Iloilo and Bacolod Baycay (Part 4 of 4)

Day 4 (Oct. 19) Bacolod:

After the all-niter w/ Manols I could barely keep my eyes open on the Weesam boat ride back to Bacolod. Still, it was the power nap I needed. The newlyweds picked me up and dropped me off my hotel, where I slept the rest of the morning and woke up a little after 3 in the afternoon. Not feeling particularly choosy, I walked to the nearby SM Departmart Store and bought-to-go a large thin-crust Classic Beef & Onion Shakey's Pizza for lunch. And as per my practice since I checked in I refilled my 1-liter Starbucks water bottle at the hotel bar's water cooler.

The portable DVD player was a godsend. I managed to catch up on movies (Redbelt; Bigger, Stronger, Faster; War, Inc.; Chicago 10, the first half of The Fall), TV series (Midnight Man; Sharpe's Challenge) and saw some of the local programming. Bel Galindez appears to be Iloilo's answer to Cory Quirino, w/ her own program giving lifestyle and feng shui tips, all while hawking vitamins and suppliments in front of a single camera and little by way of production value.

I joined the newlyweds later in the evening for one last dinner, this time a Japanese buffet (hmm, crab recipes...). Afterward I got to see their newly renovated home, a real "White House." (Insert bad-taste Mayor Sanchez joke here.) They got their own space away from Sen's 'Rents, separated by a garden w/ a waterfall. The space alloted for the library and gym on the second floor was huge, and beneath that lay the home theater room, where-- when done-- they plan to install an OHP and just play HD quality d-loaded flicks. Ah, progress. Too bad I didn't take any pictures.

Over the Hurdle and Into the Breach

While she wasn't able to make it to his nephew's birthday party at his house (had to mind the store from morning til lunchtime), he did manage to deliver her birthday present. Afterward he picked her up at the train station, one stop further than he expected. They went back to his place to hang out and w/ no concrete plans. Exercise? Watch a movie (Death Defying Acts) in 720p format via her laptop attached to the Bravia? Have some leftover party food? Whatever goes.

Well it ended up being the second and third one. While they stayed in later than expected, his Dad comes home and finally meets her. On the other hand he was in another room at the time, and as such was unable to make the formal introduction. Good thing Mom was in there to rectify the situation, and thus began the "formal" interview. She injected the few words of Fukien she remembered how to use (if not pronounce) while Dad struggled w/ his own Tagalog deficiency.

He finally managed to join them in the living room and sat on the adjoining sofa by her side. Every once in a while Dad would wave his hand dismissively at him when he tried to assist in answering his questions to her. Sometimes the questions got repetitive (boy, Dad really wants to know how many siblings her father has) and business advisor-ish ("Do you think your textile shop will do well in the long run?"). At one point she whispered to him, "Can we leave early?" He said, "Looks like you're staying for dinner." And she did.

Finally the baptism of fire was over. He could never be as in love w/ someone as he was w/ her at that moment. That post-Meet the Parents moment. She was so good to put up with this and come out unscathed. They stayed for dinner and had a nightcap at Starbucks.

At Starbucks in between laughs they talked about a sort of disciplinary test. They agreed to go cold turkey in terms of meeting up for the next 5 days this week until the big event they had planned for the weekend (aside from the Madagascar 2 IMAX screening). Texting's still allowed, otherwise no physical contact whatsoever. Also, usually she initiates phone-chat invites and goings out, but now it'll be his turn to ask. All in all she said it won't be easy for her. Meanwhile he has not been in a serious relationship since Ramos was president, so 5 days of absence makes the heart grow fonder come Day 6 for him.

Let the stakeout begin...

Iloilo and Bacolod Baycay (Part 3 of 4)

Day 3 (Oct. 18): Bacolod

I would have missed my 8:15AM WeeSam boat ride to Bacolod had it not been for a chance purchase of a would-be passenger's ticket who changed her mind about going. During the hour-plus-long trip I noticed the difference between Economy and "First Class" is the access of the latter to cushioned seats, red carpeting, air conditioning and a TV, all behind a closed door. Still, I paid less than 300 bucks and could get off the back of the boat before them. I was greeted at the local port by Beijinoy Bacolodians Bea, Angelie and JacJac. After breakfast at Beyz's Business Inn they took me around downtown, where vendors filled the sidewalks and people were making preparations for this evening's Masskara festivities. Beyz and JacJac got me a mini-mask.

There were stopovers at one of the downtown hotels that had a Masskara-themed art exhibit by the lobby, and at the Sugarlandia store where amidst the sinambags and kinamoncils they showed us one of the new products they'd be debut at the next food expo: the "healthy" barquillos. Whole wheat, untreated sugar, no high-fructose corn syrup, the works.

Our last stop before lunch was at the burned out Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson Mansion, now officially designated The Ruins. It reminded me of the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Macao, only instead of just the front facade the whole house-- albeit gutted-- was still standing. Main stairs to the second floor will end in a fast drop back to the first if you weren't careful. Surrounded by a lush gardens and grand fountain, it seemed an ideal spot for wedding photo shoots and outdoor parties.

