Team Airwaves 101.1: Simply the Best!

Simply amazing! That's the first thing that came to my mind upon deciding to write this blog. This is about a newfound family no other than Air Waves FM-Mellow Touch family.


But how did I get to know Air Waves FM? Astigryan, who is my batchmate since college informed me of this mellow touch station via the internet. He said it was nice that makes work fun and easy.  Since I'm getting used to and almost memorize all the songs in my playlist, I immediately looked for the website for a change since it was my routine from day one to tune in to my mp3 player from sunrise to sunset while in the office. And poof! It was really cool! The Mellow Touch music the station plays is a great relaxation mode while busy doing tasks on the desk.


Erwebs, as everyone dubs is a great avenue for kamustahan, asaran, and all for Filipinos here and abroad. It was designed primarily to connect each and every Filipino worldwide to come together virtually. This creates the feeling of being "at home" due to the atmosphere in the chat-box. It seems like we are one and had known each other for a long time. Airwaves FM 101.9 has brought changes in our social life. We  got to meet new people and share our experiences, likes and dislikes and everything under the sun through the chat box! Yes, we have the chatbox to interact with one another. What makes it best is that the DJ's are just like any listener. They let the listeners feel that they are not far different at all. The bonding brought by the online radio station really created a strong family tie in each and every listener and DJ.

The AWFM Addicts with Bossing JFrank and DJEnrico

We had a blast last 18 December 2010, at Agogo Cafe in Ortigas. It was a fun-filled and jam-packed event as the "addict" airwaves avid fans/members/listeners/chatters came together for the GRAND EYEBALL and CHRISTMAS PARTY hosted by the voices behind AWFM---that is the "cool" DJ's headed by Bossing JFrank. It was our first time to meet each other and yet it seemed like we have known each other long ago. Except of course that we already have friends whom we know before the airwaves thing.


Just after this first meet-up, series of jamming and gimmicks had been made by most of the AWFM addicts here in the Philippines and abroad. Weekend parties, birthday celebrations and even weddings and christening! Name it, the erwebs are always there in flock! That's the confidence and trust built just by merely listening to the radio! 


So what's with AWFM aside from the cool DJ's and the chat-box? Of course the great station programs which make the listening worthwhile and addictive as well. By the way, the station plays our favorite music 24/7! So how does this happen? Starting from sunrise to another sunrise, you will hear the songs played as long as you have an internet connection at home since it is an online radio station. Broadcast stations are either in Lucena City Philippines or sometimes at our Bossing DJ Frank's residence in Denmark! And I quote the program descriptions as it appears in the website as follows:

Start of with Morning Drive with DJ Gavs, Majah Blanca and Johnny G plays from 9 am to 12 pm Mondays to Fridays. The program that provides a boost to start your day at home, at work or wherever you are and whatever it is that you're going do for the day. Join  Gavs Rivera, Majah Blanca and Johnny Gizmo, in this three hour morning show. Playing mostly your favorite cool medium beat, groovy, funky,  and upbeat music to inspire you accomplish the day's tough task and helping  you to have a a perfect ambience of your busy environment.

Relax with RX Request Express with DJ Sherry Warma from 12 pm to 3pm Mondays to Fridays. A program full of interaction. Greet your friends, relatives and love ones on air! Send your messages/greetings and song requestto our SKYPE ID, YM and thru our Waveline! This is the program that plays nothing but requested songs. Also, the perfect time to release the melody which is tuck in your head. Join Sherry Warma on this three hour program. Your wish is our command!

Next stop is the Traffic Jamz brought to you by DJ Enrico Sesbreño and DJ Merie Anda from 3pm to 6pm from Mondays to Fridays too. This program gives you a wide range of music selection from today's "Top 40"  down to all time favorites "Oldies but Goodies" tracks. Also provides you with an active ambience during this slow, stressful and tiring time of day due to heavy traffic caused by the rush hour. Plays party music during its 3rd and final time slot; 5:00 - to 6:00 pm. Your perfect companion while on the road! Go mobile, tune in using your mobile gadgets, like iphone, ipad, nokia, motorolla and let Traffic Jamz take care of the stressful journey on your way home.

As the twilight breaks in, soothe yourselves with the Moonlight Freeway with DJ Natalie Coco from 6pm to 9pm from Mondays to Fridays. A program intended for your relaxing moment after all the hard work of the day. Perfect for chilling out and having a romantic evening with someone you love. The best company while reading a book, having a cup of coffee, tea or perhaps a glass of red or white whine. An elegant evening with Natalie Coco. Simply a highway to the moonlight as if you are in Paris, the city of love and romantic people and as the day fades into the night, same time as your weakened body prepares to regain some strength, so is the perfect time for us to impart and  help you calm to  call it a day by playing by providing you your favorite love songs.

