20 reasons I dislike the Philippines viral video: I am just saying…
I am a Filipino. And I love my country the Philippines. No doubt. But I am aware of the unlovable things my country has to offer.
James Sieczka, an American expat, recently posted his video entitled “20 Reasons I Dislike _____. (the Philippines)” on ChannelFix website and that went viral. (go to this link to watch the video) The video was shot in Cebu City and he discussed things he disliked about my country. To mention a few of his complaints: loitering beggars, the garbage on the streets, heavy traffic, filthy rest rooms, giant hole in the street covered by a metal drum etc. I agree with James and I believe that whatever he said on the video is just an honest opinion. Everyone is entitled to air out their own opinion. Right?
Manny Pacquiao VS Antonio Margarito Fight Fever
Manny Pacquiao VS Antonio Margarito Copyright by HBO PPV.
I am one of those people who has been sick of Manny Pacquiao VS Antonio Margarito Fight fever. I know I should have recovered since the fight was two days ago but for the sake of just talking, no one can stop me from blogging about the fight.
My prediction that Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will win the fight is correct after all. Though Margarito is bigger than him, I trust Manny’s intelligence in beating Margarito. As a cliche goes, small yet terrible. Manny is a natural fighter.
Beginning on the 4th round, Pacman was already a total win win. I did not expect that it would go up to 12 rounds though. Margarito’s perseverance is one of a kind. Well, it seemed to me that on the 12th round, Pacquiao was just playing Margarito and it was like he was trying not to hit Margarito’s face. Maybe Pacman was just kind enough to back off the fight. You noticed that, have you?
“It’s hard. I mean I really uh… do my best to win the fight. He is strong and uh… I mean, he is very tough fighter and I can’t believe it.” Manny answered when asked what was it like beating Margarito. While many people are looking forward for this, an interviewer asked what was his comment about a potential fight between him and Mayweather, “uh for me… I’m not scared to fight anybody as long as there is no problem with the negotiations with my promoter. That is my promoter job and I’m just a fighter to do my job and train hard for the fight.” – Manny answered elaborately as he can.
Well Congratulations to Manny Pacquiao for bringing home the title! He is the Legend Pinoy boxer.
Cebu – Bohol Sea fast ferries
If you ask me: how to get there in Bohol if you are in Cebu? Well, the answer could be either Supercat, Weesam, Oceanjet and Starcraft. These four big names are enough to answer that question, that literally means that you can ride in a fast ferry.
I don’t know… maybe talking about this would give my readers an insight what fast ferry to take if they are planning to go to Bohol. I am no tourist but I can give a review of these fast ferries.
SuperCat
Picture of Supercat in Tagbilaran City Pier
RATE (promo): PhP 500.00 (one way) / PhP 300.00 (return trip) – PhP 25.00 Cebu terminal fee & PhP 11.25 Tagbilaran terminal fee
You go to Cebu Pier 4 to take this ship. Supercat takes 3 trips daily from Cebu to Tagbilaran (vice versa). You can check the schedule in their website: http://www.supercat.com.ph/sched.asp?route=68#dtn Estimated Travel Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
COMMENT: This vessel had a lot of cancellation trips. I have my own share of frustration about their trip being cancelled. Also, this ship is late most of the time. My friend sometimes quote this vessel as Super Dog instead of Supercat… Super Dog… as in Super Dogay. LOL Well, past is past and I do not intend to pour out my frustrations. The accommodation is nice for their rate. The passengers are not crowded. You can relax pretty well inside the ferry. And I like their TV inside, the crew seems to be friendly.
