this is basically my personal current affairs (if you want national issues, you can go to www.bworld.com.ph hahaha shameless plug there!).

**

I won a watch during our company party raffle.  I have no idea what to do with it yet. We also had a bingo social (which made me feel like a senior citizen), and I was down to my last number (it was a black/block-out game) when about five people ran in front to claim their "grand prize."

**

I’m the only soul left in the editorial department, or perhaps on the second floor for that matter. I’ve worked late before so being alone past eight pm does not really bother me. My net connection is ever so slow so I’m switching between surfing and reading my new Murakami novel - The Wind-up Bird Chronicle - which I bought yesterday to add two stamps to CYap’s soon-to-be completed track card. Murakami has a lot of interesting insights, not to mention strange circumstances I can only wish to be a part of. I remember reading Norwegian Wood, my second Murakami after Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (which I haven’t finished reading because I can’t find it after we moved). It has a certain pull that made me wish the novel would just go on.. and I refused to read the last few pages for days because I did not want it to end. At the same time, I also couldn’t wait to get my hands on his other books. I had the same experience with The Wild Sheep Chase. Now I’m wondering if I’m done reading its sequel Dance, Dance, Dance. Oh well, I’ll check it at home later.

**

Just a few minutes back, I felt a tiny wave of depression sensing unfair practice in a supposedly professional world. As texted to JValisno: "The world is unfair enough as it is. Would it be too much to extend a dose of fairness to the people one works with?" But then again I may be over-reacting, or perhaps I’m just being too sensitive. It’s a sad world. 

Going Out

BY ANNA BARBARA L. LORENZO, Reporter

Wonder of wonders

Real estate developer Rodolfo Pua had been eyeing Wonder Island since he was just a kid growing up in Calamba, Laguna, wondering what could be so wonderful about the two- hectare island sticking out of Laguna de Bay.

Wonder Island Resort on its island in Laguna de Bay

When he finally acquired the island 10 years ago, he started his quest to discover its wonders. Mr. Pua was told hot water was available in the island, but to his dismay, all he could get at first was murky water from the lake. The water was not potable and he even had to ship linen back to Calamba to have them washed.

Mr. Pua was not one to give up so easily. He contracted engineers to dig up the place in search for water. He even asked diviners to help in locating a water source on the island.

All efforts proved to be futile until one night when Mr. Pua dreamt of an angel pointing him to one corner of the island. The first successful dig bore clear water at 800 feet.

However, Mr. Pua had a feeling it was not the water the angel in his dream wanted him to find, so he ordered his engineers to dig again. After getting through a rock blocking the well they dug at 1,000 feet, Mr. Pua found the "miracle water" he was looking for.

"God has ways of rewarding people who persevere. The water we have here is enough to provide for the island, and it is three times better than the bottled mineral water one gets in stores because of the high mineral content," Mr. Pua told BusinessWorld.

A Trace Elemental Analysis conducted by Chemical Solutions Ltd. in Pennsylvania, USA showed that the water from the new well contains calcium, iron, manganese, copper and zinc.

Mr. Pua’s "miracle water" is not only good for drinking. Its natural warmth also provides stress relief for those who visit his island, which now operates as a resort with six pools with varying depths and two jacuzzis.

Two of the pools are covered so one can still enjoy a dip in warm water even when it is raining. One of the pools also has slides for children.

Boats tied up at the dock(top); fishponds found around the island;(bottom)

VISITORS

Wonder Island can accommodate as many as 1,000 people on day tours. They can book 200 persons for overnight stays. A whole day package costs P770 per person, while children between two to four feet tall are charged P670. The day package includes the use of the pools, morning and afternoon snacks, and lunch. Overnight room accommodation ranges from P2,300 (twin sharing) to P6,000 (family unit for six persons). Dormitory units can take in eight to 18 persons with rates from P4,000 to P6,000.

More adventurous visitors can settle for outdoor accommodations ranging from a single tent for two (P1,000), a dome tent for four (P1,800), and a family tent for six (P2,500).

Overnight patrons can also enjoy a breakfast cruise on one of Mr. Pua’s boats to take advantage of the early morning rays while sailing around the island.

Sporty guests can enjoy games of table tennis, billiards, volleyball, and darts. Guests can also enjoy other pasttimes like mah jong, videoke and fishing.

Wonder Island also caters to conventions and team-building activities as it has two airconditioned function rooms and a convention hall.

Most of Wonder Island’s guests are locals and balikbayans who just want to get away from the urban jungle and have a worry-free time in the middle of the lake. Getting to the island is not a problem as Mr. Pua transports his guests with 26 ferryboats and houseboats which he personally designed.

"Although it takes only seven minutes to get to the resort from the pier [in Calamba], we want to guarantee the safety for our guests. Life is precious. Hence, it is our responsibility to protect every person who visits the island," he said.

HEALING

One can also seek spiritual healing in the refuge of the island’s chapel. Mr. Pua said the island provided another miracle for him in the chapel, which was the first structure constructed. When he was developing the island into a resort, Mr. Pua found a mass at the back of his neck. While waiting for the biopsy of the mass, he went to the chapel every day and prayed that it not be cancerous.

