Off to Boracay

In just a few hours, I will be flying to the Caticlan and then hop to an island where my Brother Bear will be waiting for me. Yes, I’m going to Boracay to be with my petit chou chou.

I hope to be there in time for the sunset. I’m excited as hell. The bears will be united once more.

Malade Complètement Malade

Je suis fatigué.

I ended my workweek busting myself. I was totally exhausted from work. I had been spending the week resolving issues and battling problems with my client’s accounts as most of them have outstanding concerns with Merck.

The cut-off time is once again very near and I have to check if my dealers would be served with all their pending orders in time. I have to ensure that their requirements will be met next week.

Thank God it’s Saturday. I just wanted to steer away from work-related issues. I just wanted to free myself from the stress and from the pressures of work. Even just this weekend.

But last night, on my way home, Dad called me up and asked me if I was going home already. He said that he needed me to come home because he wanted to be brought to the hospital for admission. He said he’s not feeling good.

Il est malade!

Well about 5 minutes later, I got home and learned that he did not report for work that day because of severe stomach pain. I saw him lying on a couch. He was trying not to move too much because the of the pain he’s experiencing. His back ached too.

I also learned that they had already gone to see a doctor and that the physician requested for a set of blood tests. My mom and dad got the results and my nurse sister interpreted it. She was worried about the elevated white blood cell count. She was suspecting that my dad may have an infection. Perhaps an inflammation, an appendicitis.

I got worried because Dad said he felt pain everytime he pressed the lower right part of his belly. He said he has been noticing the pain for days. The doctor even suspected appendicitis. He gave instruction to my dad as well as some medication to ease the pain. The doctor instructed my mom to check if at 10pm, the pain do not subside then dad must have to be admitted to the hospital.

At 8:30pm, we were all set to go to Velez General Hospital. I drove him to F. Ramos Street. Mom came also with us. She was silent the entire trip but I knew that she was very worried. She wanted to know what caused the pain and what triggered Dad’s illness.

Then we got the answers before we even reached the hospital.

On our way to the city, Dad began to fart. He had been trying to fart all day but no flatulence happened. Not until we were on the car. I could not even concentrate in my driving because of the obnoxious smell that fart that he made. Throughout the entire trip, he kept on farting.

Soon after, he said that the pain on his stomach had started to go down. He could already press his belly without feeling any pain. And that he assured us that as long as he continue to fart, everything will be fine.

Instead of heading to the hospital, we ended up sitting at a nearby coffee shop and waited for 10pm just to make sure that Dad was really okay.

I figured out that his stomach pain was triggered by the overripe mango that he ate the other night. I saw mom arguing with him about not eating the said mango because it really looked rotten. But that insisted on eating it.

And because he ate the fruit, he began to feel his stomach ache at dawn. Instead of going to the john to relieve himself or to take a dump, he looked for some attapulgite and took one capsule in. 

We waited for 10pm laughing and teasing Dad about his ridiculous take on the mango. He continued to fart so much that I noticed the foreigner on the next table covering his nose the entire.

It was a learning lesson for Dad. But I was relieved to know that he would be fine. I’m not taking any chances.

Today, Dad would see his doctor again and have his blood checked to determine what caused the elevation of his WBC. Hopefully, things would be fine.

Ugly Betty and the Italians

So….. the results are in. Here are the winners: 

Campioni d’Europa!!!

AC Milan won the UEFA Champions League Finals. Daddy was disappointed with the Liverpool squad. No penalty shoot-out this time. No come-from-behind victory. Just plain simple game plan. Thanks to Filippo Inzaghi. He booked 2 goals in this championship match. The Italian football club reigned once again. 3 more cups and they will surpass Real Madrid’s record. Forza Milan!

Jordin Sparks

74 million Americans voted for this 17-year old girl from Arizona. I think America Ferrera also voted for Jordin. They have something in common. ‘Yo soy Betty, la Fea’

Congratulations anyways.

Competition… Competition

Scheduled for today are the following:

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINALS 

A few hours from now, football fanatics will be watching the Champion’s League Finals between Liverpool and AC Milan. at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.

My Daddy and Bro Lester are die hard fanatics of the sport. Earlier on, they have already taken sides and were excited to cheer for their chosen teams.

