I have to say before I say anything else, I do apologise for such a lack of activity. There's just way too much on my plate now.

And a foreword, please don't read this. This was a horrible write. Lets go through a version history:

Halfway through my holiday, I wrote a very incoherent few hundred words or so about the holiday. And as of now, three weeks onwards, nothing's happened, and so I will continue the recount from memory. And then add the dozens of notes i took down. And then go through my photos. I'm willing to place a bet on myself being distracted and reliving moments past that I couldn't possibly describe properly in words. I think the quote "A picture describes a thousand words" fits perfectly here. Because really, my procrastinating state of mind right now could not put forward my sentimentality that the pictures i have would.

But please, just know that I had a great holiday. You have my permission to stop reading =D

It's eight pages long.

 

Day One and Two: Twenty-Eight Hours.

And Quantas he flew, over the great floods of the northern states, the short skips overseas and in between the nimbus clouds below, the small island found between the great southern land, and my final destination.
And to Philippines I arrived, Manila airport, oh you humorous thing with your three terminals, confusing me as I figured out I had to take a bus to another terminal. But I did endure, and was rewarded with a fellow Australian that told me of his misfortunes - Virgin had lost his baggage for ten days.

Farewell, he did say, merry christmas and new year, as I left the bus, for the eight hour wait until my check in.
Hooray! As I took a seat, one carryon, one laptop and one luggage and all, occupying a seat until I found myself situated with four other lads of the same predicament. And so we made a pact and became the best of friends. Wow, talking like this is tiring. But anyway, we took turns grabbing dinner and minding the stuff until alas was my flight, along with one other, were the last of the pentagon left. -shiver- pentagon...
Then I found out the guy was like 37. aha, but in all honesty he was super cool, he came from Dubai and was travelling home to his wife and kids.

At jollybee buying a drink:
"spite please"
"just a sprite?"
"yes, please."
"just one?"

And now the story begins, after twenty-eight hours of leaving Sydney and arriving at Davao without any sleep.

 

Day Three: The Hotel.

At long last, after seven months, it's good to see dad, and his bride-to-be.

The twenty-second of December. As I met my step-family, recited the Annoying Orange and watched teevee, after sleeping, we were out hotel hopping and visiting the travelling relatives.
And like every other trip to Philippines, we'd be visiting my dad's old work - Insular Waterfront Hotel. Except this time, we were actually going to stay there.

And I suppose I should mention, I've had a drink everyday since I've arrived. And the day of the wedding as it was, would be no different.

 

Day Four: The Wedding.

Getting ready. Breakfast. Awesome breakfast!
(And then to the makeup people in our rooms, and I have nothing against people with different sexual tastes, in fact I even have a few like that, but please don’t hit on me...)

And the day came when I wore the suit of the best man, and as the convoy left the hotel, within males and females donning purple we arrived at the Church. The only air-conditioned church in all of Davao. And that day was hot indeed. What more can I say other than, I and most of the other sponsors had a five minute run down of what we'd do. But basically, it was a day of church. And the next few weeks would be full of church indeed. But you'll have to forgive me on skipping the details about the wedding, what more can I say other than it was a sweet ceremony with a family get together and lots of photo taking at the end.
My step-mother's side, my father's side and even my mother's side. Exciting indeed.

Did I mention the priest was my dad’s old priest seminary peer?

"oi, mark, do i look... adorable?" - uncle panik

But back we were, to Insular for the Reception party, and best man that I was sat at the front, and travelled the room to talk with the guests. You know, my family, my cousins, my cousin's American husband, my cousin's boyfriend with wings, my uncles, my aunts, my mother's parents, my step-mother's parents, my dad's cousins, my dad's cousin; the engineer / the mayor or rather mayor's proxy (haha), the step-mother's family, her cousin's and her cousin’s daughter.

And the party went on, until the dreaded speeches. My dad's cousin, the engineer, my step-mother's sister, I forget whom, and then the dreaded Best Man Speech.

But the intrepid, unpredictable, yet predictable person I was, stood up, tapped on my glass and offered a toast about weddings and bringing people together. It was tear producing, really.

And there were games, but slightly, off ways of handling the traditional wedding...traditions... instead of a flower toss, it'll be a musical chairs like game? what!? And the guys have to pass around the bride's garter in the same game and put it on the winner of the flower game!?
I'd like to thank my second cousin on my dad's side for taking the bullet and putting it on my step-mother's sister's daughter. Hilarious indeed. I laughed until they passed me leaving, as I played piano in the foyer of the hotel.

Oh! the pin money on the newlywed couple's backs!

But I have to say I don't remember many details, as we got back home, people arrived, dinner began and we started drinking, and I watched disney with my new cousin's and step-cousins.

But it wouldn't end there. I kept a tally.

