Ilocos trip: A Side Trip from True Work

For the past years that I have been working, I have the opportunity of visiting famous places, from way North (well, not Aparri) to down South (not Jolo either). However, this past month was different from the other month, since this time, I am not working as hard as before and I just accompanied one of Agencies when they are doing the true work.

On the middle week of July, I have the opportunity of visiting Ilocos region. Despite the heavy rains pouring on the region, I believe that it won't stop me in visiting two heritages in the region: the Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte and Vigan Heritage Site in Ilocos Sur. I have to visit these two sites, no matter what. Sadly, Pagudpud does not belong on my must-see visit during the rainy season since it is hard to photograph the windmills and all.


1ST STOP: BALUARTE, VIGAN CITY, ILOCOS SUR

Since this is a side trip, we have to manage our time well. I decided, I will be visiting Vigan for a day, since it offers more sites than Ilocos Norte. I rose up at 6:30am, got dressed and went out of Isabel Suites by 8:00am.

From Isabel Suites, we rode a tricyle to Partas Bus Terminal. They have trips to Cubao every hour and you can just ride these buses on your way to Vigan.

You will arrive in Vigan Centro in about 2 hours, and you will see Vigan Cathedral upon getting off the bus. We decided to take lunch before we proceed to Baluarte and Vigan Heritage Site.

After having lunch, we rode a tricycle from Centro to Baluarte, Chavit Singson's mini-farm located in Brgy. Tamag, Vigan City. It take you 15-20 minutes from the Centro to the gates of Baluarte. There is no admission fee when you enter Baluarte. According to the staff we talked with, this is Governor Chavit's gift to the Ilocano's.

Upon entrance, you have two options in covering the 8 hectare farm and zoo - by your own feet or you can ride the free service. I highly suggest you take the service, its free anyway. Their service - a mini pony with steel calesa. I believe this will fit two persons at a time, and can transport you to the ostrich and camel side of the farm, quite far if you decided to walk. The calesa will also transport you back to the entrance where you can start the actual walk to the rest of the Baluarte. It only took about 30 minutes to cover the area. We didn't visit the top area, since the clouds are getting darker and we planned to be back to Laoag before night falls. You can buy souvenirs  inside Baluarte, from tshirts to ref magnets and keychains. before you leave the place, you can also see stalls selling souvenirs. 

Our second stop for the day is the Vigan Heritage Site or also known as the Calle Crisologo. To reach the site, tricycles await you when you exit Baluarte. You just have to tell them that you are going to Calle Crisologo.


2ND STOP: CALLE CRISOLOGO, VIGAN CITY, ILOCOS SUR

This whole street is now vying for its spot on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, its a must that I visit this. Calle Crisologo is a whole stretch of old Spanish houses that the City of Vigan is caring for. In this street you can find antiques, locally made souvenirs, bagnet, cornicks and a whole lot more. To fully experience the old Spanish era, it is a must that you ride the calesa while on this street. You may opt to walk again, but you must ride the calesa to your next destination, either the Vigan Cathedral or Vigan Market to buy cornicks.

Souvenir shops along Calle Crisologo

Ilocano Blankets

Calle Crisologo

Old Irons

3RD STOP: VIGAN CATHEDRAL, VIGAN CITY, ILOCOS SUR

One of the many Baroque churches in the Ilocos, and it is the first and last place that you would see when you arrive and leave Vigan City. I must create a new album of the Baroque churches that I have visited all over Philippines, I should do that soon. Nothing fancy, except it will definitely bring you to the Spanish era, where the Prayle would do their sermons not on the altar but on elevated places in the church, with a mini-stage.

The Bell Tower, Vigan Cathedral

We were bound for Laoag by 2 in the afternoon. However, it took us about an hour before we rode the Partas bus that we will bring us back. But ordinary buses, mini-bus what locals call them, can also take you back to Laoag City. Since it was about to rain, we decided to wait for the Partas bus. After a little more than 2 hours, we arrived at the Partas Bus station (just because it rained heavily and the bus slowed down) and took a tricycle back to Isabel Suites where I was staying.



4TH STOP: PAOAY CHURCH, PAOAY, ILOCOS NORTE

2nd day of free time. It was my flight day but I still decided to visit the famous Paoay Church hours before the flight. I woke up by 5am, and got on my trip by 6am. I took a tricycle from Isabel Suites to Laoag-Paoay jeep terminal near the Provincial Capitol. It took me 45 minutes, passing thru San Nicolas, Batac and Mariano Marcos University before I got off at the back of Paoay church. It was drizzling when I arrive there but I still decided to walk toward the front so I can get a good picture of one of UNESCO's World Heritage Site.