Melissa managed to join us for lunch at Chicken House (I purposely avoided all Bacolod-themed chicken in Manila 'til I could taste the real thing), then we met up w/ Manol and his friend Janet (Tee Lim, artist and employed by the exclusive distributor of Yakult in Bacolod) for coffee and cake. When Manol asked me to stay overnight my planned day trip to Bacolod was--to my delight/dismay-- about to turn into an all nighter bar-hopping "adventure." Naturally I had to go back to the WeeSam ticket office to reschedule my return trip before I finally said goodbye to the girls as they dropped me off to meet w/ Manol again.

We checked out Janet's charcoal art exhibit at the nearby hotel before heading out again. The Masskara festival was in full swing, but we missed the motorcade and parade. In the downtown area (w/c looked like the rotunda in front of Binondo Church) crowds filled the streets, trees and amphitheater seats as they watched the finals of a group dance contest. They kept using the same song (a remix of folk tunes and hip-hop) but the costumed dancers and elaborate props kept things fresh. The heavy masks and mid-afternoon heat didn't ease matters on the dancers, as the former cut their faces while the latter had them passing out from exhaustion and subsequently brought to a makeshift emergency sickbay nearby.

As darkness crept in (at 17:30, oddly enough) we went to Janet's friend's dog show exhibition held at the golfing clubhouse. Milo the jack russell terrier (aka Frasier's and Stanley Ipkiss' dog in Jim Carrey's The Mask) was particulary talent, playing dead when you shout Bang and leaping on to her owner's shoulder on command like a giant hairy pirate's parrot. He was definitely more entertaining than that tiptoe-on-hind-legs, Frisbee-catching-from-3-feet German Shepherd. This dog won top prize at the TV5 show Talentado? That show's producers were had. Speaking of had, we had ribs for dinner.

After dinner we first went to Janet's place to pick up her dog then to Manol's house to freshen up before we headed out to check out the street parties. We watched live bands play while chugging Red Horse and scarfing fried peanuts. When Janet called it a night come midnight it was just beginning for Manol, and by extension myself. I got a chance to shower and borrow one of his shirts (it fit, thankfully) while being fascinated at his house, w/c seemed to be stuck in the late seventies. DC Superhero stickers (featuring Neal Adams art) on the closet doors. A multitude of Sanrio characters in the girl's bedroom wall. Old bottles of perfumes and cologne displayed behind glass doors. It's like someone took a picture of my old house in Padre Herera and stuck it here. But I digress.

We first picked up a couple of Manol's friends who also came in from Manila, and headed north for North, a club where Philip Morris was hosting a party. Pretty crowded, and main show stretch all the way out to the grassy outdoors, with only plywood walls painted blue separating us from the riffraff (and acting as a piss-wall for dudes). We ran into Beyz again, and I had my 2nd glass of beer, w/c I managed to stretch out during my entire time there. Clubbing isn't really for me. Whoo, 4:30AM, way past my usual bedtime. Coupla barhops, beer and something that tasted like a weaker version of Pina Colada later we were back at Beyz's hotel for breakfast. Didn't see the sun rise, but it was getting brighter outside. We made it back to Manol's where I managed about an hour's worth of sleep before his driver took me back to the dock for my morning WeeSam ride back to Iloilo. Hmm, his subdivision looks much classier (and way less creepy) in the daytime than it did last night.

Iloilo and Bacolod Baycay (Part 2 of 4)

Day 2 (Oct. 17):

Had a stroll around the block (or two) looking for a place to have brunch. After finding nothing to the left of the hotel a nice surprise awaited to the right of it: namely an SM Department Store. While I had a Big Mac meal across the street from SM the branch manager suddenly started a brief parlor game that reminded me of those inane gimmicks Cebu Pacific stewards would impose upon passengers in lieu of complimentary food and drinks.

AM's driver(one of them, anyway) picked me up at around 2:30, and after picking up 2 more guests (one of them speaking something that sounded Korean) we found ourselves at St. Joesph the Worker Parish for the Rafael (IV) - Fernandez nuptials.

Ceremony itself was pretty straightforward, and place wasn't packed, being a weekday and all. Christ and Chey acted as wedding paps to counter the other freelancing paps who approached Sen's mother Tita Melinda w/ a bunch of pix to peddle to her. I managed to sneak a shot in w/ the "Bride and Groom with Friends" part of the pictorial.

Hitched a ride w/ Christ and Chey's family, and we drove to a couple of lots, where Christ said they were having houses built, one of them being his new home. We headed for the reception at the Puerto Real Clubhouse afterward. Osram lights of the 700-watt range were set up for mood lighting, and obviously no-one took advantage of the swimming pools. The Claycakes Book-themed piece they ordered thankfully survived the trip, and it was bigger than any of us imagined. Rons later said if they knew the 10-books were gonna be so thick they woulda thought of titles for the spines. Surrounding the cake were souvenirs of small glass flowers, gel candles and bowls of pudding for the cake (w/c everyone who stayed after the ceremonies got to sample in all its chocolatey goodness). Unfortunately the secondary sponsors failed to execute the proper distribution of said souvenirs; so in the midst of the free-for-all-grab-'em, the bigger gifts for the principal sponsors (model seashell sailboats hidden under the wedding cake table) were inadvertently taken as well.

