Getaway

The memory of the beach during daytime as it connects aura and the soft breeze which softened the heat captivates my soul.
The endless howls of the wind and the dogs at night haunts. Utterly dark and mysterious were those shadows lurking under the moonlight beam. Counting the stars on a deep dark night humbled my rage. And reminded me of my place. And shooting stars showered a grand show sprinkling their fancy colors on the nightsky once in a while. Gone were the utter desperation and boredom felt at home. Sucked by the immaculate warmth and refreshment of the salty air. Friendships written on sand and memoirs. Made during the blossoms of youth.

The tumbling of boulders and the pursuit of catching a meal along the beach still tickles the excitement I once had for life.
The early morn swim on such crystal clear water refreshes the drive to discover more. The blithe of freedom and equivalence.
There were no alcohol nor drugs to intoxicate the memory. Just pure joy.
Everyday was life afloat and washed unto the shore where the waves want it.
Oh! how that bay enriched my adolescence and quenched the desire out of life. Independently. To live and pursue.
Memories of Medina

Summer 1990

Tour Guiding!

There was once a period when I engaged in 'Guiding Tourists' in the province of Palawan. The adventure was enthralling as the place was. Little did I know, would I be able to meet people and animals from all walks of Genus. Added bonus were the experiences with other 'terrorist guides' or visitors 'terrorizing the guides' in Palawan. Bato-bato sa langit, tabi-tabi lamang po. (My apologies to those who cannot understand Pilipino).

Tour Guide OJT
OJT-'Welcome po everyone to Iwahig Penal Farm Colony.We are now approaching the landmark called...'
(biglang natulala)
(May nagbulong)- 'Psst! Jubilee Cross, Jubilee Cross!'
OJT- '...ah yes, we are now approaching Angelus.'

Red Tide
Turistang Manilenya – 'Manong Tour Guide, bakit namumula ang tubig sa Honda Bay today?
T.G- 'High Tide kasi ngayon Ma'am. Di ba ang babae minsan kabuwanan. Ganun din ang dagat kasi'

Karst
(Upon approaching a Limestone Rock Formation an American Tourist excitedly asked the Tour Guide)
American Guest – Oh my god, what are those?
(Ang nakaid-lip na (kawawang) Tour Guide nagulat sa tanong at karakarang sumagot)
T.G.- 'It's d rocks! Bigger dan d stones!'

Getting to Know You
T.G.- Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat. Maligayang pagdating po sa Palawan. Ma'am, Sir ako po si____ ang inyong Tour Guide sa araw na ito.Pwede po bang malaman kung taga-saan kayo maam, sir?
Male Tourist (mukhang galit)-Ako si Bert taga Manila. Eto Misis ko! Si Nene. Taga Ilo-ilo. Ilongga sa araw, Aswang sa gabi.

Tsuper
(Drayber nakikipag-usap sa Tour Guide)- Alam mo Barok, hirap talaga pag misis mo maganda, no. Nakita mo kanina yung bisita natin. Yung lalake ang pangit talaga. Ang misis nya ubod ng ganda at seksi pa. Tingnan mo. Grabeng kapit yung lalaki sa babae. Akala mo lilipad ang babae. Hoy Barok! Narinig mo ba sinasabi ko. Saan ka na ba?
(May Tinig na Sumagot)- Oo. *%&+!! lahat ng pinagsasabi mo! Dinig na dinig ko! Pangit pala ha! Hoy Tsuper kang §$%*+! Paki-alamero ka $%&§! Irereklamo kita sa Travel Agency! Tingnan nating kung sinung mawalan ng trabaho!

Unggoy-unggoyan

Nagkagulo sa Picnic Area ng Underground River Area. Isang supot ang tinangay ng isang unggoy. Dali-daling tinakas at binuksan sa itaas ng puno. Maya-maya'y may narinig.

Turista-Aray ko! Bwisit na +*$%&! unggoy yun ah! Tinakas na nga tinapay namin. Binato pa uli sa akin! Mamang Tour Guide! Bakit ba nambato yun ng tinapay? Tinamaan ako o!

Tour Guide- (tiningnan ang tinapay). Maam kaya pla kayo binato. Putok (Sputnik sa Cebuano) kasi tinapay ninyo. Ayaw nila ng matigas na tinapay.

OJT
(On-d-Job-Trainee Tour Guide)-Ladies n gentlemen, Welcome to the Iwahig Fenal Farm Colony.On your left, as you can see, are rice pelds. And to your right... (biglang napatigil) You see... you see.. also rice pelds.. (biglang nagbulong) Ang dami palang rice felds dito no?

Barok Files copyright

Being Friends

It's been 20 years since I met Jesse or 'Bullets' as they call him. We met in elementary school and I'm grateful that we crossed each other's path.
I can't recall how many lunches he's shared with me since 1988. But I do recall him throwing his lunchbox up on the air when he saw our girl classmate-she took her false teeth and forgot to put them back-he freakin' freaked out. Our supposedly 'lunch' were all on the dusty floor. We went hungry but laughed the whole day.
And yes there were adventures and mishaps and sneaking inside the Chem Lab was one of them. We were always amazed when chemicals change color when mixed with other solutions. Only the janitor found out about it.

