God's Promise + Waterway

She is named after a waterway with a local tongue reference to spirit, soul or thought. She is petite in height but not so in built. :-) She is funny and reserved at the same time. Easy to converse with yet full of tact. Childish yet responsible. Pretty yet very simple. Her first name is a variant of the Hebrew name Elizabeth which means "God's promise" and indeed she is!

She is someone that you can pour your heart out to yet still have that secured feeling that your privacy was not invaded. She is a type of a friend who would tell you head on the gist of the matter, without if's and but's yet would tackle the issue with you. She is generous with her appreciation and with her laughter. She could rant a mile in a second and be fine in the next hour. She is 'away' when she is not, and really "offline" when she is not supposed to be. My pet names for her are "girl" and "ganda", seldom do I call her by her waterway name unless in the formal chatroom. Consider yourself a very lucky person if you get a reply for SMS sent, and extremely blessed one if she picks up when you call....Oh well, I have been lucky a few times.... She is an avid fan of Silvannas....the reason I gave her two boxes and only one to others... She is a bed hog...and all the while I thought I hold the crown to that. She is always filtering information that for months I never knew her real marital status nor her motherhood experience. While I talk a bulk of Zach stories, she never hinted anything about her kiddos.....her reason - I didnt ask! She is yet to tour me around in her pretty small car...and she is yet to invite me to the resto she co-owns with her hubby and brothers. She goes to her mother's house on weekends, knows Comic Alley very well and plays that game I couldnt even pronounce the name. We like to have coffee session both in our virtual and real life worlds. Our left hand is holding the mug, and the right one is well....holding the bad habit... She is not easy to befriend...but easy to have giggles with... She is my budding travel mate...and a sleeping buddy at that! We have gone here and there.....climbed the peak and went down the falls...mesmerized by the century old and dazed by the rough.. Amidst this chaotic world, she is one sight to behold..and indeed a promise sent by the Heavens... That's Isabelle Diwa for me, my virtual friend...unmasked!

Looking at the other side of the fence

I could honestly say that I have a blessed LIFE. My family didn’t go through hardships that others did, if we ever did, it is a negligible thing as compared to poverty wretched people I know.

I don’t look down to people who resort to odd jobs just to get a decent meal, if you can really call it decent. I have secret respect to people who goes beyond pride and self preservation just to make money. These are people who would do anything just to survive. I'm not saying that I tolerate people who kill and steal for money.....let me be clear on that.

Now here's a story I want to share to support my statement above:
I have a very easygoing friend of 20 years. Now that she's better off than the rest of us financially, she takes us to places we wouldn’t be dreaming of going. One of the places she took me to (aside from our out of town trips) was a gay bar. I was hesitant at first as I thought it was not a good place I will be seen at since I belong to the corporate world and has a reputation to protect. Once inside, it took all guts upon me to even look at the gyrating sexy men on stage.

We were giggling at first, couldn’t believe the moves we saw in front of us. Most of the dancers were in their early twenties, good looking and well built. There were men who would show a little frontal nudity and approaches table for audience to touch them in exchange of money...that was something I couldn’t do.

I was already getting uncomfortable when there's this dancer who did an unusual dance to the beat of Shaggy's song. It was actually a nice number and I enjoyed it especially when his foot movement would slam the floor in time with the beat...
Eventually I have learned to relax inside the bar, and then my friend called the dancer and asked to sit with us. He positioned himself in between me and my other friend, extended his hand during introduction which I did not accept...I was arrogant then.

I didn’t talk much to the guy, left the task to my other friend as I was so consumed with finishing my margarita and leave the place because by then more and more dancers were doing frontal nudity. The dancer on our table was invited by our friend to go with us disco dancing afterwards which he graciously accepted. That's when we got to talking about life....and my view about them in general turned 360 degrees at once.
He is the eldest of 9 brood, his family lives on a very meager income, in fact much of the time the money that his parents would make in a day couldn’t feed them all. He took the toil of labor at an early age when his parents could not support his studies anymore after secondary school, so he left town. He worked for a restaurant for a while but was offered the job he is doing now because of his eagerness to earn fast money and send it home.

