Prague

Went to Prague and tried to do it in a day--never again!

Anyhoo, I will go back in May with my friends, and I would definitely check out the Museum of Sex Machines and the Museum of Medieval Torture. That's the great thing about living in Europe! Proximity to amazing cities, and crazy museums.



National Museum,Prague



King Wenceslas Statue



Wide Boulevards



Prague may suffer from poor urban planning, but its beauty are in its details.



Tyn Church



Tower where the Astronomical clock is located.



Loved the intricate design on the door.



The clock itself.



Museum beside the Clock



Fountain near the clock



Tower at the start of the St. Charles's Bridge



Sts. Norbert, Wenceslas and Sigismond on the bridge

Dopen oder Nicht Dopen?

Ich war total langeweilt letzter Mittwoch als mein Mann das Fernseher nicht umschalten möchte. Ich wollte einen Dokumentarfilm über gemischte Ehepaaren hier in Deutschland, er wollte aber einen Film über Die Olympiade, besonders über Doping, gucken.

"Das ist total dumm," sagte ich. "Sie sollten eigentlich Doping legal machen, weil Sie alle eh dopen."

Auf Tagalog, werde ich sagen "nagpantig ang tenga ni Thomas." Er hat mich gestarrt und hat fast geschrien "Was? wie so kannst du das sagen! Natürlich sollte das illegal werden! Sie stellen ein schlechtes Beispiel für die Kinder! Das schadet doch anderen Leute!"

Ok relax Mann. Ich wusste, dass Thomas, damals ein Leistunsgssprortler war, und sich besonders an Fahhradfahren interessiert, wird meine Meinung nicht nehmen.

"Andere Leute nicht schaden? Wie bitte? Was ist dann mit deinem 'jointily-ointily'?"

"Ich schade dadurch niemand."

"Aha. Und was dann mit Rauchen? Sie haben das wieder in Kneipen erlaubt. Wenn Eltern rauchen, sie sind auch ein schlechtes Vorbild für ihren Kinder, und sie schaden doch viele Leute mit dem Qualm."

"Naja, aber Doping ist tödlich..."

"Und Rauchen? Ist das nicht tödlich für den Raucher und die Leute herum?"

"Naja, aber das ist doch unfair für die Leute, die nicht dopen."

"Hallo, wenn Doping erlaubt ist, dann alle werden Dopen, und dann wird das wieder fair, und ehrlicher. Kuck mal Amerika an in den 20ger Jahren, sie hatten Prohibition vergeblich eingesetzt."

Also, wir hatten uns dann für ewig diskutiert. Was denken Sie dann it Doping?

Be Sweet by the Afghan Whigs

Ladies, let me tell you about myself
I got a dick for a brain
And my brain is gonna sell my ass to you
Now I'm OK, but in time I'll find I'm stuck
'Cause she wants love, and I still want to fuck
Now that I'm ashamed, it burns
But the weight is off
Now that you're out of the way
I turn and I can walk
You showed no sympathy, my love
And this was no place for you and me to walk alone

On my grave, am I OK?
I'm sure I'm not
Ladies let me tell you about my love
She kept giving me more
But it wasn't enough
So understand
Now that I come to you
To understand my little self
To understand my little self

And baby you be sweet

Let's Talk Shop

I am to be found banging my head against the wall. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Why am I stupid? Cause I am crap at negotiations.

I am a crap businesswoman. I am the sort who would buy a piece of candy wholesale for 50 cents a piece and sell it for 25 retail.

Let's start with School A. I have been working for B for two years now as a freelance English Teacher. The pay is crap, around 12.50 an hour. I say crap because compared to other language schools, who pay freelancers 18 an hour, you would say that I am getting the short end of the stick. However, the fact I can roll out of bed and teach because I've got the material down pat and don't have to spend hours preparing for the lesson counts for something. The fact that I am also paid a unit for a test I didn't even write is a major plus.

School B is a trade school that I started working for last March. I asked for 24 an hour, they said that all they could offer me is 18 during the probationary period. I said ok.

But shit it is GD hard work.I spend as much time in the classroom as I do preparing for lessons and checking homework. I earn 9 euros effectively, as I put so much effing work into each effing lesson.

