Philippine Travel Notes

Normal day. I was on the way home after a long happy day of engagements. Then I saw this... Not clear. I asked my driver to go closer saying buntotan mo yan . He was surprised but did it anyway. Okay... I got it... and here it is. Can you read it? Yes, you can! Teka, I didn't say kantahin mo ! Anyway, I was still trying to 'analyze', to understand what it was trying to 'convey', but my driver already reacted with a laugh, so I asked him what it really means. He explained that, this jeep's route was, and still is 'Palo to Tacloban Via Maharlika Highway and vice-versa' despite the availability of other routes! Note: At that corner (near 'Pisay'), jeeps from Palo either go straight to Real St. or left via Maharlika Hiway! All I could say was "ang Pinoy talaga, mga buang tulad ko"! But that's why it's fun in the Philippines ! Yes Mano, we sang Imelda Papin songs all the way to my apartment! Oh well, the signs of our time...

I was on the way to Kananga and Ormoc when I saw this signage somewhere in Palo, Leyte... It's a small garden-shop, I'm not even sure how such stores are called. But I liked the name, which was the reason I took that pic in the first place! Even my driver immediately recognized why it amused me! For those who don't get it, the store name is Meet Your Garden . Try pronouncing it faster and faster! Keep repeating that name, soon you'll remember Dong Shancai, Dao Ming Si, Huaze Lei and all of F4 ! If you still don't get it, ah just drop it. Baka di ka Pinoy o Pinoy ka na walang TV for the past 30 years! Oh well, the witty clever creative signs of our times... are entertaining!

I was watching the news while tinkering with my phone. Then I shouted "shoot" and got this! Palaisipan: what is wrong with that screen shot ? Yes, screen shot yan, since I captured a picture of my TV screen. So, "screen shot" nga, di ba? How many seconds or minutes did it take you to find that out? You still can't find what is wrong with it? Ows? Okay, I won't say it, but my analysis below will surely guide you, to find what's wrong with that shot. No no no, not the basketball shot, but the photo shot, or the screen capture of the CNN Philippines News ! Confusing? Ah, read on... My analysis (hehehe): For a reputable news channel, that is probably a "capital offense". But for me, that can be "forgivable"! It's not often that you use your left ring-finger and your left pinky-finger in succession to write letters in a word on your keyboard. For a lot of humans nowadays, those are the 2 weakest fingers when typing. Lalo ...

Really. It happens and it happened last night in the Philippine capital, Manila, when a Xiamen Airlines plane skidded off the runway and ditched to a muddy grassy portion. That picture above isn't mine. I just copied it from Business World so I can show some image in this blog story regarding the mishap. Such disruptions, by the way, are considered 'normal' by experts, from the point of view of operating airports. It can happen to any airport anywhere anytime. And they know too, that accidents like those can cause a mind-boggling 'domino effect' of disruptions in air travel. OMG! So, is it really normal? Well, it obviously is/was not normal - at least for us the riding public who are not at the airport daily. For aviation authorities, experts or employees, when they say "normal" - they actually want to say "it happens" or "it can happen" to/at any airport. In any case, like it already did since midnight, that accident is going...

Done with the ' makalaglag-baga ' challenge that is Tinago Falls, we proceeded with my unique itinerary. How? Well, the 'commute tour' continued. And you'll see later (below), this just got even more exciting! From the "Iligan side" entrance/exit of Tinago Falls, my guide hired 2 habal-habals. They wait just near the little store. There are not so many like at the "Linamon side", but there are even tricycles and jeeps! This "leg" of our commute was a ride from Tinago Falls to Mimbalut Falls. Oh ha?! Falls nanaman! And I realized, the route goes out to the national highway, turning south towards Linamon. Again? Da! But it veers left here, at Brgy. Buru-un, Iligan City, before reaching the boundary (Linamon Bridge). As we turned left (where the jeep is), I saw that arch of the gate to an elementary school, which I think, is one of the, if not THE, longest elementary school name I have ever read in my long life! The name is: Sgt. ...