Travel and Tourism

Saturday, April 05, 2014

Life Without a House Helper

It is more than six months now that we do not have a house helper. Life is rather hard for me. My wife goes to her office 5-6 days a week so I am the one watching the two girls almost everyday, especially on days where she leaves around 7am and come back past 7pm. There are days that she comes home after lunch and I am relieved.

My wife's auntie helps us two days a week, usually Mondays and Wednesdays. She comes before 7am and leaves around 2pm. This frees me to do some work or some errands. After 2pm until evening, have to watch the girls. While they are cute and pretty, they tend to fight often; or do drawings, play with their dolls and other toys, and scatter things later.

Our last helper, the 5th from my province in Negros Occidental, left without permission, brought out nothing, after being scolded by wifey. Since late 2006 to September 2013, we've had about 13 helpers. At least two of them stayed only for two days, another two stayed for about two weeks.

I asked my wife to find a helper as she did not like all of our past helpers. She said she cannot find one. I wanted to go to a recruitment agency but I am wary to get a stranger and leave the two young girls with her. A friend hired a nanny from a recruitment agency. On the 2nd day of her stay, the nanny stole many things from her house, jewelries, laptop, other valuables, and ran away. She is angry of course, but only comforted with the thought that at least her daughter, same age as Elle Marie, was not kidnapped. Some helpers and nannies are members of kidnap for ransom gangs. This scares me to leave our two girls, Bien Mary 3+ years old, and Elle Marie 7+ yo, with a helper that we do not know well.

Before I would work at the office. If my wife would come at 7pm, then I will go to office at 8pm and work until around 3 or 4am and go home. If she arrives at 2pm, then I can start working earlier. Since about two months ago, my wife got a Globe tatoo internet. This made things more comfortable for me.

Still, I have to do the usual house work, like washing the dishes (wife cooks early in the morning for breakfast-lunch), do some laundry, dry the clothes, fold them after drying. I don't iron my clothes. Have to dry and fold them well. Those that look crumled and not neat, I wear a jacket or coat. Anyway I seldom go out, mainly to attend seminars, conferences, some reunions with friends, or some rotary meetings.

With no classes, I drive the girls to a park 2-3x a week. I tell Elle that she must have strong legs for her PE classes in school, so she runs in the park. Not far, maybe about 100 meters, rest, then another run, then whatever she likes doing -- ride the swing, slide, see saw; or simply play with the sand.

My work suffers of course. Although I blame my bad time management habit mainly for this, the absence of a helper also contributes. Feeding the kids as they do not eat well on their own, watching them that they do not fight too often, or that they do not scatter things too often, or simply watching the younger one that she does not fall down if she climbs up or goes down the stairs from our bedroom in the second floor. Or helping her go to the toilet, or take a bath properly. She also wants me to read her some small/thin books.

I am more than half century old and I still do daily household chores, things that used to be done by our helper. I am not happy of course but have to adjust to this reality....
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See also:
Elle Marie and Bien Mary, Part 2, July 14, 2013

Elle Marie and Bien Mary, Part 3, August 21, 2013

Elle Marie is 7, Bien Mary is 3, October 06, 2013

Elle Marie and Bien Mary, December 2013, January 12, 2014

Saturday, February 08, 2014

Roxas Boulevard and Manila Bay

Roxas Boulevard in Manila is famous because of a nice view of the sunset over Manila Bay everyday. I got the first 3 photos from the fb wall of Dr. Aileen Baviera, an academic from UP, posted today. Nice views from a chopper.

The Manila Yacht Club. Eileen was riding the 2nd chopper of the Philippine Navy.

The Navy headquarters at Manila Bay. It's small, and I think it's ugly too, compared to the many structures and buildings along the boulevard facing Manila Bay. There is a plan to lease or privatize this area, good move. The Navy can have a big space in Cavite, say at Sangley Point. Government can use the money, privatization proceeds, to modernize the AFP without raising taxes.

The 3 photos I took last August 26, 2013. I was on top of a pedestrian overpass at Roxas Blvd., not far from Luneta.

Nice, cool, windy day at Manila Bay.

There was a typhoon a few days before that, the waves brought tons of debris and solid wastes from the coastal areas of Cavite and Bataan. Some people are able to get some valuable things from those solid waste.

See also, Philippine International Convention Center, December 18, 2012

Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Mt. Pulag Climb, January 2014

We climbed Mt. Pulag, the Philippines' 2nd highest mountain at 2,922 meters above sea level, last January 31, descended February 01, 2014. Same group, Congress Mountaineers, we first climbed the mountain in January 1994 or exactly 20 years ago. This time, some of us brought their kids.

It was my 3rd climb in this mountain. 1st time in 1994 with same group, 2nd time in 2002 with NEDA group. Very clear that my legs, lungs and body are indeed older than the 1st and 2nd time I climbed it.

From Baguio City, before we reached the PAWB/DENR registration and seminar station, we passed by Ambuklao Dam, Benguet. This hydro-power plant is owned by SN-Aboitiz.

Among the "orig climbers" in January 1994. Iya Tiu, standing in orange shirt front row, was only 6 years old then. Now she is 26. How time flies...

The girls...

The boys...

The kids, second generation of climbers...

Vhong Navarro Jokes

Here are some fun images after comedian Vhong Navarro was beaten by Cedric Lee and his gang, at a condo by Deniece Cornejo last week. Some jokes that circulated...

1: After Deniece gave Vhong oral sex, she french kissed Cedric. The latter got so angry with her smell, so he beat Vhong.

