I was shopping for gifts a day before Christmas when I noticed the skin of the woman in front of me at the very long line to the cashier.
She had these spots all over, but it was the worst in her ears and hairline. Looking at her really made me feel itchy I wanted to run out of the Bench store and take a bath.
And yes I shopped at Bench because some of my inaanaks are already pre-teens.
Spent almost the whole day tinkering with the keyboard case I bought via sulit.com.ph. It was okay when I was testing it in front of the seller, but when he left, the keyboard started disconnecting over and over.
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| Android tab keyboard |
Then Google told me to clean the ports with a toothpick. But we have stopped using toothpicks a long time ago when my dentist told me they're not good for the gums. Good thing we had bbq sticks left from Christmas
Cleaning the ports and the-one-you-plug-in-usb-ports (dunno what it's called) didn't work at first. But after serveral plugging and unplugging and after almost giving up, lo and behold! The keyboard is now working like it did't have any problem at all.
Pero hello ang hirap talagang mag-type sa sobrang liit na keyboard.
I'm actually wondering why I'm so exerting efforts to look for these stuff. As if I'm so mobile e hindi naman. Whenever I climb, all I do in the bus is post pictures on Instagram because my head aches when I read on moving vehicles. Hindi naman pwedeng mag-blog while climbing, and internet signal on camp sites sucks. Tapos halos hindi naman ako nago-overnight in a place kung meron din lang namang masasakyan pauwi.
Siguro the universe is preparing me for a super mobile life, no? Haha! Yay to that!
Merry Christmas!
I still feel sleepy with nine days of waking up early for Simbang Gabi and I promise myself to sleep a lot more now that it’s done, but of course I can’t do that yet because it’s Noche Buena and all my dogs are currently shaking for fear of the neighbors’ firecrackers and we are expecting at least 30 visitors tomorrow.
Oh well, at least I’m done with my gift wrapping tasks (thanks, SM) and I have at least two extra gifts just in case someone I forgot to put in my list pops up.
Anyway, I hope everyone’s having a blessed Christmas, and if you didn’t attend the mass tonight just like me, please don’t forget to attend one tomorrow. (And I’m turning religious.)
Merry Christmas!
xoxo
Simbang Gabi started today (last night for others) and I forced myself to sleep at 1:00am (I usually sleep at 3) so I could catch some before attending the 5:30am mass. I really wanted to attend the 4:00am service but that would mean I wouldn’t sleep at all.
Anyway, I found the second service less chaotic because there were fewer people. I remember completing the 4:00am masses two years ago and the experience was almost like Pulp Summer Slam.
The service this morning went smoothly aside from a noisy mother at my left who was having her own homily to her young son, but I took care of the situation by staring at her. She went quiet after my second stare.
Towards the end of the Holy Communion, the advertisements were read. I actually prayed (having just received the Blessed Sacrament) while half-hearing notices about the second collection and the Belen that needs to be completed before the 24th and so on.
When the priest stood up, I thought he was gonna give his final blessings already so I also stood up, only to hear him say, “Please remain seated.” LoL! So I sat again.
He also had some advertisements pala, like the book the parish was selling as well as a compact disc collection of songs sung by the parish priests and more. What surprised me, though, was when he said he was going to read a letter from the CBCP regarding the RH Bill.
Huwatt?
I wanted to stand and be rude. To leave the church as a sign of protest that I really don’t approve of the church getting into political issues; that I don’t approve of how they seem to influence the views of the people regarding RH Bill and the likes.
But, I never left a mass before the final blessing. It’s something that Nanay (who’s now a born-again Christian) has taught me way back.
So I just sat there, thinking of unholy thoughts while being forced to listen to something I’d rather not; while the priest talked about premarital sex and how contraceptives would readily be available and free for even minors at the local health clinics.
Anyone can actually go on and on talking about the connection of free condoms to premarital sex but still, what’s more important are the core values these kids learn in their homes. It’s really how parents raise their kids that would matter and not if contraceptives are free or not.
Because come on, magkano lang ba ang condom?