Daddy is cheering for the English club, Liverpool. This football club traces its birth on March 15, 1892 at Anfield Liverpool and has been in the Premier League for years. This team claimed to be the most successful football club in England with 18 English League titles and 5 European cup titles.

Liverpool beat Chelsea in their semi-finals match last May 1, 2007 at 4-1 on penalties.

Their fifth European Championship Title was won in Istanbul in 2005 against AC Milan.  It was a come-from-behind win with AC Milan leading at 3-0 at halftime only to be leveled by Liverpool at the second half with 3 goals in 6 minutes. Their win came from a penalty shoot-out, with the goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek taking full responsibility of the penalty kicks.

Daddy is hoping for the final match to go down to the penalty shoot-out. Just like the 2006 World Cup in Germany which went down to an exciting penalty shoot-out between France and the eventual champions Italy.

He’s rooting for Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain to deliver well in their finals match against AC Milan today. Gerrard plays midfield and has been receiving a lot of awards  such as the MVP of the Premier League and at the UEFA. Other prominent players of Liverpool includes the goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek from Poland, the Dutch international striker Dirk Kuyt, Xabi Alonso – the Spanish midfielder and the English striker Peter Crouch, the club’s leading scorer.

My brother Lester will be rooting for AC Milan. This team has booked a place in the finals by beating Manchester United. Associazione Calcio or AC Milan was founded in 1899 and has since been a formidable club in the European league. The Italian Serie A club has won the Champions League trophy 6 times.

AC Milan has a lot of Brazilian players in their roster.

 

Kaka (Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite) is a midfielder and is the leading scorer in the Champions League; the goalkeeper Dida (Nélson de Jesus Silva) whose contract with AC Milan will be expiring next month; Cafu (Marcus Evangelista de Moraes) the most capped Brazilian player; and of course the so-called great Ronaldo (Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima) who will not be allowed to play in the finals match because he played for former club Real Madrid in the early stages of the competition. Ronaldo transferred to AC Milan this January.

AC Milan being an Italian football club has Paolo Maldini (defender) as its team captain. The vice-captain is Alessandro Costacurta. Andrea Pirlo is also in the club playing in a midfielder position.

If I may decide on which team to cheer, I would definitely go with AC Milan. Why? Because my Rino is playing in the finals.

Yes. This is Gennaro ‘Rino’ Gattuso. A Capricorn Bear player in midfield position, who is a part of the Italian national team that won the World Cup in 2006.

I first noticed him at the World Cup Finals when after the match, he removed his shorts and ran around the football field in his white underwear to celebrate their win against  France.

 

Well good luck to AC Milan!!!! I hope this club will win the UEFA Champions League.  Maybe this time, Rino will get the chance to celebrate and run in the pitch without his red and black pants on.

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AMERICAN IDOL FINAL SHOWDOWN

Well. Just a while ago, I saw the finals of the 6th season of the American Idol. The final showdown was between Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks.

Blake did well on his 1st song (a Bon Jovi Hit); I hated his version of Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved”; and his last performance was very pathetic. He was uncomfortable with the 3rd song.

Jordin was expected to ‘wipe’ Blake off the stage. Though she was not that good in her rendition of Christina Aguilera’s ‘Fighter’, she bounced back with a Martina McBride song. For her last performance, she sang “This is my Now” and tore the stage apart.

Looks like Jordin will bag the title. We will see.

It could have been great if Melinda Doolittle was there on that stage and compete with either of the finalists. Doolittle could have been a better competition. But I think she’s destined for something better.

So whoever will become this season’s American Idol, hope he/she will fare better than Fantasia or Reuben or Taylor. 

Travail = Work = Trabaho

Tuesday is hell for me.

And I just knew why.

I got a total of 7 dealers under my responsibility. One is basically inactive while 3 of them have been blocked by Merck because of unsettled accounts.

And the cut-off period for May is very near. If half of my clients cannot place orders for this month, then consequently, a big chunk of my operational plan may not materialize. This would mean that I wont be able to hit my target for May.

But it’s about work. C’est d’accord.

I tried to call up my boss. She couldn’t be reached. I dialled her other numbers. The numbers were not yet in service. My teammate called me up. She asked about our boss’s whereabouts. I said that I do not know. We had some concerns that we needed to consult from her. But she was not around.

C’est d’accord.

