Bulls eye!

I clicked. I aimed. I fired!

So do tell, am I a hobbyist? Perhaps I am. This time - Paintball.

Winners

A new sport

Last Saturday was spent with a new, hmm can i call it hobby already?, I'm a hobbyist perhaps?, well in any case, Chabs and I played tennis with instructors. It was noteworthy that, kuya was telling me I have beautiful forehand swing form, but a terribly fancy backhand swing. My feet prances around like chacha. Haha. Good to know I can still learn new stuff, and be brilliant with it. Haha!

Now it hits me. I remembered Justin Timberlake in Friends with Benefits, "Why can't we have *** like we're playing tennis?" Lots of laugh!

Shangrila Boracay. It's something else.

May 2010

Boracay is yadida - one thing. Shangrila Boracay, it's something else. Entirely.

Three entries in a row regarding company outing. Nice, eh?

Top View shot of Shangrila Resort by Tristan.
This is plain brilliant

This here's a photoblog. So you'll most likely see pictures instead of words. :)

Houses on stilts built to a hilt!

Apulit Island
previously known as Club Noah

I shot this from my iPod.

May 2011. It was summer and it was once again a time to kiss Mr. Sun. Hi dearest Sunshine. Did you miss me? I missed you lots.

A splendor of sorts

April 24 - 26, 2008

Lagen Island, El Nido Resorts, Palawan

c/o Caloy

It was a first time to ride with Island Transvoyager, Inc. Their planes are German-made 19-seater Dornier 228-212 aircraft. Low flying, and scary.

Picture circa 2011. Dinna own any digital camera back then. :)

But I did love the scenery.

The world is just awesome.

Surfing Philippines - Bagasbas Edition

After Calaguas, we went to Bagasbas.

Tidied ourselves up.

And crashed more waves of infinite dimensions.

I loved Bagasbas. It's supple swells a welcome change for the one who was used to playing Zambales. (Haha who was I kidding. Been there once!)

Surfing Philippines - Zambales Edition

One September day. A Saturday. Right before Boracay, Jenina invited me to crash the waves. 

With Lenzy, JFel, and JFel's family, we took a roadtrip to San Felipe, Zambales.

Like a pro... Propeller!

Okay so this entry, to showcase how a newbie staunchly walks on water.

Calaguas - Beach Camp Extreme

Ah! Calaguas.

Our trip to Calaguas started on a Thursday. We bought bus tickets in Cubao. And shopped a bit for stuff we might need.

Batad - Sagada

The start of non-stop weekend getaways.

And may I reiterate, this post is loooong overdue.

(c) Earl

It started in April. With no plans for the then upcoming Holy Week (except for this option: go to the airport and get a round-trip ticket to first out of country flight and explore), I was nudging bugging, Chabs to say yes to a trip to Sagada where she was invited. Of course, I will be tagging along, since weekends bore me. Especially after having classes on Saturdays for a whole year. That summer, I was bummed out. And I needed the getaway.

So, then, after much prodding, Chabs conceded, albeit reluctantly.

The Addams Family - Click click

'Twas a merry merry Nightmare Before Christmas.

Thing! You must pose for the cameras.

The Most Beautiful Bride

11.11.11
The Wedding of Arlene and Mike.

Albeit the wedding was not one of the best I've attended, what with all the hoopla with her wedding coordinator (and all the Arline Charices), it was, and still is, a memorable one. The date, for instance, is something one cannot forget. And well, it was the wedding of one of my dearest high school friend and confidante. Arlene!!! You're married! Best wishes to you and Michael. :)

Here's a fire lantern cheers to you both! ;)

Boondocks - Batulao

Our holding company organized a climb to Nasulo Batangas. Batulao. Or batong umiilaw (illuminated rocks). Saturday. November 12, 2011.

Here was our itinerary:

High [Aviation] School

High school. We never outgrew it. It was a Sunday. Sunny. But at 8AM, no one was moving from their respective positions in their respective beds. But when Mike, or was that Pam, arrived, we gots to talking. On our day's itinerary. It was October 23. 

