Visiting Mati For The First Time - Day 2

As promised, here is my second day sharing of my awesome and first ever and definitely not my last Mati visit. If you were able to see the awesomeness of the city of Mati on my previous post, their awesomeness didn't end there. 

Waniban Island

Another famous spot in Mati that everyone has been talking about is the Waniban Island. In order to get there, you need to ride a motor bangka (small boat). The one that we had that can accommodate 5-10 passengers. For bigger groups, there were also bigger motor boats for them. It took us approximately 15 minutes to reach the beautiful island. 

Motor Bangka

There isn't any restaurant in the island nor electricity so you need to bring your own food before going there. You can bring your own mat for a picnic-like escapade and just pay the entrance fee of 35 pesos/head or spare yourself from paying it and just rent one of their cottages for 200 pesos. The clear waters was just so inviting but the heat of the sun was so painful. 

Much Effort For A Failed Jumpshot

Lefthanded Me

My friend KC didn't mind the heat and even brought one of her review booklets for her upcoming medicine licensure exam and continued reading while swimming. Such a brilliant idea to study isn't it? :) After few hours, our bangka returned to fetch us and brought us back to Jambay. 

Review For Med Licensure Exam

It's just so sad that my Mati visit would soon end. KC's cousin arrived in a short while and drove us to the city's transport terminal back to Davao City. My first ever Mati visit was indeed a blast. More than the awesome places, I enjoyed it much because I spent it with my dearest friends. I would definitely visit the place again.

The width strains against the failing hate. -niceurdaneta-

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Visiting Mati For The First Time - Day 1

I've been hearing about the beauty of Mati since my college days and I've been always wanting to visit the place. They are saying that their beaches got very fine white sand and the entire place is completely picturesque.

Dahican Beach

One of my highschool friends KC just finished her hospital internship and she wants to have a summer vacation before she could seriously start her review for the medicine licensure exam this coming August. She wants to visit Mati so she persuaded me and our other highschool friend Dominique to accompany her. At first I planned not to join but then I realized that this would be the perfect time to fulfill my longed Mati visit.

Me and KC at the Facade of Hotel Beatrice

 Mati by the way is the only city in the province of Davao Oriental. It is also the capital. We left Davao City at around 8pm and rode the last trip of the van going to Mati. The van had limited stop-overs so we reached Mati in less than 3 hours. KC's cousin met us in the terminal and drove us to Hotel Beatrice where we stayed for the night. The supposedly rest time turned to be an infinite chit chat because one of our (Me and Dominique) college close friends, Jhepoy visited in the hotel. He's a resident in Mati and he has been inviting me since college years to visit their place. It was the second time for Dominique. 

Even though we slept late, we managed to wake up early and had our early beach hopping. Good thing KC's uncle lent us his car/s that made roaming around much easier. For those who would visit Mati without private vehicles, motorcycles are available for rent.

Inviting Waves

Our first stop is at the famous Dahican Beach. Just look at how beautiful it is. The waves are obviously huge which are great for skim boarding and surfing. Aside from the fact that I can't swim, I'm pretty sure there's no way I can learn to skim nor surf. So I just watched the kids enjoying it.

Skim Boarding

 After Dahican beach, we were looking for a place to stay for the night so we had the what so called "beach front desk hopping". We visited Masao, Gregorio and then finally Jambay. We decided to stay at Jambay and told the managing personnel to reserve one room for us.

Gregorio

Jambay

Masao

 It's almost lunch time and since your Mati visit won't be complete if you're not going to dine at Seaside, Jhepoy who happens to be the son of the owner called the resto and had our grand lunch prepared. For the detailed post of the grand lunch at seaside you may click here. 

After the sumptuous lunch, we went to Mayo, one of the baranggays of Mati and dipped into their cold lagoon. If you do not want to burn yourself to the hot sea water, better visit the Mayo lagoon. 

After several hours of enjoying the cool water, we headed to Jambay. Lucky for us because the tide is already high and the sea water is just so inviting. So we had another round of swimming while watching the beautiful sun to set. We enjoyed the rest of the night singing using the videoke machine while munching our delicious dinner from Seaside.

 That ends the first day of my first ever Mati trip. -niceurdaneta-

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Sweet Lie Or Bitter Truth?

Pain and happiness can sometimes go hand in hand. They're not always on the opposite sides as some people can tolerate that much pain for the sake of being happy.However, happiness is absolute and subjective. It doesn't follow a step by step process nor guided by a checklist. Someone else's happiness may not be true to others and vice versa. 

