On Love and Other Drugs

The effects of Viagra won't get you laid. Trust me.

This melodramatic, overly mushy movie made my heart pound faster with annoyance and the ginormous regret that I actually spent around 180 bucks just to watch this flop of a film. I could've spent a little more to have a mani-pedi at Dashing Divas.

My bad... oopps. 

Three points why I absolutely HATED this film:

# 1: Misrepresentation of a Drug Rep's life.

# 2: Cheesier than Chiz Whiz drama.

# 3: Go back to numbers 1 and 2.

Not that I don't like drama. I mean, I'm histrionic and j'adore drama (drama queen here, heller?!) but the lines and the whole story are just painstakingly sappy. Spell that out for you, it's S-A-P-P-Y... Sappy!

Yes, I hate love stories. I've had enough of them when I started reading Jude Deveraux in 4th grade and ended up masturbating on the the thoughts of those elaborate love scenes in her romantic novels. I hate love stories, because they make girls look for Prince Charmings instead of swallowing the bitter truth that the Prince Charmings are actually a.) gay, b.) married or c.) all of the above and all they will end up with is the Frog.

I hate love stories because it makes wimps out of women. We don't need feminine wimps in the 21st century, people. We need strong, Amazonian femme fatales who can survive the jungle of Industrialization and Globalization.

I hate love stories because they mask the underlying problems of life --- poverty, hopelessness, sickness, suffering.

I hate love stories because they are opiates. They temporarily take away the pain of living, and make you crave for more. It's a crazy outlook. Shame on the hopeless romantics.

Now, let me go back to point number one. Point numero uno why I don't like this movie at all --- the total, unjust, unfitting misrepresentation of a drug rep's life. Shame on you, Pfizer for backing up (or even allowing) this movie to be shown. This did not help at all alleviate the current status of your medical representatives. Or, Dear Pfizer... do you acknowledge that your medical reps are promiscuous and absolutely do not have any work ethics at all? You do understand that the misrepresentation of drug reps in this movie would echo a big blow to the image of drug reps worldwide, regardless of the company? Again, SHAME ON YOU. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Pfizer, Pfizer, Pfizer... the marketing use of your name, company, logos and practices on the movie only means one thing: you are already losing hold of the Number One position of pharmaceuticals and without new products in your pipeline, you are getting old and lame. Another shame. Another, another shame. Revamp your style, or else big giants like Merck, Glaxo Smithkline and Sanofi Aventis will get the better of you. Or how about Lilly? Cialis, perhaps? Hah.

Do you know how it feels like to drive all day, carrying big boxes of samples around, plastering a smile on your face and a cheery disposition despite of the indifferent people around you? Do you know how it feels like to wait for what seems like an eternity, only to find out that the person you are waiting for will not accommodate you? Do you know how it feels like when you passionately detail the safety and efficacy of your products, and only to be bluntly told "I don't need that... What trips can you offer me? Can you send me to this international convention? I will double my prescriptions."? Do you know how it feels like to brave the floods, suffer the sweltering heat of the sun, work overtime without pay, and be misjudged, maltreated? Do you know how it feels like to hold on to a calculator for dear life, compute for sales figures and dream of sales targets every night every cut off... just to send your child to school, or put food on the table? Do you know how it feels like to drive for clients at ungodly hours, sacrificing your quality time for your self, that SO or your family? Do you know how it feels like to be a modern slave? Do you know how it feels like to serve beyond service, to put forth your life to make another person's life better? Do you know how it feels like to be a Drug Rep? 

No, you don't!

If this movie has hammered into your bird brain the idea that drug reps stay at home texting random girls (or boys, for that matter) waiting to be fucked, think again. Decent medical reps do not do that. Decent medical reps do not go about stealing samples of competitors and dumping them on the backyard garbage. Decent medical reps serve with honor and earn a decent living for themselves, their families and for their companies.

You may not know it, you may not appreciate it, but your doctors would not know what the best drug is for you and your condition if not for the decent medical representative visiting him/her religiously. Of course, there is PIMS, PUMS and the internet. But nothing will ever come close to the exact, blow by blow account of an explanation detailing every single thing you need to know about a drug by a medical rep. 

