Caluya Island, Antique

Caluya is a 4th class municipality in the province of Antique, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 20,049 people in 3,942 households.

Caluya is politically subdivided into 18 barangays:

Alegria Bacong Banago Bonbon Dawis Dionela Harigue Hininga-an Imba

Masanag Poblacion Sabang Salamento Semirara Sibato Sibay Sibolo Tinogboc

How to get there:

Iloilo -> San Jose, Antique
travel time: approx. 2 hours
fare: P125.00 (van)
San Jose, Antique -> Libertad
travel time: approx. 4 hours
fare: :103.00 (bus)
Libertad -> Masanag Wharf, Caluya
travel time: approx. 4 hours
fare: P220.00 (ferry boat)
Masanag Wharf -> Poblacion, Caluya
travel time: approx. 30 minutes
fare: P40.00 (tricycle)

Accommodation:
You may stay at the Caluya Lodging House owned by the family of the municipal mayor. They charge P150 per head per night. Food can be pre-arranged. But I have to warn you, there's not really much choice save for fish dishes , shells and chicken which are abundant in the island.

You may also consider staying with some locals who would be willing to take you in for a minimal fee. In our case, we stayed with the Dela Torre's a friend of Roger, an officemate. They didn't charge us for the accommodation and we were only made to pay P200.00 for three meals shared by 4 people beat that! Just be kind enough to give a little extra for their hospitality.


Ups:

1. If you are big on adventure, then this trip is for you.
   
2. Caluya Island is coveted for the elusive coconut crab, Tatos, which populates the extensive coconut plantation in the island.
3. It's the 5th largest seaweeds producer in the country. Most of the island's surrounding waters are dotted with white styrofoam floaters of the monolines that hold the seaweeds.
   
4. The breathtaking view of the island! the seas, the hills, all those coconuts! The island offers you a chance to walk off the stubborn cholesterol deposits and burn all those stored fats. You can be adventurous and you can go visit the other island components of the municipality, check out the seaweed farms, dive for shells or just enjoy a swim.
   
5. Another two hours by boat and you are already in Semirara, two more hours and you will make it to Oriental Mindoro.
   
6. The shells, of course, they are endangered. But you could at least sample on a variety of shell fishes in the island.

Downs:

1. Way too much time on the road. If you're not one to enjoy long road trips and rough terrain, this trip is not for you.
2. There's only one way to get to the island, that is through ferry boat that leaves at 4am daily. Which means you either have to sleep on the boat til it departs or you make the most of the available accommodation near the wharf. It's nothing posh really, a bahay kubo with the papag to lie on, a private bath good for the bladder and nothing more.
   
3. There's really not much to see in Poblacion, Caluya. It's the usual banwa atmosphere, no traffic, lots of children playing on the road and the seashore. No fastfoods, only the occasional carinderias here and there (check out Jam's Eatery, that's where we dined). There are no facilities to support any recreational activity except for the videoke machine at Tatos Cave.
   
4. Add to the fact that electricty only runs from 4pm til 12midnight.

Personal Notes:

1. Unless you have personal business in Caluya, it is best to go there during the Tatusan Festival. An encounter with the Tatos and the energy of the performing tribes will make the whole trip worth your while.
   
2. Travel with a buddy who's open to new adventures and wouldn't mind the hustle of too much road travel, a hard bench for a bed, come what may food and pitch black midnights.
3. Enjoy the beach! it's not everyday you get to sample the white sand beach of Caluya. But don't go too far, you might get entangled with the monolines!
4. Stay long enough for you to enjoy the island but leave before it bores you.
   
5. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time. Or at least try.

Proof

Proof (2005)

Plot Outline: The daughter of a brilliant but mentally disturbed mathematician, recently deceased, tries to come to grips with her possible inheritance: his insanity. Complicating matters are one of her father's ex-students who wants to search through his papers and her estranged sister who shows up to help settle his affairs.