For my clients to be lifted from their blocked status, I need to follow up on their payments. I went from one dealer office to another. I called my clients up for their overdue accounts. I dialled Merck for updates on the customer’s status. I did all in a span of 4 hours.

Then it rained hard in Cebu today. I was stranded in downtown Cebu. For several minutes I waited for the rain to end. The gutters were partially flooded. Water began to rise while I stood at the sidewalk waiting for an empty cab to hail.

But I ended up riding a jeepney.

Had no choice but to go back to Talisay City and get my stuff from the office of a dealer. I was caught in traffic near the Tabo-an Market. The rain began to stop. The smell of dried squid and the stench of the city market began to crawl inside the jeepney.

Had to be back in that dealer’s office before they would close shop.

But it’s about work. C’est d’accord!

I arrived at 5.30pm. They were about to leave. I got my stuff and prepared to exit from the office. My dealer requested me to come back the next day. I promised her that I would drop by her office tomorrow.

On my way back to Cebu City, an officemate called me up. He reminded me to contact a client whom we met a couple of weeks ago. I was on a bus when I dialled this client’s number up.

It was something new to me. Seems to me that the client was not in very good mood. When I introduced myself, the guy suddenly cut me short and spoke about some observations he’d gathered for the past few days.

He told me that Merck’s representatives had been ’detached’ from their clients because he sensed that we do not attend to his needs immediately. He said he had been requesting for quotations and that his inquiries were not addressed immediately. He further aired that Merck’s technical sales representatives had been difficult to contact.

The above statement had led him to conclude that we, being Merck’s representatives, were not interested to do business with him. Which made him more angry and queer. He’d gone ballistic and had threaten not to order anything from Merck.

Though I was offended by his accusations and his manner of dealing with me and Merck, I still reminded him of the points that were raised in our last meeting with him at the Midtown Hotel. I discussed to him about the structure of the distribution of Merck products by the recognized dealers and also about the rules and requirements of serving Merck products to the clients.

But everything fell on deaf ears. This client was particularly stubborn and stupid. And because he was not able to get what he wanted out of the conversation, he hung up.

Wow. He had an attitude. But it’s about work. C’est d’accord.

My dad picked me up on his way home. He just came from a meeting and had visited my grandma at Gochan Hills. We were caught in traffic at a junction near the Gaisano Country Mall.

We talked about his options after his life in Energizer.

My dad was worried about his future in this American firm. Though he still got 7 more years before retirement, his company had started to trim down its workforce. This month alone, 21 people were severed from the firm and my dad, being a part of the human resources and administration department, was instructed to conduct a post-severance session with the affected employees.

He mentioned about the company’s poor sales performance this year. There’s a big chance that his company might fold up at the end of the year.

And he was scared as hell. He still had no plans or options in the event that Energizer will close down for good. He’s worried about mom’s and his medication. He’s worried about his bills, his insurance, his debts and my brother’s education. I got worried for him and mom.

But then again, it’s just work. Ce n’est pas d’accord.

After dinner, my dad got a text message from my sister who’s working in Cavite. She ‘texted’ that her company had officially declared that a certain division was already bought out by a Swiss company and that division happened to be the one where my sister is currently assigned.

Officially, my sister is no longer connected with Intel Philippines. She belongs the company that bought out their Flash Division. At least, according to her, their questions had been answered.

God. In a span of just a day.

But it’s just about work. Travail. Trabaho. Or the prospect of losing it.

á bientôt ma petit ami!

It’s almost 10pm. I took a cab that would take me back to my home base in Consolacion. I just came from the airport to accompany my Bro Bear to the departure area. We waited  for the time for him to board his plane. 

It was to be my Bro Bear’s last day in Cebu. He would be taking the last flight to Manila on board Cebu Pacific. As he went inside the airport terminal to check in his backpack, I recalled the last moments that we’d shared together here in Cebu.

And so we spent our last day together in places like…

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The Harbour City Dimsum, Ayala Center Cebu

We met with Biba for lunch. Chong could not resist the steamed rice and the shrimp balls and the mango shake. Yes we still talked about our Dumaguete trip and our dinner with Ken’s friends.

We talked about future trips to Manila and how Biba would want to be exposed to places like Malate and Timog. We also planned to visit Bro Bear in UP Manila and ’seat-in’ his Humanities class.

