Byaheng Southern Tagalog

The last two weeks I’ve spent with the 1^st Order GPS Re-Observation Project has been an adventurous ride—from the Island of Jomalig to Alabat Island; Tabaco City to Virac, Catanduanes, and to the remote outskirts of Albay and Sorsogon – Whoah! It was a whole lot of travel. So much than I’ve expected.

The experience seems so appealing to the adventurers, I believe, but surely the vanity-infected individuals will abhor such a thought of spending the night in an uncomfortable place, without aircon, or electricity. I can only imagine Ate Lala spending the night in the Barangay Hall and how she’d manage to sleep a night or two in such a place (hehe. I’m not saying that she’s vain though.). Good for Ate, she’s already a manager before she could come across such an experience. Hehe. Peace Ate!

As for me, the travels I’ve made for the last two weeks were superb. We departed from Manila on a Sunday. I barely had a good rest then after our 72-hour Tidal Observation in Sariaya, Quezon and Batangas City Port(that was from Monday to Thursday), report for work on Friday, and a GPS Observation for the calibration of the instruments on Saturday. And here’s the team, all ready for the mobilization just a day after the calibration.

I wish I had a digicam with me so I could capture more vividly each remarkable moments spent during these times. Nevertheless, here’s a simple account of the trip that made and pics from my phone:

Sunday, 20 March 2011 Mobilization Day. It was getting late in the afternoon when we finally get to travel to our respective points after hours of negotiations with our hired drivers. We departed from Manila at 5PM and arrived at Real, Quezon at around 9PM, spending the night at the house of Kuya Godo’s sister-in-law. By the morning, we were fortunate to know that a boat was scheduled to arrive and depart from Real, Quezon by 10AM.

Monday, 21 March 2011 - Island of Jomalig, Quezon.

The boat departed from Real at 12 noon and after 5 hours of sea getting dizzy and nauseated caused by the smell of the boat’s engine, we finally arrived in the island at around 5:30 PM. It came to me as a surprise to see the rich light-brownish sand of the island. The beach was so pure you could right your name on it so effortlessly. It was getting dark then and the sun was setting beautifully by the horizon and all I could do was to wonder how simple the life is on this island. The children sit by the sand, watching the boat being fully emptied. We were invited for a cup of coffee but Kuya Wapo refused the offer (knowing that there were cases of people being poisoned in the island).

I thought after the boat ride, just a few steps and that’s it, we’re on the point, QZN-2. But then a tractor was waiting for us by the basketball court to bring us to the airport, where the point is located. It was farther than I really thought. We passed by tall Cogon grasses, on a rough road that seemed like eternity. There were no street lights (you couldn’t even call it a road or a street anyway), and the light from the tractor was the only light guiding our way. It was scary hearing the sounds of the nocturnal insects as we passed by an uninhabited field of grasses and itchy shrubs almost covering our path. And if you’re a scary movie addict, you could immediately imagine the villains of the movie “Wrong Turn” surprising you and dragging you on the thick shrubs.

There were 7 of us on the tractor: a young ECE (of my age, I believe), checking on the SMART tower in the island as what he’s told me; his 3 co-workers, who’ve just had trouble carrying the ever so heavy dynamo, Kuya Wapo, the driver, and I.

By 8PM, we finally get to the airport and met Kuya Wapo’s ex-girl, whom he’d never seen for more than a decade. She’s fair and beautiful (she’s gained too much weight though as Kuya Wapo has told me), chatty, and conversational, as expected from an elementary school teacher. She led us to the old house she said she’s renovating. No light, no water – we have to settle for what we have, I told myself. And I survived two nights on that same house. Haha. The last night was spent drinking lambanog (my first time) with Kuya Danny, Kuya Wapo’s friend.

5-hour trip from Real, Quezon to Jomalig Island on this motoboat

March 24, 2011 - Island of Alabat, Quezon

After our observation in Jomalig, I went with the NetRS instrument to monitor its performance during the observation. The TA was supposed to bring the instrument in the mainland for ease in monitoring. However, the TA left the instrument’s antenna in Alabat Island when all teams went mainland for downloading. Hence, I was left with no other choice but to cross another island. I was still anxious then crossing another sea after our 5-hour wild and turbulent boat ride from Jomalig to Real, Quezon. Thank God, the ride was not as rough as we had in Jomalig.

Alabat is already a well-developed island with all the internet shops and a University (I never thought I’d find one in a small island). With about 5 barangays, Alabat has its own port with 3 regular boat trips daily. We stayed in the house of Brader’s grandma and saved on our hotel and food budget. Haha.

1.5-hour boat ride from Atimonan to Alabat

House of Brader's grandma

Church of Alabat

 

 March 26, 2011 - San Narciso, Quezon. 
                                      Now, after a while that I've been unable to attend mass, God has somehow   assigned me on areas near churches.

