Summer of '06

Dang! Summer's over... just like that. Time has flown really fast.

Although I had classes, this eight week summer "vacation" was one of the most fun in recent memory.

For starters, I went to Boracay twice this summer, the first one during the last week of March and the second one just this May. Both times, my companions and I brought our own vehicles up to Caticlan, so I got to drive in several new provinces. Although it was not my first time to Bora, we had to get a map of the island of Panay. The unfamiliarity of the place made the trip more fun.

The second time was a little bit of a hassle as we went there just as typhoon "Caloy" struck the island-paradise. The fun part was that there were about 20 of us relatives. However, because of the delay in our trip, I had to go home ahead of the rest. I was just in Boracay for less than 10 waking hours.

My cousins from Manila spent their entire vacation in Dumaguete so there were a lot of activities, such as "beach-resort hopping" - a term I want to describe as being at several resorts in a single day. Among the beaches and/or resorts we visited (the entire summer) include Bahura (several times), Pura Vida, El Dorado, Private Residence, Cangmating, Martesan and Atlantis. I worked the past summer so there were some activities which I failed to take part in, such as trips to Lake Balinsasayaw and Sand Bar, as well as Dolphin Watching.

We always ate out. We were always (this is an understatement) at Bethel during hot afternoons. We'd stay there for hours talking and consuming Halo-halo or Cookie Monster. Other favorite food places are Chin Loong, Cafe Antonio, and Hayahay. As usual, there was the food festival at the boulevard during the Santa Cruzan, and we were often there too.

Speaking of Santa Cruzan, the city tourism sent me a letter to be one of the escorts for the sagalas during the parade. I never showed up.

I also went to Cebu a couple of times. At Shangri-la Beach Resort in Mandaue, we went jetskiing. Also, I watched the NBA Legends game held at Mandaue City. I saw former NBA stars Dennis Rodman, Calvin Murphy, Darryl Dawkins, Sidney Moncrief and Alex English in action against the San Miguel Legends led by Allan Caidic. Of course they played a lot slower, but still you know that when they were at the peak of their careers, they were the world's best. And there were also NBDL players who were super athletic, showcasing their aerial artistry with a barrage of high-flying dunks. Best of all, I got the Worm's autograph after the game. I was able to get to him cause I was wearing a Bulls shirt and cap (I'm a big fan of the 1990s Bulls team). I was amazed at how big and muscular he was and I wasn't able to react right away and have my picture taken with him.

That night, we went to Vudu at Crossroads. We were at the VIP lounge and to our astonishment, this huge guy wearing what looked like pyjamas came in. You got it, it was Rodman himself. There were only about 10 people in the lounge that night and yet, I didn't have the guts to get a picture. He was, after all, known as the Badboy, and he loves that reputation. I didn't want to leave the bar with a broken camera.

Now back to Dumaguete. Since we're on the topic of bars, on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, most likely you'd find my cousins and I either at Hayahay, El Camino, or Payag. It seemed like we never missed a Reggae Wednesday at Hayahay. We were also at the Ragga De Mayo Concert by Junior Kilat led by Pinoy Big Brother finalist Budoy and local band Enchi (by the way, they have music videos on Myx already) since two of my cousins, as part of SUHS batch 1996, were the organizers.

Sports has also been a part of the summer. Specifically badminton and basketball - not golf this time. We usually play at Erco or the Court at Hypermart. The good thing was that many of us cousins, and even titos (and now titas) play badminton too.