Escape to Argao

This is the third straight year that I was able to celebrate the feast of our town's patron saint - St. Michael the Archangel - with my colleagues from Cebu Office. This year though is quite different. Different because i) we didn't stay in the Mahayahay Beach Resort (we just stayed in our house); ii) there were four of them who were first-timers to visit Argao; and iii) we have taken more pictures of our escapade. Few of these pics are shown below :)


If I count it right, it's 10 years that I was absent in the town fiesta --- from the time I moved from Cebu to Manila in 2002 until the time we came back from the US in 2011. Argao town fiesta is celebrated every September 28-29 of the year. There were stories told that every time the Parish tried to change the dates of the fiesta (e.g., fixing the days to Saturday/Sunday), it always rained on those days. The folks believe that St. Michael doesn't like changing the dates.

I got to celebrate the fiesta and enjoy the food again starting in 2012. It was the first time I invited my Cebu colleagues to our place in Argao. In 2013, only the Cebu guys went. This year, my guests were a mixture of old and new faces.  Special mention though to these guys who were never absent these past three years:  Karl, Rendol, Aldrin and Xenon. I had been enjoying the company of these guys who gladly shared their talents in singing, playing cards and of course the timeless game of drinking. :P

Another memorable experience while I was in Argao was meeting important people again. After 12 years, I met my Auntie Susan and Uncle Mars again. We last saw each other in 2002. With them were Auntie Vangie and Uncle Felix whom I did not see for almost a year now. They still did not age. Haha. 

Hope to see all of you in 2014!

At the Pier.....with lights coming from our cellphones.

Picture taken under a kalachuchi plant. To our left is the bell tower of Argao Church, which has three levels supporting a single large bell on the second level and with 8 smaller bells on the third.

At the back (or atop) is one of the four gates of the Pueblo called "Puerto Marina". Legend says Maria Cacao would sail to the Americas to sell her freshly harvested cacao and would come back with new plates and utensils she would freely lend to the townsfolk.

Picture picture while the guys were playing Pusoy.

I lost in all the games. Do you see who's too relaxed here? It was confirmed that Cess plays so well and so fast. :P 

It's evident in this pic and the three pics that follow everyone's tipsiness.

This and the next two pics were taken early morning while still figuring out whether to go to the beach or not.

...and finally we decided to swim. :)

With my mama and my younger bro before heading back to the city.

My Journey to College

In the article Looking Back:  Childhood and Decisions, I mentioned about me taking up civil engineering. However, I ended up enrolling in Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. So what happened?

It was December of 1989 when my late father got into an accident. He was driving a tricycle carrying x number of passengers going to Bulasa (I think) when a truck hit them. He was hospitalized and underwent an operation to fix his broken leg. He was still fortunate then as he was alive. One of his passengers did not make it.

Because of that accident, the savings my parents had from their small business were totally depleted. I was 15 that time when I had to work for my family to survive. Both me and my late brother had to drive "sikad-sikad" to earn a living. My earnings were used to buy rice and his to buy viand. 

I graduated high school and I knew continuing my studies would be a challenge. My parents told me that I might not be able to go to college because of financial difficulties. I was determined then so I exhausted all my efforts to convince my parents to help me get to college. We approached my aunt (my father's sister) and her husband and asked them to shoulder 25% of my tuition and of course the food and the place. As I graduated salutatorian in high school, I automatically became an academic scholar at the University of San Carlos. Although only 75% of the tuition was free, it was more than good enough for me. Thanks a lot Auntie Vangie and Uncle Felix for all the help. I will forever be grateful. (By the way, both of them are CPAs. So I need not explain any further why I took up BSA) :p 

I thought if I could maintain the required grade, I would continue enjoying the academic scholarship. To my surprise, I got a mid-term assessment in my 2nd year. I was so worried thinking of where I would get the money to pay off the assessment. I went to the scholarship office and was explained that the privilege was only good for one year. The head of the scholarship office referred me to the Working Students office to check if there was an opening. Fortunately, there was. I was accepted as a working student of the periodicals section of the library. In exchange for free tuition, I had to work four hours a day from Monday to Saturday. My tasks were to man the periodicals section and facilitate the borrowing of books and magazines, as well as to deliver the daily newspapers to the different offices in the University. These were my daily routines all throughout my second year in college.

Then came the third year. I was introduced by a co-working student to a teacher who was looking for a scholar. The only task needed was to check all her test papers and no required number of hours was required. So I changed gears. I was her checker for a year. 

Before the end of my third year, SGV Foundation offered scholarship to deserving students for two years - third and fourth. I took the exams and luckily I was one of the only three students who passed. I didn't have to work at all until my graduation in March 1995.

My journey to college graduation was tough. I had to make ends meet. My allowance that time for food and transportation was only P100 per week. It was really hard as I needed to skip a meal or two a day. Thanks to my friends who sometimes sponsored afternoon snacks. :) That helped me survived. And I have to mention that sometimes I had to make "bukong" for me to reach school. Haha. Thank you jeepney drivers for that silent but well acknowledged help.

Having only one pair of jeans and a pair of shoes in my first year was also a challenge. I had to be careful not to mess them up during the school days. Otherwise I had nothing else to wear for school. I washed my jeans only on Saturdays. So just imagine how I looked that time. Hehe. And oh, there was a time when that athlete's foot was a pain. My only pair of shoes gave up. Walking in my torn shoes in the rain soaking my feet wet was the culprit. Those were the days. 

I am proud of these experiences. They were my inspirations. With perseverance, drive and diligence, I don't think getting a degree is impossible. Being poor should not be a hindrance. We often read articles or hear stories about why one was not able to finish college or even go to school at least. The reasons are endless but one common denominator is poverty. Such an easy way to rationalize failure to get an education and eventually having a not-so-good life. We have to realize that we make our life. We are the only ones responsible for whatever life we have now. Other forces may be present but they are there just to help us choose and decide for our path. Sometimes, people blame their being mentally deficient for not successfully finishing school. But I tell you I don't believe there are unintelligent people. Yes, there are intelligent people and even geniuses at that. But dumb people? Just a plain no. I am not intelligent. I am just diligent. Hope you find that diligence in you to make things happen.

"Passion, vision and diligence

are the most sure fire path to success.

Combined, they are unstoppable."

WEfies

Oxford Dictionaries define selfie as a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or a webcam and shared via social media. 

I like taking selfies.  In instances when I feel good, I believe that the moment should be seized and thus should be documented.  We read a lot of articles about selfies both positive and negative. But to me, these are all good especially if those selfies were taken with my kids. These "wefies" are the moments worth reminiscing. Those wefies I have taken do not only remind me of how I look or how my kids look but more on how I feel in that instant. It is the story I consider more important in taking those wefies. Hope it is to you as well. 

Sharing some wefies with my kids below.  :P