St. Joseph the worker Parish of San Narciso, Quezon

A mass held on a saturday night in San Narciso marketplace

QZN-8. Observed point inside the church compound

March 30, 2011 - Virac, Catanduanes

New place....new faces

I woke up at 2 A.M. and found myself looking at the ceiling of Tiyo Dodong's house. Now I'm leaving this noisy but happy place I've come to consider as my home for the last two months. I couldn't bring myself back to sleep and so I've decided to turn on my phone and listen to the songs I downloaded the time before I left Baybay...

Nostalgia... a feeling so inevitable for emo-type individuals. And this is just what I feel whenever I hear songs of the past...Songs that has been a part of my journey. I thought about the times I spend my weekends in the port...just talking about anything with a bottle of redhorse...I thought about my cousins in the province...how we enjoyed the summer. Hahay.

Dreaming of You revived by Lovi Poe
Can't Help falling in Love by Richard Marx
Please Remember by Leann Rimes

These are among the songs that were included in my playlist.

Another hour passed..still I couldn't make myself fall back to sleep. So I started texting my officemates...probably there's someone who, like me, has been used to waking up on graveyard. And here comes a reply from Grace...chika here and there til I wasn't able to notice that it's already 5 in the morning.

Now, I'll be packing myself up. I'll be leaving for Cubao. A place much nearer to my workplace.But first I gotta hear the mass.

The Gospel was then about Lazarus...

And here's what I got from Father Mario's homily:

Being rich was not the very reason why the rich was judged to spend his eternal life in hell. But because he did NOTHING on Lazarus. Despite the fact that in front of him was a suffering man.

Two things that we have to do to be worthy of eternal life then:

1. Do something good to your brethren. Something your brethren can NEVER REPAY.

and

2. Do it FROM THE HEART.

Whoah... from Father Mario's homily I've come to realize that I myself haven't done anything great to anyone...something that cannot be repaid of....shocks!
I guess now is really the time for me to do great things... in this new place... with new faces to meet.

"The Funny Norman"

PHOTO: seated from left are: Jazz, Grace, Norman, Steve,
Andrew, Mark, Marvin, and Ai





I went home yesterday at 2 in the afternoon. Feeling a bit tipsy and nauseated after a drink with my fellow contractuals of CIC --- a drink for Jazz despidida (She'll be leaving for Davao by Monday or Wednesday and will be staying there for a couple of months or so.

"Sir, Pasig Palengke na po tayo, saan po ba kayo bababa?". Feeling embarrassed, I turned to see where on earth I am. And consequently felt even more embarrassed to know that I was the only passenger left inside the FX. Haha. It was then my first time to catch a sleep inside a PUV in a broad daylight. Perhaps it was because of the long hours without sleep, not to mention the drink that we had, adding up to the intolerable sleepiness. Though we only took 2 cases of RH, still it was enough to bring out all the issues and concerns that we all felt about our work. Enough to know a person worthy of praise. And enough to know a person who deserves not our loath or revulsion but of our pity---pity for his soul.

Little by little, I'm coming to the point of knowing the individuals that I am working with. And I believe, this is the very essence of "Tagay". In a way, through these drinking sessions, we get to know a person more. No wonder, I was successful in the project I was into just a few months ago. Hehe. I couldn't believe I got all the information I needed in one single setting. To drink and get drunk -- That's all it took for me to get all the hidden problems, issues and concerns that the Project Implementation Unit of Bayombong had encountered.

Anyways, back to tagay...Tagay sessions somehow strengthens the bond among friends although there's always been a negative connotation of the word. But still it has been our ritual of fellowship back when I was in college. And I believe that from drinking, we tend to get more close and personal. We tend to delve into knowing the persons we are with, the people around us, and most especially, the friends we have. During tagays, we tend to disclose our every fears, pains and sorrow which often leads us into developing a deeper level of friendship.

And the people...I mean the individuals whom I now consider my "new-found friends"(I just hope they regard me as the same) of the Certeza Infosystems Corporation (CIC) is of no exemption. After about 5 bottles of RH, Marvin, and the rest of the group started talking about our bosses, their qualities and personalities... and things about them that we should beware ourselves of.

The variety of personalities found inside the office just amazed me.
I was surprised to know of the revelations about a certain individual in the office. Oh, how harmless the facade he possessed...but how uncertain and deadly the intentions of his heart are. It was just a confirmation of the fallible senses that we as human beings possess.

The silent could be fatal, and the riotous could be more tolerable.

Nothing is really certain.

Lucky are we to know a person's character in a matter of 2-3 meetings or conversations. However, some individuals are just superficial, or "plastic" as we call them to be. And this makes the matters worst. Finding it hard to know the person you're facing.

But however bad or good the people around us may seem to be, we are ought to do good to them---so great a challenge our Master has called us to take.

"Pag binato ka ng bato, batohin mo ng tinapay."
"Kung sagpaon ka sa aping, ipasagpa ang imong pikas aping."

Popular sayings, right?

But how stupid it is to be stepped on by someone. How stupid it is to be beaten with so harsh a word you could actually break the person's nose through one hard punch.
But Norman took it all. The "funny" Norman took it all just the other night.

