Camiguin before it’s too late March 4, 2008

Camiguin: ‘Do it now before it’s too late’

By Arlene Paredes
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Last updated 14:07:00 03/04/2008“CAMIGUIN is very small, you can roam the whole island in a day,” said my friend Mavic Hilario, when she learned that I was planning a trip to the island.

Camiguin is second only to Batanes as the smallest province in the Philippines.

“You’ll enjoy the place, it’s a little paradise,” Mavic added. Other friends who’ve been to Camiguin have one common thing to say about my planned getaway: “Do it now before it’s too late.”

However, my travel buddy Noel Miñoza and I still arrived late-at least for the ferry. We just assumed that the last trip for the Camiguin-bound ferry from Balingoan in Misamis Oriental would be at around 6 p.m. What a mistake!

It turned out that the last trip leaves daily at 4 p.m. We were just leaving Cagayan De Oro around that time. (It takes two hours to go to the Balingoan Port from Cagayan De Oro City.)

From the port in Guinsilaban, we took a habal-habal (9-seater tricyle) and spent 30 minutes on the road to Mambajao, the town capital of Camiguin, where we’d reserved a tree house at the Enigmata Ecolodge. Our driver said our trip would cover more than 30 kilometers, which is already nearly half of the entire Camiguin stretch. It was just getting close to 9 p.m. but the whole island seemed to have gone to slumber.

At 6 the next morning, we met Kuya Jess, our motorcycle rider-slash-tourist guide who would bring us to different stopovers in Camiguin. The goal was just to look around and see as many tourist points, because Noel was going back to Cagayan De Oro in the afternoon, and I would have to leave at 5 a.m. the next day.

We had only one day. I would later find out that such a short time was not enough to fully experience Camiguin’s wonders.

White Island

The first stop was White Island. Breathtaking! I could see the entire island from the boat we boarded from Paras Beach. The sand was white, soft and really soothing to the skin. There were few people on the beach, plus some quaint lunch booths for quick seafood meals, so a huge part of the 2-km stretch of White Island was clear for my eyes to feast on. That was the sweetest space and freedom I’ve ever experienced.

Mantigue Island

There are two islands off Camiguin for tourists to enjoy. The first is White Island, for quiet nature trippers and conventional swimmers; the other is Mantigue Island, which is a bit longer by about 1 km. Unlike White Island, there are trees and shade in Mantigue, which has been declared a marine sanctuary. It’s perfect for snorkeling and diving.

For group tours, Roger Saturos, a teacher at Mantigue Island on weekdays and a tourist guide in Camiguin on weekends, can help make arrangements for lodging, boats, etc. You may text him at 0920-2306407.

Churches and giant clams

Our guide also brought me to the Sto. Niño Cold Springs, Moro Watchtower, the ruins of the old Church and a convent in the old Catarman, which was buried by an earthquake followed by a deadly eruption of Mt. Vulcan in 1871; the very old Sto. Rosario Church (built in 1882), and the preservation site of giant clams at the Kebela White Beach in Barangay Cantaan. The live giant clams on display included species like the Tridacna crocea, T. maxima, T. squamosa, T. derasa, T. gigas, and Hippopus hippopus.

Camiguin is still pretty much pristine and unspoiled by man. From its seven massive peaks (including Mt. Hibok-Hibok) to its waterfalls and cold and hot springs, plus its beautiful dive sites, Camiguin should be a prime destination for nature enthusiasts and passionate adventurers alike.

E-mail the author at lhenparedes@gmail.com.

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/you/2bu/view/20080304-122700/Camiguin-Do-it-now-before-its-too-late

Granting wishes December 19, 2006

Spa surprise for mom and dad
Arlene Paredes

Published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on December 19, 2006

CLEARLY puzzled and in doubt whether they got the address right, Mr. and Mrs. Petalver walked into the Terra Wellness Spa at Discovery Suites in Ortigas not knowing what to expect. They knew who to look for, but they were clueless why they had to be there. Well, isn’t that what surprises are all about?

Eighteen-year-old Jen Petalver casually asked her parents the previous night to drop by at the Terra Spa, without divulging any more details. When her parents asked, she only said, “Basta.”

