Denied US Visa Application

Two friends recently got disapproved of their US visa application. I was totally surprised by the outcome considering both are well-traveled and have all the means to finance their US trips should they have gotten the US visa. Both are also just planning for some rest and recreation in the US and definitely, will be coming back home to the Philippines. Their papers were complete, their intention to return to our country was clear and their finances were good so the disapproval  came out as quite illogical, ridiculous even.

Ironically, US economy needed the boost now from tourism and with the way US visa applications are getting disapproved without so much basis, one would think the US economy is really doing well. Filipinos are the ones who find traveling to US as part of their fondest dreams. Sure, there are people who overstayed illegally but what country or nationality do not have some illegals?

With the way US visa applications are getting evaluated and eventually disapproved nowadays, a Europe trip is a much better alternative. At least, one will know the reasons of disapproval contrary to just being subjected to the whim of a US embassy consul.

Ruby Tuesday#112 The Red Contingent

They were waiting for the parade to start. They woke up at dawn and had been standing for quite awhile on their designated place. I marveled at their patience and determination to do well at so young of age. These kids are part of the contingent for the streetdancing (Indak-indak sa Kadayawan) for the Kadayawan festival held last August 20, 2011.

Am Home Again

Finally, am home. I've been traveling again. It was the second time that I took my mother traveling with me. So far, so good. There were times I forget that she's not as fast and strong as she used to be but I'm really proud that at her age, she is still active. We went to Iloilo, Kalibo and Boracay. We had fun. It was tiring considering the travel time from Iloilo to Caticlan (the jump off point for Boracay Island) took more than five hours on a Ceres bus.

Right now, the priority is to tackle the mountain-like laundry. Afterwards, it would be a mountain-like to-be-ironed clothes. So, I might not be able to update. I really need a massage right now but since there are still so many things to do, I might get the massage next week or next month tehehehe!

Tuesday Travels#9 Fruits On Travel

I love fruits and whenever I travel, I make sure to have some local fruits to savor. Here are the fruits (mango, watermelon, pineapple, grapes, and melon) we had while I was in Manila to attend a meeting. I ate them first before tackling the buffet lunch table.

This is my entry for..

Ruby Tuesday#111 Kids of Kadayawan

These kids that were waiting for the Kadayawan Indak-indak sa Kadalanan (street dancing) parade to start last Saturday, August 20. They were dressed in tribal costumes and were participants of the said event.

Kadayawan festival is a festival held in Davao City every 3rd week of August in honor to the indigenous people of Davao.

This is my entry for:

Go here to see more.

Kadayawan 2011 Libreng Sakay

Walking around the city streets is a must during Kadayawan festivities but if you're already sore on your feet, just look for the e-trikes roaming around the downtown streets. The route starts at the Museo Dabawenyo at Magallanes Street and will cruise along CM Recto Ave., Roxas Ave., Ponciano St., San Pedro St., Bolton St. and back to Magallanes St. The free e-trike ride is being initiated by the City Tourism office.

Happy Kadayawan!!

Kadayawan Schedule of Activities

Yes! August 19 is a holiday and for those who wanted to know the activities starting August 19 until August 21, 2011, here is the schedule of activities for the Kadayawan festival:

August 19, 2011 2pm at Rizal Park Lumadnong Bantawan: Indigenous People's
Performance Showcase

August 20, 2011 8am at Magsaysay Ave. to Rizal Park Indak-indak sa Kadalanan
3pm at Abreeza Mall Tunog Mindanaw

August 21, 2011 8am at Magsaysay Ave. to Rizal Park Pamulak Kadayawan
6pm at SM City Davao - Moda Mindanaw
7pm at Rizal Park - Pahalipay ni Mayor Inday ug Vice Mayor Rody

Enjoy the Kadayawan, everyone! Stay safe!

Litratong Pinoy#150 Ginhawa (Comfortable/Cozy)

I really wanted to try these hammocks by the beach of Dumaluan, Panglao, Bohol. They looked too comfortable to take some nap on while near the waters. However, we were too busy sightseeing that all I was able to do was to take photos of them.

Pilipino:
Gustung-gusto kong subukan ang mga duyang ito sa may dalampasigan ng Dumaluan, Panglao, Bohol. Mukhang masarap kasing higaan at basta lang maging komportableng nagpapahangin habang naiidlip na malapit sa tubig. Kaya lang, masyado kaming naging abala sa pamamasyal kaya't hanggang paglilitrato lang ang nagawa ko.

Boracay Hotels and Iloilo Inns

Once again, I will be traveling somewhere this month. I am quite excited about it because I'll be taking my mother with me. It'll be her first time to Iloilo and Boracay. It has been years since I've been to these places and I've been trying to find some affordable Boracay Hotels and Iloilo inns. The plan is to stay for two nights on both places and see as much as we can. I am praying that the weather will permit us to do a lot of sight-seeing. Will keep my fingers crossed for that. In the meantime, a friend has promised to help me find the Boracay hotels but so far she only offered the ones in Station 2 which I know can be quite noisy and populated especially during the nights. The preference is either on Station 1 or Station 3. I'm letting my fingers do the walking while I wait for my friend's text messages.

