Camiguin

Despite our busy schedules, Caroline and I were able to squeeze in a mini honeymoon.

I was in the Cagayan de Oro area a few days after the Ting Hun for business. But thanks to my boss, Caroline was able to join me over the weekend. We decided to go to Camiguin, since it was close by; only a 30 minute car ride to the port, and another 45 minutes on the ferry.

I first visited Camiguin seven years ago, and it hasn't changed much since. Evertyhing I remember about it remained intact; the white beach, the town, and the lanzones to name a few. That's a good thing, as many islands islands in the Philippines have become too commercialized (think of Boracay).

The island reminds me of the show 'Lost'. As our ferry slowly approached the island, the island came into view... lush jungle with a dormant volcano in the background. Of course, Caroline did not see this because she was fast asleep during the boat ride! Fortunately, we had a van and driver (who knew the island well), so we did not have to find our own way. We drove through winding coastal roads, and through the jungle. Camiguin is very much an independent island with its own customs and traditions, and it was very easy forget that there were beaches and other sites to see.

Our first stop was the underwater cemetery. It wasn't always underwater. A long time ago, the volcano on the island erupted, and somehow a part of the island became submerged permanently. I wish we had snorkeling gear so that we could see the cemetery underwater. We were just limited to seeing the cross that was erected to mark the spot. Here is my lovely wife posing in front of the cemetery:

We then went to the stations of the cross. There is a trail going up the volcano, and along it are the stations of the cross, depicted by statues. Here is Caroline in the first few steps up the volcano. Note that she is still smiling at this point!

The view is really good! The picture is slanted because I put the camera on a rock. You can already see Caroline leaning on me from the fatigue (hehe).

This is Caroline's 'sungit' face when I was pushing her to go all the way to the top. Needless to say, we didn't reach the top! I think we reached the 9th station, which is pretty good. We didn't even know how many stations there were... we were arguing whether there were 12 or 15. How many are there exactly?


After a quick lunch (Caroline's smile came back after that), we decided to go to the beach. I'm not really sure what its called. All I know is that its a small group of sandy beaches around 2 kilometers in the sea that only appears during low tide. That's the main island of Camiguin in the background (see what I mean by 'Lost'?). We had to take a 10 minute pumpboat ride to the beach in the middle of the sea. This is what Camiguin is known for, and it was simply... beautiful. Enjoy the view!



We stayed here for an hour or two, wading in the shallow waters and relaxing under the shade and sun. I think we could have stayed there the whole day, as it was so serene. Unfortunately, we had to head back to catch the ferry back to the mainland and home. I hope we have the chance to visit Camiguin again, hopefully with snorkeling gear and more than a day to explore. I heard that there are nice waterfalls inland, and I really do want to finish all the stations of the cross someday!

Life is Beautiful!

Ting Hun

Since Caroline is half-chinese (by way of her mom), we honoured tradition by having a Ting Hun. In Chinese culture, a Ting Hun is a formal engagement ceremony in where certain actions are taken to ensure a long and happy marraige.

Caroline's house was transformed into a reception area, complete with professionally done table centerpieces (by Balay Kandila), catered food (Josiah's Catering), and photo / video services (Lee Llamas Photography).

Here are some of the things that we had to do as part of the ceremony:
- Caroline had to walk backward down the stairs of their house. I think this signifies the fact that she will be leaving her family and that there's no turning back.
- We served tea to each others parents. In my case, since my mom and dad weren't around, Caroline served tea to my grandparents. After the tea serving, we can officially call our parents-in-law Mom and Dad. It is one way of showing respect and welcoming into the family.
- There was an exchanging of gifts, like a dowry exchange.
- We also had to eat red eggs for prosperity and noodles for long life.

Admittedly, we only had a semi Ting Hun because following all the rules of a traditional one would have been too difficult. It would have involved me bringing home a pig or 12 ducks or something. Even then, organizing an event like this on such short notice was still not an easy task!

