A Visit to the town of San Jose, Mindoro Occidental

San Jose is a town in the province of Mindoro Occidental located in the southwest portion of Mindoro Island. It is about 195 kilometers from the city of Manila and could be reached via airplane or bus. There are no passenger ferries that dock to its port in Barangay Caminawit.
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Government port of San Jose.

Like the many towns that are far away from the large urban centers, the main economic activities in San Jose are fishing and farming. Salt is one of the main products of this town and is sold to various provinces of Visayas.

 

How to Reach San Jose, Mindoro Occidental

 

San Jose has an airport which is just a tricycle ride away from the town center. McGuire Airfield, as the airport was called, has one landing strip and one terminal building. PAL Express and Cebu Pacific Airlines have daily flights between Manila and San Jose, Mindoro Occidental.
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Inside McGuire Airfield terminal.

Another option is to travel by sea to Abra de Ilog and then by land across Mindoro. Ferries going to Mindoro are available in Batangas Port. You had to take a ferry going to the Abra de Ilog then ride a bus going to San Jose, Mindoro Occidental. This is the cheapest way of going to San Jose but entails a travel time of at least eight hours. So if you are in for a tiresome voyage and rickety road trip, then this is your best option.

Riding the RoRo buses is another option. There are daily trips to San Jose, Mindoro Occidental coming from Cubao, Quezon City. The price, about 900 pesos plus, is just same with the ticket price of PAL Express.

 

Sights to See in San Jose, Mindoro Occidental

 

I didn't see any beach resorts and tourist spots during my stay in San Jose. I saw some foreigners which made me think that I am actually missing something in this town. A commenter said that there is a beach on Ambulong Island, which is just a boat ride away from San Jose, Mindoro Occidental.

The town does have beach resorts but their beaches are not well developed yet. The town is blessed with wonderful mountains that could be a promising area for people who are fond of mountaineering and trekking.

Development is centered in the town center but there are no malls and tall buildings. The whole town is consisted mostly of farms.The centerpiece of this town is the well-maintained park in front of the municipal hall. People flock here every afternoon to stroll and relax. This park is what I like the most in their town. It offered a relaxing space and a good respite from the hustle and bustle of Manila and far away from the imposing buildings and tiresome malls that keep on hypnotizing the people to buy buy buy!
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Rizal Park of San Jose.

My few days visit in San Jose, Mindoro Occidental is not enough to describe the wholeness of the town. Who knows what things are to be discovered in this part of Mindoro? My only regret is I failed to visit any church in this town and add them to the list of churches that I already visited.
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Busy Busy Busy and Many Other Things

Aaahh! Two weeks without visiting the net is hard for me nowadays. Maybe I am now turning into an internet junkie and work keep interfering this little hobby of mine (which of course is blogging). Ika nga ng isa kong tropa --- abala lang ang trabaho sa laro.

On and Off Friend

I was dumped --- again.

No. I was not courting anybody. The one who dumped me was supposedly a friend of mine. Her reason in dumping me is the boyfriend of hers is jealous or something like that.

She “broke” up with me via an SMS saying: “Please erase my number and never text me again.”

A lousy ending, but that’s fine. If you’re a friend, I will stand by you whatever your decision is. So I am standing by for you my dear friend. But if this is the case, why is her decision has some bitter after taste?

Promotions

Time sure flow fast and now I reached and finished my 6 months of being on probation in my post in the agency where I work for.

Three days of exams were all it took to finish our probationary status. I hope I passed the exams and get promoted.

Tooth Decay

Nangingilo ang ngipin ko ngayon. I decided to go to a dentist and have my pearly whites examined. The verdict: cleaning is needed and 10 molars required pasta. This is the effect of not visiting any dentist since grade school and eating loads of sweets every now and then.

The dentist decided to start with my right molars since those teeth were the most damaged. The removal of the decaying teeth crown is painful as the dentist drills those parts away. After the drilling, my right molars felt as if they are empty shells.

I am still getting used to my teeth filled with “pasta” and my left molars will be subjected to the same predicament in the next sweldo day. At least now I know why many kids are afraid of the dentists.

Nighmares, Sins, and the Holy Week

Nightmare

I had a weird dream last night. I dreamed that I was appointed as the new head of the agency where I am working. Suddenly I felt the pressure of being a Boss. There are problems to be fixed here, there, and everywhere. The problems is so many that I can't breath.

The bad thing about that dream that it made me believed that I was really appointed as the head in real life. And that was a scary thing for me, given the fact that I was a newbie in the agency and the fact that I have the tendency to see the hole, instead of the doughnut.

Sins

I failed again! For the nth time already. This is a shame. Just like what a postcard says in Post Secret: "I do not know what to say to God anymore."

I keep on crying to the Lord. "Oh when, Lord, when will I enjoy the light and not hide from it like a scoundrel who hates it."

I miss my innocence.

Holy Week

...which boils the to one thing: Holy Week. Yep, today is Holy Monday. Today is the day to start our Holiness and strengthen our faith to God. Though I failed for so many times to return His love, I will persevere. I will try, even after all the failures, I will continue.

I may fall to pieces and be shattered by my sinfulness, but my struggle will only end if I surrendered the fight.

I remember one day, when I tried to go to a confessional inside a chapel in Galleria in Makati. I told the confessor: "Sir, my sin is that I broke my promise to Him. I had promised not to sin again. But then again, I failed. For so many times." The confessor answered me: "Don't promise God thus, because you will never ever fulfill such promise."

The confessor's answer irked me. Is he saying that I have no capability to fulfill my vow! That what I thought. That is what my pride dictated. But my pride made me fall, over and over again. I continually sin. I keep on doing things that is contrary to His teachings.

Now I learned that the confessor is right. That I can not keep my vow simply because I only rely to my own strength. Now I know that I had to rely on God to drive away my sinfulness and fix my sinfulness.

I had the knowledge. But still I keep on failing Him. Knowledge, indeed, is not enough. It is in loving God that I can only move forward.

So to the Lord I pray:

Lord, may this Holy Monday be the start of my new relationship with you
An improved relationship
May I accept without doubt your love
May I trust you with all my heart, with all my strength
Lord, make me a light that shines to all men
A salt that brings taste to wonderful food
O my God, please forgive all transgressions
all my lies
all my sins
Because I know, through the death and resurrection of our Lord
Jesus our God
That we are cleansed.
May you find my days worthy to be an offering to you.

Lord, give me humble heart, a loving heart
So that I could walk Your path with happiness
A pray thee to you oh God
In the name of Jesus the Lord

Amen.

Freeing the Doves

The story should have ended about two years ago. But here I am, still involved and affected by a romantic story that never was. ---- and there they are, tiptoeing still, as if the story did not ended.

The truth is I have this dread of meeting or seeing I--. There is this atmosphere of awkwardness whenever we are near one another, as if our story just ended a week ago. As if, still I am one of this worst person in the whole universe that made a woman cry. A fool that continued, once in a while, to harbor wishful thoughts of what-would-have-been-if-this-is-what-should-I-had-done.

I know I had to let go, and last week I discovered that I must do so, with no more delay.

I— now had a new partner, which was also an acquaintance of mine. No one told me so. Not my college friends who are officemates of I-- and him. Not even my officemate college friend who is with me every single working day. I had discovered it when I—and him held each other’s hand discreetly. Even my college friends had to refer about it silently when I am around, apparently because they do not know how I will react even after all these years.

My book with I— must be totally closed and I had to let the two of them enjoy each other without the awkwardness whenever I’m around. I have to let myself go also and stop my own foolishness.