I had a great time in Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija — we went on a roadtrip there Friday night and came home Sunday morning. Thanks again to my kumpare Joel Pinaroc, his brother Jay, and their Tito Dan and his family for their warm hospitality.

I blogged about our “escape from urban life” for CNET Asia. Here’s an excerpt:

I’m not sure how many of you have been to or grew up in a rural area, but we’re talking a house (though a modern one) surrounded by ricefields, with a stream, piggery, carabaos (water buffalo) ducks, chickens–the works. It’s a different kind of experience, particularly for someone like me who lived his whole life in the city, and I always welcome opportunities like this to get away from it all and forget about my complete immersion in the digital world, at work and at play.

In a world where many of our friends and colleagues are people we’ve only interacted with online, it’s good to just spend time talking (well, OK, drinking and talking–we arrived there at 11:30 pm and proceeded to drink a lot of brandy and beer until 4 am) with friends and meeting new people whose lives don’t revolve around technology.

Oh, and if you haven’t tried bulalong kalabaw yet, trust me, it’s better than bulalong baka!