We All Get Older, We Don't All Get Grown.

Facebook is getting a little ridiculous with these "suggestions":

So, I used to have a pretty big celebrity crush on Kelly Ripa when she first started on Live with Regis and Kelly back in 2001. Obviously I thought she was really pretty, but what set her apart from the rest was that she would actually make me laugh. And not just every once in awhile, but regularly make me laugh.

I started a new blog! Don't worry, I'm still going to post on this one just as much as before(not enough), but I just wanted to start a new one that has a little bit of a different theme. You can read more about why I separated the two in my FIRST ENTRY. If you'd like to follow my posts, just like on this one, please feel free to comment on anything that I write :)



New Blog: The Gospel According to Brandon

Well, this year's Thanksgiving was a first for me. My Mom worked hard on a Turkey as well as a honey baked ham. And oh wow, did they look delicious...although I don't know how they actually tasted. You see, i'm in the 2nd month of being a pescatarian and it just so happens that the Thanksgiving tradition is Turkey and Stufffing, not Mahi Mahi and Stuffing. This was the first time that I can remember not eating meat on this holiday or any holiday for that matter.

Yeah, it was different, but not really a big deal at all. I mean, its not like I went hungry this year while the rest of my family gorged. In fact, there was a great deal of support from my family that I wasn't really expecting. I went into this year, just wanting to play my vegetarianism down and keep it low key because like i've said in a previous blog, I still have no defining reason why I haven't eaten any meat for 2 months now. I'm seriously beginning to believe that I may just be masochistic. But anyways, I would've been happy if the fact that I wasn't eating turkey wasn't mentioned at all. Obviously my family knew, but that turned out to be a really cool thing. My Aunt Cathy made a smoked salmon mix on belgian endive leaves and one of my favorites, Ahi & Avocado Tartare on wonton crisps. And my mom still made all of the usual, delicious sides and even made me dressing instead of stuffing. What's the difference you ask? Well, according to an episode of Unwrapped on the Food Network, the difference between the two is that Stuffing is actually stuffed and cooked in the turkey and Dressing is cooked as a dish by itself. One thing that wasn't new to me this year: I ate too much.

All in all, I had a great Thanksgiving weekend and am most thankful for the family I've been blessed with.

Whenever people say stuff like, "I have the best husband(wife) ever!", I think that others who are married should be a little offended by that. I mean think about it, they are basically saying to you that my husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend is much better than yours because he did something he should've done in the first place, like put the toilet seat down. Come on people! I really expect to see some arguments via facebook status' because of claims like these.

I'm not saying I won't be bold enough to claim my wife is better than yours, when I get married. But that is solely because of the fact that she will be the best wife ever, because she was clearly smart enough have chosen me. In the meantime, all you current married couples can enjoy claiming that your spouse is the best spouse ever, but just know when the day comes that I get hitched, your false reign comes to an end! And if you decide to challenge my best husband-ness, you better have stats and evidence to back it up!

The following is a snippet of a Chat I had with one of my best friends the other day, who happens to be a youth pastor as well. I think its hilarious how our conversations go from one extreme to the other. This is true friendship to me. enjoy:


Jay: Hey I texted you. i am going to be in sd from the 19th to the 29th. so me + you = party!

Brandon: oh yeah i got that. i was driving or sleeping, i forget. definitely, hang out time

Jay: yeah. lets get naked and play twister or something

Brandon: whoa.

Brandon: i'm down.

Jay: sweet. i am serious. I have been studying the old testament bonding rituals between friends and thats the closest thing to how they did it back then

Brandon: i trust you

Jay: hahahah


Jay: i miss you. i am really pumped to hang when i am down there

Brandon: same here man

hey pray for me
#1- that i do well on an interview coming up
#2- patience
#3- that i can handle losing better
thanks brotha



Jay: yeah no prob.
#1 just be you
#2 patience is tough. i find i am less patient when i am not content
#3 what did you lose?

Brandon: hold on a sec...on the phone

Brandon: hey, you there?

Jay: yeah

Brandon:
#1- will do
#2- i agree. ********Censored********. i guess i just need to be content with what i have.


Jay: no be content with who you are

Brandon: what does it mean to be content with who you are?

Jay: uhh, i think it means being content in your identity as God's son. not looking for something outside of that to make you happy. Relationships are good and you are going to have a great wife. But sometimes relationships are attempts to fill some voids in our life that can and should be filled by God.

Jay: I think when we focus on being content regardless of external circumstance, we are better suited for when those circumstances change.

Jay: its hard.

Brandon: That makes sense to me. I see that.

I just read an article recently that claims that herpes may be a cause of Alzheimer's disease. No joke. Some British researchers found a strong connection between HSV-1 (herpes simplex virus 1) and Alzheimer's cases. "I estimate that about 60 percent of Alzheimer's cases could be caused by the virus." said neurobiologist Ruth Itzhaki, Ph. D. How it works theoretically, is that as we age HSV-1, actually spreads to our brains, where in certain people, it can cause buildup deposits- known as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles- that attack and destroy the cells responsible for memory, language, and physical functions...in short those people develop Alzheimer's.