"It turned out to be a rare skin disease and according to my friend, who is a radiologist in New York, I’m just the second person he knows to have had this disease. I felt as though the disease was invented just to save me from the Big C," Mr. Pua said.

The good-hearted developer takes pride in the island and wants to share it with anyone who wants to enjoy the gifts of nature. Wonder Island will soon evolve into an even better tourist destination as Mr. Pua plans to build a first-class hotel and add holistic services like a spa to its facilities. He even mulls turning the resort into a membership club to encourage other people to be part owners of the island. After all, running the place is no joke as Mr. Pua spends millions every month to operate the resort.

He said, however, that there is no price tag on the satisfaction that he gets when he is on the island.

"The happiness that Wonder Island is giving me and my family and all the guests who come here is more than enough. I can do it [sustain operations] as long as it is necessary. I will not back out," Mr. Pua said.

I fell in love with this song the moment I heard it last night while I was hanging around Tower Records and it doesn’t have anything to do with my personal life, in case u ask i really just like it oh, and it’s by jack johnson..

There’s no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard
No song I could sing
But I can try for your heart
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things
Like a, shoebox of photographs
With sepiatone loving
Love is the answer,
At least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? and where do we go?
And how come we’re so hard?
It’s not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving
I’ll tell you one thing its always better when we’re together

MMmmmm MMMmmmm Mmmmmm
I believe in memories
They look so, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when I wake up,
You look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time,
And there is no song I could sing
And there is no, combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing
We’re Better together. 

just a quickie (:P) on my weekend getaway..

**when in singapore, DO NOT stay at the FURAMA Riverfront Hotel. It totally sucks. I asked for a towel and the old lady who does housekeeping for our floor said towels are still being washed so she can’t give me any. I would have been okay with that explanation but she had the gall to say something like, “Don’t call housekeeping. We are very busy. If you need anything just come out of the room and we’re just around.” And to top it all, she pulled the door and closed it in my face. I was so stunned I wasn’t able to react. I spent the whole day plotting revenge, thinking of stuff to ask from housekeeping during her shift.

**Taxi drivers in singapore are soooo friendly and talkative. And they aren’t stupid. They all know about what’s happening in the Philippines.. the whole political crap.. and it gets embarrassing sometimes *siiigh* They have really spacious cabs though.. and if you’re lucky, you can even get a benz!

**Reverse bungee jumping costs S$30.. that’s why I didn’t get to try it.. hmph!!

**Their Chinatown is so much more interesting and lively (and clean, but that’s a given when in S’pore). It’s practically a pasalubong haven. (Disclaimer: I burned cash within a few hours upon arrival on a digital camera, so wag ka na umasa!)

**My uncle and I got lost on our way to Little India.. which wasn’t really anything anyway.. just a stinking piece of land up north.. ewww! (But that’s where Sim Lim Square is located.. so do go there for electronic stuff :D)

**They have yummy grape and apple flavors of yakult there. They also have ice cream soda, which is basically an ice cream-flavored carbonated drink. Pardon my ignorance, but I was expecting soda topped with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream.

**I don’t like chicken rice. Sorry.

More next time.. I’m tired and sleepy and I want to go home

**u think im now addicted to doing this?? hmm.. i can’t exactly tell.. you see, im "working" in a mall and staying in this net cafe is just the best way for me not to go around and start shopping

**there’s a defense and sporting arms show at megamall.. it will run until the 18th.. needless to say,the megatrade halls 2and3 are filled with guns and ammo and all the stuff one might possibly need to blow up ur face! should i be blogging that? what if terrorists see this as an opportunity to attack?? all i really want to do is to shamelessly plug my article on practical shooting (BusinessWorld Weekender July 15 :P)

**I don’t want to go to QC today. (who cares?)

**I will grace the island of Singapore with my humble presence for the second time once more with feelings tomorrow.

**I should be writing my article on the MTV Pilipinas 2005 People’s Choice Awards but my brain refuses to cooperate (maybe because the topic is a no-brainer? sheeez, ayokong mapaaway so just pretend that question does not exist.. nuninuninu..)

**I’m at the ever reliable Netopia shop in Megamall. I just hate the keyboard cz the keys are too soft.

**I’m babbling. *babble*babble*babble*blech!!*

**I have a great talent in screwing up my life but I am fortunate to have a very efficient guardian angel to see me through my adventures. Thank you.

**I just finished an article on Peque Gallaga and his new movie (Pinoy/Blonde), which you should watch because it is a fun flick. Anyway, I almost failed in getting the interview done because the director got so pissed off at me (I would not tell you why, but if you DO know me, you would know the reason without me having to explain things.. why am i suddenly too verbose? it’s a blog, not a novel!). Talking to him was so much fun and wonderful and overwhelming (imagine talking to a veteran director who has done so many great movies!! *siiiighh* and I’m still really overwhelmed because I had a really difficult time trying to put together every interesting word that came out of his mouth without overloading a page (and without being too obvious that i was too impressed :D)

IT lay there stained, unwashed

memories clung to the thin fibers

dried up, hopeless

but

hoping.