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Starbucks Coffee, Ayala Center Cebu

For the requisite updating of blogs and to upload pictures in some accounts, we  transferred to the coffee shop and talked about the pictures and video clips that we’ve taken for the past 10 days.

We still laughed about Biba’s “GEMMA IRING” expression and we listened to his recent list of crushes while I did my accounting of expenditures and did a run-down of my cellphone calls.

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Cebu Memorial Park, Banilad, Cebu City

I decided to join Bro Bear in his visit to the cemetery. Biba left the coffee shop to meet up with his cousin and would join us later for dinner.

It was my very first time in CemPark. We do not have dead relatives buried there. But Chong’s Daddy was laid to rest here. Bro Bear pointed to me the spot where his dad was buried. He introduced me again to his father. This time, on his father’s grave.

  

The place, was oddly quiet and peaceful. I gave my Bro Bear some space and time to talk to his Dad. I could see how Chong missed his father. I could sense some old memories came flooding in his mind. But I was glad that I saw some smiles and beam of longing from my petit ami.

It was a priceless moment.

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Tonton’s Massage, Ichiriki Hotel, A.S. Fortuna

We still had a few hours before dinner. Bro Bear suggested that we go to A.S. Fortuna for a massage. I have never gone far in a massage parlor except for a foot spa in uptown Cebu where their slogan was “Where the heart is in Peace like Water”.

Tonton’s massage was entirely on a higher level. The place may have looked high end but their rates were just affordable and cheap. One could get a full body massage for 200 pesos only.

Bro Bear treated me to a full body massage for an hour. It felt so nice and felt my body relaxed during the aromatherapy session. I slept at some point during the massage  period. 

It was past 7pm when we finished. Bro Bear was already waiting for me at the lobby. He just had a foot spa. We hurriedly left the place and moved on to meet Biba for dinner. 

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Krua Thai, Banilad Town Center

This Thai restaurant has been around for quite some time now. It was my first time to eat at Krua Thai and I realized how good Thai food could really be. At first we planned to go to Arano’s or at Kahayag Café but these food joints were not open on sundays.

Biba would be running late so we ordered food ahead. As we wait for our food to be served, I saw sadness in my Bro Bear’s eyes. I knew that he’d be leaving soon and I just didn’t want to talk about us being far away from each other.

We instead talked about his October trip to Cebu with our friend Nemcy. Bro Bear wanted to bring Nemcy to Boljoon, and perhaps stay there overnight. How he really wanted to visit all the churches in Cebu, like in Carcar, Naga and Boljoon.

I told him that I would be inviting them at my house on our town fiesta and perhaps sing the entire night out with some videoke songs.

Chong was eager to talk about the Bohol trip as well.

  

We planned and discuss his next Cebu visit with Nemcy until Biba arrived and joined us for dinner. We split ways with Biba at around 9pm.

-o0o0o0o0o-

Ardivilla’s Residence, A.S. Fortuna

We passed by Chong’s house in Mandaue City to get his stuff. He was already packed and ready for his flight. 15 minutes after, the house was again empty. Some memories had remained in that bungalow.

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Departure Area, Mactan Cebu International Airport

I wished that Bro Bear could have stayed longer. But I know we have so many things to attend to. I appreciated Bro Bear’s effort to come home and be with me for several days. It was a milestone in our relationship. A first in our 10-year relationship. And I was very grateful that these moments came. 

It was sad seeing both of us at the airport, knowing that one of us would be leaving and the other would be left behind. There was a certain feeling of loss whenever you are at the departure area.

I came back to my senses. Bro Bear exited the departure area and sat beside me in the waiting lounge. He had already checked in his bag and had gotten his boarding pass. It was 9.20pm yet. His boarding time was 10.10pm.

We sat in silence. We knew what we were thinking. We just sat beside each other and cherish the few remaining moments. There was nothing left to say but ‘Thank You’ and ‘So Long’.

9.45pm. Bro Bear rose up and said ‘It’s time for me to go.’

He opened his arms wide and gave me a big warm hug. I embraced him and pressed my head near to his ear and uttered my “I love you” and “I’ll be missing you”.  He said the same endearing words to me and embraced me even tighter.

