#Average rent in the Philippines

[darrenwalleyconsultancy]

Cost of living in the Philippines 2024

Photo by Ehsan Haque If you search YouTube or Google for “The Cost of Living in the Philippines 2024”, there will be hundreds of hits. All clickbait and all trying to get your time watching their videos to increase their revenues and income. I do however recommend “The Filipina Pea�� as a source of truth. Yes, my blog, affiliate links, and adverys are looking for your attention to help me…

[heyzel12]

Boracay often locally shortened to bora, is a resort island in the western Visayas region of the Philippines. Boracay island is located 0.8 kilometers off the northwest coast of Panay, with a population of 37,802 in the year of 2020 Boracay was originally inhabited by the Tumandok and Ati people. Boracay is famous for being one of the world's top destinations for relaxation aside of its boasting white sand beaches. Before the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in the 16th century, Boracay was populated by the Ati and Tomandok people. It was known as Buracay, Buracay had a population of one hundred people before the Spanish colonization, they cultivated rice on the island and augmented their income by raising goats. Boracay was previously part of the province of Capiz it was under the jurisdiction of the town of Buruanga until the municipality of Malay was established on June 17, 1949, the Municipality as well as the island became part of Aklan, which became an independent province on April 25, 1956. Negrito people also called the Ati people, spoke the Philippine language called Inati.

      Boracay transportation is via motor tricycles and electric tricycles or e-trikes along the main road. Pedicabs also known as sikads in Boracay are also available along the beachfront Path. Other transportation includes mounting bikes, quad bikes, and motorbikes, all of which can be rented as of 2018, the municipal government of Malay was encouraging motorcycle operators to transition to e-trikes in their coordinated efforts to promote environment-friendly public transportation. Here are the Do's and Don'ts in Boracay island, first do your research, second bring enough cash with you, and third mind the environment. And their don'ts are, don't drink tap water, don't smoke or drink alcohol near the beach, and lastly don't leave your things unattended. These are some of their Do's and Don'ts for you to remember. If you're talking about the weather, in Boracay there are two seasonal weather patterns known locally as the Amihan and Habagat seasons. The Amihan season is characterized by moderate temperatures and the Habagat season, is characterized by hot and humid weather, frequently heavy rain. Boracay will be in the Amihan weather pattern from sometime in October to sometime in March and the Habagat weather pattern for the remainder of the year. 

      The expenses of Boracay Island are not that expensive if you are traveling as a family of three or four people, the price person often goes down because kids' tickets are cheaper and hotel rooms can longer be shared. The average hotel price in Boracay for a couple is Php 44,101, a vacation for one week usually costs around Php 22,051 for one person. But first, you should have booked your accommodation before your trip, because Boracay has a "no booking, no entry". Boracay offers a variety of budget-friendly restaurants. Eating local restaurants on the island will cost you around Php 150 to 200 a meal, instead of visiting 5-star restaurants why not take advantage of eating at D Talipapa for fresh seafood at reasonable prices? There are a lot of activities to try when you are in Boracay you could even try parasailing, banana boat riding, and helmet diving activities for only Php 2,000. But if island hopping is at the top of your list you can try an island tour with another guest for only Php 600-800, when shopping for souvenirs D'Mall is the place to visit. Boracay is one of the best places on Earth to visit without going bankrupt. Experiencing the way you imagine a paradise with beautiful sunsets, sand, and the beach is worth every peso you spend. 

     Top 7 famous delicacies in Boracay Aklan, first is Binakol, which is an Aklan dish made of chicken that is stemmed with some of its delicious juice cooked over flaming charcoal inside a bamboo container. Second is Inuburan, a chicken dish cooked with coconut milk and pieces of banana pith. Third is Tinu-om, a common Aklan dish called Tinu-om consists of sliced native chicken that has been layered with chopped garlic, ginger, white onions, lemon grass, and tomatoes. The remaining ingredients are tightly wrapped in banana leaves. Next is Linapay the aklanon version of "laing" Linapay consists of small shrimps that have been pounded and are cooked in coconut milk with tender "bat wan" fruit, garlic, onion, gender, and chilies. Also part of the 7 famous delicacies is Inday Inday, Inday Inday is similar to the patilaw, this dessert is made with sticky rice flour(malagkit) cooked in hot water and topped with bukayo, which is gelatinous coconut meat simmered in water with muscovado sugar and coconut milk. Also, Latik is one of the famous delicacies, it is a must-try food in Boracay. And lastly Eangkuga, Eangkuga despite its peculiar name is similar to ginataang bilo-bilo. This delicacy is made of bilo-bilo (glutinous rice balls) banana pieces of camote and shredded young coconut meat, it is cooked in coconut milk and muscovado sugar. 

      Boracay activities in new year's a celebration by the sea where there are sand castle  competitions. Ati-atihan fiesta the celebration of the catholic region of the Philippines is celebrated every  do's of January. Different groups and put paint on their faces and wear different designs of costumes. There are more activities and celebration like, Boracay International Funboard Cup, Sand lantern festival, boracay international dragon both festivals, and  Yapak Fiesta and lastly, Boracay Food Festival which are the celebrations that you can't miss in Boracay Island.

[mint-moon25]

What to Expect When You Move with PODS

HDG BANKS

DEAR - KOREAN - GIRLS - OF - SEOUL,

MIAMI - POLICE - BLKS - HISPANICS

HOMELESS - BLKS - HISPANICS

REPUBLICAN - PARTY - OF - FLORIDA

ALL - OF - THE - ABOVE

SECURELY - ALSO - TOGETHER

2 - KILL - THE - FOREIGNER - AMONG

THEM - 2 - STEAL

PODS - TRYING - 2 - ACCESS - CUBICLE

KNIFING - 2 - STEAL - AMAZON - PRIME

PRODUCTS - BECAUSE - IF - U - STEAL

AFTER - THEY - RECEIVE - PACKAGE

AMAZON - WON’T - REPLACE

USA - BUSINESS - LAW

WITH - BUSINESSES - IN - UNITED STATES

YOUR - CUSTOMERS - MUST - HAVE ITEM

IN - EXCHANGE - UNLESS - GIFTS

IF - THEY - DON’T - HAVE - ITEMS 

STOLEN - WITHIN - 30 DAYS - SINCE - YES

PEOPLE - BRAG - ABOUT - THEIR THINGS

AMAZON - DOESN’T - REPLACE - STOLEN

AFTER - PACKAGE - RECEIVED - ILLEGAL

THUS - IRS - CALLS - PRIME - MEMBERS

EXAMPLE

$35,000 - HAVE - BEEN - ROBBED - OF 

ITEMS - THEREFORE - $35,000 - NEW

TAXES - OF - THAT - AMOUNT

IRS - WILL - REMOVE - FR - CHECKING

THAT - FILLS - UP - PAYCHECKS THUS

GREATER - LAWS - THAN - ILLEGAL

HOMELESS - LAW - ONLY - POLITICIANS

VOTED - 4 - ILLEGAL - CONSTANTLY YES

SURPRISED - BY - ARMED MIAMI POLICE

BY - ARMED - US POLICE

14TH - NO - US - STATE - CAN - MAKE

CREATE - LAWS ... NO - US - STATE

CAN - DEPRIVE - A - PERSON - OF

LIFE - ILLEGALLY - ARMED - POLICE

AND - SHERIFFS - AND - SECURITY

ONLY - PODS - OFFERS - ABOVE

WITH - STORAGE - ALSO - WHERE

CONTAINER - DELIVERED - SO US

EXCITING - SO - MIAMI - POLICE

KILLS - PHILIPPINE - WOMEN - 2

LIVE - IN - THEIR - NEW HOMES

AS - THEY - DESTROY - LOCKS

HOW - MIAMI - POLICE - GETS - THEIR

THINGS - HOUSES - BY - MURDER OF

FOREIGNERS - PROTECTED - BY

GOD - ALONE - JESUS - IS - LORD

How much do PODS cost on average?How Much Does PODS Cost? According to the PODS moving website, the average cost of renting a PODS container for a local move is between $349 and $549, while an interstate move can cost around $5,700. PODS also offers onsite storage options that start at around $150 per month.

Sep 10, 2024

Is it cheaper to use PODS or a moving company?Moving pods can be considerably cheaper than hiring a full-service moving company because there's no need to hire labor—although some moving pod companies do offer the service. Even though you'll need to acquire your packing supplies and equipment, you can still cut down on costs overall.

Apr 2, 2024

How much does a PODS storage unit cost?PODShttps://www.pods.com › Storage SolutionsPODS storage unit prices start at $149/month. Delivery and pick-up fees average $74.99. In most cases, delivery and pick-up charges can be waived depending ...