If you're given a chance to choose in a situation which involves knowing a lie and truth, would you be happy to hear the sweetness of a lie or choose to get hurt as long as you're hearing the truth? 

Let's just say you chose the first one, in the process, you were able to escape the episodes of pain. As long as you're believing the lie, your armor against pain is still intact and can never bring you down. However, the longer you're living believing a lie the more pain you're accumulating the moment you'll find out the truth. When that moment comes, you can't immediately start the moving on process because you would also hate yourself for being so stupid. 

Now let's say you chose to feel the pain of hearing the truth, right at the beginning you'll get mad and then you'll cry or whatever gesture you have when you're sad and then eventually you'd be able to accept it and start the moving on process. The acceptance is already there and somehow the hurt feelings will just be eradicated. It may not be forgotten but can easily be forgiven. Being able to know the difference, what would you choose then? The sweet lie or the bitter truth? It's up to you. Have a nice day! -niceurdaneta-

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When You Played The Music

It all started when you played some sort of sound. At first, it was just a normal sound. A certain sound that I used to hear everyday. At that time, it can't be considered a music for me but as to my astonishment, it can't be a noise as well. It was just a "so-so" sound, as what my Korean student's used to say when they describe something mediocre. Everytime I'm around, you kept on playing it as if you're trying to convince me that it's not just an ordinary sound but a music that I could somehow enjoy. Something that I can play repeatedly during my work, when I sleep and in my day to day activities, in short, something that I can add up to my system.

Your sound eventually became a music to me but still I can't enjoy it fully. The music seemed familiar, someone played it to me before but unfortunately the music now becomes a noise. I don't want to hear noises anymore. Noises that once ruined my ears. I don't want my ears to hurt again. It's very painful that I even hated the person who once played it. I don't want to jump into decisions that could burst my eardrums in the future.

I'm still adamant in my decision of not hearing nice music at this point of time. I want to give you a chance but I'm too scared. I don't know when will I ever be courageous to hearing music again. 

Your music is very nice, very nice. However, I don't know when will it stay nice.I don't know when will it stay as a music to my ears. 

I can't command you to stop playing it, but here's my plea, if you're just playing it for fun, please stop. Please spare yourself to give that noise that I've been dodging for quite some time. -niceurdaneta-

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Remembering 2011; A Year Ender Sharing

I can say that my entire 2011 was amazingly a blast. I came to realize that I was able to survive the whole year unemployed. Yes, I'm a year old bum but it doesn't mean I didn't earn, though not that much but I earned enough.

Unlike 2010 that was entirely full of surprises, my 2011 happened to be a resting year for me. Everything were almost predictable and manageable. I enjoyed the convenience of owning my time thus giving me the chance to do whatever is exciting. My 2011 has been a salad of different emotions, achievements, failures and whole lot more. I learned a lot this year, even things that were beyond what I studied from school. 

Here is a list of the things that happened as far as I can remember:

• started updating this blog more often
• learned the basics of the complex html commands
• cleaned my Facebook friends list from strangers yet added 38 more
• changed my city address twice
• betrayed by a supposedly relative
• expected a job abroad but didn't happen
• learned a way to have free internet connection
• considered Google as my lifetime partner
• became a trying hard techie
• spent most of my earnings to food trips
• visited food establishments more than a hundred times
• procrastinated several times
• said goodbye to a dear friend
• stayed single but bombarded with love-life related issues (friends')
• appreciated middle-eastern cuisine
• avoided pork meals 
• had a closer relationship with the Lord

I don't usually make new year's resolution as I believe that if things are bound to happen it will surely happen, whether you planned to do it or not. I'm hoping for another fruitful 2012a amidst the rumors of Armageddon. 

-niceurdaneta-

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The Three Smile-Keteers

Let me introduce to you the three smile-keteers, ^___^; ^^ and :)

• ^___^ - a smiley that has been smiling amidst life's greatest problems. It makes sure that everyone around is happy. It has the capability to make everyone feel okay even though it isn't. I can say that among the three it is the most self-less smiley. This smiley is overwhelmingly intelligent but never admits it. It is a very helpful smiley too. On the context of faith, this smiley is somewhat on the rocks but with constant reminder and follow-up, this smiley can easily get back on track. I'm calling it BUBBLY SMILEY

• ^^ - the smiley that I can rarely see. It's appearance is very precious. This smiley is very hard to please and got a strong personality. Intelligence is also outpouring in this smiley and it doesn't need to brag it because it shows in its words. It can stand long talks and will not allow you to win at any cost. A competitive strong willed and family oriented smiley. I'm calling it HARD-TO-PLEASE SMILEY

