More travels

We did more traveling last week. On Tuesday and Wednesday we were in the far-flung towns of La Libertad and Mabinay, respectively. We got back to Dumaguete on Tuesday when it was already dark, after dropping by the town of Bindoy. We ate at Connie's grill (?), hungry and exhausted from the long travel. Most draining was the travel we took the next morning. Mabinay town is situated about north west of Oriental Negros. The route towards it is mountanous. The roads stretched up and around the mountains like snakes. The experience easily made us nauseous. But the place is beautiful. From the bus we had a good view of a part of Negros -- the shore line, the farms and fields, and Cebu island across. Mabinay itself is nice. The town is clean and the people are friendly.

We got back to Dumaguete at noon and took our lunch at Qyosko. The fun was not over yet for we again had to take another bus for Bayawan!

We literally traveled for 10-11 hours! Ours butts ached from the constant sitting.

Excessive travel sucks the life out of you.

On Thursday I stayed in the city while Pangga went back to Sta. Catalina. I spent the afternon reading The Case For Faith and the first 12 chapters of the gospel of John in the Bible. Later I visited the city public library.

The city library is very small. Here in Cebu the public library is about three times bigger. All the same, the books in both libraries are very old and outdated. They're also not well taken cared of. It's very sad that our local governments do not prioritize our public libraries, when books improve the mind and help build an empowered citizenry.

Still speaking about libraries, I wish I had access to the library in Silliman. I've heard it has the country's largest collection of titles.

That evening we took a slow boat bound for Cebu. For we were cash-strapped, we spent only 30 pesos for our dinner! We learned it's possible to subsist in that meager budget. We recalled the time when we were so lavish that we spent 700 bucks (!) for lunch in Cafe Adriatico here not too long ago.

We reached Cebu at dawn Friday. My mother met us at the pier. Pangga left for Bohol that same morning. The amazing (read: extremely tiring) life that Pangga lives! I understand why she wants to give that job up. It's not worth it. Considering the risks and the expenses. I told her jokingly, although half-seriously too, before that it seems she's working not to earn money but to incur debts. Since she started that job she's been "earning" nothing but debts left and right. I try to consle her by saying we'd find a job that's more tolerable here in Cebu. The culture of the job, too, contributes to the pressure. Her workmates she finds not very professional. There's gossip here and there, politics, etc.

We all need or deserve a job that will make us happy, wherein we will find personal fulfillment and where there's ample space for personal growth. If a job does not provide those then what's the point in staying? I must admit though that times are hard and it's extremely difficult to find a job that is ideal for you.

More bad news for motorists

The price of oil in the world market is now $60 per barrel. It's amazing how fast it has risen in the last few months. It was not long ago when it was $50+, and now, in just so short a span of time, it has reached that all-time high mark.

XCS plus, the gas our car consumes, is now PHP 28.10. A few months ago it was about PHP 26.35. In the next couple of months it might reach PHP 30. Prices of basic commodities will again rise. It's going to be a gloomy Christmas for many people.

Home in Minglanilla

I've never travelled this often in my life before. Yes, I'm back in Cebu. Got here this afternoon. I've gotten so used to the trip from Liloan, the town adjacent to Sibulan in Negros, to Minglanilla, the town where I live, or vice versa, that it doesn't tire me up much anymore.

I had an interview this morning with a guy from SPI in the Coco Grande Hotel. My chance of getting the job, I think, is 50-50. I think the job is okay. I'd be happy if they'll offer it to me, but if they would, I don't think I'll grab it. Pangga is planning to resign from her company this Monday. She had grown so unhappy with the job. I would love to work in Dumaguete, but my first priority is my Pangga.

SPI will start its operations next year, probably at the end of the three-month training which will start this January.

I remember telling Pangga last night while we were having our dinner that Dumaguete depresses me. The place is so lonely, so quiet. But I now know that I'd be saddened to leave it. The place is beautiful. Life is simple there. You are more attuned to Nature since the city is lined with many old trees, especially near Silliman. I love the idea of a "university town" and an "intellectual center". Dumaguete is a very ideal place for writers and poets. I love the boulevard. I love the parks. The city is so clean, so unlike Cebu. I love the food, too. We've tried Atong Kamalig several times, Jo's a few times, Qyosko many times. I love their Cookies and Cream shake. When we're short of money, we go to the Silliman Coop eatery, or more frequently to Sisters' Eatery, the carenderia in front of the AM-PM Convenience Store in Piapi. We also love eating in Binalot. We go to Scooby's not so much to eat but to use a computer or access the internet. I was addicted to congee in Chowking (Come to think of it, I still am).

I also love Libro Bookstore.

I've tried some of the inns, lodge and pension houses in Dumaguete. OK Pension is okay, and also Negros Lodge, but we had the sense of being suffocated there by the stale air that filled the building. Their ventillation was poor. The pension house owned by a Catacutan near Jo's is true to its name -- "nakakatakot". One night while we were there the table in our room made an intermittent "knocking" sound that lasted very late in the night -- until we fell asleep with the lights on! We tried hard to give the phenomenon a rational explanation but in truth we were denying the fact that we were experiencing, or witnessing, a supernatural event. The thing about the place in Catacutan is that their beds are actually the kinds used in hospitals! Who knows, maybe they were actually used in hospitals before! And the table which made that weird sound in our room, I would guess it was antique (it looked so). I've always thought it funny why very few people rent a room there.

Back in Dumaguete

I received a text message last Wednesday from SPI Technologies informing me that I am to take an examination for copy editor today, Friday, in Foundation University. So I went here yesterday morning. I applied for the position about two weeks ago.

The turn out of audience for Fahrenheit 911 at SM Cinema 1 last Wednesday was a disappointment. Me and Pangga watched the movie together with only a handful of people, most of them foreign nationals - Americans and Koreans. It reminded me of the time I went out to see the French art film Amelie, the movie house was virtually empty! And what's more, it did not last a week! However, it did open for the second time a couple of weeks later, and fortunately more people came to watch it then.

In Cebu, again

I'm very excited because Fahrenheit 911 finally opened in movie theatres here in Cebu. I want my whole family to see this film. I asked my father about it earlier and he said he doesn't want to watch it because it's critical of Bush. But I am going to drag him to the cinema to watch it. Let's see if his opinion of Bush will not change after viewing the film.

I'm going to pick up Pangga later in the pier. She was in Bohol since Monday. From the pier we're going to fetch my mom from the PhilAm office. She's a sales counselor. And from there off we'll go to SM.

I was in Dumaguete last week, Monday, with Pangga, as usual. Tuesday we were in Siquijor. It was my first time in the so-called Island of Fire. The place was really beautiful. I could say that the place is greener, cleaner, and more peaceful than Dumaguete. I might be wrong. The old church in Siquijor is truly magnificent. The town is truly calm and quiet, it reminded me of the compound in Atlas in Toledo, where we lived for a couple of years after moving from Basay in Negros Oriental. We got stuck in the island for a day since the weather was not so friendly. There was a typhoon at that time in Luzon, I believe, and a tropical depression in the visayas.

On Wednesday we were back in Dumaguete, and on Thursday I went ahead of Pangga back here.