WHAT!? How crazy is that? If this is true, i'm sure there are tons of people out there who are regretting their choices on Halloween night. Slutty Costumes + Alcohol + Bad decisions = Alzheimer's disease. Who would've thought? That just goes to show you kiddies, show some prudence, your mind depends on it...literally.

I always knew one day I would have have fans. And I even knew that I might have an obsessed stalker or two in my lifetime. I just really didn't expect it to be right now in my life. Because honestly aside from being really, really awesome, I haven't accomplished a whole lot just yet. But you know, I don't want to sell myself short and I have decided to embrace this new celebrity I have...cause having 1 fan officially makes you a celebrity right, haha! Anyways, I was sent this message earlier today, and I feel as my first fan, I owe it to her to not only mention her in my blog, but also to touch on some of the topics she has provided for me. So here you go Sam!

And I've been unable, to push you away.
You had me able, to understand life like a game we play.
You're not afraid of it all.
And I've been unable, to get you away.
To talk about the things, I wish I could say.
Do you know your worth?
'Cause everyday I pray for your world.

...When you're not around, I hope somehow that you can feel me.
'Cause miles don't mean anything.
















(When I fall, I fall hard.)

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The first and only time i've ever gone to a country concert was during a past relationship. To be honest, she was the only reason I went. Before then, I was never really into country. In fact I was one of those people who would say, "I love all different types of music...except country." But I had a great time at that show, loved the music, and ever since i've dedicated one of my car radio's presets to country.



This weekend I had a chance to go to another country concert. Only difference was that this time I was single and it is an entirely different experience. Two buddies of mine talked me into heading up to Orange County for Go Fest 2009 where Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley were headlining. The festival was great and I had a blast listening to good music and hanging out with my friends. One thing that I want to point out, is that the girl to guy ratio at this place felt like it was 10:1. The only guys there were either 909'ers or with their gf's....goldmine. And let's be honest, who can resist a handsome half-filipino in flannel. Although this ratio wasn't my intention for going, it definitely was a pleasant surprise. I guess I didn't realize this phenomenon at my first country concert because I was there with a girlfriend and obviously I was too faithful to even notice :) You'll know where to find me at the next big concert.

“I am not a vegetarian because I love animals; I am a vegetarian because I hate plants.” - A. Whitney Brown

I'm on day 3 of vegetarianism. Well actually, i'm not really a vegetarian because i'm allowing myself to eat fish. So I can only really say that i'm a Semi-Vegetarian, Pesco-Vegetarian, or my favorite a Pescetarian. Don't really ask me why though. I don't have a definitive answer for that.

Back in the summer of 2004, I was a pescatarian for about 4 months. I had no real reason for doing it back then either. Through college, I was working at a farmers market and delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables we widely available to me for free. So one day I decided to cut all meats out of my diet. It's pretty much as simple as that. I made a decision in my head and stuck to it. I also remember the moment I decided to eat meat again. It was my little brother's high school graduation and we were having a party at our house in Eastlake. My parents sent me to a chinese food restaurant down the street to pick up the trays of food. There was an abundant amount of cashew chicken, chow mein, snow peas and shrimp, kung pao, and my ultimate downfall- these chinese hot wings. They were deep fried goodness, smothered in garlic, red pepper, and salt. Yum! I remember salivating the whole way home. Eventually I broke down and tore through those wings. Being half black, there should be no surprise here :)

So now, 5 years later, i'm back on the road of pescatarianism. I'm not doing it for ethical, religious, or environmental concerns. I'm not even doing it for dietary reasons. I also just found out that about 60% of vegetarians are women and its not even about that! ...well maybe, haha. I guess the only real reason why, would be because it gives me discipline. It causes me to think a little bit. Shows me that if I put my mind to something, its not really all that hard. And to me at least, it makes my life a little bit more odd and interesting.

So 2.5 days down and I don't know how much longer to go. I have no timeline, but I can assure you I will have a steak again at some point in my life. I'll update via blog next time I eat meat.

Love,

Brandon Lagao

Haha, i just thought this picture was hilarious. Who eats koala!?

Original Post: July 29, 2009

During my shower at the gym earlier this evening, two gentleman were having a conversation while I was trying to mind my own business and wash the sweat off me. Normally, this would fully be against the Man Rule. I would even consider telling them to shut up, but that would also cause me to be breaking the rules. But these two gentleman were speaking Spanish, so I felt oddly OK with it. Because I couldn't understand a word of what they were saying, I didn't feel awkward listening to them. That being the case, I think this should be an addendum to the rule.

This morning I was outside stretching and I smashed an ant with my index finger. Actually what really happened was that while I was stretching, I noticed this ant crawling towards me and so I decided to push it away from me, rather then let it crawl on me. I then noticed it was squirming around and struggling. I think I may have smashed its head or something but I decided to just end its pain swiftly rather then just watch it die, and so with one poke it's life ended. This actually made me feel a little sad. I started to envision its wifey ant back at the farm, caring for their hundreds of baby ants. And I messed all that up. Ridiculous I know, but true.

