Destination Happy Place: Dumaguete City

“Why do you always choose Dumaguete?” This is what my friend Mae Ann asked me upon learning through my intagram post that I was spending the long weekend in Dumaguete. My response was quick and simple, it is my happy place.

My first trip to Dumaguete City was a little over three years ago, in June 2011 to be exact. My roommate Allison and I flew in from Manila for a quick weekend trip to celebrate Kokong’s birthday and I remember getting attached to the place even before the first day of the trip was over.  It has become my happy place since then and I would try to schedule a visit at least once a year.

It’s not surprising for me to fall in love with the place. Having been born and raised in a small town like Cotabato City, I am used to a laid-back lifestyle that offers fresh home-cooked meals at a cheap price and allows people to move from one place to another without having to endure hours of traffic. Both of these are present in Dumaguete City plus several other things that I consider “pre-requisites” hence this city would be my top pick when I’m ready to leave the corporate life behind. (ooh big words!) But seriously, I wouldn’t mind walking away from skyscrapers and condo-living to settle down in Dumaguete and here’s why-

1.       Hassle-Free Transportation- Riding a tricycle is the most common means of commuting. Because of the narrow roads, it’s also typical to see people riding scooters and small motorcycles to go around. Traffic is very minimal and even the airport is so close to the town proper that one can go there by taking a tricycle. 

2.       Quality Education- Dumaguete City is the home of Silliman University, the first American University that was established in Asia and continues to be one of the top ranking universities in the Philippines in spite of the fact that it’s not located in Metro Manila.

3.       Fresh Food- It’s a coastal city so residents have easy access to fresh seafood that’s quite cheap. In my recent trip, I had grilled squid and shrimps every single day for less than half of the price that people would normally pay  in Metro Manila.

4.       Peace and Order- It’s not nicknamed “City of Gentle People” for nothing. Kokong even shared with me that during his college days, he once fell asleep in one of the waiting sheds after a drinking spree. He was too drunk to realize that his wallet fell on the ground while he was sleeping and when he woke up, everything was still intact! No one even bothered to steal his wallet while he was sleeping. :)

Earlier this year, Kokong and I agreed to make Dumaguete as our destination for my MTA (mandatory time away) from work. August seemed like the perfect time to do it because of the long weekend and coincidentally, Silliman University’s founder’s week and their fraternity’s 50^th anniversary celebration is scheduled on the same week. We arrived in Dumaguete last Friday at around 8 a.m. and since the trip was expected to last for five days, we had sufficient time to visit all the tourist spots and restaurants within the city and even traveled to neighboring cities like Siquijor and Valencia. Here are some of the photos from the trip (mostly taken by Kokong because as much as I love taking photos, I sometimes fear that we forget to enjoy being in the actual moment by exerting too much effort to document it.)

 Bossing's Tempura

 Bahura Resort & Spa in Dauin

Silliman Chapel

  Suman at Tsokolate from the local public market

Graffiti Wall at Silliman University

Though we had an outline of things that we wanted to do on this trip, there were several spontaneous activities that we managed to squeeze in getting a couple massage in a newly opened spa and driving an ATV uphill to visit the Japanese shrine that has a breathtaking view of Cebu, Dumaguete and Siquijor islands. And due to the non-stop rainfall in Manila on the day that we were scheduled to fly back, our flight got cancelled so Allie and I got to stay for one more night. That was a cancellation that I definitely did not complain about at all. 

So, if you're looking for a weekend destination, I highly recommend Dumaguete City. It's just an hour away by plane from Manila. Both Cebu Pacific and PAL offer two flights everyday. I guarantee that it's a place you'd definitely want to go back to. :)

RED Tour MNL

The final notes of We Are Never ever getting back together played in the background and the back-up dancers/singers and The Agency (Taylor's band) made way for Taylor Swift to make one final bow on Mall of Asia Arena's stage. As with her previous concerts, she continuously waved and mouthed I love you's to the screaming crowd who would have demanded for one more song had there been any chance that Taylor would give in. Of course, as much as we did not want to admit it, the show has come to an end. People screamed as loud as they could as Taylor started walking towards the backstage. My best friend Lei and I were seated at the left-most section of the upperbox area so we got a glimpse of Taylor for a few more seconds and before we knew it, she was out of sight; the show has officially ended, I finally witnessed my favourite artist perform live and, I am a Taylor Swift fan now more than ever.

