Skydiving Word List

My friends went skydiving yesterday and I was lucky enough to observe from the co-pilot seat.  I don’t feel like writing about it but want to remembr some things…

• Loading
• Instrument Panel
• Blue Sky & Blue Water
• Milwaukee
• Not loud enough for mic
• Control tower
• Nervous at take off
• Worried at landing
• Smiling the whole time
• There they go jumping out the back door
• Plane is wobbling
• NOSE DIVE!!!
• Earrings
• Polite
• Pilot disappointed I wasn’t scared
• Mic Works
• Let’s do it again

White Knuckle White Sox Winner

So Santos and I went to the White Sox game tonight really not expecting much because they’ve lost something like nine straight games (I’m not exaggerating).  We’re season ticket holders and I’m going to make it to all of our games this year one way or another pretty much regardless of how they do on the field.

Like I was saying, we weren’t expecting much but what we found was:

• a nice dinner in the outside seating area of a restaurant on Taylor street before the game
• a decent ride through the west side medical district, then Pilsen, then Bridgeport
• special police parking for our bikes right behind the stadium
• a feeling that we went from the middle of spring to the middle of summer over night
• a White Sox offense that seems to have awoken from its slumber of late
• a nice pitching gem by Mark Buehrle
• some really nice people around us to share a nice evening of baseball
• an exhilarating ride back up the Dan Ryan expressway then the Kennedy expressway that involved a little more speed than a rational person would deem safe…

Not bad from an evening where we didn’t expect much…

Fight Night Part Two

Pacquiao v. Hatton

There’s nothing like fight night in Las Vegas.  My brother and I went go watch Manny Pacquiao SHUT DOWN Ricky Hatton in just under two complete rounds. 

Last time, we got tickets to the closed circuit broadcast in one of the MGM conference rooms which was good enough and I would’ve been happy to have gone back.  However, this time we got tickets to the arena and I’ve got to say… there’s no going back!!!

The Brit-fans were loud, unified, and I must say rather respectful.  They were singing this song and I thought, “What’s up with the song?”  Some Hatton fan snuck in a drum.  A drum!!!  And four of his buddies had brass instruments.  How does that make it through the metal detectors?!

I actually thought the Limeys had us beat… as fans but no way was their man going to beat Manny in the ring.

When Hatton went down for the second time in the first round it was certainly no surprise and no one remained sitting.  The entire stadium started counting the seconds to end of this fight.  When we heard the ten-second warning at the end of the 2nd I thought, “Well, at least we saw two full rounds.”

Just then, with three seconds left, Manny connected with the spot in Hatton’s jaw that serves basically as a human off switch.  As Santos likes to put it over and over again, Ricky landed perfectly on top of the Rock Star Energy Drink logo in the middle of the ring.

When he went down I looked over to my brother and he let out the same roar that brought me back to the winning homerun of Game 2 of the 2005 World Series in Comiskey as the White Sox’ Scott Podsednik sent one into the right field stands.

Sport is great.

(We can’t wait to go back this winter when Manny takes on Mayweather Jr.)

Manila Do-Nothing Day

I’ve been all jumbled-in-my-head lately.

I’m glad my Brother is having a good time and already making plans for us to come back in February. It looks like we’re going to buy some land in our Dad’s hometown so we can build our own house.  That’ll be exciting.

Today is a nothing day which is to say we’re not leaving the hotel/mall area to give ourselves a break before leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow.  (We already have our to-do list for Hong Kong.)

++++

I’ve had three really nice conversations here that stick out in my mind.

One was with this woman I met that started out to be a misunderstanding and ended up turning into a nice 30 minute conversation about life here and the hopes we all have as people.

Then my Brother and I went out with my cousin Joyce and EVERYONE last night for dinner and we talked about our February 2010 plans.  All of a sudden Feb 2010 seems so far away.

Then last night I was talking to our waitress in the hotel bar and we ended up talking so much that she fell behind on her job tasks and had to disappear.  I told her I’d be back tonight and I think she’s looking  forward to picking up where we left off last night.

We were talking about the tourism industry here in the Islands and she shared here experiences with me.  It was amazing to hear about what happens behind the scenes — politics, plans, etc.

+++

Santos and I are really are enjoying the freedom to go wherever we want and I know our Dad is really impressed with our ability to throw ourselves into the city.

It’s really made a difference to the point where we’re both excited to come back.  I don’t think I imagined that outcome.

+++

Last night was a bit of a test of our freedom.  One of our Tita’s didn’t like the plans we had made and tried everything she could think of to keep us here in the hotel.

There was no way I was going to let her win and our plans were executed flawlessly.  I think part of her wants us to stay naive because she’s kept her own son in the house away from everything… to his detriment….

Well, gotta go for now…

Leftover Details

Well, we’re back in Manila.

