damn. certification exam ko na sa Thursday!

sana makapasa ako kahit di ako masyadong nakakapag-basa. buti na lang mejo petiks na sa work kaya dun na lang ako nagbabasa.

wish me luck! hehe

/>i'm out

 

 

nakakatamad na mag-blog...

 

 

...gusto mo pa bang ma-BENCH????

/>i'm out

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE IN TABULAS!!!

 

 

 

This is a LONG, OVERDUE post, so I decided to finally write this while I was doing nothing in the office

 

Last November, me, gielnle, and shadowmeld went on a very entertaining and memorable trip to Corregidor, Bataan. It was a memorable trip for me especially, since it was the first time that I rode on a ship (a ferry in this case). We actually had a very early call time in order for us not to miss the ride, even though we had reservations.  Meeting place was “Hard Rock” in front of the UST Engineering building.

 

Me, the “early bird” that I am, I was late by an hour! And to make matters worse, I wasn't even allowed to enter the campus! How about that?!?! Anyways, after that was taken care of we immediately called for a cab then off we went to the Manila Yacht Club. Shadowmeld got our tickets there, got our baggage checked, then finally got to board the vessel.

 

I was very impressed with the interior of the ship. It was like an over-sized bus—complete with seats and all—with a toilet and a snack bar! There were also a LOT of foreigners on board, and we even saw some fellow ACNers. Of course, there were a lot of hot chicks, too J

We departed at around 8:30 AM, and as the boat was in motion, we immediately went outside the deck to enjoy the view. It was one of a kind, I tell you. We then immediately took some photos out on deck as we felt the fresh sea breeze and enjoyed the view as we departed from Manila Bay.

 

About 30 minutes into the trip, we were entertained by a Jimmy Carter look-a-like (whose name escapes me just now). Anyways, he turned out to be a war veteran and he just told us about some of his experiences during WW II. It was very entertaining that he managed to inject some humor into his stories! His stories definitely made our trip less boring.

 

At around 9:30 AM, we arrived at the Corregidor Port. Our buses were lined-up then as we were grouped accordingly – all overnight tourists, all day tour tourists, all Japanese, and then all the other English-speaking tourists. I’ll explain why all the Japanese were grouped together.

 

Our tour guide was a very spunky lady. It was obvious that she was a very experienced guide, as she knew everything about the place as we were going around the island. Of course, I have videos and photos of them as seen on my album here.

 

Here are some highlights of the tour:

• First tourist stop was the barracks. This was a HUGE and LONG building, and this was the site of our first “photo-op”.
• Next stop was Battery Way, along with the ammunition storage and the four remaining mortars there. It was pitch dark inside the bunkers. There was even a rumored ghost inside!
• Battery Grubbs was our next stop, which also featured a view of the other islands around Corregidor. This was also the site of our sunset viewing later in the day.
  • If you’ll remember, I mentioned something about the Japanese tourists being in one group. This was because that they are being told a different story, particularly the “Death March”. Apparently, the tour guide is not allowed to talk about the Death March unless he is asked by the tourist. Also, apparently the Japanese don’t see it as a “Death March”, but as a  “Human Shield”.
• We then visited the longest gun in Corregidor located at Battery Hearn.  My man Shadowmeld even rode the gun! I tell you, he was full of energy that day!
• We also stopped by the Old cafeteria where we took more photos. It was also said that a New cafeteria will be re-constructed along side it for the tourists.
• Another stop was at the Pacific War Memorial. We were also told that every May 6 at exactly 12 noon, the Solar equinox would light the center of the altar and visitors are required to have a moment of silence since this is the exact time Corregidor and the Philippines fell into the hands of the Japanese. We then took more photos on the parade grounds.
• After an hour at the memorial, we then went to the Spanish Lighthouse. There were a bunch of souvenir shops here and this was where some initial Jheng shots were made.
• Other locations we visited were the Jabidah Memorial (dedicated to the Muslim youth massacred, which as later known as the “Jabidah Massacre&rdquo and the Japanese Cemetery.

 I may have missed some other locations, so just go and check out the full album .

After 3 and a half hours of touring and picture-taking, it was finally time for lunch! We arrived the the Corregidor Inn at around 12:30 PM, and we immediately made our way towards the dining area. The food was great! Adobong Baboy (which consisted of 60% pig fat), Seafood Rice, Chop Suey, and Roast Chicken were the main dishes. Dessert was also good, with some Buko Pandan and Watermelon. After that hearty meal, we then retired to our room to rest, as we will have a lot more touring to do IN THE EVENING…

 

We were really unsure of what to expect in the evening, as we were slated to participate in 3 activities. First up, we went back to the Battery Grubbs to watch the sunset, and I tell you, it was a one of a kind experience. After the sunset viewing came the exciting part!