He picked up his bags and went inside the pre-departure area. I said one more goodbye and turned my back and walked out of the building in sadness. There was a certain heavy feeling in my heart that time, but I know that my wonderful moments with Bro Bear here in Cebu would be enough to take away the sadness and the lump in my throat. 

Au revoir my Bro Bear. I will miss you. But we will be seeing each other soon.

Rencontre at The Dessert Factory

The Dessert Factory

Bro Bear and I decided to meet my siblings at this restaurant in Ayala Center Cebu. The place would become a significant venue for the rencontre. It would be the very first time that Chong would meet my brother and sisters. It would also be the first time since my revelation that my sisters would finally meet the person I’ve been loving for the past 10 years.

It was arranged that on that day, we would be sitting together and talk about the things that went on with our lives and to discuss on how I would say it to my parents.

Chong and I were already at The Dessert Factory at 2.30pm. Just like anything else, we were quite nervous and anxious of how the rencontre would come out. Both of us were shaking like hell, in anticipation of the meeting.

Biba happened to know about the set meeting. He dropped by the restaurant and veered us away from shaking by talking about his itinerary for the day. We talked about our recent trip to Dumaguete and how great the visit was, notwithstanding the multicab and the tricycle ride within the city.

At 4.30pm the rencontre began to materialize.

Christine with Baby Kim, Ellen and Stephen

My sister Christine was first to arrive. She brought along my little niece Kim in a blue baby carriage. Behind her was Arniel, her husband. My sister Ellen and her boyfriend Stephen soon followed. It was the cue for Biba to leave as he had to meet his cousin at the MetroSports for a badminton game.

Chong, Me, Arniel

I introduced Chong to all of them. It was a very awkward moment. Everyone was smiling. Everybody’s uneasy and everybody’s too shy to talk.

There were moments of silence. I knew this feeling and this situation when I first met Chong’s sisters in a movie theater at Greenbelt 1. I met his sister Marj and Dang, Marj’s boyfriend Denden and also Chong’s best friend Jon Carlo.

That time, I was too shy to talk. I did not even know what to say, for fear that I may be judged upon by my words or thoughts. It was such an awkward moment. But I was thankful that the meet-up went fine.

I think the rencontre between Chong and my siblings went well also. I felt no negative moments or any repulsion from my sisters. The conversation suddenly began to roll.

Christine asked about Chong’s background, his family, his work. Bro Bear asked Ellen on her preparation for the Nursing board exams in June.

The talk eventually turned towards the plan on how and when to say it to my folks. My brother-in-law Arniel suggested that I should tell first my Mom since I am closer to her than dad. He said that Mom would possibly understand me and is less likely to react differently.

It would be my Dad who’s going to be the utmost concern. Christine thought that Dad would possibly react the way he reacted when my sister Beverly revealed that she’s pregnant. She further said that I need to expect the worst but be ready for whatever reactions dad would show once I reveal my own secret.

Her concern was that Dad might thought that I would be cross-dressing or I’d be wearing make-up and that I would change the way I talk. Dad may be the conservative type. So it is very possible that he would compare my being queer with that of the parlorista gays.

Ellen and her boyfriend Stephen were just listening at the side, still deciding on what food to order. Then the issue on paper dolls and barbie dolls were brought up.

I told Chong that Ellen was trying to figure out the time when I realized that I was gay. I said to Ellen that back when we were young, I used to draw and cut dresses for their paper dolls.

Chong was amused by the thought and then he told my sisters that as a child, he had a close affinity with the GI Joe figures and that the Barbie dolls did not register to him that much except for the time when he would use his magnifying lens to burn her sister’s dolls.

Comparison of notes. My sisters learned that Chong has an uncle who’s now an aunt with enhanced breast and modified body figure. Bro Bear also learned that my mother’s dad had a gay brother who got married and bore no children.

And the converation went on and on for hours.

Bro Bear had the chance to see my little niece KIM. The baby was very entertaining. She would hop and dance when she’s told to. She would grab our cellphones and throw them whenever she liked to. She would even take off Bro Bear’s eyeglasses because she would think that it scared the hell out of her.

  

Of course Chong took some pictures of Baby Kim.

My sister Christine texted my brother Jon Lester to drop by The Dessert Factory. I still have not told Lester about me. Upon advice of the group, I must not shock Lester with the news.