Medical representatives are there to make life easier for doctors and patients. They are simply not there to throw away boxes of samples and shower sponsorships for trips, money and fame. They are there to serve a purpose, a higher calling... of extending service to the community in spite of all the odds they face.

So the next time you run into a drug rep at the doctors' clinics... think twice. It should not be a naked Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway fucking each other with Viagra on the background that should come to your mind, but a picture of a self-sacrificing man or woman wanting to make your life better with whatever drugs they have on hand.

And please, check the label. Better not be "Pfizer made it".

Dancing with Neptune

For whatever we lose (like a You or a Me)
It's always ourselves we find in the sea.
- E.E. Cummings

An idyllic time at Bohol Beach Club

I danced with Neptune when I was a toddler and barely remembered anything. The remnants of that first dance were captured in a lomo photograph with me flashing a big white smile wearing a bright red strawberry polka dotted bikini while Neptune waved in the background.

I never stopped dancing with him after that.

Cerulean

I followed the Sun every time to seek my rendezvous with Neptune. I embrace him like a lost lover and be intimate in his charms while he caresses my soft skin and whispers songs of love, dreams and ambitions in my ears. The lure of his Cerulean charms captivated me in ways I never imagined.

I was in love.

Afternoon delight

Neptune knows everything about me. My hopes. My dreams. My aspirations. My ambitions. My love. My faith. My heartaches, disappointments and frustrations. His depths know the depths of my soul, the wide expanse of his arms reach to soothe my fears.

I am not alone.

Lounging in reflection

But alas, the rendezvous is always just as short as the Sun in his throne. Even when I refuse to leave, I have to leave him. True love is indeed all about letting go.
My heart will stay with him even though I bid another farewell. In the memories of my lifetime, I will always stay beside him. Neptune.
Time is short, sweet and idyllic. And the distance each laps covers bring me closer to home, where I seek refuge in the advent of that first dance.

I found not a lover in the ocean. I found myself.

Where do you set your sights on?

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”

--Anonymous 

My happiness :-)

When Time Flies

When time flies, it is that moment where you want it to be captured and suspended in its sister Space and wait until it can no longer dictate your life.
Ahhh.The luxury of time. How many of us just want to have a second of it? For every minute that counts would seem like eternity weaving in and out of little clocks.
Oblivious to the world around me, I want it. I want time. Time for my family. Time for myself. For me, me, me and ME. And just because I'm a selfish little sloth, I want more and more of it.
Walking down the powdery white sand, my idle mind wandering off to the blue skies and immersing in the azure waters, I found myself.
My maldita self. And I just want more.
This, holding a Taoist book and a pinacolada on one hand.

Capturing Bohol Beach Club at noon

Child's Play

I've always been in love with make up. Cosmetics. Beauty. 

This ongoing love affair started when I was 5 years old and toyed with my Mom's makeup kit and finally got to have my first ever lipstick collection at the age of 10. I saved up my allowance and never bother to eat just so I could afford all the pinks, reds, browns and corals of every lipstick brand there is. 

On the simple reason that my mantra is to make the world a better place to live in. Plans to rule the world by simply making people around me beautiful. Life is unfair, we know that. Not everybody is given the opportunity to be born gorgeous naturally. And as far as I can see, there are a lot of uglies out there who roam the streets and make my head ache and add to the eyesore in the community. Thus, the charitable and humane cause of Malditang Demonyita was born: Wave my magic wand and weave my magic unto them. Poof! It became Koko Krunch!

I have always been an artist. I love colors. I love bright, poppy ideas. And being a Histrionic, I thrive on drama and have a flair for getting attention. And not only that --- the Universe has been happy to bestow upon me the talent for drawing and painting so that makes it easy for me to draw eyebrows and do a perfect cat's eye using tricky gel eye liners. See?

So I was thrilled when my sis-in-law's church mate asked if I could do her make up for her wedding. I was extremely ecstatic about it. I offered a free makeup trial so I could help her decide if she wanted to get me. After the trial, she was so happy about her look and decided on the spot to book me.
Voila! A make up artist is born!
I want to make this world a beautiful place. Oh, and world peace.

Blend, blend, blend using Color Corrector by Coastal Scents and Suesh stipling brush

Beeyootipul!

Pygmalion-a and Galatea

The "before" look, only with makeup primer sans foundation and concealer

The "after" look... finished product.

