We sat there, 

under the gloomy skies, 

Winds blowing, leaves moving,

We sat there,

Just silence.

If you can't be with them...

... BRING THEM WHEREVER YOU ARE!

The past months in Palawan was good but not great!  In terms of nature, I am in one of the good ones in the country (I can't say it is best, I still have to be convinced).  What makes it not that "great" in general?  MY FRIENDS ARE FAR AWAY!

So somehow, I have managed to accept the fact that I am far from friends who are just in the country and abroad.  And now I have devised a plan on how to be with them even if I can't be with them wherever they are.  I have started to bring my friends one-by-one here in Palawan.

My former Decentralization Programme (DP) colleagues were often here.  We managed to bring DP in the Province.

Some friends and new friends have visited me here already and some are still coming back...  That makes me happy!

But the biggest move would be that of my friend Arthur!  He is really moving here.  Follow his adventure on his blog: Palawahnsinn!

Who's next?

Fernweh forever!

Fernweh (n) wanderlust, a desire to travel, a longing for far-off places

Sitting here in my office and thinking about those places I want to go back to and places I want to discover.  I constantly check Skyscanner for flights. Mentally planning a trip.  

I miss the smell of trains, the feeling of being in a a place for the first time, the touch of breeze from a different sea, and the thought of being a stranger!  Ah... that is LIFE!

But I have to sit here in my office, stay on this island, and work.  Not that I am complaining. It's just that there are things that I would wish to do again in this lifetime that I can't (at the moment).

I want to be 21 again! I want to just run to the next bus station with my backpack and head off to whichever place the bus is going.  Those happy-go-lucky times!  Those crazy-amazing experiences!

Some day, I will be back on the road and discover myself once again!

Mid-life Concernments

At 31, I can say I have accomplished a lot. So, no worries about tomorrow anymore.  I never did worry about it anyways.

But at 31, you see people your age who are at the "peak" of the cycle - married, with kids, investment/s (house, car, etc.), masters/doctorate, and maybe some maintenance medicines.  I don't have any of those.

At 31, I am still constantly travelling for work and for sanity (reason for the inability to find a boyfriend).  And kids, well, I can't imagine having them (I cannot take care of anyone else than myself).  The only investment I have is the investment for the future of the community I help (almost all my savings go to my personal initiatives).  I still plan on finishing my masters (or enrolling for a new one).  And I am healthy --- conditioning to separate work from personal life paid off (I work on the weekdays + I laze around on the weekends = lesser stress life).

But at 31 and working on projects, I can't help but ask myself about the near future (after the project).  What will I be doing then?  Where will I be?  Will I have enough savings (whatever is left) to support me if I am again in the unemployed side of the scale?

Though at 31, I think I can still do a lot of things.  Well, I can offer a lot of things.  I can go back to consulting.  I am pretty good in project management and there are a lot of development projects in the Philippines.  Or I can teach art focusing on recycling.  Or I can sell cakes and breads for a while.  Or whatever.  There are a lot of options.

However at 31, just like most of the people I know, one should think of a stable stage in the cycle and stay there for a while.  I am still not on that part. I am still on my way up.  How high up, I don't really know.

I'll just wait for when I am 32 then  let's see if these are concerns still.

Palawan Countdown

I will be officially done with my work in Metro Manila and will start with the new program by the 1st of July!!!

I am really happy about this change and opportunity to explore another part of the country, live there for some years and be a local once again.

There are however some things that I would miss living in Makati City like:

• Beni's Falafel - surely the best falafel I had in the Philippines and it is just a few steps away from my place
• Friendly people in my area - I will definitely find friendly people in Palawan but I will definitely miss the people from the laundromat, guards in A. Venue Mall, the nice people of MNL Hostel, the baristas in Socialicious Tea and CBTL, the jeepney "barker" every morning to work
• Culture and the arts - Metro Manila is one of the very few places one can see theater plays, ballets, musicals, and the like
• Bravo Best Foods - a very affordable, cozy, and highly accessible micro-brewery to my place
• Weekend Markets - I will miss Salcedo and Legaspi weekend markets

What I won't miss would be:

• The crazy traffic
• The air and noise pollution
• The swarm of people in malls and just about everywhere

It was good two years BUT it is really time to move on! And I will be back from time to time, for sure!

