A day at Timezone in BQ Mall, Tagbilaran. It’s good to go out with those young ones!

Yum-yum, ice cream!

Bang bang at the lobby!

Today is the birthday of my younger brother, Richard Powell Tirol Dumagan. We call him Kuya P.R. (because R.P. are obviously the famous initials of Rebublic of the Philippines). To his friends and some relatives, he is Richard. I guess, for him, it doesn’t matter — on how people call him, as long as you don’t bluff about it.

He is biologically turning 20 today. And while there are conventional birthday celebrations, P.R. does not have any celebration today, with his family. He is attending to his SBMA Duty, in Clark, Subic. There is even no way we could contact him since cellular phones (the very least) are not allowed while they are inside the Philippines Merchant Marine Academy. Well, at least when he is aboard. We’ve tried to call him but apparently his cellular phone isn’t turned on. Instead, we left birthday greetings via sms hoping that by May 11, Monday (during his liberty), he can still receive our messages.

To my brother, Kuya P.R., Ate (and the rest of the family) is so PROUD of you! You have achieved so much already and I know you will still have much more to come. I know it. Your dedication and perseverance to survive is much more enough for you to surpass the 4-year really tough challenge in the academy. And as my birthday wish for you, I’d like to say:

I wish that your wish will come true and that you will have many candles to blow. (Yes you will have many candles to blow!)

Happy Birthday Kuya!

After spending Valentine’s Day in San Narciso, Zambales, we had decided that before proceeding back to Manila, we stop by in Subic. Early morning today, we readied ourselves for our trip. We only got four hours of sleep because of the party in PMMA. But we had to get up early and pack up because it took hours to travel.

It was only when we were in Subic had we decided to go to Zoobic Safari (and not in Ocean Adventure). The locals there recommended Zoobic over Ocean Adventure. The reason was left unasked, though I know it was a bias opinion. But never mind it, we proceeded to Zoobic via van. Yes, in order to get there, one must rent a van if you don’t have wheels on your way there. One-way ride cost P500 that means for a round trip, it was a thousand bucks already.

Raaarrrrr!

When we arrived there, we got a ticket for three (because we were three, obviously). Zoobic Safari’s highlights are as follows: Zoobic Park, Savannah, Serpentarium, Croco Loco, Rodent World, Aeta Trail and Show, Animal Photo Opportunities, Animal Show, animal rides, and the most famous Tiger Safari. All worth the visit!

I was more than excited to go home! It’s been awhile staying in Manila and while it was in the start, it has been a whole heck of a missing process. I miss Bohol so much that I thought to myself, no matter where I go, I’ll always go home to where I belong: Bohol. Here’s a picture my brother took while we were boarding the plane:

Getting ready for aboard

During my 9-day vacation in Bohol, I did what I usually do when I was still based there. I missed my dad so much. And it’s given. I’m always a daddy’s girl - always have, always will. Of course, I was delighted to see my youngest brother, Ian, who has now grown so tall but his attitude still remains the same. He will always remain the “bunso” in our family. He’s still the mild and carefree Ian I have ever known. He still insists for asking money up to the point of resorting to coins if I don’t give him bills. I often exchange a peso coin to a kiss. Then he’d say, okay then kiss me twenty times so he’ll get P20. It’s funny how an 18-year old man deals to us for his contentment. I visited my friends too. In fact, I attended the church wedding of my most favorite teacher in high school, Sir Jenelou John F. Israel. He is finally wed to Miss Yoradyl Espejo. At last! After more than 7 seven years of love and engagement.

Also, I had a short time of reflection in my beloved hometown, Batuan. I always love strolling around and basically do nothing. Like the picture below:

Vacation is not complete without you

Now that I am back in Manila, I can’t help but think and plan of my next visit in Bohol. Hopefully by the end of this month. I wish to attend my town’s annual celebration, the Guimbawan Festival

Firstly, i thank my friend and my mentor kuya doctor arnell baguio for sharing to me his ideas on what i wrote the other day. now, i am sure that potpourri is double r.

Secondly, i thought about what you told me, it made me think too (hehe, seriously, ehem), “which is worth the while (baguio, friendster msg, oct{am i citing it correctly?}):
“working or having fun… perhaps it’s hard to have both at the same time huh? Some people say that to love what you do, you have to do what you love!”