Fairy Godmother can envy me, that old hag!

Recollecting.

 Old post from my old blog.

I should be studying for the midterms... but heck I really can't just seem to concentrate. Things have been milling in my head for days, like cornflakes and rice crispies in one bowl, waiting for good ol' milk to dissolve them and remove the crunch.
We have actually started CHD2 duties in Malinao. Blessing in disguise, coz that was were I first had my community duty for CHD1. But the community is not a blessing at all. It's like Trash Country in the middle of nowhere. Ironically, it is situated near the Pasig City Hall but seems like everybody in the oval office there is hands off when it comes to that pitiful settlement.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you... Vicper.
My First Love. Oh, how I love to burn it down until nothing is left but ashes to feed the hogs!
I love it so much that when it's community immersion time, my gut is turned inside out just by the thought of mingling with these people whose top morbidity cause is Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infection. Why? It's the air they breathe! Full of MO, my dear! It's like wading into dogshit as dogs literally shit all over the place. It is where people hang out in makeshift tents to do videoke on cheap machines and pay on a per game basis for billiards. Bingo time is after lunch where moms and lolas and even lolos and ates and kuyas and bunsos would waste their lives on a meaningless game, contented of spending and winning the last cent of yesternight's earnings.
I had the chance to go through the Health Center's reports and make the graphical analysis for the our presentation to the community. Pa-consuelo de bobo. I just laughed my head off. Where in the world can you find these cases?
Morbidity Cause: Otitis Media.
FYI: In simple terms, luga. Otitis Media, if not treated, will lead to severe ear infection leading to intracranial expansion and meningitis. How to prevent it? Simply by cleaning the ears. Only an idiot wouldn't do that. And apparently, idiots are rampant on that godforsaken place. Cotton buds, please!
Morbidity Cause: Furunculosis.
My groupmates and I were wondering what Furunculosis is. I texted several doctor friends. Here were the replies:
Dr Dennis Esquivel (IM-Diabetologist who's now teaching in his homeland): Skin infection caused by Staphylococcus Aureus. --- hmm... microbio na microbio andating mo doc ah!
Dr Dominic Guevara (another doctor friend whose specialty is Otitis Media, harhar!): It's a skin infection, usually an inflammation of the hair follicles leading to abscess formation -- aba doc, specialist ka nga. pang Patho na Patho!
Dr Roy Garrido (Cardio-interventionist from Cardinal Santos): Infection of the skin, you can treat it with antibiotics. -- ah, eto naman Pharma ang dating.
But this one... this one is the winner. Ditto, Doc Peanuts.
Angel: (thru text) Doc, hi, alam m b ung skt n furunculosis? tnx :)
Dr Peanuts: Pigsa. Bakit, meron ka? :p
I wanna do several cartwheels!!
Going back, I nearly fell off the chair when I continued reading and analyzing the reports from the Health Center. Mortality Cause was even sensational. My favorites:
Mortality cause: Metabolic Acidosis.
Well, tracing this, one of the causes of Metabolic Acidosis is intoxication of isopropyl alcohol in a Normal anion gap. In an Increased anion gap, one of the causes of Metabolic Acidosis is Lactic acidosis --- a form of acidosis wherein cells use the glucose in the body in the absence of adequate O2. So, here we can argue based on these premises that whoever died from Metabolic Acidosis from that area ingested Isopropyl Alcohol (dude, he should've been in Alcoholics Anonymous!) or died because of hunger and suffocation in that crowded lot.
Mortality cause: Asphyxia r/t Hanging.
In simple terms, SUICIDE. Nagbiti, nagpakamatay. I love NANDA!
Mortality cause: Acute Myocardial Infarction.
Somewhere during the course of their Bingo habit, a resident might have been so elated that he won the pot money of 250 pesos causing his existing atherothromboses to be dislodged from a major blood vessel (remember, elation and too much joy can cause the heart to pump more blood...) causing an infarct. Bye bye to your pot money. I just hoped his Bingo comrades found a way to donate for his wake... might have used the game for fundraising instead! Hehe.
 Just today, we ended up collecting and paying for their trash. Nursing students as garbage collectors-cum-junk shoppers. Sweet. With all the sweat and grime and MO sticking on us, I could've died. I went home not feeling so well. Not well because I hate that place. Full of rowdy, broken people and teeming with dirt! Not well because it only deepens my realization of how wide is really the disparity between the haves and the have-nots.
Just a bingo chip's throw away is the Pasig City Hall and yet the government cannot elucidate a solid action plan on how to solve this eye sore in its jurisdiction. I heard through the grapevine though that the local city officials are really on a "no comment" basis whenever "Vicper" shoots up. Strings of histories tied to the mayor's belt, now Vicper is an abandoned and goddammned place.
Assessing the people, they are kind and receptive, although I personally do not see any real initiative on their part to alleviate their condition. Ambitions drive dreams. Without Ambition, you are nowhere and it seems that this is the case in point here. The people there are lax, satisfied and purely depending on outside help. They have been under this psyche for years, that because they are inherrently indigent, there will always be help coming in from other people. In the process, they never get the chance to redeem themselves from the vicious cycle.
These poor people, they do not have the right to get sick or go hungry. The government is allocating them free medicines, hiring public health practitioners and public health nurses who are on call to always assist them. The only problem is that their mindsets are closed to the fact and accepted the truth that this is where they do belong.
During the course of our interviews and surveys, I met fellow Bicolanos who have settled in Vicper. I asked them why they chose to stay here in Manila and live this impoverished life. All answered for the same familiar reason they know: Here in the Metro, they have money. They thought life was better here than back there in the province where they can easily survive for the day's meals on free veggies handpicked along the road. Here, they go hungry and labor under the heat of the sun, scrimping what little they got to buy food. Here, their children roam on dogshit-infected slums without underwear, growing up as part of the country's urban poor and illiterate.
To wallowing in mud to exposing myself under the heat of the Vicper sun, I had my lost dreams. Dreams of looking forward to a better country without people like them --- impoverished and dirty.
I dreamed once of being a Nurse. All because of Dollar Bank. I hope tomorrow, when I go back to that market shackles, this is the dream I wouldn't lose next.

