One Hell of a Ride

Happy hearts Day!

2012-02-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

Him: Babe, I am looking at where to go next. Any suggestions?
Her: Check out Seoul. I dream of Japan but its shaking all the time! Lol
Him: I would check out Japan; you should join me. If things start to shake I can hold you up.
Her: ^_____^

joke time

2012-02-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

Erlo: Te Rhumz, me eraser ka ba?

Rhumz: ala e, uso pb un? Lagi kse akong tama!

Erlo to Danica: Me eraser ka ba?

Rhumz: Lagi rin syang tama kea wala syang eraser.

Danica: Meron akong nkareserba para s mga taong di kokatulad. hahaha

Love it! hahaha

E-love

2012-02-13T19:28:00.000-08:00

In grade school, we used the term “crush.” During the first half of high school, “M.U.” became the new buzzword, which stood for Mutual Understanding. To this day, grandmothers, insists that “Malabong Usapan” is a much more appropriate definition, and I can’t help but agree. The space between more-than-friends-and-less-than-a-commitment is always a sketchy place to be in. Eventually, the capsule descriptions for relationships evolved into “dating” or “going out,” which further branched out into other categories (“Like, exclusively? Or like, casual lang?”).

HOWEVER, the dating landscape has changed EXPONENTIALLY thanks (or no thanks?) to technology.[1] Bring to mind the many times we have we gotten SUPER KILIG when the one we had our eye on changed his/her status from “in a relationship” to “single.” Or the hours we spend with our friends conducting a “background check” on a potential partner to survey his/her interests, pictures, and your mutual friends. Let’s count our friends who have gotten in trouble when their significant others saw them “checked in” or tagged in pictures showing places they weren’t supposed to be at, with people they weren’t supposed to be with. And let’s admit it: we search the new significant other(s) of our exes, only to criticize him/her, e.g., “EEEWWWW, she’s from (insert name of school here).” “Whatevs, he’s not even cute, okay. My foot looks better than his face.” Long-distance relationships are also easier to manage now, with Skype, Facebook, Magic Jack, WhatsApp, and BBM.[2]

The current terms we use are HOHOL (Hang Out Hang Out Lang) and MOMOL (Make Out Make Out Lang). For instance, “Are you sleeping with each other?” “No, MOMO lang!” Or, “Are you together na?” “No naman, ka-HOHOL for now.” Using these terms always makes me laugh, just because they’re so ~onomatopoeic.[3]

I’m contemplating on relationships because we are approaching the tail end of breakup season, which is typically from late May-late September. This is the period when the couples you thought would never breakup (gasp!) actually, finally breakup. Not breakup to makeup, but BREAKUP FOREVER. We witnessed a few ugly breakups this year, which resulted in several 911-ish calls and messages from both sides. No one is triumphant after a breakup. As the late Amy Winehouse said, “Love is a losing game.” One of the first things I make them do is read the children’s book, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O. It’s the bible for the brokenhearted. True story.

Now, our hindsight is back to 20/20. We’re better, not bitter. We can toast to the future and drink to the past (Juice, ’90s). My bffs will all agree that breakups are (awfully painful) blessings in disguise. The bridges we burned lit and led the way to new friends, interests, experiences and a greater love–the love for self. We tend to forget that when we’re with/under/on top of someone. We need to remember that being single doesn’t mean being alone and/or lonely. It can mean remembering what independence was when we weren’t half of a whole. Summer took the words right out of my mouth and heart during this scene:

McKenzie: So do you have a boyfriend?
Summer: No.
McKenzie: Why not?
Summer: Because I don’t want one.
McKenzie: Come on; I don’t believe that.
Summer: You don’t believe that a woman could enjoy being free and independent?
McKenzie: Are you a lesbian?
Summer: No I’m not a lesbian. I just don’t feel comfortable being anyone’s girlfriend. I don’t actually feel comfortable being anyone’s anything… I like being on my own. I think relationships are messy and people’s feelings get hurt. Who needs it? We’re young, we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world; might as well have fun while we can and, save the serious stuff for later.

I enjoy having my own time, making my own decisions without consulting a boi, doing crazy things and not having to feel guilty about it the next morning. Sometimes I wonder if I enjoy it too much because I no longer know how to freefall or proceed without caution. If I take a leap of faith, I’ll need both a parachute and a safety net below me. And now, I’m often repulsed by affection.