Then while I sat there stretching, I started to think back to one day when I was in elementary school. I'm not sure what grade exactly, but I know I was at least in 2nd grade. Back then I lived a block or so from my school and I would ride my Huffy to and from. One fateful day, I was speeding back home after school and when I was about halfway, I heard a *crunch* and a *chirp*. I jumped off my bike and saw that I ran over a baby birdy. I remember crying about it and feeling such an empty feeling inside. To this day I can still vividly see the setting and hear the sounds. When I tell this story to friends, I joke that I was traumatized by this moment, but secretly I really feel that way. I could go off on a tangent about death, but that would be straying from the point of this blog.

What I'm wondering is, why am I so damn sensitive? Last night I was keeping myself busy by googling random stuff. At one point I came across Zodiac signs and my sign in particular: Scorpio. I read this: http://www.astrology-online.com/scorpio.htm and have to admit was a little intrigued. As a Christian I don't believe in that stuff nor would I ever imagine that people's character is based off of the time frame of when we were born. But I couldn't help but to notice that as I kept reading the traits of a Scorpio, I started to see a lot of those same traits in me. Most of the traits I read, that I also see in myself, are things that I am proud of and glad to possess. But there were a couple that I wish weren't true: Jealous & overly sensitive (emotional). My jealousy is a whole other post, so i'll stick to just talking about my issues with sensitivity.

As I sat there on the concrete, with ant remnants on my finger and hurt in my heart, all of these thoughts came rushing into my brain. And I tried to think, is this a good thing or bad? I mean, I like that I can be sensitive to someone else's feelings. But I really hate that I allow myself to be hurt by the smallest things. Is this normal for a guy? Is this normal for anyone? Can I ever be in another meaningful relationship if I don't harden up? I have no answers really. But in the end, I love who I am and would never trade it all in to be somebody else. I try every day to work on the things that need to be changed in my life, and I feel like there is a healthy daily growth. At least I'm thinking about stuff like this right? Or wait, is that not normal either? (Feedback appreciated)

...I really need to stop listening to Copeland when I blog, haha.

The end of Summer always hurts my heart a little bit. I know I live in SoCal and the change of seasons aren't that drastic, but its more the shift in a mindset that gets me. Less spontaneity, less beach, less time, less activity, less daylight. I also read in a magazine once that light has a direct effect on one's happiness...meaning less daylight = more depression. (sidenote: I just spent 5 mins deciding between effect vs. affect. I either need to take a grammar class or go to counseling, haha) For the past year or so, i've been generally happy all the time, so i'm confident that the depression thing won't hit me this Fall. But anyways, my point is that Autumn and Winter suck.

I can sit here and list all the negatives about no Summer in my life, but I do have lots of stuff to look forward too and I guess that's the reason for this post. Here is a short list:

1. Football is back.
2. Snowboarding trips will be bountiful.
3. Trip to Argentina in December/January.
4. I get to wear hoodies again.
5. My first tattoo (only 10 more lbs to go until I hit my goal weight)
6. Less distraction means more time to get down to business.

It's been some time since I was blogging consistently and I think that mostly had to do with Summer. Seriously though, most of my posts would've sounded like this: "I went to the beach today and had a blast with my awesome friends. Then tonight we all went out and danced our hearts out." You could also throw some stuff in there about Golfing, Palm Desert, working out, surfing, all my friends getting married, my love life, and getting reconnected with God and at Church. That should pretty much sum up everything.

And if I was to go into detail, I guess I would talk a little bit about how life is going currently. Well, let's see...as most of my friends know I went to the Philippines for a month. I can honestly say my outlook on life is a little different since then. I've learned how to always be up for anything, that living without fear is the only way to live, that God's plan for me is so much better than what I could ever come up with, and how to say "Yes" more than "No". My life has improved, no doubt. I haven't kept in great touch with my Dad since, but I don't see anything wrong with that. We actually have a relationship now, which is a plus, and i'm not ashamed of him, which is another plus. I think the trip helped me to get past all the hurt of not growing up with my Dad and to learn to appreciate what I already have (which is much more than I deserve). How I see it is that I'm going to be an amazing Dad someday and my testimony is just a little different from others. I plan on visiting the Philippines again next year.

What else? Well, I've lost a total of 40lbs. It's so sad to me that I was heavy enough to ever be able to lose that much, but it is what it is. I still have a long way to go, but i'm so active with the gym, Soccer on mondays in OC (yes, i'm here right now), basketball, training for a triathlon, football with Cam and Rob, and even surfing, golfing, and yoga, that I should hit my goals within no time and then make new goals!

I've also been living in San Diego since my trip, even though at times it doesn't seem like it. I've literally only had a chance to spend 2 weekends there since I got back, due to travel and other Summer plans. I love it though. I know there is a purpose for me being there and it's been awesome to see the way things have unfolded. The best part is that my network has really expanded since moving back. I get to spend much more time with my SD friends and I haven't lost touch with any of my OC friends. I've also learned to be comfortable with wherever I am. I've never been the guy to couch surf. I like my own shower, my own bathroom, my own bed. But i've never spent so much time away from "Home" as I did this summer. It has forced me to become more flexible, to meet new people, and to be more active.