New Adventure Ahead

I have not posted much lately.  I had been busy and somehow still is with many other things... But here is to break the stagnation for a good news!

I AM MOVING TO PALAWAN!!!

I got a new job and I will be based there.  My moving date is not yet fixed but it will be most probably in June 2014.

For a long time now, and every time I think about moving, there are always these two places I would think of moving into and start a new life - Dumaguete and Palawan.

Dumaguete can still wait for some more years... It will be my "retirement" place where I continue my life of a 21-year-old-forever.  

And Palawan it is for now.  I always see myself arriving in Puerto Princesa, with my bag pack and now with my Ukulele, and slowly entering the city's main area with loads of questions in mind: Where will I live?  What will I do?  Will I find friends?  Where do I hang out?  Can I camp anywhere here? And many more...  It's the feeling of newness... of being in the starting line again... for having the opportunity to be a stranger again!

Christmas Plan 2013

Most of my friends and acquaintances must know what I am doing for Christmas this year... if you don't, please visit www.help-islets.blogspot.com.

It's 5 days before the event and I am sitting here in Makati at the lobby of my building still a bit sick after catching that crazy flu virus... But as I type this, I feel so confident with the people in Bacolod and Dumaguete who volunteered their time and energy to help islets this Christmas.

On Saturday, I will be in Bacolod.  I will be meeting the volunteers there and go through the checklist again to see if we missed something.

I can't wait for Sunday.  We will finally meet the people of Silagon!!!

And this Christmas will be unforgettable!!!

I am HIP [Helping Islets in the Philippines]

We have launched the blog site www.help-islets.blogspot.com last 22.November to inform more people about our little project to help little islands in the little heard of areas that were also devastated by the Typhoon Yolanda.

It was an effective tool.  We have almost 3000 views now.  Our collection for the project has also doubled.  

Please visit our site and see how you can help these islets.

Spend your Christmas with us!

Looking for where to head this Christmas?  Why not join us?

We are heading to Bantayan Island --- to some of its islets and spend Christmas there.

We will have Noche Buena (Christmas feast) with the community and at the same time help them in rebuilding their homes that was destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

I am going to be staying there for 10 days.  Leaving Manila on 21.December or earlier.

If you want to help, email me at kareen.oloroso@gmail.com.  We have a Facebook page for this event, click here or visit our site.

One lucky Filipino

I am still in disbelief. I find it hard to sleep the past nights. I could have been easily one of those injured, dead, or missing in Leyte. I missed it by a day. I am one lucky person.. one lucky Filipino.

I never really gave it much thought. I was just in Tacloban last week. I was there Tuesday, 04.November and stayed until 07.November. I knew of the coming typhoon. People knew about it.  It was even being discussed in our meeting. We update our participants about it almost hourly. We also agreed with those who wanted to cut the activity that they can go to their families in southern Leyte and start preparing for Yolanda. There was forced evacuation ordered by the mayors in almost all the LGUs in Leyte.

Wednesday, 06.November, everything felt tense in Tacloban. The hotel where we are staying is preparing. Me and my friends were talking about how to be ready for it. I started asking them if they got enough food at their place -- water, canned foods, etc... Some of my friends started calling me too. Asking me to leave Tacloban that day. I told them, "Yolanda will not be here until Friday, my flight is tomorrow (early morning). I will be fine." I got out of Tacloban the next day just fine.

Thursday, we headed to the airport early in the morning. I hated it... and I would have loved to stay over the weekend. This is something that I usually do when in the area. I stay the weekend, camp somewhere, and enjoy the peace and serenity areas like Leyte and Samar can offer. BUT, I had to be in Manila for a meeting. 

My Friday went as usual. Helped someone who got stranded in Manila because of the "stupid" weather disturbance. I am so unaware of the intensity of what was happening then. I had beers that night having in mind that I will be donating blood on Sunday which meant I can't drink on Saturday. Such problems I have.

Saturday was a lazy day. Never been out of my room as I need to keep away from alcohol.

Then Sunday. Sunday started early. Went to Binondo and donated my 450cc blood to TXTFIRE. Got back home and rested a bit to be ready for a party from my alumni organization. Still, I am quite clueless of what was happening in Leyte.