Anyway, I hope RH Bill wouldn’t be a permanent topic in the remaining 8 masses of Simbang Gabi. If it would be, I pray that I will be able to stop myself from walking out while the priest is still talking.
Tomorrow is the third reading of the RH Bill. And tomorrow morning at mass, I will pray that there will be less street children, less kids with grumbling stomachs, less kids who can’t go to school; I will pray for the success of RH Bill’s approval.
There’s new tambayan/tindahan at the foot of Mt. Maculot and it’s a good thing for those who hike during the weekends when all these so-called mountaineers’ stop-over get crowded a lot.
This one is very near the trail head, way past UWAC but before the fallen milestone with written acknowledgements.
The good-mannered, elderly man who owns it told me to just call him Tatay Ed.
He actually sells bottled water, soda, and even cooked food during the weekends. Unluckily for me, I climbed on a Thursday so I didn’t get to taste his cooking.
Tatay Ed said he’s constructing a toilet for the mountaineers. And we can use it for free. I just hope his free toilet wouldn’t smell.
For those who bring vehicles, he also charges nothing for parking within the area of his store.
“Bumili lang sa akin ay tama na,” he told me when I said sayang ang parking fees.
Anyway, I already saw his store when I climbed the Rockies last June, although I didn’t think it was a store because it didn’t look like one back then. It also used to be on the left side of the road. It’s now on the right.
Anyway, I’m sure Tatay Ed will sooner or later become a byword to those who frequent Mt. Maculot. Especially that he can also provide guides for those new to the mountain. It’s just sad that he didn’t have a cellphone yet. He could have been a very good contact person for mountaineers.
I’ll update this post as soon as I can get his number.
His guide rates are as follows:
P100 – up to the part na may ligaw (or where the trail splits into two)
P300 – up to the Rockies campsite
P1,000 – traverse (from Brgy. Pinagkaisahan to Brgy. Tiko)
I want everything portable.
It’s a kiddie camping chair but some kids are heavier than me so I guess it’s okay.
Costs P399 at Ace Hardware. Price doesn’t include Princess, though.
iPad Mini is here! It’s the smaller and cheaper version of the ever-popular iPad.
It comes in two colors – black and white. It’s more convenient to carry at 7.9 inches compared to the 10-inch iPad. It also comes in Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi+Cellular, and in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models.
Check out the video:
Specs:
Color:
Models:
Size and Weight:
Storage:
Display:
Chip:
Cameras, Photos and Video Recording:
Find the complete specifications here: http://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/specs/
The Talampunay flower is fast blossoming.
Above photo was taken on Wednesday. Nanay and I thought it would at least be a week before we see the flower in full bloom.
But yesterday morning, Nanay was so happy to see the flower has started to show up:
And this morning, we marveled at how it has three layers. Nanay said those they saw in Tagaytay only had one layer of bell shaped petal.
Nanay’s potted plants have been producing quite a splash of color at the side of our house.
She’s been asking me to take photos of her flowers and it was only this morning that I felt like shooting. Bad timing, though. I should’ve waited for the afternoon sun.
It was hard to capture the bees. And yes, there were bees. Like 10 of them, and one little butterfly that was very elusive to the camera.
But if there’s one thing Nanay and I are excited about, it’s the Talampunay bud that has been getting bigger every single day.
And look, it’s almost out!
Mt. Gulugod Baboy/Pinagbanderahan offers a 360-degree scenic view of Anilao. From the summit, you can see the nearby Batangas Pier, Maricaban and Sombrero islands, and even the distant Mt. Maculot, Mt. Lobo and Manabu Peak.
Locals say it’s actually Mt. Pinagbanderahan that mountaineers go to, and Mt. Gulugod Baboy is the one behind it which is not easily accessible.
Here’s how to get to Mt. Gulugod Baboy/Pinagbanderahan:
Before you reach the trail head, however, you will pass by Pabio’s store which you won’t miss because he’s the only one with a tarp displayed with the picture of the mountain and himself on it. See below.