And lastly, a lot of awesome new things are in store for my future. My biggest decision as of late is that I've decided to get my teaching credentials to become an elementary school teacher. Not many people know that I've battled with this decision off and on for about 9 years now. I just couldn't fight it anymore. I always knew I would end up a teacher at some point. I just thought it would be when I was older and after I was already a millionaire with a successful business. I've realized I kind of had it backwards. I know I can not only teach, but also successfully run my financial consulting, SEO consulting, and web marketing business simultaneously. It also is a step in the right direction towards something else that i've wanted to do which is coach HS football, pop warner, or little league. It's honestly a really exciting time in my life and I can't wait for everything to come together. And I can't complain about having all of Summer off. It's pretty much a perfect career choice for me :)

There is tons more going on. but that's all I got for now. I look forward to blogging more consistently now that Summer is gone.

This is a serious issue. I workout at 24 Hour Fitness and whenever I have to go somewhere afterwards, I usually shower there. If you've never been, the shower room setup is exactly how it was in Jr. High or High School. Although there are dividers, there are no doors or curtains. This isn't really a problem for most guys as long as you are comfortable in your skin and your sexuality. I don't have any problems with this setup, but as I walked in to shower today I was shocked to see two men having a full on convo as they were drying off. As I showered I couldn't help but feel that this situation was just not right.

I believe it should be a generally accepted "Man Rule" that whilst in the shower room, you must keep your head at eye level and shower at the most efficient rate possible. No lingering...and definitely no conversations. Come on guys, can't you just wait until you get back to your locker?

I went to a church service tonight for the first time in quite a while. Laziness, Anxiety, Guilt, Fear, Satan...I'm really not quite sure what has been keeping me away. But i've definitely been missing out on meeting the full potential that God has in store for my life. It's not that I've fallen away, its just that I have so much more to work on before "maximizing" all of the gifts that God has given me. I'm glad I went.

And the LB Project is also very cool as well. It wasn't a very typical service and I learned some things that I didn't expect I would. They will be in my prayers. http://www.thegardenlb.org/

I love how He is patient and loving, no matter where we are in our lives :)

Today I lost the best dog in the world. Max has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. He has been a son to Eddie for the past 19 years or so. I'm gonna miss him but I am glad he no longer has to suffer. It's crazy to think that he is the closest thing to me that I've ever lost in my life. As sad as it is, I guess this was the best way possible for him to go.

We pretty much slept in for most of the day, only getting up to eat. The plan was to play some basketball with the locals but it started to really pour around the time we were going to. At night we had a hardcore karaoke session until around midnight. At the end of the song it would judge your performance and give you a score...apparently I lost all of my singing talent once I hit puberty. We got to spend time with Alex's cousins and the rest of the family. One of the cousins is this little 10 year old girl named KC. If I were ever to have a younger sister or daughter, I would want her to be just like KC. She reminded me a lot of my cousins back home, Hannah and Rylee. She has cracked me up quite a few times since I've been here. And I nicknamed her "Tarsier", which is the smallest monkeys in the world and live only here in the PI.

After karaoke we went out to Makati around midnight. I was really surprised we were even going out because of how late it was, but it was totally worth it. All I can really say is that it was one of those, "What happens here stays here" nights. We started off at the Hard Rock, had some drinks, and watched a cover band do American Pop songs. Then we made our way to this bar called "Absinthe" and danced around there for a little. Apparently the manager or bartender thought we were cool so they started pouring us shots. It was my first time having Absinthe, but I didn't see any green fairies like the story goes. We did some more partying after that, got split up for a couple of hours, and then ended up getting home around 7am this morning. After we met back up, all I know was that we were somewhere in Manila, it was raining super hard, and we spent about an hour trying to get a taxi. Most of the taxis were already occupied due to the fact that it was already morning and people were going to work!

Once we got back to Alex's house, everyone was already up having breakfast so we sat down and ate. An our or so later I was already back in a cab and off to the airport. No aircon and I went to the wrong terminal, once again! Sounds about right...

What a fun night to end my trip here in the homeland.

I flew into Manila from Puerto today and took a taxi to Pasig. On the plane over here, I met a couple who basically pimped their daughter out to me. They were extremely nice, wealthy looking people who were on vacation as well. During our conversation, once they found out I was single, they busted out the camera and started showing me pictures of their daughters, haha! So funny!

So once in Pasig, I waited at a Jolibee close to where the house I was visiting was, for Chris and Alex to pick me up. Even though I was expecting them, I was still kind of shocked when they showed up. It's just so crazy that we're here on another continent, 7,000 miles away from home, just hanging out. I haven't seen a familiar face in a month, which is probably the longest ever for me, and it just felt good. I'm really glad I came here to finish off my trip.

As soon as I walked into the house, I got back the feeling that I left behind when I left my grandparent's house. Once again it was a big house, full of a lot of family members. I've really gained an appreciation and love for family since being here in the PI. Even though nothing exciting was going on around me, I just loved every second of it.