[anistransport0]

Beat the Summer Heat: Escape to Baguio City with Anis Transport

As the summer sun blazes down, there’s no better time to escape the heat and head for the cool, refreshing heights of Baguio City. Nestled in the picturesque mountains of the Philippines, Baguio offers a welcome respite from the sweltering temperatures of the lowlands. With its crisp mountain air, lush pine forests, and charming attractions, Baguio promises an unforgettable adventure for those seeking relief from the summer heat.

Why Baguio?

Baguio City, often dubbed as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines," boasts a climate that is markedly cooler than most parts of the country. The city’s elevation of over 1,500 meters above sea level provides a refreshing escape from the scorching temperatures down below. With average temperatures ranging from 15°C to 26°C throughout the year, Baguio offers the perfect climate for outdoor exploration, whether it's hiking, sightseeing, or simply strolling through its vibrant streets.

Exploring Baguio:

A trip to Baguio presents a plethora of activities for visitors of all ages. Begin your adventure by exploring the iconic Burnham Park, where you can rent a boat and paddle around the serene lake or enjoy a leisurely stroll amidst lush gardens. For those seeking a bit of history, a visit to the Baguio Cathedral and the nearby Session Road, known for its bustling markets and local delicacies, is a must.

Nature lovers will find plenty to marvel at in Baguio. Take a scenic drive to Mines View Park and revel in panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and mines. Don't miss the chance to visit the Botanical Garden, where you can immerse yourself in the beauty of diverse flora and snap Instagram-worthy photos amidst the vibrant blooms.

Adventurous souls will find solace in Baguio's array of outdoor activities. Embark on a trek to Mount Pulag, the highest peak in Luzon, and be rewarded with breathtaking vistas from above the clouds. Alternatively, thrill-seekers can try their hand at ziplining at Camp John Hay or horseback riding at Wright Park.

Getting There:

While Baguio is accessible by bus from various parts of the Philippines, renting a car or van offers unparalleled convenience and flexibility. With your own vehicle, you can explore Baguio and its surrounding areas at your own pace, stopping to admire scenic viewpoints or detouring to hidden gems along the way.

Numerous car rental services are available in Baguio City like Anis Transport, offering a range of vehicles to suit your needs and budget. Whether you prefer the compact convenience of a sedan or the spacious comfort of a van, there’s a rental option for every traveler. Be sure to book in advance, especially during peak travel seasons, to secure the vehicle of your choice.

Don’t let the summer heat get you down—escape to Baguio City and discover a world of cool mountain breezes, stunning scenery, and unforgettable experiences. Whether you're a nature enthusiast, history buff, or adventure seeker, Baguio offers something for everyone. So, pack your bags, rent a car or van, and embark on an unforgettable summer adventure in the heart of the Philippines.

Beat the summer heat! Anis Transport offers car & van rental with driver or self-drive options to Baguio City. Explore the cool mountain air, lush pine forests, and charming attractions at your own pace. Book now for an unforgettable escape!

[cool-in-walton-beach-fl]

Fort Walton Beach, FL, Cost Living

Fort Walton is a vibrant city with a standard cost of living slightly below the US national average. It offers a variety of modern rental and housing options, with most apartments and homes selling for $230,000 and up. The city is known for its diverse, kind, and neighborly community, welcoming all LGBT+ communities. Family-oriented amenities include great schools, public recreation, health and safety initiatives, and nearby shopping. The ethnic makeup of Fort Walton is rapidly changing due to the military presence and its sister city's relationship with Quezon City, Philippines. Most people pursue higher education, with median incomes within the $40,000 range. With this low cost of living, Fort Walton Beach is an excellent place to live. 

Apartments near Fort Walton Beach

Looking for a comfortable and modern place to live? The Cordelia Apartment is just what you need! The Cordelia is a residential apartment near Fort Walton Beach, offering two-bedroom apartments for rent. These apartments have everything you need for a great living experience, including two bedrooms, two beds, 1.5 baths, and 1,100 sqft of living space. If you can't find the floor plan you want, just give them a call at 850-662-6887, and they'll help you out. Inside the apartment, you'll find a fully equipped kitchen, washer and dryer connections, and even a patio or balcony. The floors are made of tile or plush carpet, depending on your preference. This is a great place to live, so check it out today!

Air Force Armament Museum

The Air Force Armament Museum in Florida features over 29 different aircraft on display, including the SR-71 Blackbird, B-17 Flying Fortress, and A-10 Thunderbolt II. The museum also houses a gun vault containing various weapons, including bombs, missiles, and guns. A missile display showcases the evolution of missiles from the early days of aviation to the present. A history exhibit tells the story of the development of air armament, while a kids' area offers interactive exhibits to teach children about air armament. The museum is open seven days a week from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, with admission prices ranging from $12 for adults to $8 for children aged 6-12. 

Three firefighters are welcomed in Fort Walton Beach

Fort Walton Beach Fire Department has welcomed three new firefighters, Caden Nimmo, Spencer Phillips, and Ethan Roberts-Fischer, who completed their "Rookie Week." Rookie Week is an intensive week of hands-on training and orientation for all firefighters before joining the department. The rookies familiarize themselves with the department's air packs, fire hydrants, and radio communications and then deploy ladders and make forcible entries through doors using a pry bar and axe. Capt. Matt Baxley emphasizes the importance of victim removal and deploying fire hoses inside and outside the structure. The week also includes real fire, with instructors burning hay in barrels and building a large fire in one room. Read more. 

Link to maps

Destiny Water Adventures 322 Miracle Strip Pkwy SW, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548, United States Continue to Miracle Strip Pkwy SW 1 min (0.2 mi) Take Memorial Pkwy SW and Beal Pkwy NW to Denton Blvd NW in Wright 11 min (4.5 mi) Turn left onto Denton Blvd NW 1 min (0.5 mi) The Cordelia 995 Denton Blvd NW, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547, United States

[eveninsight-com]

RentACyberFriend.com Review: Legit or Scam?

Rent a Cyber Friend claims to be a platform that offers an opportunity to earn online. The basic concept of this website is to make friends online and earn money. This post is an unbiased review of RentaCyberFriend.com and understand whether it's legitimate or a scam.

What is Rentacyberfriend.com?

Rentacyberfriend.com is a website that asks you to become someone's friend; in this way, you can earn. Rent a Cyber Friend is not a dating site, it is simply a website that asks you to rent yourself to other people. The website claims to pay you after you make a friend for a day here.

This website is for those who want to be alone and want to share something with someone. For example, if you are planning a movie and feel bored watching it alone, then you can opt for this website. As per SimilarWeb, Rentacyberfriend.com have monthly traffic of 600k+ and mostly from the USA (24%), Philippines (11%), and Panama (10%). WebsiteRentacyberfriend.comKnown AsRent a Cyber FriendSite TypeSocial NetworkingService OfferedCyber FriendshipFounderFrancesco Vitali and Chris SiametisLocationCalifornia, USA Read: HeyDudeStores.com Review How to use Rentacyberfriend? The company says Rentacyberfriend is a “fresh new approach to growing a lively network of friends, buddies, and penpals, and exchange information and expertise online.” To be a member of Rentacyberfriend the users should be 18+. Initially, you need to provide the details like name, email address, and setup password.

The company charges a fee of $29.99 per month and $99.99 for a year. As you sign up, you need to create a profile with a decent description of yourself. You can include age, hobbies, and more. Read: Ace Daily Profits Review Rentacyberfriend Review Rentacyberfriend.com is a legitimate website and offers the services that it claimed. But many users complained that they got no reach and connections even after a few months of signing up. Moreover, some users did not get money after having a friend here. This may be the case with a few users only, but the pricing of Rentacyberfriend.com is high and as of now its have low active user counts. Read: Survimo.com Review FAQs Can I have a friendship securely?We need to keep precautions while making friends on such a website.Can I get a refund from Rentacyberfriend?Contact the support of Rentacyberfriend.com for any disputes and refunds.How much is paid to a Cyber Friend?Cyber Friend can set their pricing per minute basis (average $0.2). The minimum withdrawal amount is $50 and Rentacyberfriend.com charges 20%.Is Rentacyberfriend.com legit?Yes, Rentacyberfriend.com is a legit platform to make paid cyber friends. Read: Buygames.ps Review Read the full article

[tfbotmblr]

“It’s my hope that some of you will come home for good and retire in a much better Philippines — a Philippines with better airports, Philippines with better roads, better airports, better internet, better governance. That is my wish, and that’s why that is what my administration is working for.” - Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Not a fan of the younger Marcos, but he does have a great point. In contrast to Tampa Bay, where the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment is $1.6K, one can rent the same for as low as $163, depending on location.

BRB as I continue to surmount my scoliodentosaurophobia (aka the irrational fear of mga butiki)…

Taken 2/2/2023.