UNESCO Heritage Site: Paoay Church

Getting back, you will need to walk to the Paoay-Laoag jeepney terminal, 45 minutes more and I'm back to Laoag City. I have 1.5 hours before I get to Laoag Airport and I decided to buy more pasalubongs for my family. I met up with one of my local researchers and she accompanied me to Laoag Central Market to buy longganisa and bagnet. :) We rode the calesa back to my hotel and I'm off to the airport again. :)


REALIZATIONS

Ilocos region, well, for the cities I managed to visit, is an old place. It took me back to the Spanish era, with Calle Crisologo and the Baroque churches but managed to keep the modern period with fastfood chains everywhere. You should not miss the calesa ride when you are there. First, the calesa ride is the same as the tricycle fare (Php 11.00). Second, its environment friendly. Third, you are able to help those old manong and manang that drives the calesa.

For the past travels that I had, I always made sure that I visit not only the major attractions but also those minor ones. I have the fascinations of UNESCO sites, so I make sure I visit them.

The Sinking Bell Tower viewed from a Calesa

Now, I'm preparing for my next travel, off to INDOCHINA in two weeks!


Enjoying the perks of work,

Deng

Unboxing Pavizio X1: Getting more than what you pay for

This entry have been long overdue. I promised I will be writing an entry on this, however, due to my tight schedule of trips and office work, here it goes.

In early July, I was able to buy a new addition to my electronic family, to wrap up my birthday month. I have written a teaser entry about it, since I need to use it on its full capacity to be able to write a more comprehensive review.


UNBOXING THE TABLET
One of the best features for me about this tablet is that it doesn't have its front buttons, one that can be found in the front panel that serves as back buttons on Ipads and Samsung Tablets. On a landscape screen mode, you will see two buttons on top of it, one for the volume and another for the power button, that also serve as the lock button. Back panel comes in two colors - black and white, similar to Galaxy Tab. However, there is no difference on the specifications despite the color.

Back panel

NOTE: All the following walk through on placements of buttons are on landscape mode.

Its basic features are its 0.3 MP camera on the upper right hand corner. the power indicator light can be found below the camera lens. Blue light suggests its powered on and turns red when its near its depleting when you are charging the device.

Front panel

 On the side, you will see the charger, USB and earphone jacks, as well as slots for SD card.

Buttons, Ports and Jacks

With Charger, Earphones and USB connected

STARTING UP
Turning on the tablet takes about a little less than a minute. However, if you are using the pattern security log-in feature, it may need several seconds more to react on your fingertips.

On the lower right of the screen, you will see basic icons such as the clock, battery, wifi notifications, system updates, downloads and external device connectors. On the lower left of the bar, you can see three major buttons: back, home and current running programs. Three dots appear beside the running programs icon for program's basic options (i.e on web browser - back, refresh and forward icons), depending on what program you're currently using.

Home Screen

Running apps - Home Screen

You will see you home screen, similar to the desktop and laptop screens that we are used to. This contains the shortcut icons for the main program that you use. On the upper right, you have the menu buttons that brings you the list of applications/ programs you have installed in your tablet.

Menu screen

PERSONALIZING YOUR TABLET

HOME SCREEN
Your home screen "houses" icons of the programs you want to easily access without clicking the menu icon. From the menu screen, you can drag an icon to the home screen and create its shortcut. You can eventually organize home screen icons - on placements by a long push of the icon, until a grid comes out and you can put them wherever you like them on the home screen. You can also organize all games shortcut by selecting one and dragging them on another game icon. Similarly, a remove button will be displayed in case you want to remove some of the home shortcut icons.

To make your device reflect yoru personality, you can as well personalize your home screen wallpaper. However, because it runs on Android ICS, menu screen remains black.


APPLICATIONS/ PROGRAMS
Because the device runs on Android, you expect that you;ll have Google Market where you can find loads of free and paid application. As of the moment, I have an ebook reader, 4 games from Google Market, an office application (for Documents, PDF, Powerpoint and Excel files I review and make) and web browser.


BATTERY AND CHARGING
I don't really expect much on the battery of the device, since it only costs a little over Php 5,000.00. However, when I am using it with an ebook reader, web browser and 2 games running, it gave me a good 5 hours of usage (all running, but I'm not using them all at the same time). When on standby, it gives me almost 48 hours.

I feel that when I am using the tablet, and it is charging, it will take about 3 hours before it is fully charged. When its off, on the other hand, it will only take 1 to 1.5 hours before its full. So, I make sure I turn off the device when I am charging it.


