Kamusta Magazine is getting its first radio guesting this Tuesday! DJs Joey and Inka will be hosting myself and our creative director Den Fajardo this Tuesday. It’s a bit surreal to meet people I’ve only ever heard on the radio—can’t wait!

Planning your summer in the Philippines? Give us a listen or tweet us your questions in advance—we’ll do our best to help!

Apo Reef, the 2nd largest contiguous coral reef in the world | February 2013

The best adventures come when you least expect them.

This year, I began working as the multimedia producer for ‘Biyahe ni Drew,’ GMA News TV 11′s budget travel show hosted by Drew Arellano. I had been handling the online needs of different GMA shows since July 2012, but for the first time, I got to go out in the field. And boy, are the ‘Biyahe ni Drew’ weekends amazing. Each episode takes viewers on a new destination and shows them to make the most out of a 48-hour getaway there. In reality, each episode is shot over a weekend as well.

Cramming the actual getaway plus all the extra interviews and footage into that short time means days start early and end late—and that a lot of time is spent on the road. The bonus is that every day ends up being jam-packed with activities. The picture below is from our shoot in Marinduque.

Bibingkang lalaki, a specialty of Marinduque. It’s called “lalaki” (male) because it’s made with “itlog” (eggs), local slang for a guy’s dangly parts.

In a single day, we filmed local grandmas cooking bibingkang lalaki, got treated to the royal treatment with a putong ceremony, shot the interiors of a vintage-style hotel and had dinner at a tradtitional restaurant. Multiply that by three days and you get a picture of how much fun these ‘working weekends’ are.

Another project that’s injecting a lot of happiness into my life right now: Kamusta? Magazine.

Kamusta? is a long-in-the-making brainchild with Den Fajardo, my good friend who used to be the Layout and Graphics Editor of The GUIDON. We both wanted to work in publishing—I started out writing for magazines; his specialty is designing for print—and dreamed of a travel mag that focused on budget travel and local perspectives.

Back when we were still looking for jobs, we began planning an online magazine that did just that; with the help of our photographer friends Joseph Angan and Ean Dacay, and management whiz Jules Jurado, it got launched last January.

Some of my favorites so far: Tata Yap’s photos of the Ayta Mag-Anchi tribe, Jangan’s guides to budget mountaineering, Ean’s video on the Sinulog festivities (above), our photo-and-video coverage of Earth Hour 2013 at Adarna Food and Culture Restaurant and our guide to the Ultimate Binondo Food Trip—which comes with directions/a map to every restaurant!

Our friend Ben checks our Binondo’s Shin Tai Shang grocery during Kamusta? Magazine’s tour

The year is just starting. Can’t wait to see what else is in store for Biyahe ni Drew and Kamusta? Magazine this year! I’m always reminded of what Drew said during one episode: “There’s always an adventure to be had—you just need to make it happen.”

As part of my university’s immersion program during junior year, I spent several weekends in the Luwalhati ng Maynila home for the aged. It’s a government-run facility that, to put it gently, needs all the help it can get.

In 2011, I wrote a blog entry asking for donations to provide them with a thousand adult diapers and other supplies. My friends Karsie Lorenzana and Lexa Lim came on board, and it became something bigger than the three of us. With the help of many, many donors, we were able to raise P70,000 in cash and supplies, and had two parties for the grandparents during Christmas season. [Photos from our first year: December 20, December 28]

In 2012, it continued to grow. We came back last December 26—though we had a smaller budget since work kept us from going all-out with fundraising, I’d like to think success is not counted in cash but in human connection.

Here are some photos by my friend Joseph Angan:

An amputated leg didn’t stop this lolo from being one of the last standing during the musical chairs game.

Lolo Delfin and Lola Teresita found love in Luwalhati ng Maynila. They were already together in 2011 and were still going strong when we last saw them. Lolo Delfin likes to sing, and they’re partners in the dance group of Luwalhati.

Lexa and I take a breather in between hosting the program. Planning this second visit was harder for both of us—I’m working a full-time job, she’s in med school, and our co-pilot Karsie is abroad—but we survived!

This is Gabbie. During our first visit, I just knew her as a friend of Karsie and Lexa who wanted to help out. The second time around, she was part of the core team—we couldn’t do this without her. Also: the lolos and lolas love her!

Our program included a talent show starring the lolos and lolas. This is Lolo Islao, a former public school teacher who recited a poem he wrote.

We didn’t have as big a budget this year. It’s a good thing our caterer, Sweet Treat, waived their labor and delivery fees in support of the event. The owners even shaved off an extra P2000 as their personal donation; the crew worked for free. Faith in humanity restored!

My favorite part of the event was the dancing. This wasn’t the vaguely impersonal dancing we usually do in clubs. (I enjoy parties as much as the next person, but you have to admit dancing at clubs is largely a PR campaign for one’s attractiveness.)