I have a headache right now because I unwisely went to the Amoranto Sports Complex to swim laps for over an hour underneath the Summer sun.  The water was warm and because I haven’t gone swimming since… well, yesterday… I thought I push myself a little harder than usual.  Ergo, headache.

I left out a lot of details from our trip up the Libmanan River.

The river trip was my idea because I wanted my brother to experience it for himself.  In 2006, the river trip was my Dad’s idea because he wanted me to experience it for myself.

There was no need to go up the river because we had gone to the Mambayawas Farm just the day before… but by tri-mobile (motorcycle & sidecar).  There was no lancha available and I figured the tri-mobile would be another experience for my brother.

I have to say, from what I’ve seen he’s really enjoyed himself.

I’ll take credit because when we talk about what we’re going to do today or tomorrow or the next day everyone turns to me to come up with a plan which I happily do.  I come up with the  idea and my Dad and relatives help us figure out how we’re going to execute the plan.

Anyway, so we went up the Libmanan River.  Lanchas, 30 foot long motorboats, go up and down river carrying passengers all the time.  We rented one which is to say the captain was to reserve his boat for our group of 13 people (my Brother, Parents, Relatives including my three Little Cousins).  He took one passenger in addition to our group and agreed to wait for us while we looked around Mambayawas for the second time in two days.  Normally, Mambayawas is the turnaround point.

Going up-river we saw people washing their clothes, bathing, fishing, diving for oysters, diving for sand (for concrete mixing), going back to market.

Our Dad told us about the canoe they had long ago and how Surrender Island used to be uninhabited but now has too many houses.  I could see in his eyes the sadness that, by telling us what has changed and what has stayed the same, he was coming to the realization that his quickest steps were behind him and that there is well, you can finish the rest.

This whole trip has been bittersweet for me because now (maybe like other times I don’t remember) it feels like time is really passing by and I’m nearing the end of some chapter.

My Dad is still healthy but he is 70 and I can see in his eyes that his youth is getting away from him in a way he cannot control.  He still wants to get things done.  I think I can almost see in his eyes his wish for the clock to turn its hands back for him — as a birthday present, perhaps.

It makes my heart ache and I wish I can give him some of my youth and strength.  Sometimes I feel like he would get more done with it than I could.  He’s accomplished so much and managed (to my deepest admiration) to stand by his principles without once wavering.

My Dad is the most Ethical, Principled, Hardworking man I’ve ever known and I’m embarrassed sometimes when I think I won’t leave as deep a footprint has his.

Anyway, I wanted to describe details of the River trip but really I think I wanted to say that if I could trade places with my Dad and give him 30 more years of my strength and vigor I would gladly make the exchange.

However, I know that isn’t a deal he would ever accept.

When he looks at me and tries to share his thoughts… behind his short sentences and simple messages is the wish… and I can see the wish… that we could have 70 more years together.

My Dad, and I’m not sure why, has started to say his good-byes… I can feel it.

Price List

I can’t write much… I just wanted to write some prices down here so I can remember them later:

Pan de Sal (one roll) 1P

Pedicab (Fundado to Centro) 5P

Jeepney (Libmanan to Naga) 20P

AirCon Van (Libmanan to Naga) 40P

CWC Swimming Pool per person 150P

1 Liter Nestea 27P

Lancha Libmanan Centro to Mambayawas 20P

Rent Lancha for 3 hours 500P

Rent AirCon Van 3500P per day

Rent Nissan Sentra in Manila from Hotel 2500 (manual trans)

Rent SUV in Manila from Hotel 4000 (manaul trans)

Tri-mobile 7P (can’t remember this one)

+++

We took a lancha up the Libmanan River. There were ten of us at least. We rented the whole boat for a couple of hours. It took us to the farm.

The ride was beautiful.

Now we’re all going to the EcoVillage in Pili. It’s a beautiful, simple recreation complex. I’m gonna go swimming.

Later tonight we’re going to stop at the beach at Pasacao to watch the sunset and play in the Ocean until after dark.

Tomorrow we go back to Manila for a few days.

Then it’s on to Hong Kong… Manila… Chicago.

++++

Quick birthday party note:

Lots of food.  Dad took lots of pictures which seemed unusual to me.

He loved the attention… though he normally is more comfortable under the radar.

++++

I keep waking up here thinking this is going to be the last carefree visit to the Philippines.  That scares me too much.

++++

Not a Bad Way to Spend a 70th Birthday

Today is my Dad’s birthday.

We just got back from the farm. My Dad, my Brother, my Uncle, and my Cousin’s husband Lao.

I’ve been unable to calm my mind because I want to show my brother everything I learned during my last trip here in 2006. I know it’s unfair to pack 3 months of stuff into 15 days so I’m trying to remember and present the highlights. I want this trip to be unlike the other boring, dull ones he’s had in the past. I want him to see that he is as much a part of this place as all of those who had come before him.

