Mark the Date!

On March 27, 2010 I've officially graduated from Ateneo De Manila University. I've completed all the requirements to receive the degree Master of Arts (Major in Journalism) at the Asian Center for Journalism.

Today, on August 20, 2011 I finally received my official documents.

It took 17 months of constant follow-up and discussion to receive my Diploma, the certificate officially honoring the work, effort, commitment, and compliance I've put into my studies...

Off road bus

At first I couldn't believe my ears: a bus fell of the Skyway? Then I couldn't believe my eyes: it's a "Dimple Star" bus, the bus company I commute from Alabang to Lawton and back with!

Luckily, office was suspended on Tuesday, July 26 due to heavy rains and storm. The reasons, according to the bus driver who survived the accident, he lost control over the bus and dropped some 40 feet off the Skyway. Three people died, another three go injured.

According to the survivors and other witnesses the bus driver was racing the bus in these bad weather conditions which lead to the accident.

Rain, storm, driver's stupidity... whatever the real reason for the accident, I'm not surprised! The public transport system in Manila (and throughout the Philippines) is an absolute disaster. Most of the buses lack any standard for safety. Maintenance is an alien concept as broken seats, weird engine sounds, and slow breaking maneuvers prove. Yet theses buses use the Skyway, Coastal Road, and other "highway like" roads at a speed of 60mph and more! Some of the driver's aggressive and cocky attitude is yet another story I'm not even going into at this point.

As the "authorities" are obviously concerned with the public's safety, the Dimple Star bus operation has been suspended for the time being. But is commuting any safer for me? Not at all! I'd say the current scenario is even more dangerous for the commuting public.

The huge crowd of commuters is now facing an "under supply" of buses. The remaining bus companies take full advantage of the situation and overload their buses like there is no tomorrow! Now people are standing, squeezed like sardines, on the high-speed ride along the Skyway! Safety first?

Airport Tales...

... or: my extended stay in Japan

My trip to the US last December almost faltered at the airport due to the missing ESTA registration. This trip, my entrance to the US was no problem at all. With my printed ESTA form handy I walked right through immigration. Well, almost. The immigration officer took a bit longer to process my papers… so he could tell me he’s married to a Filipina from Iloilo and that he just came back from a trip to Cebu and Boracay. Mabuhay!

The bug during this trip was in the planes. Delayed departure from Manila to Detroit due to maintenance work on the plane. After the second announcement of yet another delay we changed our flights. We had to uncheck our luggage, check it again and jogged back to the gate to leave Manila with a 5 hour delay. We got to Buffalo later than planned but still within reasonable schedule.

Our return flights were even more bugged. Leaving Buffalo for Detroit on different flights, Glenn and I hoped for a short rendez-vous before heading to our respective departure gates. We ended up enjoying a 5-hour date since both of our connecting flights were delayed. Mine due to electrical problems on the plane, his due to a planned air-control officers’ strike in Germany. Time to sit at the Delta Lounge, sip a Baileys on ice and watch the financial world collapse (on TV, of course).

We boarded at around the same time. While I watched Glenn’s plane take off, I sat in the plane for another 2 hours before departure. Lights and aircons went on and off… repair work being done. When we finally took off it was so late according to my acclimatized US East coast timing that I napped for 8 hours straight!

A short stopover in Japan and another four hour flight and I’d be home! Or so I thought. Wrong! Again, I sat another 2 hours in the plane. This time, the cargo door wouldn’t close! The pilot’s announcement that “we are in the discovery stage” of what’s wrong didn’t sound promising. Not after 2 hours! I could see the guys work on the flat open cargo door. Sure enough, minutes later the announcement for disembarkation came through. Back to the gate. Soon after the announcement “we are currently negotiating with Japanese immigration authorities and quarantine…” That meant we’d be leaving the airport and spend the night (by now 4 am Manila time) in Nagoya.

Flight canceled. Meal voucher, hotel voucher, baggage claim. I dragged all my three bags, including the odd shaped fencing bag (the latest addition to our interesting workout equipment) to the hotel. I saw the sun rise over Nagoya and took a picture while most Filipinos were still arguing with the gate crew refusing to pick up their luggage. What’s the point? To my surprise I was neither mad nor frustrated. I saved my energy to be quick picking up my stuff and head for the hotel.

Exactly 12 hours after my (delayed) scheduled flight from Nagoya I was on the plane and headed home. The pilot welcomed all of us back onboard. With a smirk in his voice he said: “If all of the four cargo doors close we will be on our way to Manila shortly”!

It did close. Finally! Mabuhay!

