2009 September

Archive for September 2009

Brian’s Work Outing

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Ching under Games, Things to Do.

Paintball at the Edge Paintball Adventures, North Ridge Road, Wichita, Kansas

Island Hopping in Visayas

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Ching under Travel.

This is where we will be in less than a week’s time:

The map above is of the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, which is where we will be spending our time this trip. Manila is not in the cards, unfortunately. We will for sure be spending time in Cebu, Bohol and Negros.

Mom is right. Brian probably won’t be needing any Tagalog on this trip. LOL.

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Lugar Lang!

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Ching under Travel.

I’d like to thank mom for reminding me about Manong and Manang, etc. I have to make sure that Brian knows how to use these properly and also Inday and Dodong and all of that stuff. However, I just realized that I forgot one of the most important and most useful phrases of all: Lugar Lang!

In doing some research I found out that tourists should avoid “private taxis” at all costs because these taxi cabs take advantage of tourists by charging 5-10 times the regular cab fare. Cabs that do not use their meters are to be avoided as well. Most of the cabs are metered so it shouldn’t be a problem to find one.

Cab fare is pretty reasonable: P30.00 to get in the cab, P2.50 for every half kilometer, and P2.50 for every 5 minutes they wait. However, the cheapest way to commute from one place to another is via jeepney. Jeepneys are everywhere and usually have specific routes. These routes are usually marked on the sides of the jeepney. Jeepneys are usually safe, but will tend to get cramped and overcrowded (with some people even hanging outside) during certain times of the day.

To hail a jeepney, one simply needs to wave their arm as the jeepney approaches. Drivers will generally stop unless they are completely full. To get off, just shout “Lugar lang!” If you don’t say it loud enough, the jeepney driver might not hear you and continue to drive off without stopping.

There are also several bus operators. Ceres and Sunrays are two such bus operators that travel to and from Cebu City. Traveling by bus is a cheaper alternative to taking a taxi cab.

I think mom and dad want to rent a car. I doubt Brian and I will do any driving on our own. We might just ride around with mom and dad or any of the other relatives. If we want to do some exploring on our own then we might just do it on foot or via jeepney or something. Unless, of course, we find a place to rent a little moped!

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Useful Phrases

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Ching under Travel.

I thought I would post some basic words and phrases for Brian to learn in preparation for our trip. Let’s see if he can learn these. LOL.

Useful Words and Phrases
English	Bisaya/Cebuano	Tagalog/Filipino
Thank You	Salamat	Salamat
Please	Palihug	Paki- (used as a prefix, e.g. Paki-linis means “Please clean”)
Yes	Oo	Oo
No	Dili	Hindi
Money	Kwarta	Pera
Wallet	Pitaka	Pitaka or Walet
Cop	Pulis	Pulis or Buwaya (slang)
How are you?	Kamusta ka?	Kamusta ka?
Fine, thank you.	Maayo, salamat.	Mabuti, salamat.
Help!	Tabang!	Saklolo!
Good morning.	Maayong buntag.	Magandang umaga.
Good afternoon.	Maayong udto (11a to 1p) or Maayong hapon (after 1p).	Magandang tanghali or Magandang hapon.
Good evening.	Maayong gabi-i.	Magandang gabi.
I don’t understand.	Dili ko kasabot.	Hindi ko naintindihan.
Where is the restroom?	Asa dapit ang CR/kasilyas?	Saan ang CR/banyo?
I’m lost.	Nasalaag ko.	Naligaw ako.
I’m tired.	Gikapoy ko.	Napagod ako.
I’m hungry.	Gigutom ko.	Gutom ako.
How much is the fare?	Pila ang pliti?	Magkano ang pasahe?
Where is my change?	Asa ang akong sukli?	Saan ang sukli ko?
Who’s there?	Kinsa na?	Sino to?
How much is this/that?	Tag pila ni/na?	Magkano ito/yan?
I have no money.	Wala ko’y kwarta.	Wala akong pera.
That’s expensive!	Mahal pud ana!	Mahal yan!
I don’t like this/that.	Dili ko ani/ana.	Ayaw ko ito/yan.
I like this/that.	Ganahan ko ani/ana.	Gusto ko ito/yan.

What other words and phrases should Brian learn? Any suggestions?

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Funniest. Book. Ever.

Posted on September 20, 2009 by Ching under Sex.

We went to Brian’s parents’ house today to deliver the replacement gift card to Brian’s mom. When we arrived, we found Brian’s dad cleaning out the closet. He pulled out this book, which I think belonged to Brian’s grandmother. It was printed in the 1930s — you know, before they used actual numbers on the copyright page and they were still using roman numerals. I flipped through the pages and read some sections aloud and we all busted up laughing. This book is hilarious!