It's Christmas already!

Has it really been a year? Crazy! Every December, I try to recall my best memories of the year and very often it come up with something that happened during the summer. Not a fling (unfortunately) HAHA This 2013 it's going up the Cordillera Region and exploring 5 of its 6 provinces. Aaaahhh... You guys have to go there! 

Anyway, posting my annual wishlist. 

These are mostly stuff on my own shopping list that I don't mind receiving as gifts.

1. Headware! Light, quick-drying, and multi-use. Perfect for my adventures.  http://www.theheadware.com/files/theme/headware-2013-catalog.pdf

2. J. Maxwell and other business / leadership books. Before agreeing to attend UP for college, my dad promised that if I still want to pursue MBA, he will send me to Ateneo. Four years in business school and I don't want to take MBA anymore. I'd rather take special education or art studies. But since I work with my dad, I try my best to make up for skipping graduate studies by reading these books. Eventually I plan to put the books in the office so my officemates can borrow it. I wish they do. Coz I would hate to tell them what they should have or shouldn't have done.

3. Washi tapes. I still like them. I don't get to use them a lot though. Right now I mainly use them to post documents in my cubicle. It helps me enjoy my work desk more.

4. Food! Royce chocolate chip and truffle oil. These are items I can't afford on a regular basis. HAHA! I like eating Royce Nama and potato chips separately. I can only imagine what happens when they're combined. Now the truffle oil, imagine scrambled eggs with a dash of truffle oil for breakfast. Aaaah!

5. Donations. Doesn't matter how much. You don't even have to tell me about it.

Typhoon Yolanda destroyed the Visayas. I'm sad that very little attention is given to provinces in Panay island. I do know that Red Cross has presence in these areas. NVC is based in Bacolod but has a solid network in the Visayas. I also like NVC's other projects such as sponsoring a classroom or providing boats to fishing villages. (If you're interested, a boat costs 20k, that's the motorized boat plus environmental conservation fees. Plus you get to name the boat! hihi) On the other hand, I am happy to hear some grade school acquaintances based in Iloilo have relief operations of their own. I hope I see some of them when I visit for Christmas to ask how we can send more help.

Website: nvcfoundation-ph.org/how-you-can-help/

I hope we are kinder not just during Christmastime. You know, try to warm a heart every chance you get. Give the beggar something to eat or better yet take her to the food place. Offer your seat to an oldie or someone who looks so tired. Smile at people in the store even if you refuse their offer. Buy your village guards a bag of hot pandesal just because. Thank the servers every time they refill your glass of water, or the guard who opens the door for you. Little acts of kindness go a long way, guys! It restores faith in humanity, it makes someone's day brighter, it makes you happy knowing you have been a good person today, everyday.

Wishing you all a meaningful Christmas season. :)

Random Rambling(s)

I never imagined I'd get back to blogging because I had to ramble.
***

Lots of my friends have been taking further studies lately. One is taking masters in education, one got a grant in Hong Kong, one has left for an MBA in Singapore (Hi Tin!) and another will be leaving for an MBA in Paris.

I'm so envious! But it's a good kind of envy. It's like this. I'm pretty sure I don't want an MBA. I'm tired of studying anything about business. Four years in college is enough for me. I wanna study something new. This brings me back to my art studies dreams.

Two years ago, I applied for a masters program in art studies. The first hurdle was a written exam. It was a fight or flight moment for me. I had no idea what they were asking me to explain in the essay questions. I felt so dumb, clueless, and totally out of place. The 12 others in the room were all buried in their papers, writing frantically while I stared at a blank paper for a good 30 minutes deciding if I should pretend I have LBM or write lyrics of songs so I can pretend to be answering the test. One of the applicants even asked for more sheets of paper from the proctor while I scraped my brain for at least one sensible sentence that I can write. The essay required at least 300 words per question. I thought, okay I will not pretend I have an upset stomach because it would totally suck if they remember me as the girl who left because she got LBM sa sobrang nerbyos. I will write whatever thought enters my mind. When I finally started writing, I had 82 words. The next question I had 136. Clearly, very far from the minimum of 300 words. In business school, we were trained to deliver a point in less than two minutes. Less words, clearer message, bigger impact. So I figured, well, this is how I think. I hate paligoy-ligoy. I hate bullshit essays. Maybe if I can make a point in 82 words, they'll forget the fact that I said it in 82 words.