Weesam Express
Weesam Express 7
RATE (promo): PhP 500.00 (one way) / PhP 100.00 (return trip within 3 days) / PhP 200.00 (return trip within 4 – 7 days) / PhP 300.00 (return trip within 8 -15 days) – PhP 25.00 Cebu terminal fee & PhP 11.25 Tagbilaran terminal fee
The ship’s docking place is in Cebu Pier 4. Weesam also has 3 trips daily from Cebu City to Tagbilaran City (vice versa). Estimated time of arrival: 1 hour and 45 minutes. For more information, you can call their hotline: Cebu City Ticket Office (032) 412-9562 / 231-7737 ; Tagbilaran City Ticket Office (038) 501-8223
SCHEDULE: Departure Cebu – Tagbilaran: 9AM, 2PM and 6:30PM ; Departure Tagbilaran – Cebu: 7AM, 11:20AM and 4:30PM
COMMENT: Weesam is my favorite fast ferry so far especially now that they are having PhP 600.00 promo. If you are a type of person who prefers to go with less crowded people, this ship is okay. The number of ship’s passenger is moderate. Just don’t let Supercat cancel their trips so their passengers won’t be transferring to Weesam. So far, I did not experience any delays. The TV inside is very old. I don’t like watching their movies. I would prefer to sleep with their level of entertainment. LOL
Oceanjet
The Oceanjet with pictures of Philippine tourism sites on its windows
RATE (promo): Cebu to Tagbilaran & vice versa one-way trip is PhP 500.00. Advanced purchased rates for one way or round trip tickets: ONE (1) day before departure date PhP 400.00 open air accommodation only; TWO (2) days before departure date PhP 500.00; ONE (1) week before departure date PhP 400.00; TWO (2) weeks before departure date PhP 300.00
This ship is found in Cebu Pier 1. It has 5 trips daily from Cebu – Tagbilaran (vice versa). You can check the schedule at their website: http://oceanjet.net/schedule.php?origin=Cebu&destination=Tagbilaran Estimated Arrival Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
COMMENT: Oceanjet is pretty successful in their promos. Because of their promotions, many people can afford. Because many people can afford, many passengers are waiting in line to get inside the ship. Its very crowded. The seats are pretty small especially in the “open air accommodation”. The TVs inside are fair enough. You can watch the movie if you want. The actual estimated travel time is usually for two hours. Well, I like Oceanjet because it has 5 trips daily which makes Cebu and Tagbilaran more accessible anytime and I like their promotional rates.
Starcraft
Starcraft speeding its way from Tubigon, Bohol to Cebu City
Starcraft is the only fast ferry that travels from Cebu City to Tubigon, Bohol and has an estimated arrival time of 45 minutes. This is probably the easiest and most convenient way to reach Bohol. But I live in Tagbilaran City this is the reason why I don’t ride in this ship and I don’t have any comment about this ship. LOL I will try Starcraft sooner…
I have done some research about the ship’s schedules and you can check it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iloilocity/4992862722/
So that is all for now folks! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. Thank you for reading.
Let’s eat at Larsian in Cebu City! Kaon na!
One thing remarkable about Filipinos is that they love to barbecue raw foods. Am I correct? To prove it: Is Lechon Baboy called a Barbecued Pig? Is Lechon Manok called a Barbecued Chicken? And to top it all, we have Lechon Baka, a roasted beef. And FYI, Lechon Baboy is our national food.
bar·be·cue [bahr-bi-kyoo]?verb (used with object) to broil or roast whole or in large pieces over an open fire, on a spit or grill, often seasoning with vinegar, spices, salt, and pepper. (Source: Dictionary.com)
Larsian located near Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City is a place for barbecue lovers. It has many different stalls selling the same foods: grilled chickens, fish, pork, beef etc. Since it has many stalls, competition is really tight. Just to warn you upon entering the said place, several vendors would scream at you just to get your attention and convince you to eat at their stall. You would become like a celebrity for a short while where vendors are like fans screaming for your attention.
Eating at this place would not matter if you are rich or poor. Each basically gets the same treatment. You can eat using your bare hands or you can use a spoon and a fork. Lovely because most Filipinos would prefer to eat without a spoon and fork. They just use a cellophane to cover up their hands. Pretty Pinoy culture!
Pictures of Larsian sa Fuente, Cebu City:
Pork Barbecue. PhP 8.00 each
Seasoned meat ready for roasting
Raw foods available for grilling
Preparing my sawsawan (dipping sauce)
Larsian sa Fuente an inside look
The table for eating.
Pork Barbecue sa Larsian.
Puso. Rice cooked and wrapped in coconut leaves.
Sprite and Coke are available as your drinks
The vinegar and soy sauce. Hot & Spicy?
For only PhP 53.00, I was able to satisfy myself and felt good. My stomach did not complain after eating the foods. So I can say the foods are definitely clean. The place is for people who does not have enough budget and who wants to hang-out for the whole night. The place is not for people who are maarte. Larsian is not for complicated people but for simple people. Foreigners who have tried eating balut can visit this place. Overall, this place is 100% Filipino.