He used his talent in dancing to be able to survive the first night, but he drowned himself a bottle of rum so he couldn’t feel anything. And he went on night after night, always drunk to be able to dance well. He loves dancing, he is proud of that, but the manner that he makes money out of it is something he still couldn’t quite get over with until now. Yes, he told us he has accepted indecent proposals...a lot of times already, but deep inside him, he is wishing he had other way.
In this job, he has met many women who all went and gone because of the kind of job he does. He has fathered 6 children from different women, only one is with him. He loves his son so much, that why he is always bothered by the life he has chosen to live. When at times that he doesn’t like to dance in front of an audience, he couldn’t because he has a son to feed and raise. Again, he blames poverty. He couldn’t get himself to rise above it, so he just learned to dance around it.
That's when I have understood why some people choose to work in the red district. It is easy; it doesn’t require high education and labels. It only requires GUTS and a HEART of STONE. But I honestly believe that if these people do not have talent in dancing or in the way they talk to people, then I don’t think they would last any minute longer.

My heart bled for him...I never knew someone could have so much hardships in life financially....I have never experienced that. Looking back at the life I have lived, I am so blessed yet took that for granted. There is this guy who is working for the money, doing a job he is ashamed of, every step is like every pound down but he keeps going....and despite the fact that he couldn’t move without alcohol in his body, he makes sure his performance is something to clap about. Who wouldn’t?

It is not the kind of living that we must judge one person, but we must look at the kind of life he is living so that we may understand him better. I am proud to have a macho dancer friend; after all he is more humane than the executives I know in my world. If you think you have the worst life, try to look at the other side of the fence and you will see how BLESSED you are!

Adventure 2011

Last February 13, 2011, birthday girl Issa Regner together with her brother passed by my house to pick me up along with Andy Summers and Kikiw Tanilon. We took the cab and proceeded to the bus terminal. By 730am, we were heading to Tanjay, an hour travel from the city. When we arrived there, we had breakfast at the public market and waited for the couple, Ann Cale and Markymark Bezars to join us to Pamplona. it rained hard so we hired a cab to bring us to Simborio. A 20minute ride with some 10minutes bumpy roads. From the main road, we headed down to the river. I was so amazed to see how wide it is with rocky bed. I told myself, "this is gonna be another helluva lot of adventure"...and I was right!!!

Here's a glimpse of my weekend escapade with friends...

The river that we crossed to reach Simborio, Pamplona - hometown of the birthday girl.


As we were preparing ourselves before crossing the river, I was about to fold my pants as high as I could.


A snapshot of me and Andy Summers ( a very close gay friend)


As we were nearing the other side of the river


We saw a snake that was washed away from the river...sounds scary!


The muddy path leading to the house of Issa Regner.


The birthday girl (in the middle wearing pink dress)with the Pariwara Club members.


Let's BOLT in!!!


Going the farther route to avoid rising water from the river. Passed this sugarcane field.


Walked barefoot as it was so slippery. Are those my feet?


Tiptoed on this old railbridge....planks are loose and no siderails to hold on to!!!


After walking past coconut laden path, muddied rice and sugarcane plantations, trekked uphill and tiptoed on the bridge, we have reached this cemented road with a structure that is good for posing...:-)

I have not posted here pics when we played poker ( I won together with Andy, beating the couple Ann and Mark)... lol..Tequila shots, videoke singing, dancing with the old ones, laughing out loud with jokes being passed around, our faces when we reached back the highway and finally onboard the bus going back to the city. The post party dinner and recap get-together ( another party actually with same cast)....you couldnt imagine how tired we were reaching our respective homes, but the smile on our faces lingered til now ...... :-)

Til next birthday...