Retracing.

 Old post from my old blog.

Coz I ain't got no time anymore to study, dahlin'.

This reminds me: a biggie in-depth quiz on our pathophysiology-turned-nuclear biology class this Saturday is enough to have all my adrenaline pumping out from my ass and saliva oozing out from my ears. This week is hectic, ironically, it's the last week before I take a break from the demands and rigors of my ultra-fabuloso job. (Sans the doggie grin and fake smiles to unwanted doctors). Sad to say though, it's eating up the rest of my Being and I am left somewhere between limbo, hell and hell again. Not to mention the last minute shopping to complete my f*cked up liquidations and go through the inferno that is Greenhills. Thank God I didn't go to Divisoria. I'd be dead by now.

I am actually anticipating what is to come to our uber-cerebral discussion this Saturday. The new prof was great, except that he reminds me of that fashion designer who lost in the last season's local version of Celebrity Duets. (Frederick Peralta, is he?) Ditto, Bing.

Anecdote:

Bing: Shet... wala na akong maintindihan...

Angel: Bakit sis? Dahil English? (harhar!)

Yes. The professor from Harvard League spoke fluently in a semi-impeccable manner that helped lulled my (OUR) brains to Alpha mode. Add to that the air that was conducive for hugging and kissing and snuggling. Yahaha. Another day in Pathophysiology this Saturday. How many more Saturdays will there be before the term ends? Next year, I won't be enrolling for the Summer anymore. For the simple good reason that I'll be in St. Lukes starting on January 2nd... I wouldn't have time to keep up with my current juggling act then.

Or maybe, I won't enroll anymore in this school... The only reason why I'm staying is because of the few good teachers left who still have that zest for educating us, their srudents, properly AND the friends I've come to love. I always look forward to hanging out with you, guys... but sometimes, even the brightest Shakespeare can never create another prodigy of a literature if there's no more rhyme.

Reminiscing.

Old posts from my old blog.

Filthy rich. Rich with filth.

Grime, mud and slime all greeted me this morning when I again, in my disheartened state, walked through that darkest and filthiest alley to Vicper.

