Hazel’s World

Last week, I attended the Sinulog Festival. Aside from being curious, I wanted to march, thank and pray to God and well, ask a few questions along the way. It didnt turn out the way I imagined it. I actually marched TWICE! (accidentally kasi di kami magkatagpu-tagpo ng mga pinsan ko), my legs were aching terribly until last Wednesday!

Worse was, when we came to the church dami tao… Iinit ang bait mo, if you thought Wednesday at Baclaran was chaotic.. whoa! I didnt think I’d survive on my way out. Kawawa yung mga bata, hindi makahinga, nagiipitan. Akala ko magkakaroon ng stampede.

There were so many people around. Grabe! My cousin Haydee told me, mas madami na ngayon ang umattend. SIguro dahil mas marami na talaga ang naghihirap? Dumagdag pa kaming tatlo :D.

Funny, we just stayed overnight. My cousins previously came pa from Bohol before they went to Cebu. Since nagtitipid pa ang beauty ko, sa Cebu ko na sila mineet. Di din naman ako mag eenjoy masyado sa Bohol kasi di ko naman kasama si Braxton :).

The next day, nung pauwi kami, dun lang nag start ang parada ng Sinulog. (Aba malay kong aabutin namin?) Even when I checked the schedule, may mga little things that will pop out na hindi mo aakalain. Pero grabe.. all I can say is ang gagaling ng participants, bukod sa sobrang career sa choreography, ang costumes! ‘INDAY ANG COSTUMES! Parang may sumabog na rainbow factory with matching foil wrappers at kung anu-anong karo na nanggaling pa kung saan-saan, feeling mo siguro asa Rio de Janeiro ka.

At syempre, they blocked all the exits, kaya kaming magpipinsan, with all our boxes of daing and otap e umuwing halos duguan. di kami makasingit, nanlilimahid at pagud-na pagud kaming dumating sa airport.

If you want to attend these kinds of festivals, specifically Sinulog, here are a few tips:

1) Plan it 6 months ahead like we did. This way, mura ang lahat ng fares, plus you can score some vacant rooms. A month prior, usually fully booked na. SOme, even Cebu Midtown is fully booked a year before. Ganun ka tindi. For a habitable one-nighter, I suggest Holiday Plaza Hotel. They have a decent room and CR and a good breakfast buffet. Pero kung talagang tipid-tipiran ka, you can scout the inns like Fuente Pension Inn, etc… Pero to scout inns I suggest if you’re in Cebu already for business, walk around when you have the time and scout as early on.

2) Book on a Saturday morning, leave on a Monday 1 PM. Check flight schedules. This way, di kayo magagaya samin na kung san san lumusot para lang makauwi. I just went there for a night. O di ba? Gawin bang Quiapo ang Cebu…

3) Sinulog is a haven for photographers - whether amatuers or pros. So load up on batteries and be there as early as 8 AM! Pero usually, the best performers come out in the afternoon. So its best to bring 2 bottles of water for yourself, a small chair, umbrella, panyo at pamaypay. Slather on some heavy duty sunblock if you plan to stay up to 5 pm. Di ka puedeng umalis. You might miss out on a lot, not just the parades of the stars the likes of KC, Richard and Anne Curtis, but the colorful costumes of the cebuanos that they have made with blood sweat and tears ( who wouldnt with 8 million pesos worth of prices??)

4) Never speak Tagalog to Cebuanos. Bukod sa susupladahan kayo, ibig sabihin lang di nila naiintindihan. The best way is to speak in English. Hindi ka naman magpapakasosyal. Mas gets lang nila talaga ang English kesa Tagalog.

5) When in Osmena, eat at Casa Verde. Its just a few blocks away from Cebu Midtown or Holiday Plaza. My favorite lunch is the shrimp in skewers with java rice mmmmmmmmmm… They also serve continental meals like steak, etc…

6) For Filipino grilled seafood, eat at AA Grill and Barbecue. Nagkalat sila sa Cebu but ask the cabbie where is the nearest from where you stay. Better yet, ask the hotel receptionist para di kayo paikut-ikutin.

7) Souvenirs, nothing beats Island Souvenir Sinulog tshirts. Nagkamali ako ng size. Dapat pala large na yung binili ko. Magpapapayat pa tuloy akech. Sa pagmamadali di na namin naisukat at dami ring nagsusukat

8.) Pasalubong. Bongbong’s ube and butter piayaya are the best. Lalo na pag sawa na kayo sa dried manggoes. For otap naman, you may try the ube variety kung medyo nauumay na kayo sa Shamrock. If you feel like being generous, punta kayo sa market, Meron dung nabibiling danggit na puede mong ipa box. A few strangers would come to you selling wooden carvings of Sto Nino etc.. Dont be deceived. Kasi nakabili din kami ng pinsan ko ng nililok. Pag bukas ko sa bahay nabakbak yung Sto. Nino. Yung pinaka mismong sto.nino is just chalk na naka mount sa kahoy. Kaya pala mura.