“Basta,” in fact, was a touching story that would move Mrs. Petalver to tears.

Terra Spa general manager Nino Sinco and operations manager Angie Castillo welcomed the Petalver couple and explained to them the special treat awaiting them that day. The couple would receive a 90-minute rejuvenating Terra’s Touch (Swedish massage) session in a private couple’s room, courtesy of their daughter — much to their surprise.

Jen read about the wishes being granted by 2bU! to the Rescue, and decided she would make a wish not for herself but for her loving parents who always granted her own wishes, prompting her siblings to tease her as the family’s spoiled brat, or the one who always got special treatment.

In fact, she was going to celebrate her 18th birthday with a traditional debut celebration a day after her parents’ massage. But as the youngest of five children, Jen was ready to disprove that she was a spoiled kid. She asked 2bU!’s help to give her parents some pampering, and got it.

Ireneo Petalver, 52, and his wife Geronima, 53, both work in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as hospital assistants. They lift patients from one hospital bed to another as part of anaesthesia procedures. Mr. Petalver has been in the same job for 25 years, while Mrs. Petalver joined her husband 10 years ago. They were here for vacation, for Jen’s birthday and for the holiday season, all in one blow.

The couple’s jobs obviously require a lot of physical strength. Mrs. Petalver said she had often felt pain and discomfort in her upper back area, while Mr. Petalver often complained of lower back pains. Despite the discomfort, however, it never occurred to the couple to give themselves much-needed treatment since they were just too busy.

At Terra Spa, located at the 4th floor of Discovery Suites, the Petalver couple finally enjoyed being at the receiving end of pampering and caring hands.

“Sarap,” said Mrs. Petalver of the experience. “Atsaka ang galing nila… pati pag-cover sa ’yo, maingat sila.”

“Exciting na, I don’t know. First time kong ma-treat ng ganito,” Mr. Petalver added.

Terra Spa’s masseurs are all licensed physical therapists with certificates from the Department of Health. They also trained with Kathleen Moynihan-Rodrigo of the Spa Association of the Philippines.

The spa also allows their clients freedom to choose not only their treatment, but the music to accompany their stay at the spa. Two catalogues were presented to the Petalver couple: the catalogue for oils and the catalogue for music. Mrs. Petalver personally picked the spiritual iPod for their treatment’s background music.

When asked about what they would like to tell their daughter Jen, Mrs. Petalver said they didn’t expect Jen to pull off a touching surprise like this.

“Hindi namin ini-expect. Kasi sabi ng mga kapatid niya, spoiled siya kasi bunso,” Mrs. Petalver said, teary-eyed.

Before they left, they promised to share the experience with their other children. Now, Jen has redefined “special treatment” for this family. (Inquirer link here. )

Terra Wellness Spa offers body massages, facials, bodyworks, foot massages, and stand-alone treatments (i.e. quantum chakra clearing). Special promo packages are still available for the Holiday season. Located at 4/F, Discovery Suites, 25 ADB Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Call (02) 6382977.

E-mail the author at lhenparedes@gmail.com

Copyright INQUIRER.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wall climbing in Boracay August 30, 2006

My Bora climbing experience
Arlene Paredes

Published on August 30, 2006 in the Philippine Daily Inquirer

IF YOU sports enthusiasts out there ever decide to fly to Boracay during the rainy season, remember you may miss doing some water sports, but you can still flex your muscles right in the comfort of Patio Pacific, the only resort with wall-climbing facility that is perfect for fun-filled barkada sports.

This author tried wall-climbing for the first time. I didn’t really expect to make it to the top. Sometimes it’s better to just enjoy the journey, or in the case of wall-climbing, the way to the top, than be too occupied with the destination.

We climbers first checked the equipment at the Patio Pacific Alpha Fitness Centre and did some warm-up exercises to stretch our muscles.

Legwork

“Remember, use the power of your legs and feet,” Kuya Richard of Patio Pacific told me as he helped me don the harness that would ensure my safety during the climb.

“Keep this rope between your arms and don’t let it bother you,” he said, noting that some beginners mess with the rope, making their climb more difficult than it should be.

Whether my legs and feet have sufficient “power” for the climb, I was going to find out.

