"Nung Ikaw Ay Bata, Nagawa Mo Ba To?"

My officemate emailed me this article and I was fascinated of remembering the old times..

*kumakain ka ba ng aratilis?

*nagpipitpit ng gumamela para gawing soapy bubbles na hihipanmo sa binilog na tanggkay ng walis tingting?

*pinipilit ka ba matulog ng nanay mo pag hapon at di ka papayagan maglaro pag di ka natulog?

*marunong ka magpatintero, saksak puso, langit-lupa, teleber-teleber, luksong tinik?

*malupit ka pag meron kang atari, family computer or nes?
*alam mo ang silbi ng up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, a, b, a, b, start?

*may mga damit ka na U.S.E.D., Boy London, Cross Colors, Esprit, Blowing Bubbles at pag nakakakita ka ng Bench na damit eh naalala mo si Richard Gomez?

*addict ka sa rainbow brite, carebears, my little pony, thundercats, bioman, voltes v, mazinger z, daimos, he-man at marami pang cartoons na hindi pa translated sa tagalog?

*nanonood ka ng shaider kasi nabobosohan mo si annie at type na type mo ang puting panty nya?

*marunong ka mag wordstar at nakahawak ka na talaga ng 5.25 na floppy disk?

*inaabangan mo lagi ang batibot at akala mo magkakatuluyan si kuya bodgie at ate sienna...
nung high school ka inaabangan mo lagi beverly hills 90210?

*gumagamit ka ng AQUANET para pataasin ang bangs mo?

*meron kang blouse na may padding kung babae ka at meron kang sapatos na mighty kid kung
lalake ka?

*nangongolekta ka ng paper stationaries at mahilig ka magpapirma sa slumbook mo para lang
malaman mo kung sino ang crush ng type mo?

*kilala mo si manang bola at ang sitsiritsit girls?e si luning-ning at luging-ging?

*alam mo ibig sabihin ng time space warp at di mo makakalimutan ang time space warp chant?

*idol mo si McGyver at nanonood kang perfect strangers?

*eto malupet... six digits! lang ba ang phone number nyo dati?

*nakakatawag ka pa sa pay phone ng 3 bentesingko lang ang dala?

*cute pa si aiza seguerra sa eat bulaga at alam mo ang song na "eh kasi bata"?

*inabutan mo ba na ang Magnolia Chocolait eh nasa glass bottle pa na ginagawang lalagyan ng tubig ng nanay mo sa ref?

*meron kang pencil case na maraming compartments na pinagyayabang mo sa mga kaklase mo?

*noon mo pa hinahanap kung saan ang Goya Fun Factory?

*alam mo lyrics ng "tinapang bangus" at "alagang-alaga namin si puti"?

*alam mo ang kantang "gloria labandera".. lumusong sha sa tubig ang paa ay nabasa at ang "1, 2, 3, asawa ni marie"... hehehehehe?

*sosyal ka pag may play-doh ka at Lego... at nag-iipon ka ng G.I. Joe action figures at iba pa
ang mukha ni barbie noon?

*inabutan mo pa yung singkong korteng bulaklak at yung diyes na square?

*lumaki kang bobo dahil ang akala mo nangangagat talaga ang alimango sa kantang tong-tong-tong... diba naninipit yun?

*alam mo yung kwento ng pari na binigyan ng pera yung batang umakyat ng puno para bumili ng panty... and shempre, alam mo rin ba kung ano binigay nya sa nanay nung umakyat ng puno?

*meron kang kabisadong kanta ni andrew e na alam mo hanggang ngayon.. aminin?

*laging lampin ang sinasapin sa likod mo pag pinapawisan ka?

*bumibili ka ng tarzan, texas at bazooka bubble gum... tira-tira, at yung kending bilog na
sinawsaw sa asukal?

*kinukupit mo pa at nanonood ka ng mga porno tapes ng tatay mo na nasa BETAMAX format pa... at sanay ka tawagin ang porno as BOLD?

*takot ka dumating ang year 2000 dahil sabi nila magugunaw daw ang mundo?

KUNG ALAM MO LAHAT DITO LAGPAS KA NA NG 25 YEARS OLD...
KAPAG HALOS LAHAT LAM MO, NASA 33-35 KA...
WAG KA NA MAG DENY.. TUMAWA KA NA
LANG...

Proud To Be Dabaweno

I was born and raised in Davao City. If you are not familiar with the place, it is located at the southern part of Philippines specifically in the Province Davao del Sur in Mindanao. It covers 244,000 hectares, the world's largest in terms of land area.

My hometown, Davao City is one of the alluring gateways to our country. Such place is typhoon-free, protected by numbers of mountains (one of those is Mt. Apo, the highest mountain in the country). Being virtually typhoon-free, lightweight clothing is a must.

There are two (2) reasons which make it unique: its people and its warm hospitality. Its population is a mix of tribes from all over the archipelago of the country. Hence, the average Dabaweno can easily converse and understand English and it is fluent in Tagalog and Bisaya or Cebuano.

Close to Davao City is Mt. Apo, the country's highest peak and home of the monkey-eating Philippine Eagle which is considered to be an endagered species, and the Waling-waling, a rare orchid with exceptional beauty.