 

At around 6PM, we visited the old hospital. Honestly, I was kind of anxious as it was very dark at the time, and what made things very interesting was that the path to the hospital was different from the other paths we took! It was kind of like a secret passage, and the hospital was very, very isolated with the other buildings in the area. Anyways, our tour guide—this time a guy—then handed out some flashlights as he showed us around the area. (Speaking of this dude, he was as hilarious-slash-corny as hell! Let’s just say he desecrated the English language in numerous ways unimaginable… hahaha!)

 

There really was an eerie feeling as we went our way through the area. As with the other ruins, the walls were filled with all kinds of graffiti. There was even a balete tree on the courtyard! Spook-much! For the final part of the tour, we were then led to the old morgue. Then, we were told to SWITCH OFF ALL OUR LIGHTS!!! We experienced total darkness for about a minute, and the tour guide asked us to take some photos so we could find out any “weird flashes of light”, and we all know what that means. Anyways, after the tour of the hospital, we went back to the hotel for about 5 minutes. We then made our way to our final destination for the evening—the Malinta Tunnel.

 

The Malinta Tunnel is a tunnel complex built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers on the island. It was initially used as a bomb-proof storage and personnel bunker, but was later equipped as a 1,000-bed hospital. The main tunnel, running east to west, is 831 feet (253 m) long, 24 feet (7.3 m) wide and 18 feet (5.5 m) high. Branching off from this main shaft are 13 lateral tunnels on the north side and 11 lateral tunnels on the south side. Each lateral averaged 160 feet (49 m) in length and 15 feet (4.6 m) in width. (Thanks Wikipedia! J )

 

As a precaution, we were told to wear hard-hats, as conditions in the tunnel can get very cramped that we might hit our heads on the rocks! We made our way through the west entrance, then made our way through the laterals on the south side. It was very hot inside the tunnel and very dangerous as well. Rocks were wet because there was a water source above the tunnel, and because of the bombings, most paths were impassable. Most of the ruins were also never excavated, as it was deemed too dangerous.

 

The tunnel tour was by far the most amazing experience in the island. Hearing the stories from the tour guide, it was like we were transported to the war era. There were parts which were very hot, and there were parts that were very cold. Some parts were closed off as well as they were either under renovation (for the tourists) or they were just damn right sealed off. The 1,000-bed hospital was one of the areas sealed off, as we only saw a few beds and hospital equipment. The rest of the stuff there was concealed away in the darkness.

 

The tour lasted a good one hour, which included another “lights off” experience. On our way out through the main hallway, we saw the replicas and statues which are being used during the light and sound show for the tourists (we did not attend the light and sound show, though). Upon exiting the area, I couldn't say that I was very happy to leave, but it really was an unforgettable experience, not only for me, but I bet for the other tourists as well (in addition to that, I was happy to get out of there because it was hot as hell inside!).

 

After retiring back to the hotel, we went back to our rooms to freshen up a bit, then we made our way to the recreational area to have our dinner. After about half an hour of eating, we then retired to our rooms and went to bed to end a very exciting, tiring, and memorable day.

 

We left Corregidor the following day at around 2PM, and arrived at Manila around 3:30 PM. We ate at Jollibee to satisfy our hunger. We then decided to go home at around 4:30 PM and I arrived home at around 6PM.

 

I won’t soon forget the Corregidor experience I just had! It was a history lesson of some sorts, and I was glad to have been a part of it.

 

/>i'm out

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE IN TABULAS!!!!

-[giAn]-

 

grabe.. matagal nanaman akong hindi nakapag-post...

ANYWAYS, a lot has happened (di ko pa rin na-po-post ung Corregidor trip namin nila shadowmeld at gielnle, so expect for it in the coming days--pag sinipag ako )

Syempre, nag-birthday na rin ako last Thursday. Thanks to everyone who greeted me! Kahit ung mga hindi ko ineexpect na i-greet ako ay ni-greet ako. Thanks talaga!

...kaya lang, may mga sadyang nakalimot or hindi nila talaga alam... oh well, no comment na lang

*************

C-bility still sucks!!! bahala kayo sa buhay nyo!

*************

buking ka no? hehehe

 

/>i'm out