To end the week right, listen to DJ Frank with TGIF! Thank God It's Friday from 10 pm to 12 midnight. Playing familiar party music from the 3 deacades, 70s, 80s and 90s! Intended Bring you back the good old days of disco, dance, ballroom and funky music.  Recall the steps, the moves and fun! It's party time on AWFM.Your friday evening would never be boring having TGIF as your company. Turn up the volume and let's get it goin. It's the perfect mix for your party mode. No slow music during this three hour program.

Every Saturday, get on board! Take the air cruise to a destination where only  you can tell. Enjoy  this three hour flight with J. Frank as your pilot of the airwaves. Together, we will be cruising thru our dreams. All you have to do is lean back, relax and enjoy the smooth ride with the smooth operator.This is "The Dream Escape", playing oldies but goodies love songs, smooth jazz tracks and easy listening tunes.

Sunday Weekend Romance Specials is a talk program intended for lovers who can't seem to find the answers to the questions they've been seriously thinking about for some time in their life. Allow us to discover and unfold the answers through the combined efforts of our DJ and  our online listeners. Who knows? Perhaps, this is jus what you've been waiting for. Send your points of view, questions and comments to J. Frank's YM: jfrankawfm@yahoo.com or thru SKYPE: air.waves.fm so we may discuss it with our online listeners. Rest assured that your identity will be kept in absolute privacy and confidentiality if needed.

And when all DJ's are having their off, we can still enjoy the music through the Love Bus Express! A commercial-free, nonstop long hour trip of music; it’s a  highway of request  thru our Direct Song Request (DSR) without limit. Giving you all the best from our playlist and offers you an enjoyable  and absolute ride of music to the most relaxing world of your own. Song request is enabled  thru DSR. 

And here is the great opportunity for DJ wanna bes out there! The station is looking for Volunteer and Co-DJs who will host some of the programs which are yet to be filled up! For the early risers, the "Early Touch Down" from 6am to 9am daily may be a great opportunity to start your day. You may also want to host the Midnight Flight program from 9pm to 12mn from Monday to Thursday if you are a sort of nocturnal person! The Weekend Park every Saturdays and Sundays from 12am to 3am also need enthusiastic DJ's and is well suited for some insomniacs over there! And finally, a Christian Contemporary Sunday program from 6am to 12noon needs you to pilot the program! All you have to do is visit the website for the qualification/requirements! 

So that's how I found my second family. It's good we are now in the information age that exchange of views as well as communicating is not a problem anymore. With AWFM by the side I was able to relax while at work and have social interactions when it's free.

Geographic Information System

I am venturing into the field of spatial information. Spatial meaning it has attributes that can be located in a map. I remember my teacher in Introduction to GIS say: "If it's not in the map, it does not exist!" That is the very essence of spatial information. It has geographic coordinates.

I am merely starting to earn my interest in my chosen career path when i encountered this term; GIS. I was in the BS Forestry curriculum for my undergraduate degree. I am just a little wanderer that time. Just going with the flow. Study botany, zoology, scientific names, family names, identify tree species, wearing a hard hat with matching "bayong" where to put the collected specimens to study. Leaf phyllotaxy, morphology, anatomy and everything that I need to know in order to properly name a tree, a vine, or any living vascular and non-vascular plant. I was just enjoying lots of field trips. What a ton of money for on the average, there are 3 field trips in a semester which are two to three days long. But I didn't mind joining the trips for I want to enjoy life and travel as much as I could. Travel to the north and south and back and forth.

It was in my junior year when I am about to specialize that I chose to major in Forest and Environmental Resources Management. Maybe through bandwagon, I opted to choose FERM. This one has the most number of major students and everyone after graduating lands a job! This has been my motivation for I wanted to start working right after graduation. And when you are a FERM major, you feel like you are at par! Not only that we are in the second floor of the building but because most of the employers are looking for someone good in GIS. It is because GIS is already an essential part of every study either in social, environment, business and the likes. If you have a knowledge or even a simple background in GIS, you are at an advantage position among others. In this globally changing world, spatial information is at its peak and sophistication.