Other important rooms were also explored, i.e. Teacher's Faculty Room, The Library...We had fun manipulating 'order'. We had this idea of becoming detectives and spies-so we 'hit' most record books. Our favorite past time was the Lib-we joined the Librarian after Lunch Break for her afternoon nap. And we slept mostly inside the Lib-it was very quiet.
I spent most weekends also at Jesse's home and I wanted to hang out with people my age . No one was interesting at our own house. We'd hike or go through crevices just to fill our thoughts on adventure. Or play computer games just like ordinary boys.

However, on a certain Saturday, we noticed a big hornet hive just above Jesse's garage doorway. I didn't know what became of me-I picked up a stone and threw it. It made a big hole on the hive, but the hornets weren't so angry or so I thought. Monday came. Jesse was utterly silent as I approached him in the school playgrounds. Then, he faced me. His other eye was swelling. One hornet got revenge!
Our seat arrangement during the entire High School was always the same. He sat always in front of me. 'My human shield' if ever a teacher decided to throw an eraser at me.
In college, we separated ways but didn't lose touch. I took a different course and he, as well but we were on the same college institute. We barely had time to catch up. I was busy with studies and my work. And he was engaged with a lot of study-related-projects.

After graduation, I left for Palawan to help my family's business. After 2 years roaming the jungles in Palawan, we were reunited and worked together in a Spanish-government-funded project based in Camiguin Island. More misadventures came.
One day, Jesse begged me to drive him up to a highland community 'coz he himself didn't know how to drive a motorbike. I refused due to the gloomy weather from the volcano's peak. Stubborn as he is, my friend resented my refusal and took the motorbike. As we saw him from the office balcony driving away, I told another colleague 'He'll break a bone.' Jesse drove back minutes later, one arm limping.
We decided to share a very small bed-space room (about 7 sq.m.) in Mambajao, Camiguin. He had a single bed and I had a double bed. My ex-girl (who was German) visited me and decided to stay over for the night. Jesse was in panic! He's not spoken about it. But I somehow knew. During the night, my ex-girl and I were merely whispering as not to wake Jesse up. About 3 a.m., Jesse suddenly spoke out loud, 'I'm awake!' (He later confessed he couldn't sleep at all!!)
I left for Australia that same year and travelled to some other places-Jesse and I still kept in touch. I learned later on, he too left Camiguin and took some jobs in Cagayan de Oro.
In 2004, I went back to the Philippines,had a short-stint in Bukidnon and in a few occasions, I caught up with him. We had a few beers and well nothing seemed to have changed, although his hair was beginning to recede. We still laughed at the same old jokes.
I moved to Austria and got a son-Jesse engaged himself in the medical field and remains single 'til now.
After 20 yrs, we still keep in touch. Jesse's hair has vanished quite a bit. The scalp more visible. Nevertheless, we still laugh at the same old jokes...Am still glad we crossed each other's path.

Fall 2008
Vienna, Austria

Badak

became my favorite fruit as I adventured into the forested areas of Southwest Palawan (Philippines) during the late 90s. I found this very sweet and delicious! One time, I ate about 10 of them!
One can find this rare seasonal fruit during 'Tabo' or 'Market Day' mostly during weekends in the small barrios around the Mantalingahan area (the Municipalites of Bataraza, Brooke's Point, Espanyola, Rizal, Quezon).
'Badak' is what the indigenous tribes in Palawan call it. As I found out the other Southeast Asian neighbours call it Cempedak or chempedak . The tree belongs to the Moracaea Family, a relative of Jackfruit, Marang, Breadfruit and Durian. It occurs in Malaysia, Myanmar, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines (only in Palawan).* And the smell! How exotic! The taste of the fruit is similar to the related Jackfruit with a hint of Durian. A sweet, mild, and juicy pulp surrounds the peanut-like seeds in a thick layer between the husk and an inedible core. The outer husk of the fruit is slightly sticky.

There are not so much literature found regarding this fruit and so I thought I'd pursue research on this tree for my master's degree. So wish me luck!