I had renegotiations today and I blew it. I settled for effing 20 an hour, which was they made clear at the very beginning was how much they were willing to pay. I don't mean to sound greedy, but geez I am basically settling for so much work, and I have to pay for my own health insurance and taxes. She started by already planning out the next semester, before talking about pay. I mean, I am very interested in what I am going to teach there, it's more challenging than the grammar shit I do at school A. I really need to get rid of this Filipino thing of being afraid to talk about money.

Aaargh, I just think money is money, no matter the source and the work I did to get it. But sometimes I wonder if I always sell myself short?

Wir Sind Vom Selben Stern

I have always had what my husband considers an unhealthy fascination for homosexuals. I am myself not one, but I have always been strongly attracted to, or completely at ease with, homosexuals.

I started to read up on FTM (female to male) transgendered people. I was randomly surfing the net two years ago when I came across Buck Angel, a former model turned porn star and FTM advocate, and I was hooked. Even before that guy in Oregon got pregnant, before I saw Boys Don't Cry and Transamerica, I was fascinated at how people can transform their outward appearance to suit how they wanted to look, of how your life choices and lifestyle affect your body.

It is unfortunate that I lump transgendered people with gay people. They are obviously not the same thing, but my point is that I am pretty open-minded and well-informed when it comes to people with sexuality or gender-identity differences.

I recently discovered that one of my good friends is a MTF transgendered person. An acquaintance had a Freudian slip (? I don't really believe that it was accidental), and told me. I was quite shocked, but I acted as if I suspected all along. I mean, I've always noticed that her hips were so slender for a woman. But then again, many women have slender hips.

I really had no inkling that she was transgendered. Honestly, it does't matter to me, she is still a person after all, deserving to be treated with respect and dignity. It really wasn't nice of the person to reveal this tidbit to me. I would have preferred for the truth to come out of the horse's mouth. Now I am left wondering how to act when we meet again. Of course, she would notice something amiss if I treat her differently. Should I continue the charade of pretending that she was born female? What if I tread upon a topic that inadvertently steps on her feelings? There was this one time when we talked about anal sex, and she seemed awfully quiet.

How should I react when, in her own due time,she decides to reveal to me her origins? How do I react? Should I ask questions? Should I pretend indifference? I will accept her all the same, but the method of my acceptance could be something that could make or break our friendship. She is a lovely person, and I don't want to say the wrong thing.

Only time can tell, right?

Berlin Noch Mal

Finally, Berlin in summer! I'm always in Berlin during the winter, and I finally got to do some sightseeing, and Berlin in summer ist noch wunderbarer! I went to Berlin to meet up with my childhood friend Yen, and we had a hoot! They left on Friday, and Thomas joined me on the same day.

Saya ng puro babae lang! Shopping galore! Walang panira eksena! Haha!



Sony Center Tourist Trap



What's left of the Berlin Wall, Potsdamer Platz



Me and Yen



Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche, Ku'damm.



Bundestag. See the line? You can skip it if you have a kid with you.



Dome on the Bundestag



Charlie's Angels



Bundestag Interiors



Mukha siyang spaceship



Brandenburger Tor



Typical GDR Apartment, DDR Museum



Lashingan with Yen and Carsten



Their last day, I was missing them already. So much fun!



Thomas at Alexanderplatz



Knut ist cute!



Thomas having a staring match with his brother at the Berlin Zoo.

Sa uulitin!

Germany's Next Top Model: Recap

Ohne Zweifel, die dritte Staffel von Germany's Next Top Model ist das beste von allen! Die Challenges sind echt interessant und realistisch. Ich kann diese Challenges als echtem Modelingjobs vorstellen! Production values sind sehr hoch, nicht wie beim Tyra Banks. GNTM ist uberhaupt kein Verglich zu ANTM! Ehrlich! Und ich war eine damalige Zuschauerin bei ANTM!

Viele von den letzten 12 Kandidatinnen haben echt gute Chancen, Models zu werden, mit oder ohne GNTM. Sie sind sehr gut ausgewählt

UPDATE: Das WUsste Ich Doch!

Ich wusste doch das die Jenny gewinnt! An der letzen Sendung haben sie Jenny gebeten, ein anderes Kleid anzuziehen! Genau so wie Barbara letztes Jahr!Bei Anschau von dem Cosmo Shoot hatte nur Jenny den Cosmo Titel hinter ihr!