[nightwussy]

tagging game!

tysm @pietromaxidaddy for tagging me MWAH 🤌

rules: answer all thirty questions and tag as many people, as you can. let's get to know each other a little better!

name/nickname: meryl-janna, mj (hee hee), porkie/spekkie

gender: female

star sign: sagittarius

height: 1.67 m

time: 6 pm

favourite bands: the neighbourhood, the orion experience, idkhow, mcr, abba, one direction (shhhh they have absolute bops), tame impala, mother mother, bring me the horizon, wallows, arctic monkeys, palaye royale, waterparks, paramore, half•alive, cage the elephant

birthday: december 15th

favourite solo artists: lana del rey, marina, harry styles, frank ocean, joji, doja cat, megan thee stallion, mitski, kali uchis, froukje, rina sawayama, cavetown, nicki minaj, rex orange county, lorde, yungblud, aurora, melanie martinez, mars argo, angèle

song stuck in my head right now: hotel room service. um,,,,,, i don't know how to explain this,,,,, it's just there,,,, in my head,,,,,,,, rent free 🧍🏻‍♀️

last movie: revenge of the sith

last show: attack on titan, currently on my armin brainrot,,,, so sorry besties

when did i create this blog: uhhhhh when i was like 10. oopsie

what i post: whatever i happen to hyperfixate on atm. currently star wars, marvel and snk

other blogs: @drearyarcade @mallowmarshal i barely post on those tho so don't expect too much xoxo

why i chose my url: PLS I- i really like alliteration (my previous url was sapphosimp) and um,,,,,,, i have a wap for wolffe 😩🍑💦

do i get asks: no 🕳🏃🏻‍♀️

last thing i googled: "against catiline translation"

i follow: 230

following: 145

average hours of sleep: at this point i’m playing roulette with my sleeping schedule, this week it's 3-5 hrs 🤡✌️

lucky number: 4

instruments: none i'm talentless

what i'm wearing: yellow sweater and jogging pants

dream trip: i wanna go back to rome, and visiting some asian countries (esp philippines bc my fam lives there!)

favourite food: tteokbokki! i always make it too spicy tho and then i can't taste anything after for like 3 hours. still worth it. i'm a masochist like that

nationality: dutch

favourite song: cry baby - the neighbourhood

last book read: de oratore - cicero

top three fictional universes i wanna be a part of: star wars duhhhh, mcu (imagining urself as stark's kid is elite) and supernatural so i can plan the destiel wedding myself

favourite color: pink!!

taglist: imma tag all of my mutuals bc ily and i want to get know u better xoxo (u don’t have to if u don’t want to tho!!!!!)

@minimumbrainsize @serpent1ne @wataabe @mysticperfectionbird @meabravo @nightcrwlerr @raf-loves-everything @actualkeigotakami @sacrosantt @chancelloramidala @moonsoflothal @book-hoardingdragon @fireemblemjazz @hadriana @astriloquiis-spam @leia-saveourskins @cashew-kat @alien-soop-spam @darkmauldeservedbetter @kamino-mermaid @mayonnaise-and-anarchy @aleksaphobia @bubblegumnebulaa @jadetheaverage @j-mysticalien

[marginsofmarga]

You are a Survivor: A Reminder to my Future Self

Dear Survivor,

On the 12th day of January 2000, a bouncing baby girl was born and was destined to meet the world. She was innocently ecstatic, bursting into tears as a newborn, and her parents couldn’t be more grateful to have her as their daughter. As she turned eighth months, her parents were in disbelief for she had to deal with a serious medical condition called intussusception — a form of bowel obstruction in which one segment of the intestine telescopes inside of another. She was in a 50-50 situation during that time and the doctors did not provide any assurance for her to live when she had to undergo a surgical operation. 

The baby girl was you.

Yes, you. Luckily, here you are. You made it. Your life started after such a tragic incident. In an early age like that, you are already a survivor.  What a precious privilege it is for you to be alive. You have a purpose and it is yet to be discovered. 

But brace yourself because it’s going to be one heck of a roller coaster ride.

Anxiety and the ‘new normal’

Growing up, you are this girl who is full of fears. You are afraid of anything that might put you in danger and you are terrified of the uncertainty. Diving deeper, your big fear is not knowing what the future holds. And I‘m sure a lot of people can relate.

This fear was especially present when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The world seems to have ground to a halt because of the virus. As a fearful person, this is such a big deal. In retrospect, conditions created by the pandemic were taking a psychological toll. You were full of anxieties that you even experience panic attacks. Remember how difficult it was when you couldn’t sleep? And how overthinking consumed you for months? You were drowning in pain and fright and you never knew when it will be over. You were stressed about so many things: your health if ever you and your loved ones catch the virus, the mental agony it creates, your education when setbacks and transitions happened, the stress of what this year would be like, the postponed travels, and all the uncertainty. Anxiety bugged you for too long. It took all your strength.

Think about where you were earlier last year. You were in your second year in college. Just before the world slowed down, you were just a typical college student who tries her best to go through the day of university life. Back then, you were kilometers away from home which required you to rent a dormitory. On weekdays, you basically had a routine – waking up as the sun rises, getting ready for school, wearing your neatly ironed uniform and taking a short commute when going to school. Having meaningful lessons, small talks during the breaks with your friends, exchanging information with your professors, and learning day by day made the regular jiffs worth it. Later on, the pandemic took place. It felt as if the world stopped. Everything changed in a split second. Over the past few months, you’ve experienced an unprecedented shift in your way of life due to COVID-19. Coping up with the transition from face-to-face to online classes wasn’t easy. 

The journey you’ve been through was on a rugged terrain and so full of ups and downs. You were stuck at home juggling chores, classes and your side hustle, content creation. It seemed so difficult to adjust; there was a change in the situation of class’ atmosphere, you struggled with time-management and self-motivation along the way, workload is way larger than regular classes, barriers occur such as bad internet service, power interruptions and so on. Not to mention creating content when you are not at your best. All these left you in a crucial spot.

Challenges as the virus came closer

It was in the month of March when you found out that your grandmother, 72 years old, tested positive for COVID-19. Much to your disbelief, you were scared to death. It felt as if a thorn got pricked in your heart. Your grandma means so much to you. She is such a remarkable woman. A heart like hers would give so unselfishly. She’s a combination of love and laughter. The thought of losing her is painful to handle.

Fortunately, she was asymptomatic. But we never knew what might happen in a snap.

The pandemic is impacting everyone. And your family wasn’t an exception. It meant making big changes in everyday routines and raised anxiety in every household member. The alarming numbers gave you a picture of how deadly the virus is. It’s killing people on a large scale. So much about the virus is out of your control. Not just the virus itself but all other aspects of life.

Time often makes you play the waiting game. It quickly passes by when you want it to stay still, but doesn’t seem to tick at all when you want it to hurry up. At this point, you are deeply hoping that the pandemic comes to an end.

Disastrous encounters

In the early morning of November 1, 2020, Super Typhoon Rolly (International name, Goni), made its first landfall in the Philippines in Bicol – with catastrophic winds of up to 280 kilometers per hour and torrential rainfall. Reading about the weather update, you began to ponder how tormenting it is to deal with such predicament: super typhoon in time of pandemic.   That’s two disasters in a row.

Can you recall waking up to howling winds and heavy-pouring rains? Of course you could. It was almost seven o’clock in the morning. Windows were intensely rattling in the wind. Some were even shattering. You were in your room full of worries, wondering when the catastrophe will end as your door started to tremble caused by the blustery weather. You immediately got up and went to your parents’ room. Your little brothers were still asleep. Your mom was securing some of your belongings and your dad wasn’t there so you looked for him outside through peeking by the window. You spotted him taking his good ‘ole motorcycles out of the garage and transferring those in the front gate. As you saw that the flood started to rise, you ran into your room and packed all of your things in plastic bags. As you finish, you prepared for breakfast. There were drizzles from the kitchen windows due to the gushing rain. Picking up new door mats was your idea but just then, the flood water began to enter. You tried to mop it out at first until it became too much too handle. It was not just a wet floor anymore. You continued to put everything on high places of the house. You weren’t sure whether the flood is going to reach above the ankle as usual but as several minutes or so passed, the water started to reach the knees and outside the house, the water reached the thighs of an average person.

It was a great relief that you were living in a two-storey house, but the second floor was usually untouched and unoccupied, and at that exceptional moment, it was your only safe refuge.  That isolated part of the house had to be cleaned first so you and your brothers had to wait sitting on the stairs for the meantime. Almost everything was a bit slippery and taking a few steps to the stairs, your mom accidentally slid and fell on her buttocks, leaving her semi-injured with a small wound on the heel. Aching in pain, there she was as your anxiety began to escalate with everything that was happening.

It was past 12 o’clock during noon as the rain lie low and the strong winds stopped. Meanwhile, flood water kept entering the house. It even reached your bed. The unprecedented intensity of the calamity made the water rise so high. Other appliances were soaked in flood water. You all tried to secure everything in the house, but the sight of flood-affected area was horrible. 