Everybody had fun, but for me and Caroline, it was tiring. Making sure that all the guests were seated and going around greeting and taking pictures with everyone ensured that we were not able to eat until well after most of the guests had left. It was all worth it though, as family and friends from both sides were able to witness this special event.

Caroline and me with Caroline's Parents

Caroline and me with my Grandparents


La Vita e Bella!

Full Circle

Do you remember the time digital cameras first came out? I sure do. I had one of the first ones around. The Sony DSC-S50. It was a 2 megapixel camera (that was a high number at the time) with no viewfinder, just the LCD screen. When I bought it 5 years ago, it cost around $500. It was bulky too, but I wanted to bring it everywhere. Back then, I knew the value of taking pictures and the advantage of it being in digital format.

When I went to the Philippines with my digital camera, people were not used to taking pictures using the LCD screen. People would still put the camera close to their eyes before realizing that they could hold it at arms length in front of them. It was funny but at the same time forgivable because it was new technology. People weren't used to it.

That was before.

Now, digital cameras have become so small and slim that it can be considered a regular accessory beside the cellphone. Heck, even cellphones have digital cameras which have higher megapixel counts than my Sony.

A few months ago I decided it was time for an upgrade, so I purchased a Nikon D50. It's a digital SLR, which meant that I reverted back to looking in a traditional viewfinder to frame my pictures (you cannot use the LCD screen to take pictures; you can only use it to view pictures you have already taken). It's fun taking pictures this way. There are so many settings that can be changed and since I don't have to worry about film, its easy to keep on taking pictures until the perfect shot is taken. It makes me wish I got into photography earlier in life. I sort of regret not taking my dad seriously when he wanted me to learn how to use his old film SLR camera years ago. But, better late than never, and I am learning.

Here is the funny thing: Once again, I am having difficulty telling people how to use my camera. Almost everyone is so used to looking at the LCD screen that they have forgotten how to use a viewfinder anymore! When I hand my camera over to people to take my picture, they expect the LCD screen to show the image so they hold the camear out in front of them. I have to tell them to look in the viewfinder when they start looking confused. I just tell people I have a low-tech camera than to tell them that its a digital SLR. It's easier that way.

As technology moves ever forward, it's easy to forget where we came from, so its fitting that something as high-tech as a digital SLR still goes back to its roots.

La Vita e Bella!

Rewind!

Now that I have settled into what I like to call a normal 'routine', it is time for me to recount everything that happened to me in the last two months. And what a two months it has been!

First off, the biggest event so far in my life just happened... I got married! Yes, after years of courtship, trials and tribulations, Caroline and I (finally) said our vows last September in Manila.

But in between the first time that we met each other to the time that we said our 'I Do's to each other, there were so many incidences that could have ended our relationship, and so many problems that we had to face and overcome. Some of these were normal rites of passage that good, strong relationships go through, and some of these were so severe that it would have ripped other relationships apart. Long distance, family problems, financial problems... you name it, we went through it. Those who know the whole story from beginning to end can attest to that.

Even our marraige process was a difficult one. Thank God for our friends and family who were all there and supported us and calmed us down every step of the way.

It was a long hard road, but we got there in the end and it was all worth it.

Despite everything we have already been through, we know this is just the beginning. There are still many challenges for us to face, but so many joys as well. Even now, we have to make sacrifices in order to have a better future, laying the foundations of a good family.

It's nice when you have finally found that one special person you want to spend the rest of your life with... I am so lucky and so blessed to have Caroline as part of the rest of my life.

Wife is Beautiful!

I Am Happy

See the reason why?

Wife is Beautiful!

Brazilian Grand Prix Analysis

The last race of the season, and I thought it was an exciting one, a classic even. How could anyone not root for Michael Schumacher who, despite having to race through the field twice because of mechanical difficulties, eventually ended up fourth, just a few seconds away from a podium finish. Could he have finished first? Maybe, maybe not. But all the way until the checkered flag, Michael Schumacher gave 100 percent.