Lastly, if you want na magpaka cheap at may makasabay kayong artista, umuwi kayo ng last flight ng sunday if you dont mind ma gulpe ang katawan nyo sa pagod ng kutakutakot na Cebuano at turista na nagsasaya ng mismomg parada.

Highlight of the night pauwi was this….

pisngi lang ni Anne Curtis hahaha kinabahan kasi ako.

Marian Rivera is petite pala. but she is pretty no doubt

At of course, my fave pic of all…

Kay Poo lang ako may lakas ng loob mag papicture kasi I have my pride. I dont want to look like a fan. I wanted to look like a friend. O di ba?

For all its worth i see myself going back hopefully with braxton. he would have loved taking colorful pictures of the parade. Mas mura ata dito kesa bora? but i have to investigate further.

see you next time, Bai! Daghang salamat sa inyong tanan!

I am so lucky to have been born in the 21st century where you can get information in a snap without having to buy gazillion books that may overpower my room or having to go to a musty (muldy dusty) old library.

Iam surfing on several websites while I am typing this blog. I would like to share with you the sites I frequent.

Google www.google.com

The easiest index in the entire universe.

Youtube. www.youtube.com

No contest here, obviously, this is where I have watched ‘The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros” and the elusive 1997 version of “Lolita”, this is where I go to, to watch Japanese gameshows, funny videos of Bitoy and new and upcoming films by trailers such as Xmen Origins Wolverine, T4 among others.

Supernatural. www.supernatural.tv

After Charmed, Friends and SATC, this is the only new favourite tv series I’m interested in watching. This is not the official site though, but every information, forums and loadable photographs of Jensen and Jared are within reach. You can also trade information, and opinions on the very heated and challenging forum webpage as well as check on the upcoming spoilers. They even have the real urban legends surrounding every episode they feature.

Facebook http://mochachocolada.fluff-friends.com

I love playing and feeding my pet Please pet mocha too. Thanks! That’s all I do at Facebook, nothing more. I find it tedious to play with their other ‘applications’

The Drudge Report www.drudgereport.com

For an ubiased view of whats happening in America

Intouch.Org www.intouch.org

For spiritual enlightenment, Dr. Charles Stanley gives me inspiration to keep up the good faith and fight the good fight with his audio programs.

Video Jug www.videojug.com

From how to create a smokey eye shadow to the meh Spaghetti Carbonara, this site has videos of ‘how-tos’.

Friendster www.friendster.com/nuttynellie Myspace www.myspace.com/thedarksideofthesun

In keeping up with my friends both locally and abroad. Its fun giving my personalized space a punch by adding designs, pictures, skins, music, etc… Iam a colorful speck in a web full of variety.

Wikipedia www.wikipedia.com

From the Palestinian – Israeli wars, to movie stars and other famous places, events and / or people. It has been said that information from wikipedia is not 100% fact but it’s a preferred site for no fuss info.

new - Instyle Hair makeover

You minimize hair disasters by superimposing celebrity hair on your pic.

As the last day of my hiatus from work, I couldnt help but share with you the issues surrounding the Gaza War.

I have been reading a lot of articles regarding the Arab - Israeli conflict that has spanned for centuries. So far, everything has been a chicken - egg situation. Who started what? who is right? is war necessary? why all this fight?

Aside from the fact (or to others, fiction) that it has been biblical pre 21st century, the 1900s has offered a ‘factual’ basis on the conflict. I will try very hard not to bore you, I have tried my best to summarize the events to hopefully give light to the ongoing conflict.

* ‘my’ understanding on the war pre 21st century. Israel / Jews were ‘cursed’ due to disobedience to God. From the splitting of kingdoms from the time post Solomon rule as a result of Solomon’s idol worship to the bitterness against their race post crucifixion of the Christ - the most atrocious of which was the Holocaust. Per Quran, Holy Land is mentioned at least seven times, once when Moses proclaims to the Children of Israel “O my people! Enter the holy land which Allah hath assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown, to your own ruin.” (Surah 5:21) - Here even the Muslims recognize that the Holy Land should be for the Israelites. In short, to the ‘younger’ brother. Note that it was believed that the Palestinians / Arabs are under the line of Abraham’s eldest son Ishmael and the Israelites / Jews are believed to be Isaac’s descendants of which God has favored. As to the ‘turning back ignominiously’, whatever that means, maybe that was what the Arabs are holding on to since the younger and highly favored one is so stubborn and disobedient thus undeserving while the older brother always upheld God’s laws.