Like Taylor, I am fascinated by the different stories of people around me. I’m the type of person who could sit in a foodcourt for hours just people watching. So it is not surprising that while Lei and I queued up with the stampede-waiting-to-happen crowd outside MOA on June 6^th, I kept myself entertained by observing the random people that walked past me, immersing myself in the seemingly insignificant details that speak of an interesting story. There was that 8-year old boy who whined and asked why they bothered to get VIP tickets if they still had to line up. And then there was the couple who tried to get ahead of everyone by slipping into the crowd near the entrance but eventually got kicked out because the guy was too huge for the crowd to not notice him trying to cut in line. My favorite story is that of the two best friends who stood behind us. I noticed them because the they were holding handmade Taylor Swift signs and one of them had a mailman bag that had Taylor swift button pins all over it. Two fifteen year-olds, a boy and a girl-- they claimed that they’ve been following Taylor since her multiply days. A quick mental math told me that they have been fans of Taylor since they were nine. When Lei and I asked them what seats they managed to get, they told us that they won VIP tickets from Cornetto. My eyes widened in amazement, both by the fact that someone actually won VIP tickets and that the VIP tickets were won by people who actually deserved it. They would have settled for GenAd if it had been available, but they didn’t get the chance to buy because the tickets were sold out in two hours. So they did what a true Taylor fan would do—they participated in every single contest that offered free tickets to the event. The young boy told me they both ate Cornetto ice cream every single day, hoping to win the raffle. And after eating the 200^th Cornetto cone, they won the VIP tickets. Even up to now as I write this, I still can’t help but smile when I remember them. If Taylor Swift knew about what they did just to go to her concert, I know that she would have loved to meet them. Their story is a great example of innocent and genuine persistence; something that I wish all of us would remember to hold on to, even when we’ve reached adulthood.

I get teased a lot for being a die-hard Taylor Swift fan, mostly because I’m already twenty-eight and she is usually perceived as this international pop star with a really huge teenager fan base. Such perception usually comes from people who were not yet aware of her existence seven years ago, when she was just starting her career as a young country singer. They see Taylor Swift as the girl who sold over a million records by writing about unrequited love. I see the girl who was brave enough to write about her feelings, even if it made her unpopular.  And when a record label wanted her to sing songs other than what she’s written, she was also brave enough to walk away.  She ended up holding on to an upcoming record label that believed in her songwriting prowess. It didn’t matter that the label did not officially exist yet at that time; the only thing that mattered was that they believe in her.  Come to think of it, this is probably one of the reasons that Taylor Swift has such a huge fan base. I know there’s always that part in each one of us that wishes we had enough courage to go after our dreams and her success is a reminder for all of us of what could happen if we did have that courage.

After the concert, Lei and I took the bus to go back to Makati. More than half of the people inside the bus obviously just came from the concert-- the Keds sneakers and the lyrics that were written on their arms gave them away. I accidentally saw a text message on the screen of the girl who was right in front of me and it said, “in 15 minutes I am going to see my favorite artist perform live, I am in tears”. I could not help but smile. I wanted to tell her, “you are not alone, that’s exactly how I felt two hours ago”. :)

Anyone can be a father but it takes great strength and courage to be a Dad

When you are the only daughter in a family with 4 children, it is almost expected to be your dad's favorite.

I remember a particular moment when I was five and and my dad was sending handwritten letters to my mom whenever he had to spend time away from us (for business purposes). One night I read one of his letters out loud and it said "Bilhin mo na ang rubber shoes ng favorite daughter ko". I raised an eyebrow and told my mom, "but I am his only daughter". My mom just laughed at my comment. To this day, even though we only see each other once a year and I'm already living independently, I know that he still looks at me in the same way.

My dad has always been my biggest fan. While I was never the type of kid who was an overachiever, I think he always believed that I can do great things. He looked forward to Quarterly Honors' Convocations. Though I was never on the top 10, such occasions made him feel compelled to shine his leather shoes dress nicely for a few seconds on stage.

I grew up in a household that didn't have an overflowing inflow of cash. Though we never experienced having to write promissory notes for not paying tuition fees on time, we had our own share financial problems. And now that I am living independently, I am in awe of how my dad was able to provide our needs while growing up. In spite of the financial challenges that he and my mom encountered, they still managed to provide us a normal childhood and instill in us the values of hard work and integrity, of earning money only through honest means. 

In the past few years as I started building my own career, I realized how much influence he has in the way I work. And recently, when our family went through some difficult days, I saw for myself just how strong and resilient he can be, and I know that such are the traits that kept our family together all these years.

My dad is my hero and he is the strongest and most optimistic man I know. He taught me the value of building lasting relationships, of helping people whenever you can without expecting anything in return, of being generous even when you don't have much. And someday, when I am ready to start my own family, it's going to be with someone like my Dad. 

What's in a name?

Mariann.Mar.Marsy.Mayang.Maya.

How you address me says a lot about how I know you.

If we met in gradeschool or high school you probably know me as Mariann-- the skinny girl with dark skin who was very carefree, talkative and and spent hours doodling and reading fiction at the back of the room instead of listening to the lecture.

If you knew me in college or during the CPA board review, then you know me as Mayang-- talkative and outspoken, always came in late for minor subjects but took accounting subjects very seriously. 

I moved to Manila in the latter part of 2007 and if I met you around this time or after, there's an 80% chance that you address me as Maya. (The 20% is for my grad program batchmates who still like calling me Mayang and for my SanLo dormmates, who decided on one random day that I am to be called Marsy).

Regardless of when we met or at what point in my life we became acquainted, I'd like to think that there are still a few traces of the person I was back then that you would recognize in the person I am now; like my penchant for stringing words together and capturing random but priceless moments. 

This new blog is about me wanting to document the highs and lows of the final months in my twenties. Let's see where this takes me. :)