The Vicper sun was unusually hot today, scorching my Bath and Body scrubbed skin. Well, that was yesterday... because I intentionally DID NOT TAKE A BATH THIS MORNING because I was very well ANTICIPATING the endless sweat and dirt that would cling to me like Cling Wrap. Yeah. So what if I didn't take a bath? That was just for one day... I was just trying to be IMMERSED with the people who haven't taken a bath for the past couple of days. CHD2 has taught us to be immersed well with them. So be it.

Today saw the painting of that useless wall facing the useless court of another useless settlement. God, how I'm loving this! I wanted to embrace those useless people and tell them I care for them and I will devote my whole damn life and career to tend for them. Them, the Useless.

The paint was dark green... like that of a chalkboard in school. Very conducive for vandalism, campaign materials and dog's and men's piss. We divided the wall into sections, intentioned for converting them into murals. We even tapped into an artist who have drafted our part of the wall. The other parts, well, they wrote there: We Love Malinao. In bright, alabaster chalk. I wanna die. THAT WAS A MURAL. Very artistic, indeed!

Then here comes this stupid monkey known locally as the Kagawad Vergel (F*ck. I don't care if you quote me here. I'm just stating facts. Sue me. I've got the best lawyers in town working for my uncle's law firm, who happens to be a Senator . Noli me tangere.) and started up a heated discussion with our group leader, Val. The discussion was --- as expected from a stupid primate --- stupid. Turns out he wanted to have a SOLO part of the wall, for purposes of claiming the credits all to himself. Mabuhay si Kagawad Vergel! Itong Proyekto na to ay mula sa pagod, dugo, pawis at pera ni Kagawad Vergel ng Vicper.

The sour-faced bum started yakking like a crazy orangutan that if it weren't because of him, we wouldn't have the materials and the local tambays will not help us with the painting and the labouring. Well, thanks to Ate Elvie, our devoted BHW. She was the one who helped us get the materials like water, etc. and convinced the SK people to do the painting. This, does not give him the right to claim the work all to himself or to his equally stupid allies. People like them only perpetuate the malignant tumor that is behesting that already cancerous area.

Which leads me to a point in here: even though you may have achieved a pwesto in the local government, you will still never hide the fact that you are illiterate, unbred and poor. Clothes do not make a man. Not even employment, fame or power. It's the character of a person that shapes him into what he becomes.

Judging from that place, I can find no suitable form of character in any one of them. All are just wasted on metal scraps and cardboards.

I ended the day going to Fitness First in The Fort to wash off the filthiness that embraced me in that stinking hole that is Vicper. But the warm waters of the gym will never wash away the dismay that have lodged itself in the deepest recesses of my subconscious.

When will this end?

2010 In Retrospect: Bohol! Bohol! - Part 2

Nope.

Jollibee is not bred here on this farm. The farm is much too sosyal for that.

I'm talking about Bohol Bee Farm, one of the nicest attractions there is ( I must say) in Panglao, Bohol. The first time I ever stepped my Cinderella feet on this nature haven, I was hooked. And this was in January 2010, a couple of months later when the family decided to have our own getaway, I knew we had to stay in the Bee Farm. Meet Tagaytay's Sonya's Garden vis-a-vis the wonderful blue green waters of Panglao, and you get to have that nice, cozy stay right at your noses here at Bohol Bee Farm.

We arrived a couple of minutes past 4:00 PM after a very exhausting day tour of Panglao Island. The hubby was quite wary when the driver made a right turn on one of the dirt roads leading to the farm (believe me, it's like a wrong turn where cannibals will feast at you if your engine dies in the middle of nowhere --- something perhaps that the Bee Farm owners might want to look into) but heaved a sigh of relief when he saw civilization right after the bumpy limestone tracks. 

We stayed at a suite room (Beehive Suite #5) which was really in the middle of everything. My lil rock dragon was somehow disappointed with the room (it was au naturel... made of wood, with lil insects crawling around and a musty smell) calling it " non-hotel" but decided it was okay since he got cable tv anyways.

My boys watched tv while I decided to have a stroll outside and found my way to the dock downstairs.

Bohol Bee Farm offers a free tour of their farm and the nearby marine sanctuary where you can snorkel and play around with the fish. Sunset is great to watch at the dock, and if my kid wasn't in tow, I would've just wanted to be lazy on one of their benches and just let time fly.