Curiously though, when I looked closely at the holds on wall, I was thinking of how to hold rather than step on them. I was definitely thinking of handwork rather than footwork. This would later result in shocked and stressed arms the morning after.

(After the climb, I read some stories on wall climbing. I learned that beginners are not likely to understand that the sport requires more precision in footwork than anything else.)

I asked the guide if it would be okay to climb barefooted since I didn’t think my beach sandals could help make the climb any easier. Kuya Richard said some people actually prefer to climb barefooted. So I did.

After the first few steps, my instinct was telling me to look up and check the distance left from the top. This is wrong. This is not enjoying the journey, this is impatience.

The right thing to do is look down and check for holds to step on. Once you found another hold to stick your foot on, that’s when you look up to find a handhold that could clear several inches to the top. Progress in steps and give in to the thrill, not fear, of doing it.

Kuya Richard was observing me very carefully, shouting some directions when he noticed I was getting stuck for over five seconds. As much as possible, trainers will let you strategize your own climb. But once you’re stuck, trust them when they say “right” or “left,” it is the way to go. If your foot slips off at first attempt, relax. Direct your weight properly to place your foot at a right angle and you’ll get comfortable in no time.

After a few minutes, I noticed my arms were beginning to ache and my fingers were shaking. I knew I wasn’t doing it right but I had no time to care, I was almost at the top. I thought if I fretted about not doing it right, instead of just giving in to the thrill, I would mess up a few meters to the top.

I was laughing when I grabbed on the last handhold to the top. Not knowing I could do it but enjoying anyway resulted in an awesome “Dear Diary” moment. I finally did it!

Bell

“Ring the bell!” Kuya Richard yelled.

“What bell?” I yelled back. I was so high throughout the course that I forgot I was supposed to pull the bell string once I had cleared the wall.

Of course, it’s not over until the bell rings!

After ringing the bell, I held on tight to the rope as I was told and just let gravity take care of me. What can I say, it’s always exciting to fall if you know someone’s going to catch you.

Once I was back on the ground, Kuya Richard first checked my hands for any scrape or cut. Clear. Then he asked me what body part was most stressed at that point. I said my arms. And my fingers were still shaking. He laughed, “You didn’t do it right.” I pleaded guilty. But I was still definitely ecstatic.

Now remember, your legs are stronger than your arms. Trust your legs to place your foot properly on the holds. Use them well. The next time I try wall-climbing, I’ll bear that in mind.

Pampering

After the climb, what should one do?

Do cool-down exercises to relax the muscles.

Alpha Wellness Centre boasts of cutting-edge equipment for pampering the body, the Alpha Capsule. This “unearthly” capsule combines dry-heat sauna, aromatherapy, ionized air (healthy molecules absorbable by the human body), massage and soothing music for a completely relaxing experience.

A 30-minute stay inside the Alpha Capsule and a separate 30-minute Swedish massage are more than enough rewards for the wall-climbing challenge this author had to face. (Inquirer link here.)

E-mail the author at lhenparedes@gmail.com

Copyright INQUIRER.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Halloween! July 21, 2006

How to host a Halloween party for friends
By Arlene Paredes
Published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT’S Halloween, and while we continue to remember our loved ones who have passed away, it’s not bad to go with “other traditions” this season. Like Halloween parties.

You can simply invite your friends over to watch horror flicks while eating popcorn, or you can cook up more adventurous (yet safe at home!) Halloween happenings this year.

How about an intimate masquerade party exclusively for your close friends? You can be Sadako. Or Dracula. Or one of the Charmed ones.

Or, you can host a friends-meet-friends Halloween party, where you can meet the other friends of your friends from school, workplace or church. Now is the time to let your circle of friends mingle in one bigger circle and have fun!

2bU! shares with you a few tips on hosting a Halloween party:

Mark your calendar. Set the date on when and where you want your party to be held. Setting a definite date will help your friends to plan ahead, adjust their schedule or ask permission from their parents early on.

Conceptualize. Think of a motif. Ask some friends to help you in the planning stage of your party. Brainstorm. The more ideas you toss around, the more creative you’ll be.

Delegate. Know that you can’t pull off a party alone. You need help from friends, and they’ll gladly help as much as they can. Assign different friends to oversee food and drinks, decor, costume coordination, presentations, games, etc.