Naja, Obwohl die Janina ein sehr gutes Modell ist, Jenny ist junger, und in dem Modelgeschäft je junger desto besser, weil die Modelagentur mehr geld von ihr gewinnen kann. Sie verkörpert auch den Trend in der Modellwelt, androgeny, und ich glaube, dass die GNTM Jury wollte dran einkassieren und eine Konkurrentin für Agyness Deyn bewerben.

Janina hat bestimmt eine ganz gute Zukunft als Modell, obwohl sie den Titel nicht hat, selbst die Giselle, so verhasst wie sie ist, hat etwas, an X Factor, und wird auch Modell. Die Christina war eine unerwartete Kandidatin in dritte Platz, aber GNTM möchte immer jemand dabei haben, die sich von Maus zum Löwe entwickeln wurde. Sie haben vielleicht an Sarah gehofft, aber wir wissen wie das geklappt hat...Aber sie hat ihren Platz verdient, muss ich dazu geben.

Sehr gut gemacht, Heidi!

Welcome to Hell. Enjoy Your Stay!

Warning: Adult Content
I had been dying to visit the The Kit Kat ever since the very gay Adam told me about it. He went there to go to the Hustlaball.

So when a couple of friends of mine told me that they were going to Berlin, I took the opportunity to arrange a visit. At around this time, Thomas was getting a bit antsy about our sex life, and had begun to cajole me to try a threesome.

"I don't want to do a threesome," I said. "I don't need it, and if ever I do it, I'd like guy-guy-girl, not girl-girl-guy!"

"But c'mon it's really gonna be fun! I mean, I have slept with so few women..."

Aha. So he's looking for a loophole in the fidelity part of I do.

"But I've slept with enough people, I really don't have the need to sleep around any longer. Besides, the mere thought of licking a woman's pussy disgusts me!"

"God, since when have you been so boring?"

What? The temerity of this asshole. I'm the one who's not getting her thrice weekly expected marital obligations, and you call me BORING?!!

I signed us up at Craiglist that very night.

* * *

I did some very thorough research before going into the club. What to expect, and so on. It was "lack and leather" night,so I dropped 100 euros at a sex shop while I was in Berlin for a pleather dress. It's very cute, but it also screams whore.

Thomas was a bit upset when i told him I wanted to go into the club with my visiting friends, so I changed my mind and told him we could go there to look for our "bi curious femme."

Around this time, I also read up on threesomes, the mechanics, how it happens. I read a lot of Savage Love, interviewed people who have participated in threesomes.

We rented a moderately expensive room at a hotel that night in anticipation. I was quite disappointed that Thomas failed to prepare for "the big night." I mean, I was merely curious, he was in search of somebody. He wore his same old business suit.

Saturday. We stand in front of the door, and were required to show what we had underneath our coats. "You know that this is the Kit Kat Club and what it stands for..." said the door bitch.

I unbuttoned my trench. She nodded approvingly. 10 euros, our signature in a sheet of paper titled "Association of Hedonists," and we were in.

The sprawling Kit Kat Club had four bars, so many dance floors, a "couple's room," and a swimming pool, which was closed for that night. Looking at the red lights and the neon flourescent images of fornicating people on the walls, I was reminded of how hell was presented to us in Catholic school.

Everybody's weird fetishes were welcome. And I believe I saw it all. We watched a bondage show. I saw very young, and very cute twinks. A naked, faded hippie with long, gray hair alternately smoked, danced, and masturbated on stage. A handsome young man started dancing, took off his jacket, and revealed a nice set of breasts. A young man in a wheelchair, his emaciated limbs painting day-glo flowers on women's breasts and taking photos of it. A woman who had Dolly Parton ambitions.

All possible sexual permutations, outside of beast-human, were well represented. Man-woman, Dom-Slave, Man-Man, Woman-Woman, Man-Woman-woman, who knows what else.

It was quite apparent who were newbies there. There were a lot of couples who I guess were also looking for their bi curious male or female who seemed weirded out by the sex that surrounded them. I guess when they wanted to fuck somebody else,they didn't contend with the methods that they had to go through to get them. They all stood in the corner, huddled like little bunnies, eyes wide as saucers.