Tonight we went out to some club called Manor. The music was good and current and it was fun having some friends with me. I haven't really got to enjoy "going out" as much because I've been by myself. But being with friends takes away that added pressure of meeting random people. I'm glad I got to see this side of the Philippines.

Well, I couldn't catch a flight to Northern Palawan as I originally hoped. Because I had to come back to Puerto Princesa, I left myself with a couple of options:

#1- Drive 9 hours north to El Nido, only to have to make the same drive back a day or two later.
#2- Fly from Puerto to Manila and then fly to Busuanga in hopes of getting to spend a day or so there.

I've been feeling a little under the weather since getting back from Sabang, so I'm not extremely motivated to do either. Luckily tonight I got a call from my good friend from college, Chris Sisson who just so happens to be visiting the Philippines as well with his Pinoy best friend, Alex. They are in Manila so I decided that I would hangout with them for my last few days here. Alex's aunt lives here and they are cool with me staying, so that is another huge plus.

After thinking about it, I'm not really sure why I even asked to stay. I have enough money to afford a nice hotel room for the rest of my stay and I'm not the "couch surfing" type. I really don't want to be a burden on the family and I hope they won't have to go out of their way too much to accommodate me. I guess I just miss being around family. Eating meals with people. Making plans to do something with someone else. And I am SUPER excited to see some familiar faces! I can't wait! It should be a good ending to a great trip.

Other than deciding to go back to Manila early, not much else has really happened the past couple of days. My main highlights have been living with a mouse in my room that I decided to name "Marty", figuring out the "local" cost of a tricycle ride, and not being able to find a body wash without a "whitening" agent. I know its not much, but not everyday can be a huge adventure!

Marty the mouse decided to come out one night and run around when I was trying to go to bed. I kept seeing his head pop out from under the other bed and then hearing him scurry across the room. I got up, somewhat freaked out, and tried to get him out of my room to no avail. I caught him mid-scurry once and he literally jumped in the air, landed awkwardly, and then hid again under the bed. The look on his face actually made me laugh and from that point on I decided I wasn't afraid of him anymore, so I named him. Wait...I just re-read what I just wrote...I must be going a little crazy after all this solitude.

So with the tricycles, when I first arrived they originally said I had to pay 50 pesos per ride. But then I started noticing that some drivers were less bold and were charging 40. And then another only 20! So I finally decided I was going to figure out the REAL charge for a tricycle ride. My strategy was that I was going to be silent. From all my research before the trip, I was told multiple times to ask "How much?" before taking a taxi, to avoid being ripped off. It turned out that is exactly what you should do if you want the locals to know you are from out of town and you have no idea how much stuff costs around here. So I got a ride and was completely silent the whole ride. I decided I would let the driver initiate the payment process. I got out and handed him 20 pesos, waited for a second, he looked at me, i looked at him, he reached in his pocket, and gave me back 10 pesos! So from there on out I just gave everyone 10 pesos and nobody said a word about it, nice.

Lastly, since I'm going to be visiting a family, I decided to clean myself up and shave(for the second time during this trip). I went to the drugstore and the only size shaving cream was a Costco sized can that would probably last me a year. So instead of being wasteful i'd have to figure something else out. I also ran out of body wash, but literally every single bottle they sold had some sort of "skin whitening" agent in it. Since I value my brown skin, my only other option was Johnson & Johnson Baby Bath. It worked out pretty good too, because now my skin is baby soft, I was able to use it to shave, and if it gets in my eyes: No Tears!

I woke up this morning around 6:30am, even though I set my alarm for 9am. I knew that at some point I had to get to the San Jose Bus Terminal to catch a ride to Sabang, which is a 2 or 3 hour drive. Lonely Planet and the people around town aren't very helpful about times or who to see once I get there, I just know I need to go to the terminal and plan on asking around. Instead of going to check it out early like I should have, I decided to stay in until noon while I watched the Lakers/Nuggets game. The games are on at 8am or 9am here so it's a little different experience. I was glad to be watching when the Lakers won :)



Once I got to the Bust terminal, all the actual buses had apparently left. So my only other option was to take a Jeepney. I thought, what the heck, I might as well get the experience. So I asked the conductor when we were leaving and he said 12 o'clock, ha! The jeep had a few seats open so I figured we would wait until they filled up. Since I skipped breakfast, I grabbed a couple Pan de Coco (bread roll with sweet coconut), a banana, and a coke...then I checked the time on my phone and saw it was a little after noon, so I grabbed a seat in the back and got ready to go. Little did I know I would be waiting for 3 extra hours! Looking back, I find it really funny that I was in a rush. Nobody seemed to be complaining so neither did I, but wow it sucked. Not to mention it was going to take 3 hours on top of that just to get to Sabang! Since it's their livelihood, they don't leave the terminal until the Jeepney is full, because that way they make more money. And when I say full, I mean packed to the brim full.



So finally we seemed like we were getting ready to go and things started to get a little crazy. All I could really do was laugh. This jeepney wasn't a typical jeepeny, it was more of a hybrid bus/jeepney. The front half had seats facing forward and the back half was like a typical jeepney with a bench seat on each side. In america, it would probably seat a maximum of 25 people. But not here. In the Philippines they REALLY pack people in . I counted 65 people, and that was just in the seats! There were people hanging off the back, on top, and kids were laying in the middle aisle on out feet. Not to mention many of the people on the jeep were actually doing their grocery shopping, so they had sacks of rice, grocery bags, and fish with them as well.