• :) - among the three, this smiley is the oldest but still got the childish acts. Its intelligence is far beyond measure and among them, it the most mysterious. This smiley has strong religious conviction and living by its faith. I dont know that much of this smiley yet but there is this certain urge to get to know it more. I'm calling it MYSTERIOUS SMILEY

The three smile-keteers, BUBBLY; HARD-TO-PLEASE and MYSTERIOUS

-niceurdaneta-

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Let's All Help The Victims Of Sendong, We Can Do A Lot

It was Friday, December 16, 2011 when I woke up early to prepare to meet friends. I thought it was just an ordinary drizzling day. Since I promised to meet them, I fought the tempting desire of going back to sleep.

I was all geared up with my jacket and umbrella when I checked my social networking sites for the latest news. That's the time that I was able to find out that my location, Davao City, is under signal no. 2 of a coming storm named Sendong. We rarely experience such horrible and devastating calamities (praise to the Lord for that!) but it doesn't mean we're exempted.

We hopped from one place to another until we stayed in one of the shopping malls to eat lunch. My battery drained so fast that I wasn't able to check on the latest weather update.

When I arrived home, I was so shocked that the storm already caused a lot of damage to the neighboring cities, Cagayan De Oro and Iligan. When I checked Facebook, a lot were already sharing horrible pictures of the victims and their devastated places.

Through social media, a lot of private groups and NGO's (non-goverment organizations) immediately organized relief goods operations to help out. The secretary of DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) Dinky Soliman (@dinkysunflower) has been tweeting useful information and has been asking everyone to help.

Philippine Red Cross came up with a unique way of accepting donations by using mobile phone load credits. 

For Globe subscribers:

via SMS, c/o Red Cross – text RED and send to 2899 – valid donation amounts are P5, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 and 1000 (For ex, RED 10). Transaction is free.

via GCASH, text DONATE and send to 2882

For Smart subscribers:

via SMS, c/o Red Cross – text RED and send to 4143 – valid donation amounts are P10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500, 1000 (For ex, RED 10).

LBC, one of the nation's private courier services is also offering free delivery of donations of any kind in all its branches nationwide.

Major TV networks, GMA, ABS-CBN and TV5 also had their own campaigns. Some families of the nearby cities collected, packed and delivered their own relief goods for the victims. 


One of the local Halal Food establishments in Davao City, Zabadani Cafe is also having their own #helpcdo and #helpiligan campaign. Just visit their official Facebook group for more information.

The help is flowing overwhelmingly. Just choose any of these numerous ways to extend your helping hand. We can't just feel sorry for what happened, we should do something. Social media is around for the needed information. 

More than these relief goods, the victims badly need our prayers during this very dark time. -niceurdaneta-

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I Found The Secret

Dear Nice,

There is more than enough for everything, no limits, no boundaries. Ask, answer, receive. All you need to do is to apply the law of attraction.Attract the things that you want. If you want a new car then visualize yourself driving your new car. If you want that high paying nursing job, then visualize yourself having one. Everything will be given as long as you're asking for it.

Your happiness would always depend on you and not on somebody else. Define your own happiness, claim it, live for it and everything will just fall into place. It would feel good if you want to feel good.

That's the secret.

Living happily,
Me -niceurdaneta-

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Missing You So Badly

Dear You,

It's been quite a while since I last saw you in your scrub suit. I so miss the times seeing you so busy walking back and forth in the Emergency Room taking care of sick people. I so miss the times seeing you accompanying your ever strict medical director doing her rounds and carrying out all her orders with confidence.

I so miss the times seeing you start that IV line so fast and administer IV medicines. I so miss the times seeing you preparing all the medicines for your patients. I so miss the times seeing you writing legibly in the patients' chart. I so miss the times seeing you endorsing every end of the shift. I so miss the times seeing you enjoying your duty with your colleagues along with the unending story telling of anything under the sun. I so miss the times seeing you exhausted after the day's work yet very fulfilled. 

When would be the time I would be seeing that angel in the sickroom again? I hope it would be very soon. :( 

Missing you so badly,

ME

-niceurdaneta-

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Interestingly Scary

Dear You,

I find you interesting but there is something in your personality that scares me and I don't know why. Maybe I'm just too overwhelmed that someone like you exists.Or maybe it's just my first time to know someone from your group.

Things are happening so fast and I know a lot more of it are coming.

I'm honestly scared at the same time excited.

Stay kindhearted.

Overwhelmed/Scared,
ME -niceurdaneta-

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