I received confirmation Tuesday, 13 May 2008, that a story on the origins of the Waling-waling which I wrote will be featured in the June 2008 issue of Mabuhay Magazine, the inflight travel and leisure publication of Philippine Airlines.  Miss Ira of Eastgate Publishing, the official publisher of Mabuhay, told me on Tuesday via E-mail that the June 2008 issue of the magazine is already being printed in Hong Kong and will be ready for release on the first day of June.  That piece of good news got me all giddy and excited not so much because of the check (which will contain something nowhere near substantial) but because I have never thought that I will find my name in a magazine of which my family and I have been avid collectors for years. 

The June 2008 issue of Mabuhay Magazine will center on Davao as its main feature, and knowing that my story is part of it makes me feel incredibly thankful and blessed.

The story, “The Legend of the Queen Orchid” (alternatively, “The Legend of the Waling-Waling” or plainly, “Waling”), an original legend I wrote in 1998, is part of a collection of writings which I uploaded to my websites some 10 years ago.  I remember back in my college days, way before “blogging” made its way to Netizen parlance, I created  websites on Geocities and Fortunecity (with versions in English and Bisaya), which were free web-hosting sites that provided free web space (something like 15MB—you got that right!—back in the day) and TONS of ads.  

Like a true novice, I crammed everything in my pages as I saw fit: lots of multi-colored text, gif files, jpeg and (the still novel and crude) CSS, photos of my watercolor paintings, song lyrics and midi files, my college essays, project papers, and published articles (SunStar Davao). The result: pure, untrameled clutter!  Now that these websites are old, dried up, fried and forgotten, I never really, REMOTELY, thought anyone would still be looking at them after ten full years of dereliction.  In fact, I thought they have already been deleted for reasons like sheer outmodedness and lack of taste!

Luckily, an executive from Eastgate Publishing found one of these websites (I didn’t really ask which one they found, but I am making a very safe assumption here), and found “Waling.”  There must be a real lack of literature on Philippine orchid folklore because to date I have never read or heard of any “official” Lumad legend on the Waling-waling (Vanda sanderiana), the Queen of Orchids and one of the symbols of Davao City.

Again, safely assuming that the executive made another Google search, this time on my name, she found my mobile number in a Travel Agency ad or Call Center website (presumably).  Thanks to The Almighty I haven’t changed numbers since 2004! 

So, Ms. Ira called me up, much to my matutinal (that is, early morning) suprise and told me of her discovery, offering to publish the story in Mabuhay Magazine for a fee.  I replied with something like an enthusiastic “OK.”  Then she told me further to cut the verbosity of my work to the vicinity of 400 words. I paused a bit, but couldn’t refuse the true honor of having my name printed in precious Mabuhay ink, so I said “OK,” careful to mask any hint of hesitation.

After two days and smoky hours on my laptop laboring to reduce a 3,873-word epic down to a stupendously measly 400 words (while genuinely risking loss of thought and storyline), I finally e-mailed the text to Ms. Ira, who replied the next day without any complaints (thankfully!).  She however additionally requested for a third-person, 30-word blurb about me, which I promptly accomplished the day after.

I was told there would be illustrations on the story (which, as I requested, should be in the Lumad Bagobo flair), but that remains to be seen (Well, I can always e-mail Ms. Ira about that, but I don’t want to be such a pain.  You see, now that I have hit first base, I’m seeking further exposure by becoming a regular freelance contributor to Mabuhay! Ha!).  Whatever. The important thing is that I will find my story in THE Mabuhay Magazine, in ALL Philippine Airlines planes, on ALL Mabuhay Class seats, on ALL domestic and international flights this June!

I don’t know if it’s brag-worthy, but hey, my name will soon fly all around the world!   

 

It’s summer once more and the quintessential getaway this time of year consists of sun, sand and a sparkling shore. To those who may have had a fill of full-day stays at resorts and beaches, a little variety couldn’t hurt.  To make things a tad more interesting, add up a boat, lifevests, and perhaps ice-cold drinks and Lechon, some snorkelling or scuba gears or an optional kayak, and you are on your way to extreme summertime bliss.

 

In a place like Davao, located on the shores of the Davao Gulf and in close proximity to the many islands thereof, the tropical blessings of sun, sea, sand and shore are within an arm’s length away.  It is hence doubtless why island hopping is a staple summertime activity of many a Davao folk for ages.  What, with the many delights the Davao Gulf and its islands hold:  Pristine white-sand beaches, picturesque islets, ubiquitous coral reefs, marvelous limestone cliffs and caves, turquoise, emerald and sapphire waters, and friendly fishermen willing to give discounts on their day’s catch. Island-hopping, is a perfect way to discover these wonderful vistas in Davao’s lovely seascape.