Clark Pampanga. Peeta, my trusty old car, was immersed for the first time to a long drive. My bottom was not left unhurt. 

Happy bunch

Of old temples and new beginnings

Ah Cambodia.

The trip was an overload of culture education.

Eat, Play, LOVE

The three trips that made my year.
Eat. Bangkok Thailand. March 2011
Play. Singapore. May 2011
LOVE. Vietnam-Cambodia. October 2011

2011. What a very significant year. Crazy stuff. Crazier weekends. I am, first and foremost, a traveler. However, this has taken a backseat for the past 25 years. I do love to do new things. And experience new culture. But there were several key factors limiting the love for travel. Money, as always, have been scarce. Up until last year, that is. I have just enough right now to feed my need to go to places, and see new sights.

Eat. A trip to Bangkok alone. I was never fond of trying out new cuisine. But Bangkok taught me otherwise. And I was overwhelmed at how I was left incredibly in-love with the local delicacies. The sweet, tangy, and just the right hint of spice in their food, left my mouth watering and craving for more. I loved how the sourness of the Tom Yang Soup and the sweetness of the mango and sticky rice ravishes the tastebuds which are ignorant for the most part of my life. Haha. How utterly sensible that I should try this now. When I'm mid 20's. Sharing with myself.

Vertigo

Play. Another solo trip abroad. I was never scared, nor a teeny wee bit concerned, what with friends who were scheduled to pick me up at the Budget Terminal airport. My crazy habit of never asking anyone to travel with me, and just saying yes to invitations, have left me with a severe disability - I could never write an itinerary. Aside from touring the local sites and destinations in Singapore from the trusty handbook of 4-hour itineraries I found in my friends' home, there was the intoxicated evening. When we were in recluse, inebriated without heed. And holding a hand of someone I barely recognize. Haha. Good old days, thinking we were back in college. Nada a care in the world.

The Cast
(c) Princess

Love. Now this trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, I shared with my trusty travel buddy, Isabel, who we fondly call Chabs or Biik or Boi. And the most important part was the bus ride. Haha. We have not even set foot in Vietnam for a day. So I relish the moments we were traveling, in style, bus-style. I had to reiterate to myself, that worthiness of oneself is all about outlook. I am worthy to be loved. Especially by me. So lowered self-esteem should have never been an issue. Albeit, I should've looked at it as if it was rejuvenation and a healing. This love for oneself is powerful enough to carry on. And I ended up loving me.

Angkor Wat Gate

Surfing Philippines - Baler Edition

The forecast was bad. Very bad. But we went ahead as our crazy feet was itching to ride the swells that Baler is providing.

Ah Baler! Where the movie of Anne Curtis and some guy was shot. Where things happen. Where waves are non stop. And where, I decided, I must move on some more. Hahaha.

Reaching the Summit

That was prolly my 8th "mountain climb." I can't seem to remember the others, but some were work-related,

Bicol - Soil Sampling
(c) Princess

CSR Tree Planting

some friendship climbs,

Sierra Mountaineers - Coto Zambales
(c) Aizza

some, I dunno. For the heck of it.

Sabit Mountaineers - Pinatubo
(c) Dunno hehe

CE - Banaue Rice Terraces in Batad
(c) Earl

CE - Manalmon
(c) Earl

Chiyoda Engineers - Buntot Palos
(c) Kate

In any case, Franke invited me to the event way beforehand but I was only able to confirm last Monday. So with all the last-minute preparations, I was actually scared and paranoid. To wit, I was doing last minute buying, prior to our meet-up at Jose's house somewhere in Pasay. Or was that Magallanes? Pardon my poor sense of Manila Map.

We were at the bus station at exactly 9PM. And we waited. Waited still. Waited some more. Haha.

Travel Far and Wide

Travel high and low.
Travel to the far far abodes
Travel to the wide wide roads
Travel to the chilling colds of mountains
In full view of the majestic curtains
Travel to the deepest recesses of the sea
Little critters waiting to be seen