im still on this internet cafe. although im running on a 265 color monitor 600×800 res size and on windows 95 pirated edition, im doing alright. besides, how much power do you need to check mail anyway? cheers!
Monthly Archives: September 2004
cogon market and then some
while dining at my sister’s store, we discussed the much needed redesigning of the shop’s interiors. brainstorming on lighting fixtures, we kinda agreed on utilizing tin cans for lamps and since i supposedly knew what to do i was asked to acquire what was needed for this.
accompanied by my sister (my mother wanted to come along too), off we went to cogon market. walking around we chanced upon this burned down empty lot. it looked interesting enough for a picture so my sister and i trotted through the broken glass and cement debris and had an impromptu pictorial while the ordinary folk of cagayan de oro jeered and cheered as they passed by the street.
we then had some pizzas at giacomino’s, across xavier university (ateneo de cagayan) on corrales street. we dropped off my mom at the hairdresser and then headed to this internet cafe.
perhaps later we’ll be seen at carmen market checking out the ukay ukay, if the rain doesnt stop us from having this afternoon journey through cagayan de oro. three cheers for the restless sojourners.
lechon galore!
ive been home for about 2 weeks now. and almost every week there will always be a lechon. why is that? 🙂 there always seems to be an abundance and craving for the roasted beast. crispy skin, soft meat, flavorful ribs, creamy brains and luscious legs. if this is heaven then im dead. from high-cholesterol probably.
when i get the pics from siargao scanned ill put them up here. but i havent had time to do that.
ill be in zamboanga next week. coolness! yesterday it was my parent’s anniv (30th) and we spiced up the place by buying a few more flowers than usual and bringing in some candles for the mood. there was wine, which didnt really kick up but we enjoyed it nonetheless. not to be left out was the lechon of course. to counter looming health issues i had a side dish of veggies and a handful of kinilaw (para naa pud fish hehehe).
bought a copy of gus van sant’s “elephant” and paul schrader’s “mishima” yesterday. got my copy of “no man’s land” (ive seen it years ago but always wanted my own copy) and “junk food,” another jap film on violence. was gonna get “ichi the killer” too but i thought ill settle for one violent film at this time. i finally saw “man on the train” two days ago and i liked it. bought the dvd months ago but never had the chance to see it. my dad saw “the princess and the warrior” ahead of me and he liked it. i also introduced him to lars von trier, among others, via nicole kidman’s “dogville.” seen bertollucci’s “the dreamers” and i liked that, it inspired me somehow to get on with my film, whatever that would be. got a few ideas but nothing concrete. im also excited to see if SOM would get off the ground in the summer.
off to cogon for ukay ukay perhaps. i might get myself a new backpack (take a pick, jansport or eastpack for around p350-450) or a pair of jeans. so far i have found any that i liked. might just go for that banana rep surplus at gaisano, which is expensive at 600. i have to look for alternatives. need a pair of shoes too. but with me running low on funds, i might just slippers instead at p150 (can be haggled to p130 i hope or less).
been eating the whole time ive been here. and it’s not very healthy, ive been having Coke again (the drink, silly) and lots of humba (which i have yet to develop resisting). sleep is no problem, im getting a lot of that here. the food’s just crazy. puto everywhere! yum! barbeque and chorizo from the streets. and of course the irresistible (at least for this guy who hasnt had any lechon for the last few months or so) lechon. i gotta go. ciao! maybe on friday there’ll be another of that roasted beast. drool.
siargao island and being fruitarians for a day
im now on siargao island, two hours off the coast of surigao del norte in mindanao. this is supposedly the surfing capital of the philippines. we’ve yet to see that. gemini and i got to surigao late wednesday night at 10. not knowing where to go we boarded the stationed jeepney that was ready to take off. we craned our necks for lodging houses we might spot on the way but we didnt find any that’d suit our taste or perhaps our budget (what budget? was dada!). finally the jeep ended its route at the pier, got off, and we interviewed the trike driver where good places to stay are located. we also asked on how to get to siargao island. we actually came to the right place coz we were on the pier! 🙂 hehehe anyhu, found a good enough lodging house near the chicken ala cart lined road of that area. had a late dinner then off to bed.
early morning, we got up, got in the boat and by 7.30 we were in siargao island. still having no idea where to turn, we had breakfast at a nearby eatery and asked the lady cook for information on how to get to the beaches. so then, here we are. and what used to be a halfday side trip will now become an overnight stay on some resort.