Ruby Tuesday#110 Cebu Souvenirs

I like to buy souvenirs whenever I travel. Thus, I browsed for some while in Cebu. Here are some souvenirs that made deciding difficult for me as they were not only colorful and pretty but really creative....

refrigerator magnets

small guitar

This is my entry for:

Go here to see more.

Sunday Stealing#96

Today we ripped off a blogger named Rose Tulip of the blog named Rose Tulip's Blog. Since it's 31 questions, we will do it in two parts. She did not state who she stole it from. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Take the time to comment on other player's posts. It's a great way to make new friends! Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!


Sunday Stealing: The 31 Meme, Part Two: In Memory to Clyde

Cheers to all of us thieves!

16. What's the longest shift that you worked at a job?
It was a 24-hour shift.

17. What was the last concert that you attended?
A concert by the vocalist of Toto, Bobby Kimball.

18. What the last DVD (or Blu Ray, of course) movie that you watched?
Dylan Dog, the lead actor was a former Superman actor, Brandon Routh.

19. How did you like the film?
I didn't like it so much. Just so-so.

20. What comedian do you love?
The one that doesn't do too much toilet and green jokes and definitely one that doesn't do racial discrimination.

21. Do you ever sleep in the nude?
Sometimes, during hot hot days.

22. Have you ever had a long distance relationship?
Yes.

23. What do you think of astrology?
Like any other science, you have to take it with a grain of salt.

24. What's you're favorite lyric quote from a song?
A lot but one that I recall right now is "What can I do to make you love me.." from a song by the Corrs.

25. Tell us something random about yourself.
When shopping, I could spend on more books than on clothes or shoes.

26. Have ever attended a theme party? If yes, do tell.
I was invited but didn't go so can't tell anything.

27. What is your favorite thing about winter?
Snow?

28. What was the name of your first pet?
Muning, an orange-colored cat.

29. What have you done so far this weekend?
Paid some bills, watched a movie of Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, Cowboys and Aliens.

30. Has your humor ever been called “sick”?
Nope.


31. If you could have one thing, what would it be?
For right now, money to pay all my debts. For long term, good health.

Commercialized Kadayawan?

I never heard of Sinulog nor Ati-Atihan imposing fees for photo hobbyists and media practitioners covering the said festivals and they have been doing their festivals years before Davao City's Kadayawan. Still, nobody is stopping the festival organizers of Kadayawan, who are planning to impose fees for photo hobbyists who will cover the Indak-indak sa Kadalanan and floral float parades.

Kadayawan festival is already dubbed as the mother of festivals. People are coming in droves from all over the world to see and enjoy the festivities. Also, a photo congress is being scheduled in time for the festival and the fee imposition on the photo hobbyists is just going to be a damper on the anticipated fun. Sure, rules are needed to avoid confusion and mayhem while the the contests on street dancing and floral float parade are ongoing but have the organizers ever considered that a lot of people now take photos with DSLR's. How can they identify the ones who will be just taking photos of the festivals from the photo hobbyists? Does this mean that only photographers who paid the fees can have access to the contest area? What about the common tourists who would surely be there elbowing their way to get their best shots.

I have been talking to some friends who were excited about taking photos of the Kadayawan, now we are all wondering if we should ever get near the festivities or just watch them on TV.  Is Kadayawan getting commercialized with all these talks about fees and intellectual property rights? For goodness sake, somebody should think that this festival is being celebrated basically as a thanksgiving!

August 19 Is A Holiday For Davao City

Finally, the holiday that a lot of Davaoeños are anticipating has been announced. In celebration of this year's Kadayawan festival, President Noynoy Aquino declared August 19, as a special non-working holiday for the Davaoeños.

The week-long festival is annually celebrated every third week of August. The festival was patterned from the indigenous people's celebration of the harvest season.

Litratong Pinoy#149 Wala Na (Gone)

My father has been gone for a year now. Sometimes I feel, he's just somewhere near. Sometimes though, I would suddenly remember that I will never see him again. Sometimes, I ask myself what happens to the dead aafter they have gone from this earth. Is there really heaven or hell? Where is my father now? Wherever he is, I pray that he is doing well now.

Isang taon nang wala ang ama ko. Pakiramdam ko minsan, andyan lang siya. Minsan naman, bigla kong naalalang hindi ko na talaga siya makikita. Minsan, tinatanong ko sa sarili kung saan na papunta ang isang namatay kapag wala na siya sa mundo. Tutuo bang may langit at may impyerno? Asan na kaya ngayon ang ama ko? Kung nasaan man, dasal ko na sana'y maayos ang kanyang kalagayan.

Tuesday Travels#8 Singapore: Pork Stew

After doing the Singapore flyer, we decided to have lunch at their food court. It was located just below The Flyer. 

Ruby Tuesday#109 Good Buys At Saizen

Saizen is a bargain store located just inside Robinson's Department Store. I discovered it accidentally while we were exploring the newly opened Robinson-Abreeza Mall last month.

