Moved! Let's ditch this place!

I'd like to announce, to an field of emptiness that my blog has transferred to a better home. So head on this URL:

http://packet-switch.com/chymera/

I'm having a house party!!!

well, okay I'm kidding ...

"Patag" at Silay's Majestic Mountains

First we went the Business District of Silay where I had the chance to see the old colonial buildings. They are very nice and in good condition. Unlike the buildings in Iloilo, the ones in Silay hold true to its Spanish Influences ... We also got to go to Bahay Negrense, the oldest house in Negros, and see all the nice antillian houses lining the streets.... Truly, Silay really is the Paris of Negros!



Then we had a long trip up the mountains of Silay into this place called "Patag". After parking the car beside a chapel, we had to walk a distance to reach a small resort. It was so breathtaking when we got there, the view was great, the wind was cool, there was a small swimming pool, and best of all ... we've got the place all to ourselves!



Spent most of the day swimming in the chilly water, exploring, and eating. During the night, we had a bonfire and we slept in a small bahay kubo.... It was amazing how all 9 of us could fit in such a small space ... hehe

My friend warned us about the temperature during dawn but I didn't really pay attention. Little did I know that she was right, it was so cold .... unbearable! i wish I had brought a jacket or a coat or something.

April 30

It's already our last day in Negros, too bad :( I really enjoyed my time ... we arrived at the port at around 2:30pm and left at 3:00 .... In the RORO ferry, I began to contemplate about my trip but mostly about Negros:

Bacolod is a bustling city with clean and wide roads, nice parks and recreation areas, lots of spaces of development but it's still the second city of Western Visayas ... I don't think I'm biased in saying that Iloilo City is bigger than Bacolod in terms of economy. This aside, Iloilo also has it's weaknesses that Bacolod excels upon like cleanliness and infrastructure. I'm not trying to say that one city is better than the other, I just want to say this because a lot of people from both sides really like bashing and comparing each other and I think this should stop. Both cities are twin cities seperated only by sea, true-blooded Ilonggos by nature thus we should help each other out just like what happened a century ago when Iloilo and Negros were the most dynamic provinces in the Phils, sometimes even comparable to Manila.

Also, Negrenses are reputed to be gracious hosts. I've proven it to be true! We were very much well taken cared of during our trip ... I'm really thankful for our hosts, who shared with us their time so we can enjoy Negros, the Sugarlandia of the Philippines.

Panaad Festival

The Panaad Festival is the mother of all festival in Negross Occidental, it bring s together all the cities and towns in Negros into one "super" festival. It is staged in the Panaad Park and Stadium, where each town and city has their own booth, showcasing the different aspects of the towns and cities like their history, culture, tourist attactions, industries etc...

I was in awe of how much effort Negrenses put into this festival, especially the local gov't. Ir really gave me the impression that LGUs in Negros Occ. are very active in promoting the province's tourism, and they are doing a good job at it ... no wonder they're always featured in DOT ads.

Here are some of the nice booths that we saw:

Talisay City


Sagay City


La Carlota City


Silay City


Kabankalan City


I have only one complaint during the Panaad Festival. As we were eating in an inasalan somewhere in the park. A child went up to us and begged for money, as in we were so surprised to see the little boy. He was so malnourished, as in he/it was the thinnest kid I have ever seen in my life ... after we gave him some money, one kid went to us after the other all just as thin and sickly as the first one ... there was even a girl who asked for donation for a religious cause or whatever, lol. Ano abi nila sa amon, mangaranon! sa kilid2 na lang gani kami nag kaon para maka save dasun mangayo pa sila hhmmm... Pero, the most upsetting event was when we were finished eating and 2 kids went to our table to ask for our chicken, which we've already eaten to the bone ... We had no choice but to agree and after we said yes, the 2 kids immediately grabed the chicken (bones) by their bare hands, one ate in front of us and the other ate a few meters from us .... it was so sad

I began to think about this Panaad thing .... the each LGU spend millions into this event yet they can't even attend to these children popularized by the name "Batang Negros", who have nothing to eat to fend for themselves and scavenge for other people's food and they probably have no home to go to.

