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calauit island: a delightful anomaly
Among the many beautiful tropical islands in the Philippines, Calauit is indeed a delightful anomaly. It is part of the Calamianes, a cluster of islands in Northern Palawan that is famous for pristine...
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san agustin church | intramuros, manila
The Church of the Immaculate Conception of San Agustin or more popularly known as the San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila is considered as the oldest church in the Philippines. It was built by...
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parish of the holy sacrifice | diliman, quezon city
If not for a small metal cross, the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, a small church in the University of the Philippines in Diliman, could easily be mistaken for a flying saucer. Well, it does not look...
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divine mercy archdiocesan shrine | el salvador city, misamis oriental
The Divine Mercy Shrine in El Salvador City in the province of Misamis Oriental is just a brief drive from our place in Cagayan de Oro. Since its inauguration in 2008, many pilgrims have been visiting...
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takladtamig dos: lake holon trek
My friends from South Cotabato in Southern Philippines, are organizing a trek to Lake Holon on August 19-20, 2012. The event is called 'Takladtamig Dos,' which means 'let us climb, my friend' or...
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new books
I was surprised when Herbert's package finally arrived a few days ago. I told him last week that it would probably take a month before the books would be delivered knowing how our public postal office...
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the msu-iit that i knew
A few weeks back, I caught up with an old friend who is now based in Cagayan de Oro. Over some slices of cake and cups of coffee, we shared what we have been up to since our last meeting at Cebu....
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l. escarda's coron harvest: the best cashew nuts in town
The pack of kasuy or cashew nuts that you usually buy as pasalubong in Coron, Palawan has a story to tell. It involves a rather long and laborious process - from harvesting the cashew fruit and then...
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here, there and everywhere
I think it was my mother who inadvertently taught me how to tune a guitar. This was a time when my fingers were too small to sustain a chord, so I just watched her gently strum and then re-tune each...
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busuanga: a ruggedly beautiful, off the beaten adventure
Busuanga in Northern Palawan is often overlooked compared to Coron, even if the hordes of tourists that flock to the latter have to enter and leave via the Francisco B. Reyes Aiport, the only airport...
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breakfast at jolo, sulu: coffee, bang-bang, durian and so much more
Jolo port at dawn. Drinking coffee was the first thing that my friend and I did in Sulu, a beautiful island located in Southern Philippines. This is also a province in Mindanao that has been marred...
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brief stopover at quezon beach | patikul, sulu
It is said that somewhere hidden in the jungles of Patikul are the hideouts of extremist militants. But my friend and I were not after their elusive lairs when we visited the island of Sulu in...
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two tausug feasts: just another day in jolo, sulu
My friend and I were surprised to find out that our gracious guide at Jolo had something else planned for us. I thought that he was well aware of our itinerary that we proposed weeks before, but we...
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nilubok: traditionally milled rice
Just when I started to cut down on my carbohydrates, my dad recently sent me a few kilos of nilubok - a traditionally milled rice characterized by its uneven grains. It came from somewhere in...
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doodles for 2013
I got an interesting planner for 2013: a FILED 2013 doodle planner. My best buddy probably thought that I could use some randomness and a lot of creativity in my life that is why he gave me this a few...
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of orcs and legos
A friend of mine gave me an orc last year. It wasn't as repulsive as those in the Peter Jackson movies, as it came in a rather cute package. It is actually a Lego keychain. This was also interesting...
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plaridel's pan bisaya
A day before 2012 ended, I found myself in Plaridel, a 3rd class municipality which is located 45 minutes away from Oroquieta, the provincial capital of Misamis Occidental. It has a small yet vibrant...
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searching for humba at fely j's kitchen
There was a feature in a local inflight magazine about a certain dish called Humba de Iponan late last year. I was curious about it because it supposedly comes from Cagayan de Oro City, my hometown of...
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yes, there's a live pig at ambos mundos
Someone once told me of a restaurant in Manila that has a live pig tethered right outside its doorsteps. I thought that it just existed in her imagination, but one lazy Saturday afternoon last year,...
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manila zoo: maali and beyond
There are other animals, aside from Maali, the famous 38-year old Asian elephant, that currently reside at the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden or the Manila Zoo. It also has Bertha the...
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