Norman as I knew him for about a month in the office, is a person full of humor. So funny he could create a punchline from a single word you'd say. But here he is. Showing his other side. The side he's genuinely blessed with. The sign of humility.

I couldn't exactly phrase out the words he got from our Team Leader - the notorious LOven, but the very words that rang my ear were "Putang Ina mo" and "Hayop".

How could anyone pull those words out of his mouth and throw it to someone who's far more humane than him? I, myself have raised a brow from what I've heard. But still, what came through my mind was the fact the Master will judge us on how we react to things. And I was glad Norman did the right thing. And that was to remain humble.

Norman was even the first person to ask for forgiveness despite the fact that it wasn't his fault to draw a suggestion. Suggestion that the manager consequently took as a negative one. He...literally swallowed his pride and begged for forgiveness to the person who belittled him.

I believe Norman already got a 2-point passes (or more) for heaven from what he did.

For the rest of my stay in the company, I shall expect to hear a lot more of humiliation from our bosses' mouth. I'm just praying that our great Master will guide me and my new-found friends (friends whom I know I can trust) through the whole journey. That He give us the wisdom to do the right thing just as what Norman has successfully done.

To this, I'm reminded of the words of the song...


ANIMA CHRISTI

Soul of Christ
Sanctify me
Body of Christ save me
Water from the side of Christ
Wash me, Passion of Christ
Give me strength

Chorus:
Hear me Jesus
Hide me in thy wounds
That I may never leave thy side 
From all the evil that surrounds me
Defend me
and when the call of death arrives
Bid me come to thee
That I may praise thee With thy saints forever 

These we pray.

23FEB249-FD3A-D10F-4AF3-638F060EEB91

1.03.01

'WAG MO'NG IPAKITANG DI KA MARUNONG"

These were the very words that the infamous Loven has told me last friday night. A tip that he has shared with me...a tip for a more convincing and positive impression for the bosses, he said grinly.(I guess this is just what he's done during his juvenile stages in the company) And see what's he's become now. A dreaded Team Leader. Though friendly, he's at most times, annoying.

Overconfident. This I guess is the best word to describe him.

After 3 weeks in 3D, Loven has decided to transfer me to the 2D department for me and for Lara (my fellow new hiree) to experience both 2D and 3D. Lara has been with the 2D Department then for whole 3-week duration. But being the sensitive me, something in my mind tells me that perhaps it was my slow performance that directed him to transfer me to the 2D.

Through the whole saturday morning, I reflected on every word that he said. I started to think of the positive outcome of the change that I'm planning to make. To pretend that I know the task would be a disaster, I thought. But the other side of me, tells me to try it.

"Wag mo'g ipakitang di mo alam" equals to "Ipakita mong alam mo" and in totality, would only sum up to "PAGMAMAGALING".

PAGMAMAGALING...Being boastful. This is just the attitude that I'm always trying to avoid. I hate bragging about myself. But sad to say, it is necessary in this world of competition. The meek are put aside, while the show-offs succeeds.

I was on the verge of dipping my toe to being the person that Loven has suggested me to become until I heard HIS word last sunday.

PHOTO: The Interior of the St. John the Baptist

Church, Pinaglabana, San Juan City. I was then fortunate to attend a mass celebration as solemn as the mass celebrations in ViSCA or in the Carmelite Monastery in Lahug.

Meekness is not weakness.

These words had somehow enlightened me and provided me with the right and better direction.These were spoken by the presiding Priest of the 9:30-mass celebrated in the St. John the Baptist Parish in San Juan last sunday.

He's mentioned the downfall and mishaps of the persons who've acted like they are "somebody". Individuals who acted like they own everything they have... and individuals who boast and refuse to humble themselves.

Reflecting and relating these words to my situation, I've come to think that indeed it would be a disaster if I would pretend to be all-knowing with the task... task that I'm just beginning to learn. Pretending..is just synonymous to lying, I realized. And this, would only generate more problems or dilemma to the situation.Remain humble--this is what I'm always telling myself.

When you choose the lowest path,
there is no place for you to fall
and the only way is UP.

I've heard these words from Father Fernando Suarez and Father Mario so many times on TV, and the Priest in Pinaglabanan has mentioned it once again.

"We don't own anything in this world.

Therefore, we don't have anything to boast ourselves of."

Indeed, all our talents, skills, wisdom, properties, beauty, and just about anything we're holding right now are all HIS. The air we breathe, the clothes we wear and above all, the LIFE we have belongs to the POTTER's HANDS.

He owns it, and we live to please Him, not ourselves.

For the times that I've forgotten about humbling myself to HIM, I'm asking HIS forgiveness. And I'm thanking HIM for being there always.

As I departed from Leyte 4 weeks ago, I've decided not to let go of HIS hands for I am afraid that I may end up like I've been before when I was working in Cebu.

I've made a song I've entitled: " BE MY LIGHT". And I've played it with abai erwin singing while I'm strumming the chords then. I just hope abai er has added more stanza to it. It'll do just fine with only one though.

I'll be posting it soon when I finish all its lyrics.