First of all, I have to say I am not a political beast, and there is no way I intend this to be a political post. But sure, I have my moments.

With all these political hullabaloos, especially involving our dear Mayor Duterte, it's no surprise Davao City has also been dragged into heated and intriguing arguments. Kesyo hindi naman daw Davao ang safest city in the world. Kesyo nabubuhay sa takot sa otoridad ang mga tao dito. Kesyo kill joy si Digong pero sumusunod pa rin tayo. Kesyo para tayong creeps na sunod-sunoran at nagpapauto sa batas na nagtatanggal sa ating karapatang makapaglibang (oo na, madaming bawal dito). Kesyo ganito, ganyan, at marami pang iba.

I am sick of hearing and reading negative and wrong comments made about my hometown, Davao City. I am tired of telling people to come to Davao so we can prove them wrong. With the power of social media combined with all this political drama where everybody is "smart" and has an opinion to everything, it is inevitable that we'd be thrown sticks, stones, shit and all.

Finally, Sunday! The week has been pretty exhausting. I never thought that running a food business can be draining, especially for us who have no experience, training, or whatsoever on this.

Just to give you a little background, my friends and I started this food business that will run for the whole duration of Hudyakaan sa Kadayawan starting August 14 until August 23. I thought we've had a good start-up plan. Menu, costing, staff, and equipment were all planned out well but when put into the actual situation of serving beer and pulutan to an overwhelming number of customers, everything seemed to whirl in eddies that I was left stupefied and, not to mention, clumsy. But I'm glad we made it through our first night without losing money and sanity; although I can say it was kind of a disaster. Haha.

Popong Landero in the house!

The recent Kadayawan festival was a blast. Not for all Davaoeños though, especially after Ramon Bautista made a remark "madaming hipon sa Davao". Which provoked the ire of some public officials and stirred netizens to rage.

Okay, I understand where all that hate is coming from. I get it, that was offensive. But if we were to look at it the other way, it shouldn't affect us, right? I mean, why do we allow people to demean or belittle us? Because just by reacting to that, we are just validating his claims. If it isn't true and we know for ourselves that it isn't true, then we can just brush it off our shoulders and move on. We know better. If we haven't made a big fuss out of it, the issue would have died down before Bautista could step down the stage.

Bautista said something that earned him one way ticket to public stoning. But he already expressed apology publicly. Isn't that enough? I think calling for persona non grata is just too much. And people are just overreacting way too much. Yes, I intended that redundancy.

....through photos!

I was born in 1985 in Manila, but we moved to Mindanao before I turned 1. I spent 27 years in Davao but only cared about my hometown when I turned ten. I never really got to see the beauty of Davao in the late 80s and early 90s. But thanks to Davao of the Past | A Repository of Old Davao Images, I got the chance to visit my beautiful hometown even in the earliest times.  Yep, even as early as the days of Spanish Colonization.

Delight came over me as my eyes feasted to more than a hundred old photographs. I feel so nostalgic even though I know I haven't been to that time, but I know it is where I always belong. Seeing the beautiful and developing years of Davao has made me happy; but sadness coupled with yearning also dawned upon me as I know I will never be able to visit those places. Not in their grandiose form, to say the least.

These are just a few of my favorite photos that I grabbed from the page (circa 1920s-1980s, in no particular order). Way better than any instagram filter, right? So see for yourself the beauty the old Davao has to offer. What would I not give in a heartbeat to jump back to this era? :)

The old cinemas in Claveria where we used to watch a movie doubled with another movie.  Of course, this photo is way older.

We came from different cultures, different families, practice different religions, go to different schools, live different ways. We are so different in so many ways but there's one thing in common about us, WE ARE DABAWENYOS. And we are so proud of it.

Well, who wouldn't be? Davao is the only place in the country where I feel I am most safe. It's the only place where you can actually walk around downtown area in the wee hours of the morning while flaunting your most expensive gadget and not feel worried about it. Or where taxi drivers don't take advantage on you, especially when you're a tourist. Or where you can't spot a single smoker in the open (yep, health-wise, it's the safest). And yes, I can name more.

A Tale from a First-timer

I've never been to any bloggers social gathering before. I never had the courage to join, especially when I know nobody.  Last Friday, May 3, 2013, was different. I decided to join Davao Bloggers Acquaintance Party just because. I was apprehensive but at the same time excited. In fact, too excited that I forgot to bring my camera and my phone *facepalm*

The venue was at Krispy Kreme - SM Lanang, but to me it felt like I was in a jungle. Really. I felt like a very little mouse in a jungle full of big unknown creatures. I do not know anybody, except perhaps for the familiar faces I've seen during my usual rounds of blog hops. I was intimidated and too anxious to go anywhere near the big ones, like they're a predator and I'm a prey.

Nobody knows me. But that's probably a good thing. I can just sit there quietly, try to be as small as I can be, and assume that I am invisible to everyone else. And for the win, I didn't have a phone that I can tinker so that I can pretend to look busy. I just sat there and read Krispy Kreme's paper placemats featuring their Mickey Mouse treats even if there's really nothing there to read. Muntanga lang. hahaha =D

It was a perfect fifteen-minute pathetic moment. But I didn't want to be pathetic (yeah, 15 minutes too late). So I flashed a gawky smile to the first stranger in front me and started a small but awkward conversation. Then one stranger after another, they came welcoming me with big, warm, friendly smiles. In a heartbeat, I snapped back into my senses. Hey, I am not in a jungle. I'm in a Davao Blogger's Acquaintance Party! And these creatures here aren't scary after all. Armed with shy His and Hellos, I made my way through the jungle meeting new people.

Yes, I survived.

To cut the story short, I enjoyed the night. I enjoyed their presentation of how Davao Bloggers started, their previous and incoming activities, and their goals. Which makes me want to slap myself for not joining this group ages ago. What have I been missing? Sigh. I am so amazed by their camaraderie. The fellowship they have shown is different. They are a family. The more I see them together, the more that I yearn to be part of it. Which I believe I should be. (Brace yourselves, new member coming! hehe)

I enjoyed the games and of course, the food! It was an awkward start but ended with a blast. A big one at that. And now, I look forward to more blogger gatherings like this.

 I'd like to grab this opportunity to thank everyone, especially the officers, behind the Davao Blogger's Acquaintance Party. Thank you for bringing us together. We, especially the newbies, need events like this. A chance to gather, mingle, share and just enjoy the day with our fellow bloggers.I certainly think this is still, after all, a jungle... only filled with crazy but beautiful and friendly creatures.

The attendees. Me, the girl in yellow green.  Photo courtesy of Algene Cutamora.