Kaban ng Bayan

I have been talking to myself for two hours straight already. I do this all the time. I do this when I am alone in my room. When I am depositing in the white throne. When I don't do anything at work.

However, as of the moment, I am in the mountains of northeastern Philippines looking after a drilling activity for a mining company I work for. And it's three in the morning, it's cold here, dark and could have been peaceful if not for the screaming of monstrosity coming from a gargantuan of a machine.

But before I started talking to myself, I did some crazy stuff like rock and rolling, shaking my head (That they called headbanging), and strumming an invisible lead guitar while listening to an upbeat-rock-rnb playlist.

I talked about politics, mistakes, and partially love, and anything random... I complained about how the government is taking so much tax from me every month and how ill the country we have now. That I would allow Mayor Duterte to take presidency and massacre all politicians who got their crooked nails dirty by stealing money from  the 'Kaban ng Bayan.'

Breaking Free

Weeks have passed. Many weeks have gone by. I went to many places. I almost traveled the whole country - from the outskirts of northeastern Mindanao, to some parts of the Visayas, in Metro Manila, and now here in northeastern Luzon. I've been to many places, really, in just a matter of six months.

Unlike the movie 'That thing called Tadhana', I cannot afford to go to Rome, but I frequent in NAIA twice a month. I didn't go to Baguio and Sagada, but I've been to Baguio in 2012 and stayed in Benguet for more than two months. I know how it looks like, how cold it is, how beautiful the trees, the mountains, and the skies. I picked some strawberries, too.

But is't not about the place. It's about the feelings - the reasons why you have to go that far and spend all that money; the reasons why you have to leave behind your old life for a moment and be someone else new for a little while.

There is something wonderful about a place where everything around you is new. They don't know you. You don't know them. And you can just walk at the seashore, at the boulevard, or at the streets and nobody will care. At last, you can breathe. You are free.

EduKation (Education)

For so many days now, well, weeks rather, since my last entry, I have been wanting to write as regularly as possible, like thrice or twice a week. But my schedule won't let me. I work on a 12-hour 6AM-6PM shift at the office or at the field and when I enter my room, I'm just so tired I want to sleep the soonest.

But I guess that's not the issue. My writing is deteriorating. I write bad sentences in my desktop, I'm finding it hard to construct a paragraph. Wrong spelling, well, I was never really good at that. My spelling bee 'power' is never really quite good and my vocabulary is limited. When I was in second grade, my teacher forced me to join a spelling bee eliminations. The winner will represent our school in the city meet. I pretty much got all right, except these one long word and 'milk'. Yes, MILK. It took me forever to spell that one and until now I cannot forget that.

How's that for a throwback? Haha.

Siopao... Bola-bola

I think I have gained so much weight in just two months. I mean, it seems like my face has become round just like a siopao with bola-bola filling. Haha!

The company has been very extravagant in providing the employees everything to make them stay - bringing restaurant grade food here in the mountains, air-condition rooms, hot and cold shower, clean and comfy accommodation. Everything is already here. And if you don't have any family at home waiting for you, then you can stay here for good. But unfortunately, you can't. You really need to go home during your break. I have a little sister. :)

My roster break is quite nice. The best so far ever since I started working as a professional geologist in large scale to medium scale companies here in the country. I have a 28 days work and 14 days break (w/ pay) roster break. Ain't that the best there is? Here in the country, there are only two or three companies offering this kind of luxurious benefits.

I am blessed. And though this is just a very short term project, I hope and pray that they will absorb me or at least extend me or even get me regularized. But the current price of gold is a big factor in getting me there. So I can only pray and let the Lord our God do the magic.

Cheerio.

Home.. Nothing beats home..

Last night, I was to purchase an airline ticket routing Manila-Cebu. However, I wasn't sure of the exact date of my roster break. I can see cheap flights at Cebu pacific and Air Asia websites. But I still need to know my schedule. The truth is, I can't get a ticket unless my boss tells me the 'good news'. That, right now, I can't formally share.

When I was a kid, or when I was even in high school, I never really thought of getting in to a plane. I mean, its expensive. But now, I fly twice a month to Negros Oriental and it became common to me. I had to accept that my job requires frequent travelling.

Thank you Lord for the blessings. :)

Healty Living

I wasn't able to have my exercise for almost 3 weeks already. It started when I went home for my roster break - spent two days in Manila, a week in Cebu, and a week in Dumaguete.

So tonight, I'm back. RAAAAAAAAAAAA! Did some running at the treadmill (is this the correct spelling? Haha.) I want to gain some weight and build some toned muscles. Not the likes of Hogan or Arnold. Just the lean one with enough muscles. Pang-chicks ba! Haha!

I hope I gain body mass soon and develop well-toned muscles. I also hope I can run faster and improved my endurance, just like college days. Oh, when I was in college, I was... well, it was my best years. I was a varsity member and played in the national collegiate games twice.

The fastest game in the court - BADMINTON.

Clogged Nose

Neozep everyday, okay?

Since two weeks ago, I’m sick. There is some thick, sticky, fluid inside my nose and it keeps coming back to tire me down during the day when I’m working on areas well exposed to dust and in the evening when I lie down on my bed.

It’s what they called ‘clogged nose’ or ‘runny nose’, I have both though.

It seems to taste salty…hmmm. Oh come on! Don’t tell me you haven’t tasted one!

Basketball player. Weeh?

After work, the geotechnical team had talks about playing basketball tonight. However, I kinda got bruises from last night. I rolled twice in the court when an opponent accidentally extends his leg in front of me causing my feet to trip. (Sakto ba ni akong English? Hahaha. Something is wrong with this sentence.)

So yeah. I didn't play tonight. Perhaps tomorrow. Or maybe not. Maybe I am better off with the treadmill. There is no physical contact in that. And I am very very cautious and careful with my right hand/arm. It’s prone to getting fractured easily. It got displaced 10 years ago. And the doctor said that if it happens again, I’m gonna lose my right arm! Waaaaaaaahh!

Feast here in Didipio...

Tonight was a feast here, here in Didipio Mine Site. According to our Senior Pit Technician, every end of the month, this Aussie-Kiwi company hosts feast according to what they feel like celebrating.

Tonight, it is Australian night. The food. My GAAAAAHHHDD. The food!

Baby back ribs. Pure beef patty. Real French fries. Rice. Chaofan Rice. Beef afritada. Fish. Spaghetti. Macaroni. Lasagna. Choco Cake. Muffins. Egg pie. Chees Cake. Strawberry Cake. Rocky road ice cream. Caramel Ice cream. A salad bar where you can choose from a variety of fruit and vege mix. Too many to mention.

It is like this every night. The company gets a catering service in the morning, lunch, and supper. So everything here is delicious.

Physical exam? Watapak? Haha!

This is not my first medical exam. But I had a lot of ‘firsts’ during this one. When the doctor said physical medical exam. It meant all. ALL. As in, ALL.

Blood. Urine. Shit. Eyes. Nose. Throat. Skin. Lungs. Liver. Genitals and Anus. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh. The doctor was female though. Hahahaha.

And yeah, you know that feeling. I don’t have to elaborate that. The good news is that, I have learned that my lungs is clear. It is now free from the disease that I got a year ago.

Thank you Lord for the gift of healing. And thank you for all the blessings that you poured in to my life. I couldn’t ask for more. Except this tiny little request. Hehe.