It seemed such a cruel irony that while battling the pandemic, a disaster as strong as Rolly made repercussions to your family and other families. It was such a struggle to recover from the losses. Some appliances were broken and your dad’s piggery was devastated. The agricultural damage it also brought to the small rice field your dad was handling affected your finances. The calamity knocked out mobile phone services, uprooted trees and destroyed critical infrastructures. The neighboring towns, particularly those which are near Mayon Volcano were engulfed in floodwater and volcanic mudflows. How awful! It was a twofold challenge on your concern. You badly want to help but you’re still a jobless student. 

Just days after the onslaught of Typhoon Rolly, Typhoon Ulysses roughly crossed the same track and made landfall on November 11. Disaster after disaster. Destruction after destruction – in the midst of a pandemic. It was unbelievable, it was beyond imagination, and all at the same time, dreadful. 

Multiple factors contributed to this turnabout. Most of the time, caused by circumstances beyond anybody’s control. 

The rise after the fall

When you were in despair, you prayed everyday and kept your faith intact hoping and believing that everything’s going to be all right. You stayed strong when you are at your weakest and you let God move in His mysterious ways. Tomorrow awaits. There is hope. The anxieties were no longer haunting you. You realized that you are doing the best you can, you are letting go of the things you cannot control and you start to focus on things that actually matter. You learned to embrace the uncertainty by accompanying it with faith. Your greatest fears especially the consequences of this pandemic took all your strength but there was redemption. It may be chaotic as it seems but you managed to make it through. The girl who was full of fears is now full of strength.

You survived your online classes, finished the whole semester alongside content creation with new projects coming in, and you adapted to a new reality. The monstrous and unimaginable situation brought by the virus was difficult to deal with but you still took control of what you can actually muster. You learned to manage your time wisely. You created a workspace and followed a study schedule. You made learning a joy. You made content creation a passion. You tried your best in keeping your spirits up  for the sake of surpassing all of the hardships.

One afternoon, while you were running errands with your mom, a notification popped. You were informed by a block mate that you are a dean’s lister. Wow. It made your parents proud. You were bursting in bliss. It was totally fulfilling. Memories suddenly flashed back. You remember all the challenges you faced, the hardwork you made and the efforts you poured bore an academic achievement in the midst of the pandemic. It all paid off.

Look at your grandmother. She’s doing well, healthy and is now back to her normal routine. You also get to spend more time with her now. A new tradition for the family was made. Every month, there is a “family day” where joyful memories are created. Being with your family is a blessing, take note of that. Don’t be so busy watching out for what’s ahead of you but rather, enjoy where you are.  Never miss any opportunity to spend time with your loved ones.

When two super typhoons as powerful as Rolly and Ulysses both left trails of destruction in your region, it terribly affected many families and your family wasn’t an exception.  It struck as the Philippines continues to battle the pandemic. Despite it all, your family recovered.  After the previous crops have been ravaged by the merciless storms, the succeeding harvest was a bounty. 

Seeing how the super typhoons affected millions of people in eight regions, it made your heart shatter. There was something in you that wanted to lend a helping hand not only to your family but to the community as well. Good thing, an opportunity came. You were asked to be the chairperson in your town for a relief operation called Barya Ni Juan, a movement made by Discover MNL in collaboration with Bicol Bloggers and other Bicolano brands, which provided aid for 1,000 families in 10 Bicolano communities that were gravely affected by Typhoon Rolly and Ulysses. Of course, you accepted the offer without thinking twice. With the help of your friends, you managed to accomplish the mission by distributing 500 peso-worth each relief pack to 100 homes. It may be a small act of kindness but you saw smiles on many faces. It felt gratifying. The greater your storm, the brighter your rainbow.

What a life! You’ve learned that things don’t always turn out the way you planned or the way you think they should. You’ve learned that you can turn pain into power and you can overcome anything that was meant to destroy you. You’ve become patient with yourself and your growth, knowing that good things take time. You fell so many times but you were able to get back up. 

Be proud of how far you’ve come – the silent battles you fought, the adversities you faced, the moments you had to wipe your own tears and pat yourself on the back. You’ve gone through the dark side of life but you have gained strength, courage and confidence like no other.

Always remind yourself these:

“I surpassed many challenges.” “I am capable of everything I set my mind into.” “I take every setback and use it to my advantage.”

One day, you’ll look back and you’ll tell yourself you are indeed a survivor.

With love and light, A stronger version of yourself

_______________________________________________________________________

This story is an entry to ComCo Southeast Asia’s “Write to Ignite Blogging Project Season 2: Dear Survivor”. The initiative continues to respond to the need of our times, as every story comes a long way during this period of crisis.  The initiative aims to pull and collate powerful stories from the Philippine blogging communities to inspire the nation to rise and move forward amidst the difficult situation. The “Write to Ignite Blogging Project” Season 2 is made possible by ComCo Southeast Asia, with Eastern Communications and Jobstreet as co-presenters, with AirAsia and Xiaomi as major sponsors, and with Teleperformance as sponsor.

[adarlingmess]

I don’t usually talk about these things on my art blog but I need to let it out. Artists are so under appreciated and underpaid in my country, the Philippines.

I look at job listings in LinkedIn and they have the most absurd requirements for an entry level position, such as skills in illustration, graphic design, animation, and video editing. While they have elements that overlap with each other, those are still separate skills and thus should be separate jobs for different employees. And yet, they seek employees who can do it all, and the salary ranges from 7000 PHP (140 USD) to 18000 PHP (370 USD) per month for full-time, entry-level positions. PER MONTH. Meanwhile, the average cost of living in Manila is approximately 28540 PHP or 588 USD excluding rent.

This is why most of us freelance illustrators and digital painters look to online commissions from clients outside of the Philippines because more often than not they’re more willing to compensate us more fairly for our labor. Not to mention, there are so many labor issues and intellectual property issues in the industry.

Additionally, when you’re a young creative in the Philippines, it’s a struggle between creative freedom at the cost of stability versus corporate restriction that provides stable, but low pay.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I do a happy dance and breathe a little more freely every time a client contacts me for a commission because aside from being to able to afford groceries, pay rent, and maybe splurge on myself a little on busy months, engaging with them is such a wonderful experience as well. Let’s not lie, corporate creative culture is so damn soulless. When I freelance, on the other hand, I get clients who provide plentiful references, give words of encouragement, and enthusiastic responses to my work. It’s fulfilling as opposed to working in, let’s say, an ad agency where you’re alienated from who pays for your labor, and your creations are there to convince the masses to consume so some CEO can get richer.

So, to all my past and future clients, whenever you hear me say “Thank you for commissioning me”, I say it with full sincerity every time. Thank you for your patronage.

[vulpes-incendium]

I made this long time ago, but I thought it's a good time to share it here for @aphasiaweek!

I chose 《Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy》over 《Maji Kandou☆Hong Kong Night》because there are more stuff about HK in it. So let's see if the lyrics are accurate in a native's point of view!

Spoiler alert: it's very accurate

Hoi Sam = Happy (in Cantonese)

Guy = sounds like street in Cantonese (gaai1)

“Yooooo, so since there’s a song… while I’m at it I kinda put some effort into my costume… I think I’ve got like, serious swag Pardon? You can’t see me…for real? Woah!!!!”

FASHION: yes, HKers love to be trendy, always want to be on top trends! Trends come and go very very quickly, it's seriously really hard to follow trends in HK.

MIXING ENGLISH WITH CANTONESE: yup, we do that a lot, we almost couldn't finish a sentence without English, some words just sound "uncool" in Chinese lol (it’s always about being cool in HK lol), but we don't really say “pardon” unless we are speaking English

Sup-sup-sup-sup-sup-super mobile (snap snap) It’s my hobby to take pics and collect them (I guess) Not gonna lie, everyone’s got a mobile phone, penetration rate (highest in the world) Yeah! If you’re going sightseeing then Nathan Road! (Fuu~!)

TAKING PICS WITH SMARTPHONE: Aph HK loves taking (embarrassing) photos (of China lol), but in real life HKers do love taking pictures, or videos too (it's dangerous if you misbehave, people would film you and post on Youtube or Facebook)

MOBILE PHONE PENETRATION RATE: I couldn't find data for HK, but I think I heard on average, each HKer carries at least 2 cellphones! So this could be true!

NATHAN ROAD: It's the longest street in HK and there's so many things, good food, good shopping places and yup sightseeing! (A lot of our streets are named after the Governors during the colonial time, this street is named after Sir Matthew Nathan for example)

Welcome this makes me kinda happy (Check it out!) Learned this from England - tea in the afternoon (high tea) Welcome, this is kinda fun (Shake it up!) Yum cha, Hong Kong milk tea, cha-cha Nice culture (frivolous)!

