THE HALL PASS

Went to the Queen City of the South last May with Donna and her college buddies. Most of our trips to the south have been to sunny Boracay. Cebu's a definitely a welcome treat especially when it comes with a trip to the island of Malapascua, reputedly known as the next Boracay. Our friend Clint describes the place as a "thinking man's Boracay". I wonder if that "thinking man" ever saw this? Ex-hubby of "Dime" Moore? Anyways, the port to Malapascua's a good 3-hour from the city. The boat trip was breathtaking, with seabirds doing fly-by's and schools of small fishes jumping out of the water. Malapascua Island is certainly a find. Though creature comforts like beer, beer and beer were a bit pricey, we were astonished to find that it's a beachcomber's paradise. During high tide in themorning, one can take a morning dip in the clear waters. No waves here, just a peaceful, lazylapping of the water. Once the tide ebbs in the

Between the months of July to September, I was able to retouch/letter 2 mangas. The last one was a bit difficult, citing lack of sleep and time. Even the most well-planned schedule will eventually fail due to human (that's me) error. To my boss, I'm really, utterly sorry. Whew! Good news is, the house is just about done. We're thinking about moving the furniture in one at a time. Kudos to my foreman, Ike, my lead painter, Andy, and their minions for a job well done! They built a beautiful house. Designed a movable kitchen counter. Designing a sofa/coffee table. Fixing/customizing a computer table. Searching for a consul table. Pondering on a doing landscaping project. Pondering on which cable TV, phone and internet provider to subscribe to. Replaced Junior's front tires with brand new ones. Goodyear Fortera R15/25/70. Also had the front brake pads changed from re-lined ones to decent, branded replacement pads (Bendix, Aussie-made). Now the squeaks from braking are almos