"RAGS TO RICHES"/phILLippines VACAY

This blog probably forgot I existed, huh? But since I got time to finally blog, I'm back ladies & gents! Anyhow, I just came back soaking up all the necessaries in the Philippines. Just one glance at my skin and one sound from my mouth does enough justice for proof. That's right..... I'm back, black and "fob"! Haha okay, I lied.... the Philippines ain't that lucky to fully capture my white-washed tongue.

Let's take a trip down memory lane.......
I left July 3rd, returned Aug 3rd. What happened in between? A LOT. Such as, you may ask? I don't even know where to begin or how to categorize the events in such a manner where a) it's not too long and b) it's in chronological order. Hmmmm.. *light bulb!*

PLACES/EVENTS/SIGHTSEEING..
Manila aka my birthplace .... consisted of : The first destination at my cousins' house where my 6 yr old nephew kept me entertained with his witty & hyperactive company. First day equaled a trip to the Shoe Mart aka "SM" just to get my ma's, cousin's and I's hair "rebonded" to get rid of the hassle of hairstyling for a month. Not being back in the Phils for 12 years really damaged my memory cause I was dumbfounded by the whole atmosphere! (You all should take gratitude in living in such a clean, peaceful and uncluttered country, honestly) I had to refrain from commenting about it cause that would only not make me look bad (& princess-y) & that would embarrass the population. Next to the unpleasant environment, Manila heat is unbearable! I have never thanked air-conditioning so much in my life! Initially, I was skeptical as to how I would get accustomed to these big changes let alone live in it for a month.
Manila (encored) just for the sole purpose of shopping! Mall of Asia is a huge/long mall that consists of 3 buildings! You can't roam that shit in one day, seriously. And you wouldn't want to get lost in there for suuure. Greenhills was meh, cause it was imitation after imitation merchandise after the other. No thank you! My favourite was Baklaran. Why? BARGAINING. I have become pro hahaha. I don't even wanna say the things I bought in one day cause I'd run outta room! I don't think I've ever done that much shopping especially running on only 2 hrs of sleep without any energy boosters in my life! I think shopping rejuvenated me hahaha.

Baguio : which provided me with probably the first refreshing breeze the whole trip cause it is sometimes likened to Vancouver's climate. Thanks to my pa's childhood home. Funny story: our first night in Baguio my ma & I went to grab some Jollibee meals in usual Philippine weather but when we got out, we never noticed the heavy raindrops from inside! My ma & I shared the same thoughts: fuck it! Let's run in the rain to our hotel! And that we did hahaha. Since we would only stay in Baguio for 3 days, the next day's itinerary was obvious: a tour of the city. The tour consisted of the Lady Lourdes Grotto (which wasn't that high in terms of the flight of stairs than I expected), my reunion with my used-to-be favourite snack/drink "taho", a visit to the mansion that the president resides in whenever she would visit that city, horse back riding (which is so frightening at first but once you gather up your courage to actually make the horse run around the track it's the coolest thing ever!), and obviously a visit to my pa's family house. Confession..... I was never excited to see that side of the family cause they are not very welcoming and their attitudes aren't very polite haha. But yenno, I gotta swallow up the pride to give them a mini reunion of the crucial person that was missing 12 yrs of their life named Denise. HAHAHA I am such a fag cause I'm totally joking! Speaking of reunion, how could I forget? I was reunited with my Kindergarten bestfriends! That was definitely epic for the obvious reasons. It was even cute! Haha.

Cebu! This is my favourite because I have the most heartwarming memories tucked in my head about this place and the people. The people were my Ma's side of the family aka the "Tribunalo" smart heads. Our relatives consisting of an extensive line of generations are situated in a small neighborhood named "Pardo" where the houses are carefully mapped out in a mini circle. So that inevitably meant large family get-togethers for each meal. My favourite: eating and family! My ma totally renovated her simple childhood house to a modernized version to benefit my brother and I decked out with 2 rooms of a/c & an oversized bathroom. My second home away from home. Sigh.... everyday we would go out & about visiting the markets, malls, attractions and I don't think there were more than 2 days of rest in those 3 weeks we stayed. And I absolutely loved it! For example, the first few days I splurged on shopping. Not for myself though! But for my cousins and I felt like a rich-ass, money-throwing Canadian celebrity. That's just in their eyes though, but the things they wished for when converted to our money was ridiculously cheap that to my eyes, it was literally nothing especially cause they're blooood, baby. Anyway, I went to the province/countryside of Cebu to visit more and more family. I and the fam from the city rented one whole jeep where we fitted perfectly in.

Bohol! Since the island of Boracay was under maintenance cause of the typhoon, I'm glad our second choice was this place. Next to Cebu, it was also my favourite. Due to the weather, the ambience, the nice people, and the beach! It's called 'Panglao beach' and I swear, I saw so many Europeans hitting up that place. The tour consisted of the blood shrine compact (where settlers supposedly drank blood to sustain their lives), the floating restaurant with scrumptious grub, the famous "Chocolate Hills" that may turn into one of the world's 7 wonders, and the tiny Tarsiers! I think people are cruel to take advantage of their size for enjoyment purposes! Hence their endangered status. The two resorts we stayed in were infront of the beach and I felt like such a tourist. And that doesn't mean anything negative this time. Overall, I'd re-visit that beautiful island over and over again.

Cebu (encored) where it gave me the epic oppurtunities to go night clubbing (freaky men.. a shitload of them! Thank God for my older cousins aka my bodyguards), a cousin-only outing to the "Tubod Springs Resort", and getting fucked hard by Jose...... Cuervo! My last night there definitely summed up my whole experience in terms of the famjam! I cannot thank my cousins from all over Phils by going to our place for us to leave a lasting memory of our visit. One word of advice, never ever take continuous shots of Tequila and downing beer shortly after especially if you have a flight within the next 5 hrs. Despite that horrible hangover, it was aaaaaallll worth it, baby!

PS. Reminders, lessons, memories, randoms that stood out the most?
- Filipinos have built-in radar for those who live outside of their country. I have never felt so watched ever in my life! Even at my most scrubbed out/ugly moments, I never ceased to hear hooting and "flattering" comments.
- Even worse... my uncle overheard this group of boys whisper that I was the actress, Claudine Baretto! Thank God my uncle was a cop or else I would've gotten flocked!
- Despite the difference in environments, I got used to it really quickly cause it was bearable after all.
- I am forever and endlessly grateful I grew up in the world that I did. Visiting a 3rd-world country [that I was born in] after high school/before the real life begins was essential.
- Look out for me cousins! I'mma make it big just for you in order for me to share my Canadian lifestyle in the future. My promises will remain, therefore, my only inspiration to get successful with my career of being a lawyer is dedicated to my Phils fam.
- A mere 'I miss you' or friendster comments or yahoo im's do not suffice to how much I really do.
- I WISH PHILS WOULD ONLY BE 10 MINS AWAY FROM HERE. I'd be there 25/8! But since that wish can never materialize..... 2010, here I come!

(I doubt people would have the time or energy to actually read this extensive blog entry but I swear I tried cutting it down/editting it to suit an un-annoying length. So, this blog entry shall serve as a keepsake once my memory grows weak about this fantastic month. Thank you very much!)