I left the exam room first. Not because I was the fastest thinker but because I had nothing else to write. I felt dumb. Hopeless. Ridiculous. What was I thinking? A business grad taking up art studies masters? KALOKA. I wanted to cry. On my bus ride home, I was on the verge of tears. I had to say goodbye to art studies. It wasn't for me. Side story: I was so preoccupied in stopping my tears that I did not notice I was seated beside an old, blind man. I only noticed him when he kept bugging the bus conductor to let him off at Litex. He then asked me 'Iha, asan na tayo?' Ay, malayo pa po sa bababaan niyo. 'Sa Litex ako bababa.' Sige po sasabihan ko kayo. As we approached Litex I told him 'Malapit na po. Eto po, Litex na. Ingat po kayo. The blind man grasped my left hand and smiled and said salamat. GOD I lost it then and there. My tears flowed and I kept trying to pull myself together because my sight was so blurry and I had to get off the next stop. The blind man reminded me what the Three Idiots keep telling us. ALL IS WELL. We gotta make do with what we have. We gotta make it work.

While waiting for the results of the written exam (that was around three weeks), I thought (1) I totally sucked at the written exam. I'm not gonna pass. *cries/ goodbye art studies dreams* (2) maybe I shouldn't qualify for the program because I had the wrong reasons for applying for it.

Which leads me to my sub-topic. What were my reasons for applying? Let me make it clear (to myself, haha) I knew even in undergrad school that I loved Art Studies. Without a doubt. I took every art studies undergrad class available. I'd like to think it was an interest waiting to be discovered. I didn't know I was passionate about it until I noticed I've been taking so much classes! But as to why I applied? (1) I hated work. Even if I was only required to show up in the office twice a week, I hated it. I felt I wasn't learning. That anybody can practically do what I was doing, for a fraction of my salary. I was replaceable! (2) Because I hated it, I sucked at it. More and more each day. You know the feeling of doing something because the job feeds you and you have bills to pay? That's exactly how I felt. (3) Despite being the child of the boss, I did not feel I was being mentored well by the seniors at work. In hindsight though, maybe I felt that way because I hated it in the first place- therefore rejecting every single chance that I can learn. I took each 'sermon' as a personal attack, I took each sermon from my daddy boss as a sign of disappointment. I took it as a daughter, not an employee. (4) I felt the seniors expect me to takeover one day. No one bothered to ask if I wanted to do this until I get old. I felt everyone thought it was a predestined path. That I will learn everything the moment they tell me about it. (Uhm, in school, we'd learn it if we keep doing it. And personally, the biggest lessons stick to my mind if I learned it through a big blunder like failing a quiz because I forgot the capital of Finland. Now I'll never forget Helsinki.)

So I thought, okay I'm escaping something. I'm not taking Art Studies because I wanna learn. Of course I want to learn. But I had other (bigger) motives. I thought, I could always use my classes as an alibi to skip going to work. That I had projects to research, exams to study for, and I planned to recycle practically every alibi my undergrad college self used to escape chores and errands at home.

Just a day after the exam, I realized I would never pass it and I needed a backup plan. Which isn't really much of a backup because the plan was to continue working.

So it's more of a change in perspective. I should change the way I see it. I have to consider the number of employees we have. Multiply it by 5 (average family size, assuming they are breadwinners). That's the total number of people the business 'supports'. I had to imagine how many children are able to go to school because we employ their father or mother. Then BOOM! It's not just me anymore. It's us now. I work because we have over a hundred mouths to feed. Because the kids need to buy pencils and papers and get a decent education so they become productive citizens in the future. Because the parents of our employees are retired and our employees rely on their benefits to provide them with healthcare.

And boy, a change in perspective definitely did wonders. When I make mistakes, I apologize and learn from it (sometimes on the fifth offense of the same booboo hehe) because if everyone else is doing their jobs right, I owe it to them that I do mine correctly. Because I hated getting scolded by daddy boss, I am more careful with the work I do. Which leads to less mistakes.

Now I've embraced the two to three days office reporting. You see, daddy boss is not a believer in 5-day workweek. If you have nothing to do in the office, don't go. It's better than showing up everyday and pretending to be productive. It also saves the office some operational costs - less electronics plugged in when there are less people, less lights switched on, less petty cash expense on food, and more efficient days for everyone. We get things done on two days versus spreading out the five things you can do today into a one task each day.