Wave X invades Green Lagoon Park in Compostela, Cebu
We are nothing but a low level chat supports of a prestigious contact center in Cebu. Explaining a confusing bill, troubleshooting cable reception, answering technical questions, apologizing frustrated customers, etc… are the things we do have in common… part of our every night life. We call ourselves Wave X (10).
Life is getting stressful. We do not want stress. Who does? We want to escape from our job and love to commune with nature. (LOL) Right after our shift yesterday, we had this not-so-planned activity. We went to Green Lagoon Park in Compostela, Cebu. Since this was unplanned, we thought of the place because we considered our budget. Green Lagoon Park is not too far from the city, the entrance fee is only PhP 10.00/head, the fare from Cebu City to Compostela is not that heavy in anyones pocket. We only bought 3 pieces of Lechon Manok, 50 pieces of puso (rice wrapped in coconut leaves) and 4 1.5 liters of Coca Cola as serving for lunch.
Though the budget was cheap, we still managed to enjoy ourselves. I would like to take you a tour of the said place but before doing so, allow me to show you the members of Wave 10 who were able to join yesterday. To enumerate: Ryan, Joe, me, Carmel, (Carmel’s kids: KC and CJ), Elena, Leizel and Ronald.
Wave 10 beneath the surface and the sky
Wave 10 Kapamilya standing and sitting
Staring blankly except for Ronald
Wave 10 near the lagoon. CJ’s face is half. Cute.
Let’s tour Green Lagoon Park
Green Park Lagoon entrance
Our dramatic entrance.
The sea as seen near the receiving area
Sway. Feel the air. Juan Tamad mood.
The green lagoon
The water of the lagoon
The stage on the surface of the lagoon
This cottage is PhP 500.00 rental/day
We rented this cottage for PhP 250.00
The shower room, it is PhP 15/head usage
In the era when Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 15 lotion is discovered and we do not have money to buy one… Use your towel to cover from the heat of the sun. That is one great idea from Ryan and Leizel. Does my caption make sense? LOL
Bring all the members of the family and let\’s celebrate. The Unknown family about to settle in their cottage.
This is our cottage. Small yet it serves its purpose.
The gravels/rocks of the resort.
I don not know the name of this flower but it is lovely to look at. This ingredient surely makes the relaxing ambiance of Green Lagoon Park. Am I correct? or AM I CORRECT?
The coconut leaves.
If you prefer to sunbath, just sit on those benches.
The cheap and expensive sea vessels.
The ice cream business would surely benefit the place. Take that from this ice cream peddler who earned just by ringing her bell.
Innocent babies love to play in the beach.
Obey your thirst. Drink Coke (na lang).
The lovely yellow gumamela flower
Don\’t throw your trash anywhere because the ants will come out and will eat your trash.
People bringing their umbrella near the beach. It looks fun.
This was one of the funny things we shared yesterday. I don\’t know how Joe got this idea but he looks good-quite-funny in the picture? Is he trying to be a Buddha?
The beach is pretty rocky and some parts are composed of brown sands. You can perhaps play volleyball as shown in the back ground. I think this picture is good.
So these were just a few of the pictures I got. Hope you like them and I hope you have now an dea about Green Park Lagoon. For call center agents, you can hold your team building here without suffering your budget. So that would be all and thank you for reading.
Simala, Sibonga, Cebu: A Religious Tour
Yesterday, we went to Simala, Sibonga, Cebu. The place is known for the miraculous Virgin Mary where people usually prays for the success of their career. I am no big Religious man but I am strong believer of Christ.
It was Ryan’s birthday (my officemate) and he decided to go to Simala for a birthday prayer. He asked me if I can go with him. It was my rest day and I immediately said yes. I did not go there to pray but I went there just to see the place. You know, the place is famous.
So together with Ryan and Leizel, we left at around 11am from Cebu South Bus Terminal going to Simala. It is a 2 hour drive and PhP 50.00 if you ride in a public bus.
The buses of Cebu South Bus Terminal. This is where it all started. (N. Bacalso Avenue, Cebu City)
INSIDE THE BUS. Ryan, Leizel and me. To tell you, it is extremely hot (100 degree Celcius, lol) inside the bus.
The trip is like going from Tagbilaran to Jagna in Bohol. You will be engrossed with the surroundings while the bus is running towards Simala. Let me give you a short look.
Gaisano Fiesta Mall in Talisay. The color is very bright and yellowish orange? It will force you to notice it.
