Bluewaters

I love Davao City because in 15 minutes, you're at the beach already!

My untimely return to Davao last November 8-9 left me with days which I wanted to see the beach. So here we were at Samal. KC contacted the Bluewaters Resort through their local landline number: (082) 303 2618 and we were booked for the day.

Entrance fee is 150 PhP each.

Boat ride to and fro is PhP 400 (that's the price for the entire boat already).

It's only 15 minutes from mainland Davao. From Lanang going Sasa, we turned right at the first docking area, the same docking station where guests going to Pearl Farm are bound.

From here, we just called the number and they had us picked up though a private boat.

happily ever afters

Weddings are beautiful things. The start of happily-ever-afters. The realization of every little girls dreams. Being able to witness the union of couples who can't take their eyes off each other with such dreamy satisfaction, well, I can't help but be mesmerized as well. 

I've been to two (2) weddings within the past month. 

My heart

My heart, my heart
My heart, my heart My heart, my heart My heart, my heart
My heart, my heart
It said lubdubb
Then it died.

post scripts

To tie the rope around my neck
My own undoing.
I gasp for air, I can't reflect
My sanity is ruined.

Haiyan victims Relief

My housemates and I went to repack some relief goods for the Yolanda (International Name: Haiyan) typhoon victims. The Army Gym is where we played air soft some two years ago. Yesterday, I went there to help. They have repacking activities until Friday, November 15, 2013. Go there via commute:

a. Ride MRT to Guadalupe 

b. Ride jeepney to Gate 3

c. Alight a Army Gym

They welcome walk-in volunteers.

Image of map below taken from Hands on Manila Twitter account:

Lenovo Battery Lifespan

11.12.13
I received two new company-issued gadgets. A free cellphone from Globe - that was the Nokia Asha 501, and a Lenovo laptop. Felt so much like my birthday, hooray! 

As I've always had problem with my previous laptop's battery - it's now available for only 5 minutes - I first searched how to stop battery charging. My personal laptop, Dell, has a physical button in F3 that I can click to stop battery charging. Thus, it was frustrating for me to look and google how to do this in other brands. Good thing was, the I can click the battery icon in the taskbar for battery management. Here's what I found out:

South Batangas

Commuting to Lobo Batangas robbed me of an entire half day. Should have left earlier, nevertheless, it was well worth the effort. Here's an easy step-by-step on how to go to Lobo, Batangas from Manila:
1. Take JAC liner bus from Taft, Manila to Batangas Pier (P157). Buses depart after sufficient passengers, so you can go there any time. Alight at Grand Terminal station in Batangas City.
Travel time: 2 hours
2. Take Balagtas-bound jeepney. Alight at corner with Libjo jeepney route. (P8)
Travel time: 10 min
3. Take Libjo-bound jeepney. Ask driver to drop you off at Lobo jeepney station. (P8)
Travel time: 10 minutes
4. Take Lobo jeepney (P53)
Travel time: 1.5-2 hours
The roads are already paved, so no worries.

Crystal clear waters

first year

A long weekend spent with birthdays.
Saturday: Kian Michael Tan-Sumaya turned one
Sunday: Macy Samonte turned one
Monday: Chabs turned twenteen

We spent our Saturday in Sto. Tomas Batangas. Left for Isdaan in Calauan Laguna in the afternoon.

Arlene, my fellow green-liking high school classmate, celebrated the first year of their first kid in Batangas. A door prize (jarful of candies) was at the registration table, and we were asked to guess how many candy it held. Knowing Arlene liked 13, I guess first 130. But someone already guessed that and Reinzy told me that was too many. So I changed my guess to 113.

When the winner was announced, I was frivolous with glee. Hooray!

nothingness

My hands are weathered
My body's cold
I'm sitting here helpless
letting things unfold
Shivers of longing
for stories untold.

birthdays

A constant celebration of joy in my heart. -JLC

I'm not really known for making grand plans for my birthday. This year included. But sometime summer, I was booked for Hong Kong by Reinzy. Disneyland for my birthday, baby! :D

junior master chef

As part of the company's Employee Volunteer activities, the core group organized last September 28 a baking activity with kids from Phil Asia Assistance Foundation. 

After all the mixing and grinding and finally knowing what the main ingredients for a cupcake are, I will, needless to say, not be eating one soon. All sugar and butter! Hihi. The kids had fun, though. I did, too. :)

Sharing time with the less fortunate is real rewarding.

xoxo

Bangkok for the fourth time

My fourth trip to Bangkok was a bit lazy. It was for a conference and most often than not, I stayed indoor. Did try some exploring when I had to look for the convention center on my second afternoon.

a little over Six Seconds

Hang on tight. Hold your breath. Fall.

