A year after, Adam decides to write on his blog again. So how have I been? I developed and abscess in my left thigh near my buttocks and the pain has been bugging me since Friday. Should I have known that it was a boil that I popped last Thursday, I would have not done so because the boil got infected and now developed into an abscess.

"An abscess is a localized collection of pus that generally develops in response to infection. An abscess is typically painful, and it appears as a swollen area that is warm to the touch. The skin surrounding an abscess typically appears pink or red.

Abscesses can develop in many parts of the body, but they usually involve the skin surface. Common sites affected include the armpits, groin, rectal area (perirectal abscess), the external vaginal area (Bartholin abscess), and along the tailbone (pilonidal abscess). Abscesses can also affect the brain, kidneys, liver (hepatic abscess), lungs, teeth (dental abscess), and tonsils (peritonsillar abscess). Inflammation surrounding hair follicles can lead to the formation of abscesses. Skin abscesses are often referred to as boils.

Unlike other infections, antibiotics alone will not cure an abscess. In general, abscesses must open and drain to improve. Although sometimes an abscess will open and drain spontaneously, it generally needs to be opened and drained (incision and drainage) by a health care provider."

Pus has drained by itself but would have the abscess cleaned tom by the female doctor in our office. ;p

WOW PHILIPPINES: Boracay

Again, some time to relax and unwind from the daily stress that the city and work brings. Burying my feet in its powdery sand, staring at its clear, blue and cold water, lying underneath a shade with a cold refreshing mango shake on my right hand while listening to All Saints’ “Pure Shores”, Boracay is indeed a paradise. How nice it would be if it can be a place that I can call mine… =p

Summer was early for us this year; summer started last January when Abhie and I arranged our Boracay vacataion on March. After making all the necessary reservations, January and February flew quickly, the next thing we knew was that we already need to pack because tomorrow, we will be in Boracay.

The first plane we rode as a couple

Powdery Boracay sand

Willy's rock

Watching the Boracay sunset

Boracay sunset

I was keeping it from Abhie but I was very excited for this trip. I was very excited because apart from going on our first plane ride as a couple, I know that our Boracay trip will be the start of my life long plan of going around the Philippines and around the world with Abhie.

On Christmas, being healthy and FREE shoes

September is the first of the “BER” months and marks the start of the Christmas season in the Philippines. By this time, Christmas lists are already being prepared and Filipinos would already start buying gifts in order to avoid the Christmas rush. Another thing that will be very noticeable when the “BER” months start is the Christmas decorations being sold in shopping malls.

Sunday, Abhie was asked by her mom if she could assist her in setting up their shop at The Podium. The management of The Podium has again offered them a space to display and sell their Christmas decorations. Being the helpful boyfriend that I am, I picked up my bebee and along with Ate Rizza and Lola Aida we went to The Podium to meet up with her mom and to help set up their shop.


It's cheaper to be unhealthy

People are now becoming more health conscious, they go to the gym to exercise regularly, do sports and eat right. But why is being healthy becoming more expensive. Going to the gym for example, there is a sudden proliferation of franchise health clubs that charge its members with high monthly fees. It is not really necessary to enroll oneself in these foreign franchised health clubs because the result one is aiming for can be gained through other means of exercises or through small and non-franchised gyms. However, what really struck me most was the high expense of eating healthy.

Abhie asked me to go with her to buy cup of lemonade. Restaurants in The Podium however only offer iced tea. Went inside Sugarnot to ask if they have lemonade or dalandan juice, but they don’t. The waitress however told Abhie and me that there is a juice bar on the ground level. Jugo Juice was right beside the elevator in front of Deli France. Abhie ordered a big cup of fresh orange juice and it costs Php 240.00. I watched them prepare the juice and they used around 7 oranges to fill the cup; seven oranges for Php 240.00? I can buy twice as much orange, or more, for the same price. They may reason out the price because of their location or the fancy juicer that they use but it is still very expensive for seven oranges.



