get this, there’s a little shopping mall near the airport in cebu. there’s a little spa on the second floor. we all went there for a massage. the best massage i’ve ever had. yeah, even better than “cozy” in bali. $7 for an hour. can’t wait to get back there for another one. or two. and get this story. we had 4 guys so we made reservations to come back in 30 min. we went back and all had our own massage table. hatato, u-ske, and i were in one room. kazuya in the other. we started and 30 minutes into our massage, kazuya asked us if we started already. what? we all thought we started at the same time but it was not the case. he was lying on the massage table ready to go but nobody was there. we asked where this massage person was and they said, “stuck in traffic”. oh my gosh, that was classic…. we couldn’t stop laughing through out the whole massage. i still laugh when i think about it…. haha….

wow, just got a copy of the new Surfer Girls. check out who’s on the cover. yes, that’s YUKO SHIMAJIRI and YOKO FURUICHI. yuko and yoko went to thailand for a shoot and the photos came out really nice. check it out by clicking on the SURFER GIRLS WEBPAGE…..

also, check out the Go-Naminori ad. “Girls just want to have Fun”……

good morning. gosh, we’re having such a good time here. the waves are small but who cares. i just surfed chest high cloud 9 this morning. the water is so clean… and the food we’ve been eating? unreal. went to a yakitori place last night in the town. choose what you want to eat, and they cook it for you. we had chicken, pork, and half of an aku, or katsuo. it was so good…… this trip is different than any other trip because i’m with 7 japanese guys that all have camera’s and video cams. and yes, we are using it all the time. so this trip will be well documented for sure. anyway, all we need is some waves, then this trip will be perfect. well, for me, it’s already perfect. salamat…..

there’s a little place we eat across the street. they have a little pig on the side tied on a leash. i asked the lady when they were going to eat this pig. she said in november, for her daughters 1st birthday. shucks, i wanted to be here so i can eat the feet. haha. it’s a joke.. sorry kalua…. but you know what, there’s so many little pigs and chickens running all over the place. if you go to a restaurant and order chicken, they will grab one, break the neck, and it will be served to you in 30min. that’s how it’s done here. back home, we just run to costco…. spoiled people….

want to live the dream? buy cloud 9 resort. but make sure you invite me every typhoon season. if you don’t, it’s not for sale….

to get around here, you need to jump on a motorcycle. for 20 peso, or 50 cents, you can get a ride into the village. but expect to ride with other passengers. i shot this photo from the back, sitting in front of me was hayato, then tokura-san, then the driver, then shimpei on the handle bars. that’s 5 guys. haha….. only in the philippines… anyway, we went to the festival yesterday in general luna. right when we got there, it was finished. oh my gosh…. anyway, we walked all around for a place to eat. we were so hungry that we didn’t even care what we ate…..

all the dishes tasted good. the one in the middle was the best. i offered hayato to try some but he said no thank you. then when i was on my last bite, hayato told me that i was eating dog. i lost my appetite. ruff ruff…..
**how’s this, the mango here is so good. sweet and juicy. i ate mango chicken curry, mango pancakes, and a mango smoothie. and i’ve only been here 2 days. mango fever. right now, i’m going to order some more mango pancakes and a mango shake for breakfast. maybe now my meat will taste as good as kalua’s… [:??$B”y(B???:]
**oh, and how’s this. gerry from sagana and the guys at billabong gave me an invitation for the contest. shit, so lucky. there’s 44 surfers and the format will be like the WCT. round 1, 3 man heats, 1st goes to round 3. 2nd and 3rd got to round 2. so we all have 2 chances to surf cloud 9 with 2 other guys out. WQS judges are here, the billabong bosses, and some bad ass surfers from japan, tahiti, europe, hawaii, bali, australia, and california. yes, this is an international contest and it is so international. they even flew in an australian doctor for the event. philippines is going big….. all the boys are on the ferry coming tonight so it’s going to be a mad house from tomorrow. well, starting tonight…. have a great day and be safe and happy. just like me….. haha….

good evening, mabuhai from the philippines. gosh, it’s like paradise here. woke up this morning and the waves were small. in fact, it’s been small here for the past 10 days. some of the traveling surfers staying here for a while look pretty disappointed, you can just see it in their eyes. wake up, check the waves, it’s flat, go back sleep, pray for tomorrow. but it’s ok for us because we just go here but i know that feeling of waking up to flat waves for 2 weeks straight when i went to tonga. i understand that the waves aren’t epic everyday here so i’ve prepared myself before i got here. i just think like this, “if i score, i’m lucky”. that’s the cool thing about trips because it’s not only about the waves, it’s about the people you meet, and the experiences you have. i’m so fortunate to come to the philippines to shoot the contest for a japanese magazine. now i get to show people images of this beautiful country through my eyes. i can’t post any photos taken off my canon camera. you have to wait until one of the upcoming Surfing World magazine. but i snapped some off my small dig. camera so check these out.

this is the stage for the contest. when the contest is on, there will be thousands of people here. i actually got scared the last time because i thought the stage was going to break. it’s parked like sardines….

yes, this is where tokura-san, hayato, and i stay. see that coconuts? i ate one this afternoon and it was the sweetest coconuts i’ve ever eaten….

ohayo gozaimasu. i took this photo lying down in my queen size bed. cloud 9 is right between the coconut trees. i jumped in for a morning session. it was only knee high but i was out there all by myself so it was so relaxing. got a couple and went in. the water is so warm and crystal clear….

check out this poster. it’s a national beer drinking contest sponsored by san miguel. the winner gets 500,000 pesos or $11,000 usd. shit, i’m going to get my entry in. so now you guys know the real reason i came here. yes, to become the filipino national beer drinking champion. haha[:?????????:][:?????????:][:?????????:]