I can be a part of a silent film. Teehee. Was savoring the fall, thus no screams. :)

Tweet

Amuyao Traverse

Barlig - Amuyao - Patyay - Cambulo 

"Yung trek na iniyakan ko. Twice."

Group picture

Day 0 August 23 (Friday) 

deeply cracked

My rants most times are baseless and immature. Sometimes it's about how I feel and why. Why do I feel this or that. Why it irks me when a plan is not done. A lunch date postponed. Or the feeling of abandonment when I'm not part of a group.
                           
I alienate myself just because I can.

I have my own eccentricities which I feel are unlovable. My crazies which I resort to telling only my most trusted friends.
                                   
I'm holding on at the very brink. A margin away from insanely ridiculous thoughts my mind could ever conjure.

I recently read An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.

Here are my takeaways:

“If people could see me the way I see myself - if they could live in my memories - would anyone love me?”

"Because you're only thinking they-might-not-like-me-they-might-not-like-me, and guess what? When you act like that, no one likes you.”

It hits right so close to home.

a food entry

I've been to Granny's burger twice. Both times with Mama Mich.
I tried their burger first, then today, I tried Lala's Sandwich.

I like it.
I loved their gourmet burger because it was way worth its price.
And I liked the sandwich because it fits my taste bud. Ugh, I make the most senseless of food blog entries. Would've loved to learn how to be a food critique, but my minimal vocabulary of food taste will be the death of me. Aside from the yums and the mmmhmmms, I don't know how else to convey my approval. Ha! :)

Granny's Burgers is located in Pasig, a 15-minute (and 15 PhP) FX-ride away from Megamall.
Here's a link to their Facebook page.

Bellevue Resort and Spa

Five years in the company. Fifth outing.
This year, we were billeted at Bellevue Resort and Spa in  Panglao, Bohol.

Girls

Water Sports

Wakeboarding the second time around.

I think I've got it. ;)
Chabs and I tried to jumpstart our beginner's arses and lo! We actually did it. 


P.S. I'm missing the beach too much.

Posting stuff from STOiC

Hello! Please checkout our Instagram.

Lots o' love,

STOiC

Wear your state of mind.

Beijing ITINERARY

Day 1 / June 12

Nanlouguxiang Street

The Wall

Adding a check on The Great Wall.

China Visa Application

China Visa Application for Tourists 
As of July 2012

EDSA Peace Mural

I was invited by Chabs to volunteer for the
Project EDSA: Journey of Peace in EDSA

It's supposed to bid for the longest peace mural Guinness Record.

As what happens most of the time, I said yes. And invited Jenny along, my architect best friend, to the event. She was called several days after, and was asked to be the team leader. Which, much to her chagrin, was quite a tall order. She googled, "How to choose the best color for a mural" and "Peace mural" prior to the event. And I found that amusing I had to tease her. Haha!

So there we were, at 6AM on May 26, a Sunday. Still stifling some snores, we trudged on to Camp Aguinaldo. It was a bit disappointing that we had to wait for around 3 hours (they have a program which we cannot see from our side) before we could get to our walls.

And finally, we marched on to un-stenciled walls. They said they did not finish sketching because it rained the previous day. They then gave a go-ahead for us to transfer to another wall. Yay.

Even if it was scorching hot, we had a grand time painting, or at the very least, doing damage control. A person who had a white paint had so much time on his hand, he was painting white all over! I think he was trying to make some shading, which was but a futile effort considering he does not have other colors on his hand.

I can't help but think my life sometimes is somehow like Case 1. :(
Measly peon.

Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh

Four full days in Vietnam. Flying in to Ho Chi Minh, and a special request to visit Mui Ne. Now, that was a tall order; especially for me who is a novice at organizing stuff. I was always reprimanded due to errors I do here and there - wrong flight booked, lost tickets, etc. So, I was half expecting this trip won't go off without a hitch. Thankfully, even if I felt I was horribly unprepared, it was an awfully awesome, spectacular, fantabulous vacation! Haha! Sorry for gushing. :">

I will write more when I get the time. As it is, I have pending tasks piled up post-holiday.

Day 1. We checked in at Backpacker's Club Hostel in HCM. Dorm rates at 6 USD/head/night. Was supposed to go to Mui Ne at 8AM, but the buses have departed. No thanks to my awesome scheduling skills. Looking again at my schedule, buses depart from HCM to Mui Ne at 7AM. Haha! So, a little tweaking, and we took the 5PM trip to Mui Ne. We used Futa Travel, Phong Trang buses since it's the cheapest we could scout in the area. It's also just a minute walk from our accommodation! We also decided to book our bus trip back. So, instead of the planned return, we got seats for trips the day after.