I still have lazy days but when I get lazy I just tell myself 'get up early today, sleep all morning tomorrow.' Not everyone has that perk! I appreciate the fact that I can afford to oversleep on a Monday. That while 90% of the working population have to get up extra early on Mondays to make it to flag ceremony on time, I can work from home and choose the time I want to shower. And on days that I need to report on a Monday, I don't mind (most of the time hehe). My self-absorbed, I'll-take-masters-to-avoid-work self would think "I owe this free Monday to daddy boss." Today, I'd like to think of it as '50% I still owe to daddy boss, 50% I earned it! I finish urgent tasks before Friday to make sure I have nothing I need to rush on a Monday.

Okay, whoa. That's a lot of rambling. I had to get it off my chest.

Now, I'm ready to give art studies another chance (if Universe allows). I am not escaping anything this time. Just really pursuing a passion.

P.S.
A week after all my realizations and 'perspective rehab', I found out I passed the exam. hahaha! But I skipped the interview because I realized I had to execute my new game plan first. And I felt maybe I just needed to suck at the written exam to realize everything (see ramblings above.)

P.P.S.
The Finland-Helsinki example didn't really happen to me. That's just an example. I got that from the Anchor Milk tv ad. hehe

BUSCALAN

Meeting the last mambabatok, Fang-Od was the reason for the Cordillera adventure. It was our only goal. The other destinations only came about during the planning. I wanted to meet her so many years ago but well, I wasn't very adventurous then, plus I didn't have an adventure buddy and funds. Then two years ago, Mau graduated from college and it felt like the best time to go out on an adventure. But she got a job (too soon) and we had to postpone everything. 

Looking back, I thought it was perfect that the trip had to be moved and moved again. I realized weren't quite ready then. I was too maarte, we didn't have money, we had no solid itinerary. It the trip pushed through, we probably ended up having an inefficient and costly trip.

Anyway, the trip to Buscalan wasn't easy. We were so tired, our bodies were sore from the Batad trip and it was scorching! We had to to trek under the sun for two hours. Thinking about it, I prolly would have done a better trek if the weather was cooler, I wasn't tired and if I was wearing outdoor shoes (I wore flat ground running shoes).

The phrase 'road less travelled' was written for a reason. It was exactly how I felt during the first hour of the trek. There was no trail. It was all steep, dusty, ground. It got better in the next hour. It was flat and we got some shelter from the sun because we were in the mountainsides. When I saw the stairs though, I knew I was in trouble. My legs were still aching from the Batad terraces traverse. Every step felt like torture. I was dragging my ass with every bit of energy I could scrape off my imaginary power tank. I had no more water and our guide kept saying 'one more hour and we'll be there'.

I saw an abandoned hut beside our nth set of stairs, I told the group to go ahead and I'll catch up. I HAD TO REST OR I WILL DIE. So Mau and I sat on a few big stones to catch our breath. A few minutes later, I heard the sound of kids giggling. I said to Mau, 'Teh, baka malapit na tayo. Naririnig mo ba? Parang mga bata yun.'  True enough our companion called us and announced that we have arrived at our destination. 

Mau and I got up for one last push. When I got pass the fence made of barks, I saw Fang-Od. Sitting outside her house, smiling at the new faces. I looked at Mau who was close behind and said 'Teh anjan na siya! To which she replied 'Oo ngaaaaa!' I wanted to cry. I couldn't move for a few seconds. My heart was spazzing. I asked our guide if I can come closer. He laughed thinking of course you can! We went up to her to mano. She squeezed my hand and smiled and laughed. Oh dear. Two years of planning and I can't believe she's right in front of me. All of a sudden I felt a surge of energy. I was tired, yes. But I somehow had so much enthusiasm and extra energy, and wanted to explore the whole village.

Kitchen duties

We settled in Fang-Od's house. I got my camera so we can go around the village but I got sidetracked because I saw Fang-Od being photographed in the kitchen. The photographer, Kuya Raul, a local of Banaue, invited me in so I crouched beside him and took photos as well.

We all got our tattoos the next morning. In between tattoo sessions, we'd hang out with the locals.

I felt peaceful in the two days we stayed there. There was no need for so much money. Everyone was so kind. There was a little enterprising whenever visitors came. I got a rattan necklace and even met the maker, Kuya Mindo (read as Mindu). It was actually his younger brother, Abel who sold me the necklace on our first night. I met Kuya Mindo on our second night. He makes rattan accessories and takes them downtown to sell to tourists.

We also washed our clothes! There is only one water source so everyone does their laundry in that area.