I am clueless because I have never really tried to know what is happening. I was all the while thinking that this typhoon is just another typhoon just like the other typhoons we had in the past. I never cared much since my family and friends are not there... well, I got some friends and colleagues there. Or I am clueless by choice. I am not sure anymore.

Then messages came in. My friends are asking me how I am and if I know of some other friends in the area that might be affected and what their statuses are. Friends from all-over the Philippines and abroad started calling, sending emails, and SMS.

Then Monday came. It started gloomy and ended gloomy.

And it's Wednesday again in the Philippines. It's still gloomy outside.

I am not at peace right now. I am mourning. I am mourning for my life that I could have lost in Leyte... for the lives that were lost...

I am not at ease being here in Makati, sitting in my airconditioned office, while some are sitting there in their makeshift shelters waiting for any sign of help that might be coming.

However, I am thankful for having been spared.

Pola

Pola is a quaint little town in Oriental Mindoro.  Hometown of my father and a place that I also call home.

Since moving to Makati, Pola is the closest get-away I can go to.

What I love about the place?  Lots of things and here are some:

- It's small
- There are no tourist
- You can easily walk around
- There's the river, the hills, the beaches
- Fresh fish... lots of fresh fish!!!
- And vegetables and fruits...
- And family (believe it or not).

I'll write more about Pola soon.

30th on Planet Earth

It is on!!!

I had somehow a not so good news from yesterday regarding my plans for August... though it resulted to a much better plan.

My original plan for August is to celebrate my birthday with my friends on the island where I found most of them... same island that I consider home.

The celebration will be two-parts: OUTREACH and PARTY!!! These 2 activities has been how I spent most of my life. :-)

FRIENDS and FREEDOM

What's the most important thing in life?

There comes a time when you start asking yourself that question.  The answer is of course subjective and it changes depending on your situation at the moment.

I have been asking myself that question again and again.  And I guess my answer has not really changed --- FRIENDS and FREEDOM.

My friends are my family and some of my family are my friends.  So FRIENDS.  They have been my reason for going "home" because for me, home is where my friends are.  I end up going home to different places and I've got many different homes.  I am also lucky to have so many Mas and Pas.

And FREEDOM.  It is sweet to have it.  And difficult to hold it.  I sometimes compromise it now to have more freedom in the future.

At the moment, I have neither both.  My friends are on other islands and I am bound here in Metro Manila to work.  Na ja, but if there's no MONEY, no HONEY.

So what to do?

When I look at the mirror, I am reminded that I am graying.  Seriously, at 29, I am.  There will be streaks of gray hairs which will be more and more visible soon.  There are some now.  And when you are getting older and older, you should be more mature. And what is the mature thing to do?

I have not really started investing on something since my money is from "hand to foot" --- I receive money then I use it to travel.  There was a time when all I do is save up money to be away for months then come back and work again to be away for months and the cycle stopped!

It's been 10 months now that I am working most everyday.  I am part of the system and freedom is fading.

But what is the best thing to do?

I need money for sure, as a friend always reiterates, "how can you travel if you don't have a job?... blah blah blah... how can you survive without money? blah blah blah"...  And finding a job in the Philippines is not that easy moreso with landing in a good-paying one.  So I guess, I should continue.

But is there a way to increase the number of leave days?  Just asking!  15 days/year is not enough!!! It is too few.  And for a terminally afflicted with nomadicity like me, it is not enough!!!

One thing for sure, next time I decide, FRIENDS and FREEDOM will be the deciding factors.

I can't...

... seem to do this any longer.

After the Easter backpacking, I find it  hard to think about work.  I miss nature so much and I am so in-love with it I think I could leave everything behind for it!

I have been "living the dream" for so long.  The dream of serenity and freedom.  The dream of being a full-time bum.  The dream of planning nothing but doing many things.

Now I am "dreaming to live".  Dreaming and hoping that there'll be more holidays so that I can really live.

My life is no longer "a very long weekend".  And I badly miss that life.

I miss waking up at 11am.  Getting coffee in the market and waiting for my working friends to take their break.  I miss reading a book the whole day to a whole week.  I miss snorkeling every weekend and hiking and camping anytime I want to.  I miss the long naps on the bus to Dumaguete.  And I miss walking around the city til the new morning.

I want to have that life back.  And I want it really bad.