This is not to say that I haven’t been swept off my feet. Oh, I have. I met a couple of guys who fit the exact description of my dreamboi provided on “the bigger fish.” She said that I needed “someone who [had] a bigger personality, a bigger dream, a bigger passion, someone so dynamic he [would] leave [me] in awe.” As in Sylvia Plath level.[4] Plath said, “And when at last you find someone to whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter— they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long.” YUN OH.

The problem with finding these bigger fish is that they usually belong to different oceans. One I haven’t seen since that Cancun sunrise, the other I just spent the weekend with. Both I would fly thousands of kilometers for and vice versa.[5] Logistics makes it unthinkable to even consider committing. But, at the very least, I know these bigger fish exist. Paki play nalang ang hit song ni Barry Manilow ’til I see one of them, if at all: “We had the right love at the wrong time…” CHOS.

I believe in engaging in a great big love affair with yourself, improving yourself, HOHOL with MOMOL on the side, lifting, pulling, and flopping until a Big O comes and rolls with you. I don’t believe in waiting and/or looking. I don’t believe in asking, “When is my prince charming gonna come?” “Am I gonna find another great love?” “Where could s/he be?” THE EFFFF. Why should we throw pathetic pity parties?! And I certainly don’t believe in settling because those who told me they 5 and 10 years ago that they are "settling" down are in trouble now . I’m not going to be okay with sparks when I can have fireworks, or violins when I can have a full-blown orchestra. If it’s just going to be mediocre love, I won’t even bother but Life is sometime a joke. Sometimes you are being led to the way you don't bother to with lies, talkshits and deception.

[1] Thus my inspiration for this piece.
[2] OO, AKO NA! AKO NA TALAGA ANG EXPERT SA PUNYETANG MGA L.D.R. NA YAN.
[3] Okay, not really. I just wanted to use “onomatopoeic” in a sentence, the way Jam effortlessly does.
[4] WHY DO I KEEP QUOTING DEAD PEOPLE???
[5] Which is probably why “mahal” in Filipino is both “love” and “expensive”… amff.

Impakto

2012-02-09T01:36:00.000-08:00

Breakups often dictate the way you feel about your ex. There are the loud, messy ones, like the time you called it quits on the shores of Boracay. Before he walked away, he yelled, “You’re never gonna find someone like me!” (Yes, sweets, that was the point.) Some breakups are caused by a third party.

Others end quietly, but just as painfully. You grew in different directions, you fell out of love, it just wasn’t meant to be.

There will be lots of tears and tequila, and you will be a lot of bitter before you get better.

The 5 stages of grief should be rewritten to include new ones, like the stage where you try to be friends. Your mom calls this The Long Goodbye–that period where you have dinner, talk about mutual friends, share anecdotes from family reunions… Then get creative with chocolate syrup at night.

Another one involves social media spaces. Facebook is evil. Seeing his name and/or face on your screen will either piss you off or make you sad, so you delete him, your mutual friends, and his relatives from your news feeds (shit, that’s about 1/3 of your Friends list). You delete profile pictures with him and hide albums of your Christmases and New Year’s Eves with his family. You throw a tantrum when your girlfriends have pictures with him, because they’re supposed to be on YOUR side. (Months from now you will regret this heightened level of immaturity.)

Real life is a bit trickier. When you know he’ll be in the same area, you make an effort to look GREAT, so that if you run into him, he’ll see you in your royal blue maxi dress and bronzed shoulders, and think, “Damn, why did I ever let her go?”

But of course, this only happens in your head. Instead, you see him right after you walk out of the yoga studio with your face splotchy from all the downward dogs and shoulder stands, on the day you wore your most faded pants and the Nike shirt he gave you on your third anniversary. Fuck.

You do damage control if you’ll be in the same party. You will change AT LEAST 15 times… Only to go back to the first outfit you tried on. Once you see him, you don’t know whether to hug or kiss him on the cheek and which side to kiss, so you end up almost planting your lips on his. Again, fuck.

Soon, you start to heal. You begin dating and sleeping with other people to seal the fissures that formed across your chest. You go out with his former teammate, your high school sweetheart, and his 5th cousin. They’re everything he wasn’t; they thought you were funny and made you feel appreciated. You forget why you and your ex were even together in the first place, how he swept you off your feet, and how you lasted half a decade.