To the bar we went after persuasion. And to Davao proper we went. A foreign bar we entered, with what I must say, was the most unique live band I've ever heard. And the nicest foreigners I've ever met. After news of the wedding was passed around, we got free champagne and to each, a shot of tequila. Thankyou non-drinker's and non-hard-drinkers alike of the table for passing down your Tequila. And thankyou to Samantha for sharing the bullets with me.

Five shots of tequila, two beers, and two champagnes. It was so hard to facebook Samantha at 1am.

 

Day Five: Sardinas.

I'm not taba!

But this holiday would be the same, at the expense of wedding traditions. The morning after, receding hangover's and all, we embarked on the hour trip to Tagum, my mother's town.

Christmas Eve! And I wish everyone had a wonderful Christmas.
My family gathered at my grandparents place where we talked and threw crackers and feasted and opened our presents three hours early. In hindsight, I think they did that for my benefit! ngaww!

Sleeping in the lounge room with my cousins like a tin of sardines. That's all I can say.

ohoh, I'm a facebook scholar shirt. epic.

oh, and teaching my cousin to say eshays. That was eshays!

Oh and midnight karaoke!

eshays!

 

Day Six: Not My Reunion. Merry Christmas!

Church.

And then, not my reunion. My uncle sonny's family reunion he invited me to on his family's floating restaurant. And food we had. A tour of the fishing place we ventured on. And more food we had. Ahh, my cousin's you're hilarious.

And we played unorthodox bingo, and shot nerf guns and I watched as the exchanged kris kringle presents with humorous little stories.

Cousins.
Sardines.
Christmas day.

 

Day Seven: Late Night Shopping.

Out shopping with my cousins and lola! Oh, the hilarity, as we travelled around Tagum in a tricycle. All seven of us in a bike with a makeshift carriage.

And we made a new sport: running down up escalators. Or vice versa. Yeah, we had people looking at the small crowd of children anyway. No biggie.
Oh, and slippery floors. They make travel easy.

"1 og 3 is b. baboy" junjun

 

Day Eight: Family Reunion.

And so we began the day. Like any other with my cousins, really late in the morning. A result from sleeping super late.

But were we worried for arriving at the Family Reunion an hour’s drive away late? No. Everyone’s on filo time anyway.

And so there the family was, a little over twenty of us packed into two ten seaters, dressed in red, greens... and blues for the people that didn’t have either >.>

I knew my family was big, but, wow. My grandparents siblings families! Whoaaa!

And you know, food, lots of food. And just chilling with the immediate family.

But then the games started.

And as you might have seen from the photos, lots of involvement especially with eggs. And sacks. But not together. No.

And that’s when I started meeting my extended family. I just don’t know what to say. People have... heard stories of me? And so I just bonded, with my hidden agenda of learning my dialect. Awesome times.
Influencing people to be spontaneous and play the games. Check.

Ahh, photos of eggs.

And then, the finale. Carols.

And no offence, but I do have to say. We had an hour of practice the night before, and we had sheet music to boot. But unfortunately, no cd player, so we karaoke’d it.

And following suit, the other family’s did as well. It was epicly hilarious. And all in good fun.

But alas, next year again, good friends/family. Or on facebook ;D

And once again, as everyone left, late night shopping.
And just a note, Yannie always finds money!

Experiment: You cannot enter a shop from the checkout counter.
True.

 

Day Nine: Tron.

Yeah, Tron. As dad, mum and I headed back to Davao, we watched Tron.

Ahh, Tron.

Ahh, Daft Punk.

 

Day Ten: Shopping?

Shopping. And then Paradise Island.

What can I say about Paradise Island that hasn’t been said before. It was paradise.

The boat ride.

Chilling with new friends. Beating dad in billiards four games in a row (in less than half an hour ;D). Chilling with friends. And sharing a bottle of the award winning rum, Tanduay with mostly Samantha.

Oh, you’re supposed to do it in shots.

Listening to some oldie music.

And then, opting no not sleep in the beach houses for the night, we made a tent on the beach. And then it rained. And my side of the tent got wet. And we had to move the tent multiple times.
I had no sleep that night. But it was the.

Best. Night. Ever.

 

Day Eleven: Best. Night. Ever.

Or rather, another 28 hours with no sleep. Among other awesome facts about the night. Definitely a night to remember.
But a great early morning breakfast, and quick tour around the island and it’s aviary with, funnily enough, a single snake cage, and then the sad bid adieu.

The boat ride back, and the multiple hour’s drive to Tacurong.

Hello tacurong! Merry Christmas, lola, I bought you a wheelchair!
You would not believe it, but her old one broke a wheel, and they replaced it with a wooden one.

And so I caught up with the family. And my cousin Lotis! I’ve honestly never met her. (Anything I did when I came to the Philippines when I was ten does not count.)
And gosh –facepalm- everyone says we look alike. And we’re similar.

What would another night in the Philippines be without drinking?
Or a night in Tacurong without playing tongits.

 

Day Twelve: New Years Eve.