This was the dancing where it doesn’t matter what you look like, where it’s not about who has the best moves. I don’t even remember what music we played. This was the goofy kind of dancing you share with your grandparents: Just hold hands and have a good time.

We saw lots of familiar faces that day. There’s Lola Adelina, whose hair is still black. There’s Lola Ona, who refuses to take any of our giveaways and, instead, stuffed our hands with candies she had received from previous visitors. There’s skinny Lolo Reynaldo, who liked to sing. There were new additions to the family as well, like Lola Severina, who was 99 years old.

Many of the lolos and lolas there were found on the streets or voluntarily given up by their families. I can only begin to imagine what it would be like to have to live in a home for the aged like Luwalhati—to have to confront mortality with no promise of seeing your loved ones again. Nobody wants to be alone; shouldn’t we try for a world where nobody is?

I’d like to think we made a difference that day. To everyone who volunteered, donated, sent letters of support, and shared our posts on social media: thank you, thank you, thank you. :)

Filed under: Christmas for the Grandparents ]]> http://pushyforsushi.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/late-post-spending-christmas-at-luwalhati-ng-maynila/feed/ 0 thehungrygirl 37109_10151335501744441_699130567_n Luwalhati ng Maynila 268550_10151335508329441_1118838304_n 531421_10151335514549441_148417635_n Luwalhati ng Maynila Luwalhati ng Maynila Luwalhati ng Maynila Luwalhati ng Maynila Luwalhati ng Maynila Luwalhati ng Maynila http://pushyforsushi.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/bro-zone/ http://pushyforsushi.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/bro-zone/#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:51:00 +0000 Ceej http://pushyforsushi.wordpress.com/?p=3890 ]]>

I made this film two years ago for Marie Jamora’s Digital Video Filmmaking class.

Also, this happened today:

[Boss enters with a bag of chocolates from Macau, where he shot his new documentary]

Boss: Do you want some?

Me: Oh—

Boss: Of course you do. We know you like to eat!

Sorry for the bleh quality—all I had was the camera on my phone!

PS: Okay, I confess. We brought dongles to do a bit of work, too. (Oops.) But the signal in the area was spotty, and it worked out for the best. :)

That said, I’m not always as adventurous as I’d like to be. Though I want to travel, I tend to get cold feet, balking at the difficulty of planning the trip out. Though a part of me wants to go out and party on weekends, a bigger part just wants to curl up in bed with a book. (And that part wins 99% of the time. Sorry, Republiq with a Q. The hipness of your odd spelling is lost on me.)

I started working at a TV network’s online news arm 3 months ago, and I’ve since become increasingly exposed to new experiences–some as part of my job, some as an indirect result of it. I’ve interviewed people I only used to see on television, helped give a seminar on responsible social media use, learned to write (properly) in Filipino, translated a script from Filipino to English, gotten a really nice Facebook profile picture (thanks to Josh, a PA at one of the TV shows I work for) and many more things I could only imagine doing before I took this job.

A recent highlight of my office life: Spontaneous travel plans

Spot the two writers!

Last week, my officemate Candice and I saw a seat sale for flights to South Korea. We’ve both wanted to go for some time now, so we took the plunge! Our flight is 9 months from now (work will be heavy during the elections in May, and we need to be around) but we’re already excited.

See you in June, Korea! ^^

Every year since then, I’ve tried going to the MIBF. However, schoolwork got in the way. My thesis got in the way. Funnily enough, I don’t think I’m any less busy now than I was in college–if anything, I’m busier. But I guess distractions and getaways only become more valuable when one gets stressed out.

After four years of wanting to visit the Manila International Book Fair, here’s what I went home with:

• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Other Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Essays by Michel de Montaigne
• Tikim by Doreen Fernandez
• It Only Hurts When I Pee by RJ Ledesma
• Postcards from the Ayala Museum

It’s bigger than my head!

Of all the books, I’m most excited about Sherlock. It’s bigger that my head, for goodness’ sake. It’s gorgeous in the way only hardcover books are, with pages edged in gold, a crimson ribbon for a bookmark, and smooth, off-white paper.

Along with the de Montaigne (which I bought after reading Jane Kramer’s 2010 essay on him, and his attempts to preserve his legacy by writing down his opinions on everything), I got the big Sherlock book from Fully Booked’s stall. The next two were from Anvil Publishing’s area within the National Bookstore stall. It helps to check out the different booksellers, because selection and discounts vary from store to store. For example, Fully Booked had 20% off everything, while National Bookstore had discounts ranging from 20-50%.

Even with the discounts, though, I still left the MIBF with a significantly lighter wallet. “Budget? What budget?” I told Job. (This is why I wasn’t a business major.) But seriously, I did hold back. Was supposed to get a copy of Norwegian Wood, but I didn’t want to spend too much. It’s easy to borrow that one from my friends, anyway.

