Café Antonio: best coffee shop in town.

Last Thursday night, Joel treated out the team for dinner(thanks Joel!). With us were Victor, Jan Mark and Jerol(a new member of the team). It wasn't really planned, it was just a spontaneous thing which happens frequently. We went to our favorite 24 hour food house, "Qyosko", which means kiosk. The guys ordered the all-time favorite "pork belly sizzler", Jan Mark ordered chicken and Jerol chosilog! I ate a late snack and was still full so I ordered an ice-cold san miguel beer light instead. We had a little chit chat for an hour, talking about non-sense actually and all those weird-geeky tech jokes. We really had fun. Vic has this habit of moving from one place to another, so he said that we go out and drink coffee some place else.

We went to Café Antonio, the best coffee shop in town, they serve a whole lot of varieties and has a very nice setting which places Starbucks into shame, as our kahuna friends Chris and DJ puts it. Well it has indeed a very nice Spanish style interior design and furniture equipped with Wireless Internet access. You have to buy a prepaid card to gain Internet access but all yahoo and google site access are free. Vic couldn't resist so he stuck out his Mac Book and logged on the net.

Me, Joel, Victor and Jan Mark. Too bad Jerol had to leave early.

Vic and Jan Mark ordered Raspberry Mocha, Joel and I got Coffee Latté. So we stayed there for an hour and continued the senseless talks and jokes then headed back home.

heading back home

Kudos Dumaguete!

taken on Election day May 14, 2007


3 days after election day

Kudos Dumaguete! One of them must have read my blog. The 2007 Philippine election did not turn out that bad at all, well at least for Dumaguete City. Just a few days back I was blogging about how the election campaign posters became an eyesore along the national highway and hoped that these politicians would do clean ups, and here we go folks they actually did it!

I am seeing a little light at the end of the tunnel and I hope that this light gets brighter as we go along the way. Congratulations to all the politicians of Dumaguete City, even if some of you didn't make it to the post, you still showed the people that you are responsible enough.

More power Dumaguete!

Badjao in the City

Knowing their history, learning their culture and respecting them as a human being.

Against all the odds, this Badjao or "Sea Gypsy" child still affords to give a smile after having eaten her breakfast along the sidewalk. (Click Photo for a larger view)

The Badjao or "Sea Gypsies" inhabit the shores and waters of Sulu archipelago. They can be found today in many coastal settlements dotting the archipelago, particularly in Jolo, Tawi-Tawi and Sitangkai. Others are scattered in Davao, Surigao, Zamboanga, Basilan, Bohol, Cebu, Manila and now in Dumaguete in search of livelihood. Their livelihood is totally dependent o­n the resources of the sea - fishes, seaweeds, shells and so forth, either for food or to sell/barter for other necessities such as clothing, materials for boat construction, and fishing equipment.

Badjao mother preparing breakfast along the side walk.

Their physical features are distinctively attributable to their environment and their mode of life. They have sturdy built dark brown skin and bronze hair. Their manner of walking is affected to a large extent by their crouching on boat stern while sailing or fishing.

A sea ritual makes the Badjaos childbirth practice somewhat peculiar. The newly born infant is thrown into the sea. Other people dive after it to rescue it. This ritual is simply an initiation into the reality of the Badjao life which is based on kinship with the sea.

The Badjaos are oppressed tribe. They are referred to as palao or lumaan (God forsaken) by the Tausugs. Badjaos developed an inferiority attitude towards the Tausugs and the Samals who always look down on them. Originally, they used to live on the land but the constant pressure on their safety by the other Muslim tribes forced them to seek the sea. They eventually found that the sea afforded them greater avenues of escape in the event of attack.


Today, they roam the city of Dumaguete as beggars, still oppressed and ignored, a very sad reality. At times they become annoying to the public being shouted at and driven away as they desperately ask for your mercy hoping that you give them a small amount from your pocket.

Our local city officials has been making extra efforts to promote Dumaguete as a tourist destination for both domestic and foreign tourists but has overlooked this problem. How are we going to impress our tourists if what they encounter in every major street or corner they walk by are Badjaos begging for alms.

Whoever wins in this election, you should give attention to this emerging problem and come up with socio-economic development programs to help these people. And as good citizens, let us know their history, learn their culture and respect them as a human beings.


"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."
-- Vincent Van Gogh

How Clean is the 2007 Philippine Elections?

After the "Hello Garci" controversy during the last presidential election, I think many of the Filipinos has lost their trust in the Philippine political system. Everyone involved got away, some even ran for public office. More actors and famous sports icons are running for top seats in government and they way it looks to me they have high chances of winning. What are their true intentions? Is it really for public service?

Politicians running for top positions are spending millions for campaign materials. Some even go to the extent of cheating or killing their political rivals. And how much salary are they getting? Between 35 - 50 thousand pesos? Aren't these actors and sports icons earning more than this? I'm no mathematician, but I think nothing really makes sense.

Well in spite of all my murmurings, I still went to my voting precinct to cast my vote. All I can hope for at this point is for all the politicians and their supporters is for a "clean" election. When I say clean, it means literally clean up their mess - posters and other election materials! :)

Vote Wisely!

Click here to see what happened after 3 days!

Your Love

For some reason I woke up very early today, went straight to my computer and logged on the net. Since it is Sunday today, I thought I'd listen to Christian music so I downloaded some songs and played them. While listening, I visited YouTube and checked my subscriptions. I came across one of Happy Slip's video blog and I thought I'd share this beautiful song composed by Christine herself:

Title: Your Love

Composed by: Christine

When I try to look elsewhere or in others
I lose myself
For my life is nothing without you
My Creator

You give me meaning
You give me purpose
I find my destiny in you oh God

How wide
How long
How high and how deep
Is your love oh Lord

Unless the Lord builds this house
I will build in vain
I will sink in the sand
But I choose to stand on you
The Rock of my Salvation

You give me meaning
You give me purpose
I find my destiny in you oh God

How wide
How long
How high and how deep
Is your love oh Lord
For when I fall
When I fail
You pick me up
And hold me in your arms

Oh Lord my God
Redeemer and my Friend
You’re the Alpha, Omega
The Great I am
And I give my all to you

How wide
How long
How high and how deep
Is your love oh Lord

I die to myself
So that you might live in me oh Lord
All the days of my life
Shine through me
Oh God of who I am
Oh God of who I am

Technophilia

"It is not currently considered a psychological condition or a disorder..."

This is my first attempt to create a blog. I have never written a blog ever before but I think the idea of writing the things that are happening in my life is just cool, may it be in my workplace, in my home or in any of my experiences in everyday life in society or in the ever changing cyber world! I am not really sure if there will be anyone who will read my blog or if there is anyone who will be interested at all in what i think or say. But what the heck...I will do this anyway. :)

As a start, I think it just makes sense to tell you a little about myself. I am a technophile. For those of you who doesn't know what "technophilia" is, here is its simplest definition, a strong enthusiasm for technology, especially newer technologies such as computers, the Internet, cell phones and home theater. It is not currently considered a psychological condition or a disorder, but is used in sociology when examining the interaction of individuals with their society, especially contrasted with technophobia. In short, I am a guy who loves computers and the Internet. So basically, my world evolves around these two things which makes it challenging for me to interact with people in the real world and to live up with the norms of society.

I am not a "geek" or "nerd". I try to mingle with people as much as I can to prevent myself from being imprisoned in the virtual reality. But the impact of the Internet revolution has changed the way I live my life, I depend so much on the Internet, I go crazy sometimes if I get disconnected.

Like many of you, I also dream and seek for happiness, but it will not stop right there. I shall dream, explore and discover.