Choose food and refreshments. If you have a theme for your party, it will be more fun if you can reconcile your theme with your food and drinks. Ask the help of your friends who are aspiring to be chefs someday. Or, you can check the Internet for recipes that go with Halloween parties.

Involve as many friends as possible in your Halloween program. If you’d like to have a ghost story-sharing session a la “Are You Afraid of the Dark,” make sure to ask everyone for stories. Or ask them to bring the most delicious and unique Halloween meal, drinks or dessert.

List your wanted guests. Make sure you have a clear idea of the number of your guests to avoid running out on food and drinks. If you have big shockers and effects at your door, make sure all your friends are healthy and will not wind up with a heart attack because of utter shock.

Invite in style. Instead of a regular invitation card or a text message, you can try sending an invite using spooky items like a rag doll, a toy spider or anything creepy.

Whatever you do, just have clean fun and stay sober. Enjoy!

Growing Up June 21, 2006

Beyond the reckless and feckless youth
Arlene M. Paredes

Published in the January 20, 2000 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

What does the youth of today have to offer in the future if they continue bumming around at shindigs everywhere?

Right now, we disobey our parents, we cram for exams, we text incessantly, we eat and breathe party, we drown ourselves with booze and smoke. We scream for independence. We want our own style. But tomorrow, the next years, what are we going to do? Running for important political titles? Maintaining large-scale businesses? Creating an all-digital environment?

But are we heading in that direction?

Amid teenage pregnancies, early marriages, drug addiction and violence, our elders may conclude that our future is one of failure. It seems to them that our increasingly growing knowledge of the world is leading to self-destruction. Even our contemporaries look at how we enjoy life so much and think it’s impossible for us to get anywhere.

Is there hope for the Filipino youth? Listen to what they have got to say:

I think we are more modern and exposed to the reality if life. Thus, we are more open-minded and mature in dealing with different matters and handling different situations. – Juneth Nitro, 19, UP Los Baños.

We are more adventurous nowadays. We tend to experiment a lot and this makes us nonconformists. We lack identity and we are easily persuaded by the latest hype. It is not good. – Benjo Bergado, 19, UP Diliman.

We are so liberated. Maraming alam. Curious. – Gretz R. Bautista, 19, Fatima College.

We are so aggressive in many ways and aspects. Ang dami nating gustong I-explore. – Regilyn Dimaculangan, 18, UP Diliman.

I think they are more aggressive, persistent and more interested in wordly matters, not to mention that they no longer observe Filipino values. – Greg Wilson, 24, Cagayan de Oro.

GenXers are a bunch of kids who are all style but no substance. – Emerlito Paredes, 19, La Salle graduate.

Most Filipino youth don’t have respect for the elders anymore. Before we practiced pagmamano. – Al Loyola, 20, Baguio.

The Filipino youth now have lost majority of their values. These GenXers have to be taught a lesson. – Raul Santos, 21, Dumaguete.

The Filipino youth is more aggressive today than ever. They need to control lives is growing every day. – Leonida Paredes, 19, DLSU – Dasmariñas.

We are greatly affected by Western cultures to the point that our own identity seems to be diminishing with each passing generation. It goes the same for the moral values and traditions that our forefathers had passed on to us. – Earl Caymo, 19, UPLB.

Basically, we are more aggressive, not afraid to die, happy go lucky, yet far more advanced with the times. We have a good sense of humor, though! – Curt Peralta, 20, Manila.

Filipino youths are generally self-centered. Nothing matters more than themselves. – Noel Balana, 19.

We are a mix of everything. I believe that most of us do think. I mean really think! There are things inside our mind that we care about. We are concerned not only with our love life and our allowances. We think about politics. We think about the environment. We think about religion or – better – about faith. We don’t want to be bums all the time. We want something and that something depends on each and every one of us. Given a chance, we can show what we really are worth. – Remar Zamora, UP Diliman.

Now, that’s the youth spirit!

Our Time

Some adults would look at us from head to toe, criticize about fashion and complain about our lifestyle, perpetually comparing us to their generation without batting an eyelash. They are firmly suspicious of what we do. They sigh, “Ang mga kabataan nga naman ngayon.”

