainment to tourists. What also caught my attention was the long fishing pier where you can walk over and see the ivory coastline dotted with sunbathers, beach-goers and tall buildings of nearby hotels. Unfortunately, our visit to Clearwater Beach was just a stop over so I wasn't pr...

When Philip Philips won Season 11 of the popular American Idol, fans of Jessica Sanchez, the eventual runner-up, still showed their support to the 16-year old diva and unofficially declared her the "World Idol". There can be some truth to this considering that outside the United States, Jessica Sanchez has more followers than Philip Philips. For one, The Philippines and Mexico are already rooting for Jessica, considering that she is actually Filipino-Mexican in heritage. Her mother is a pure Filipina and her father is Mexican-American. The whole world loved Jessica Sanchez. She is after all the better singer than Philip Philips. I felt that it was high time for American Idol to crown a female champion. Still, the American fans would want yet another "white guy with a guitar" to be their American Idol. Many fans were disappointed that Jessica didn't win. Just like this cute little girl when upon learning that Jessica lost cried so hard and was so mad that she w...

While I was in Florida over a year ago, I was brought by my host family to Busch Gardens: home of the gorillas. It is actually a zoo and a fun park rolled into one. The park has many highlights other than just the gorillas. There is this insane roller coaster called the SheiKra which is the first Dive Roller Coaster in the US. The name SheiKra is derived from a shikra, an Asian-African hawk that is known to dive straight down for its prey. I really wanted to try the ride but I guess I was too chicken to ride this totally insane roller coaster. Imagine being dropped 90 degrees facing the ground at the height of about 200 feet. Not only that, the train then goes around this insane loop (Immelmann Loop). There are other "safer" features of the park, those that can appeal to the faint-hearted such as myself. There is the Serengeti Safari where I saw giraffes for the first time. Among the ride, I rode the Stanley Falls, almost similar to Enchanted Kingdom's Log-Jam. ...

I must admit that after almost a year since I disembarked from Voyager of the Seas, I am kind of missing the life at sea. I could still remember the very first day I went aboard this very huge cruise ship while docked in Galveston, Texas. It was almost chaotic at least for me, trying to find my way inside this ship. I remember staying in a passenger's cabin for the first 2 weeks because my own crew cabin was not yet available. The first month was very hard, trying to adjust with my co-workers and the separation from family. It took me perhaps 2 months to really adjust and find my stable ground. I had a great time working onboard the Voyager of the Seas. I would always remember Windjammer, Johnny Rockets, the mess hall and the gym(Take note that out of the 4 unforgettable places, 3 of which are food-related). Sometimes I would dream myself back in the ship, walking along the decks, giving my usual lectures in the Bar or just having a good time with the Filipino mafia during our...

During our Leadership training in Northern Illinois University, the Philippine delegation to the Southeast Asian Youth Leadership Program (2010) was invited to perform a traditional dance during the Ethnotopia event. The group originally presented this dance during the opening ceremonies of the SEAYLP training. The dance is called "Tiklos" and is a Visayan dance. The Ethnotopia event is the second time the group was able to perform in front of a public audience. The third time was during the culminating activity when the group decided to teach the Tiklos dance to the other delegates and performed it together with their Thai, Indonesian and Burmese friends. During the ethnotopia event, the foster parents of the kids were actually invited to watch and of course, when it was the turn of the Philippines to dance, the kids were beaming with pride. The dance started out fine. After a brief introduction I gave about the dance, the students came out and started to perform, just ...

A film maker from Iowa made this video clip regarding how much of his fellow Americans know Iowans. In 2010, I was able to visit Iowa and get inside their Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque. Iowa is the focus right now in the American political landscape due to the ongoing Republican caucus. Republicans in Iowa are voting who among the nominees do they want to run against President Obama in the next Presidential elections in the U.S. As of press time, contenders Matt Romney and Rick Santorum are in a virtual tie, getting each 25% of the total number of votes casted. Here's the video of the film maker and his interview by CNN. Like it? Share it. Get the Share on Facebook widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox ! Not seeing a widget? ( More info )Like it.

Last week's X-Factor USA elimination was perhaps its most controversial yet. Last week, after the American viewing public voted on their favorites, Simon Cowell's protege Rachel Crow and Marcus Canty were both in the bottom two. To prevent from being eliminated, the two had to sing their last "survival" song and the 4 X-Factor Judges (Cowell, Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and L.A. Reid) would choose which of the two they would send home. L.A. Reid voted for Rachel to go home in favor of his ward Marcus. Simon Cowell sent Marcus home in favor of Rachel. Paula Abdul chose Marcus to be sent home. Majority of the crowd in the live studio was cheering on for Nicole to spare Rachel after a heart-rendering performance. Nicole however chose to let the public decide, saved Marcus instead and allowed the votes to choose who would be eliminated. There were some boos already from the crowd but perhaps majority of those waiting for the results were quite confident that Marcus C...

A year ago, I left the country to work. It was my first Christmas spent away from family. I remember how I cried myself to sleep that Christmas Eve, alone in my cabin, far from the usual warmth of home and midnight dinner. It was also my first New Year's Eve spent away from family. More than 6 months later, I came back after my contract ended, hoping that I would no longer have to leave my family and home. That experience made me understand the plight of our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). This Christmas, I am offering a prayer for them, especially those working onboard ships. My heart goes out to them and their families who long for their presence more than their padala and pasalubongs . And then I came across this video from Coca Cola featuring our OFW. This got me teary-eyed. Hopefully one day, our families shall stay together, not sundered by the demands of economics. Like it? Share it. Get the Share on Facebook widget and many other great free widgets at Widg...