So we finally took off to Sabang and within 2 mins we stopped at a gas station where a lot of people who just packed themselves in, got out and filled little jugs full of gasoline. Oh and I should also mention that instead of taking one of the many open seats in the front, I chose a bench seat in the back, which just so happened to be where all the action was and the heart of all the commotion...i would only recommend this seat to the most adventurous of my friends. Honestly, the only reason I was sitting there was so that I can jump in and out to check on my backpack that was on the roof. So we leave the gas station and immediately we hit a bumpy dirt road, I thought to myself, "Oh crap! If we continue on like this I just might vomit on all of these people...but at least we are getting somewhere." And then, all of a sudden, we stop again. This time at the Puerto Princesa Ice Building. They covered one side of the jeep with a tarp and I immediately thought something shady was going down. Even the locals seemed to not know what was going on. Then some guys placed a metal ramp going from the roof of the jeep to the dock and pulled out 3 humongous blocks of ice. Last I checked, the roof was piled high like one of those Ikea half-yearly sale commercials...how were they planning on fitting them up there? But they did. So we got going again with 65+ people, luggage, blocks of ice, and all.

20 minutes later we stopped again! This time was so that the passengers could have a merienda...wow, really!? So after everyone got their snacks, we were off again. The road was paved for the most part, but a lot of the time the road became a one-way for both sides of traffic, due to lack of road. It was pretty interesting going full speed and hoping the other cars heading the opposite direction would hear our horn and stop for us to pass. I'm just glad it was so packed that I could barely see. From what I did catch glimpses of, the scenery was absolutely beautiful. To make a longer story short, lets just say that we made like 50 more stops on the way to Sabang, so that people could get off and on, and so that the Jeepney workers could make home deliveries. Oh yeah, and every time we stopped, someone hanging off the side would bang something metal against the metal roof, right above my head. It was as if I had a bucket on my head and people were taking turns throwing rocks at it.

The trip was insane, but quite an adventure. And as we got farther away from the city, some of the kids that got on were absolutely precious looking. There was one little girl in particular that I would have adopted right there on the spot if her mother asked me too.

Finally, we got to Sabang as the sun was setting and it was beautiful. It's just a small little town with cottages and one resort along the beach. There are a few restaurants and a little docking area. Also the "town square" is made up of one big basketball court. As I do in all the places I've visited, I started wondering around deciding where I wanted to stay. This time as I was walking, I was joined by a gay couple from Amsterdam. It was european guy who looked much older who was with a filipino guy who was probably a little older then me. They were nice though, so I walked with them looking at the options until we got to the end of the beach, then I split to go check out the most northern cottages. Since nobody was there, I left and once again was walking way too much for this heat and all of this luggage. I was drenched in sweat when I finally decided on a place which all pretty much sucked...no electricity, small little huts, crappy CR's (comfort room aka bathroom), and if they did have electricity, it only worked from 6pm-10pm.

The first room they showed me to, I said no. It's the first time since being here that I made a fuss about where I was sleeping. The guy showing me the room did not speak any english and seemed to not even understand my hand gestures either. I talked to the only english speaking person that worked there and was confused as to why she just didn't choose to help me out since I clearly only speak english. But I should mention that the guy I got frustrated with was very hospitable and kept a big, toothless smile on his face the whole time he was dealing with me.

Luckily, my hut had a mosquito net because inside had a bunch of bugs flying around the ceiling and the floor...which by the way was made of sticks! The sand is literally right below me and the ocean is right outside my door! This should be an interesting night...

After a long drive to Manila and a sad goodbye to all my family, I was on a plane again, alone. This time I was heading to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. As I sat in the airport and on the plane, I couldn't help but think about if I should have spent more time with family while I was here. I know I will be back though, so I was reassured that I should stick to my plans and see as much of this country as I can during this trip. My "adventures" kind of stopped while I was with family, but the feeling of excitement started to come back once we landed here in Puerto.

Once again, I had no idea where I was sleeping tonight, or where I was going when I wake up tomorrow morning. But to me, that's the fun of it all. I don't know whats wrong with me, but whenever I arrive some place new, I don't like taking a taxi or tricycle. It would be so cheap, but I learned that I like seeing the whole town i'm in and getting a feel for what direction is what. Plus it is a great workout and after the week with family, I definitely need it. While walking to the place I decided to stay at, I got turned around quite a few times. This was when I realized that I packed way too much for this...but at least my pack is getting good use.

There isn't much to do in Puerto, it's more of a gateway to the other sites, but once I stepped off the plane, I was able to smell that the air is noticeably cleaner here. They call it the "Last Frontier" because Palawan is virtually untouched compared to the rest of the PI and they are very conscious of preserving the land here. Also, this was the first place that there wasn't a rush of people trying to get my attention to spend some type of money. I appreciate so much more the fact that there aren't a hundred people trying to offer me a ride somewhere or to do some parasailing or snorkeling. People are always looking at me here still, but probably more because of my huge backpack and the fact that I am walking around aimlessly, then because of the way I look.