Pabio is a guide and a porter and he will entertain you with his stories about the mountain and his experiences as a guide. He also knows the history of Mt. Pinagbanderahan with the guerillas and the Japanese of the World War II, he would even show you the site of a plane crash.
What’s more, he’s a nursing aid graduate so he knows first aid and the likes that may come in handy when you’re in the mountains.
You may contact him in advance before heading over to Mt. Gulugod Baboy. Guides can be very busy especially on weekends (and long weekends at that). Pabio’s mobile number: 0921-2656466. His photo below.
It wasn’t a usual climb for me when I went to Anilao, Batangas last Thursday. Although I admit I miss the mountains as much as perhaps every mountaineer who had been deprived of the chance to climb for quite a number of months, my goal in Mt. Gulugod Baboy was to look for a medicinal plant that we would like to use on my mother as an alternative medicine.
I brought Melford along, who’s now in college, since it really worries Nanay everytime I climb alone. Worry her at this time is the last thing I’d like to do.
I’ve been to Mt. Gulugod Baboy last year with K (sadly, it was one of the many climbs that I haven’t blogged about) so I’m already quite familiar with how to go there and even the trail. K and I didn’t hire a guide even if it was our first time in that mountain last year, just like in all of the mountains we have climbed together. Honestly, we’re so adventurous when we’re together that we even got lost in Mt. Kalisungan and found our way to the summit through a vast area of cogon.
Back to Mt. Gulugod Baboy, I was surprised to see part of the cemented path that connects Philpan to the mountain trail covered in what looked like a landslide. It was confirmed by a very friendly guide named Pabio when we stopped by his store for bottles of Coke.
Up to that store, however, I hadn’t seen the plant I was looking for. I read somewhere that it could be found along the trail but since it bears very attractive upside down flowers, I thought I could find it in front of someone’s house before I reach the actual trail going up the mountain.
Showing Pabio the photo of the plant I found on Google that was taken in Gulugod Baboy, he told me that it was in one of the group of houses in the middle of the mountain. And since I had been up there already, I suddenly remembered the small village he was telling me about.
It was a rather cool ascent. The sun wasn’t that harsh at all, with refreshing wind blowing our sweats away. We reached the small village after a while, and I was relieved that the plant was there in the far side from the entrance, easily recognizable because of its flowers.
It didn’t catch my attention last year because, as the above photo shows, it didn’t have flowers yet at that time.
Good thing the elderly male resident we found lounging there that morning agreed when I asked for a bunch of leaves which I said I would use as alternative medicine for my mother.
Locals are really friendly and kind. I ended up giving one of the kids a bar of Snickers as a token.
After thanking the man, and asking if I could have a branch that I could plant at home on our way down, Melford and I proceeded to the summit. It was almost zero visibility when we got on top and it took some waiting before we could finally have decent pics taken.
After much picture-taking and rest, we started walking back. The man at the small village gave me a small branch and I gave the kid again my last Snickers bar.
Pabio was still at his store when we got back. Famished, I asked if we could have noodles cooked (because Lucky Me Pancit Canton was the first thing in his store that caught my eyes) but he said his house was so far from the store and just offered to accompany us to a carinderia that cooks pancit guisado.
Before the pancit, though, we took a bath in his uncle’s house for P15 per head. Not bad actually for a civilized bathroom with hand shower.
Pabio entertained us with his stories about the mountain and the mountaineers who have hired him as a guide and porter. Over pancit canton guisado, Melford and I came to know this kind and funny soul that I regretted to not having brought him along as a guide during the climb.
He is also a nursing aid graduate so he has first aid skills that could come in handy in the mountain. If you want to hire Pabio as a guide or a porter, you may text him at (+63) 921-2656466. He only charges P350.
By the way, he told us it was really Mt. Pinagbanderahan that mountaineers go to and not Mt. Gulugod Baboy.
The Tattoo Mediapad. Get hooked. Get it for less.
Get the Tattoo Mediapad with a Tattoo Personalized Plan 999, with only P10,990 cash out. Or pay on installment for up to 12 months at 0% interest.