Could've been better with a DSLR :-)

Sunset viewed at the Bee Farm's dock... Purple marries Vermilion in a myriad of colours at dusk.

There's always something about sunsets that make me starry-eyed.

Stairway to Triton's Kingdom

Malditang Demonyita's narcissism

The same blossoms that go into your spicy chicken salad (available at the resto)

The wooden dock

The Bee Farm offers fresh, homemade organic dishes with ingredients grown locally inside the farm. Last time we visited in January 2010 with friends from work, I fell in love with the Cab-cab and the camote lasagna but sadly, the latter is no longer available in their menu ;-(

The hubby ordered seafood soup medley and ham and cheese pizza for the lil rock dragon. I just ordered Cab-cab with tomato pesto since I didn't feel like eating a lot of grains (read: insulin spikes = getting fat).

Holiday decorations grace the centerpiece

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree... why thou art so light-y?

Cab-cab with tomato pesto (cab cab is cassava flour, much like tortillas then fried happily)

Complimentary camote bread. So much for insulin spikes.

Interesting seafood medley soup with patola and crayfish.

Not lobster, not shrimp but a mutant of both crustacean genes. It's called a crayfish.

The hubby didn't like the food. He doesn't like anything organic. After a horrendous, geeky lecture on food and nutrition from yours truly, we decided to pack up and call it a day. Oh, and lil rock dragon didn't like the pizza either and he ended up feasting on the Italian Gianduia cake we brought along with us. I just didn't quite get it why the two boys didn't like the food... or are males really wired up for burgers and steaks? Oh but heck I liked it. I was the one paying for it, anyways so had to savor every morsel (including that of the bread... insulin spikes... my foot!)

Breakfast consisted of farmer's ham, an onion waffle and omellettes with a hot choco drink.

 Aside from the regular organic stuff you'd get to indulge in at the Farm's resto, they also sell homemade ice cream in fancy flavors. My particular favorites are the Spicy Ginger and Malunggay while the boys stuck to the "normal" familiar flavors of Chocolate and Ube. The hubby commented Malunggay flavor tastes like grass... I asked him if he had the opportunity to eat or taste grass before. He walked out on me. But hey. I was right in my argument!

The next itinerary at the Farm is to have a day tour of the place, which includes learning about bees and how to make honey. We were ushered to the bee garden and there we got the chance to learn, observe and even touch bees. The species they breed do not normally sting unless they are threatened, and all I can say is that a honeybee is fuzzy and wuzzy. There the boys learned that in the insect kingdom, females dominate the rest of the subjects. They got themselves busy looking for the Queen Bee while I secretly wondered to zap the rest of humanity into like bees so girl power can ultimately rule the world. Oh, and when a drone (read: male bee) mates with the Queen, he dies instantly after having an orgasm. Such a happy death.

Finders keepers, losers weepers: Find Le Queen.

The hubby wanted to be a beekeeper and live in the farm.

Queen Bee-tch in the house!

Beekepers.

Fuzzy and wuzzy just like a shaved head.

Bohol Bee Farm also offers a livelihood program to the locals in the vicinity, offering employment and income.

Some of the products made by the women at the farm out of raffia and rattan.

All in all, we had a good time savoring in the sights and sounds at the Bohol Bee Farm. We had a sumptuous lunch of honeyed chicken and red rice for the il rock dragon, baby back ribs for the hubby and seafood in coconut pasta for yours truly. Again, the hubby didn't like eating his salad coz he found it too exotic for his palate. I ended up eating it and ironically the flowers tasted like sweet leaves. 

Spicy chicken salad with organic flowers

If you want to get in touch with Bohol Bee Farm, you may visit their website at www.boholbeefarm.com

Would you like to know more about the birds and the bees? Ask Jollibee or Bumblebee.

2010 in Retrospect: Bohol! Bohol! Part 1

December 2010 was definitely the most stressful month of my entire career life. I was just recently transferred to another territory that basically threw my cortisol levels on overdrive. Fact: I'm based in the field so the pressure is crazier than normal office drones in the corporate hive. With days of insomnia and loose leaf teas, the hubby and I finally decided to have a getaway with our lil munchkin and spend the holidays in the island of Panglao in Bohol.