gemini and i just finished washing the ukay2 items we bought so we’d have clothes and now we’ll be off to check out the surfing scene at cloud 9. asteg! 🙂 talk about adventures and yeah, we decided to be fruitarians for a day (coz we might run out of money for the trip back). good luck to us! 🙂
this is benjamin padero, reporting live from siargao island, surigao del norte, mindanao, philippines, world, universe, blah blah blah
san francisco
im now in san francisco. agusan del sur, that is. decided to accompany gemini who’s out on research and a meeting at this side of mindanao. since i still had a meeting with father paolo tiangco in the morning, had to take the 2pm bus to butuan then another bus to san francisco at 7.30 before i met up with gem here at 9pm. it’s been a rather uneventful ride. it only got a little interesting when i took the deluxe bus to san fran (deluxe means no airconditioning).
it was already dark and you see houses on the side of the road, with their lights on from the inside. then you get a glimpse of the lives of the families who have gathered in their homes. to take a peek, you share in that moment of their lives, them oblivious of the fact that they are being watched.will soon find myself in zamboanga on october and then general santos in the middle of that month. ive a lot going on for me, hope i can save up and buy myself a videocam and pc notebook (a mac might be too expensive for me at this point).
try to remember the time in september
it’s already middle of the month and i havent updated anything. my comp at home is having problems and i dont have time to do any major update. what-more, do an overhaul on my design template. so the easiest for me to go back to my trusty temporary blogger page until i get back home. would that be fine you?
im in mindanao right now, cagayan de oro to be exact. in a few days i might be enjoying the sun down south in zamboanga. by october id be in general santos. this is work, by the way, so dont get me wrong. i will get details later when gemini and i will meet.
ive been sleeping since i got here friday noontime. ive been so tired from work that all id want to do is shut out the world and drift in peaceful slumber. and yes, that’s what ive been doing. ill update you with the projects ive worked on. work’s been real swell, i love the feeling at the end of each shoot, yes, natapos din! that’s the greatest feeling ever. sometimes, the shooting in development is fun, like the recent one we worked on, with dyan castillejo, or a few months ago, with kc conception. there were other horrifying ones and really stressful projects. thank God i survived! 🙂
enough of that, im just killing time and using up my cousin’s internet card. anyway, when i get back home in manila or when i get to use some computer for the whole day ill probably give you a real design update. for now, you will have to contend with blogger 😀 ciao and God bless!
some old blog i wasnt able to post
the escalator to the mrt wasnt working this afternoon. it’ s hard going up that because the escalator steps were not designed for climbing, theyre too high and far in-between steps. this caused a lot of passengers, myself included, to lose a few minutes of our precious time in getting to our destination. such are quibbles of a system left for dead, run by government officials who read their lines like bad actors in a play, they dont know they shouldnt be there in the first place.was able to take a small trip to UP this morning. it’s been a while since i took that leisurely journey to my alma mater on some ordinary day. to eat at rodic’s is pure bliss (despite the absence of baconsi on today’s menu). to walk through SC with friends is pure sensation.
slept in late this morning. i had to catch up on the zzz’s as im still virtually tired. now i need coffee to fire up my brain and get inspired again. perhaps ill hang out at glorietta later in the evening and browse through books, maybe even watch a movie. hopefully i can invite my friends in makati to join me for caffeine-induced conversations about life, the future and why shrek never runs out of earwax.
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we did a pictorial at that new mall in C5, shooting isabel roces, ogie alcasid, and tina maristella for a series of ads. had our pictures taken with the miniscule kuya ogie, who was friendly enough to say hi to the construction workers watching the shoot on their lunchbreak. tina maristella simply looked amazing even at her age. our day started at around 3am and though the shoot packed up at 4pm it took us until 8pm to bring our things back to mandaluyong.
last weekend we were shooting maureen larrazabal for a liquor brand. it was kinda fun and kinda not. anyway, the last setup we did involved painting and constructing a whole set, including filling up a tub of water (tagal mapuno kasi ang laki ng tub). anyway, of all the sets we did, that last one was my favorite. maureen looked great in it and actually resembled one of my fav actresses, monica bellucci. and yes, we got our pictures taken with her again.
benjamin padero 