Anyways,

We returned home at 10:00pm and went straight to sleep, woohoo!

The second day, we reserved for touring Bacolod City. Unexpectedly a schoolmate txted us and invited us to a 2 day trip to Silay, all expense paid. Yes! mwahahah ... We had barely a few hours to tour Bacolod because we already woke up late. It was already 11:00am and the RORO leaves Bacolod at 4:00pm. So we agreed and after lunch we went out to enjoy our newly extended Bacolod City tour.




We did lots of touring around ... First sa Robinsons, then we went up the PNB Building (Bacolod's Tallest), went to the Provincial Capitol then the City Plaza where we visited the San Sebastian Church and the Bandstand in the Plaza ... Our next destination was Gaisano City then we visited the Bacolod Convention Plaza Hotel, Golden Fields, The Bacolod Airport, then the ghost mall called Robinsons Metro Bacolod :D





After dark, we headed to Talisay to meet with our friends and proceeded to Silay where we will be staying for the night... We had dinner at a seaside restaurant which served delicious seafoods, I was so full!

Just got back from my little trips

My trip was only planned for 2 days in Bacolod for the Panaad Festival, but in an unexpeted turnaround a schoolmate invited us to join them in an overnight in Silay ... with some P300 left in my pocket, I was a bit skeptical to join them. Fortunately, they texted that it will be "all-expense-paid" ...YES!!!

Here's the breakdown of this little 4 day adventure in Bacolod, the city of smiles, and Silay, the Paris of Negros:

My friends and I were supposed to leave Iloilo via Roro to Bacolod at 12:00nn, as usual I came to our meeting place (in school) late at about 11:00am, well ahead of the planned 9:00-10:00... During that time, I still had to go to my classmate's house to borrow his camera.

So I did, but when I got there he said that he left it in my other friend's house ... which was on the other side of the city (OMG!). It was already 11:20ish, and we had to ride the jeep ... the stupid jeep who was sooooo slow because he wanted to get the jeep full before moving. When we got to our friends house, bad luck struck us again (well just me), the camera was not THERE! it was with my other stupid friend whom I greeted at school a while earlier.

I just had to take the taxi, it was already 12:00nn in my watch. I arrived at school got the camera and told the taxi to make a run for it to the port...

When I got there, my friends were already sitting at the terminal smiling and giving me a 'look', like they're going to obliterate me for being at least 30min late ... just my luck, the RORO had already left us.

Not considering defeat, I thought of Plan B. There are 2 roro terminals in Iloilo City and 1 in far away Dumangas and since the Tourism office of the city hall is just a walk from where we are, I though that we could inquire about the schedule of other RORO terminal. So we got there and then the nice lay showed us the schedule of another RORO shipping line, it said there's a ferry leaving Iloilo at 3:00pm and the fare is just P80 ... with faith, we boarded a jeep and headed to the other side of the river to find the other RORO terminal but when we got there, we were informed that the RORO trip for Iloilo-Bacolod was cancelled a year ago pa ... ARGH!!!

With no hope of taking the RORO and pay less amount for the transport to Bacolod, we surrendered and boarded the OceanJet Fastcraft, which cost us almost twice the amount for a RORO.... My money was only a little less than P1000 and now it has been reduced by a third because of me ... because I was late :(

After 1 hour, we arrived at Bacolod and went directly to the City plaza to find the tourism office of the Bacolod City Hall (it was raining by the way). We then asked for some brochures and left for my tita's house where we will be staying.

Then after unpacking, we left for the Panaad Park and Stadium for the Panaad Festival, the mother of all festivals in Negros.

Neopets!

Summer boredom will do you no good ... Just recently, I've been played a victim of yet another brainless online game: Neopets ...