Let's see what happens in the coming month. One more month to go and I end my contract... and I still am not sure if I go on...

I JUST WANT TO LIVE!!!

Bus... Beep-beep

Traveling in the Philippines meant lots of bus rides, boat or ferry rides, some plane rides... and very seldom train rides.

Buses connect the towns and cities.  They bring you to all directions possible.  They travel almost all-day and all-night.

You are lucky if you are one of those who can sleep well very much everywhere.  And if you can sleep on the bus, it is a good sign.  Bus travels in the Philippines can take as long as 16+ hours (that's at least the longest bus ride I did - from Zamboanga to Cagayan De Oro).

The Good Side
The thing with buses is that they are fairly cheap.  It is like 2Php per kilometer to compute the fare rates.   And there are always buses to almost everywhere.  Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao is connected by these buses as well (with the help of the nautical highways where there are ferries that can connect islands).

So it is cheap and it has frequent trips.

The Other Side
Oh well, bus rides can take forever!!!  We don't tell distance by the kilometers mostly but by the time it needed to get from point A to B.  Like: How far is it to La Union?... Answer is: It can be 6-8 hours.  That 6-8 hours bus ride is only covering roughly about 300kilometers.  If you do the math, you are driving about 37 to 40 km/hour which is... really SLOW!

So it is slow.

However, there's almost only the bus or you better start walking to your destination or hitchhike (but hitchhiking is not that popular in the Philippines as it is in Europe or in some SE Asian countries).

But, anyway, I will still take the bus.  I can sleep well on the bus and I usually take the night trips.

I hope, that there will be more organization with the buses in the Philippines to make things lot easier.  In Negros Occidental, there are just one bus terminals per town/city.  In the capital city, there is the north and south terminals like in Bacolod and Cebu.  I hope there will be something like that in Metro Manila and other major cities.

The bus ride last night from La Union was a bit stressful.  Standing for more or less an hour before getting a sit was tiring.  And you really have to literally catch a bus. The bus companies in Metro Manila has got their own terminals each.  If you want to catch another bus from another company, that would mean sometimes from 500meters to a kilometer away... only if you know about it.  We ended up waiting for 3 hours on our way up north as we just went to one bus company and we are not sure where the other bus terminals are.

I think, not being biased towards the places I lived in the past decade, Visayas and Mindanao are much organized in terms of transport.  Lesser traffic might be one of the factors BUT having a centralized terminal is definitely the biggest reason.

Easter Backpacking 2013 - the summary

Seeing dolphins at the start of your trip brings good luck as they say. It was also believed that it meant good weather.  And it was true with my recent trip.

My whole trip was just for 10 days.  But the 10 days felt like months having found new crazy friends and met the old crazy ones! It was a memorable trip.

Here were the stops:

• Pola, Mindoro - short visit at my father's hometown.  
• Iloilo, Panay - dinner with my friend with his Mom's home-cooking
• Bacolod, Negros - some card game and beer while waiting for the bus
• Cauayan, Negros - community life and start of the intense island life
• Sipalay, Negros - secret paradise, card game under the rain, sea snakes and a barracuda
• Dauin, Negros - some more big fishes and serious flunky ball game
• Dumaguete, Negros - calamansi collecting and fighting cock concert
• Lake Balinsasayaw, Negros - tri-kayaking, mau-mau, and last chance for the boys to win the flunky ball

View Larger Map

Highlights:

• We've visited different ecosystems and seen lots of wildlife (including our wild life)... Dolphins gave us luck then we found a seahorse and pipe fishes while snorkeling.  We also had a short mangrove tour that leads to a waterfall.  Swimming through the seagrass forests was also very cool.  It is like being in a dream world.
• Our trip was a working holiday - Kerstin grated some coconuts, Simon picked the leaves of Malunggay for the soup, and I was cooking a dish.  The best one we did and with full of love is baking bread - the banana-choco bread and the garlic-chili bread.
• We had too much tuba the whole trip - from Mindoro to Negros.
• We had a straight trip for 30 hours (from Mindoro to Negros).
• We saw lots of sea snakes, some moray eels, and a hunting barracuda.
• The sea glittered and the forest as well.
• We heard a whale splash in the lake and killed some tiny people (only Simon did).
• Flunky ball is soon to be a national sport --- and we will be the pioneers.  
• Mau-Mau is gonna spread in the Philippines.  Thanks to the German influence.
• Meeting my family and friends along the way was great.  It's not everyday I see them and I always make sure I keep in touch.
• Regularly high on seaweed.  
• Finding eco-thingys like the eco-cigarette and eco-wine.
• The main highlight would be finding people I can be very open with.  People who seem you have known and to have known you all your life.  Like long lost friends... and friends you don't want to lose in any way. Thanks a lot Kerstin and Simon!!!