Then something will trigger a breakdown: a song (e.g., “6, 8, 12” by Brian McKnight), a scent (e.g., Bvlgari Extreme), a dish (American Dream from Omakase), or dinner with his sister (WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??? …GURL, YOU WEREN’T THINKING!). After months of staying away from his Facebook page, the masochist, crazy version of yourself clicks his name. You look at wall post after wall post, asking yourself if he’s seeing any of those
sluts
girls. Your tear ducts give way when you click his photos, and you see him happy, with his arms around people you don’t know. WHY THE HELL IS HE HAPPY? YOU GUYS AREN’T TOGETHER ANYMORE, HE SHOULD BE FREAKIN’ MISERABLE!

(It is often difficult to determine whether it’s your heart or ego that hurts more.)
And you remember. Your relationship wasn’t one big, glorious memory, but a million little ones:
That evening when you came home after a long day of school and rehearsals and found a kitchen counter full of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream, Nutella, and granola bars as a reminder to stay healthy;
That day when your best friend left for America and he held you as you bawled until his shirt was soaked with your tears and snot;

And that Sunday afternoon when you did your groceries for his party and he draped his arm around your shoulders between coriander and cumin and said, “We’re going to be doing this every Sunday, babe.”
You guys broke up three weeks later. LIAR.

You will be momentarily possessed. You send him a private message saying hi, how are you, wow we haven’t talked in a long time huh!, hope all is well, take care! Curt, formal, awkward. It turns out he’s online, so he messages you. You are surprised because you had already deleted him on Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, BBM, and iMessage.

Somewhere between catching up and finding an excuse to end the conversation, you type, “I’m not over you. I miss you.” and press enter. Your eyes widen and your heart goes boom badoom doom bass but not with the kind of of sass Nicki Minaj has. After about 10 minutes (okay, it was really just 1 minute), the words pop up from his end: “I’m sorry if this makes me sound like a douche, but I’m over you. When I found out through Facebook that you were dating my former teammate, you gave me no choice but to move on. Then I saw pictures of you and my cousin kissing” (HEY, 5TH COUSIN NAMAN KASI) “and that was it for me.”

You reply that it’s okay, you understand. You insert smiley faces just to reassure him that it’s cool.
The next evening you are in your girlfriend’s house with bottles of wine. “He’s over me,” you repeat, still stunned. She places a plate of pesto pasta in front of you that she made with lots of basil and love. “You needed to hear that,” she says. “Now, we can let go and move on for real.”
We. She used the plural form. You are reminded that you’re not alone, and you never will be.
After consuming a bottle of wine, you pass out on her floor, wake up just before dawn and manage to drive home.

Tomorrow, it will hurt less. And the day after that. And the day after that. The cracks in your chest are but spaces for light to enter. When you stop seeing the possibility of recovering the lost love, you will begin to see love in other forms: discovering new hobbies, creating new circles of friends, and exploring places you’d always wanted to visit. You will feel your heart regenerate.

Ex-, after all, is a prefix to mean “former state.” This is the present. Don’t screw it up.

Ex-Pacto

2012-02-09T01:22:00.000-08:00

Exes can be divided into two major categories: your exes and the exes of the new person you are dating. Today, let’s focus on the latter.

When it comes to exes, the six degrees of separation is cut in half. In the Ateneo-La Salle-UP social circle or geographical region (i.e., THE SOUTH) or choice of advocacy (i.e., ENVIRONMENT), it’s down to, like, two. This means that you most likely know or at least know of the ex of the new person you are seeing. You have sat beside her in PI 100, registered in the same environmental conference, and/or attended the same birthday party in Ponti. Or you’ve seen her name pop up in your Facebook news feeds. She comments on your friends’ photo albums, she’s tagged in your friends’ statuses… She’s everywhere! Or so it feels. Facebook is evil.

Your girlfriends will do a background check on the new guy, because that’s just how you love each other. You, on the other hand, don’t do this, because you’re a smart, confident person and you trust this new guy. The operative word here is new, so the old doesn’t matter.

Until BFF 1 texts you. “DA WHO IS [INSERT NAME]? WHY IS SHE SITTING ON HIS LAP IN THE ALBUM OF SUMMER ’06?” You had forgotten how thorough your friends were. BFF 2 responds immediately, “I saw that na, they weren’t THAT sweet naman. But check the Boracay ’10 album!”
You will be tempted to click those links. Whatever you do, DO NOT CLICK. I REPEAT: DO NOT CLICK.