Ate Ruby (in black), Ate Selma (in yellow), and Ate Nancy (in pink) hanging out with us. The little boy in the middle lives in that hut behind the ladies. His mother allowed me to hang my laundry on their clothesline. The other guy lives in another part of the village.

I loved hanging out with the locals. They're nice, funny, and have so much stories to tell. They taught us some words in the Botbot dialect.

Pija - masarap
Manja mara - salamat
Pintas - maganda

Interesting how pintas is something positive in the Botbot dialect and negative in Tagalog.

Trivia: Their tribe names are based on their dialect. The people of Buscalan belong to the Botbot tribe (read as Butbut). There is no 'umbrella' dialect in the Cordilleras. Because the Cordilleras are mountains, there isn't much interaction between tribes back then. The level of variation of dialects depend on the distance of the tribes from each other.

It was bittersweet to say goodbye to everyone in the lovely village. They taught me simplicity- from the food we ate, to the home we lived in; pretty much in all aspects. They taught me happiness. I mean, I am generally a happy person, but these people have 'less' than me and they feel so rich. It was a beautiful learning.

 One last photo before we leave. 

Sleeping Beauty Mountain

Manja Mara, Buscalan! I will be back.

I'll try to tell you about Cordillera

I really wanted to write about my recent Cordillera adventure but I cannot find the words to encompass how I felt during and after the trip. It was exhausting, hot in the morning, chilly at night. It was a test of willpower and endurance. It was also beautiful, breathtaking, the kind that enriches your soul and you feel like your heart wants to burst, really, just amazing. But for the sake of keeping tabs on my trips, I will try to write about it.

***

We traveled to Banaue via Ohayami Bus in Manila. The trip would be 9 hours but it took us over 17 hours to get to Banaue because of road construction. No one was complaining, no one was mad during the long delay but we all knew everyone was hungry. I had to eat my 'trail food' of Breadstix and cheese in the bus. Gawd, it tasted like chicken. I also had to limit my water intake to avoid the urge to pee during the trip.

During a stop, Mau and I saw a carinderia and decided to pee and get some food. It became the fastest breakfast we've had because upon our food's arrival, the conductor called everyone to get back to the bus already. We stuffed whatever could fit our mouth while laughing at ourselves and semi-panicking. We couldn't finish the meal so we ran back to the bus with pieces of longganisa and rice stuck in our throats. When we got to our seat, we were still laughing at how ridiculously fast we ate and how crazy we must've looked back there.

BANAUE AND BATAD

We finally arrived in Banaue sometime past 3 in the afternoon. The air was cold. The bus driver turned the aircon off and we opened our windows to enjoy the breeze. Mau and I explored the town a bit. We went to the foot of the terraces after eating an early dinner. We then grabbed a beer at the lodge restaurant before retiring.

The view of Banaue Rice Terraces from People's Lodge.

The next morning, we were off to Batad. From the Saddle (take off point) one has to trek for 45 minutes to an hour to get to the terraces. The trail is easy, except if you're old or if you have rheumatism. It's gonna be quite a challenge.

First Bulol (Ifugao rice god) sighting. 

The Bulol (Bulul) is one of the biggest influences in my wanting to get into Art Studies during my undergraduate days in the University. I find it fascinating at the very least. I even passed the masters program but why I didn't pursue it is another story. hehe

 Batad Rice Terraces from the tourist registration area. 

When you see it in person, you'll understand what breathtaking means.

When in Batad, you have to visit Tappiya Falls. It won't be easy. But it is beautiful. You must go.

From Batad, you have to traverse the terraces and

 trek the mountains for two hours to reach Tappiya Falls.

Tappiya wiped out my energy so the walk back to the Saddle felt like a death sentence. My legs were shaking! Pero push lang. 

Next stop: Bontoc - Buscalan

Challenge # 1

I'm currently sick and very bored right now so I spent my rest day watching new episodes of my favorite series, and reading Google reader- most of them food blogs. So I came up with this idea of a challenge.

We shall call it The 200-peso food challenge. Everytime I dine alone for a month, I will have to keep each meal within this budget. I know two hundred bucks can feed a family (heck, the government claims a family of 4 can be fed on a budget of 175 pesos each day). But that's not the point of this challenge. Lately, I noticed my meals reach up to 500 pesos. That's fine from time to time. I mean, all good things come with a price. But I hardly make an effort to spend wisely when it comes to food so this should be a fun change!

 

I'll try to document it and rate my meal! Shall post it on Instagram. Challenge starts January 14 when my parents are be back in the province and I'll have to feed myself. haha