The first place I went to was fully booked. And the second. And the third. The worst part were that they were all scattered far apart from each other. After looking at the map, again I decided to keep walking. I learned that Kilometers are still a long way to walk. But once again, because of my stubbornness, I kept turning down tricycles rides because in my head I told myself, "I've already come this far, I might as well finish." After walking until the sun already set, I finally found a place with a room available. The place is called Abelardo's Pension, and I was staying here out of lack of choices more than anything else. It's not bad though, I have cable, a shower that works (cold water only of course), and aircon...which are all things I didn't really have at my family's place.

I'm pretty sure, Lynn, the girl that showed me to my room likes me because she keeps knocking on my door for random reasons and starting up a giggly conversation...it's actually pretty annoying. Also, there is one of the family members here that is a dwarf and speaks with a nasally, high pitched voice that I almost completely cannot understand. She is obviously handicapped, but I would be lying if I said it didn't freak me out a bit. I couldn't help but imagine waking up in the middle of the night with her standing at the side of my bed staring at me. It was enough to give me nightmares, haha!

I got to meet the owner who is a nice old lady that reminds me a little of my Lola. She is smart and gave a little attitude to another guest in front of me. She was showing me pictures of her family that is abroad and showed me a picture of her half filipina, half swedish grandaughter...she was absolutely gorgeous and it took everything in my power to stay respectful and not tell her that I want to marry her apo, haha!

Other than that I was too tired to go explore at night, so I just stayed in. I had "Hopia" for dinner, which is like a little pastry dessert. I picked it up on my journey to get here to Abelardo's and it was all I had. Much different from the dinners that my grandparents provided me with!

I haven't really had much time to myself since being in Paniqui, so I'm just bunching the past 4 days into one entry. My days here have seriously revolved around our daily meals. Typical day: Wake up at 6am(everyone), eat breakfast, Do something, Merienda(snack), Do something else, Lunch, Do something/relax, Fellowship w/ pulutan, Dinner, Sleep. Every meal is really good though and has been a real highlight of my time with family...nothing else that i've eaten here during the rest of my trip can even compare.

This morning we woke up, check out, and headed to breakfast. My grandparents said they wanted to take me to a "real" breakfast, while everyone else ate at Jollibee. It was some expat restaurant called Margarita Club. They spoil me like I am still a little kid, it's funny. Breakfast with them was cool though. We talked a lot about random stuff and they assured me that my Dad is doing much better now that he is here. He told me that last night, but it was nice to gets some confirmation from my grandparents. My grandma is a really cool lady. She has good style, she is funny, and she gets pissed off pretty easily, which is funny to me. And my grandpa is probably one of the coolest people I know. He is pretty much the most lovable, crazy old man i've ever met. He talks slow, he is goofy, and he cracks me up quite a bit.

After breakfast, we met everyone else at the mall and then headed to their hometown in Paniqui. Paniqui is about 3 hours north of Manila, in the Tarlac province. They told me that Paniqui translates to "Bat" in English. I honestly didn't know what to expect about their home. My grandpa would periodically bring up that the house isn't finished yet. And then the rest of the family would mention it too, but they also explained about how big the house was. My family here is pretty well off since my Grandpa is retired US Navy and he gets money every month that goes much farther here in the PI. They have two cars, when most others don't even have one and they have a maid. As we drove through their town, it looked pretty similar to all the rest of the smaller towns i've seen. The first thing I noticed was that there was way too many tricycles here.

So as we pulled up to their house, I can honestly say I was in a bit of shock. Obviously, I didn't show any concern because it would have been disrespectful, but on the inside I was like "Get me out of here!!!" In my head, I imagined something different and this situation was worse than what I had originally thought. Being that I already downplayed it alot in my head, made it worse that it was worse than my expectations. The only thing that is really done is the roof. Everything else is concrete, the floors, the walls, everything. Some windows are done, but mostly all the openings in are covered with netting. The roof and the walls are fully attached to each other yet, so that that all around the house had to be covered with netting. But it obviously really doesn't work given the fact that there are a bunch bugs and a few lizards running around inside the house!

Once I got inside the house, a very real feeling of culture shock set in. This is my family and this is how they live. The makeshift kitchen is outside, where they cook all their meals on a wood stove. The dishes are done outside and hung to dry. They have a little farm in the back, so there are some ducks and roosters running around. They have a pet cat that just had 3 kittens, and they have a pet dog, that had 3 puppies. Oh yeah, and my Dad warned me that there are huge toads that jump around the place at night. Yuck.

There are 3 different families that live here at my grandparent's house, but that is pretty normal in this culture. The 3 families are: My Grandma, Grandpa, and their adopted son Marc, my 12 year old uncle. My Dad, his wife Gia, and their son/my little brother Quentin who my grandpa nicknamed "Jampong", long story. And my Auntie Gigi, her husband Uncle Bog, and their daughter Joy. They also have a made named Dai.