Are we being unfairly misjudged or is there really something wrong with us?

Beaver Flores, UPLB graduate and a member of the UPLB Development Communicator’s Society explains, “The so-called ‘elders’ of society are too old to understand our travails and mishaps. This is our time. It’s true what the Blue Ice commercial says. The technological advancements that our parents have long dreamed of and have gone to immeasurable depths to attain are the real reasons why we are acting this way. In short, they’ve got a taste of their own medicine.”

He added, “We are too lazy and too proud to admit that we are indeed the future of mankind. Technology has increased our level of materialistic dependence. Values are now a thing of the past. Though it’s cool to live in a liberal society sometimes, there are times when the good old-fashioned values still apply. Nagmamano pa rin ako sa lolo ko.”

Prejudged

Of course, there are cynics who don’t believe that we can make a difference. But then again, maybe there is really a problem, after all. When was the last time you did something significant for others? When was the last time you helped you community? When was the last time you thought about school and did not think about it in a bad light? When was the last time you put your compelling words into effective actions?

Sometimes we get prejudged. Sometimes we don’t really get it. But we are constantly searching, learning and discovering the things we can do to affect the world positively and thus, allow it to turn around progressively. It’s easy enough for some to overlook our efforts. But we can try harder – not just to please adults but to realize our maximum potentials. If we keep on asking ourselves for more, if we keep on trying harder, then we are going to trudge the path to a better world.

The parties may never stop. But that’s because we have endless reasons to celebrate. Our minds. Our views. Our accomplishments. Soon enough, the pessimists will regret ever having doubted us.

SMS no more? March 23, 2005

Textus un-interruptus
Arlene M. Paredes

Published on March 23, 2005 in the Philippine Daily Inquirer

BACK in the late ’90s, I was so addicted to texting that I could have founded Text Addicts Anonymous and been a terrible counselor to those who have yet to live a day without jolting at the sound of their cell phone’s beep.

But four cell phone models later, I am no longer the texting queen. I’ve been named “kuripot” and “dead-ma girl” ever since I stopped replying to “how u?” and “san k?”

But I couldn’t care less. One obsession was gone and my texting thumb has been trained to reply only to SMS that are classified as important and/or urgent. Good-bye, forwarded messages; good-bye, prepaid cards. I was free!

However, when I got the assignment to abstain from using my phone, I just couldn’t do it. I thought all I needed was a night of “conditioning” (I’m not a text addict anymore, but I still text a few close friends who live outside the city), but it turned out, even one whole week was not enough of a “conditioning period” to help me out.

I should’ve set off the abstinence Monday night, but I had to postpone it to Tuesday, and then Wednesday, and before I knew it, it was the deadline date already. Drat!

Anyone would say I should just have turned off my phone. Well, I couldn’t bring myself to do it because I couldn’t fight the thought that the next SMS or call might be very important.

For one, I was actually waiting for a phone call from a potential part-time employer. No, make that three potential part-time employers. All writing jobs. Add to that two editors and one (Japanese) translator.

On top of these, I needed to interview someone for another article and the only way I could contact him was through his mobile phone, as he was always on the go. I figured I’d just let my cell phone on, read the SMS but I won’t reply unless really necessary.

Once again, I forgot that there was something more important than business: relationships. I was late for a meeting, I had to text. One of my best friends said she was sick and she thought my late mother was visiting her, so I had to reply. At least three other friends were in serious need of a shrink, and that shrink would be me so it felt wrong not to text back.

Yes, before I knew it, my planned 2bU! article-”I abstained from using my phone for one week!”-had slowly deleted itself from my mind.

If anything good came out of my attempt to abstain from using my phone, it was the realization (yet again) that my cell phone is more useful than it has ever seemed to me at any time, even if it has no camera, MMS or WAP features.

My good old 3310 is a reliable ally in keeping me close to people and situations that matter to me. Giving it up meant giving up my virtual connection to the world.

I may have been unsuccessful in my attempt to abstain from using my cell phone. But that doesn’t mean I’ll never be able to abstain from anything at all. Next week I’ll try forsaking ice cream. Wait and see. (Inquirer link here.)

E-mail the author at lhenparedes@gmail.com

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