Lame



Hello there! My name is chymera114572652, and I'm a Xweetok. We're primarily ground-dwelling Neopets, and love living in heavily forested areas. You can often find us making our home among the roots of trees or in large crevices of old trunks. Some of us prefer the city life and comfort of Neohomes, though. That's why I was so happy when chymera00 adopted me! I really enjoy sleeping in a nice, cozy bed and sipping hot chocolate by the fireplace.

Most of the time, however, you can find me outside, playing active games like tag. Us Xweetoks have very fast reflexes, so catch me if you can!

Summer Traffic

The road is so lonely during summer ... not a lot of cars
It feels very earie ... like the city has become a ghost town of sorts
Maybe, I've just been at home too long
The city for me has become so unfamiliar
But that's a good thing for me
Since I'm always driven by my curiousity
Going to the city has once again become an adventure for me

Its Summer!

There's only one time of year that I anticipate will come ... Summer break
ALERT!, it's already summer (or dry season, whatever) ... Then why am I still feeling that I should be enjoying more? I'm wasting the whole 2 months of no class lazing around watching TV, sleeping, and blogging when I should be doing everything that I could be doing like visiting places and having fun ... arghh

Things to promise myself during what's left of the summer break:

1. Meet with friends more often.
2. Do more alone time outside, like in a coffee shop.
3. Do something productive other than thinking of how to make money by blogging.
4. Visit more places and take more pictures.
5. Minimize being such a suplado introvert and make friends with more people.

Don't press the Red Button

Satellite Images of the Philippine's Largest Cities

Bacolod City


A city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. It is the capital and largest city of Negros Occidental. It is best known for its Maskara Festival, held during the month of October. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 429,076 people in 87,441 households. The city is nicknamed the "City of Smiles".

Cagayan de Oro (abbreviated CDO)


One of the important cities in Mindanao which is located in the province of Misamis Oriental, Philippines. It is the capital city of Misamis Oriental. Its international container port is one of the busiest cargo hubs in the southern Philippines. It is also called the City of White Water Rafting and River Trekking. It is also famous for its river taxi and cruise restaurants. It is one of the best cities for adventure-lovers. It is the regional center of the Northern Mindanao (Region X). According to the 2000 census, it has an estimated population of 461,877 people in 200,000 households.

Cebu City


The capital of the Cebu Province in the Philippines and is the second most important metropolitan center in the country. The city lies on the eastern shore of the island of Cebu and is the oldest city in the country, even older than the nation's capital, Manila. Cebu is one of the main hubs of international flights into the country and is the most important center of commerce, trade, and industry in the Visayas and Mindanao parts of the country. It is because of this and other important aspects that Cebu City was given the monicker Queen City of the South. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 718,821 people in 147,600 households.

Davao City


One of the most important cities on the island of Mindanao, and is the largest city in the Philippines in area. Its international airport and seaport is one of the busiest cargo hubs in the southern Philippines. Davao City is also one of several cities in the Philippines that are independent of any province, though it is often grouped as part of Davao del Sur. The city is also the regional center for Davao Region (Region XI). It is one of the world's largest cities in terms of land area, occupying more than 2,400 square kilometers. Davao City has a population of around 1.2 million people but an estimated 2 million people are in the city during the day for work and other activities.

General Santos City (GenSan for short)


A 1st class city in the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. It is bordered by Mount Matutum and Mount Magolo on the north, and Sarangani Bay to the south. The city has a land area of 492.86 square kilometers, with a population of 327,123 in 1995. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 411,822 people in 86,595 households.

Iloilo City, also referred to simply as Iloilo,


The capital city of the Philippine province of Iloilo. It is also the regional center and the main economic hub of the Western Visayas region. The city has a population of 336,391 as of the 2000 census, making it the 9th most populous city in the Philippines.

Metropolitan Manila (Filipino: Kalakhang Maynila) or the National Capital Region (NCR)


Among the twenty largest metropolitan areas in terms of population in the world. Metro Manila is the metropolitan area that contains Manila, the capital of the Philippines, as well as sixteen surrounding cities and municipalities, including Quezon City, the capital from 1948 to 1976. Metro Manila is the political, economic, social, and cultural center of the Philippines, and is one of the modern metropolises in Southeast Asia. Among locals, particularly those from Manila proper and those in the provinces, Metro Manila is often simply referred to as Manila; however locals from other parts of the metropolis may see this as offensive, owing to city pride and also the fact that some cities are actually geographically closer to the neighboring provinces than to Manila itself. Metro Manila is often abbreviated to M.M..