I may second-guess buying clothes and feel guilty about overpriced food. I even feel bad after forking over P250 for a haircut. When it comes to books, I feel many things–regret has never been one of them.

I wish I could be like my friend Rica, who writes regular updates about her life/adventure in Singapore, complete with gorgeous photos. The thing about me, though, is the busier I get with one aspect of my life, the lazier I get in the other parts. In the circus of life, I’m less of a juggler and more of the junior animal trainer–I’ll do crazy things for my job, but I’ve yet to master the art of multi-tasking, which might get me in trouble once more lions start coming out–am I stretching this simile too much? (I am. I’ll stop.)

Anyway, here’s why I haven’t been blogging: I did get the job I wanted! Without revealing too many specifics: I’m part of the online news team of my favorite TV network (no sipsip, I mean this), and my job is to write web-exclusive articles and promote public affairs shows online. It’s been a bumpy ride, but I’m learning a lot.

This is me after my first day at work, on July 23. The social media team took advantage of Sango’s 50% off promo on the burgers. Saraaaaap.

I’ve wanted to write about my new job for some time now, but I’ve always been so tired–as if I’ve used up all my words at work and don’t have any left for recreational writing. Even now, I feel this blog post is half-assed. Actually, the way I blog is very different from the way I write “seriously.” Yes, my laziness is an insult to bloggers everywhere, but what can I do? Sometimes, you just need a place to spit out all the adverbs and non-edited ~feelings~ you can’t write elsewhere.

In terms of the “serious” writing, I’m happy to say that since starting with my new job, I’ve written several pieces that I’m proud of. Here they are:

• Reverence and insanity: Inside the rivalries of Pinoy basketball - My first time to write about sports ever. With the help of Job and Adrian, I got to interview two sports commentators, a player and an assistant coach for this piece. It went viral, too–over a thousand shares in less than a day! I was floored.
• Hirap bago ginhawa: Ang iba’t ibang mukha ni Marian Rivera - This was the first article I wrote on the job, and the first article in my entire life that I’ve written in straight Filipino. It was so difficult–sorry, editors! Since then, I like to think my Filipino vocab has gotten better. I’m learning! :)
• Dim sum 101: A beginner’s guide to Cantonese favorites - This one was fun to write because 1) I love dim sum so much. I kid you not, during the height of that party rock song, I tweeted something like ‘dimsum party in the house tonight / everybody gonna hakaw good time,’ and 2) for the pronunciation guide, I asked help from Patty and Adrian–they’re Chinese, and studied in Chinese high schools–and they called up their friends, and we had this little crash course in the legitimate pronunciation of dim sum names. Read the article–an hour of everyone’s afternoon went into the pronunciation guide. Haha! (Also, we had a dim sum lunch soon after. Woohoo!)
• AHAmazing Facts: Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox - This one’s an infographic I made with my friend/co-worker/GUIDON co-editor Den Fajardo. It was his first piece for the network, and we were both so happy when this came out.

It’s only been two months, and I already have so many good memories on the job. (That’s not even counting the office food trips and kwentuhan.) Don’t know what’s next, but I know I’m excited.

Last April, we visited the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut to see their exhibit commemoration the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking. I’ve always been fascinated with the Titanic, though it’s a fascination that comes with a tinge of guilt (i.e. it feels a bit rude to be ‘interested’ in a tragedy that killed thousands of people).

The Mystic exhibit, named Titanic – 12,450 Feet Below, was created by former Disney Imagineer Tim Delaney and Dr. Robert Ballard, who developed the remotely operated vehicle system that he then used to discover the wreckage of Titanic in 1985.

The exhibit featured replicas of the rooms aboard the ship, a boiler room beneath the main floor, a memorial to those who died in the sinking, and a room with a starry ceiling and a simulated iceberg that was cool to the touch. I grew up reading books about Titanic and Ballard, and to see this exhibit was a dream come true.

Another, albeit unexpected, highlight of my day was the fudge shop near the museum.

Fudge is to chocolate what soft-serve is to ice cream: it’s the soft, melting version of an already delicious treat. When I was a kid, my mom used to take me to SM Megamall for ice skating lessons. There was a chocolate shop there, and all I wanted was to try their fudge. It cost 45 pesos for a slice–a fortune to a kid in the 1990s–and I saved up my money to buy some. I was able to try two flavors: one with coconut and white chocolate, and the other was raspberry layered over chocolate.

Every time I visit Megamall, I can’t help but think of fudge. The store is gone and I have no idea where to find fudge in the Philippines anymore. (If you do, please let me know!) The truth is I don’t remember much about ice skating, but I’ll always remember the fudge.