how to sink a plane, part 2

We were told to assemble at Aqualife Divers Academy on 1 March 2012 at 830AM.

The briefing.

All aboard.

We were the last team to arrive at the site, but technically we weren't late. The others were just early. In any case, our president was calm and relaxed. "They won't start without me," he said.

The Boracay diving community waits for Gov.

Our plane!

how to sink a plane, part 1

Once upon a time, I was president of the Boracay Association of Scuba-diving Schools (BASS). For four years, in fact. I was personally trained, mentored and groomed into leadership by Dirty Harry who was president before me. In La Famiglia, which is how I fondly think of the BASS, I was Michael Corleone.

I initiated quite a few projects during my term, but I was constantly hounded by the entire Boracay diving community's desire to create another wreck dive. (The first one was the Camia, a fishing/cargo vessel that we sank in 2001.) No matter how good I was at my job, all I ever heard was, "When are we gonna have a new wreck? Huh? When?"

The Camia is one of Boracay's best dive sites, and IMO one of the Philippines' best wreck dives.

So. In 2009, the universe gave us one.

15 December 2009, the first time I saw her. What a beauty.

Her radio call sign is Tri-bird because of the three jet engines.

But in my heart, she's always be "YAK"!

But it was not the right time.

ati-atihan in kalibo 2012, part 4

During last year's Ati-atihan, we missed the Sunday morning mass because it was raining and our chauffeur Man Friday refused-- absolutely refused, I tell you-- to pick us up and bring us to church. In fact, he turned off his mobile phone and slept through the whole thing, oblivious to the fact that we had been awake and waiting for him since 5AM.

This year, we made it in time for the communion. It was the first time I had communion since my university days, I think, and it was completely accidental. While squeezing through the crowd to get to a good vantage point, I turned around and found myself nose-to-nose with a priest. He held the host in front of my face and I instinctively opened my mouth. Pop!

Attending the 7AM Sunday mass is truly a must-do. All the tribes gather in the plaza in front of the cathedral, in full regalia. It's an amazing sight.

ati-atihan in kalibo 2012, part 3

The Infant Jesus is the central figure of the Ati-atihan Festival in Kalibo, and some folks go all out in showing their devotion.

ati-atihan in kalibo 2012, part 2

The Ati-atihan Festival lasts for a week. This year, it started on Monday, 9 January 2012 and culminated on Sunday, 16 January 2012. My favorite portion is always Saturday morning, after all the tribes go through the judges' station and then literally flood the streets with color.

ati-atihan in kalibo 2012

Kalibo's Ati-atihan Festival: Often imitated, but never equaled.

But what is it, exactly? Well, first and foremost, it is a pilgrimage. Although Ati-atihan (literally, pretending to be ati, a Negrito ethnic group of Panay Island, hence the blackface make-up) dates back to pre-Hispanic times, when the Holy Roman Catholic Church invaded the Philippines in 1521, the Spanish friars took over our existing feast days and that's how these pagan-Christian festivals came about.

good impressions last

Recently, I came across this Dutch guy's blog entitled Running From Camera. It's a collection of photos he's taken of himself running away from his camera. It's kinda weird, but kinda mesmerizing at the same time.

Then I suddenly remembered my pictures of the Sinaot Festival at President Roxas, Capiz on 1 May 2011. I'd already posted some of them in a previous blog entry.

eat, drink, blog

This is not a food blog, really. It's more of a diary. Like it says up there, "Where I write about stuff that happened to me before I forget about them."

Can I help it if food happens to me a lot?

Involtini at Aria Restaurant, Boracay. Literally mouth-watering. The cheese was dreamy. The beef was OK, too. 4/5

Tagliatelle with truffle oil at Aria Restaurant, Boracay. Wrote about it previously, here. 5/5

Frozen coffee concoction at L@tte Coffee Shop, Kalibo airport. Price + serving size = great value. 4/5

Famous stir-fried noodles at Legaspi Sunday Market, Makati. Unexpectedly bland. And the texture was kind of disturbing. 3/5

Chaikofi's fish fillet with black bean sauce and a four seasons iced green tea-- that's why it's pink. At PHP220 for this meal, not bad considering everything inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 is crazy expensive. 4/5

Best find at NAIA3. Illy coffee is soo-oo good. 5/5

I do not analyze everything that I put in my mouth. Wait, did that sound right? Anyway, basta, I do NOT take pictures of ALL my food. Sometimes lang...

private entry

I call this a "private" blog entry because if you weren't there, there's just no way you will understand.

29 March 2010

This was undoubtedly the best meal Bunny Rabbit and I have had in a long, long time. It was a combination of the food, the company, the location, and the warmth and depth of friendship that went into this meal.

Enough said.

kalibo's best-kept secret

Kalibo, the capital of Aklan province, is famous for the Ati-atihan Festival which is held every third weekend of January. It's also known as the gateway to Boracay. That's it. That's usually everything most people know about Kalibo.

We didn't know that they had this extraordinary cathedral called St. John the Baptist.

Not too fancy on the outside.

Clean lines inside.

Kaleidosflora said that National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture Leandro Locsin worked on this structure.

Serene little chapel in one of the transepts.

What's that on the windows?

Ta-dah! The Stations of the Cross in full-color HD stained glass!


Who knew that we had this in Kalibo?

Parting shot.

What are these things called, where you moisten your fingers with holy water before you make the sign of the cross? I've started collecting pictures of them. Here's another one.

flowers + frogs

At Kaleidosflora's house in Kalibo:

The water lily blooms for only a few days. We were lucky to witness the show.

Fresh as a water lily. (What-- only daisies can be fresh?)

This frog was as small as my fingernail.

Sunbathing... What a life!

Thanks, Dick, for welcoming us into your home.

to infinity and beyond

I call this picture "D.B. and the Giant Beanstalk".


Shot with my Lumix LX3 on timer at the Kalibo town plaza, on 30 March 2010 at 10:53PM. That's at NIGHT, folks. No flash, of course. This tree is the tallest thing in the entire town.

Pedicure courtesy of The Nail Spa at The Block SM City.

rio, isdatchu?

It's very easy to get lost in Capiz. Everything looks the same. The countryside is very picturesque, the roads are well-paved and the people are very friendly. However, they can't give directions to save their lives.

So we just drove in the general direction of Aklan, our home province. Suddenly, we saw:


OK, you can't tell from that picture, but it was huge. Not as big as the one in Rio de Janeiro, but still shockingly big-- especially when you're driving along and all you see are trees and rice paddies.

Check out the ladder leaning against the statue's base for scale:


It's in a little town called Ivisan. Who put it there? Why? How come there are no signs or plaques? Must ask The Mayor about it sometime.

pan-ay church of panay

The first time we saw this church was at night. It zoomed by, as we were in a speeding SUV being driven by The Mayor. He said, "Oh, that church has the biggest bell in Asia."

We therefore put in on our must-see list, for the next time we were in Capiz-- during the day time, of course.

AKA Santa Monica Parish.

Is this it? The biggest bell?

Shouldn't it be up there?

Fantastic weather that day.

Suddenly, I remembered that my Lumix LX3 has Dynamic Black & White! Check out the exterior of Pan-ay Church-- so well-preserved and very, very clean. And may I just say, congratulations to the people of Pan-ay for not allowing anything (lampposts, wires, etc.) to mar the facade of your beautiful church.


The interior was very plain... until seen through the lens of the Lumix LX3 in Dynamic B&W setting. Naks! God is in the details.


My favorite photo of the day:


Some people offered to take us up the belfry, but they couldn't find the key. Gives us a reason to go back.