As for me, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. A man and a woman started fucking right before me. To be honest, I was so turned on that I wanted to jump in.

"Kiss me," I ordered Thomas. "Play with my tits." All he could do was oblige me with lukewarm effort. I could see that all this sex was too hardcore for Thomas. He had the bunny look, too. So I pushed Thomas away and continued watching the intertwined couple with fascination reserved for animals in a zoo.

* * *

At the beginning of the night, Thomas and I began scoping the territory for a potential partner.

"How about that blonde?" He asked.

"Naah. Too many teeth."

We both fancied one of the barmaids, a topless Betty Page lookalike in a corset.

So we went back to the chill-out lounge and started discussing our strategy when the blonde sat behind us and lit a joint.

"Is that a joint I smell?" I asked, and started the ball rolling. She was friendly enough, offered to share the joint. She wasn't interested, she said, she had a boyfriend. We looked at her skeptically, and she shrugged. "After all, this is the Kit Kat. Alles kann, nichts muss."

After a couple of hours we still hadn't found anybody. I started getting frustrated. "Look Thomas, if we aren't hitting on anybody, we might as well go home."

"Well, why aren't you hitting on anybody as well?"

"Are you kidding me? I asked her, she wasn't interested. It's your turn now."

"But it's easier for you!"

"Hey buddy, you wanted it, you go get it. I have made everything so easy for you. I arranged for us to go here, I've hit on somebody. You can't expect me to serve up everything for you on a silver platter."

"But you're pressuring me. It's making everything so much harder!" He whined.

The barmaid came into the lounge. She's obviously on break, and is making small talk with the other bartender. "I'm going to the restroom," Thomas said. Wuss, I muttered in my head.

I wanted Thomas to do this himself, but I also wanted to make it easier for him. So I went to the bar and sat next to Ms. Page. She was speaking German to the bartender. I bided my time, ate some of the fruit from the fruit platter, looking at the woman.

Thomas came in, and saw me beside her. Make your move now, my eyes commanded.

Thomas stood between us...and did nothing. The barmaid obviously had a clue, because she told the bartender in English "I'll come an hour after now, during my next break."

She slinked off, and Thomas started to kick himself. "Why am I so chicken?!"

To this day I think that she said that for our benefit, and that she would've accomodated us, if we hadn't sussed out. "Let's go home," I said.

It was already light out when we left.

Thomas and Cathy do the Philippines, Part 2

Landed in Manila, and did the Carlos Celdran Tour. I have been following his blog for sometime now. Most of the things he said were things I already knew, but there were things that I didn't know, and I am all the more grateful for that info. Just knowing how Manila became what it is, in comparison to what it could have been (see: Barcelona), means we can all do something to change it.



Snake Island, our first stop in Palawan, and part of the archipelao out of Honda Bay. Government owned, so we didn't have to pay to stay on the island, although a small donation would be appreciated. You have to pay the boatman 600 to get there, but if you are able to find another tourist willing to split the cost, then it would be a lot cheaper. A boat is able to carry up to 6 people. No amenities, no fresh water, so better bring a bottle of tap water, a tent, and a spade in case you want to do number 2 in the wild. If that's too much for you, hop over to Pandan island nearby, where they have toilets and showers with fresh running water. The photo on the hammock (see January) was taken on Pandan Island.



Looks like a hotel room, doesn't it? We wanted to catch the first bus to Sabang, home of the Underground River. After a futile search for a camping site. (I mean mygulay Thomas, we're in the Ph not in Europe, walang camping site dito!), a kindly furniture maker/vendor who had a stall at the marketplace beside the bus station offered us a wooden bed in his stall. In exchange, I guess, for us manning his shop for the night. Robbers are wary when they see people sleeping in the shop. We were woken promptly the next day at 6 am by the squealing of pigs from a slaughterhouse 100 meters away. Fun.



The bus turned out to be this giant monster all-terrain jeepney, which was packed to the brim, complete with people on top. So full, that this guy was standing on the hood of the jeepney. I have had the fortune of riding on top of a jeepney twice! It's like being on a roller coaster! The terrain going to Sabang, where the Underground River is, was very rocky, to say the least. It made me think of an old brake fluid commercial of the Sex Bomb dancers: "Laban Laban! o Bawi Bawi!"