And so when he arrived, I introduced him to Chong. I promised my sisters that I would tell him anytime soon, before I would tell my parents about me. Lester took baby Kim in his arms.

Minutes past 6pm, we parted ways. I’m very much glad that the rencontre took place. It was a significant step towards my revelation. I was very much happy that time. I hope Bro Bear was happy too.

Bears in Dumaguete

I was in Manila for one day and a half because of the re-launching of the product campaigns for the second half of the year. I left my Bro Bear in Cebu and had him met his high school friends and some of my sister Ken’s friends.

I was also glad that Bro Bear went out with Biba and Bobby and was very relieved that they went along very well.

So when I got home from Manila, I surprised Bro Bear when I said that I will be covering Dumaguete City the next day. So we sent ourselves packing for a two-day visit to the City of Gentle People.

Our friend Biba was in between jobs and that his next employment would start on the 21st yet so we invited him to join us in our tour of Dumaguete. It was a good thing that Biba decided to come with us because I will be leaving Bro Bear behind while I will be covering some hospital clients in the area.

Early Thursday morning, we went to Cebu’s South Bus Terminal and took the 4am trip to the Lilo-an Port in Oslob along with Biba. There are a lot of options in going to Dumaguete. There are ferry boats coming and going from Cebu City Pier to Dumaguete but it would take you about 6 hours to travel. There are also fast crafts to Negros Oriental but it would normally pass by Tagbilaran before it would proceed to Dumaguete.

We decided to take the bus ride down to the southernmost town of Cebu because it would only take 2 hours of land travel then a 15-min pump boat ride to Sibulan, Negros Oriental crossing the Tañon Strait with ease. From Sibulan Port, we took a jeepney ride to Dumaguete.

Biba, Bro Bear and I arrived in Dumaguete at about 7am. We checked in at the Hotel Palwa at V. Locsin St. as this was referred to me by a dealer in the city. The hotel was relatively cheap and has an unlimited wi-fi / airborne access. It is also a few blocks away from the Boulevard.

In the City of Gentle People, there is a famous local pastry shop called SANS RIVAL. We made this as our third stop after we ate breakfast at Ronald McDonald’s house and a visit to the city Cathedral and Bell Tower.

  

Sans Rival is one of the places frequented by foreigners and mestizos.

Ehem, I should say that Bro Bear, Biba and I were of mixed blood too. Bro Bear has Spanish and Chinese blood, I claimed to be partly Japanese, while Biba has some roots from Trinidad and Tobago.

So we definitely fitted in. Yeah right.

Sans Rival was just a block away from the Boulevard and the known Silliman University. This institution was founded way before the University of the Philippines was established. Bro Bear was excited to visit the oldest building of the university because it houses the museum of anthropology et. al.

We went there after we had dessert at Sans Rival. We got inside the campus via an oversized tricycle ride and proceeded to the old university building. Unfortunately, we were not able to get inside the museum because we did not arrange an appointment with the curator. So we ended up cam-whoring outside the building.

  

At that time, the sky began to turn gray and it started to drizzle. We decided to go out of the campus and headed back to our dessert base called SANS RIVAL. The rain began to pour as we went inside the pastry shop.

I left Biba and Bro Bear st SANS RIVAL because I started my hospital coverage with a technical representative that I met in Silliman Univerisity Medical Center. A couple of hours later, I was done with my client visit and joined Biba and Bro Bear for lunch at Food Net in Sta. Catalina Street.

It was there on the second floor that Biba uttered the weirdest Visayan expression of all: GEMMA-IRING.

This expression, as Biba would explain it, was from a finalist of a local gay beauty pageant. The contestant was asked a very difficult question. He had no answers for the question so he just replied “I DON’T KNOW GEMMA-IRING!”

Biba delivered it quite well. It was funny. We laughed so hard. So hard that our laughter reverberated as far as Quezon Park.

We had our siesta time in Dumaguete. We went back to Hotel Palwa and decided to take some rest. The city as Bro Bear would put it is very slow and laid-back. It was a welcome definition for travelers who would like to unwind and relax to escape the hustle and bustle of bigger urban centers.

By nightfall, we left the hotel and looked for a nice spot for dinner. And we found IMAY’S. This restaurant is located at a newly-opened hotel called Check Inn and is along V. Locsin St. The specialty was seafood and so we orders Sinigang na Hipon, Baked Scallops, Fish Fillet, Mixed Seafood Sisig all for just 900 pesos. In Manila, it would cost twice as much. And the food at IMAY’S tasted so good.

