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Tags: san carlos city work
Published : 7 months, 1 week ago (Sat, 30 May 2009 02:41:22 PDT)
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I am home! On a weekend! For the first time in months! Actually, I should be in Zambales for the Collegian consolidation activity (or according to an inside joke: "consul" - right, Mix?), but I reckon I wanted to rest. Next weekend is Batangas with some Edsoc people because of some fiesta in Melo's town. Oh lord.
A little talk about San Carlos, Negros Occidental. The town is a sleepy one, population just a little over 120,000 and in fact plans to bank on its sleepiness/sleepyhood/sleepicity in order to market itself as a retirement haven. It is v. agricultural, and with its ethanol power plant and water sources, one of those places that will survive even if the surrounding towns inexplicably sink to the bottom of the sea; much like UP Diliman. It also has an airport, but unfinished, and a seaport, but unused. In Marcos era parlance, white frigging elephants. Bottom line, San Carlos, even if they're not paying me to do it, is beautiful.
 
From the new Bacolod-Silay airport, there's a new highway that makes San Carlos accessible in less than a couple of hours, depending not on traffic, but on a driver's readiness to die/proclivity to live a long, pointless life. The road is v. Baguio, and the foolish kids on the team - Katt and I - opted to ride on the back of our pickup, which proved to be a horrendous mistake. An hour into the ride, Katt's cardigan had busted a button and I could not locate my nose. Nevertheless, did I mention San Carlos is beautiful? This is a waterfall, to which you can hike 30 minutes and bathe. It is already on our list. And this is the place where we had a meeting with the city's disgruntled artists in a place called People's Park (but the city is not socialist). The meeting was pushed back an hour because of insistent gamu-gamo, which dove into ears, bras, and, according to the tourism officer who hastily fled the scene, briefs.
 
It was my second time in Negros, the first one with Sidetrip (which, come to mention it, is now available in all National Bookstore and Fully Booked branches nationwide!) was also heaven-sent because we toured around ancient houses, and beaches, and met amazing people. And yeah, because I didn't spend a dime and was paid handsomely. This time, it was also work (and it was, indeed, work) but I still managed to entertain myself. Of course, the following Monday, I had to drag my ass to the 15th floor of an Ortigas building to write vapid stories about vapid shows (except Weeds, Breaking Bad, and I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here - right), but I still appreciated the respite, because some years ago, writing and getting paid for it was just an illusion. Ew. Shoo, positivity, shoo!
 
PS. The trip was another milestone. I had a few bottles (7) with Om the night before the flight and still managed to show up on time (but groggy, understandably). See, responsibility and levelheadedness and being sober are overrated.
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