Accommodation in HCM: Backpacking Club Hostel
269/19 De Tham St, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, 848, Vietnam

Bus to Mui Ne: Phong Trang (Futa Travel): 274-276 De Tham Street, District 1, HCMC. (135,000 VND one way)

A trip to Apo Reef

Itinerary (as arranged by Chabs Bautista)

Day 0: 

1900H – 2000H: Assembly in Shaw/Dinner

La Union

I love the thrill of "walking" on water. Surfing, therefore, is one of the greatest physical euphoria.

March 29- April 1, 2013

The Philippines have been blessed with quite a number of surfing spots, mainly due to the fact that we are an archipelago. No gigantic swells though, just enough to enjoy the sports without being extreme. (But maybe I need to research more on this one)
 No matter where in the country, a body of water is always nearby.

 La Union is pretty much accessible for me. Being in Manila for a good six years now, it was pretty neat that we are midway Bicol (south of Luzon) and Ilocos (northern part). La Union is north of Manila, around six to seven hours drive away. It's fast becoming, if not already, a surfing hub for Filipinos and foreigners alike. I like the fine sand and the salty waters which were not too murky.
I have been to other surfing sites in Luzon: Bagasbas, Baler, and Zambales. Albeit Zambales is nearest to Manila (around 3-4 hours drive) I sometimes find the swells too few and far in between. The sand is  quite coarse too. Baler was fun, but we went there during monsoon, and a typhoon just left PAR, ergo the water was a bit murky. And Bagasbas, my favorite, is just too far; it will take half a day's drive to get there.

at one point

Iain Thomas

I thought of this, too.
Yes.
At one point.

Theories

I love theories. I especially like thinking how one came into being. Or why this works that way. Or what could be inside something I haven't seen. Or who could he be?

I posted in my previous entries works from Shinji Moon. And recently, I read again Iain Thomas, author of the books, "I wrote this for you" and "Intentional Resonance." He has a blog, Tumblr, and Twitter accounts. The most recent work which caught my attention was as follows.

From I Wrote This For You:

“I’d study the science of you until I turned it into an art.

The way your atoms rub together.

Molecules colliding.

Chemistry building.

Explosions of heat and radiation burning like a star at the end of the world.”

From a personal point of view, the text is reminiscent of Shinji Moon's form of writing.

"Only that. A handful of cells.

You,

are a textbook of our

chemistry.

Let me put your laugh in a petri dish

so that I can see if what we have

has a heartbeat,if the cells between us"

See the similarities? Now my new theory is. Shinji and Iain are one and the same. Hahaha!
Now that sounded so much like a fan-fic. Errr. 

Residencia de Riego

Feb 16, 2013
Residencia de Riego
Muzon 2, Alitagtag, Lemery, Batangas

The weekend getaway with the girls. Mama Mich stumbled upon Residencia de Riego in Cash Cash Pinoy, one of the famous sites for vouchers offering discounts and savings. Everybody at the office seem to be hooked to it, except for me.

Mich got the deal at around 4,000 PhP. She booked it early January, and there was supposed to be five (5) of us, but at the last minute, Pau backed out because accordingly, it was her bestfriend's birthday weekend.

I am every vulnerability that the thesaurus has to
offer me and in a certain light it’s impossible for me not to pull you
towards me with the intent of kissing the very life
out of you.

-excerpt from “I Don’t Want To Be Loved. I Just Want To Be Untangled,” Shinji Moon

Who is Shinji Moon?

I've blogged and re-blogged in my Tumblr account several of Shinji Moon's poetry. Google is of little help this time. I cannot, for the life of me, fathom why I could not find a picture, or an article, or a biography dedicated to Shinji. I read several blogs saying s/he's an 18 year old girl living in New York City, with his/her dad. I beg to disagree. The poet's words are too precarious for a little girl. I am thinking perhaps he is a man. Mid-thirties. Struggling writer. A cigarette in cheek. Silhouetted all in the alley. Now that sounds sinister. teehee. Just the same, I guess I am entitled to my silly imaginings. I love his poem, "I Don’t Want To Be Loved. I Just Want To Be Untangled."

But here's a poem which melts me. 

“
When I look at you laying there
across the way from me
behind the curtains of a friday
afternoon, I wonder how it is that
you,
you are just a handful of billions of cells.
Something that I can pick apart and put back together.
You, a human with one heart
and two hands
and ten fingers
that I’ve fallen in love with
all at separate times.

Only that.
A handful of cells.

You,

are a textbook of our
chemistry.