2. Deniece: Tara sa condo.
"Bulalo guy": May bulalo ba doon?

3. Hi Deniece, I am Denephew. :-)

Below is a typical Filipino joke.

And jeepney drivers/operators have their way too.

Soon a movie.

Some jokes have shifted away from Vhong, gravitating towards Cedric. A new case or reviving an old case, about his tax liabilities with the BIR. BIR Commissioner Kim Henares middle, boxer and Cong. Manny Pacquiao lower photo.

See also:

Fun Photos: Skylab Motorcycles, August 12, 2012

Ilongo ka gid Kon... July 18, 2013

Funny World Maps, January 11, 2014

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Mt. Pinatubo Climb, February 2006

Eight years ago, I climbed Mt. Pinatubo for the second time, along with the friends and former officemates of my wife at De La Salle Univ. (DLSU) ITC. We boarded the midnight bus at Pasay, got off at Capas, Tarlac, rented a jeepney towards the jump off area, I think Camp O'Donnel, Tarlac.

Some of us wanted to walk, but we were advised that walking at such a far distance is not advisable, the heat is terrible. So we rented the 4x4 jeeps there. We have a contact guy before coming of course, forgot his name now, as well as the rate.

All photos from Kitt Santos, in brown shirt, below. Kitt is also a ninong or godfather of our elder daughter, Elle Marie.

We hired four or five jeeps total, 5-6 passengers per jeep.

The backpacks are in the jeeps, group photo before taking the 4x4 ride, yuhooo.

The ride was fantastic. The jeeps were fast in the off-trail, their huge tires could manage well desert-like condition. Some parts, the jeeps must cross creeks, hurdle medium-size rocks.

After a certain area, the jeeps must stop. Their tires could no longer tackle the huge rocks, even boulders. We got off, put on the backpacks, and the climb by foot started. Below, some portions after a narrow area.

Mixture of bare soil and thin vegetation at the top.

At the crater viewpoint.... nice, awesome, beautiful crater lake.

Mt. Pinatubo Climb, December 1994

Mt. Pinatubo explosion in 1991 was the biggest volcanic eruption of the last century in the whole planet. Some 10 or 11 (or more?) cubic kilometers of earth materials were thrown into the sky and fell down as ashfall, hot rocks, sand, dust, etc. Instant destruction then was huge, hundreds of thousands of hectares of farm lands, residential and commercial areas, were covered by ashfall. Many houses and structures were knocked down by the heavy ashfall that came back to the ground.

Another destruction followed months and years later, via lahar (mud, sand + water) that came down the slope of the mountain-volcano, the various rivers in Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales provinces.

I belonged to the Congress Mountaineers then, formed in 1993 when I was still working at the House of Representatives. We have climbed many mountains in the country then -- Mt. Apo in Davao, (higher mountain in the Philippines), Mt. Pulag in Benguet-Ifugao (2nd highest mountain), Mt. Halcon in Mindoro, Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon, Mt. Hibok-hibok in Camiguin, Mt. Banahaw in Quezon, Mt. Makiling in Laguna, Mr. Maculot in Batangas, Mt. Arayat in Pampanga, etc.

Climbing Mt. Pinatubo's crater was a cool and challenging idea then, thought by our team leader, Jules. Around October 1994, a Pinatubo climb was co-sponsored by the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 3 office, to promote adventure tourism of the volcano. It was billed to be the "First human expedition to reach Pinatubo by foot".

Jules, me, Gene Penas and Calmar Palma, four of us, set out to climb one day ahead of the scheduled climb by a big group of the DOT team. We wanted to surprise them that we were there in the summit by the time they arrive.

Day 1 alone, we got lost, we could not configure our location based on the maps we had. The trails were very tricky, it was like a monster maze. We decided to camp out for the evening and wait for the big group the next day. There were plenty of them, about 16 climbers + 17 Aeta porters with lots of ropes, food, water. The Philippine Air Force (PAF) also supported via air drop of additional food and water. It was also ready to provide assistance should there be a need for an airlift in case of serious injuries among the expedition team members.

It took the big team + four of us 3 days 2 nights to reach the crater summit, then 1 day and 1 night to go back, total of 4D/3N. For us though, it was 5D/4N.

Since we already knew the basic route to the crater summit, Jules dreamed of a "Pinatubo crater traverse" expedition. We would climb from Pampanga side, and go out at Zambales side. There were eight of us then: Jules Calagui, Uly Veloso, Noel Mercado, Rap Rios, Coco Rosa, Gene Penas, Raymond Azanza, and me.

We don't have any of the photos in Pinatubo. It's only this week that Noel posted in facebook some of the hundreds of photos, most of which went to Coco, Jules' ex-wife, and I heard that Coco is not in the mood to share the photos to anyone of us. I hope this is not true.

The beach of the crater lake, Pampanga side. We brought tire interiors, a rubber boat, inflator, etc. so we can go to the other side. Uly being a swimmer, swam the lake from Pampanga to Zambales side.

Our plan was 3D/2N to reach the crater summit, Pampanga side, then 2D/2N to go down and exit at Botolan, Zambales, total 5D/4N. But things were more complicated, more dangerous than what we anticipated. Especially the descent on the crater, going down on a wall of semi-hard surface, it was very dangerous. So we climbed December 27, and hoped that we would be in Botolan town proper December 31 evening, we could take the bus back to Manila and be home for the New Year 1995.

We ended up spending 6D/5N in the mountain-volcano. We arrived Botolan evening of January 1, 1995.

Going down a portion of the crater summit.