AFTERNOON TEA: Yes, it's still a tradition for us to have tea time, we call it 3:15, workplaces would have tea breaks, restaurants do tea time menu during 2-5pm, it's really cool and cheap! We usually drink HK milk tea (evolved from British milk tea) during tea time and there are so many delicious snacks like French toast, pineapple bun and of course egg tart!

YUM CHA: It literally means “drink tea”, but Chinese tea this time. It's a tradition for us to go Yum Cha every Sunday with our family! Dim sum is part of Yum Cha! We just eat and catch up with each others for HOURS!

Oh. My. God. “LOHAS LOHAS” Oh. My. Mind. “Gonna take a pic~” Take away “Is this delivery service for real?” Like, seriously, even if it’s way out of the way, no problem man

LOHAS: I didn't know what this refers to for a long time, I finally found the answer. This refers to LOHAS park, an eco-friendly residential area newly built few years ago. But what's so special about it? Is it famous in Japan?!

DELIVERY SERVICE: Well delivery service in Asia are generally good anyway, but I guess we are good and fast?! (but I think Korea too!)

Super Feeling unlucky? If it’s getting to you, go villain hitting at Ngo Keng Kiu A medium will perform an exorcism, and hit a paper doll with a shoe For fortune telling, go draw fortune sticks, or get a divine answer by throwing moon blocks at the temples… at Wong Tai Sin, light the fire of your incense! If you’re feeling tired, maybe you can give Feng Shui a try or something? A spiritual site in Lantau Island The Wisdom Path…is super Awesome for meditation, but there aren’t any toilets, so watch out Gold fish, bring me luck! (In money!)

NGO KENG KIU: Generally HKers are not THAT superstitious, but the culture still lives within us. I have never known anyone who did the villain hitting, but it's still quite a thing (and a great tourist spot). It's mainly for people who backstab you (we call them "small people" siu yan), but I guess evil spirit too.

WONG TAI SIN: Again, it's more for older generation who are still a bit superstitious. People like to go to Wong Tai Sin Temple during Lunar New Year to wish for luck in the new year. It's still quite popular!

See I told you we have natural landscape (source)

WISDOM PATH: I've never been there lol. Apparently it's a "path lined with 38 wooden monuments inscribed with the Heart Sutra prayer". In general, HK has a lot of nice hiking trail, our landscape is actually amazing, it's just we focus too much on making money...

P-Pe-Pe-Pearl of the Orient is me! (I guess?) Got completely wasted? Ended up in a dress (totes sick) Not gonna lie, population density is highest in the world in Ap Lei Chau Yeah! If you’re going sightseeing then Hong Kong Island! (Yeah~!!)

PEARL OF THE ORIENT: It's the nickname of HK, the Philippines is Pearl of the Orient SEAS

(Ending up in a dress refers to this comic, thanks parallel France!)

POPULATION DENSITY: Yea, that's what we are famous for really, small place lots of people (HK is a very hilly city, surprise, surprise), we have the most expensive estate price in the world 🤦‍♀️, not sure if Ap Lei Chau is particularly population-densed, but the whole HK is like that!

Good luck in everything this makes me kinda happy (Check it out!) Learned this from England - how to be a gentleman (ladies first) I wish you good health, this is kinda fun (Shake it up!) Typhoon, Kung Fu, WA-TAHH Supplements, Chinese herbal medicine (healthy~!)

LUCK: The newer generations are less superstitious now, but luck is still kind of important for us? It's more like a tradition than a belief, we do them just in case (like Feng Shui).

TYPHOON: As a coastal city, we get typhoons a lot in summer, but they are not as strong in comparison to the Philippines or Indonesia.

KUNG FU: We are known for our Kung Fu films, as the actors are all trained martial artists! Bruce Lee (WA-TAH was his catchphrase), Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen are great examples! Because of the wars and Cultural Revolution, many people fled China to HK, resulting the influx of high quality martial artists (eg. Ip Man).

HERBAL MEDICINE: As western as we are, we still believe in Chinese Medicine, but more in a preventative way.

Oh. My. God. “Air conditioning in full blast!” Oh. My. Mind. “That’s not eco-friendly…” Oh well “The air will become cleaner, I think?” Seriously a Mistake, but, no problem man

STRONG AIR-CONDITIONING: This line had me laugh die (Imao in Cantonese)! It's so accurate! You can catch a cold from the airconditioning in HK! And that's why we always carry a jacket even in summer! It's not very eco-friendly and our government is trying resolve that.

AIR POLLUTION: Yes we have smog (smoke + fog), it is becoming quite the problem really. The root of the problem is that Shenzhen, the city next to HK, is developing rapidly and a lot of factories moved there, so the smoke is blown towards HK (we don't really have many factories left, it's too expensive here).

Awesome Riding on a roofless bus, cruising through the neon streets If you want to, like, go shopping… at Ladies Market There are stalls with cute stuff, souvenirs (lots and lots of them) Talk the price down! Haggling is what really counts For some more miscellaneous and deep junk, more for the adult and thrilling The street where mystery thickens… Temple Street Would you like to try some cheap eats at the street stalls? Absolutely delicious! Asian food is the best!

NEON LIGHTS: You've all seen the stereotypical HK streets full of neon lights, but it's actually decreasing, because there's no newcomers to the industry (the lights are handmade).

LADIES MARKET: You can find so many stuff there indeed, for a cheap price! Branded stuff, fake stuff (we don't make them but yea you can find a lot of them), food and goldfish. Yes, there's a goldfish street. Why? I dunno, for luck I guess?!

TEMPLE STREET: Similar to ladies market, it's also great for shopping. This street is also known for (illegal) prostitution and triad, but it's still safe to visit, never in my life have I encountered any of them.

“Yoooooo, Mister, so I kinda sang this song, but seriously, rapping is surprisingly, like, tough?” “It’s also a shame that no one can see what I’m wearing, I’ve got serious swag, y'know.” “Phew… I kinda want to go home already… I mean, the peach buns are gonna be sold out.” “…can we go now?” “…can’t we go yet?” “Haah…” “Okay fine, like, whatever.”

One, two, three!*

PEACH BUN: They are actually eaten on birthdays, for longevity (that's what peach represents in Chinese culture).

*this line was spoken in Mandarin in the song, which would be the only critism I'd give. Yes a lot of people may understand Mandarin, but Cantonese and English are preferred and they are our official languages. One, two, three in Cantonese would be "yaat, yi, sam".

Oh. My. God. “The rent is really expensive…” Oh. My. Mind. “It’s not easy…” Why oh why? “It’s like, the highest in the world” We have serious inflation, but, whatever

EXPENSIVE RENT: We are the most expensive in the world, thanks to the high population density (and foreign buyers 😶), it's really not easy to afford a flat in HK, that’s why most HKers live with their parents until they get married (it’s also a cultural thing).

INFLATION: Stuff are still relatively cheap, but they are getting more expensive really quickly, mainly because of the rent of the shops.

Super they’re so adorable it hurts, the perfect balance of black and white pandas that bring you happiness… we sell them, sort of So fluffy and cute, such big round eyes The kinda? Make you Happy! Uh-huh

PANDAS: We actually only have 2 pandas here like everyone else, in Ocean Park (it's like an amusement park and zoo). They finally successfully mated recently, probably because of Corona shutdown lol!

There are over 100 of them, Tin Hau Temple, so super Before I head there, I seriously wanna eat… mango pudding! So many gods, like, one in every street Pay homage at the temple, light the fire of your incense!

TEMPLES: We still have the temples built before the colonial time! Hopefully, we are able to keep them too...

MANGO PUDDING: It's so good yes! Our dessert culture is just the best seriously! We have so many restaurants just for desserts! They are great places to hang out with friends after work or school!

The air conditioning at its max, the fire burning strong A steaming hot pot made with a carefully chosen soup base If you want to detox, have a Chinese herbal hot pot Absolutely delicious! Asian food is the best! Riding on a roofless bus, cruising through the neon streets If you want to, like, go shopping… at Ladies Market There are stalls with cute stuff, souvenirs, lots and lots of them Talk the price down! Haggling is what really counts Absolutely delicious! Asian food is the best! Every minute Happy☆Nice Town (Guy)

HOT POT: We love it! We basically love when a lot of people sit together, talking, sharing food (like Yum Cha), it's the harmony and atmosphere that we like so much! And yes, there are a lot of different soup base you can choose from!

BARGAINING: Yes do it, especially if you're in places like Ladies' Market and you're a foreigner, they do price things up if you don't look like a local.

***

Shout out to Takagi Motoki, the voice actor of HK, his voice fits the character perfectly! (and please get a new va for the new season please funimation) And how can he speak so fast?!

[jlsadphoenix]

11, 24, 50, and 78 for the weird asks!