Davao has become a booming tourist destination for its exquisite beaches where some were converted to be world-class resorts, premium dive sites in the Gulf, exotic flowers and tropical fruits. Leisure activities include golf and diving while eco-adventure activities include mountain biking and trekking the highlands of Mt. Apo.

To highlight some of the tourist spots in Davao, below are the details:

Mt. Apo, a tribal god's abode. Tallest peak at 10,311 ft above sea level. Climbing Mt. Apo takes four (4) days. There are many trails so climbers can have different routes so see more of the place.


Philippine Eagle Nature Center. It is located in Malagos, Calinan and the home of the monkey-eating Philippine Eagle. Such eagle is considered to be the largest eagle, standing to about three and a half feet (3 1/2) and is recognized with its powerful bill, strong legs and claws. More so, this is also a haven for numerous birds, animals and tropical plants.

Crocodile Park. The only crocodile park in the region provides home to locally bred crocodiles including the country's biggest crocodile named "Pangil" measuring eighteen feet (18 f t) in length. One can take pleasure from viewing, horseback riding around the park or feeding the young fierce reptiles.

Eden Mountain Resort. It is known for its cool climate, green forest and natural surroundings overlooking the city and the gulf. Also, it is suitable for camping, nature hiking, horseback riding, and bird watching.

Pearl Farm Beach Resort. A world-class resort lies in a secluded cove in Samal Island off the coast of Davao City. This 11-hectare spread provides houses patterned after the stilt houses of Samal tribes of the Sulu archipelago.


Davao City is known to produce exotic fruits. One of those is Durian. Many say, it smells like hell but tastes like heaven. Other fruits which I believe which are only be seen in Davao are mangosteen, yellow rambutan and marang.

Lastly, such place is known for its discipline. City ordinance prohibits smoking inside public utility vehicles, in government offices and some air-conditioned business establishments. Traffic rules and anti-littering laws are strictly enforced. Drug trafficking is a criminal offense punishable by death. Not to mention, on New Year's Eve, guns shots and dangerous fireworks are strictly not allowed.

There are many other beautiful things I can share about the uniqueness of my hometown. I may have seen other parts of the world but one thing I know, Davao City is still the most beautiful and the best place to live.

Love for Our Country, Philippines

Our country faces so many problems which little by little our economy is going nowhere but down the ground. More so, politicians are arguing with their respective ideas which we all know they are just pushing their personal interests.

Being a Filipino and a true citizen, how can we then help our country? In my own little way, I know I do help our fellow Filipinos as well as our country. Let me share some of my little ways.

1. If I am in the grocery, I am very meticulous to the things that I buy. I read all the things written at the back of the products and make sure it is made in the Philippines. To give you ideas what are those products, they are from Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, Lamoiyan, etc. I do not patronize products that do not have manufacturing plants in our country. Through this, it assures me that the products that I buy give continuous jobs to the Filipinos who work on those plants.

2. If I am in the mall, I usually buy shirts, pair of pants or any garments from a local store such as Bench, Bayo, Human, etc. Kamiseta is also a local store but I stopped patronizing its stuff since the time they made Natalie Portman their model. We have lots of gorgeous local models to advertise their products. So why do we need to get a foreign celebrity? I just do not understand it.


3. If I am in a music store, I buy original OPM CDs. Aside from they have better music, they are much cheaper than the music from foreign artists. Like Ryan Cayabyab, he has proven his talents from the songs he wrote which are well appreciated all over the world. This simply shows how talented our Filipino artists. For the movies, I manage to buy original DVDs too. This is also one way of showing my support to our movie industry.


4. If I am in a foreign country, may their place be so attractive and more progressive than ours, I still make sure to tell to my new found friends there how beautiful our country is from the white beaches, cheap but pretty things they can buy, exotic foods and fruits and most of all, the very friendly and hospitable Filipino people they will meet.

There are more ways we can show our love for country may it be little or big. What's important, you should never get tired of expressing it. Through this, you're not only helping our country but you're also a hero.

New Found Friends in Singapore

I was in Singapore last week to attend a 3-day security class. Such class was pretty ok but a bit information overloaded but I got no choice but to digest everything mentioned. More so, since we are mix cultures, it was quite difficult to understand most of my classmates. Hence, I learned many new things about security services.

Turning the other side of the coin, such trip was also fun since I gained new friends (aside my classmates which come from different parts of the world), I met also filipino friends which were introduced by my ex-client, Oga. Most of them work in AT&T and they seem enjoying their perks and works in Singapore.

These are my new found friends. Majority are filipinos except the guy in stripes (he's a hongki). From left: Mark, Che, Bong, Mwuah, Oga, Andy and my fellow IBMer Pinky. This was our second bar hop. Drinks are very expensive, roughly Php 400 per bottle. That's why I always comment after finishing a bottle of beer, I'm drunk already.

This solo picture of mine was taken in Bugis Mall by my friend Oga. I was attracted by the flowers and amazed on how expensive they are in Singapore. But they are really gorgeous. My officemate, Pinky was nowhere to be found, busy looking for stuff to buy in the mall. All I can say, she's a shopaholic.

Lastly, these are some of my classmates. They are also from IBM from different countries, US, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hongkong, Japan, India, Australia, China, etc. We ate in a seafood resto called No Sign Board. They had great crabs, prawns and fishes...really yummy but I got rashes too since I'm allergic to seafoods.

I hope we'll have another out of country training for me to learn more and definitely find new friends.