(This is the part where you click.)

Congratulations! You have just opened Pandora’s Box. You will see Wall Photos of her gifts to him; profile pictures of them na pang Tumblr, kulang nalang vintage effect and cheesy quote about forever in Helvetica; and albums of their years together in different exotic locations. It’s just like drugs or having more than one slice of Conti’s Turtle Pie or driving on the Skyway at 170 KPH after having too many Azzuris: you know it’s wrong in so many levels, BUT YOU STILL DO IT. Because there is a little masochist and a lot of crazy in you.

You start to hear voices in your head:

OMG she’s so pretty. HEY YOU’RE PRETTY TOO. OMG she’s into environment also. TANG INA DOES HE LIKE ME BECAUSE I REMIND HIM OF HER???? AHHH what if he’s on rebound? Yes. That’s it. He’s on rebound. HE’S NOT. I wonder if he compares her to me. Probably… WHAT!!!! …But in a good way! RELAX!!! You’re like the upgraded version. OMG her skin is so nice I can’t see her pores. Turn off your laptop. Seriously. Awww, their titos and titas and moms and dads and cousins are all commenting on each other’s albums like they’re one big happy family. I can’t do this. I can’t. BALIW!!!! TURN OFF YOUR LAPTOP!!!!

You go to bed at around 2AM, bleary-eyed and insecure. You decide to message the Will to your Grace, because you know he’s awake and will always be ready to listen. You warn him that you are having a Girl Moment and that he is not allowed to judge. “Go, kwento!” he says. After a sigh of relief, you repeat the conversation you had in your head earlier, but to your best friend this time. He starts his reply with, “WTF??? WHO ARE YOU???” and ends all his succeeding messages with “hahahahahahahaha.” He begins to highlight the silliness of your self-inflicted insanity.

He reminds you that 1, you’re pretty AND funny AND smart AND you have a nice ass. 2, you’re not just any “environmentalist,” you contribute to your countrymen and the universe. 3, the new guy likes you a lot and has proven that many times. 4, insecurity doesn’t and never will look good on you so GET A GRIP. “You should get some sleep. I’ll check on you tomorrow morning,” he says.

When you wake up there are messages from the new guy, saying hi, good morning, he’s thinking about you. SEE, GURL, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. But still, you spend the whole day doing what you’re not supposed to be doing: (over)thinking.

That night, he calls and your hormones go haywire (yes, always blame it on the hormones and That Time Of The Month) and you tell him how you’re feeling in a high-pitched voice reserved for moments of panic. When the words pour out of your mouth you realize how shallow you are. Instead of bombarding you with compliments to soothe your ego (that’s your best friend’s job), he asks if you want to hear about the past for the sake of clarity and knowing where he’s coming from. You kinda wanna know but not really because it may feed your insecurity even more, but the masochist-crazy version says, “Okay, sure!” in that high-pitched tone.
So he explains the past and puts your thoughts in context. Without conscious effort, your faith grows bigger than your fear. It was only the unknown and the mystery of it all that rattled you. He emphasizes that that’s the past. Ex-, after all, is a prefix to mean “former state.”
You’re the present. Don’t screw it up.

“The Ex Files, Part II” will be on your own exes, dealing with them, and what to do when they’ve moved on (and you haven’t). Paki handa sa iTunes playlist ang “Someone Like You” ni Adele.

yes, you can date me!

2012-02-03T01:03:00.000-08:00

It's a turn off when a person is not sincere or just "talkshit!" So just as I've said you have to be who you wanted to date. Charles Warnke’s "Date an Illiterate Girl" inspired "Date a girl who reads,", "Date a girl who blogs," and "Date a girl who runs," among others. I’ve been thinking about writing my own response for a while now. I too read, blog, and run, so my initial options were as follows: “Date a girl who does yoga,” because a girl who does yoga is flexible… If you know what I mean; “Date a girl who dives,” because a girl who dives likes it wet (PAK!); and “Date a girl who climbs mountains,” because she knows how to be on top (palak-PAK!). Except I don’t just do yoga, dive, and climb mountains, so such categories would limit me. Instead of writing another vague “Date a girl who ______” I’ll go straight to the point and say DATE ME. YES, IN ALL CAPS. DATE ME.