1. What is the Tattoo Mediapad?
The Tattoo Mediapad, a sleek and lightweight computer tablet, is the latest device Tattoo is offering. The 7-inch screen Tattoo Mediapad runs on Android 4.0 ICS with 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor. It has a 5 Megapixel camera, 8 GB internal storage which is expandable to 32 GB with micro SD, and is equipped with Yozo Office and a multitude of games. Furthermore, the Tattoo Mediapad has a hotspot feature which allows users to share their wireless Internet connection with up to 5 other Wi-Fi devices.
2. What is the offer?
Tattoo Mediapad can be purchased at only P10,990 (available at 12 months to pay at 0% interest) when subscribed to a Tattoo Personalized Plan 999. Get Unlimited browsing and a base speed of up to 7.2 mbps and an access to exclusive discounts/ privileges and freebies on livetattoo.ph
3. Who can avail of this offer?
This is offered to anyone who wants to subscribe to Tattoo Personalized Plan 999.
4. How long is the lock-in period?
The Tattoo Mediapad Plan 999 has a 24 month lock-up period.
5. Where can I avail the Tattoo Mediapad?
The Tattoo Mediapad is available in Globe Stores/ Online/ Hotline Sales.
I love Garfield… and KFC!
Order a KFC Garfield Bucket Meal and get four collectible Garfield character tumblers your kids will surely love!
Promo runs until October 8!
Been under the weather for four days already. Berocca usually does the trick and I feel normal after three days but since Nanay has coughs and Angel has acute tonsillitis, I coupled Berocca with Bioflu.
I still feel a little heavy, I’m just thankful I don’t have fever and the almost-there cold and cough I felt last Saturday have already vanished.
I hate getting sick. Being sick means taking rest. Resting means sleeping, and sleeping hurts my site’s SEO. And no, not this blog cuz it hasn’t really been getting a lot of traffic.
I guess it’s because I haven’t been focusing here. Or the blog name’s so lame. Profound Bliss. But I like it lame, anyway.
This is the only thing that’s left of my trekking pole.
I first left that trekking pole inside the Nasugbu-bound bus, forgetting to pick it up when I got off at Evercrest. It was leaning on the window, and good thing the tricycle driver, who was waiting for passengers to take to the jump-off of Mt. Batulao, spotted me on that window. When he saw me out of the bus, he looked at the window again and shouted that I left my pole.
He shouted so loud and repeatedly that I became the center of attention. The bus was already starting to take off but halted upon hearing the shouts, with the driver perhaps thinking that he hit someone or something. LoL!
So I got back inside the bus to get the trekking pole and to thank the tricycle driver for what he did, I hired him to take me to the jump-off and paid him extra.
But the trekking pole was really meant to be lost. On my way down the mountain, I stopped beside a fallen tree to get my poncho because it started drizzling. I leaned the pole beside the tree to put on the poncho, and perhaps because I was so in a hurry to get back to the jump-off before the rain poured hard, I forgot all about the trekking pole.
I only noticed something was missing when I was already near Evercrest and already so far down to go back. If I did go back, it would already be dark by the time I reached that fallen tree, and I didn’t have my headlamp with me. Besides, I passed by a lot of hikers on their way up that time and I was kinda sure the pole wouldn’t be there anymore when I get back.
Up until now, I haven’t told my climb buddy K (who didn’t climb with me that time) that I lost the trekking pole. Would he be mad? He gave it to me as a gift.
Panoramic view of Manila and the rising Pasig River during the unforgettable Southwest Monsoon of August 2012.
Ang liit. Click the photo to go to the source.
photo: gmanews
When you live in flood-prone areas, you have no choice but to wade in flood waters at one point or another during calamities like this intense Southwest Monsoon that we are experiencing now. That said, people who are exposed to flood waters are in danger of leptospirosis.
Leptospirosis comes from the urine of rats that easily mixes with flood water and get in human body through wounds or through our mouths (accidents like that happen).