Of course, there are also some good restaurants along the Boulevard. After dinner, we dropped by the Promenade and checked out the Boulevard at night.

Earlier on, Bro Bear and Biba had some photo-shoots at the Boulevard while I was away doing my rounds at the hospitals. The boulevard at night is quite inviting and exciting. A lot of couples stroll the length of the promenade, locals and foreigners alike. Some people walk in groups, others walk with their kids. Like in any public places, the promenade is a venue for picking up dates and escorts only it’s very discreet and less obvious.

But anyways, after a few laps of walking, we decided to call the night off and retreated back to the hotel.

We left Dumaguete at 11 am just right after a brief breakfast at SANS RIVAL. We took the same route back to Cebu: Dumaguete-Sibulan-Oslob-Cebu City.

 

We arrived in Cebu City at 4 pm. Biba dropped off at Pardo, several kilometers before Cebu City while Bro Bear and I went down at the Bus Terminal and took a cab ride back to the Ayala Mall.

We did not have lunch that time so we ended up at Harbour City for some steamed rice and dimsum and then transferred to The Dessert Factory for some cakes and Ice cream.

While eating, we talked about the trip and how great it was for us to travel together. Bro Bear was so happy to see Boljoon on our way to Oslob. He was also happy to see some old churches down south. He liked Dumaguete and he enjoyed the slow life of the city. I was glad that he enjoyed this trip. I am looking forward for more trips with my Bro Bear.  

Bears in Bohol

Bro Bear was surprised when he found out that I will be taking him with me in my coverage to Bohol. He had not visited the island in like 20+ years so he was so excited for this leg of his vacation.

On our way to the fast craft terminal, we passed by Marriot Hotel and picked up my boss Joyce and her daughter Je-ann. The four of us took the 12nn ferry trip to Tagbilaran. It would also be Je-ann’s first time to visit Bohol so she and Chong were equally excited to visit the island.

At 2pm, we finally arrived at the Tagbilaran port. The first thing that Chong noticed was the clear blue waters off the city. Unlike Cebu where the water near the pier was murky and full of oil slick, the waters off the shore of Tagbilaran was very clean.

My boss and I had been to Bohol before, so we knew what hotel to check in and what restaurants to dine into. We had already a room reservation at the MetroCentre Hotel and so we waited for the shuttle to pick us up and bring us to the hotel.

We got our rooms and we decided to meet up at the lobby at 3pm. We took a cab to MetroCentre’s sister resort in Panglao and had our big lunch there.

The last time Ms. Joyce and I were there, we were not able to use their facilities like the swimming pool, jacuzzi, the beach, the ping-pong table, etc. But this time, we made sure that we brought an extra set of clothes and towel because we planned to hit the waters in Panglao Island Resort and Spa.

It was a nice package. As long as you checked in at MetroCentre Hotel in Tagbilaran, for a mere 150 pesos, you could get in to the Panglao Resort and use their amenities.

 

We went down to the beach at almost sunset. Bro Bear had a wonderful time taking pictures in the resort. He also enjoyed swimming in the waters of Panglao. We had a grand time in the waters until we experienced some itchiness and bites from the creatures of the sea.

  

We transferred to their infinity pool and enjoyed sometime in a jacuzzi at the side. A little past 8pm, we went back to the city and prepared ourselves for the next day’s tour of Bohol.

Ms. Joyce had arranged for a Bohol Day Tour with the hotel’s tour coodinator. At 10am, we started our visit to some of the island’s tourist destinations.

The site of the First Blood Compact between the Spaniards and the Local Chieftain. Featured here is an Abueva sculpture of the blood compact between Rajah Sikatuna and the Spanish conquistadores Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

The old coral stone church of Baclayon with its imposing bell tower.

  

The tarsier at the tarsier sanctuary in Loboc

The floating restaurant cruising along the Loboc River

A panoramic view of the Chocolate Hills in Carmen

And the hanging bridge of Loay

The Day Tour costs about 2500 pesos and would take about 6 hours.It was to be our last night in Bohol so we decided to check out the hotel’s disco spot.

