Why it is unforgettable?

My friend, Weng, started bugging me on taking a vacation away from Bulacan and Cavite since the time she learned that her boss allowed her to take some time off from Dubai.

We searched for places to go until it was decided that it’ll be in Palawan. I was of course excited for it will be my first time to see the famous Palawan. After the hustle and bustle of travel booking, our feet finally set on the island on the day of December 6, 2009.

Weng was agitated by the disappointment and frustrations she got from her other friend. Fortunately she was able to calm down before we set for our first activity.

First day was spent in a city tour. Went to Iwahig prison, crocodile farm (the difference of this from the rest I’ve seen is that this farm got the biggest crocodiles!), baker’s hill (this is my favorite for the ambiance was very nice, it’s like you’re not in the Philippines), Mitra’s ranch, and many others. Not bad for a trip though.

Second day was my favorite. We’ve seen the world’s famous underground river, it was amazing. I was totally entertained by our bangkero, though he is like a recorder for he’s been in the job 16 years of his life. We had our lunch at the beach. We have other co-tourists and somehow we got easily connected with each other. Our trip was spent laughing and talking. Going back to the hotel, I was so tired and sleepy. The others planned on having coffee after doing some shopping. And they have to “force” me to come. (Feeling ko ang arte ko kasi pinilit pa nila ako). After the short shopping, we went out for coffee. Deri, one of the most comedic in our group, treated us not just for coffee but also for an entertainment. He’s a fan of magic and he showed us some of his antics. We had the best afternoon full of laugh and entertainment.

The last day we spent on island hopping. Did snorkeling and a lot of boat rides. Bohol remains to be my favorite. Biased! Haha! The next time I’ll visit Palawan, I want to see El Nido. (grin)

Going back to Deri, he told us that he’s a photographer. But I didn’t know that he’s not just an ordinary photographer. I’ve searched his name in the net, and this is what I found…

Ibarra Deri, a renowned portraitist, is the first photographer to be included in Huwaran Filipino Achievement Awards' Who's Who in the Philippines. Deri (as he prefers to be called) started photography as a simple hobby. He has three college degrees unrelated to photography: a bachelor's degree biological sciences, a masters degree in teaching in biological sciences, and a degree in dentistry. For love of portraiture, he founded the Society of Portrait Photographers of the Philippines. An avid magician, Deri spices up his photography lectures with magic tricks. He owns and operates three photography studios in both Metro Manila and Bicol.

Are you kidding me?! He took these shots for me and my friend…for free!!!

Boys Will be Boys

Last night, IC invited us to a dinner in celebration of his allegedly “24th” birthday. It was initially planned as a boy’s dine out but for some reasons, the girls were invited as well. And being my “favorite bodyguard”, I set my time for IC. Kahit tampururot sya because I was not able to greet him on the day of his birthday. Haha!

I didn’t know who from the girls are coming but for one I was certain that Minette will join since I contacted her in the morning. She was my personal driver on going to the meeting place (thank you sis, love you). It turned out that it was only me and Minette who will join the dinner from the girls. Before going to Buslo, we even thought that we’ll get OP since it was an “11 boys vs. 2 girls” dinner. Nevertheless, nandun na kami so might as well enjoy IC’s blowout.

Being the only two girls, the men let us sit near the middle. IC started to order crispy pata, bulalo, sisig, etc., etc. Wow, as Minette said di pang-100 ang order ni IC! Pang 65 lang, dahil di ka na aabutin ng 100 years sa taas ng cholesterol ng mga food that were ordered. Haha! I requested for “chicken bahay guya” for it was my favorite.

When the food came, all was excited to eat. Arms, hands, voices, bowls, plates are moving. I was a bit shocked to see these men eating excitedly and tumatayo pa talaga sila to get the food that they want, di talaga sila nahiya samin ni Minette. Hehe. And to my surprise, my request was being feasted by these men! I suddenly shouted, “IC, kinukuha nila order ko!!!” (Nagsumbong! Hahaha). And IC responded, “Sino? Sino?”, as if he can prevent them. In fairness to the men, they stopped and let me get my share. But after 2-3 seconds, my order was gone! Hahaha! Good thing I was able to spare a small amount for Minette so she can taste it. SR only got the sauce! Whew!

After a few minutes, all plates were cleaned. As in bones na lang (literal, buto!) ang natira. Walang kiyeme, walang nasayang, walang natira. Even the soup, ubos! Finished! That ends the “11 boys vs. 2 girls” dinner.

If it were the other way, the scene for “11 girls vs. 2 boys” dinner will be like this: After 30 minutes, you’ll hear the women saying, “sino pa may gusto ng crispy pata? Dami pa dito.” And, “uy, wag na kayo magtira, sayang yung sisig.” And, “take out na lang natin yung bulalo, di naman halos nagalaw.” And after 10 more minutes, the two men are surrounded by the rest of the food which is their favorite part of the dinner. Haha!

I had fun last night, these men are so honest, so true, di man lang nagkunwari sa harap ng pagkain. Hahaha! Thanks for the fun and the food and the trip mga bro. Boys will always be boys.

We ended the night at DQ. I had my all-time favorite brownie temptation blizzard. Sarap!