And what to do after wading or accidentally ingesting flood waters? Check out the photo above or read below.
Leptospirosis Post Exposure Prophylaxis:
- Take two (2) Doxycycline 100 mg capsules immediately.
- If you have open wounds and waded in flood water, or accidentally ingested flood water, extend treatment by taking two (2) Doxycycline 100 mg capsules once a day, for 3-5 days.
- If flu-like symptoms develop, consult a physician right away
photo: Twitter
It’s been raining non-stop in Luzon, particularly in Metro Manila and its nearby provinces. Quezon City is submerged in flood waters, as well as Valenzuela, Bulacan, and even the cities of Parañaque and Las Piñas.
This is Ondoy part 2, if you would ask me. I’m just a little luckier here in our side of Taguig that we are not touched by flood ever.
Classes have been suspended since Monday in most areas and for those curious which areas have No Classes for tomorrow, August 8 (Wednesday), here’s my list via announcements made by LGUs on Twitter and Facebook. And I am updating this post as new info becomes available.
Metro Manila:
Provinces:
Schools:
Would you give your jacket to a naked street kid during a cold, rainy day?
A young woman was caught on video doing exactly that. Such a pure heart. And I know the little girl wouldn’t forget her Good Samaritan. Ever.
The video was sent to GMA-7’s YouScoop. Watch it below.
Philippines’ Best Restaurants 2012 will be coming out on Monday, July 30.
Grab a copy at your favorite bookstore or digital newsstand.
I miss those days when I would watch stage plays more than movies.
Severino Reyes’ Walang Sugat is directed by Carlitos Siguion-Reyna. Tickets are priced at P800 with the following show dates at the CCP:
Click here to buy tickets.
The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe performed during the half-time of UAAP 75’s UST vs FEU men’s basketball game at SM Mall of Asia Arena last July 14.
Ba’t gano’n? Bagong routine ba ito? Madulas ang sahig?
But I guess slips and falls happen a lot. And I remain a big fan.
Rainy days. Cuddly dog.
This is the first time she looked straight at the DSLR, when she doesn’t have any problem staring at the digicam. She’s quite afraid of the DSLR lens, but I guess not anymore.
Smart introduces TriNet Unli 40.
Avail of unlimited calls and texts to Smart, Sun and Talk ‘N Text subscribers, plus post nonstop with unlimited Facebook access for only Php 40.00 a day!
Just text TRINET40 to 2949 to be connected!
A very cute and healthy Pomeranian is on the cover of Dog magazine’s July 2012 issue.
Dog lovers will surely get a copy of the mag which boasts of features like Dog Agility, rules to follow when out with your dog, smart toys for dogs, The Lowdown On Your Dog’s Diet, and a lot more.
Dog magazine is available in better magazine stands nationwide.
I wonder if my Princess can get to cover this pub in the future. LoL!
Last Sunday, after the feeling of being at the brink of flu for quite a few days, I finally bought something that I “overheard” on Twitter.
It was actually a celebrity I follow on the microblogging site who posted the message that Berocca is her bestfriend during the rainy season.
I Googled about it and found out that it’s a multivitamin brand, and told myself that if it’s not from a Chinese drugstore, I’d be willing to try. I’m not being racist, though. I just had a very bad experience with the Chinese vitamin brand Ling Zhi.
Anyway, before going to church last Sunday, I dropped by Watsons to buy myself the smallest package of Berocca available. And it’s by 10’s. Costs a lot more than my usual Enervon but I was desperate on stopping the flu that I knew would hit me anytime soon.
It was just funny that I thought it’s the usual vitamin tablet that you put in your mouth and swallow down with water. I bought a bottle of mineral water and while still inside SM, I opened the package of Berocca. After fumbling with the seal and the paper wrapper, I took out one tablet and was about to put it in my mouth when I realized it’s so big to swallow like that. Lesson: read the packaging. And after learning that you have to mix the tablet with a glass of water, I forced it to fit the mouth of the water bottle I bought. LoL!
Drank some on my way to church and finished all of it before I got back home.