THE VERDICT
For almost 2 months of using the device, I can say it has served its main purpose for me. I no longer bring my laptop with me, since I can create, edit and review documents on my tablet. I can also be online and be able to read ebooks.
But because I have low expectations on the device because of its price, I felt that it gives more than what I paid for it. I can play Temple Run on the device (its has gyro capabilities, you can swing it left to right too, like other devices) and read ebooks. However, there are times that it has its lag moments, keyboard sometimes appears slow when you use the address bar on the web browser or it is not responsive to your touch.

Now, its up to you if you want to buy the product, but come to think of it, if browsing and reading materials are all you want to do, then, Pavizio X1 is good for you.



Self proclaimed gadget freak and techie,

Deng

General Santos: The Tuna Capital of the Philippines

One of the perks of my work is I am able to visit several provinces throughout the year for free, both from my previous and current work. For the second quarter and within my first week in the new job, I got to travel to Bukidnon, but since it is a work-related travel, I wasn't able to go around aside from the 4 corners of my room (aside from the fact that it is fly in, fly out trip).

So this quarter, one of my many scheduled business trip is my recent "revisitation" of General Santos City. It has been years since I first stepped on the Tuna Capital of the country, but it really had this special place in my heart. General Santos City was my first ever plane destination back in highschool for the National Students Press Conference. Good old times.


ARRIVALS
Since I am working for a big company who recently bought shares in PAL, we are sort of required to take PAL flights. Good thing for me, since I never liked how Cebu Pacific handles their flight schedules. We are all aware of the rants and irritations of our fellow air travellers.

Anyhow, upon arriving to Tambler Airport in General Santos, we are greeted by the festive atmosphere. There were dancers who performed as we waited for our baggage and thus, I wasn't able to take a video of them. As I walked out, I was offered by van drivers to take theirs for 150 pesos. This is the cheaper alternative to taxis, however, you have to wait for the van to be filled up. So I decided to take the taxi instead. As you walked to the parking area, you would see taxis all around and they have a fixed rate of 300 pesos as they drop you in front of your end destination for the day.



ACCOMMODATION
As a perk of my job, I was able to control all the details of my job and one thing that I loved the most is searching for a hotel. Two days before my trip, I looked for a decent hotel (which is in my budget and at the downtown), thus, I came across Phela Grande Hotel.

Phela Grande Hotel is one of the two Phela Grande hotels in General Santos. Phela Grande Convention Center, located in the National Highway connecting Polomolok and General Santos is a bigger lodging facility with convention amenities. Phela Grande Hotel, the one that I stayed in for 3 days, is conveniently located along Magsaysay Avenue in Dadiangas West, General Santos. I reserved a single standard room (since I was alone for this trip) and didn't not have to pay on the bank ahead of time. Instead, they charged me upon check in for the said downpayment. They currently have a promo of 976 pesos a night (for single standard room), inclusive of breakfast.

As a travel enthusiast, the first thing I did when I entered the room is to take pictures. I have this fascination of taking room pictures just in case. The room is quite big for me and my two bags. :) But I loved the homey feeling of it. They have wi-fi in the lobby and you have Internet access through LAN cords. In the lobby, you have the banquet where hotel guests take their breakfast and they have their own coffee shop. I tried the wi-fi at the lobby and it was relatively fast (I saw that it was powered by PLDT WeRoam) but I wasn't able to try the LAN since I am using my Pavizio tablet na. (Yihee! And I still owe you the review for this gadget.)

Shucks, makalat na gamit. 

Makalat pa din.

The Source of Light

Over-all, my stay in Phela Grande is probably one of the best, if not the best. I bought tuna for my dad (what more I can buy as pasalubong for my seafood loving dad when I'm in the land of tuna) and asked the hotel staff if I can have it refrigerated for the rest of the night. They gladly accepted the request. All things may have been perfect when they didn't forget my room service request for drinking water. :( called around 8pm and asked for drinking water, but nobody arrived.


GETTING AROUND GENSAN
One thing that I loved about GenSan is how their tricycles looked. They looked like mini jeeps, able to transport 6 passengers, not including the driver themselves. Getting around GenSan is quite difficult. Sometimes, drivers would choose passengers that go to one place to save up some gas. So it takes a lot of luck to find a tricycle that would transport you if you are going in a bit off of their usual ways. Fare is about 10-20 pesos per way, depending on your destination.