Is this Carcar City\’s version of Fuente Osmeña Circle? Well, whatever it is Carcar City has this interesting park.
Definitely not Cebu City but in Carcar City. What you see is what you think. lol
Carabaos for sale? I saw this in Carcar City. Not much of a city life.
Upon arriving in Sibonga, habal-habal and tricycle drivers would hop in the bus to negotiate a ride to passengers going to Simala which is few kilometers away from the highway. Junjun, a habal-habal driver was quite expert in his sales talk and he made us convinced. He was lucky enough to have us three. From Sibonga highway to the Simala’s famous landmark would cost another PhP 20.00 fare and would take around 15 minutes.
My first impression of the place was “Is this in Vatican City?”. LOL This landmark is actually a church. It was 12:30pm when we arrived there. We were hungry and decided to eat first. There is a mini market outside the church where most people sells Olive Oil which I do not have any idea what it is for. There are of course souvenir shirts, handkerchief etc for sale… Since it was hot, I bought a handkerchief for only PhP 20.00, I immediately used it to wipe all the sweats on my face.
This was what I saw the moment we took off from Mang Junjun\’s habal-habal.
Ryan and Leizel before entering the place. Good thing Leizel brought an umbrella.
The architecture is comparable to that in Vatican City, Rome. What do you think? Ryan is leading the way.
Even without the paint, the architecture is already interesting to look at.
You can see a lot of sculptures inside the monastery or church. In this picture is an angel, holding the sign board SACRED PLACE. Please respect. Yes, I am not Catholic but I give respect. Thank you for letting me visit the place.
Another very interesting part of the building is the terrace where it is overlooking the peaceful town of Sibonga. Notice the pointed pillars of the terrace. I wonder what would it look like during night time.
I am sorry for the dark picture. I am shy to activate the flash of the camera. But yeah these are people falling in line just to kiss, touch or pray in front the sacred statue of Virgin Mary.
This time, it is not a statue but a picture of Mary. The two persons wore a veil which I do not have any idea why. People would still fall in one just to be near this sacred illustration of Mary
The shiny floor of the monastery. Another sculpture of a Spanish/Portuguese looking guard displays in the receiving area. It is quite interesting.
A lot of paintings would be seen at the roof. If you are reading all the contents of the Bible, perhaps the illustration may looks familiar.
The guard told us to take the picture at the back. So this is way not too far at the back. Ryan is praying. Please do not disturb.
It was time for Leizel to open her heart to Mama Mary. She said to me before that she had lots of prayers to do. Surely, this was her perfect time to vent out her prayers.
The Virgin Mary as sculpted and as dressed in white gown. This is just one of the many sacred statues of Virgin Mary.
The pink and blue angels. For sure, they are not male and female as angels are sexless.
This is one of the sculptures that are enclosed in a transparent cabinet. I took this picture because many of them were unfamiliar and this was the only one that I recognized. This is the Holy Family – Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Am I correct?
I do not know the stories of each people visiting the place. All I know is that they needed help. They all cried out for Mama Mary’s help. They all want to talk about their life with Mama Mary. This is a closer look of people praying in front of Mary\’s statue..
Inside the place are cabinets of letters, medals, nurse\’s cap etc.. I read one of the letters and mostly are a message of gratitude. Mary answers prayers.
There were also lots of candles being lit and unlit. Usual things you see in a Catholic church. I would prefer to pray in front of the candles, you would feel the heat.
It is not yet painted as you can see but it is already good. I wonder how a beauty queen would take down the stair case. It would be a major major dramatic exit.
I kinda like the cross being at the top of the pillar. This makes the architecture of the monastery quite unique.
The roof is filled with paintings. The sacred altar. The people who are praying. Typical Catholic church.
This is the altar of the church. Very sacred.
So that was the tour of Simala’s landmark, MONASTERY OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST – Marian Hills, Lindogon, Simala, Sibonga, Cebu.
I appreciate the way the people goes just to show their devotion to Mama Mary. The temple is creative. God would be happy to know that His people build a church like this to maximize His Kingdom. Though God does not require the church to be this creative, I think this is helpful for most believers… it gives the appetite to come back and view the place.
I like the place. I like the sculptures, it always brings out the creativity of the people. However, the truth always prevails. Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life. God is only one – God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So brothers and sisters, keep the true faith.
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