Entrance to the Underground river. Beauty Pageant ang dating, Odiva?



Me facing The Bayawak. I think this is the Philippine Komodo Dragon? Anyway, I can't imagine anybody eating such a creature, although people assure me its meat is delicious.



Mama Macaque with Baby Macaque. Be careful, she might steal your glasses! She has a special fondness for handbags, I've heard.



I remember seeing several of these when I was a kid in Cavite. Now that Cavite has become a suburb of Manila, and I hope that this sight won't become extinct on our islands.



Falls near Sabang. A very rocky two kilometer hike to get there from the main beach. I wouldn't say that the falls were woth the hike, but the rocks are good way to train and test for balance. There is a Chinese temple nearby, where people give donation for "maintenance." I imagine that a lot of wannabe kung-fu artists train here.



The thick jungles of Sabang. I came up with the brilliant idea to climb Mount Apo, an idea that burned so bright in Thomas' head, so we decided to hire a guide to trek the jungle in preparation. Hungry mosquitoes fed on my legs despite mosquito lotion, and I was a bit scared that I was going to come down with Malaria. Although northern Palawan is malaria-free, you never know.

If you want to try trekking that jungle, bring a good hat, a machete and extra clothes. You think of rattan, all nice and beautiful, the stuff your wicker chair is made of. In the jungle, rattan is nasty, its bark covered with big, dangerous needles that pierce your forehead if you're not careful. Filipinos think of Pandan as that nice leaf you put into your rice for flavoring. In reality, Pandan is a spiky monster. Better bring your hat.



This was our destination, the source of the Underground River, called the Daylight Hole. See that rise? I climbed that with only flip-flops on!



Where we were.



After a dusty seven-hour jeepney ride, we reached Paradise. In between San Vicente and Port Barton. Too bad that speculators got there first, and somebody is going to build a resort out of paradise.



Our tent, facing Port Barton beach.



The biggest pothole in history. Our jeepney barely made it through. Note the man walking on the road.



Our next stop after Palawan was Cebu, where we caught this Cessna bound for Camiguin. Thomas took a picture of the plane because he didn't believe me when I told him that was our plane after I saw it land on the runway. Not until the last minute. This is akin to Thomas saying "Takot ako!"



The hardest climb I've undertaken: Mt. Hibok-Hibok on Camiguin. the terrain was rocky, and the rain made everything so slick. We also didn't get a good view of the island because of the rain.



Note the names of the island's governor, congressman, and mayor on this billboard in Camiguin. And the mango-carrying Santa!



This is the life: Ardent Hot Springs, Camiguin.



Sunken Cemetry off Camiguin. This used to be a part of the island when Mt. Hibok-Hibok erupted in the 1870s, and the seismic forces drowned this part of the island. A white cross marks where the cemetery used to be. Snorkeling is great fun, and a bit eerie, seeing how the coral has overrun the graves, exposing their interiors. It's like visiting a normal cemetery. I was reflecting on the lives of these people as the colorful clownfish passed by. I think it is a good idea to be buried underwater and have the coral grow over you. Kind of like the people who want to be buried under trees, their bodies to be used as fertilizer after they pass on. Very ecological, doncha think?



After Camiguin, we took the ferry to Butuan and took the bus to Davao, and went to the Agusan Marsh, where Thomas hoped that we could get a glimpse of crocs in the wild. We couldn't find a campsite. This being Mindanao, there was a general fear among the people for our safety. It isn't unusual to see people carrying high-powered weapons here. We were first holed up in a place that had the temerity to call itself an inn, when we contacted some military people we met, who let us graciously stay in their compound. They were puzzled by the idea that people would want to stay in a tent.



A basketball court in the middle of the Marsh.



This is the habal habal, or Skylab, in honor of the satellite look-alike. I have a very nasty burn scar now just above my right ankle when a habal-habal I took tipped over and the exhaust pipe touched my skin. Transportation being tight and roads being decrepit, this is the method of transportation in many islands. This baby can sit 10 people.



We then moved on to Davao and climbed Mt. Apo



If I would move back to the PH, I would probably choose to live in Davao or Cebu. Can you imagine having a beach within city limits with crystal clear waters? Samal Island, Davao.



Had a small farewell party afterwards. A nice way to end a vacation.