Aside from these tricycles, you can try the "habal-habal", a single motorcycle for maximum of 2 commuters. This is not the typical habal-habal that you will find in the rest of the Mindanao areas, since it doesn't have the plank that stretches on the side of the road, carrying 5-8 people. Fare of these habal-habal in GenSan is 20 pesos per head and they would transport you anywhere you want to go. However, I noticed that most of these habal-habal do not provide helmets but maintain a good 10-20 kph run in the highway.

For my last night in GenSan, I opted to visit KCC mall, one of the two biggest malls in GenSan, aside from Robinsons. This is their version of SM. However, on my way to KCC, I noticed the ongoing construction of SM City GenSan, which I think is bigger than our Megamall. KCC is a far from my hotel, about 10-15 minute tricycle ride. And since I am the lone passenger, I paid 20 pesos for the trip. On my way back, I managed to find a tricycle going to Magsaysay and paid only 10 pesos. However, I have to wait for 5 minutes for the tricycle to be filled before we actually go.




I spent a little time in GenSan, and without companion, I make sure I am on the safe side. Never had the time to try local food, but I plan to go back and visit GenSan again.



Links:

Phela Grande Hotel: www.phelagrandehotel.com

You are old when...

I came across this 9gag post last week, in time for a friend's wedding.

Yes, I am not young anymore. I just turned 26 last month, and I can feel I am on the mature side of the spectrum, backed up by the image above.

It is my first friend's wedding, since I was more into attending relative's wedding. :) Aside from being my first wedding ceremony, I have the fun and pleasure of taking pictures of my good friend and her husband, their families along with former officemates and arms and shoulders of that photographer. (Good thing I was using the long range lens of my camera, I was able to capture moments while sitting and staying away from that arms and shoulders.)

Anyways, below are the pictures (not-so-artistic) I have taken during and after the ceremonies. Forgive me, as it was my first time and I have more to learn on my camera.

I forgot to take a picture of my wedding outfit, but I am planning to re-do it since it was comfortable. My lone picture of the wedding (the disadvantage of being a photo enthusiast): 

PS. I still have to write my Pavizio X1 review. I plan to write it by the end of the week. Sorry for the delay.

From the twentysomething me... :)

I recently read this article and I was inspired to write an entry about it:

To the twentysomething who wants to change the world By Antoinette Jadaone (The Philippine Star) Updated June 30, 2012 12:00 AM

Dear Fresh Grad,
I think I saw you yesterday along Makati Avenue, wearing the most smart-casual attire your closet will allow, waiting for the traffic light to change to red. You were clutching a brown envelope — they contained your résumés, right? But you looked a little flustered. Did your job interview not go so well? It’s your fifth interview in six weeks, I hear? Don’t worry, they say “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” to almost everybody. Hindi ka nag-iisa. Oh, your best friend nailed her interview on the first try? And your other ka-barkada, too? Well, good for them. Wag ka lang inggitera.
I know, I know. You’ve imagined yourself to be in your dream job immediately after graduation, getting paid (a lot), and doing what you love to do (so “it doesn’t feel like work at all,”). You saw yourself changing the world, while live posting it on Twitter.
I must say, your imagination’s pretty impressive, and you must’ve been reading a lot of Steve Jobs. Darling, the real world doesn’t work that way, and definitely not that fast. So your two friends who nailed it on their first try? I’ll bet you’ll spend at least one Friday night with them at a karaoke bar, singing your angst away. Alanis’s Hand in My Pocket is a good first song, by the way.

Buying Starbucks

You’ll find a job yourself soon. It won’t be your dream job, but hey, at least it will pay for happy hour. You will be asked to buy Starbucks for your boss’s guests, and while walking out of the office, you’ll tell the universe, “Nag-graduate ako ng cum laude para lang bumili ng kape?” When you return, the boss will be angry to know that you forgot to put Splenda in his coffee, and the universe will tell you, “E kape nga lang hindi mo mabili nang maayos, cum laude ka pa nyan ha.” You will print the wrong report. You will be yelled at for a lousy job someone else did, and you will be yelled at for a job you put your whole heart into. You will be told you’re stupid, and if you’re lucky, the whole office will be there to hear it. You will cry in your cubicle. You will lose the promotion to the boss’s son, or to someone less hardworking than you. You will learn about dirty office politics, and you will be frustrated to know that you can’t do anything about it. You will figure in office tsismis, and you’ll make your Twitter account private. You will see your friends going to Boracay, Bangkok and Europe, having the time of their lives, while you’re left here, living paycheck to paycheck, wishing you were born an Ayala, a Gokongwei, or a Gosling. You will think about quitting. You will lose the sparkle and the passion. You will forget about your ultimate dream when the real world crushes it right before your eyes.
But please don’t.

