I am planning a trip to Palawan for the first week of January. I don't want to jinx it so I'm not going to spill out too many details yet. Suffice it to say that I found a good resort that's not ridiculously expensive and that has available rooms for the dates I want. :)

Alright. Let me see... I survived my first semester and I believe I actually got good grades from my statistics class (yipee!).

As of this month I have finished two fieldwork trips to Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo.

Cagayan de Oro is in the Mindanao area. I've been there at least 4 times on work-related trips for very brief periods of time. And to my mind it is one of the most boring cities I've ever been to. Nothing seems to happen in Cagayan de Oro. Its quiet and peaceful. And for an urban-raised person like me, I cannot abide by a slow pace of life for longer than a few days.

Then this month I stayed there for about three full days and finally -- something sparked. Not a big spark, but a spark nonetheless. Definitely beats twiddling my thumbs.

Cagayan de Oro literally means "Golden Friendship". And the city does live up to its name. People will go out of their way to help you. We stayed in a hotel called the Grand Royale which is comfortably and conveniently close to the city center. Now, hotels in Cagayan de Oro are not spectacular. I've been to 4 different hotels and basically, the hotels take care of basics and not much else. The hotel staff will make up for it in helpfulness though. Just don't go looking around for glamour and perks.

Right across the hotel is Vienna Kaffehaus which I had the pleasure to discover one Sunday morning. Coffee shops are not yet big in Cagayan unlike Manila, Cebu and Davao. Hence on an early Sunday morning I entered an empty but ready shop, found a cozy corner table by the window where the morning sun shines softly through and settled myself to work on my school paper which I took with me. The coffee is good and the continental breakfast was simple but satisfying. Later on when my companions arrived from fieldwork, they breakfasted on blueberry crepes. In the evening we went back for the desserts which were real treats.

Within the past year or so, Cagayan de Oro has also started a Nite Cafe in an attempt to lure more visitors by providing some semblance of an active night life. Every Friday and Saturday, the whole central park of the city is closed down and becomes a huge al fresco bar and barbecue. Local bands played onstage while stalls served up beer and all manners of barbecue, from the classic pork barbecue to chicken and to the usual Pinoy delicacies of pork and chicken innards. The young flocked to this Nite Cafe, probably finally glad to have a happening scene. But what I appreciated most about this Nite Cafe is the wholesome feel to it despite the alcohol and the rock music. Families with kids can be seen enjoying the scene as well. Businesses also remain open late, such as the kiddie fastfood Jollibee.

Other good places to check out would be Blueberry Cafe (again near our hotel) and Panagatan, which served fresh seafood dishes and is located by the beach. I suggest hiring a taxi to bring you there and take you back to the hotel.

Sneaked out to Greenbelt to have some coffee. Ended up having coffee and pizza in Segafredo, Greenbelt 2. The posh Greenbelt. Had a Cafe Vienna and half a four-cheese pizza. As in half the whole pizza. I don't think I should even consider having dinner.

I was up until 4AM this morning rushing to finish my school midterm paper due tomorrow. The whole night the rains rampaged. The sun was weak when it came out and the sky was an ominous gray. I started getting text messages from my office team that they were stuck in flood or in traffic unable to get to the office. Most classes were suspended. I suspended myself from mine. Too much work to do.

I am almost done with the client presentation I am due to present tomorrow. Yes, I have tons of stuff due tomorrow. It's frustrating. I couldn't read my books nor play games on the computer. Worse, I couldn't plan my Baguio trip.

I was in Davao City a couple of weeks ago, the biggest city in the Mindanao region. On work, as to be expected these days. My only consolation was being able to charge really good meals to the client. My team and I are always on the lookout for good food whenever we work out of town.

One of the places we enjoyed is a chinese restaurant called Ahfat near Gaisano Mall. Everything was freshly caught from the aquariums on display and the price is unbelievably cheap. We had shrimps, crabs, fish and vegetables. All in all we spent less than $36 and there were four of hungry us.

It was my mom's birthday last August 1 and we celebrated it in one of our favorite restaurants, Red Crab, in Shangri-la Plaza Mall. I don't even know if this restaurant is of authentic Filipino origin but the food is so good that any visitor to Manila will just have to try it at least once.

Red Crab has become a dafault destination for special celebratory meals. A hearty meal for four people could easily ring up about $91.

Our standard fare includes Crab Maritess, which is crab smothered in olive oil and crispy garlic bits. My dad just LOVES this one and could finish a whole crab by himself. The other mainstay is the Thai Chili Crab which comes swimming in a spicy curry and coconut sauce. For starters we usually opt for the baked mussels although everything else usually pales beside the crabs.

I think I'm getting hungry now...

On hindsight I am glad that I stole those five days from the maddening work at the office and went to Ananyana in Bohol. At first I was slightly regretful for having shortened my timetables. But now, almost a month later, while slowly fading into the oblivion of fatigue, I am glad that I had those days to look back to. Otherwise I would have probably already strangled somebody, or probably even gotten myself fired (although something like that could actually be a blessing in disguise).

I will be posting photos on that trip soon. Just let me get my bearings again as I dig myself out of this work-grave.

All of a sudden, Cebu City has become a regular destination. It's one of the top-of-mind cities in the Visayas region that clients want to study and get to know better. For my part and those of my colleagues, the frequent trips have bred habits. Musts include meals in AA's, Sutukil and Jo's Chicken Inato. Take-home gifts mean a special trip to Taboan market for dried fish and Chilen chicharon.

I'm leaving tomorrow, and we're checking in at the Marriot Hotel. Fieldwork doesn't start until Saturday morning so we have at least a day to say hello to the city.

Yipee! Finally got around to reserving tickets and paying for the resort at Ananyana in Bohol.

Really, the best way to buy tickets is through Philippine Airlines online. All you have to do is sign up as a member, then you can process reservations and payment online. The best thing is that you don't have to worry about leaving your tickets behind because you can claim them the day you check in at the airport. Just don't forget to bring along the credit card you used to pay for it.

Ananyana is similarly efficient. I faxed the deposit slip certifying my full payment and they confirmed within the hour via email. Payment deposit was made thru an account number in BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands). I made the deposit in Manila and just paid a processing fee of P100 because the main account is in BPI Tagbilaran (capital of Bohol) branch.

As of today I received PAL's (Philippine Airlines) confirmation of our booking. We are all set to go!

Sigh. Just a few more days of heavy, heavy workload...

The month of June usually heralds two things: the start of school and the rainy season. It is a well-designed torment for young people -- having to get up from a warm bed before the sun is barely up and battling the ever-worsening traffic to get to a classroomful of equally-sleepy young people doing their best to brace themselves against graded recitations and surprise quizzes.

This year, the rainy season trickled in as early as mid-May. This morning, the going was slow as cars inched along EDSA. A muddy river rages along the street canals. I gave my cab driver a generous tip for not complaining.

We are half-done on our lower-class household visits. I sent my newbie off for exposure. I was actually quite delighted when it rained. Now that's real immersion! I will rejoin the group tomorrow because I still have work to finish in the office.