Today, I am working as a GIS Technician in a foreign-supported project on Hazards Mapping. This is my first [and maybe the last] job since I graduated in 2009. I do some analysis of the data gathered from fieldwork with the aid of a GIS software. Outputs produced are digital and printed maps that will show the susceptibility of an area to flooding/flashflooding. I stay in the office and do all the tasks of a research person. I gain a lot of knowledge via the internet. I am also thrown at different seminars and trainings so as to improve myself into my craft. Personally, I do readings and attend web seminars which are quite exciting. I got to listen to experts in the field of geographic information systems. I try their free softwares and experiment on myself. Later on, I apply those that I learn in my work to facilitate the analysis. It is a great task. Not that toxic for i have some time to relax and visit social networking sites. I can even have a nap and I do not worry of deadlines for I do the work fast. It has been two years since I started to work here at the state weather bureau and I feel like I have not been that stressed.

On the other hand, GIS has been my hobby. I was a frustrated computer scientist. I really wanted to study this particular course but I was not able to do so. This has also been one of my reasons in venturing into the world of GIS per se. I love discovering things spatially. It excites me when there is a new software to be used and I eagerly study those. By engaging in GIS, I feel like a computer scientist already!

My Baguio-Sagada-Banaue Roadtrip!

It's been a while since I made my last blog. Now, I am up to making more of my past adventures and experiences. This time let me share you my experience in Sagada alongside with Baguio and Banaue last February with my friends.

At the Baguio City Heritage Hill and Prayer Mountain

I am very excited for it is my first time to visit Sagada! I went on different field trips wayback in college but I missed going to this place! Finally I had the chance and it was great!  We rented a van in our whole three-day adventure. Since I am coming from Quezon City and they will be from our hometown, Echague Isabela, we decided that our rendezvous is at Baguio City where one of our batchmates is staying.  I boarded the Victory Liner Bus bound to Baguio. It was a long trip and I spent 80% of the time sleeping. It was a short stay in Baguio for we really want to spend most of the time in Sagada. We had a little stroll to the famous Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto and had a walk to the Baguio City Heritage Hill and Prayer Mountain.

The best Loyung's Rice

After some sight seeing in Baguio, we made our way straight to Sagada. It was an awesome and tiring 8 hour travel from Bagiuo to Sagada. It was 4am when we departed from Baguio and since we haven't had breakfast yet, we need to stop at one of the few restaurants on the way. It was already 9am when we finally found a restaurant in Atoc, Benguet. This was the first we had spotted and since we are all hungry, we had no other choice but to fill our rumbling stomach. But this resto offered us more than what we are craving for. The group's favorite since lauriat came to life! It's more than just a simple and delectable dish boasted with fine ingredients. A quarter chicken, porkchop, chopseuy and a cup of huge rice topped with egg represents Loyung's rice! The best lauriat in town which will only cost you 85 pesos. This is a great discovery of the group which made us really full! An energizer for the long day to power us in our adventures later.

The Philippine Pali: 7200 masl

 On the way to Sagada, as we pass through the province of Benguet was the highest point in the Philippines. It's called the "Philippine Pali" with an elevation of 7200 meters above sea level along the Philippine Highway System. We had a quick stopover here to have some picture taking. Just to document our way. It's getting cooler and cooler as we move towards Sagada. What would we expect? Elevation is getting higher in here! And there are times where fog is so thick that it is nearly zero visibility. The natural air is cooler than the aircon of the car so we just let our windows open to feel the cool air but sometimes we can't just stand the cold so we shut the windows close..haha But to show that we are not affected much by the cool weather, we had a topless shot along the way! Just to stir people in vehicles passing the highway. To had their attention in us and we did it! They blow their horns and cheered for us!

Who says it's cold in here?

The road to Sagada is still under construction. You will feel the typical countryside living but will feel thrilled by the breath-taking sceneries! We just don't make it obvious but we are sometimes wary of the deep ravines just at the edge of the road! Just one single maneuver mistake and there you are! More than a thousand meters down under! It was scary but we just ignored it and enjoyed the cool breeze and the verdant sceneries. All we see are mountains and terraces and some houses. There are parts of the road which as concrete and other parts are just ordinary ones that creates a lot of dust!

Welcome to Sagada!

 Upon arriving to Sagada, a lot of tourists and local people flocked the municipal hall for registration. Stalls are also seen with all the different food, accessories, souvenirs and a lot more to offer. There are also emergency preparedness team around just in case there are circumstances of untoward incidents. Of course the community police is present for security and peace and order to remain. i myself is very eager to start the adventure in the area. But being the (self-declared) leader of the group, I need to radiate the excitement although the group is already tired of the long trip. it's good the group are also energetic and excited just like me. Some had been to the place but they are still very young that time. This time, they are ready for greater adventures and had no worries.We then had a litte briefing in the registration area, paid the registration fee of 25 pesos each. The tourist information officer said that the reg fee is for the maintenance of cleanliness in the area. But when we spoke to the receptionist in the guest house we are to rent, she said that it is not required to pay for some registration since there's nothing to maintain. And so, we just treated the reg fee as an entrance fee to Sagada since the payment has been made already. They are also offering tour guide services which are at reasonable prices and can be asked for discounts unlike the fixed tour fees in the municipal hall. After some talks and negotiations on the price of the lodge and some tips from the receptionist,we had our things settled in the guest house and relaxed a bit for the upcoming adventures! We had a few minutes of rest and prepared our getaway.