…and certainly you are right doctor arnell. that’s why i am very strong in my desire to really push for higher studies. yes i’ve got work (and not just one, but 3). i am well-compensated (in the country’s conversion), i think (ive actually convinced myself i have or else i would commit harakiri), ive practically been using my time very well, but see, it’s all about these stray jobs i’m having. i mean, im trapped in boredom because of my routine. at first i thought it was worth the wait (for next year’s school to start) but now, nah, ive been thinking of doing something else, something really i love doing: events and organizing, public relations, human resources.. but above all, i wanna be atty yes. soar high yes. who knows you might get it — both — doing what i love to do.

Thirdly, i got my hair kinky! again, last year, i had it done twice. now, i had it again. just for a change. just adding some hot and spicy stuff in me.

God always gives us a reason to smile and be happy each and every day no matter how bad our days went, no matter how exhausting we became. This is what I have proven to be genuine after series of ups and downs that I’ve been through this summer.

While most of us may have spent there summer in resorts and other past time places, hang out with friends and relatives and even tried out a new “recipe” to make oneself entertained for the whole stretch of the season, I have done the contrary of it. I must admit that even I, myself, am not used to in this kind of set-up we now have as a family. But, sincere as I am, I can always see hundreds of reasons for me to be grateful for the great things that come our way, actually, my way.

In my twenty years of existence, I can always say that He has set plans for me to become a better person. Like all of us, my experience has been so rich that in every contour that I meet along my way, I always find straight paths despite some rocky roads so I can continue my journey. Yes, it may be difficult and struggling at times but a brighter phase always awaits us, clearer on the other side, however. All we have to do is to work out on it and continue to hope for the best to come. Because when it rains, it pours.

Contrary to what you have in mind, my summer nevertheless has never turned boring and dull. I am grateful that by this time, while my father is actually rehabilitating from an ailment and is soon to get well, I experienced a greater sense of love and loyalty towards my family and friends. In these hard times, blood is, without contest, thicker than water. My family had experienced adversities in life, conflicts with and among each other primarily due to clashes of their varying principles and beliefs and contradicting views on things. For long years, they have been so cold with and among each other that such a feeling has transcended even to the roots of the family members. Even down to us, their offspring. The relationship was stationary over a period of time. But that was before. Now, everything has changed. And such change is ignited by one sacrificial lamb in the person of my father. The broken bond has been restored and now is on its way to revitalization for a new life for a new, stronger tie between and among its members.

This is always my aspiration for my family and I know that I share this very same desire to every one else in this world. After all, we all live to be happy, to love and to be loved. This is one ultimate plan of His Almighty for us. Let us live for it, let us live it.

It is my first time spending holy week away from my home. And the feeling is just so different. Before, I used to be with my family and friends sparing the whole stretch of the week, devoting on the Christian practices of commemorating Jesus’ last few days. A week or so prior to that, everyone is aware of the undertakings for the holy week so that by that time, everyone is ready, everything is set. – no worries to think of, no qualms to bother. To say it aptly, holy week means the perfect time for reflection, a time for one to seek inner peace and solitude, a time for one to listen to the mocking of his heart, capture that feeling of fickleness and disclose it from all the hustles and bustles of life. It would also mean an occasion for recollecting our experiences as deeply affected and influenced by people around us. Evaluate each of them. Let them be the bases for one’s struggle for improvement. Much more to that, it is also a great time to connect with God in a more intimate level by filling the temple of one’s heart with His over-powering glory. Yes, by all these means, we recognize our own shortcomings and acknowledge God as our personal savior. Again, these were all products of the conventional way of celebrating the holy week…and I used to practice that before.

But also, the world taught me an alternative, beyond the typical, on how to spend it, now, away from home. Spare me if you think I am disdainful for if you think I am then allow me to justify my stand. I permit you to judge me in the end. What I am trying to say is that everything in my life now especially as a student is so quick and abrupt. My mind is so preoccupied with demanding university requirements and activities, stressed with tons of reading materials, strained with heaps of papers to work on and of course hassled with the ever-so-dreadful finals week before the term ends that I even only have less time for myself. I am too attached with these serious activities that before I knew it, holy week’s here.

