ire-ish

the life outside the city...

is peaceful...? No. not really.

here in the province we find all sorts of folks ranging from subdued to psychopathic.
months ago, we were awakened one early morning with sounds of gunshots, which I thought were fireworks.. later that mornIng it was confirmed that a man was kIlled by someone who shot hIm wIth a gun. the guy who died was a drunkard, apparently even If he was belIeved to have some kind of super powers– the shot on his head was fatal enough to kIll him.

last week, one of our company`s client was robbed just nearby our plant by some guys on a motorbike. that client was driving his truck when a dIrtbIke pulled them over on the curve.. they could've gone away with our client`s cash but the robber`s gun didn't fire. they were only able to take his rolex as the client drove his truck away in haste.
a few days later, the congressman–and–owner of the plant deployed men armed with their m4s, to keep the peace and order of the premises. What you shouldn't know is that a day before the held up took place, I walked home ALONE, passing by the same curve where the crime happened and yes, I'm still alive and blogging about it. I guess luck was on my side. But who would actually care to rob poor, destitute me? (knock on wood!) someone got worried when he heard about the robbery (and my precedent solitary late night walk to my home) and made me promise not to make that stunt again. sigh.. Men.

meanwhile, my city friends are being attacked by a much higher degree of evil, as one of them gets a surprising message in facebook by a friend of her boyfriend`s ex– girlfriend.. (take a minute to figure that out..) They were all gung– ho of why my friend requested to add her (the ex– gf of her boyfriend) as a friend, to which the act ignited a warehouse full of some really bad fireworks.. and apparently opened a can of worms. ADDING YOUR BOYFRIEND`s ex is a crime, and is non– bailable by her friends. So don't ever make such a mistake all you girls. UNLESS youre pretty SURE she (and her friends) have gotten over him already. :-)

left overs and hang overs

back to work mode.. and totally forgetting what day it is.

monday rush and i found myself driving behind a jeepney filled with cattle. yes those are two pigs tied to the back of the jeep, while a goat stands perfectly unfazed on top of the jeepney. this may be a common sight for those who live in the province, but i have yet to get over that goat and how it managed NOT to run around between the two spare tires.

liwas

fiesta celebrations out here are often enjoyed in three parts; disperas (eve), on the actual day, and liwas (the day after)..

last year i got sick on the actual fiesta day because i got rained on the day before..this year, i was sporting a major headache apparently caused by too much cholesterol from eating all that crispy lechon skin, and nibbling the tasty pork ribs.. yum yum does not feel good anymore the day after.

do you think i have hypertension? i could feel my nape hurting like h3ll.. ugh!

the only time i felt better was later that evening when my friends were hooting and cheering at the Ms. Gay Universe 2011 pageants showing their stuffs. heehee!

fish ta!

me stuck in traffic. i never thought TRAFFIC and MOHON could be in the same sentence, but yes they actually made it together this time.

mamista na ta!

disperas

i woke up to the sound of squealing pigs and thought of lechon. yes, disperas na.

on the eve of the barangay's feast day, there will be no mercy to all swine fattened and fed months before as they are slaughtered and roasted to succulent juiciness.. lechon will be on every house's table and will be ravaged by everyone in sight within minutes. poor piggies. :(  

meanwhile, i become the to-go person when it comes to the other breed of animal in demand during feasts and celebrations; chickens. they will be fried or cooked as adobo, afritada or broiled to be flaked and served in salad.. but you probably know that already. :)

while everyone seems quite excited with all the festivities going on, i on the other hand am grumpy because of lost sleep.. the pigs woke me up quite too early.

decemburrrrr in mohon

just when i thought i could stall deadlines and procrastinate with life, i took a second glance at my calendar and bawled.. Noooooo! December?! That soon? :(

after a weekend of hanging out with testosterones and sleeping with a room full of boxer-clad girlets, i am back home and back to work.. Mohon. where in the world is it? Google map does not know. though my GPS can find my exact location, it does not say i'm at Barangay Mohon.

that blue arrow is me :) Tagoloan is a municipality of Misamis Oriental, a 30-minute ride from Cagayan de Oro city and Mohon is somewhere out there.. (check the map) what you will fail to see is the bumpy, pothole-filled road which everyone who has been here and back knows this is the place's trademark; the lubak2 which will awaken any sleepy passenger and throw the driver away from his seat. yes, it's that bad.

MOHON is actually (according to the folks 'round here) some kind of stone used for construction.. i dont know what it looks like, nor do i know what it is in english but i bet ya you'd find some mohon underneath your floor. they say it is used to determine your land area..
anyhoo, Mohon, the barangay, holds their annual fiesta celebration this week in honor of st.francis xavier. xavier days = mohon fiesta.. oyea!

last year, they asked me (yes, me) to be one of the judges of their teen pageant, and this year they asked me again (yes, again) to be one of the hurado of their gay pageant. hmm.. this should be interesting. ; )

december could not be so bad after all eh?

bonifacio day! xavier days! my day!

it's a non-working holiday in this country, marking the 148th birth anniversary of our great grandpa ANDRES BONIFACIO, founder of the Kataastaasan Kagalang galangan. KKK. um yes, that's what it is. hehe

for those who are luckily employed, here is a screenshot of an article i found at philstar.com reminding employers of that extra pay.

so it's not so bad to go to work today right? isipin mo na lang mey extra pang gimik ka na sa sweldo mo bukas! :)

TODAY is also the 2nd day of Xavier Days 2011, for those of you who live here in the city.. Cagayan de Oro, that is. it has long been a mini - city festival celebrated by everyone, including non XU students where the campus becomes a big party house.. like some mardi gras for five days. do they still have the horror house at the engineering bldg? o_O



as for me out here in the land of lubak2 where one sees goats and cows freely roaming around the muddy road, i shall NOT be having my double pay even if i am obliged to be here at work, nor will i be at the mardi gras or horror house.. but it's fine, really. just like Lolo Boni, i am the de facto boss 'round here.. and it's also my holiday! yahoow! :-)