Gabii sa Kabilin 2013

There are only a handful of things I look forward to this year. It’s not that I’m less open to wonderful things. I just prefer to be surprised these days. It makes this life’s journey so much easier and less stressful for me. But one of the things that I’m always excited about is the Gabii Sa Kabilin.

Gabii sa Kabilin is inspired by the Long Night of Museums in Berlin, Germany. Around this time, all participating museums in the area open their doors to the public, who carry one universal pass–a ticket that grants them entrance to all the sights.

The cultural event itself has grown immensely it also covers churches, and participating groups provide special exhibits and performances, among others, to the public. Other countries have followed suit as well, including the Philippines.

Gabii sa Kabilin, nevertheless, is the first historical activity of such kind in the Asia-Pacific region. How’s that for pride? Most of all, over the years, more cities and establishments decide to join. For example, for May 31, 2013, visitors can go to any of the 33 destinations:

CEBU CITY
1. Casa Gorordo Museum
2. Cathedral Museum of Cebu
3. Cebu City Museum
4. Cebu Cultural Center
5. Colegio del Santo Niño
6. Don Sergio Osmeña and CAP Art Gallery
7. Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple
8. Fort San Pedro
9. Iglesia Filipina Independiente
10. Cathedral of the Holy Child
11. Jose R. Gullas Halad Museum
12. Museo Parian sa Sugbo
13. Museo Sugbo
14. Plaza Independencia
15. Plaza Parian-AboitizLand Heritage Pocket
16. Sacred Heart Parish Church-Alternative Contemporary Art Studio
17. San Nicolas Parish Church
18. Sugbo Chinese Heritage Museum
19. United Church of Christ in the Philippines-Bradford Memorial Chapel
20. University of Southern Philippines-Rizaliana Museum
21. University of the Philippines Cebu College
22. Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House.

LAPU-LAPU CITY
1. Mactan Shrine
2. Muelle Osmeña
3. Nuestra Señora Virgen de la Regla Parish Church
4. Plaza Poblacion

MANDAUE CITY
1. Mandaue City Presidencia
2. Bantayan sa Hari
3. Plaza Complex
4. National Shrine of St. Joseph Parish Church

TALISAY CITY
1. American World War II Landing Site
2. Museo de Talisay
3. Sta. Teresa de Avila Parish Church

Bradford Church, in celebration of its 100th founding anniversary in the city, is going to host the opening at 5:30 p.m. From there, visitors can take a walk and explore the highlighted art deco buildings, go in to any of the determined landmarks, or ride a bus that takes you to your other preferred destinations.

From 5:30 p.m. all the way to midnight, you can:

1. Watch a demonstration of Rizal’s favorite food in USPF, performed a la Kitchen Musical.

2. Listen to balitaw in Casa Gorordo.

3. Play Filipino games in Plaza Independencia.

4. Take the Old Opon Walk starting from Muelle Osmena.

5. Watch the Kadaugan reenactment in Mactan Shrine.

6. Dine on Asian food cuisines and see very old photos of the province (from Lucy Urgello) in Cebu City Museum.

7. Learn Chinese calligraphy and Buddhist etiquette in Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple.

8. Listen to classic Visayan songs in JRG Halad Museum.

9. Watch arnis demonstration in San Nicolas Parish.

10. Ride e-cars in Mandaue City.

Above is a very short list, however. View the e-guide for complete information. You can also buy the ticket or get updates straight to your FB feed here.

The ticket costs 150 pesos, and it gives you access to all featured and participating sites, as well as unlimited rides on buses. You can also ride the tartanilla once with it.

I hope to see you this May 31.

A Short Stop in Butuan

Tags

balanghai shrine museum, butuan, diosdado macapagal bridge

Our Great Mindanao Adventure, as the Husband liked to call it, began in Butuan. If you’ve been reading my blog, then you know that we had been there last year. The weather, however, was so awful we didn’t just suffer a cancelled flight but also missed seeing it.

Last week, we finally got the chance. I know there are other great places in Butuan, but Bernard wanted to see only two of them: The Macapagal Bridge and the Balanghai Shrine Museum.

As soon as the plane landed at around 6:30 a.m., we boarded a multicab bound toward the city proper (or Gaisano Butuan). This is the cheapest mode of transport, though be ready to be squeezed tight since other passengers will surely be carrying loads of luggage. The entire trip cost us around 50 pesos.

We disembarked in Gaisano Butuan, a shopping mall we’re quite familiar with, and waited for a tricycle we could hire to take us to the bridge. While traffic was temporarily at a standstill, we talked with one, who agreed for a 100-peso pakyaw. Seriously, I think this was a bit too much; probably 70 pesos would already be good. But I didn’t have the time to think about that.

The trip from Gaisano Butuan toward the bridge was around 15 to 20 minutes. It helped that the roads were wide and it was early morning–not a lot of traffic.