But what am I doing right now? I am inside my room, attending to every material that relates to the academe; though I am not alone with this remorse, as everyone else’s too in here has the same state as with me right now.

And where is the sense of reflection and recollection in the picture? Well, I believe that the only thing that keeps us all going despite this hectic schedule is the fact that God exists and that He cares for us. His Divine Presence continues to dwell in our hearts. Yes, through believing in Him, things don’t have to stay complicated anymore.

Things don’t necessarily have to stay straight and conventional anymore. What matters is that we recognize our incapacities; we acknowledge His sovereignty and submit our entirety to Him, most importantly by keeping our constant faith in Him.

I’ve realized it is not of spending the holy week with whomever that matters. As long as you are aware of your relationship with God, then spending it elsewhere in whatever way won’t make you less of a Christian and a believer on the Most High. Through faith in Him, He can infuse our hearts with His life. And that’s how He can infuse the world with life: one heart at a time. This we find true meaning for commemorating the holy week (though I should give credit to the religious ways of spending it).

Now, I would like you to use your imagination:  Imagine you only have one week left to live, and you know it.  What do you do?
Some might say, “I guess I would want to know how God would want me to live it.”  Fortunately, we do know… Of course, as all the other clichés go, it all depends on you…Let us not forget, however, to reach out to Him.

God always gives us a reason to smile and be happy each and every day no matter how busy or relaxed we are, no matter how exhausting we become. This is what I have proven to be genuine after series of ups and downs that I’ve been through this summer.

While most of us may have spent there summer in resorts and other past time places, hang out with friends and relatives and even tried out a new “recipe” to make oneself entertained for the whole stretch of the season, I have done the contrary of it. I must admit that even I, myself, am not used to in this kind of set-up we now have as a family. But, sincere as I am, I can always see hundreds of reasons for me to be grateful for the great things that come our way, actually, my way.

In my nineteen years of existence, I can always say that He has set plans for me to become a better person. Like all of us, my experience has been so rich that in every contour that I meet along it, I always find a diversion so I can continue my journey. Yes, it may be difficult and struggling at times but a brighter phase always awaits us just on the other side of it, all we have to do is to work out on it and continue to hope for the best to come. Because when it rains, it pours.

Contrary to what you have in mind, my summer nevertheless has never turned boring and dull. I am grateful that by this time, while my father is actually rehabilitating from an ailment and is soon to get well, I experienced a greater sense of love and loyalty towards my family and friends. In these hard times, blood is, without contest, thicker than water. My family had experienced adversities in life, conflicts with and among each other primarily due to clashes of their varying principles and beliefs and contradicting views on things. For long years, they have been so cold with and among each other that such a feeling has transcended even to the roots of the family members. Even down to us, their offspring. The relationship was stationary over a period of time. But that was before. Now, everything has changed. And such change is ignited by one sacrificial lamb in the person of my father. The broken bond has been restored and now is on its way to revitalization for a new life for a new, stronger tie between and among its members.

This is always my aspiration for my family and I know that I share this very same desire to every one else in this world. After all, we all live to be happy, to love and to be loved. This is one ultimate plan of His Almighty for us. Let us live for it, let us live it.

Just last Sunday evening, my whole system already breathed for Bohol. Imaginations stroke my every mind as I wander on every little detail I cherish about the place that I always look back. I could not wait for Monday to come, I said to myself. I could not wait for tomorrow, I sighed. But then again, the very problem I had at that time (if you would credit it as one) is to wait for only a matter of hours and woosh! Bohol!

It’s good to be back in Bohol. After a quarter-semester long here in UP, it’s just so good to be back in the place where every UP friend that I now have always longed to visit.

I remember a good friend of mine who happened to be my classmate in one of my speech classes. By the very moment that she learned that I come from Bohol, she was like: “Bohol (two eyes popping..no joke!)! I love Bohol…The beaches and the dolphins and the tricycles (pronounced as traysikels)” And she started telling to me and to the whole class her experience in the place. She even stressed that she preferred Bohol over Boracay – Bohol’s fresh, Boracay’s too commercialized’ Bohol has genuine nature, Boracay’s urbanized. And spontaneously, the whole class was turned into the tune of Bohol. For them, and of course for me, the place is just so unique, so definitive. And I can’t help but brag about everything about the place!