Saizen's products are mostly Japan made. All items ranging from school supplies, snack foods, home items and even hardware items are all priced at P85 or below.

This is my entry for:

Go here to see more.

Kudos To The Philippine Paddlers!

While just a few of their countrymen were looking, Filipino boat paddlers zipped through the 10th Dragon Boat World Championships to get their gold for the Philippines. Composed mostly of cash-strapped military men and women, the big-hearted paddlers won several golds and made us really proud even if they had difficult time getting financial support from the government. I do hope now that more sponsors will come forward to support them in their future undertaking.

Congratulations, Philippine Dragon Boat Team! You made us really proud!

PhotoHunt#147 Painted

The painted ceilings of Dauis Church. The church patroness is Our Lady of Assumption Church but is locally known as Señora de la Asunción. The paintings are not only at the ceilings but there are also some paintings at the walls.

This is my entry for PhotoHunt. Go here for more.

The 40-K Run

I finished what I set out to run for. I am done with our gym's 40 kilometer run challenge yesterday. It was supposed to be done within August 1-6 but I decided to just do it in 4 days. Surprisingly, while I was feeling tired and sleepy on my last day of run, I shortened by time. I couldn't sleep the night before so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish the last 10 kilometers. Thank goodness I finished the remaining 10 kilometers in one hour and a half even if all I wanted to do was lie down and snore while I was doing the run lol! So, for two hours on a kilometer run on my last day, I reduced my time by half an hour. Pat, pat on my back. Good job, girl. You're not lazy, after all...

So, now I was able to prove myself that I could actually participate with all these weekend runs although I'd rather play tennis or do some photoshoots on my weekend than run.

Litratong Pinoy#148 Nakasabit(Hanging)

They were like rags hanging inside their cages. No slight movements and it was just difficult to find and see their head or face. They are locally called kagwang (Philippine flying lemur) at it is known that they are just only few of them out in the forest, their true home. I was just wondering why they were allowed by the local government of Bohol to be captured like the tarsiers. Animals that should have been in their natural habitat but because of tourism, they were sadly just hanging inside their cages while some tourists/visitors made fun of them, surprise and poke at them just to see them move.

Para lang silang basahang nakasabit sa loob ng kanilang mga kulungan. Walang katinag-katinag at ang hirap hanapin kung saan nakatago ang kanilang ulo o mukha. Tawag sa kanila'y kagwang at sinasabing konting-konti nalang sila sa kagubatan, ang tunay nilang tirahan. Nakakapagtaka lang bakit pinayagan pa ng lokal na gobyerno ng Bohol na ikulong sila gaya ng tarsier. Mga hayop na dapat sana sa kagubatan nakatira pero dahil sa turismo, malungkot silang nakasabit na parang basahan habang sinusundot at binibirong biglain ng mga turista para lang makitang silang tumitinag.

Tuesday Travels#7 Bicol Food

We went hiking up on the Lignon Hill Nature Park, Legazpi City on swelteringly hot day. It would have been an easy climb if it was not so damn hot but still, the view from the top was worth the buckets of sweat I had. On our way down, we saw a makeshift store by the roadside and saw these Bicol food.

Of course, any self-respecting Pinoy knows how the "buko" looks and tastes like.Quite a welcome relief from the torture of hiking in the middle of a hot day.

This one was their version of suman. It was not rice that was inside though but some rootcrops. It was delicious.

I forgot its name but it was also good.

Done With 20, Onwards To 20

I decided to join the 40 kilometer challenge at the gym yesterday. While I would prefer to box or do the group dance routine, I decided to push myself outside my comfort zone to see if I can actually finish 10 kilometers in one day or rather, in 3 hours from 5 to 8pm. Actually, the challenge would be to finish the 40-kilometer walk/jog/run from August 1 to 6, 2011. Since I have other plans from Friday up to the weekend, I decided to do the challenge in four days. So, the target is to do 10 kilometers per day to finish 40 kilometers in total for four days.

I thought I would have a crawlingly difficult time doing the 10 kilometers but surprisingly, my body took it all in stride and I was done in more than 2 hours on my first 10. I was targeting less than 2 hours for the 10 kilometers but the rain came so hard that some rainwater came in to our indoor running track. I ended up doing peep-see hop on rain puddles on my last half of the run. Still, I was happy with my accomplishment.

On my 2nd day for the next 10 kilometers, I brought Gatorade and had a heavy snack more than an hour before I did the activity. Again, I surprised myself because I finish the 10 kilometers in less than 2 hours. A good accomplishment for someone who thought that the running craze nowadays is for crazies (no offense meant but we know that runners battle with themselves when they run so...)

Anyway, I'm halfway to my target. Most of the participants were men so I kinda snicker with myself whenever I pass by the running men huffing and puffing while I was breezing through tehehehe! I have yet to relearn sprinting though but my target is to finish the 40 kilometers in 4 days with minimal injuries. So, slowly but surely am getting there.

Ruby Tuesday#108 Red Ads

You see them jumping in reds right at the entrance of Abreeza Mall. A happy welcome indeed.

This is my entry for:

Go here to see more.