First of all, I know that it's been a long time since I've updated this thing, there's nobody to blame but myself. At the encouragement of my fan, I am back to update this thing. There's been a lot that's happened since I've last spilled whatever eclectic thoughts have been bouncing around in my head. I've watched a TON more movies, switched jobs (same company), visited a foreign country for five weeks, and moved (same city).
I was able to go to the Philippines for five weeks for work and loved every minute of it. This has been my fourth trip to the Philippines in my lifetime and although five weeks, it was my shortest visit there. Unfortunately, I was there at some tragic times, the day before I arrived, there was a stampede at Ultra Stadium that claimed over 70 lives. A gameshow promising lots of prizes and lots of poverty served as the catalyst for a mob that crushed people into a gate that wasn't open.
Thirteen days later a landside in the province of Southern Leyte claimed more lives. An elementary school was buried and a small village was completely wiped out. There were U.S. Marines everywhere and although I was not on the island of Leyte, I was on an island near it called Cebu, roughly 50 miles away.
A couple weeks after that an attempted coup was thwarted by the current Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and a business trip from others in the U.S. was cancelled while I was still there.
After all these things, I did return safe and sound, although my heart still feels for those events that happened.
I did get to go to Moalboal which is a famous diving spot in the Philippines and took a shot at snorkeling...yeah, yeah, I was too chicken to go diving. When they told me that I would see sharks, I decided not to do it. I think it's because when I was 3 years old, my parents took me to Jaws at the movie theater......first of all, where was social services?? And who takes their three year old kid to "Jaws"?
Up close and personal to an outrigger boat.
Here's the group that I went with. (Top: Honeylette, Bottom: Oops forgot, Alex, Oops forgot, Edmund, Erwin, Mica) You have to forgive me, this trip was the first time I met the two girls that I forgot and I can't remember their names right now...my bad.
On the boat and on our way to Pescador Island. The main island and the mountains in the background are both part of Cebu. I am looking East and if you hopped over Cebu and continued to the next Island in a South East manner for 40 miles you would hit Bohol. If you went in a North East direction for 40 miles, you would hit Leyte where the landslide occurred.
Our buff guide. This kid was ripped.
