ZaNorte travels

The trip to the west coast road in Mindanao, practically covering most of the Zamboanga del Norte region is a favorite, maybe because it was the first. Some portions of the road are whack but the paving is gathering up speed so I hope to see travel next time minus the vehicle massage. A portion of the entire stretch of the west coast road remains problematic because of lawless elements. We weren't allowed to pass through it, which is not possible anyway because of its condition. We pass through some very far-flung areas, barefoot children marvel at the sight of muddied pick-up.

A fishing are nearing Dakak resort

Shot while standing in front of Rizal's Dapitan residence

A portion of the Zamboanga Peninsula, shot along the mountainous road in Baliguian town

A small village in the town of Siocon, ZDN

Nope, the world has not tilted to a degree. The tricycles in Pagadian are skillfully built
to match its inclined terrain.

Runway of the Dipolog airport

Students brave the difficulty and danger of transportation to get back home
in this sleepy town in Zamboanga del Norte.

A shore somewhere between the towns of Liloy and Labason, ZDN

This ship sails alone while the sun sets somewhere between Liloy and Labason, ZDN.

Dried fish lines up some of the streets in Pagadian. Don't miss to bring them home.

A man sits relaxed on a furniture seemingly newly-bought on top of tricycle. Somewhere in Midsayap.

On the sublime

We say we are speechless, breathless. Or, we suddenly coat our tongues with adjectives that never really surmount a beauty unfolding. Both are clichés really. But which cliché do we turn to, when we are dwarfed by awe, with something immaculate? Jeez, immaculate is an adjective.

"Sublime places repeat in grand terms a lesson that ordinary life typically introduces viciously: that the universe is mightier than we are, that we are frail and temporary and have no alternative but to accept limitations on our will; that we must bow to necessities greater than ourselves. " - Alain de Botton

4th photo courtesy of The Islander

Her majesty.

Munai

It’s almost unlikely to hear Chris Brown or Beyonce over the vehicle radio, which was showing signs of dead air, as we inch closer to Munai in Lanao del Norte. But to think such would be succumbing to the usual backwardness and ignorance of the “central people” about Mindanao who are “too cool to care”. (May Philhealth ba kayo d’yan? Pano kayo gumigimik?)

We are “massaged” inside the vehicle by extremely rough roads. There is nothing to be seen but tall coconut trees, smoky air coming from copra burning against the morning Munai rain.

Munai is almost cloistered, so when you see bullet holes perforating the municipal hall, you can’t quite imagine that heavy gunfight last August 2008 once ruled over its relative calmness, with 23 out of its 26 barangays severely affected.

A view of Munai from the top of the municipal hall, and children.

How do you break free without breaking apart?

Apparently, they have the answer. Much as I wouldn't want to talk Oscars... Ok, whatever, let me post this fantastic photo instead of one of the most indubitable tandems, real-life at that, of 2008. Vanity Fair released this, and other actor-director tandems, weeks before ceremonies, but I'm posting it now.

Due to insistent public demand, or rather, due to a demand made publicly (hi Andy, hehe), I'm posting also the Woody-Penelope photo. What conjures up your mind?

Big shit

I was twice introduced as Jay, the big shit of *mentions the office I'm working with*. I wasn't taken aback really. In fact, it was sort of amusing. The cordial exchanges ends with more laughs.

Recently taken from a presidential suite of an expensive (understatement) hotel here (perks, perks, perks), this photo doesn't really say how much of a big shit I am. In fact, I'm that proverbial speck, oblivious and marginalized.
(TY to my colleague Jong for including me in the frame.)

Give me a break. Puhleeez.

Tired, exhausted and still working. Been to Butuan and Cagayan de Oro cities for the past three days for the Northern Min leg of our MICT 2007 roadshow and consultations. Thank God for the nice beach front in Medina and the ancestral house of Mr. Fournier, I forgot about my headaches and the impending resignation. More about it on the next entry. Kapuya jud oi. Meanwhile, I finally bluetoothed the pictures I took from a camera phone of our short visit to my deceased mother's hometown in Man-ay, Davao Oriental during the Holy week. It took 15 years after me and my siblings got the chance to go back there again. I wonder when will be the next.

We crossed about 5 swamps with strong currents and endured the searing heat of the huge stones (walked barefoot) before we got to climb the hill on the next photo.

The hidden lagoon. One of the most beautiful sights I laid my eyes on. And no entrance fees.

And of course, the falls. The first one is second to the topmost falls, which we didn't reach because it's steep and slippery. I tripped and cut my foot several times.

The white sand beach effortlessly named as "White Beach resort".

i want to get away...

Despite the demands my work has posed, especially the year 2006, I savored the times I roamed Mindanao as if it were just blocks in a village where meet your different street friends. The working conditions in the office makes you want to bark like a dog so getting out of it is a real relief. Despite going to places for a specific and work-related reason, I still had to make the most out of it. Because, I may not be coming back in a long, long time.

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This was taken at the Zamboanga museum, with the remains of an old spanish building. January 25, 2006

This was taken on a Sunday at the Zamboanga Ecozone, the day before we went back to Davao. The place is being groomed to become an industrial hub with a little push in investment promotions. September 3, 2006

My favorite photo that I have taken is a glimpse of the Cebu skyline during dusk, while overlooking from the 11^th floor of the Cebu Midtown Hotel. July 31, 2006.

Whoever thought Dapitan was boring. A shot of one of the portions of Gloria de Dapitan, both a commercial and entertainment center of the city. September 28, 2006

Waking up in Dakak. September 25, 2006

prelude to a suicide

You can never attain genuine happiness in this world. Tell me.

battle at Iwo Jima

I love this picture. I came across this in some encyclopedia in the library some time in college, I think, and I didn't imagine that a movie will make a subject out of this stunning portrait of war. (Anyway, who does not feast on war?) Although it's very American, this photograph of the flag raising at the island of Iwo Jima during the WWII taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal carries a very universal theme on war - something that transcends every nation of this world.

Flags of our Fathers opened yesterday in Davao theatres.

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