snippets
August 4, 2006 by itsnosecret
at last i found the drive to blog again, although this entry is not about anything in particular. as others would put it, this would just be a collection of random thoughts (but mostly about my life on this island).
Fairways.
it’s such a pleasure to be living next to — albeit right in the middle of — a golf course, in Boracay no less! the view from my window is very relaxing: putting green, rolling terrain, swaying palms, mother nature (although a bit altered) at its best. after a long time of city-living, i find myself in the company of birds other than the maya, tuko (i dunno the english name), even snakes crossing my path. at night the golf course and the periphery of our building crawl with frogs, which together with crickets create a very provincial unison. i most love the fresh air that the breeze carries to and through our building. the monsoon rains may be quite unpredictable and when it rains, it really pours! good thing i brought with me a jacket & a sweater as the temperature quickly drops from the onset of rain. although rain is often unwelcome at construction sites, it’s still a blessing as it constantly cleans the surroundings and eliminates dust.
Simple life.
as i expected, my domestic life is simpler here at the site. i’ve gotten used to having fish as viand almost in every meal: fried, paksiw, ginataan, nilaga, and so on. the usual varieties served on our table are galunggong, bangus, sapsap, danggit. it’s the cheapest food that we can buy at the market (yes, i go with Manang to the market every week). on my advice, we also buy lots of veggies, my favorite! we consume minimal pork and we’ve never had any beef dishes (as far as i can remember). poultry is also a staple in our weekly menu, but limited only to eggs. i’ve always wanted to try out other seafood but we couldn’t fit it in our budget. maybe next time i crave, i’ll give a bigger contribution. Manang does the laundry weekly and we pay her for that, i supply the detergent. we have a tv here but only one channel can be picked up by our antenna: GMA 7. the signal’s not that strong either, the images are a little blurry. i wake up every morning to the voices of Arnold Clavio & Rhea Santos delivering the early morning news on Unang Hirit. (plug: hello Carmelo! keep up the good work!) idle times can be spent watching Kapuso, surfing the net, or reading my private stash of Reader’s Digest & newspapers. (i share the tv and the computers with my fellow staff) i intend to jog around the golf course early mornings but the rains (and my laziness) have been preventing me from even starting. my initial plan of enrolling at a gym at white beach will have to be foregone as it doesn’t seem to be practical; my daily walks to-and-from the site will have to suffice as my fitness program.
Sunday.
this is my only day off as the work week includes the whole of saturday. i usually wake up late (around noon) to make up for my early waking time during weekdays. that also saves me one full meal as i eat brunch already — that’s a few pieces of bread from Julie’s Bakeshop at D’Mall. the next few hours can be spent swimming at the private coves of Fairways & Bluewater or going back to sleep, hehe. in the future i plan to use sunday as a time to explore Boracay island…on foot! i want to see the site of the Shangri-La resort, puka beach, and other places of interest. my routine resumes at 4pm when i hear Mass at the Holy Rosary Parish Church at Balabag plaza. afterwhich i stroll along white beach from Willy’s Beach Club until D’Mall, stopping for an afternoon snack. weather permitting, i plan to walk until the southern end of white beach just to be familiar with the place. during my first weekend, i reached Nami at diniwid beach. (that was my first time to see that famed resort up close) at around 7pm i start scouting for a good place to have dinner. this time i indulge myself and raise my spending limit as this is the only day of the week when i pamper myself. i have yet to dine at the uber-high end joints though. the miser in me still prevails. at the end of the day, i take a trike or single motorcycle back to the Fairways gate; then walk through the golf course (a convenient yet dark shortcut) back to our staff barracks.
Boracay developments.
aside from the Shangri-La resort, i’m looking forward to Discovery Shores (a post-modern designed resort owned by group that owns Discovery Suites in Ortigas). it’s beside Friday’s in the high-end resort row beyond boat station 1. i can tell from the design and even the contractor (Datem) that this is really a high-end project, but i wouldn’t mind saving up to experience staying there. it’s set to open in December this year. of course i’m also excited about our own project: Balaihara Resort Villatel, inside Fairways & Bluewater. it’s a joint-venture condotel project of MC Home Depot and Fil-Estate. Corp. we’re putting up nine 3-storey buildings near the first 9 holes of the golf course. another newly-opened hotel, which i would like to try is Boracay Tropics. it looks cozy and relaxing with its central courtyard and pool, it’s not a beachfront hotel though. Boracay Regency is still expanding, way further inland. i’m sure they’ll mantain their high quality and classic design. i sure enjoyed my stay there Feb. last year. way over at D’Mall quite noticeable for me is the new mall leading to the main road where Budget Mart & Julie’s Bakeshop can be found. there are also more restos and boutiques to dine at and shop, respectively.
taking a step back, i do hope that all these "developments" would not choke the already bustling island of Boracay. it’s sad to note that tricycles, motorcycles, multicabs are beginning to pollute the fresh air. pieces of litter can also be seen on the sides of the road, even at white beach. tsk tsk. it’s a saddening phenomenon. i try to help in my own way, i hope others will do too.
on that note, i’ll end this entry for now. baka maiyak na ‘ko, huhuhu. i’ll have more to share in the coming weeks. i’m looking forward to going back to Manila tomorrow for a very short vacation; but that’s another story…