Canoeing & kayaking!

I remember the whole day kayak trips we used to take as a family during summer vacation. Four people squeezed in a two-man kayak plus food supplies, blankets, and swim gear. We’d start of at our campground and meander from one lake to the other, passing through narrow channels rich with shy wildlife (which my sister and would try to feed along the way). We’d stop here and there for a swim or lunch break. I loved it!

All this memory came back to life when we explored the Oswego River in New Jersey. Glenn and Burke pushed down the river in a canoe while I glided through the shallow waters in my bright yellow kayak.

The river has an amber color. It’s something the roots of the trees in the area release into the water. Nothing bad, it just looks funny. At this time of year the river doesn’t carry much water. More than once we got stuck on a bed of pebbles, on a tree blocking the way, or the long river grasses flowing like green hair in the stream.

The slight current made the paddling easy. The scenery was just beautiful! And quiet! The highlight was a rope swing (which hadn’t been cut down by authorities yet). We swung and splashed – just like back in the days!

Great Adventure!

The great challenge at Great Adventure is to keep the fun level up while keeping stomach content down. Not always an easy task when riding some of America’s fastest, tallest, or longest roller coasters.

With our “flash pass” we zoomed straight to the head of every line, saving 90% of the usual waiting time (or so they advertise to make you buy the pass which costs three times the value of the park entry ticket). More, we could go two rides back to back. Truly a stress test to my stomach!

We started off with the Superman ride. After being seated and strapped in the seat is tilted parallel to the floor (or rather the tracks since the “floor concept” is a rather vague one in a roller coaster). All you need to do is hold your fist out straight and you’ll fly like Superman!

The Green Lantern was next. Interesting since it’s a stand-up ride. It takes 2.5 minutes to travel the 154 feet (47m) tall green structure “including a 121-foot-tall loop, a 103-foot dive loop, a 72-foot inclined loop and twisted double corkscrews” at 63 miles (100km) an hour. My lesson learned: I can’t take too many loops!

With 128 mph (206km/h!), Kingda Ka used to be the fastest ride in the world before taken over by Ring Racer in Germany. The almost vertical track stands 456 feet (140m) high! Acceleration, up, down, back to start in 54 seconds! The ride is so fast that neither stomach nor brain realized they were upside down. All I could utter was: “What was that”?!

Different from the cushioned high tech rides are El Torro and Rolling Thunder, booth wooden roller coasters. The rides are rattly and shaky but awesome. Just like their structure!

After 21 rides on 11 different roller coasters and almost no food intake within our 10 hours of restless thrill-seeking I called it a day. I wonder if I’ll go to bed with “coaster legs” tonight.

Jenny Jump

Here are two very important lessons we learned about buying a tent. One: always get a tent with aluminum poles - they are much lighter. Two: always get a tent with a fly covering the tent all the way down to the ground – no cutouts which expose the inner tent to potential rain. Because: as so often with Murphy’s Law, rain will find you as soon as you set out for a camping trip!

Our experience at “Jenny Jump” wasn’t any different. We got to the beautiful campsite in the morning, set up our newly purchased tent, went for a hike, got back and started a campfire! Dinner took a while to be served (well, our baked potatoes turned into charcoal but the corn was incredible!) and just as we got ready to have a marshmallow dessert, the rain set in.

Escaping into our tent was not much help. Rain was pouring in everywhere dripping onto our feet and heads! Wet sleeping bags on non-inflated (since broken) self-inflatable mats. I still wonder how we were able to catch some sleep at all that night. It must have been the monotonous drumming of the rain.

I love listening to the rain in a tent. No matter if it’s inside or outside or both. Part of the camping charm!

Cirque du Soleil

When was the last time you’ve been stunned and enchanted like a child? I guess it’s been a while, huh? If you are looking for that feeling of holding your breath in disbelief of what you see, go and catch one of Cirque du Soleil’s shows!

I was captured by the costumes, artistic, music, and incredible stage design during Manila’s “Varekai” show. The story reminds of Icarus. Flying to close to the sun a young man loses his wings. He crashes and wakes up in an enchanted forest. He meets various creatures, falls in love with one and…?

The whole story is told by artists swinging on ropes, bending their bodies in the most fascinating ways, or flying through the air like cannonballs. I was amazed to which perfection a human body can be trained and trimmed. I asked myself what kind of personality it takes to push your body so hard to be among the few top artists out there, to devote your life and work to a traveling show, to find your life’s goal in perfection and the applause after a successful show.

Whatever it is that drives them, I owe them my highest respect! Thank you Glenn for an amazing birthday gift!