The hanging coffins 

The tour has been set to start! It's good we had our own car in case we need to travel long distances. This will save travel time as well as the cost of renting transport which will surely cut our budget for the trip! On the way to the cave, our tour guides showed us the hanging coffins which are very precious in terms of historical value. We had a little stop over and used the provided binoculars by the roadside to see some hanging coffins just by the road. Of course, we didn't just have a distant look at the coffins. We went down at one part of the cave to see more of what they say hanging burial boxes. As what I remember, until today or just recently there are still people who have the dead bodies of their relatives in the cave. i just don't remember exactly the date. I'll just ask our tour guide once more when I get back to Sagada!haha It was just a short view of the coffins. We then get back to the car and went on to the take off point towards Sumaging.

And there we are at the Sumaguing caves! It was a two hour spelunking experience! Our guides are quick and humorous. They warn us of the deadly spots but they themselves walks through those deadly ones! We are amazed how quick they transfer from one rock to another without even caring to hold onto something for support. One thing more, they are wearing the typical beach walk slippers alone which might be very slippery! They just laugh at us as we move inch by inch, careful of our steps and strides. The reason they are that fast and carefree is because the cave has been their playground since childhood. They know everything about the cave, the stories and all other experiences that they share us. They are experienced enough and they are quite good in the history and all other stories they tell us. The magnificent rock formations in the caves are very captivating. But most of the formations are no longer alive. Crystal formations are no longer that prolific but they are still good looking.

Before entering the cave

Some photos below are magnificent limestone formations found inside the Sumaguing Cave. The stories and humor about those formations are quite thrilling and will tickle your funny bone!hehe The one just below this text is called the Turtle (if I remember it right) which is hiding in its shell. You really have to stoop and have your face touch down to see if it is really like a turtle. And it was!

Turtle Back

Another magnificent limestone formation is called "The Prince". I'll leave to your creative imagination the explanation or reason why it is called by its name. A tip I can share is that you need to study the parts of a male body and have a "wild" imagination to figure out why.hehe

The Prince

One more limestone formation below. If we have a prince, we also have a princess! So as to have a pair. Now, you don't need to have that "wild" imagination since it's pretty obvious why it was called by its name. Our tour guides are really funny and had our grin up to the ears while listening to their educational reasonings on such formations.

The Princess

Another limestone formation that made us more hungry is the gigantic cake in the photo below. One of the guides asked who among us will be celebrating his birthday and most of us are born on February. I thought he will have our tour fee slashed a little but to no avail, it was a giant cake! What more can we do than just have a memory of the cake by taking a photo of it with us! What a great trick? or treat..haha

Limestone cake

There are a lot more to enjoy inside the cave. Although we are already chilling of the cold water inside, the excitement and eagerness even went up! We even had a rappelling experience in the cave! The adventure inside is really awesome.

It was a very tiring yet thrilling two-hour spelunking experience. We got wet and muddy and wet and muddy but the laughter is always there! We even tease and scare one another to add humor to the atmosphere. Of course "site seeing" at a different angle is present for we are not the only ones who are in the caves. The beautiful ladies who screams most of the time due to fear of falling serve as our inspiration and energizer too!hehe We are done with this activity in as twilight embarks. We had to go back to the guesthouse and prepare for dinner and the socials night. We went straight to the marketplace to shop for food for dinner and breakfast. Of course some alcohol to enjoy the night's coolness.

At Mam Sheryl's home at Sagada

The night is really cool although it's also cool at daytime, it's cooler as the sun show-off. It's hard to bath for long, good thing there are heaters installed. By the way, we stayed at one of the home-stay services of George guest-houses. The owner of the house, Ma'am Sheryl and her husband is really hospitable and caring just like our parents. They even do the chores in the house for us. And the house is great! Simple yet elegant. The night went on as we had group conversations sharing one's experiences especially with girls who we are courting/courted and got busted with, had a relationship with and our close friends we are with most of the time. It was a night of fun and reminiscing also while rounds of wine tag along. The group is composed of hard core snorers and the opposite. I belong to the silent sleepers but my roommate is a snorer. Good thing I was able to sleep first before he did so as not to be disturbed for once I get knocked off by dizziness, I have a long one!