Congratulations also to Felipe Massa who won his home grand prix, as well as Fernando Alonso, for winning the drivers championship. Button did a good job into 3rd place, considering he started 14th on the grid. He proved that Honda was the best behind the Renaults and the Ferraris.

Everyone else were just about par for the course, with the notable exception being the Super Aguris who were able to match the pace of the middle-rank teams. Bad luck to Williams and Toyota who had double DNF's. I sure hope Mark Webber's luck changes when he drives for Red Bull next season.

The season has been a long one, but a good one. With drivers switching teams next year and a whole slew of young guns entering Formula 1, the 2007 season looks to be a cracker! See you there!

La Vita e Bella!

Wires

Gadgets

Normally I don't complain about having too many gadgets as I am a self-confessed technophile. I use almost all of these things everyday. However, it is a pain in the ass to travel with these things. All of these run on rechargeable batteries (each one unique), and thus each one has its own battery charger.

I have a charger for the following:
digital camera
cellphone
Ipod
laptop

I never forget any of the chargers whenever I go travelling; they occupy a special space in my luggage along with my universal adapters (to ensure that I can plug them into the wall outlets wherever I am!). I wished manufacturers would sit down and agree on one universal charger so that consumers like us dont have to lug miles of charger cables along with our gadgets!

Don't get me started on the accessories. After all, what is an Ipod without headphones? Or a digital camera without sufficient memory cards? Aside from extra cost, they can get bulky as well. The headphones I use for my Ipod aren't the regular earbud types. I use traditional ones with a headband and foam earpieces (Sennheiser PX100). Even though they were designed with the traveler in mind and can fold conveniently into a case, it still takes more space than regular headphones.

As for my digital camera memory, I already have 3 x 1GB Sandisk Extreme II cards. Overkill? Maybe, but I have encountered many incidents in the past with my old camera where I ran out of memory and had to delete pictures. Fortunately, my camera battery lasts a long time. I don't need a spare camera battery... yet.

On another note, I probably have the oldest working laptop in existence. 7 years old and still going strong with a (pirated) copy of Windows ME (yes, Millenium Edition). Thank god for its expansion slot and single USB 1.1 port. If it weren't for those, I would have written off my Celeron Compaq Presario a long time ago. It doesn't even run on battery power anymore; it has to be plugged in. It's literally an (old) mobile desktop!

That's the problem with technology these days. The speed at which new products are coming out is quick, but they are also designed to last alot longer too. No sooner do you buy something new, it becomes obsolete within a few weeks, and even just a few days in some cases. Ah, but it always gives me something to drool over whenever I go to Best Buy or circuit city!

Life is Beautiful!

Japanese Grand Prix Analysis

I was actually able to watch a good part of this race live, so at least I can type someo opinion about the race. However, I wasn't able to watch the engine failure of Michael Schumacher. He effectively handed the championship on a plate to Fernando Alonso.

Too bad for the engine failure of Schumacher. Now he has to finish first and hope that Alonso doesn't score a point in Brazil for him to become champion.

Everybody else was just about par for the course. Its good to see that Button is now consistently fourth behind the Renaults and Ferraris. The McLarens seem to have fallen back, but I guess thats the case when you have one driver moving to another team and the other just waiting for his replacement to arrive. I am sure these teams will bounce back in the 2007 season.

But wait, there is still one more race to go... Brazil!

Life is Beautiful!

Chinese Grand Prix Analysis

Damn. No analysis here, as last week there was a typhoon and cable tv (not to mention electricity!) was nonexistent. I could have watched in person had I known about it sooner and made arrangements.

I am quite giddy that the championship is down to the last 2 races. I'm still rooting for Alonso, but suddenly the sentimental one in me wants Schumacher to end his career at the top.

La Vita e Bella!