This made me ask myself why it is expensive to be healthy. Why is it that organic foods would always cost more? Why can’t there be more restaurants who can offer food that can compete with our ever reliable fast food chains that offer reasonable priced foods that can satisfy our stomachs? Oh well, maybe I am just having these thoughts because I am still a minimum wage earner. But still…. Enough! =p

Thank you Metrobank

Abhie got these funky new pair of Adidas shoes for FREE courtesy of Metrobank. Again, THANK YOU METROBANK!

cowboy dinner

My sister invited us to have dinner at Texas House Grill in Bonifacio High Street. She wants to check out the place prior to her meeting there on Thursday. As we were walking towards the restaurant I felt my finger twitch, wanting to press the shutter release of my handy camera.

Bonifacio High Street 09/14/08

Pampanga, Baguio and Pangasinan food odyssey

August 23-25, 2008, we went up to Baguio to make most out of this occasional long weekend. On our way up, Teejay suggested that we eat dinner at Aling Naty’s to have a taste of their famous Pampanga Sisig. The trip was almost like a food trip because most of our activities involved eating. Then on our way back to Manila, we decided to have dinner at Matutina’s, a seafood restaurant in Pangasinan frequented by Abhie’s papa as well as by the president GMA. This was the second time I went up to Baguio with Abhie. But, what I found most special about our last trip was that Abhie and I were traveling as a couple.

Aling Naty's sisig, Pampanga

En route to Camp John Hay, Baguio

Burnham Park, Baguio

Lion's Head, Baguio

Matutina's, Pangasinan

Table for two please...

A saturday afternoon seafood feast with my lovely Abhie. Spurred by a sudden craving for fresh shrimp and crabs we went to the dampa (a seafood market where you can have the seafoods you buy cooked on the adjacent restaurants) in Macapagal ave. Looking at the pictures makes me crave again for shrimps and crabs... drool.... yummy... i can't wait for the next time i'll eat the chilli buttered garlic crabs... oh my...

we were not able to finish them all (if that is what you would like to ask ;p)

chilli buttered garlic crabs... my favorite...


These were what feasted on: 1.5 kgs of fresh alimango (crab), 1 kilo of swahe (shrimps), lato (seaweed), a big bowl of yang chow fried rice and a big bowl of hot and sour soup (this bowl can serve 4-6 persons)

World Press Photo 2008

The World Press Photo is an independent non-profit organization, founded in the Netherlands in 1955. Its main aim is to internationally support and promote the work of professional press photographers. Over the years, World Press Photo has evolved into an independent platform for photojournalism and the free exchange of information

Each year, World Press Photo invites press photographers throughout the world to participate in the World Press Photo Contest, the premier annual international competition in press photography. In 2008 5,019 photographers from 125 countries entered a total number of 80,536 images. All photographs were judged in February 2008 in Amsterdam by an independent international jury composed of thirteen professionals recognized in the field of press photography. The exhibition is the presentation of 185 prizewinning pictures from the contest. It is shown in some 100 cities worldwide and seen by over two million people.

(Taken from the exhibit leaflet)

At present the WPP exhibit is at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) and it will be displayed there from August 8 to 13, 2008. Abhie and I went to MOA last Saturday to view the exhibit, it was her first time to see the exhibit, where as I first saw the exhibit last year during their 2007 show at the Podium.

Exhibit area

How to scare a fly (According to Abhie)

Journalism students


Abhie's past life

Among professional photographers I have the highest regard to photojournalists because most are constantly exposed to danger, they are very capable in adapting to situational changes, their profession is almost like a 24/7 job and yet they have minimal compensation; well that is for Filipino photojournalists. I actually considered being a photojournalist when I attended a talked facilitated by Mr. Gil Nartea and Luis Liwanag, who are two respected names in Philippine photojournalism. My wildest dream job was actually to become a National Geographic photographer. The constant travels, the different sights I would see, the different people I would meet and the different culture I would be exposed to excites me. But honestly, I hesitated to pursue the profession when Sir Gil and Luis mentioned that there are minimal financial rewards in photojournalism and that what drives photojournalists in their profession is their passion for it.

I believe that I have some passion for photojournalism but the dreams that I have and the lifestyle that I want to have and provide to the family I would have in the future would not be easily sustained by this profession. I know I can be wrong with this assumption but perhaps my hesitation suggests that I am still undecided on what I want there are too many things that I want to achieve. There is nothing wrong with that but I definitely need to develop focus. More importantly, I should realize these ambitions one-by-one and one step at a time. Otherwise, it would just make me confused making me accomplish nothing.