The next morning (Monday), I woke up still feeling a little heavy but not as much like the previous days. Since I took that first Berroca tablet, I have stopped taking Bioflu since I had been taking it for three days already to no effect.
I took Berocca again Monday morning and by Monday night, I was feeling so normal I wanted to kiss the package of Berocca for taking away that sick feeling.
P.S.
This is neither a paid post nor a press release.
I didn’t wanna bring my DSLR bag, the one that came in the package, because it’s a little bulky and it won’t fit my backpack. I knew slinging the camera bag on my shoulders while commuting would be an invitation for snatchers to “come and get it.”
So I’ve been leaving the camera bag at home and putting my camera inside my backpack, cushioning it with clothes…
I knew it’s not okay to let the camera juggle with my stuff inside the backpack. So when I chanced upon this small Case Logic DSLR bag (model code TBC-306), I bought it in an instant. And that impulse buy left me with just 10 pesos in my pocket when I arrived home.
No regrets, though.
Aside from main compartment, it has a front and two side pockets where you can put your extra memory card, lens cap, or in my case, coins and a packet of tissue. You can also stuff the side pockets with extra cushion if you’re paranoid like that.
It comes with a sling, but I think I’m not gonna use it since I bought a camera bag that small so I can put it inside my backpack. :D
Nanay always tells me to tone it down when commuting.
My Nikon fits snuggly inside the Case Logic.
And just look at its size difference from the free camera bag:
The bigger one, however, is padded enough and fits the camera and the lens separately, plus another small lens at the same time. The Case Logic can only accommodate my Nikon with its stock lens attached. You can’t blame it, though, because it’s so small… And (again) I wanted a small one so it would fit in my backpack.
I went back to Mt. Maculot two Saturdays ago (June 9) with a friend who has never climbed a mountain before.
It wasn’t planned, actually. I was looking at my mountain climbing photos Friday night and decided I will climb the day after. I logged onto Facebook, checked who’s online and messaged random friends. Diego responded positively and we left a few hours later.
We were at the registration in Cuenca by 6:30 AM. I actually intended to get there earlier but I still had to do so much that we were able to leave Taguig at 3 AM.
Why I wanted to climb early? Because it was the Freedom Climb weekend.
We were the first to register that day, but I was particularly slow due to not having even a minute of sleep (oh, reasons!) and I was with a virgin (it was Diego’s first mountain) so a group of three girls from Team Injury plus a solo hiker from Muntinlupa went past us. LoL! That made me miss my climbing buddy K. He wouldn’t let anyone do that to us, so he’d push me in the mildest possible way (so I wouldn’t get mad and leave him to summit alone) to keep on walking.
We reached the Rockies campsite just a few minutes (in fairness) behind the girls and the solo hiker. The four were resting in the cottage together with a couple who spent the night. Diego and I didn’t wanna waste time (hah!) so we headed straight to the Rockies.
It was a clear day, no fog at all and the sky was crisp blue and the clouds few and picturesque. I wanted to take opportunity of the weather because the Taal Lake was covered with fog when I first went there, and it was stormy during my second visit.
The four followed after a while and I was thankful to them that on my third time at the Rockies, I was able to go as far down as the “dila” (or whatever it is called). It wasn’t windy at all. I wouldn’t dare tread the edges of the Rockies if it was.
Diego was ecstatic. I knew the Rockies was perfect to introduce newbies to mountain climbing. The thrill (of climbing the almost vertical wall of the Rockies and being on edges of big rocks) and the fantastic view of the lake and Taal Volcano will encourage them to climb more.
Anyway, after taking gazillion pictures, we were back at the campsite at exactly 9 AM. And since we literally had no food and Diego’s water bottle was already empty, we hurried back down.
It was sad, however, that I have a very sensitive stomach, so I chose to just eat at downtown Lipa. Safest for me, aside from Nanay’s cooking, are fastfoods. I hate to say this but even the hotdog sandwich in MLQU (during one of my trips up there for hiking activities) made my stomach upset.
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