See, the place my dad’s side comes from, Baras, Tacurong, is full of immigrant filo people that have migrated south from the Visayas islands.
And many of the people in the area are... related, possibly very distantly, but nevertheless related. As so we began the day by visiting my many relatives in the area.

I love my pamilya.

And so we gathered in the house, drinking, bbq-ing, and playing tongits, when the time came, and almost as one (not really) the neighbourhood erupted in fireworks. And being our family, we’d have to go one step further. As dad set off our car’s alarm, my uncle took out his guns and we shot at the ground. Yeah, just like last year. But unlike last year, uncle Ven took out his shotgun and shot at a tree. A branch subsequently fell.

"Better to let the house fall than the malungai tree"

 

Day Thirteen: Resolutions.

I remember last year, before they moved out, the house behind used to play guns n roses really loud in the morning.
Now, all our neighbours play hardstyle music. Ehh.

Badminton.

 

Day Fourteen: What we did. Day One.

Sunday as it was, was church day, and so, Aunt Regie, Lotis and I visited the new church. And I think, my cousin and I were surprised as we entered the rice field, church sitting in the middle. It’s something so unheard of, yet the scene was so, serene.

But as we came home, we had to go the hospital as my dad and uncle, while we were in church brought my grandfather to the hospital, with pneumonia.
It wasn’t bad really. Lolo is really badass, when we got there he was laughing and all and I listened intently on his stories.

Lolo used to teach Judo, owned a knife shop, and as I’ve said before, fought in WW2 where he got his thumb cut off.

I met Lotis’ classmates. Interesting people.

Took photos with them. Took photos with Lolo. And then lolo was admitted to the labour room. Yeah, it’s as funny as it sounds. As so we spent the day in the hospital.
And Aunt Regie, Lotis and I spent the night.
After Lotis and I ran errands.

Order a jollybee burger with no sauce, you’ll thank me.

Our mission this evening was to fetch... playing cards.
Success. But we returned, lolo and aunt asleep.
And like Tagum, late nights just talking.

Sure. I say it a lot.

 

Day Fifteen: What we did. Day Two.

And so there we were, stretching from the night sleeping on the hard chairs.
Nothing but family in talking in the room that day.

Our mission this evening was to fetch... toothpicks.
Mission unsuccessful. You don’t know how hard it is to find stuff late at night. We travelled by tricycle everywhere!

Lotis and her boyfriend saying goodbye on the phone- ngawww!

 

Day Sixteen: What We did. Day Three.

Discharge. The second and last night in the hospital.
Ahh, how fun it was with the relatives.

I’m not taba!

And to Davao we returned.

 

Day Seventeen: Hill top, Flying foxes and beach restaurants.

There’s a hill that overlooks Davao. A big hill. We drove up that hill.
It’s an amazing sight.

Then we drove slighty down the hill. And we rode the flying fox. That was after the hike. The incredibly steep climb of a hike.

Ahh, my new extended family. You’re an interesting bunch.

And that night, a farewell dinner to my new extended family from Queensland with the family friends.

Apparently I talk like a gay filo. >.>

 

Day Eighteen: Two hours.

And so for once I relaxed (my definition is burning time on facebook or my laptop).
Until the afternoon, where my lolo from Tagum came down to meet us.
And spontaneous as I am! Bus trip to Tagum, yeah!
And so, after lunch with lolo and dad, I took the bus with lolo to Tagum, where for two hours I attempted to unite my family to bid adieu.
They were all nearby and were coming anyway.

Lola then said to me, “get three girlfriends.”
...what, lola?

And after another sad farewell, lolo, my cousin Orvy and I took the bus back to Davao.

“faith, hope and discipline” - uncle sonny

 

Day Nineteen: Flight.

And I got up, baggage all ready to go, said goodbye to dad, my new mum, lolo and roland and entered the airport.
Hooray for contacts! Hushhush here, but our airport contact had already booked me in, and all I did was give in my luggage. I didn’t even take out my passport until I got off the airplane at Manila.

I like chocolate pretzels. But apparently they’re for kids. I bought them half a dozen times on vacation and most times, the checkout people call me a little kid teasingly...

To cut things short.
At manila, I took a bus to the other terminal like my arrival minus the funny conversations, and waited for two hours on the phone talking to various uncles, aunts and cousins, and Samantha.

Bolero: sweet talker

Check in. Food. Lounge.

And so I checked in, and inquisitively as the attendant was about to weigh my bag she asked if I was travelling alone, and just let me pass. Cool

And another three hours in the lounge, one of the first to arrive, I waited the next two hours out on the phone with formerly named person and watched as the lounge was slowly filled.

cranes on a plane. I made cranes of out kitkat wrappers for a small group of elderly women on the plane.

 

Day Twenty: Welcome back.

Hello, cloudy, cold Australia.
I miss the Philippines.

Phone Bill: $780.

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