The Freudian Slip Of A Bacolodnon

It was my second time to visit Legazpi City, the capital city of the province of Albay. And I enjoyed it very much. This is because it was also my first time to drive an all-terrain vehicle along the so-called Lava Trail of Mt. Mayon. Mayon is an active volcano, famous for its nearly-perfect cone. I have never driven a motorbike before so I was kinda wary of driving an ATV. "It's just like driving a bump car," one of the guys at Bicol Adventure told us. Well it does look like driving a bump car but it sure was kinda uneasy at first. We practiced driving the ATV's at Bicol Adventure grounds first before heading for our Lava Trail. Once we were getting the hang of it, we immediately lined up to head to the Lava Bed. The Lava trail is a mix of different terrains, designed for an ATV beginner. It has river trails, quarry trail, dirt roads and even  a 1-km jungle trail. It ends right at the Lava head where a helipad was constructed right on top of volcanic rocks and d...

While backpacking across Zamboanga Peninsula, I ended up in Dipolog City Dipolog City is the capital of Zamboanga Del Norte. Prior to arriving in Dipolog City, I was already searching for a possible hotel to stay since I had to spend one night in Dipolog City before catching my flight back to Manila. I found this new hotel called West End Court. I decided to try it out. It is not actually "new" but it is newly renovated. It is basically not hard to find. From the bus terminal, I hired a tricycle to bring me to West End Court Hotel. It is basically 2 blocks away from Dipolog Boulevard. It is also a stone's-throw away from the "downtown" area where you could grab some fast food or buy some groceries or even souvenirs. The hotel has a variety of rooms to choose from: from an economy room worth 600 pesos per night to an executive suite worth 3300 pesos per night. Each room is airconditioned, with flat screen TV and a hot-and-cold shower. What I love ...

For many, summer is that time of the year when everyone's expected to enjoy the sun, the beach and the long school breaks. It is also during summertime when most family reunions are held and  barkada  road trips are organized. You don't want to spend your summer sick in bed, so here are some practical tips on how to enjoy the long summer break. 1.  Hydrate .  Hydrate. Hydrate.  It cannot be overemphasized that summer is a hot season. Here in the Philippines, our summer is usually hot and humid, and climate change seems to be making our summertime more hot and more humid than usual. With this kind of weather, do not forget to always bring a bottle of drinking water with you whenever you go out. People can suffer from heat stroke due to prolonged exposure to the sun without replacing lost fluids.  2.  Be physically active.  Summer is a good opportunity to do a lot of physical outdoor activities. A good physical  activity f...

The news about the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI was quite unexpected and while I was watching the news about his announcement, I was trying to recall my first visit to Rome 2 years ago. I could remember the day when our cruise ship docked in Civitavecchia, I was feeling giddy about the thought of going to Rome for the first time. It was a Wednesday and I know for a fact that every Wednesday is Papal Audience day in the Vatican. Together with some friends, we took a train to Rome. Ticket to Rome Traveling to Rome My friend almost tipped this signage over trying to make a point that she has arrived in Rome With my Spanish and Filipina friends posing outside the walls of St. Peter's More Friends inside the St. Peter's Square Swiss Guard on post waiting for the Pope to emerge out of St. Peter's Basillica Pope Benedict XVI passing by on his popemobile blessing the crowd. This was the closest I could get to a Pope. At St. Peter'...

Step aside Psy. There is a new dance step in town that's going viral. And you don't even have to memorize the steps. It is so easy, Gangnam Style looks like doing Calculus. It's the Harlem Shake. If you haven't seen a Harlem Shake video yet, take a look at this: The Harlem Shake began just recently and was started by 5 teenagers from Queensland, Australia. The videos last 31 seconds and feature an excerpt from the song "Harlem Shake" by electronic musician Baauer. Since then, many uploaded their own versions of Harlem Shake. You can also do your own Harlem Shake. The Harlem Shake video usually begins with a person wearing a helmet or mask dancing to the song alone for 15 seconds, surrounded by other people not paying attention or unaware of the dancing individual. The second half of the video then cuts to the entire crowd doing crazy stuff, making their own convulsive dance steps for the next 15 seconds. Usually they would be wearing funny cost...

A few hours after we went back to Manila from Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, I found myself boarding the plane en route to Ivisan, Capiz. I was heading there upon the invitation of the Mayor himself who personally requested for a "team building" session for his RHU staff. The desire was to make a cohesive team so that they could be able to perform in their work better thus enabling them to produce better health outcomes for the entire Ivisanons. How do we build a team anyway? I think the formula is easy, although the actual formation can be challenging. The formation of a team, first and foremost, finds it foundation in getting to know one's members.  After all, a team is an amalgamation of unique individuals who have their own set of motivations, values, beliefs and behavior. What we did in Ivisan was a basic simple introduction of one's self and to tell the story behind their names. For many, it was revealing. They were then asked to recall the many highs and lows in ...

It was my first road trip to Northern Luzon. It took us around 10 hours to travel from Manila to Cervantes, a municipality in the mountains of Ilocos Sur. By the time we reached Ilocos Sur, it was already dark. Since it was also our first time to go up the winding road through the historic Bessang Pass all the way up the mountains, we were driving quite slowly and cautiously. We were heading for Cervantes upon the invitation of the Mayor to conduct a leadership retreat for his department heads. Cervantes is an economically 4th class municipality and is also dubbed as the Summer Capital of Ilocos Sur. It is typically a mountainous area and has a cooler climate compared to other towns in Ilocos Sur. We stayed at Villa Maria, a lodging house at the Concepcion area of the town. It has a nice view of the mountains of Ilocos Sur especially in the morning. Villa Maria is also the venue for the training that we conducted for the municipal employees of Cervantes. ...