As expected, dinner was great. My grandparents are great cooks and even planned out a rough menu for all of our meals while I am here. Keeping in mind that its somewhat disrespectful to turn down a meal, I have a feeling all my time in the gym is going to be countered with the time I spend here. Before dinner and after dinner, my Grandpa, Dad, Uncle Bog and me all sat around outside by the kitchen and had some beers and brandy. While we were waiting or helping out with the meal, we also have what they call "Pulutan". It translates to finger food and Pulutan is basically the equivalent to what peanuts are to beer in a bar setting. It's just not right to drink without having some sort of Pulutan.

After dinner and after more drinks it was time to shower before bed. This was probably the hardest adjustment of all. The shower does have a shower head on it, but my grandpa warned me that more often then not the water pressure is so low that it doesn't work. When we first arrived I took a shower and it worked, at night when I took a shower, it did not. So when it doesn't work what you have to do is fill up a bucket from a spout that is closer to the ground, and use a little plastic pot to pour the water over you. The water comes out of the spout slowly, so the whole process just flat out sucks...and oh yeah, no hot water either unless you boil it first.

My sleeping situation was that I shared a bed with Marc in my grandparents room. It's the only room in the house that is almost done and the only one with air conditioning(or as they say in the PI- "aircon"). And actually, it is the most comfortable sleeping situation since the 5-Star Dusit in Manila. Hopefully tomorrow I can figure out how to adjust to living here or just get out of here asap!

I left the island this morning for my flight to Clark, in Angeles City. I was much more comfortable this time with the process of tricycles, paying fees, boat ferry, more fees and tri's, etc... While I was in the airport in Caticlan wiating for my flight, the power went out multiple times. The problem with that is that the aircon and fans turned off in a small waiting room full of 100+ people...on a hot day...not cool. Finally my plane got there and it just so happened to be the smallest plane I've ever flown in. I've never been on a flight where I could actually reach over and tap the pilot on his shoulder. There were no pre-flight instructions, no intercom, and the funny part is that I was the closest person, on the whole entire plane, to the Emergency Exit. I had to teach myself what to do in an emergency, haha! And although I was inhaling exhaust the whole time, suprisingly it was one of the smoothest landings ever.

Prior to being in the PI, I was most nervous about this particular leg of my trip. The part where I would be spending a lot of time with my family after many, many years. Now that I am here, I am much more comfortable and I have much less anxiety. Honestly, I just want to be around people that aren't complete strangers and i'm excited to see how my family here lives compared to what i've seen. I waited at Clark for about 10 mins since my flight arrived early, but then I caught a glimpse of my dad and grandpa in the van and I went to greet them. I was suprised to see the WHOLE family came to pick me up. My grandparents, Dad, Aunt Gigi, and others that I had never met before...more on that later.

They ended up coming down from their home a few hours earlier to go to the mall and casino. We left the airport to pick up my grandma at the casino. My grandpa and I had lunch while we waited for her to finish playing slots, and the rest of the family waited in the van. It was kind of weird, I didn't understand why we all split up like that. Right away, I felt closest to my Grandparents more than anyone else. Probably because I saw them a little over a year ago, but more so because they acted so comfortable with me. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that they spent so much time with me and my brothers when we were babies. It's crazy that I hardly ever saw them in the past 20 years, but they are still typical Grandparents that wanted to spoil their grandson.

Next thing I know, Grandma ordered some snacks, grandpa was now on the slots, and I was at the mall with the rest of the family. I honestly just wanted to lay down and rest after my flight, but it was a nice little day trip for them, so I didn't want to ruin the fun. After the day was all said and done, my grandparents were still gambling, so we ended up getting a couple of rooms here at the Hotel/Casino. My dad and I went for a drive to get some Litson Manok (rotisserie chicken), down on the strip. Angeles City used to be where all the US military were stationed so there are a lot of old white vets walking around with young pinays. I've seen it here more then anywhere else. My dad parked the van almost in the middle of the street to get the chicken, while I waited. As I was waiting, the biggest cockroach ever, slowly creeped into the driver window. Other than that, nothing too eventful. Eating dinner with the fam, felt very familiar for me. Having to be resourceful with what you have around you for dinnerware. And eating with your hands is pretty common here as well. If you ask me, its much more efficient. There is actually a technique to it. And when they do use utensils, they typically hold the fork in the left hand and spoon in the right. It's also an interesting technique where you use the fork to push everything into your spoon.

So back to my family out here...well I guess the only way to explain it is that it is kind of messed up. I have an Uncle that is younger then me at 12 years old. I have an 8 month old little brother, which makes our age difference over 24 years apart. He literally is young enough to be my son. And My "stepmom" is younger than my younger brother. It's like a scene straight out out the movie, "Don't Be A Menace To South Central, While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood." And you know what, as messed up as it seems, it really just is a testament to what my Mom and my brothers have made of our lives. Plus its not as bad as I am making it out to be. And I just think its funny more than anything else. I guess you can say that it makes my life more unique and interesting. I'm playing it by ear on what my next move is for my trip. But i'm excited for the experience while I'm here.