Busuanga Blog, Day 1 (of 3)

FRIDAY, June 24, 2011: Arrived at the airport an hour earlier than needed, but that was fine, as I saw the congested Cebu Pacific check-in lines were taking up most of everyone else's waiting time, as opposed to AirphilExpress' near-ghost town number of people in queue.  I had time to eat a semi-decent Japanese lunch while listening to Robopocalypse in audiobook form.

June Jumps

June 10: I believe this was the first night of Dee arranging a outing w/ her circle of friends and family.  Our initial outing took us to Power Plant Mall, where she and I had cheesesteak sammiches for dinner (Kester went for Japanese), then we all watched X-Men: First Class.  The nightcap was at Good Earth instead of Barcino because Mare wanted beer, not wine. 

Breasts 2.0

Nobody'll recognize me!

The following is my solicited but unpublished magazine article on How Men Really Feel About Breast Implants.  (Images taken online and modified totally w/o permission.)--

NOTE: Some of the names of the men interviewed have been changed to protect their Facebook profile pages from possible wife/girlfriend/mistress reprisals. 

A Letter From (and To) My Future Ahijada

Received tonight:

Hello! My name is Mireia and I was born last May 27 weighing 2.85 kg. As I was in a bit of a hurry to see the world, I arrived 3 weeks before the expected due date. :)

My reply:

Darnas, Wonder Women and Storms, Oh My!

Darna's so shy.

Not often I post on something somewhat work-related, but you'll see why inna bit.

Holcim Cement Corporation hosted a dealers rewards night in at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City, not to be confused, said the tour guide, w/ the Waterfront Hotel in neighboring Mactan. Being my first time here, that was unlikely to happen.

May Pahabol

Fellow otakus Jenn & Lola
(Zombie at Tiffany's shirt by Threadless.)

May 7: Local comics fandom is slowly but surely gaining ground to a point where the local conventions are charging triple digit prices. Case in point: went w/ Jennifer Chua to the Metro ComiCon at Megamall and was shocked to see tickets going for 120 bucks! Perhaps it was to fund the raffle or maybe to pay a partial appearance fee for David "V for Vendetta" Lloyd, but the latter's unlikely because National Bookstore was the one who sponsored him. No gems for me in the back-issue bins, but Jen bought a copy of VforV and got Lloyd to autograph and sketch on it for her.

April Assembly

From L to R: Tuesday, Dindo, Jayford, Ryan,
and Jill, w/ George behind the camera.

April 2: Potluck Krav Maga party at the gym, so I brought 2 party-size Shakey's pizzas that disappeared in less than half an hour. The highlight of the party was Ryan Cruz's close-up magic tricks. I know I've seen them done before in Street Magic's Secrets Exposed, but it's still entertaining to see, especially the look on the volunteer's faces when they're stumped with either shock or awe. I'd post a sample vid if my internet connection was faster.

March Mental Notes

Not willing to share that last piece of Mango Bravo.

March 4: Newlyweds Gaile and Howard held a despidida dinner party for Tata at a friend's condo in Makati. It was my first taste of a fondue dinner, as well as cooking steak cubes, vegetables and tuna in a small pot of superheated oil. Other things I learned that evening (owing to me not be a general snoop on people's private lives)-- Tata's bisexual, and Jac's her girlfriend.

Portrait of Wedding Guests.

Feb Follow-Up: Gaile's Wedding; Ana G's 31st

My "godcousin" Gaile Robredo got married to her boyfriend Howard Vitas. Attended the wedding in Naga City. The first picture wasn't planned, just good timing. There's a whole soap opera scene happening here.

Tripping Over Taiwan, Days 5-7 (aka Wrap-up)

Me protecting a fake Venus statue's dignity at HaiBao Pearl and Jewelry.

Dad staring at the Spring and Autumn Pavilions. I entered the Dragon's mouth and climbed all the way to the top (or at least up to the floor where the gate wasn't locked) before getting tired of the view and exiting via the Tiger's mouth.