Zamboanga City


A 1st class city in the Philippines. As a chartered city, it is autonomous of any province, though it is sometimes associated as part of Zamboanga del Sur. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 601,794 people in 177,152 households. The city was the regional center of Zamboanga Peninsula prior to the controversial transfer to Pagadian City. Zamboanga City is also the center of commerce, trade and education in the region as well as the home of Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority (popularly known as Zamboecozone).

Iloilo - Heart of the Philippines

Know more about where I live :D



Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Iloilo City and is located at the southeast portion of Panay island, bordering Antique to the west and Capiz to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is the island-province of Guimaras and across Panay Gulf and Guimaras Strait is Negros Occidental.



Located 238 statute miles from Manila, Iloilo is the gateway of the Western Visayas Region. The province comprises the southeastern part of Panay Island. Iloilo is 55 minutes by plane from Manila. Should you opt to go by sea, Sulpicio Lines, Negros Navigation and Aboitiz have ships plying from Manila (19 hours).



Natural boundaries, such as mountain ranges with peaks as high as 7,000 ft., lie between Iloilo and Antique on the west and Capiz on the north. Mainland Iloilo is composed of plain interspersed with upland portions. The capital, Iloilo City, rests between the Iloilo and Batino rivers which from the angle of a nose. This location is the root of the province's old name, ilong-ilong which means "noselike".



Iloilo province, and its beautiful city, ranks as one of the country's foremost centers of culture, industry and trade. Located on the southwestern tip of Panay Island between the Iloilo River and the Guimara Strait, its attributes as the repository of architectural and artistic legacies, as the promising point of progress in aquaculture, and as a trove of unexplored tourist attractions give it an allure so bewitching as not to be missed.



Iloilo is the cradle of early Philippine civilization. The telltale marks of such cultural influences live on in the century-old houses, the period churches, the colorful festivals, and in the enterprising bloodline of its people. Iloilo has a glorious past as the land's great sugarbowl and the locale of the haciendas of the old rich - whose scions and daughters turned down the centuries into the dons and donas of powerful economic dynasties.



Some of the testimonies to this awesome heritage are the churches. Nowhere else can church tours prove so rewarding. The Miag-ao Fortress Church is a grand example of a medieval bastion church with onrnate floral designs on the facade; another colossal monument is the San Joaquin Church and cemetery known for its bas relief featuring the Castilian and Moorish wars, while its cemetery is picturesque for its hexagonal chapel with rose windows and twin-tiered balustrades that lead to its entrance; meanwhile, three staircases lead to the historic rock; whereas the Rennaissance - inspired Molo Church and orphanage, the Asilo de Molo, are unique for their architecture as well as for a rare product, hand-embroidered barong Pilipino in pina cloth; the Pavia Church is a red brick and coral windows cases and rightfully deserves a place in one's travelogue. These churches are no farther than two hours' distance from each other.



Iloilo province is primarily the commercial and trade center of Western Visayas, with commercial, industrial development and rural banks, financial and investment houses, insurance companies, and realestate agencies and developers. Nevertheless, agriculture is the province's main source of livelihood. In fact, Iloilo's production of rice, sugar and mango has made it one of the country's top agricultural producers.



The city's population represents a big manpower pool and a growing consumer market. Purchasing power is generally high given the favorable income distribution in Iloilo. Assuring the business sector of a steady supply of multi-skilled manpower are the city's 30 tertiary schools and 6 universities.



Iloilo's is a byword for its famous festival - the Dinagyang, a local mardigras. Held every January in honor of the Infant Jesus, the festival is a major tourist attraction.



Another even Iloilo is known for is the Paraw Regatta. Which is participated in by local and foreign sportsmen.