28th of January.

It's just an ordinary day for many but last Sunday turned out to be quite memorable for me. I should have posted this sooner but work has been quite hectic the past few weeks. I only realized it last weekend that it was the death anniversary of my maternal grandmother. She died after being bedridden for a couple of years. It's not easy to forget someone like her. She took us in after my father died a long time ago and she helped and guided all 4 of us through school and life till all of us eventually fiished schooling. She was quite the disciplinarian and even if she doesn't show it, she knows how much you can achieve in life. I know she's happier now with the Lord.
This was taken on the happiest moment in my life. She was the only one who knew that I'll pass my board exams as well as I did.

last Sunday was also the Dinagyang Festival here in Ilo-ilo. One of the most awaited events here in Western Visayas, it is one of the youngest fiestas in the country since it only started in the 1970's, I think. Unlike last year when I was able to go up to the Freedom Grandstand, where all the tribes first perform thier dance, I only got as far as Judging Area no. 2 because of all the people. It turned out to be a blessing coz I was able to take pictures closer than last years.
one of the tribes.
yet another tribe.
and another...
and another...
dont know if this ones a guy or a girl..
well hello there...

One thing I'll remember this day by is, this was the day when I lost my wallet while roaming around the city. Didn't realize it happened till I checked my pockets about an hour after I think it happened. It must have been taken from me or I lost it while I was squeezing my way thru a crowded passageway. Too bad my wallet only contains my credit cards and some ID's coz I have another wallet where my cash and ATM cards are. Well, I already cancelled all my credit cards and I'll just have to replace my ID's when I come home. I'll have to be more careful the next time.
this was probably where I lost my wallet. I took this photo while in a crowded area.
It'll probably give the opportunity to save more since I wont be using my cards for awhile. At least, something good came out of a bad situation.

pictures from my inbox

weird. this was one hoax about the casualties of the oil spill in Guimaras.

priest-like

I could have been a priest. There was a time a long time ago when I actually thought of becoming a priest. It was the time in my grade school days before girls and my father was still alive. My interest to join the priesthood eventually waned as various interests have occupied my daydreams, along with the few priestly virtues that I possessed. In college my close friends call me “Father”, just for the reason that I always make sermon whenever one of them makes a mistake. That’s as close as I’m gonna get to be a man of the cloth, except for my aptitude of listening to everyone else’s stories. It may be the way I look, (the weird, gullible, fresh-of-the-boat look) but friends, acquaintances and some strangers often tell me, in full detail their life stories, current problems and some weird experiences. I guess it’s just my ability to keep my mouth shut for long periods.

Last weekend, my landlady and I were talking about her wish to renovate their house (my temporary shelter here in WV) and even when our discussion was through, we just kept talking and after about 2 hours (or about the same amount of time of one particular NFL playoff game I was watching....arrrgh.) have told me her life story. How she met her husband and how they got married without any formal courtship and how he wasn’t really one of her first choices and even after almost 40 plus years, she just persevered like most women of her generation. In between her own stories would be snippets of her family’s stories as well. She always tells me her wishes for her kids and how she will go back to her hometown to retire after the kids have left. She keeps asking me when I will be going home ‘coz my project here’s almost complete and reminds me that I’m always welcome to stay here whenever I’m in town. Ah bless her. She would often tell me that I remind him of his son that is working in Korea, because we have the same habits. I’m truly thankful to be staying at their house because they treat me as one of their own.

A few days ago, while I was doing my rounds I bumped into one of the subcontractors working in one of the houses. He’s a naval architect by profession but he’s an acoustic engineer now, working as consultant to some of the Manila based Home Entertainment system companies. Again, He told how he ended up studying naval architecture when he started college in pre-law, because of a fraternity riot that ended with a death of a judges’ son. How he ended up working for a Japanese ship builder with ties to organized crime. A bit outrageous but hey, I’m just telling it as it is.

These are just the latest in the long list of stories told to me. Like it or not, I find it comforting hearing these coz it makes you feel that the person trust you, good intentions or not. And like a priest, I’ll never willingly repeat what I heard verbatim, you just include it in the weekly sermon to prove a point.