If you're interested to know more exotic fruits, check this out : http://www.fruitpedia.com/


italics-mine

Vienna, Fall 2008

Smile in our Face

It's interesting that when we were children, we never realize the value of friendship until we grow old nor we do treasure the beauty of childhood. As children, everyday was exciting..though the boring part was going to school but then again we had the whole day to play. No sooner than we expected we were in Highschool and Time's changed...And some of those whom we grew up with had moved to another school ... But ahh the days when everything were almost fun, except for some embarrassing moment ,of course... And then, College, University life came - a totally different scenario..the realism surges...experimenting on love and relationships mixed with endless sleepless nights ...and dreaming of passing with flying colors..while some of us dreamt only of surviving...and escaping...until that too, passed by...And then the real world, the list of dreams went on and on...seeking a job, seeking fulfillment, seeking life's meanings ..reaching the childhood dreams...
From childhood we meet lots of people through the years... and there are those who stand by us..others just go away and we never hear from them anymore..while others disappear and re-appear.. and yet others just wither.
Some of my batchmates way back in HighSchool already got married and or have children, like myself...others continue to stay single...a couple of them became successful and rich...while others choose to live the alternative.. and sadly a few had already said goodbye....
How now that whenever we hear from someone we grew up with, we fondle at the idea that somehow we can be children again.. to play the whole day....and our hearts jump to some degree at this very thought and it puts a warm smile on our face.

Berlin, 2007

Old Flame, New Admiration

After 3 years, I decided to fly back to Puerto Princesa, my beloved hometown...
The adventure started from Vienna via Amsterdam to Manila-and boy! was it too much for the soul.Too exciting, too exhausting and too many questions. And I hated the thrill...so I tried diverting myself and watched movies during most of the 17-hour flight. Nevertheless, my thoughts were always on Palawan; my parents, property, friends, food, boatride, diving, the sea, people, islands, fish, beach...
Arriving in Manila wasn't much of a help.The queue system didn't change at all.The same old bureacracy one can find in NAIA was still there.Tsk,tsk. Oh well, WELCOME BACK TO THE PHILIPPINES...
And of course, I had to wait for half a day in Manila to get on the last flight on that day to Puerto Princesa. And as I have expected (the unexpected) the flight to Puerto was delayed. I had been awake for more than 27 hours - yet I couldn't rest my eyes nor sit on one corner. (My brain was only functioning due to the high intake of Espresso coffee!).
But the sheer excitement that I finally would see Puerto again overwhelmed me. I just wanted to go home...
It was late afternoon as we took off for Puerto. As we entered Palawan airspace, the clouds tinged with pink and red greeted me with a familiar warmthness one can only find in Palawan.
From the window, I saw Honda Bay beneath and the islands about it. The memories rushed in-I was in a trance for some minutes. How I missed the warm waters! And how I wished to parachute away and splash into the bay (with or without my luggage)...
How can one forget a once beloved hometown? a place one considered incomparable? where one discovered the sensations of nature? where one found a place in one's heart?
As we made the final descend and saw again the green curls of her mountains, I remembered the romance I had once with Palawan. During the time I approached manhood, she taught me a lot as I ventured into her jungles, explored her caves and dived her waters. Extremely wild and sensational...
My thoughts were interrupted as the stewardess caught our attention and bid us goodbye. Somehow, I was afraid the time will come when I had to say goodbye again to Puerto and fly back to Vienna...
And oh Vienna! Somehow I needed to choose between the two. Puerto Princesa-a young, virgin, naive place and; Vienna-old, but modern, rushing city. (Jokingly, it sounded like 'the Filipina or the Foreigner?')...
In Palawan, I was free.Time didn't exist in her forests nor beaches. Just the rising of the sun and moon mattered to her.The setting of the sun signalled the moon. And most of the time, the stars kissed the seas as they gleam reflectingly. I fell in love with her seas and what's under them. Her seas offered me a silent kingdom where all creatures bowed to my presence. She offered me nourishment, bounty, and a place of refuge-to wash away the stress found on land.Somehow, the life above strangled me and I fell despair. The seas could not remedy such.I fell out of love and decided to search for a new one. I left Palawan...
As I got out of the plane and saw Puerto airport atlast, I tried to rekindle the once romantic relationship I had with her.However, I too feared the involvement as I already started a new admiration for Vienna.
Vienna, a foreign-speaking, highly cultured, developed city who undertook a thousand facelifts offered something different. She offered security, opportunity, equal human rights, ease-a new pasture where grass grew plenty...
After spending a week after 3 long years,I realised I didn't have the same amour I had with Puerto.This was not anymore my home. Sadly, I did not belong to her anymore...
Things have changed. And changed her a lot. She tried to undergo cosmetic surgery but it wasn't done properly.So she ended up unfortunately ugly. The trees which adorned some her corners were cut down. Lost with them, were memoirs of the once mystic Puerto Princesa I knew. Unknowingly, she attracted more suitors, more migrants and a result, more pollutants. And she had driven away the good people, whom I knew, and who loved her for what she formerly was...
The freedom which she offered to my soul at one time existed no longer. It was perhaps, given to another suitor. Or perhaps, it was simply lost...
But how can one forget a feeling? The excitement, the thrill were exchanged with boredom and discomfort. My once considered hometown felt estranged. I felt like a simple passer-by. An alien. A tourist...
And time came to leave the 'old flame' behind, or so I thought. As we parted, Puerto Princesa whispered something into my ear...An offer to remain friends forever and promised to welcome me anytime I should look for 'new' home...

(Thoughts on Migrating)

Manila, 2008 Philippines Trip