I am still with holiday hang-over.  My sunburn itches.  And I am sick (since I am back to work... hahaha...).

My New City

It's a challenge for nomads to settle in a place.  Nomads has got many cities or none.

When I decided to move to Metro Manila, I was really uncomfortable.  I lived with a friend for 3 months and during those months my stuff are always in my luggage.  I was also always not in Metro Manila during that time.

Last year, I finally moved to Makati City.  A city I never thought I would learn to like.  It is somehow the cliche of the big cities --- tall buildings, busy streets, swarm of people.  Well, it is!

It is also, however, trying to be livable.  And it is successful in its attempts.

I live in a vibrant area, the old center of Makati - Barangay Poblacion.  I now have all what I need and want within reach.  There are weekend markets: Salcedo Saturday Market and Legaspi Sunday Market.  There's a food bazaar some meters away from my flat: Baga Manila at the A.Venue Parking Area.  There's a grocery nearby and a wet market a kilometer or 2 away.

Hanging out is no problem.  There's a hostel next to my street and people can bring their own beer: BYOB (Bring-Your-Own-Beer) at the MNL Boutique Hostel.  The owners are really cool and you will not have a lack of topics to talk about.

Some meters away is the "red light district".  And the cheapest beers are everywhere: Giligan's sells Pale Pilsen 3-for-100.  Food is also in every direction, from Asian to African.  Just take a little walk and you'll find something that you might want to try.

For sporty peeps, there are boxing gyms along Makati Avenue.  Hotels offer membership for their fitness gyms as well - a friend is enrolled in City Garden and pays Php2,000.00 for a month.

And for me, swimming!!!  I found out about it recently through a work colleague and it was great.  Makati City operates the Makati Aqua Sports Arena (MASA)  with a dimension of 21x50 meters in the Guadalupe area just across the University of Makati.  It is only Php50 for Makati-residents and Php150 for the others.

I am starting to LOVE MAKATI... and starting to really LIVE in the city!
----
I hope I don't get in trouble by using the Makati logo... BUT Makati is really making it happen.  For more information on the happenings in my new city, check Make It Happen Website.

Filipino Time

One of my pet peeves is being late.  I grew up disciplined to be always on time or even being there before the agreed time.  And I do expect others to be punctual as well.  When I was in grade school, I would be so ashamed and start crying when I know I am going to be late.

Today, I was just wondering if there are other people in the world that are also known for being always late (in addition to the Spanish people - apologies to the Spanish).  And it's difficult to google it.

I found, however, an article explaining the Real Filipino Time.  And I agree with the author!!!

It is just difficult, I guess, to be exempted from this negative stereotype when travel guides and other magazines are branding Filipinos to be always late --- and having some Filipinos that are proud of this.  Oh well, I don't want to get into a long discussion on this - just read the article.

The next time I'm late, and I am not making an excuse but, maybe I got reasons... or maybe THE REASON IS NOT ME.

Roti, yeah!

A trip in Malaysia won't be complete without a treat of Roti Canai.  It has been my favorite and still is... and I can eat it anytime of the day.  Pair it with Teh Tarik and it's perfect.

I just wish that there is a decent Indian place where I can get these flaky, chewy, tasty bread in the Philippines.

So when you are in Malaysia, hit the next Indian restaurant you can find and have a roti or two.  Nom nom nom.

Travel Bug!

I was born with it.  And it is getting worse by the minute.

Oh la la... As I have said, I've just arrived 3 weeks ago and booked for a trip in at least 3 weeks.  And another in March.  And now, Skyscanner is telling me that the prices for Bali from Manila is just 10,000Php round-trip!?  Argh!!!

What will happen to saving money? Delaying gratification?

I DON'T KNOW!

Though luckily, my card was maxed out so I cannot book! Yohooo!