And Monday came. And it’s eight in the morning. The plane’s ready to depart for Bohol. Although I left U.P. as early as four thirty in the morning (I’d to travel early because traffic’s building up outside the vicinity, people had been massing up for SONA) and it was a very early time for me, I made sure that I will not be able to sleep during the whole trip. I saw to it that I will not miss the very first glimpse of Bohol from an aerial perspective. Oh, how I miss Bohol.

And it’s past nine in the morning. And the plane’s landing. Finally, I’m home, I said to myself. The very first thing I did, I roamed over Tagbilaran for an hour-long just to satisfy the euphoric feeling I felt at that time. I was very excited of the yearly Bohol Sandugo Showcase so that I immediately went on to CVSCAFT’s block just for me to know that it was moved to Tagbilaran’s “baywalk”. I decided to hold for awhile such feeling of excitement to check for some Bohol products in the showcase because the whole part of me can’t wait but travel to my hometown, Batuan. The very reason I went to Bohol on the first place was to celebrate the town fiesta with my constituents. Together with Bohols’ Sandugo Celebration, Batuan also is celebrating its yearly town fiesta in honor of Saint James, The Apostle. I flee all the way from UP to Bohol at those very weekdays since I was asked to host the main event of the fiesta. Of course, the night was memorable to everybody present there. The night was perfect. Everyone enjoyed.

Wednesday came. And I have to leave. No sad moments for me. One, I saw my family and friends, well and good. Two, I was able to attend two big celebrations, the province and the town-wide fiestas. Three, the longing I felt for Bohol had been contingently halted, I once again was able to feel Bohol’s breeze; I breathed Bohol’s truest.

Now I clearly understand the adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

During my childhood days, I always thought that this saying simply implied maintaining one’s condition loud and sound for him to keep him from the doctor. I always thought that the doctor is the hospital; if you get admitted in the hospital, it means losing your money to nothing but to the funds of the infirmary. And I cannot let this happen. As much as possible I would like to keep my body strong and healthy so I could use the funds instead to buy me stuff that I need – that was what I learned from my mother, who, from the very time I know the world, continues to feed me with all her “practicality” and “economizing” tips. And my belief to that saying kept with me through the years until I got to realize that it was only the half side of the coin that I was seeing.

This midsummer, I have this eye-opening experience which shook me to remember the maxim again: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Since I have to visit the hospital regularly these days (my father’s scheduled for a therapy at least thrice a week), my encounter to the hospital personnel has been quite frequent too. I have these “black and white” encounters with these persons (maybe I should blame it to the Theory on the Unity of the Opposites). Of course, let me give the credits first to the persons whom I talked and consulted for quite a number of times who have, with no doubt, showed their continued concern to assist each and every patient who needs their therapeutic advises. I definitely salute to these people who value service who remain true to their vows first more than anything else. These persons are the very people I considered noble, thus I consider them our everyday heroes. That’s the pleasant experience I considered “white”.

The “black” side is the quite a sad fact that you still have to “prove yourself worthy” for them for you to be able to be treated humanely. There are these personnel who treat you very unfairly with respect to the amount you are paying to them and with what the hospital and the community expects them to render service to their patients. It is so depressing because these people think that they are the only authorities in their field and any “common” people who ask for their consultation means absurd for them, as far as I observe how they talk and give advice plus how they extend their arms that augment to their gloomy faces and shrieking voices. Swear, so that if you see these type of people for the first time you will really get intimidated with them.

This case, however, is not only true here in Bohol but with what I experienced in Manila. In UP, there are jokes about our University Health Service or our Infirmary. People always say the term “infirmatay” instead of Infirmary because according to the people who seek the hospital’s service (plus my first-hand experience too), they have to suffer first, worse, they may even die before the staff attend to them.

Now I realized that the saying metaphorically means an alternate for one to stay out of the “horrible” doctor or else…you’ll surely find yourself horrified.

In my part, I’ve been keeping my composure every time I encounter these people. I feel that they just lack skills in interpersonal rapport. I can’t blame them anyway, they’re locked out with books and medicines during their preparation stages. But still it’s not an excuse, if they could not feel the patients’ emotions at least they should pretend to feel it. In that way, it will give the patient an inspiring reason for them to be hopeful for their quick recovery.