After everyone stuffed themselves w/ the buffet dinner (mmm, roast beef and various kinds of pasta...) the fathers of the couple gave their speeches. Rons' dad had one prepared but since he forgot his reading glasses he opted to improvise. On the other hand Arsenio Rafael III's eyesight was fine for reading out his piece, and he began by singing a couple of lines from Somewhere Over the Rainbow. This was followed balloon-themed games for the single-by-choice-or-circumstance guests (still think condoms for balloons wouldα've been funnier, if not totally inappropriate) and the First Dance, w/ Sen singing along to Lifehouse's You and Me as he cut the red carpet w/ his new bride.

Apologies for the Delay

Much to blog about, but w/ work and other projects, I can't do it all. So while what follows violates my no-posting-non-daily-life-related stuff-here-that's-what-the-other-blog-is-for rule, it's meant to tide you readers over 'til I get my shizzle together:

Michael Jackson's Thriller as a 64-piece acapella number:

Iloilo and Bacolod Baycay (Part 1 of 4)

Flew to Iloilo last Thursday to attend Arsenio and Ronstadt's wedding, and planned to visit the Bacolodians over the weekend.

Day 1 (Oct. 16):
Christian picked me up at the new (as in it wasn't there last year) Iloilo International Airport. We first stopped the newly expanded offices of AM Trading, where I called Dennis' cel and found out he never left Manila (way to waste plane fare, man). This turned out to be good thing because Century 21 Hotel gave me a room with a double bed. I planned to switch but changed my mind when I found out AM's footing the bill (You didn't have to, Senador, so thanks). In hindsight the rate they charged for a room without real blankets, pillow-covers, slippers and a weak air conditioner was a bit much. Good thing the gave AM Trading a discount.

Chirst and wifey Chey picked me up again for dinner. I have this habit of not remembering the names of the restaurants I go to when I travel outta town, unless I take a picture of said resto. Not to say that the food wasn't memorable (great salmon, great ribs), but I'm there for the company. Bride-to-be Rons was staying in the hotel across the street, but it seems the bad-luck-to-see-bride-before-wedding suspicion extends to wedding guests. We had a nightcap at Blue Jay, were I played one sachet of sugar too many in my mocha latte. After they brought me back to the hotel I finished the evening watching the BBC Series Midnight Man via the portable DVD player I brought along. Also wondered why all the cable channel selections seem better outside Metro Manila (oooh, F/X and Fox Crime! Endless sports channels! Sarcastic enthusiasm now!)

Game, Set, Match

They made it official on the 10th. It's been exciting, loving, intense, experimental, frisky, funny, relaxing... and nice, all at the same time.

Now for the 'Rents (his and hers) to get into the game...

Wednesdate

On the one hand he had to rush dinner, endure rude jeepney drivers to get to her place, almost slip on the algae-laced driveway AND misplace his 8GB thumb-drive* that contained the TV shows they were supposed to watch (good thing he brought a copy of Mrs. Henderson on DVD as a backup plan). The unprepared batch of Cadbury Hot Chocolate mix he brought was left as such, as well.

On the other hand they made out while attempting to concentrate on the dry comedic styling of both Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. The End.


*Still missing as of this entry. Did the car seat swallow it?!?

* * *

I would like to apologize to the Contessa for upsetting her and not knowing when to quit when it came to showing her the extent of how any of us (her in particular) are vulnerable to having our seemingly personal and private information open online for anyone who does a simple Google search. Stalkers suck, truly. Identity thieves, too.

Sundate

In the afternoon he drove to her place as promised. He tried to help get her Internet connection running by dial-up card (unsuccessful but tried again later) while drinking hazelnut vanilla coffee and scarfing porkball-flavored siopao.

After getting a brief tour of the ground floor of the house (lots of cars and empty aquariums), they hung out at the "prayer meeting room" where they watched episodes from latest season of Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. (He wanted to watch movies but her apparently socially-conscious laptop wouldn't play generic DVD-RWs.) Forsake the image of a couple cuddling w/ their backs turned to a giant wooden crucifix. It was nothing compared to that thing she does using just her nose that would make Inuits blush. (At this point further detail would be unseemly. Go look for Mills & Boon w/o the sap, while I go and pray I don't suffer brain damage or long-term memory loss. Only the Contessa gets details, and even then not everything.)

While "taking it slow" isn't how he'd prefer things at his age, he opted to go home for dinner and leave this afternoon's events as a moment in itself.

He once said, thought and believed that his Ex ruined him for other women. This one seems to be debunking that notion one meeting at a time.

Saturdate

He spent all afternoon (and early-late evening) w/ her at ChiliBucks, . Lunch (and dinner dessert0 at the first half. At the second half watched House and Chris Rock, sipped lattes and cuddled. Made do w/ the hard chairs since the college students virtually set up camp at the couch sections. She wanted to maximize her midnight curfew, but the lack of sleep on his part meant he'd be unable to give her his full attention all throughout. He brought her home around ten and drove home for some paracetamol.

She's free, staying home all day. She wants him to visit.