What the heck, I spent my entire incentive on the trip and opted to go full blast. This is the first and only time we will ever spend our holidays alone as one family so I decided to go all out. I'll earn the money back anyways.

This is also the first time my little rock dragon rode an airplane so it was really quite a feat for him and I was on the verge of fury and exhaustion when he started throwing tantrums on board because of the pressure in his ears. Luckily, he slept through it just when we landed in Tagbilaran Airport.

Rock Dragon giving his "thumbs up" after a breakfast of lolly and soda at the airport lounge. So much of a picky eater.

Gingerly anticipating the plane's take off.

 

Not so happy with the ears.

I've never been much happier with other local airline services, than with Philippine Airlines. Aside from the miles accrual by being a Mabuhay Miles member, the service is really different. I'm not against with any other airline provider out there, but I've always been partial to the country's flag carrier.

I got in touch with a travel agency online to avail of their services and tours in Bohol. My first ever Bohol trip in 2010 was last January with a couple of friends from work, but it turned out to be a massacre (story to follow in another post) and I only got to enjoy it when we separated from the group's resident tyrant (good riddance, you chink primate!) and decided to explore Bohol all to ourselves. That was the time when I decided I wanted to bring along my hubbydubby and rock dragon within the year. Getting the service of a reputable agency makes things a lot easier especially if traveling with a kid in tow. I wouldn't mind to pay a little extra for the comforts of a nice airconditioned transport and a friendly local guide/driver to make our holiday smoother and hassle-free.

But beware. Some agencies out there have hidden charges that they normally don't publish and then you get the surprise of your life when the tab comes and you see a surcharge for items they never tell you first hand. We actually went first to a travel agency stationed at an SM mall and asked for a quotation. I was horrified to find out tha tfor a 4D-3N stay at Bohol Beach Club flying via PAL, we were charged at around PhP 48,000.00 plus exclusive of tax and services charges and the tour is not yet included. I loudly complained to the travel agent who was looking at me disinterestedly... like, hello? I ain't gonna pay for THAT amount just to be sleeping at a standard accommodation! I'd rather backpack my way to Vietnam or Singapore, thank you. She quipped that it is still "negotiable" and asked for my email address and said she will notify me once there are price arrangements but I know she'll never do that. I wanted to strangle her with my LV bag straps when I left the shop. Bahh. Humbug!

Luckily, after much canvassing online, I stumbled through http://www.boholdaytour.com/ and immediately got in touch with the site admin. I was happy to have booked with them,  the rates are affordable within the budget AND with no hidden charges at all. The agent (and later I soon found out is also the owner) was very accommodating and completely trust worthy (send me a PM if you're interested to get in touch with him on your next Bohol get-away) that he never asked for a down payment upon closing our deal through email exchanges and text messages. The service is also really great, our tour guide/driver was very careful in driving and he catered to our wishes, even deviating from our planned itinerary for the day to do some errands like shopping for grocery items we need at the hotel.

Our first day in Bohol consisted of touring Tagbilaran City and a part of Panglao Island. We arrived at Tagbilaran Airport around 10:00 AM and our first pit stop is at Mag Aso Falls. It's around a 30-minute drive from the airport and really nothing special to see except for a steep (and slippery!) climb up and down the stone stairs just to get to the waters. The interesting fact about it is that the falls are actually surrounded by limestones (think: chalk) and the waters are really cold. My kiddo wanted to take a plunge when he saw the water but recoiled upon coming into contact with it and complained it's "too cold!" Harhar. Save for some Caucasians dating with some exotic local, we just opted for a photo op and proceeded to have lunch at a seafood/chinese resto in the city --- the place I really forgot where exactly it is coz I was sleeping all throughout the drive.

The steep AND slippery stone climb to and from the falls

No, they're not Korean nationals.

Our lil Rock Dragon was not too happy with the thought of not swimming here

"

Ryu: " Mooommm! It's too cold!!"

