One Day in Manila

Lara Stone's on his first trip to Las Islas Filipinas. We arrived here early morning of Saturday, slept for less than four hours, and went around Manila.

Our first stop was the Shoe Museum in Marikina. Lara specifically requested to see Imelda's shoes, of all things. The museum was smaller than what we expected, with only 800 pairs of shoes out of the 3,000. Shelves of foot wear - from the dainty to the powerful to the gaudy - line the walls of the museum. Prominent brands I noticed were Charles Jourdan, Chanel, Dior, and Ferragamo as well as brands specially made for Madame by the famed shoemakers of Marikina.

Photos of Madame also adorn the wall, with focus on her encounters with world leaders and celebrities during the halcyon days of the Marcos "empire".

We then took the train to Qiuapo, home of the Black Nazarene. I've always loved Quiapo. For me, it best represents Manila - full of contrasts, rowdy, and mysterious. We were drawn to the macabre religious images sold outside the church and then ended up buying amulets and charms.

Lara seemed to have been captivated by Manila, even the slums, which he called "sturdy". I don't know.

We were lucky to find vegetarian food at the food court of the Megamall. At least he was able to try veggie meat adobo. I also offered him to try halo-halo (a mix of crushed ice and fuits), but he was repulsed by the kaong and gelatin, calling them plastic fruits. What sacrilege to our national dessert!

I also introduced him to a few of my friends from Surigao, Manila, and Davao. It was wonderful to catch up with some friends, but if I had more time I would've wanted to meet more people.

The former Czarina of Penang hosted a dinner/party for La Bayots de Bangkok. Bubbles was also visiting Las Islas for the first time in six years. We had a blast with other blogger friends based in Manila and SFO. Super thanks to the Czarina for the wonderful evening!!!

We ended up hopping to a gay club in Ortigas. It was packed, after all it was a Saturday. For some reason the waiters at the club are way cuter than its patrons. I haven't danced that much since, I don't know... 1999 perhaps? The great company of friends really made a huge difference and I wish we have more opportunities to hang out in Manila or perhaps some other city.

We flew to Surigao yesterday. It has been rainy so far. We'd be lucky if the weather would be nice enough for some time on the beach.

Happy Blog Anniversary

Ayay, I totally forgot my blog has turned 5 years old last 20 March.

Wow, it has been that looooong?

My sincerest thanks to those who still have the patience to visit my blog despite my erratic posting of late. I will try to get back to my blogging duties soon.

Mmmwah, bitches.

On the Island of the Gods

If there's anything about Bali that most impressed me it has to be the spirituality of its people.

The most evident expression of which is the tiny offerings of flowers, incense, and crackers placed in small baskets and laid in front of houses, shops, and on altars. These offerings are practically everywhere. As we traveled around the island, altars (akin to spirit houses in Thailand) are ubiquitous.

Ornate temples made of bricks, sandstone, and straw are also all over the place. Tanah Lot is a temple on an outcrop battered by huge waves. We went to Uluwatu, which is dramatically perched on a sharp cliff. We were mesmerized by the kecak dance - a retelling of the Ramayana and some local legends - performed on the grounds of Uluwatu.

On our way to Ubud, we stopped by the holy springs of Tirta Empul. There we had the chance to observe some pious people praying in front of an altar. A priest rang a small bell while people chanted with him. There's something very entrancing in the devotion of the people we saw at the temple, which pretty much speaks about how important spirituality is among the Balinese.

So from the religious to the profane... we ate pork in Indonesia. But then perhaps it's only on the island of Bali you can do that, right? They have this famous dish called babi goreng (or something) that's similar to the lechon of Las Islas Filipinas. Our cab driver brought us to this hole in the wall where they served us a platter of roast pork, deep fried pig's intestines, and all these other sinful parts of a pig. Yuuum! One of the best meals of the trip.

Did I mention Bali is expensive? The food is expensive (except for the roast pork). Transportation is expensive. Shopping is overpriced. Alcohol costs an arm and a leg. Whew!

But then, we were fortunate that we can stay in Bali in style, thanks to the Amigas of San Francisco (TERIMA KASI, bitches), who paid for the swanky villa where we spent a good amount of time swimming in the pool, quaffing Bintang beer, smoking Gudang Garam, and swapping a whole range of stories about our lives (and other peoples').

Ultimately, the best part of the holiday in Bali is the time spent with friends. Their company really made the trip full of unbridled kabaklaan, echosan, and kagagahan.

Marching On

Yikes, it's already March! I don't intend to do a monthly post in this blog... But sadly, I've been completely negligent of my duty to my six readers. For the past weeks I have not been compelled to write something simply because of good old laziness.

I couldn't blame lack of material. I've seen amazing movies in February, and had been to a few Pinoy mafia raids, and the fashion weeks in NY, Milan, and Paris have come and gone. None of these compelled me to write. Sigh.

If there's anything occupying my head this past month it has been swimming. Owing to my dramatic weight gain these past months, I finally took control of my expanding waistline (the diet of peanuts and water is hardly werking) by going to the pool four times a week. Anyone who follows me on Twitter must be quite annoyed at my constant updates on my progress in my strokes and breathing and all that shit.

Yes, I'm taking swimming very seriously. I swim one hour per session and always trying to swim better. I like challenging my self, otherwise what's the point of doing something? I do drills, read blogs, and watch Youtube videos to improve my technique.

On the weight part, yes, swimming is werking. I'm way trimmer now. I'm making swimming work for me and I'm very happy because I see results after only about five weeks of constantly going to the pool. So there, I'm definitely serious on channeling my inner Little Mermaid in the name of vanity (what else?).

OK, so what else is there to look forward to in March?

This weekend magsasanib pwersa ang mga Pinoy Bayots from San Francisco and mainland Southeast Asia (read: Bangkok and Siem Reap) on a trip to the Island of the Gods... Baliwag Balisawsaw Balintatanaw... BALI. This is going to be a major holiday full of camp and flame, my dahlings.

Imagine, Lyka Bergen meets Fuchsiaboy? Bubbles meets Mama O? Kawadjan meets Ekra Tan? Need I say more? So beware, I'm going to flood this blog with photos of all the gay terror we will spread in Bali.

Many thanks to the Las Tres Estrellas of San Francisco for dragging us along on their bakasyon grande.

Anyway, after Bali I'm heading to Las Islas Filipinas, Perlas ng Silangan, for a visit to the family. My sister is finally getting hitched... and girl listen to this, I'm walking her down the aisle along with my mom.

Carolina Herrera or Inno Sotto? Givenchy or Patis Tesoro? Ok, I've decided to settle for Puey Quinones. Charing!

My only wish is that I DON'T overshadow my sister on perhaps the biggest day of her life. But I'm not saying I won't... if I can help it. Who knows?

On top of that, I'm going home with the bf, which means he would see the little city I grew up in, meet my relatives and friends (he has met my family about a year ago), and we'd have time together (more than anything else). Gosh, it's been five looooong months since we last saw each other, no? I'm eagerly counting the days until we meet again that's why I can't wait for this month's days to just move along.