Thank you!

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

Rarely eat breakfast, but if I’ve got cereal then that, occasionally I’ll cook instant noodles and eggs

24. favorite crystal?

Uhhh I know nothing about types of crystals and stones and stuff, so the only thing I can think of off the top of my head are quartz

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

So a lot of inside jokes stuff, but long story short my friends and I were running late to one of our school’s basketball games, we were in the finals, and because we’re members of the drumline (I think it’s a Philippines thing only?? But if you watch ncaa or uaap games and you can hear drums in the background, that’s what I’m talking about) we had to be there on time. But it happens that the game coincides with our final exams as well, so we had to finish our exams while the bus took everyone else in the drumline not in our grade and we had to take public transport to get to the arena as fast as we can.

So here’s a group of 18 teens in uniform jumping from train to train and speedwalking everywhere and we basically rented out a whole jeep. It certainly didn’t make me laugh at the time considering we were all stressed, but every time my friends and I talk about this, just the general chaoticness of the story, as well as the look on the driver’s face when he saw 18 people rushing towards him makes me laugh so hard, dude knew he was gonna make some money off of us

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

Gas station coffee! Not sure if this is an american problem? But usually the convenience store coffee isn’t bad here actually, but maybe I’ve just got basic tastes

[bobbylagsa]

Bike Touring the Philippines

Bobby Lagsa

For most of his life, Melchizedek "Merky" Aranas Garcia have been dreaming of traveling the entire Philippines-each of the 81 provinces, there is. His dream came true in 2019 when he biked around the country for the first time.

Merky is just one of the growing numbers of Filipinos who are taking the extreme length to pedal their ways around the country, exploring places most Filipinos can only dream of.

On February 24, 2021, Merky, along with fellow adventure bikers, Romeo Llante of Cavite and Valeri de Guzman of Baguio City started their journey to bike tour the archipelago all the way to Davao City where Merkey lives.

Garcia is a seafarer by profession and when he arrived in the country following a 14-months work onboard, he planned that he will bike his way home to Davao City.

Like Garcia, Llante is an engineer working in the Middle East for almost 10 years while de Guzman is a social entrepreneur.

This is not the first time for the trio to bike their way around the Philippines. Garcia did his first in 2019 right after getting off the ship. Llante also did an extended bike tour in 2019, spending six months on the road alone. de Guzman is also a veteran long-distance biker.

They left San Pedro, Laguna on the 24th of February, and for the next 45 days, they would pedal their way to Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Garcia said that bike touring is an entirely different approach than just doing the Philippine Loop. “With bike touring, your aim is to tour the country rather than just passing by, doing the Maharlika Route all the way to Mindanao and taking the RORO (Roll-on, Roll-Off) ship to cross the island,” Garcia said.

"The goal is to tour, not just speed your way around the country, without even stopping to enjoy the destinations," Garcia said.

“When I was growing up, I dream of biking my way around Mindanao. When I had my apprenticeship on board, I saw how beautiful the Philippines is,” Garcia said.

Garcia added that back then, he had no money and thought of just biking his way to get to places.

For Llante, it was an outlet to get away from the hustle of life in Cavite and from working overseas for an extended period.

OPEN TIME, OPEN BUDGET

What open time, open budget means is that they have no formal plans of what route they are going to take. “Anytime we can change our plan, we can change our route, we can change how long we are going to stay in a place,” Garcia said.

The trio agreed to their plan. They can spend as much time on the road as they can. They passed by countless tourism destinations during their 45 days on the road.

“I wanted to climb mountains,” Llante said. In his 2019 tour, he climbed 11 mountains including Mount Apo, Kitanglad in Bukidnon, Hibok-hibok in Camiguin Island.

They have crossed muddy road, climbed mountain roads just to get out-of-the-way waterfalls, rivers, and communities they wanted to explore.

“Our longest stay was in Samar, where we spent 2 weeks exploring the two provinces,” Garcia said.

They camped out in Huplag Adventure Camp in Bantayan Cliff, Ando Island, Borongan City where they get to experience sleeping on a hanging hammock with a 150 meters drop to the seas.

“We waited for the replica of Magellan’s ship the Juan Sebastián Elcano to arrive in Guiuan, Eastern Samar,” Llante said.

When the El Cano arrived in Homonhon Island, they rented an outrigger to get closer to the ship. “Sadly, we were not allowed to go on board because of Covid protocols,” Llante said.

After the El Cano crossing, they spend the next 2 days in Homonhon and Suluan Islands before heading back to the mainland and off their way to Leyte.

Along with their ways, they were met by fellow bikers who are only too eager to host them. “Sometimes, I informed friends who I met during the 2019 tour that I am passing by,” Garcia said.

“Sometimes, when they met us, they would bike with us to destinations, and when we get there, foods are already prepared for us,” Garcia said.

The trio, along with other bike clubs that hosted them, also held community engagement programs like feeding and giving school supplies for children.

LOGISTICS, PREPARATIONS

Biking for an extended period of time can be a difficult task and it takes determination and courage just to conquer steep climbs and muddy roads to get to their next destinations.

“Before I arrived from my work onboard, I already planned my bike tour, told some of my friends I’m doing a bike tour again,” Garcia said.

Garcia wanted to invite friends so that it will be more fun. “It is more fun to share the road with friends who share the same passion as you are,” Garcia said.

Llante and de Guzman rise to the challenge of Garcia.

“My bag only consisted of 3 short pants, shirts,” Garcia said. On his backpack, he carries his drone that would prove to be very useful in getting dramatic, scenic shots.

“You only need to bring light materials, all our clothing are quick-dry,” Llante said.

Their daily budget is only 500 pesos per person per day, except for destinations that they would need to spend more, 500 was their daily budget which include foods, hotels, drinks.

"On the road, you need to eat well and hydrate well," Llante said.

“The plan really is to set-up tents by sunset,” Garcia said.

“We would sleep in barangay halls, beaches, gasoline stations, roads with trees we can hang our hammocks,” Llante added.

But mostly, Filipinos welcomed them to their homes, offering sleeping spaces. Experiencing the hospitality of the Filipino people was a humbling experience. "We are strangers and yet they welcome us, provide us shelter and food as we share our stories with them," Garcia said.

“When there is nowhere else to sleep, we would pay entrance fees to resorts and just camp on the beach,” Llante added.

There were days also that they do really need to take a good sleep to recover physically and had to spend nights in resorts or inns. “We need to rest, but hotels are our last resort,” Garcia said.

They also agreed never to travel during nighttime, except for one instance during the first few days of the tour.  after pedaling for almost 18 hours, they arrived in Naga City around 11 pm raking in almost 200 kilometers.

“We agreed to pedal only during daylight, where sunset catches us up, we would set up camp for the night, we are not in a hurry anyway,” Garcia said.

200 kilometers is the most the pedaled in a single day, after that, their average is just about 80 kilometers per day.

There are times that they would need to rest at noon for an extended time as the heat of the sun becomes almost unbearable. “We rest where we wanted to, we don’t plan of getting to this town or that town, we stop at sunset,” Garcia said.

When they arrived in Davao City where Garcia is from, de Guzman had to make her way to Cagayan de Oro and left the two. De Guzman could be in Cebu as of this writing, doing her Cebu loop on and on her way to Negros Island.

THE PHILIPPINES IS A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY

Garcia and Llante eventually pedaled their way to this city, spending two days along Sayre Highway, exploring Bukidnon. They arrived here on May 1 and spent 4 days here exploring and meeting with fellow Philippine Bike tour loopers.

Words on the biking community here were that de Guzman was met by an all-female bikers group and was given a warm welcome.

Bike touring the Philippines was a humbling experience for Garcia and Llante. They have pedaled almost 3 thousand kilometers and visited most provinces along the Maharlika Highway.

Garcia’s count crossed out 63  out of 81 provinces since he started his bike tour in 2019. Llante crossed out 11 mountains, and almost visited each province in the Philippines.

They have seen most of Filipinos can only dream of- touring the entire Philippines, learning cultures and traditions, meeting people, and experienced  lgendary Filipino hospitality and conquering their own selves.

Garcia and Llante is a testament of achieving dreams even if it means just being armed with just bare necessities.

Garcia and Llante is now planning their next bike tour, hoping that more bikers would join them.

NOTE:

all photographs were provided by Merky Garcia

FOR THEIR 2021 Philippine Bike Tour, Garcia spent 35 thousand while Llante spent 50 thousand.

Since Valerie de Guzman was already in Cebu, she was not around for the interview.

[purplesurveys]

945

A Survey For College/Uni Grads Survey by emptyspaces

What year did you graduate? 2020. It’s only been a little over a month, too.

What degree do you have? Journalism, but I might as well have had a minor in history because of the amount of history electives I took as well haha.