The Mag Aso Falls

Next destination in the itinerary is a tour of Tagbilaran City. Seriously... who needs a tour of the city? But since we needed to buy pasalubong for people back home in Manila, we decided to shop at Island City Mall in Tagbilaran. The city only has 2 big malls -- Island City Mall and the Bohol QM or Quality Mall. The cheaper-priced famous Bohol peanut kisses are not found in Aproniana Souvenir Shop or any other souvenir shops scattered in the popular tourist destinations elsewhere in the island, but are instead found in -- tada!-- groceries and market stalls. We scoured the place and asked for directions from the guards and I found myself hording 4 bagfuls of peanut kisses (retailed at P 7.50 each compared to P 10.00/piece outside, 1 bag contains 16 packs of the pastry and is only worth P 115.00 while it is sold at around P 120- 130 outside), and I was instantly drawn to the Piaya (an ultimate favorite) while my lil rock dragon is scratching his head for lack of milk pastillas in the grocery pantry --- he is a pastillas addict! We ended up giving in to his requests of riding a bump car for 20 minutes while I window shopped and found out that the mall is pretty much fine coz at least you get what you need and want from the shops inside; popular brands also grace the space so I think if I decide to play hermit in Bohol I could survive there. LOL.

The sun was quite moody during out Panglao Island tour, at one minute it was shining and then the next minute it was hiding and a drizzle was suddenly on us. So we decided to cut the trip short and forego with the  Hinagdanan Cave Tour (ugh I hate caves and bat droppings) and Panglao Watchtower (I didn't want us to be climbing up and down steep steps anymore) and just stick to what is near and more accessible. We went directly to the house of an infamous 63-yr old man who never seems to grow old due to a condition popularly known as dwarfism. Although there are many types of dwarfism, I was not able to take note of his coz I was busy looking after my lil rock dragon who is naturally a bully, for fear that he might do something untoward to the old guy. The 63-yr old dwarf is named Bayoyoy and is the third in his family to be suffering from such genetic defect. His sister was kind enough to let us play with him and took pictures. I was honestly not too happy with this visit, since I felt it was kinda awkward to make an ill person a center of "tourist destination" and make money out of it but since we were already there, I reluctantly obliged.

He was happy to be taller... oh my lil bully.

Curiously sneeking a peek

And yes, they made a "tarp" out of the poor man's condition

After saying our goodbyes to the kind family of Bayoyoy, we went to visit and pay our respects to the Our Lady of Assumption in Dauis Church. Bohol is quite popular with its centuries-old churches, and the locals are still able to preserve most of the original parts of these edifices, save for some minor re-painting and roof patchwork. The Dauis Church is actually my most favorite church in Bohol. There's a certain old world charm to the place, and the sprawling backyard lawn overlooks a part of Panglao Island's waters. The church is also famous for its natural spring water that is thought to be miraculous. The spring is surprisingly not in any way salty, given the fact that the place is adjacent to a body of seawater. And, much to my amusement... it's right in front of the altar inside the church itself.
Dauis Church is comparable to all the other Catholic structures found all over the province --- architecture is on baroque and neo-classical design but my most favorite part of all is the Cafe Lawis and the nice, cozy mini "park" found outside (which actually reminds me of The Mango Farm in Antipolo).

The famous spring inside the Church

Altar of the Our Lady of Assumption

Padre Damaso's pulpit where he gives out sermons on heaven, hell and indulgencias

Neo-Classical Baroque style painting of the ceiling

Rustic, Old World charm

These capiz lanterns provide lighting at night

Reminds me of The Mango Farm in Antipolo but this one has a splendid view of the sea

We didn't get to have drinks or dessert at Cafe Lawis coz we were still full from our lunch break. Instead, we went to an ostrich farm (geez, so sorry I forgot the name) and saw different kinds of wildlife including tarsiers and a pawikan. There were also wild cats and peacocks, to name a few. The tarsiers are housed in a separate walk-in cage together with a flying lemur. The hubby was the only one who got to enjoy, while me and lil rock dragon are already tired from the tour and wanted to rest.

The Ostrich Farm

The hubby lifting the farm's resident python

Up close and personal with an ostrich, the world's largest bird

some duck in the farm

It's actually not allowed to hold tarsiers, but the ones found in the farm are used to being handled by humans.

Our first day was already full, we ended up at around 4:00 PM and then decided to skip the other destinations in the itinerary and just proceed to our home sweet home for the next 2 nights in Bohol -- Bohol Bee Farm.

Separate post to follow.

Seeing the world through a tarsier's eyes... is not really nice.