The day breaks and the plan of watching the sunrise at the Kiltepan came to just a dream!hehe We need to wake up by 4am but we just slept at 2! Some woke up by 6, most of us got up by 9. We had our breakfast prepared already as we get down the kitchen. We had some conversations again discussing the funny things we did last night. We changed plans and just explored the market for some souvenirs. We also need to get off Sagada before the sunset so as not to be hard up on the way since it's foggy that we might not see the road.

The cause of traffic

We took the Banaue route which is a closer to Isabela than taking the Baguio-Manila-Isabela way which is quite a long hours trip. On the way to Banaue, we met a truck which nearly fell the cliff. The roadside is under construction for barriers and the truck carrying loads of gravel and sand nearly dropped down. It's good, a little concrete barrier has already been made in the area where it was stuck. The scene created a thirty minute pause as motorists had a long queue at both sides. We dropped by the market in Benguet to buy some souvenirs too as well as the vegetables which are fresh and very cheap compared to those in the market in the metropolis and in our province.

The way back home is very thrilling and  as well literally breath-taking. Our driver is very agitated and cool. He just go on step at the accelerator as we swerve left and right by the edge of the road. Whoa! It was as if we are at a race track! It was really breath-taking! But good enough that he managed the steering wheel well!  And that was the adventure over the first weekend of February!

Sagada, we shall return! :D

Commencement!

It is not the end but just the beginning. That's why it is called COMMENCEMENT! 

This is the season of toga, diploma, medals, certificates and all other awards that an outstanding pupil or student may receive. The best thing is the family gets together for another momentous event in one's life. Party there and everywhere as food and drinks overflow. A very exciting and fulfilling milestone especially for the parents who made all things possible for their child/children. Let me reminisce my graduation years when I was still a student like anybody else.

March of 2001 when I first received my diploma having been graduated in elementary. It was a memorable one as i went upstage with my mother to receive my proof of having completed my elementary education;my diploma. Aside from that certificate i also received a meritorious award as one of the Outstanding Pupils of the graduating class. I still remember our graduation song: If We Hold On Together. But one funny thing is that I was late when i arrived as the processional march is already going on. I just followed in and successfully did it! I can no longer remember if we celebrated this one in the house or not. hehe

April 2005 when i finally reaped the fruits of a four year labor in high school. This time, not just an outstanding student award did I receive but a whole lot more. In God's will and guidance I was able to graduate on top of my fellow graduates. Several awarding bodies such as the the Office of the President of the Philippines, the Senate and Congress and the local school officials handed some awards in performing great. I excelled in some fields of endeavor as I was awarded the prestigious PGMA Achievement Award in Journalism. Not only that but also Senate Gold Medal for Academic Excellence and Leadership Awards to name a few. It was my shining moment as I was privileged to deliver a Valedictory Address among others. I nearly cried upon delivering the speech while most of the parents are already sobbing as I address them in recognition of their invaluable efforts to help us reach our dreams. Although I say that this has been my shining moment, this moment is best shared with the people behind the every cent we spend: our parents! The best and most precious gift they can give us is our education. We must not also forget our dear mentors in imparting their knowledge and expertise to us. They are our bridge towards information or wisdom.

And the final stage has come, a bigger world we faced which made much more changes in us in all aspects in preparation to living in the real world: college years! I was lucky when I had my third graduation in the premier state university in the country in April 2009. The commencement of knowledge accumulation and trial and error in real life. This time experiments are not done in the laboratory but in the realm of society. What it has to offer, what it has to teach and get from us. It is like we are in a jungle and it's for us to do things for our survival. I remember that during our graduation, it was a freaking bad weather prevailing. Downpour has been the daily event a week from the big day! What a messy graduation but I am still thankful that the rites has been successfully celebrated. It was the centennial graduation since the university celebrated its 100 years of existence that time. We are called the centennial graduates for that matter! We celebrated my graduation with a simple family get together. It was once again a reunion of family members and relatives. Everyone is present and enjoys each others company. Had some chit-chats, kamustahan, laughters and tears of joy. Some cousins are met the first time because of this event.

It is indeed the start of another chapter in our lives that's why it is called commencement. And the learning do not stop upon receiving our diplomas. Everyday is a learning opportunity. Every experience is a worthy learning object. Every failure that we encounter are just spices to make living our life great and exciting. As the adage say it, Experience is the best Teacher! But we must not settle to committing the same failures for this is not a good sign of learning. Let us move out of our comfort zones and explore what life has to offer in other avenues. Let us look and try all opportunities that come our way. We won't know unless we try!