You can read about the Diosdado Macapagal Bridge here. The driver was kind enough to bring us right into the middle of the bridge even if he wasn’t sure it was allowed so the Husband can take photos. Interestingly, too, only huge trucks, buses, and motorcycles cross it; the rest still make use of the old Butuan bridge. Moreover, since it is a suspension bridge, you can feel the treble. Nevertheless, the bridge is one of the best places to really see the gorgeous Agusan River. Logging is evident with floating logs down by the river.

After a few minutes, we left and went back to Gaisano Butuan while waiting for 8:00 a.m., the supposed opening hours of the Balanghai Shrine Museum. We took a short meal at Jollibee, and by 7:30 a.m., we rode a multicab that took us to Libertad.

You definitely have to pay attention, if not tell the driver you’re dropping off the museum, since the signage is pretty small. The multicab fare was 8 pesos. After we got off, a tricycle driver offered us a ride for 12 pesos.

From the highway, the museum was around 5 minutes away or at least a kilometer. We could have walked, but the sun was just too much, and we’re actually tagging our filled luggage.

The Balanghai Shrine Museum is small compared to other museums in the country. The curator said there’s a brand-new one located quite near it, and most of the artifacts were already moved there. But what makes this site special is that it’s the exact location where the balangays were found.

There are two balangay replicas. One is now found in the National Museum while the other is in another barangay. If you have the time, you can go there using the same tricycle.

I’m very happy to know that the museum has a dynamic and knowledgeable curator–plus, the tour is for free, and you can take pictures of the items.

Around 30 minutes after, we went back to the highway and rode Route 4 that took us to Langihan Terminal, where we boarded an air-conditioned bus to Cagayan de Oro. Multicab fare was around 20 pesos.

Where Was I?

IT WAS A ONE SUPER DUPER CRAZY WEEK.

However, I can’t spill a lot of things yet since I’m still organizing my thoughts, and I’m trying to completely beat this stomach flu. So in the meantime, I’ll leave you with these:

Movie Recommendations of the Week (April 14, 2013)

Tags

asian films, jeon woo chi, movie recommendations of the week, south korean films, the thieves

I am so behind with my blog posts! I’ve been very busy with a lot of projects, and right now, I’m trying to nurse a cold. Need to be a bit better within the next 24 to 48 hours since the Husband and I are off to a great adventure!

I’m also thinking of getting my own domain and web host. This one also needs a lot of planning, but I’m hoping to get this over and done with before August.

In the meantime, I’m introducing a brand-new section or whatever you call it in my blog: movie recommendations. I’m such a film junkie, especially now that we no longer have cable TV. Though I want to see as many kinds of genres as possible, I’m usually drawn to crime, thriller, horror, comedy, and romance–in that order. And for the last few weeks, I’ve been watching A LOT of Asian films.

Which then explains why my two movie recommendations for this week are from South Korea:

The Thieves

Source: majorcineplex.com

The Thieves is actually a mixture of HK and South Korean production. As its name suggests, it talks about a group of South Korean thieves who need to work with the HK crew. Together they travel to Macau to steal a rare and expensive–and stolen–jewelry from a group of prolific Japanese thieves.

If it sounds confusing, consider this as Ocean’s 11 (it’s star-studded) with less humor and more tragedy. But if you love Asian action, this satisfies you. Plus the subplots are interwoven seamlessly. So even if it’s quite long, it lets you hold on until the end.

Jeon Woo Chi

Source: Dramacrazy.net

Are you familiar with the Rooftop Prince? Well, if not, then it is about a prince who traveled to the present time. Jaeon Woo Chi is similar to that, except it has more depth and richer story. I won’t spoil you with more synopses since the story is pretty straightforward. All I’m going to say is there are goblins, archgods, and Taoist gods, and excellent play of myth and wizardry. How these are added into the so-called present period is what makes it valuable to see.

Oh, you need to wait for the last part and discover for yourself where the “ocean” is.

 

21-Day Challenge: Past Two Days

Tags

21-day challenge

It turned out it wasn’t easy for me either. My vertigo came back for the past two days–stronger. Though it didn’t last for more than an hour, when I felt my entire environment spinning, I couldn’t do anything at all. I could not even walk! I had no other option but to take something sweet, eat some crackers, drink lots of water, or close my eyes, hoping after a short rest, I’ll be back on my feet again. It’s making me feel terrible. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t happen today because we’ll be going out.

On the upside, I’ve been receiving a lot of positive responses from friends, and some of them have been kind enough to drop by. They’ve also been very generous in giving their own diet tips. Can’t wait to try out quinoa and more salads next week.

In the meantime, here’s something I did on day 2:

It’s a very simple stuffed omelet with tuna, tomatoes, onions, and a dash of oregano. The cucumber was divine, by the way, maybe because it’s ideal for the summer.