What classes did you take your first year? The first semester of my first year was purely for general courses, so I took basic courses on English, biology, math, philosophy, and Philippine history. By the second semester I took more basic courses on public speaking, physics, and social science, but by then I was already allowed to take two journalism majors.

Second year? My general courses included a basic course on art history, chemistry, English, Filipino, Asian history; my majors were on communication and media, news reporting, media law, media theory, journalism ethics, and an introductory course on broadcast communication.

Third year? The only general courses I had by this point were an intro to political science and a class on Philippine government and politics. I mostly took majors this year though, which wiped me the crap out: my majors were on media and society, feature writing, public relations, international relations, fact-checking, broadcast management, Southeast Asian history, and introductory courses on macroeconomics, film, psychology, and communication research.

Fourth year? I took up journalism design and layout, contemporary Philippine history, Philippine social history, pornography in media just because lol, an introductory course on anthropology, and I also got started on my thesis as well. My second and final semester got cancelled entirely because of the pandemic, but I would have finished units on business reporting, online journalism, community press, and the history of women in the Philippines.

Did it take you longer than four years to graduate? No. That would have disappointed my parents big time and considering how much effort they’ve put to send me to good schools, the least I could do was to graduate on time. Even if I wanted to shift out of my course, it would’ve led to a delay and I didn’t want that for them and I personally didn’t want that for myself either.

Did you start at 18, or did you have a gap year(s) after high school? Again, I didn’t want to take gap years for my parents’ sake. I immediately went to college right after graduating high school, like what the majority of students here do.

Was it a small or large college/university? Very large. The competition is even bigger – 100,000++ high school seniors take the entrance exam every year but they only take in around 10,000 passers. Still, 10,000 new students every school year is so many, and it’s always a bitch to get class slots because of our population.

Public or private? Public. 

Is there anything the school is well-known for? All sorts of things. It’s one of the top schools in the country, so we hog the spotlight in the national news pretty much everyday. I think the biggest things we’re known for though is our reputation for research and our activism history. It also makes us a popular target of pro-government trolls.

What were some of your favorite classes? I loved taking up art studies and all of my political science and history electives, and as for my journalism electives I really only enjoyed public relations and that one class where we ran an online magazine for a whole semester.

What were some classes you hated? Fucking economics. And fact-checking. And the fact that I took both in the same period...got my lowest average for that semester because of those classes, too. I feel like I would have done better if my economics class didn’t have a population of 200 and if I had a more experienced professor fact-checking but shit happens, I guess. I also felt like my porn class was a waste because the readings were so pretentious. And of course, philosophy.

Did you have any super-long classes? Like 3 hours or longer? All majors in my college are 3 hours long. So classes like PR, journalism ethics, feature writing, business reporting, media law, communication theory, etc. all definitely took a big chunk of my weekdays.

Did you ever change your major? No. I had multiple conversations with myself to decide if I should, but aside from not wanting to get delayed I also accepted the fact that as much as I had grown to not like journalism as a practice, the technical skills taught in it were still going to be super useful in the industry I want to get into, which is communications and PR.

Did you do any internships? If so, where? I did. I interned at a PR agency last year but it was part of my requirements to complete my course, so it felt forced to an extent. I’m currently interning at another PR agency, but this time I’m out of school and it’s a personal choice of mine.

Did you ever take any online classes? If so, which ones? I only had one or two online class sessions at the beginning of the lockdown, but my school ultimately cancelled the semester altogether in consideration of disadvantaged students who may not have laptops of their own or wi-fi at home. In the end they just gave a grade of ‘P’ to everyone, which meant Pass.

Were textbooks expensive? I didn’t need to buy entire textbooks because my professors usually just took excerpts or chapters from certain relevant books and let us photocopy the pages, which costs a lot cheaper than having to buy books.

What other supplies besides books did you have to buy for your classes? Other than course readings I didn’t need to spend much. Journalism isn’t a material-heavy course like how film or broadcast communication is.

Were you in any clubs or student organizations? Yes. I was in a journalism org, our graduation committee, and was part of a student publication at one point. I also tried to join AIESEC but my schedule was so hectic at the time that I had to drop it.

Did you ever volunteer anywhere? I was a lecturer and facilitator for the journalism workshops that my org regularly held (and will probably continue to volunteer even as a grad, since I know they appreciate alumni lecturers lol), and one time I also volunteered to be an usher for Batch 2019′s graduation.

Were you on any sports teams? Nope. I liked playing table tennis, but I was never trained properly enough to make it to varsity. 

Where was your favorite place to eat on campus? It depended on how much of a hurry I was in and how much I was willing to spend. The cheapest option was the network of kiosks scattered around campus which sold the same instant noodles and street food. If I wanted to reward myself but was on a tight budget, I went to Area 2 which is a residential street in campus that was also dotted with small food booths ran by the homeowners; if I had some money to spend and the time to stay in a sit-in restaurant I used to go to Chocolate Kiss.

Did you work while you were in college? I did not. I was lucky to be in a privileged position where my parents were able to provide for me and where I never had to worry about finances.

If so, where? How many hours per week?

How many times did you move throughout college? I didn’t. We lived in the same house the whole time I was in college.

Did you live on campus, in an apartment, or somewhere else? I lived at home and I just drove to and from school everyday, since the campus was near-ish enough for me not to avail of a dorm or condo.

Did you live with roommates? Alone? With a significant other? I lived with my family, but tbh it was mostly my mom and brother at home since my sister stays at a dorm and my dad works abroad.

If off-campus, how much was your rent? Never had to pay any.

How often did you go back to visit your parents? I went home to my mom every night lol, unless I had a sleepover at someone else’s place.

Did your parents help you out with living costs? Sure did. Nothing changed with my living arrangements and I still lived under their roof.

Did your parents (or someone else) pay for your tuition? They paid for the first two semesters; then by my sophomore year the government passed an act implementing free tuition for all state universities so since then they never had to pay a cent for my education.

Was it an expensive school? Not at all, which is why the competition to get in is so fierce. To illustrate, four years in my school is just equivalent to one semester in my sister’s college. Last time I checked one unit is ₱1500 or roughly $30.

If you paid for it, do you still have student loans you're paying off? I don’t have student loans. Idk if that’s a thing here, actually. I don’t think it is.

How many people did you date throughout college? One.

What was your longest relationship while in college? The whole four years. I was in the same relationship when I started and ended.

Were you in a sorority/fraternity? Fuck no.

Were you into partying? Just occasionally. I wasn’t a wild partier but I did go to a few college parties every now and then, and I certainly went to nearby bars nearly every Friday.

Where did you and your friends usually hang out? Along Katip, since there were enough places there to hang out in. Occasionally we’d go to Maginhawa, but I prefer it a lot less because the parking there sucks balls.

What did you and your friends do for fun? Drink, eat, play games.

Do you still keep in touch with any college friends? Very much. I support those who remain in the org, and I occasionally catch up with those who had already graduated.

Did any of them graduate with the same degree as you? Most of them did. It’s how I met them.

What did you do after you graduated? I rested for a bit but an existential crisis quickly came over and now I’m in a bit of a mental slump, but at least I’ve scored this internship to keep me occupied.

How was the pay at your first job out of college? The company I’m currently interning for objectively pays well, but they acquired me as an intern because they aren’t offering full-time positions for now. That said, I get an allowance rather than a salary so it isn’t much at all, but I’m still happy to be in the company because it’s supposed to be one of the top agencies in the country.

What classes prepared you the most for your career? PR, feature writing, public speaking, news reporting, online journalism...and tbh org work. 

- Five favorite memories from your college days -

1: UP vs DLSU basketball game from September last year HAAAAAA

2: Attending my organization’s orientation and encountering them for the first time, not knowing I was going to bloom so much there and gain my closest friends

3: High Def 2018 and 2019

4: Drinking at VSpot with Angela, Hans, Gabie, and whoever else from their Ateneo gang that also got invited

5: TK with orgmates

[smokeybrand]

The Rising Tide Raises All Ships

I don't understand people who are so ardently against social systems. Like, it's pulling eye-teeth just to have what little we do. I can't tell you how many f*cking time some MAGA cultist attacks food stamps or welfare like it's the worst thing ever but it's like, the ones who abuse it like you say, look like you. They don't look like me. There's always bad actors in any system, but if the majority carries on the way they should, then that system should function regardless. We know it can because it's being executed in real time, all over the world. There's a reason why the happiest places on earth, have the most expansive social welfare systems. Its fine to drive capitalism, no one's telling you not to work hard, but if we expanded those processes, everyone benefits. If everyone contributes a little more to the pool, all of our boats rise with the tide. I mean, seriously, if 2020 has taught us anything, it's that the systems we have in pace right now, don't work. They are easily exploited, easily manipulated, and completely counter intuitive to living life. There is a literal f*cking plague going on and our president is forcing people back to work and kids back to class because the economy. If that don't scream broke and needs fixing, I don't what does.