Our first date will be a butterflies-in-the-stomach-dinner-movie-and-drinks-no-sex-after-but-mayyyybeeee-you’ll-get-a-goodnight-kiss-if-we-didn’t-eat-anything-full-of-onions-and-garlic kind of first date. You can tell by Date #1 that I love food, because I will never order “just a salad and diet Coke.” Food is good. We can go to dine-in restaurants and/or street stalls (isaw FTW). You and I, we are going to taste the cuisines of the world together. And no, you won’t always foot the bill.
Date me because I have a backbone, a brain, and a sense of humor.

These three qualities usually scare guys away. You, on the other hand, will be attracted to me because of them. Because you’re cool and secure like that. I would never ask if you think I’m fat or if you think I’m beautiful, because I don’t fish for compliments. I have an opinion about everything, and I’m not going to pretend not to have one to please your ego. Let’s discuss the outcome of the multilateral agreements on climate change, the Reproductive Health Bill, and how skinny jeans and suspenders look on you.

But having my own opinion doesn’t mean that I won’t listen to yours. I will ask you a lot of questions. Each one unfolds into another, because I care about what you think, what you believe in, and more importantly, why your thoughts and beliefs are the way they are. I believe in you. Your dreams, goals, and vision aren’t just yours, they’re OUR dreams, goals, and visions because "swag" won't pay the bills later. Tell me what your siblings are like, about the most illegal thing you did, and the instruments you learned to play growing up.

I am not a performer. I don’t usually sing for the person I’m dating because that’s too cliché, but if we find ourselves in a bar and it will make you happy, then I will deliver my most moving rendition of “Heaven,” “Akin ka na lang,” orrrr “Bakit ba ganyan” (with choreography). However, my performer side is at its finest while driving or walking around the mall. Watch me dougie, do the Macarena, or belt “Eenie Meenie.”
Or better yet, join me. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone that you know the words to “Never Say Never.”

Date me only if you understand and appreciate the way I love the Jesus and Philippines even if I don't stay in here that much. Envelope me in your arms when I start sobbing about the illegal exportation of corals, or the annual slaughter of 23, 000 dolphins in Japan or how my BP escalates if someone criticize about the Filipino food, the Filipino people and the Philippines . I may also burst into tears when I go to ecotourism sites in Palawan, or hear about the successful implementation of the solid waste management act in a barangay.

Send me links, books, articles, and videos you think would interest me.

Oh and if you do date me, it would be like dating five other girls: A cute, a smart, a cook, a sexy and a wishlist-kind-of-girl (lol). To quote some of the most influential Girls that ever existed, “If you wanna be my lover/You gotta get with my friends/Makin’ it last forever/Friendship never ends.” Don’t worry, they won’t be in bed with us all the time. But the rules: Hands off with my girls is strictly implemented.

Please try not to break my heart. If you do, our combined powers can make your death look like an accident. I will look at you in the eye and tell you that letting me go is your loss, because you’re never going to find someone like me. I’ve done it before. Then, you will forever have –fuck affixed to your name (e.g., Miguel + -fuck = Miguelfuck).

Beneath the ballsy, gutsy, passionate 5’ frame is a cheesefest. That side is only for you to get to know. I will send you random text messages, BBMs, and Facebook PMs about the most mundane things, like how the sand in front of our house is so white that I have to squint when I look at it (a more subtle way of saying “I’m thinking about you and wish you were here”). Or that I just learned what “Do you want to die?” is in Korean. Or that “I love you” in an Indian language literally means “I understand you” (a more subdued way of reminding you that I love and understand you). And even with text, BBM, Facebook, and iMessage, I will still write you handwritten love letters, and snail mail them to you.

Some of the gifts I’ll give will be bought, but most will be made. They may not always arrive on time, but they will be given. Especially when you’re having a bad day and you look like you could really use one… Or twelve.

Things will not always go our way. I’ll throw bitch fits and you’ll snore at night. My lola will keep nagging us to have children, and your mom will keep criticizing my cooking. “Cooking.” Nevertheless, I will love you. Without hope or agenda. In a place where there’s no space or time. In a middle-of-the-night, no-matter-what way. Through shitstorms and rainbows. I will love you.

The Guy you should date

2012-02-03T00:43:00.000-08:00

Before we talk about him, let’s talk about you. You need to be the kind of person you would want to date. Get your shit together and leave the needy, clingy, broken version of yourself behind. You are not going to look for a boyfriend because you’re lonely, or worse, on rebound. You are not going to settle for who’s available and willing, because that will never last. Neither are you going to stay in a wilting relationship just because you’re afraid to be alone and you find comfort in the familiar.
Actually, you’re not even going to look for a boyfriend at all, because you know that the universe will lead him to you when you are ready[1].