We entered the disco joint and were quite shocked about the emptiness of the hall. We were supposed to check out their KTV but then we held back because the rate was too high. When we checked out the dance hall, the tables and chairs were empty except for some seats at one side. Those seats were occuppied by “truck drivers” as Bro Bear would put it.

In our frustration, we decided to take some pictures at the MetroCentre Hotel.

At the desolate, empty disco bar entrance

Chong, Joyce, Je-ann and I

At least the Bohol tour was fun. I really enjoyed my second Bohol trip this year. It was good because I spent it with Bro Bear. And as I could see it, he enjoyed his Bohol trip too.

Bears in Cebu

 

This trip with Bro Bear in Cebu was planned on a limited time. Few weeks ago, Chong decided to visit Cebu and  purchased two Manila-Cebu-Manila tickets for his scheduled trips this May and October. He wanted to make use of the free days before classes in UP Manila begin.

 

Bro Bear has been enjoying his trip so far. For his first meal, I brought him to Ayala Center Cebu for a lunch at Harbour View Dimsum. Chong did not have breakfast that day and so he purposely starved himself. He craved so much for the steamed rice, shrimp balls and the spring rolls and when we were finally served with those Chinese food, Bro Bear spend no time in devouring all the dimsum that we ordered.

 

 

At some point during his sessions with the chopsticks and the chow meal, my petit ami was in a different state of mind. He always complained about the absence of steamed rice in the Chinese restaurants in
Manila. In my former trips to Manila, Bro Bear even asked me to bring a cupful of these steamed rice along with some other dumplings. He is a certified steamed rice lover. And I don’t know the reason why.

 

 

After we had lunch, we fetched my boss Joyce and her daughter Je-ann at the Marriot Hotel. My boss had planned to give Je-ann a tour of Cebu as it was her first time to be in a place other than Metro Manila or Luzon.

 

Je-ann is about 16 years old, an incoming freshmen, and is a little bit bashful. Her mom on the other hand is bubbly, vocally expressive and jolly. Je-ann on the other hand is an exact opposite of her mom.

So we picked them up at the hotel at mid afternoon.

 

  

 

We decided to let Je-ann visit the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. It was also Bro Bear’s first visit in like many years at the pilgrim center. When we were at the church yard, we found a group of women dancing in front of the church with bundles of candle in one hand and a postcard-sized picture of the image of the holy child.

 

Bro Bear explained to the mother and child how the word Sinulog came to be and how it was traced to the dance steps performed by the women at the church yard. From the basilica, we went to the Magellan’s cross and had some “photo sessions” there.

 

The camera sessions made all of us hungry so we trooped to the mall and searched for some sweet goods. My boss had a sweet tooth and she had a craving for chocolate. So we referred her to the DESSERT FACTORY at the Ayala Entertainment Center.

 

This sweet restaurant offered a lot of choices ranging from cakes to ice cream then some fruit shakes and juices. We tried their pistacchio laden ice cream which they called as “Pistachew”, we also tried their chocolate cake “Achocalypse”, some Oreo Ice cream wedge on a popsicle stick, banana split cake and a whole lot more.

 

Of course my boss ordered a lot more. We tasted everything. We had a carbo blast for at least an hour. Then we moved on to some wacky moments.

 

 

 

My friend Biba and I tried it before, so this time, I had the guts to borrow four funny hats from the waiters and waitresses. And this is the result.

 

 

 

If by chance, you get to visit Cebu, do try The Dessert Factory. The crew would gladly lend you their hats for posterity.

 

we split up after the fun shoot because Chong and I would be meeting my dear friend Biba also known as Baluga. He was already waiting for us at the IT Park so we hurriedly drove to the Lahug area.

 

It was one of Bro Bear’s objectives to meet up with Biba. He had already heard a lot about the man so he was also eager to meet the “new yorker” who wore a jacket in our photo-shoot in Dumaguete a few months before.

 

 

 

We met him at a coffee shop in his dressed-down mode in a pair of flip-flops with the correctly-spelled Havaianas. The meet up was a blast. We spoke Filipino at first just to make Biba uncomfortable but then we ended up laughing and giggling because of some small talks about lovelife and beauty contests and gossips.

 

I was glad that the Bro Bear finally met Biba. They enjoyed each other’s company. I was also happy that Chong’s first day was a blast.