Let me put your laugh in a petri dish
so that I can see if what we have
has a heartbeat,
if the cells between us
dance
like we did that evening
when you slid your arm
around the small of my waist
and kissed me
with your eyes closed.

Let me see
if there’s a definition
in the way you love me
without loving me
with words.”

#sap

Before Midnight

Another one from Richard Linklater.

I am a fan of two of his other films, Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004). Now, another nine years after, another installment.

The sweetest

I read several spoilers. No thanks to some blogs raving about their Sundance movie screening, and which, I've managed to click and read. Just the same, I am excited to watch the film in entirety. I've always been a fan of Linklater since I've watched the first installment of this saga. I even downloaded some of his works (Tape and Waking Life, which by the way had a short scene with Celine and Jesse).

Out of the miry depths of the fickle heart, the movie captivates. Engages. Involves. I watched immediately thereafter the second installment (because I watched the 1995 film in mid-2000's. Which was gr-ool.)

Here's my takeaway from the second movie: click here.

It'll be awesome if by some form of miracle, indie movies are shown in theaters. I can't wait.


Celine: So, I want to try something.
Jesse: What?
Celine: [hugs him] I want to see if you stay together or if you dissolve into molecules.
Jesse: How'm I doing?
Celine: Still here.
Jesse: Good, I like being here.

I am such a sap.

SUICIDE NOTE

To Boddah

Speaking from the tongue of an experienced simpleton who obviously would rather be an
emasculated, infantile complain-ee. This note should be pretty easy to understand. All the warnings from the punk rock 101 courses over the years, since my first introduction to the, shall we
say, ethics involved with independence and the embracement of your community has proven to be
very true. I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music along with reading and writing for too many years now. I feel guity beyond words about these things. For example when we're back stage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowds begins., it doesn't affect me the way in which it did for Freddie Mercury, who seemed to love, relish in the the love and adoration from the crowd which is something I totally admire and envy. The fact is, I can't fool you, any one of you. It simply isn't fair to you or me. The worst crime I can think of would be to rip people off by faking it and pretending as if I'm having 100% fun.
Sometimes I feel as if I should have a punch-in time clock before I walk out on stage. I've tried everything within my power to appreciate it (and I do,God, believe me I do, but it's not enough). I appreciate the
fact that I and we have affected and entertained a lot of people. It must be one of those narcissists who only appreciate things when they're gone. I'm too sensitive. I need to be slightly numb in order to regain
the enthusiasms I once had as a child. On our last 3 tours, I've had a much better appreciation for all the people I've known personally, and as fans of our music, but I still can't get over the frustration, the guilt and empathy I have for everyone.
There's good in all of us and I think I simply love people too much, so much that it makes me feel too f***ing sad. The sad little, sensitive, unappreciative, Pisces, Jesus man. Why don't you just enjoy it? I don't know! I have a goddess of a wife who sweats ambition and empathy and a daughter who reminds me too much of what i used to be, full of love and joy, kissing every person she meets because everyone is good and will do her no harm. And that terrifies me to the point to where I can barely function. I can't stand the thought of Frances becoming the miserable, self-destructive, death rocker that I've become. I have it good, very good, and I'm grateful, but since the age of seven, I've become hateful towards all humans in general. Only because it seems so easy for people to get along that have empathy. Only because I love and feel sorry for people too much I guess. Thank you all from the pit of my burning, nauseous stomach for your letters and concern during the past years. I'm too much of an erratic, moody baby! I don't have the passion anymore, and so remember, it's better to burn out than to fade away. Peace, love, empathy.

Kurt Cobain 

Frances and Courtney, I'll be at your altar.

Please keep going Courtney, for Frances.
For her life, which will be so much happier without me.

I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!

*end of note*

Man.

BuDa

It was a lazy month. Aside from going home, I did nothing else to pique the interest of any travel readers.

December 25. We went to Seagull Mountain Resort (4000 feet above sea level) in Buda. I learned during the drive that the place is called Buda because it's a concatenation of Bukidnon and Davao. Bu-Da. Haha. Very smart. :p

The place is quite cool. It was a nice reprieve from the humid air emanating throughout Davao City. It's around 2-3 hours drive away. Good thing I have my trusty siblings to drive me around while I was home.

I'll randomly choose pictures from the trip.

Not another high school reunion

December 28, 2012

The batch decided to celebrate the 10th year reunion helping. After the onslaught of the first typhoon in Davao, there were a lot of relief operations going. I'll just post pictures.

It's 2013

I just sent my first report for the year. I made the mistake of indicating 2012 in the document title. Boo! :))

It's a new year! And I need to go back into writing. I kinda missed it. :)

Bonjour mademoiselle et monsieur.