It doesn’t cost a fortune to embark on an island hopping escapade in Davao.  For instance, basic island-hopping packages for 20 persons

Yesterday’s experience can be summed up as:
 WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Monday, 17 March 2008, was declared a local holiday in Davao City (Araw ng Dabaw), so I and two of my friends plus one driver went on an adventure to a mountain resort in Kapatagan, Davao del Sur.

Nestled in the mountains 3,900 feet (around 1,200 meters) above sea level is Camp Sabros, a mountain eco-adventure spot that has been featured on national outdoor and adventure show, Sports Unlimited, and noted for having two of the country’s longest and craziest zip lines : 380 meters and 400 meters.

(For my info and tips on Camp Sabros, please scroll to the bottom of this entry)

The Camp Sabros main entrance

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2. My friends, Cez, Kikai and I

We parked our vehicle at the outpost guarding the Mt. Apo National Park and the  Mt. Apo Mountaineering Trail so we had to hike uphill to Camp Sabros. Vehicles may be brought all the way up to Camp Sabros, but

I thought I had to share the wonderful pictures on my trip on Sunday,  February 24, 2008, to Bongabong, a town in Compostela Valley in the Philippines. 

Bongabong is blessed with (yellowish) white sand beaches, lush mangrove forests, and an idyllic and peaceful atmosphere. It is 2 to 2 and a half hours’ drive from Davao City, and is just on the road going to Central Pantukan, ComVal and Mati, Davao Oriental.

There are no established or developed resorts in Bongabong. The beaches are still undeveloped and are filled with spiny corals in parts, so it wouldn’t be advisable to walk barefoot in the water. If developed, the place would be as spectacular as any beach in Samal Island because, like Samal Island, Bongabong’s coast is lined with a yellowish-sand beach.

Enjoy!

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Bongabong’s Mangrove Forest

1. Mangrove Forest along Bongabong’s Coast

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4. A small stream cuts through this part of the Mangrove forest.

Since my first post would coincide with the Kadayawan season in the Davao Region, Philippines, i thought it would be fitting to post a Legend which I wrote in 1998, published in Philippine Star in 2000 (they edited it too, shame), and published in the Philippine Orchid Society’s quarterly publication also in 2000.  To the uninitiated, the Waling-waling orchid (Vanda sanderiana) is one of the symbols of the Davao Region, having been discovered in the foothills of Mount Apo by a scientific team commissioned by Sanders in 1882 (hence the scientific name Vanda sanderiana).  I have reproduced the story in its entire, unadulterated, unedited glory, so pardon the grammatical errors and the prevalent cheesiness.

 WALING
The legend of the Waling-Waling Orchid (Vanda sanderiana)
by Brian Dexter M. Medija

The origins of the Waling-waling elude memory, yet its beauty continues to dazzle those that behold its splendid blossoms, even inspiring awe and wonder as to how such pulchritude came to be. The beautiful Waling-Waling abounds in Davao–on the lush slopes of Mount Apo, the grandfather of mountains.

On the banks of the upper Daba-daba, whose waters meander from

Thanks to TJ-Brewed for giving me the idea to start a blog on this website. 

Snaking up the mountains and highlands of Samal Island on a rough and dusty dirt road seemed endless, and in the agony of a hurting butt, and the endless fear of a bursting tire, I told myself, “this better be good.”  Indeed, the uphill route from Penaplata was long and bumpy, and ten people in a small multicab, plus the driver and one crew, can easily bring one city boy’s mind to think up terrifying possibilities.  It was pitch dark where the headlights left off, and it was almost eleven in the evening.  “Man, this better be good,” went my prayer-chant while the squeaking engine drowned the chatter and laughter of the passengers.

 A sudden halt in the middle of a hill shot a thousand question marks on the dark and bleak space surrounding my head, while the smell of burning rubber penetrated the thick booger deposits made almost entirely of limestone dust.  “Where the f*ck is it?” I screamed silently while I looked around for some semblance of a hammock hanging between two palm trees on a sandy white beach, or a gleaming flute of pine-orange juice or four seasons cocktail on a dainty rattan table. Realizing something, three dozen more question marks shot up from my head while two tiny fireflies flickered in front of me.  I almost asked one firefly, “is the sea up here on Shenyang balls?”

Then things got worse, the driver