Sunday night was movie night for me. Miki was out to have fun with his beer buddies so I had the TV to myself (Yes!). Proof was not really an outstanding movie, if you were to ask me. But knowing that it was based on the play by David Auburn which won the Pulitzer, I figured it was worth watch. I guess I did like the movie. The story was solid and the characters focused. I especially liked Anthony Hopkin's portayal.

For me, the movie was about relationships and how we are shaped by them. There is Catherine, who took on the responsibility of taking care of their father. She wanted to start a life away from his own circle but she could just not bear the thought that he cannot manage on his own. And so she was drawn back to the very environment that she wanted to escape from. Then there is Claire, the absentee daughter. She too has her own struggles but she would rather win her battles on her own.

Talk about families and how we struggle to keep them. I had my own share of dilemmas when my father died. I wasn't just ready to start life again in Bacolod. But with my father dead, my mother would be coming home to an empty house full of painful memories from the recently concluded events. I had to reconsider my decision. It was time for us to retrace our steps into each other's lives.

Suprisingly, I enjoyed Bacolod. So much that the prospect of leaving it was unthinkable to some extend. Until the unexpected turn of events.

But my mother and I are okay now. We have managed to live separate lives but enjoy stronger bond. We now talk about our feelings and our problems. And now I know, wherever I may be, I can always look forward to coming home.

Click

Click (2006)

A workaholic architect, who has been overlooking his family in favor of his career, comes across a universal remote that allows him to perform TiVo-like functions on his life, such as pausing events or fast-forwarding over them. When the remote begins creating its own memory and choosing what to fast-forward over, the man sees how much of his personal life has passed him by and realizes the importance of spending more time with his family.

Production Status: Released
Genres: Comedy, Kids/Family and Science Fiction/Fantasy
Running Time: 1 hr. 38 min.
Release Date: June 23rd, 2006 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, crude and sex related humor and some drug references. Distributors: Sony Pictures Releasing International, Sony Pictures Releasing
Production Co.: Happy Madison Productions, Original Film
Studios: Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios
U.S. Box Office: $135,468,818
Produced in: United States

Watched the movie alone Saturday night. Miki fell asleep , Titchay wasn’t interested and I just the occasion to watch the movie of my choice without anyone bothering me. The plot was not complicated at all. But as usual, it’s the simplicity of the story that makes me relate to it. There is the dilemma of pursuing your dreams vis-à-vis spending more time with your family. The trade-offs in life that one has to go through if only to give that customized definition of happiness.

What makes you happy? A new car, techy stuff? Travel? A posh office overlooking the best of what the city has to offer? Rubbing shoulders with influential people? Study or work abroad? Would you rather contemplate along this line or move to the opposite end of the spectrum? Like sharing a hearty meal with your family? Learning that your son got 5 stars in art class today? or weekend camping? Or just reading that good book you have been putting off for the longest time?

It’s really a customized thing. To each his own. One man’s meat may be another man’s poison.

What is it for me? Well honestly, I still get swayed at times to look beyond the little happy things that I enjoy each day. I look forward to working abroad, to having my own house, planning my own meals. I dream of traveling, of taking my son to different places, experience different cultures. I hope for the amenities and privileges that my friends and people around me enjoy. I wish for the betterment of life. I pray for opportunities.

But that’s just typical me. When I feel inadequate, unfit and everything negative that goes with it. But when I am my sane self, I am happy. Who would not with an adorable son who keeps your hands full all the time?

The movie will also remind you to stop, when your work is already driving your life. To take that moment to also see the things around me, to assess your relationship with your loved ones and to really know what is going on in their lives; to being there for them in their saddest and happiest moments, to show appreciation and gratification by just being there for them and with them. I want to be there when it happens.

So what now of my dreams? Hmmmm, it’s really a mystery how things fall into place. But my faith has brought me to far many serendipitous events in my life for me to doubt anything anymore. Let life take its natural course. Let live!