Bolinao and the Beach Dawg!

We don't really know this dog, but he seemed to be reading our minds... or mocking us. Pansy tourists who don't want to get their feet wet.

Story was, Bolinao had surprised us. Nobody ever told us to go visit Bolinao. We did so back in August (2007) because, well, we were bored with the usual places we've been to. And we saw this advertising billboard with the name of a resort... and we wrote them a letter and they would not be bothered having some media people over because, well, we guess they're already way popular with people who put up billboards. But thank God they did not approve our proposal because, upon our research where they were located, we found another place (called Punta Riviera, which I'll probably talk about in another entry) and the people were much nicer, open to having us stay for a few days and feed us. And through the resort's very nice owners, we got to explore a little bit of Bolinao.

Bolinao, Pangasinan holds a wealth of treasures that nature lovers would find alluring. There's pools of fresh water inside caves where, for a very small fee, you can swim (just pray there's not a bunch of other rather noisy tourists when you get there... so best visit during low tourist season); there's a stretch of off-white sand (but warning, there will be lots of people there... so head for the farthest points but keep an eye on your stuff); there's the old lighthouse to visit; there's the beach where, as the sea has receded over so many years, you are left with rough corals that partly protrudes over the water like small cliffs (lovely out there, but the sharp corals could get you!). And so on.

This lovely dog, we "met" while we were waiting for a small motorized boat to take us down a river. It had been drizzling, the weather about an hour away from becoming, well, bad... and the boatman our host had talked to did not show up. Classic miscommunication. But from the looks of our bunch, none of us wanted to go back to the resort yet, at least not until we knew there's really nothing to be done.

Our host got a boat, eventually, and while we were all daintily walking along the beach not wanting to get our feet wet before we went on the boat (God knows why... we were on vacation anyway and it's not like we would not get wet eventually since we'd been hanging out at our hosts' beach-front pool every chance we got), this dog showed us who "the man" was. Obviously him. Come on, you pansies... this is how you do it.

I think we managed to climb aboard marginally dry, but good God, his way was obviously more fun. Next time, I'd go with people who don't mind getting their feet wet!

Baguio Storm: Lizzie throws a rockin' party... and Joey "Pepe" Smith delivers the punch lines

I hate reading long, rambling, self-obsessed blogs, so let's keep this short and simple. For now, at least. Just over the weekend (Sept. 30 to October 2, 2007), Baguio turned into a rock star mecca of sorts when JB Music brought its "Musikhero" Music Camp to the sleepy mountain-top city drenched in rain. Even as a portion of Kennon Road literally turned into flowing mud and the weather dropped to a dangerous low, musicians from different age groups--from the budding to the living legend--made the wet "pilgrimage" to the town more famously known by our parents as "the summer capital of the Philippines," and camped out at the brightly-lit lobby of the two-year-old, Mediterranean-inspired Hotel Elizabeth, up at Gibraltar Road.

Gibraltar Road... sounds foreign and romantic. The weather--blistering cold we seldom feel back in Manila these days--even more so. But the gathering of these kindred souls just adds a little more warmth to the heart... even though you wish the night-long blues/rock jam sessions were done in a place less likely to host a corporate seminar on the same weekend. Because when you think of a Joey "Pepe" Smith giving a talk, cracking jokes and making like a cool (albeit slurring) cat on stage, or when you sit with your brewed coffee, bobbing your head to a continuous jam instigated by Pinoy rock titans Chikoy Pura, Jun Lupito and joined in by the likes of Vic Mercado (Bamboo, drums), Rommel dela Cruz, Francis Reyes (The Dawn, guitars) and Mark Escueta (Rivermaya, drums), you're thinking, wait a tick... I should be lighting up here.

But the rated PG trip serves its purpose nonetheless. In all the days of inspirational talks (sort of, where the kuyas of the industry give payong kapatid to kids on the way to becoming bona fide frustrated members of the music industry) and sightreading sessions (where the newbie musicians play appointed music by reading off a music sheet), peppered with the hotel's buffet meals and the occasional "what the heck" look from proper guests, it's the young musicians (a healthy handful chosen from many who auditioned to be part of the first-ever JB Music's Musikhero Music Camp) that go home with the goodies--and we don't mean the strawberry jam. Oh, and to the young guns who stayed up all night partying at the Penthouse (we got invited twice, but we were just too tired to go... thanks for remembering us when the pizzas came, Bel!), this might have been the glimpse of the rock n' roll lifestyle they are dreaming of.

But after the party comes the hard work. See you on your way to the top, kids! And to the 13-year-old drummer who seemed to be the star pupil of the whole show, we're looking forward to hearing more from you soon!