* The Brits during WWI defeated Ottoman Turkish forces in 1917 and occupied Palestine and Syria. The land was under British military administration for the remainder of the war - It is beyond Israel so Israel didnt give a care as I believe it didnt have to since it was between Brits and Palestines for a time.

* After World War II, the British government abandoned its mandate in Palestine. UN took over and recommended a ‘partition plan’ resulting in an Arab - Jewish state: A ‘live and let live’ policy.

* After the war in 1948, the mandate ended up being split between Israel, Egypt and Jordan. Israel and Jordan annexed all areas under their administration (occupied Palestinian territories in Israel); Egypt maintained a military occupation of Gaza. In short, Israel agreed and compensated with little land left to them.

* Arabs refused Israel’s sovereignty until 1979 rejecting Israel’s desire to exist.

* Israel subsequently annexed East Jerusalem and the Golan, asserting that the West Bank and Gaza were “disputed territories”. The way I see it, Israel relented by issuing Palestinian occupied land as a ‘disputed territory’

* As a result, Arab residents on the ‘disputed territory’ became refugees. This did not do well with the Arabs.

* 1979, Egypt and Israel signed a ‘peace treaty’ leaving Gaza for peace negotations between Palestinians and Israel.

* In 1988, the Palestinian Liberation Organization declared “the formation of an independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital. *this came for the fact that Palestine did not recognize Israel.

* In 1993, the PLO and Israel agreed that Palestines shall establish ’self rule’. In short, Israel would not meddle in the Palestine occupied territories. Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty afterwards.

* No other Arab state has granted legal recognition of Israel’s sovereignty.

* Several attempts at finalizing the terms for a peace agreement between Israel and the PLO have failed. In 2006 the Palestinians elected Hamas into power, a party that does not recognize Israel as legitimate.

* Israel pointed their side of the story, and the Arabs did as well, after tumultous debates over who’s is whose, Egypt, Israel and Jordan has resovled international borders, the dispute has now shifted to the confilct between Palestinians and Israel.

* Palestinian groups want a sovereign Palestinian state and removing the term. refugees to Palestinians in their ‘occupied territory’.

* International law is complicated by the fact that Israel is a sovereign state and PLO though acts and is recognized as representatives of the Palestinian people is not considered as a sovereign state, therefore has no legal rights whatsoever.

* This angered the Palestinians / Arabs further, thus the birth of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Hezbollas which is patriotic to their native land but is considered a terrorist by all others.

* Israel, when provoked only asserts their their sovereign right to self defense as justification for assinations for enemy leaders.

* Previously Israel did not build walls between territories, thus, prompting so called ‘refugees’ to mass transfer to Israelite territories thus leaving Israel vulnerable.

* Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention that such massive deportations are prohibited regardless of motive, thus prompted Israel to put up walls as ‘barriers’ not just against Palestinian expansion but also to minimize threats of such.

* Critics against said barriers including the left winged media and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stated that Israel has no right to do so because it separates Palestinians from their means of livelihood and from interaction with others comparing it to the apartheid regime in South Africa. This has made Palestinians poorer.

* Israel defended itself by stating that the barrier is solely for security reasons and the land disputed is not subject to Geneva Conventions and even if it were, it explicitly allows structures to be built for purposes of self-defense.

StandWithUs, a pro-Israel advocacy organization, defends the security fence by pointing out:

* Israel did not begin building the fence until 2003, when terrorism reached unprecedented levels.
* The fence is similar to barriers that dozens of other democracies have built to keep out terrorists or illegal immigrants, such as the barriers between the United States and Mexico, India and Kashmir, Spain and Morocco, North and South Korea and even the walls within Belfast that separate Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods.
* Since construction of the fence began in 2003, the number of completed terrorist attacks has dropped by more than 90%.

* As of date, Israel did not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICJ on this matter, stating that the ICJ had no standing to hear the case in the first place, so its determinations are rendered void and irrelevant.

* Ceasefire and peacetalks ended December 19 when Hamas fired rockets on the Israel town of Siderot. Benjamin Netanyahu the leader of the right winged ‘Likud Party’ stated ‘Right now we have to go from passive response to active assualt’.

…Thus prompting the war on Gaza

I have been typing and researching for more than three hours. All I have to say is that there is no ‘end’ to this turmoil until crows turned white. I hope this article has helped you in some - if not all of your questions.

~signing off~