updates

been quite busy for the past few weeks because of tons of paper works to accomplish. can't find the time to blog about some happenings that occurred recently. so these are what happened:

MAY 1: BATAAN OUTING WITH THE MCF RIDERS

we had an outing with the MCF riders in a beach resort in bataan during the labor day holiday. the MCF riders are a group of motorcycle enthusiasts from the cityhall. we were originally about to go to san juan, batangas but there was a sudden change of plans, the reason why we travelled to bataan for a long and gruelling 6 hours. that's one problem if the trip is unplanned; no itineraries, so instead of spending more time enjoying the place, we spent more time looking for a resort to stay in.

our group have our own van so we left early from the beach to go to the dambana ng kagitingan in mt. samat in pilar, bataan. we planned about going there long ago so this was the right time to go there. we just made it in time before they close at 5 pm. the entrance gate is located at the base of the mountain and one has to pay a P20 entrance fee (P10 for children). you will then travel way up to the top of the mountain on a zigzag road passing through some lush greeneries.

after marvelling at the awesome sight from the mountaintop, we went up to the viewing deck located at the top of the cross. there is, again, a P10 entrance fee. in getting to the top, you have options of either taking the elevator (with an 8 person capacity) or through a spiral staircase. but mind you, taking the stairs up the 36-stories high structure is no joke. no wonder cobwebs are forming on the steel stairs. who in their right mind would climb the stairs anyway?

i was caught speechless as i look at the panoramic view from the viewing deck. it was simply awesome. the strong winds, the golden sunset, it was a perfect moment to contemplate. we took lots of photos before going back down. after descending the photo shoots continued until we decided to head back to manila at dusk.

MAY 3: MOBILE PASSPORTING

it is the role of every local government units to provide the most convenient service to its constituents. as part of this, the city government of marikina through the local civil registry, in cooperation with the department of foreign affairs conducted a mobile passporting service in marikina to accommodate the passport needs of marikina residents and non-residents as well.

being the coordinator of marikina in this project, it is my duty to receive, check, and verify the documents and interview the applicants. we had 698 applicants where 641 got approved.

on the may 3 processing and payment day, everything turned out just well. even though this is my third time to handle this kind of activity, i still get nervous fearing an unexpected problem may arise. but because of proper planning and coordination with the concerned departments, possible problems were averted. i was congratulated by the DFA consuls present and the staff as well, whom i have known for some time already, and even joked about me transferring to their department.

this mobile passporting activity is held every quarter, depending on the availability of the DFA mobile passporting staff since many cities and municipalities also conduct the same activity.

elementary reunion 3: success and fun-filled as usual!

last april 29, we held our third reunion with our elementary classmates at gerry's grill and starbucks at the bluewave mall. it was a bit more special since it was the first time two of our classmates abroad confirmed their attendance. being one of the organizers, richelle and i originally planned it on a weekend so we can spend more time even until the wee hours of the morning. but since the balikbayans' schedules would only allow the 29th where they can make it, so it was set as it is.

my classmate/cousin rexon (from papua new guinea) and francis (US navy) were both much too excited for the event. we had long chats through the net about this event and i can really feel their excitement and longing for their former classmates.

i arrived at the meeting place a little past 7 pm. another reunion first time attendee cinderella (who by the way prefers to be called just cindy) was already there waiting and was about to leave. good thing i arrived early and we just waited for the others to come. bryan, angelo, richelle and the others started to arrive one by one shortly after.

as we were ushered to our table, the thrill of the get-together is clearly felt. updates, exchanging of numbers and non-stop laughter was everyone's contribution. lucky me, i had a porcelain keychain pasalubong from richelle who just came from germany for a work-related trip. that's our little secret. i'm the only one who got a pasalubong. hehehe. but she brought a gummy cola for everyone, also from germany.

rexon texted richelle that he would arrive at about 9 pm. so we started ordering food, since the balikbayans promised to shoulder the bill. at around 9 pm, richelle got a text message from rexon. she went outside to look for him as we anticipated for his appearance. richelle then got back with an envelope and a startling news. inside the envelope was a letter printed from an email. rexon couldn't make it. he's still in papua new guinea and was unsuccessful boarding a plane since he was just a chance passenger. gahd, the day before the reunion we were chatting and decided to talk about other stuff when we meet up. he just asked his cousin to bring the letter and quite an amount of money for the food, and some starbucks coffee. lol.

and so we continued with our merry-making despite what happened. i jokingly quipped that the amount he sent us was enough for another round of beer buckets plus some take home food. after seeing that no more classmate would come, we took photos for souvenirs.

we were prompted by the restaurant staff that they are about to close so some of us called it a night. some went to the hospital to visit a highschool friend who was about to give birth, while some, i included, trooped down to starbucks nearby. we talked about future plans, reunions, and other stuff. i think that with the cooperation and enthusiasm of our classmates, there would sure be more get-togethers to come.

on my part, whenever we have this kind of gathering, it makes me thankful that we have reached where we are right now. i find it rather funny to look at my classmates now then imagine who they were and what they look like years back. oh those were the days...

went home at past 1 am.