Make Passion Last

The truth is, you will never be as passionate as your Fresh Grad self ever again. Make that passion last as long as you can. I don’t want to be dramatic, but really, that sparkle? Once it’s gone, you can never take it back. Oo, parang virginity lang.
So while you have it, savor the moment. Go make mistakes, while you’re still expected to be imperfect. Go cry in the cubicle, while your age allows it. Go sing Hand in My Pocket and You Learn at the karaoke bar, while you’re still “young and underpaid.” Go chase your dreams and change the world. The best time to change the world? It’s right after college, when you are f*cking sure you can.
See, you will become 26. Then 28. Then 30. And you will be busy looking for money to pay for the bills, or yelling at your assistant who printed the wr ong report, and you will just forget about the world you badly wanted to change before.
How old are you again? Actually, I don’t really need to know. You were glowing from where I saw you, and that gave away your age. So stand up straight, clutch your résumés, hold on to your dreams, and stay glowing as long as you can. Make the most of your youth. I swear, you’ll miss it when it’s gone, and by that time, you will only be able to write about it.


Best regards,
An Ex-Fresh Grad

I never experienced walking along Makati Business District nor sending out resumes to various companies. I was a simple graduate back then, I just wanted to look for a decent job straight out of college. One thing for sure, my age, I graduated past my 20's, and the pressure is on. While the rest of my highschool classmates are on their 2nd year on their work or 2nd work already, I am just starting out. I would always imagine myself as a part of these big multinational companies, spending hours on the road for business travel or for more lavishness, jetsetting in several countries. Yes, inggitera ako. My orgmates from my college org managed to land a job with a Php40,000 paycheck, while I'm receiving a quarter of it monthly. Aside from that, they get to travel the world for free, while my only travel is my everyday commute from our house to our office. 


Luckily, I never had to experience the gruesome application period. I was absorbed by the company where I spent my internship with. For the past two years, I spent all my weekdays on reports, data tables, clients that would give you headaches, migraines and even heart attacks, aside from your officemates that seemed to have no care in the world, while you, yourself are busy taking their workloads out of their hands. I never experienced buying coffee for my boss, but I spent coffee dates with my officemates. I may not be able to travel the world, but I got to see how beautiful Pinas is. I got to meet people, talk about their lives, ask them about their jobs as they ask me back. They seemed to be interested on what I do, how I do it and why I chose a local agency rather than go for a multinational one. 


I never had the courage to answer it back. But I believe, "kapag palay na ang lumapit, matitiis ba siya ng manok?" It already knocked on my door and why not let it in?


After two years of staying, I thought it might be time to move on and pursue another career. Getting back to square one is never easy and with the lack of experience of actual job application process, I imagined myself as another fresh grad. Dealing with traffic, commuting while I'm wearing a pencil skirt, carrying a bag with shoes on it as I comfortably wear my slippers as I run from one building to another. I may be a late bloomer, but it gave me wisdom. Being 24 or 25 back then and with the learning from my client, I managed to look positively on things. I treated every failed interviews as means of improving myself, how I handle the situation, how I talked about myself and plans for the future. I had 5 applications then, all of them are for multinational companies. One rejected me right after I sent my resume. I managed to pass the exams for the second one, but never got the application interview call. I have been interviewed for the third to the last one, but never had the offer. It brought me down, really down that every night as I sleep, I would ask myself, "what is wrong with me?". I even asked my significant other why he loves me, while these companies cannot see that same thing. 


I was ready to give up and accepted the fact that I might be staying on the local agency for the next n number of years. I stumbled upon a job opening and tried it out. Luckily, here I am, learning the ins and out of my new job.


For the new grads, you may not be able to land a job that you really liked on the first try, but even if you did not, make the most out of it. Learn from your officemates, clients, mentors and managers. That coffee buying is not a janitorial work, it tests you how well you listen to your boss, understand each direction and give up a good coffee that he/she would like. While you hear office tsismis, you should never ever make more stories out of it. That would give you the true sense of confidentiality - that everything you hear and see in the office must not get out or else, you'll jeopardize yourself and rest of your officemates. 


Everything you experience, whether negative or positive, make good things out of it. Always look at the brighter side. Your classmate may have landed a job that pays double than yours, but is he/she happy with her colleagues? If he/she was able to tour the world, is he/she able to see the Philippines like yours? Can he/she spend a good afternoon with friends, eat streetfoods and balot, cry out on these teleseryes and listen to radio news? Can he/she buy a 35 peso ukay-ukay polo shirt and say its from UK?


Learn to look at things in different perspectives. And more so, learn to love your self and be contented for now. Time will come, you'll experience things the way they do.