Free Healthcare means no worries going to the doctor. Paper cut, baby delivery, broken bone, or f*cking cancer, there'd be no stressing over how to pay those ridiculous bills. They wouldn't be ridiculous. I think in Canada an ambulance ride is, like, $230 dollars, average, depending on circumstances. In some places, it's as low as $45 and others, as high as $385. The average here in the States is closer to $1200 f*cking dollars. For just the ambulance. That's not even beginning to address the hospital visit and hope you don't an extended stay. These mother*ckers gave me a bill for close to $50,000 for my two week stay the first time I almost died. Bro, there's no way I am ever going to pay that. The f*ck is you saying? I read an account of someone going to the emergency room in the Philippines and it cost her $15 dollars. To see the doctor. It would have been free but she's not a citizen. More than anything, universal healthcare would force Big Pharma to price their medications appropriately. There would have affordable prescriptions for everyone. When I left my job, I lot my insurance. When I checked prices on my meds, just a single prescription was $400 f*cking dollars for one month's worth. In Canada, that prescription would have been $15. The ill thing? The $400 dollar one was the cheapest I could find stateside. I take five medications for my heart. Uninsured, I'd be dropping close to $3800 a month, on sh*t I need to live. Who the f*ck has a loose $3800 when they have to pay that much in rent every month? Insulin is, like, $300 for 10 days worth here. In Canada, it's f*cking $30. Sh*t's even cheaper in Egypt. Small businesses wouldn't have to worry about employee healthcare or anything like that. If you have more than two employees, the cost you save in insurance coverage is more than enough to offset that tax increase. You'd be able to actually pay a more livable wage, while pocketing more profit at the same time. How is any of this bad? How can you spin this sh*t as a negative?

Free education means a more literate populace. We wouldn't have near as many Anti-Vaxxers and Flat Earthers. Motherf*ckers would understand the science of social distancing and mask wearing during a goddamn pandemic. I wouldn't be so f*cking mad having to dumb myself down just to interact with society. If we follow the Nordic system, you get your four years worth of education, graduate with a proper degree, and get placed into a position immediately out of college to tenure in your focus for the next four years. It's not an internship but a real job. You not only get a degree, but you immediately start earning a living in that field, while accumulating experience. Once you complete your four year employment obligation, you can continue your employment, start the process  over with a new major in mind, or you're free to travel abroad with four years experience and a BA in your pocket. Not only would the populace be more literate, more people would be employed thus stimulating the economy. Those that enter into science and engineering, would have to innovate in their fields for four years, minimum, so you'd have hungry minds creating the future, just like back in the day when “America was great” or whatever. More education, means more jobs, means a stronger economy, means less crime. Again, how is this a bad thing? You wouldn't even have to do away with private college or studying whatever you want. If there wasn't a free program to take advantage of, just pay for your classes. I'm sure there'd still be grants and scholarship and financial aid available for aspiring painters or wannabe film makers, or any number of vanity degrees. F*ck it, man, if you want to go to Harvard just for the clout, you can still totally do that. F*ck, dude, you can do it after getting your free degree even. Graduate school, bro. Motherf*cker can be making six figures paying that stupid, clout chasing, tuition out of pocket because you can afford it with the job you got with that free degree. That's the beauty of the Nordic system; Everyone gets what they want.

That's just the surface of these benefits. I'm not even going to go into what universal income, maternity leave, vacation time, strong unions, and subsidized child care. I'm not even going to touch on how prisons over there are built to rehabilitate, not to humiliate and effectively enslave. For Profit prisons are the modern plantations. Look that sh*t up. I'm not even going to go into detail about the benefits collective legalization for all drugs and how crime plummeted because of it, or how they treat addiction like a mental illness and not a criminal offense, or the way they house their homeless and treat them humanely, while transitioning them into society with counseling, job placement, and social work. All of this, for, maybe, an extra hundred or two a year. That's, what? An extra $30 a month out of your check? Less than $10 a f*cking week? That one trip to Starbucks. That's two Quarter-Pounders. That's nothing. How does that math not work? How do these universal benefits, not jive with everyone? How does this sh*t not make sense to people, when you can see it working the world over? The illest thing in this whole situations is the fact that we, as the US, have absolutely more than enough to implement this system, this type of social democracy which benefits everyone, if we just rearranged our budget. Admittedly, we couldn't just implement the healthcare out the box. I mean, we could, but that would entail getting motherf*ckers who make trillions, like Amazon, Facebook, and Tesla as well as Zuckerberg, Musk, and Bezos, to pay their fair share without circumventing said responsibilities Corporate Welfare is crippling the working American and people are too dumb to even pay attention to it, distracted by buzzwords like “communism” and “immigrant.” So we do the free education thing first. That's only $4 billion a year. I checked. That's pittance compared to the defense budget.

Motherf*ckers wouldn't even need to “tax the rich” or “hold them accountable” if we just cut the defense budget. We can keep pretending that trickle down works and that Wall Street works for us and not corporate gluttons and that Reaganomics works, and whatever else the conservatives want us all to believe. Whatever, right? The US spends $650 billion on defense. That is, quite literally, $400 billion more than the next country, China. The rest of the world, minus the US and China, spends a collective $831 billion. That's an average of less than $50 billion a year, worldwide. F*ck, if you add China back into that, it's still less than $65 billion a year. Did i mention that these are yearly budgets? And these are old numbers. My guy, we can afford to drop a few billion of that defense budget. We can probably skim $50 billion and enrich a lot of people's lives but we don't even need that much. Drop $4 billion off of that gratuitous $650 tril, and you can fund free education for everyone. Following the Nordic system, that means more jobs. That means more taxes. That means a better economy and more revenue to implement the universal health care, which would further lessen the burden of employers and employees, putting even more money back into everyone's pockets, which would grow the economy even more. Happy and secure people, spend more money. The only people this system hurts, are those hurting us with the current system. Are they literally too dumb and/or selfish to let go of a little extra and uplift all of us? How do you argue that math? No one loses but the people forcing you to lose right now, in real time. F*ck, man, 2020 has exposed this entire system and there are still people who will die for a country that won't even give you enough money to be safe during a whole ass plague and I don't understand that at all.

[raechristia]

Life amid the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic put the entire world in an unsettling pause - with everyone, literally everyone, not knowing what will happen in the coming months. As if being under quarantine wasn’t enough, we muggles also have to deal with rent, utility bills, and groceries, on top of the crippling fear and worry over how in the world we could keep ourselves and our families safe from such a hard-hitting disease.

Our household is probably one of the lucky ones. My husband, though a medical representative who is supposed to be out of work, is being well taken care of by his company who keeps sending their employees financial assistance for as long as their resources allow. I, on the other hand, got lucky and found myself hired by OkayRelax, a 100% remote company that offers virtual assistant services, prior to the lockdown. It was only a little over a month since I gave birth to my daughter, who is now three months old, and I hadn’t expected to find work so soon. So overall, we are doing fine financially - a little tight, but we’re safe, we’re healthy, and we’re never hungry.

That’s not to say, however, that we aren’t currently struggling. The cost of staying at home has been greater as opposed to our usual spending habits, and this has caused us to be behind on a couple of bills a few weeks back (thank goodness we’re back on track now, though). With the fear of the outside world crippling us, we had to delegate and hire a personal shopper to do the grocery shopping for us. This additional expense didn’t seem much of a big deal at first, but we found ourselves spending much more than usual as each grocery run would cost us roughly 10%-20% of our average grocery bill. That means that for every four to five grocery runs, our delegation budget would have already cost us one grocery run’s worth of money. Moreover, the necessity of having face masks, alcohol, and other disinfectants have caused an increase in our shopping bill. However, this is something we can’t scrimp on for fear of contracting the virus. So there’s not much we can do about it but accept that this is our new normal, that everything will have additional fees for delivery if we want to stay inside and stay safe.

Considering the struggles we’re facing these days, we can still count ourselves blessed. Unfortunately, this is not so for many Filipinos who don’t get to serve food on their table if they don’t go out to work. The uncomfortable truth here is that people will inevitably suffer, one way or another, until this ends. The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) we are currently under isn’t something we all want, but is something we all very much need. However, all the suffering caused by the ECQ would have been for nothing if the Philippine government doesn’t implement mass testing aggressively. We are behind on numbers, and the scary part is that we may think we’re about to flatten the curve but the truth is that we might be facing a second wave that’s even deadlier than the first. I sure hope I’m wrong, and I am fervently praying that we all survive this pandemic and live to tell our stories. But the fact of the matter is that our lives are in this government’s hands, and the only thing we could do is hope that they really did mean it when they said that they are doing their jobs to be of service to the Filipino. I guess all we can do now is wait and see if they’re telling the truth.