I’m riding a tenuous line between pushing it all onto him in the hope he’ll arrive at the same affection I have for this country and letting him come to whatever conclusion he decides on his own.

We just came back from one of our Grandfather’s farms. He has three of them and now that he has passed away the farms are now ours.

If you could see my brother as he walked the beautiful expanse of green field under the blue sky of a typical Philippines summer you would see that the affection I wondered about has certainly taken hold of him.

He marvelled at the number of coconut trees we have and was surprised to see all the banana trees growing on our land. We have jackfruit (lanka) trees that amazed him and mango trees that really made an impression.

He looked at our rice fields and asked about the yield and did the math in his head and wondered, like we all do, if this place can give us more.

I talked about mahogany trees that Dad and I planted in 2006 and told him how they would be ready when we retire.

We met the people working on our land and wondered how this tiny group of people can realize the potential of our farm.

My Brother kept taking pictures of everything he saw. I could tell this wonderful place has mad a home in his heart.

He asked me questions about the land and the life here and I was able to answer many of them (proudly) because I had asked the same questions of our Dad last time.

In about an hour, a friend of Lao’s will be dropping off two tri-mobiles. A tri-mobile is a motorcycle with a sidecar attached that is used as a public form of transportation. I’m going to pay him for use of the tri-mobiles so my brother and I can take our Dad and Uncle to Naga to run errands.

Going to Naga from Libmanan is a beautiful 40 minute ride through the Philippines landscape. It’s all green and lush and we get to peek into people’s lives as we ride by.

I told Santos that the best idea he ever had was making me take those motorcycle lessons last year. I never thought we’d use that skill to take our Dad and our Uncle from their hometown to Naga. My Dad smiled at the thought of that plan… and my Dad’s smiles these days are the most precious thing I have.

Just think, it’s not even noon yet and we still have a birthday party to throw tonight; and pool time this afternoon…

We go back to Manila in a couple of days. But in the meantime I asked my Dad if we can hire a lancha (long motorboat) for a couple of hours so we can take my Brother up the Libmanan River to really immerse him in the beauty of our country. We’ll be doing that tomorrow at sunrise.

It’s been slowly coming but the trip so far is unfolding in ways that I had hoped… and next week we’ll be looking at Victoria Harbor from our hotel room on Hong Kong island.

I only wish, as I always do, that I could find more time to spend with our Dad and Mom.

The Unnerving Sign of the Cross

I was walking through Naga about an hour ago. My parents were leading the way and we were about to pass the front of a church when I noticed that my Dad took off his hat.

Coincidence? No.

My Mom touched her forehead, then her heart, then one shoulder, and then the other.

Just as we passed the far gate my Dad replaced is hat.

The Presence of the Spirit (I’m not religious, per se) is so pervasive it’s a bit unsettling. Underneath everything everyone has to do here is a fear and reverence for an Almighty.

Before a driver begins the meat of his/her journey, you’ll see people make the sign of the cross. I always think they know something I don’ t know.

Like a Pair of Comfortable Shoes

Wow.

Flying up and down EDSA in Manila.

Bouncing up and down in the back of the jeepney between Naga and Libmanan.

The green.  The warmth.

This is home.

With the all the problems and the romance and the tragedy.

This is all the Philippines and I’m in Love with every piece of it.

+++++

My brother, my parents, and I left Manila this morning.  We stayed in a beautiful hotel in Pasig City and I had our Titas Fely & Claire over for dinner last night.

When we were young, my parents arranged everything.  Now, I’m the one planning the itinerary.  It was nice to be able to set up my parents’ room.  All they had to bring was themselves and their appetite.  My brother and I took care of the rest.  It’s comforting to pay them back in a small way for everything they’ve given us.

We’re planning our trip to Singapore and if the winds blow in the right direction my brother and I will buy motorcycles here in our dad’s hometown.  He can rent them out and have his own little business.

The money will be modest but every little bit will help.  Really, it’s more to help our cousins and give my dad another project to manage because he likes that stuff.

Having Trouble Finding the Right Pace

Well, I’m in the Philippines.

This is going to be a quick trip — 15 days and three of them have already passed.

It’s warm here in the lower level of the Robinson’s SM.  My brother and I are  both adjusting to the time difference.  Wisely, he chose not to do anything today but minor, minor errands; relaxing by the pool; working out; etc. 

We’ll have dinner tonight with our parents here in the hotel. 

Then it’s off to Libmanan tomorrow morning.  It’ll be strange to see my dad’s hometown again.  In 2006, I lived here for three great months.

So many puzzle pieces jumbled in the air, floating.

It’s all going to come together one day, right?