Now let’s talk about him. Not Mr. Perfect, but Mr. Perfect For You.
Let’s face it: looks matter. Whoever said looks didn’t matter must’ve been hella ugly. This is not to say that you will only entertain Rafael Nadal’s doppelganger, but you will seek a face that makes your heart smile when you wake up next to it. Studies also show that you end up with someone you are equal to[2].
Your family adores him. He will charm your parents by bringing you home on time and being well versed in current events. He will not always agree with your parents’ opinions, because he has his own and can hold his ground[3]. He will watch your little sister’s ballet recital even if she will just be on stage for three minutes. He will play basketball with your brothers, and will laugh when they tease him about the way he dresses or the irregular shape of his face.
When it comes to your girlfriends, he understands that you are shared property. He will woo them by getting to know them individually. He will not put up a fight if you say you need a girls’ night out.

And when you do fight, he will admit his faults and apologize.

He’ll also point out yours to keep your ego and pride in check. He will never tell you what not to wear, how to style your hair, and limit your food intake because you’re getting “chunky.” He loves your body, with all its valleys, peaks, and curves. He will never curse at you, and he will never, ever, EVER hit you[4]. If you allow someone to do these to you, there is not only something wrong with him, but also with you.
A psychological study reveals that the most important criteria for a stable relationship are a similar outlook on religion and complementary drinking habits. This suggests that Sundays will be spent in Wine Depot. Discuss politics, philosophy, world issues, and punctuation marks there. Brain sex and intellectual stimuli are just as important as the physical kinds.

He’s the kind of man he’d want his daughter to date. This means that courtship doesn’t end when the relationship begins. It continues. He’ll bring you red velvet cupcakes just because it’s a Wednesday, text you when he wakes up just so you know he’s thinking about you, and kiss you in your sleep—or at least when he thinks you’re asleep. If you are at an event or club, he’ll have a pair of flip-flops ready, because he knows how much you whine about wearing high heels.

Whether you’ve had a bad day at work or you sealed a major deal, he’ll come armed with the best weapon: Nutella.

Since he is secure about his sexuality, he’s not homophobic and will enjoy the company of your many beloved gay friends. He doesn’t think that writing you postcards from whatever corner of the globe he’s in is “too gay.” He watches chick flicks with you and hands you tissue once you start bawling at the scene where Poypoy tells Basha, “She loved me at my worst. You had me at my best. But binalewala mo lang lahat yun… You chose to break my heart.”

Contrary to the well-loved SWV song that goes, “Can’t explain why your lovin’ makes me weak,” his love should make you STRONG. He does not have emotional baggage and issues from the past that you may find yourself unnecessarily entangled in. He has direction in his life and a purpose greater than himself[5]. He’s someone who dreams with you. The two of you must dream big, so you can grow into those dreams by chasing them together. Your relationship uplifts you, inspires you, and makes you a better person.

And while other girls wish for a happy ending, your love story never ends.

***

My wishlist!

2012-01-30T08:34:00.000-08:00

How many times have I started a sentence with the words “inmy lifetime, I want to…? Perhaps what I wanted was something grand, likewinning a medal for bravery. Maybe itwas something modest, even mundane – a wish to change jobs or to climb atree. Maybe I wish for somethingfantastic – to be a country star, something utterly practical, making a budgetand sticking to it. My wish might havetaken me to the other side of the world or as far as the moon, or it might havemeant just a walk around the corner. Maybe I wish to do something generous or something just for you.

To mark my birthday I make few practical wishes, that withcheck I already got but still wishing to have more:

☑ Try everything once

☑ Take off now for aspur-of-the-moment vacation

♥ Milk a cow

♥ spend a romantic weekend in a luxury hotel on the FrenchRiviera

♥ learn a sign language

♥ Travel for a month with just one hand carry bag

♥ fall in love with the right person, at the right time forboth of us

♥ walk out of a dull, pointless meeting – just get up and walkout

♥ own a sensational sound system and have speakers in everyroom of the house

♥ live in an high-tech home I can control by computer

♥ solve a whole book of brainteasers

♥ get married in a garden ceremony

♥ celebrate Easter at St. Peter in Rome

☑ Spend a day surfing the internet

☑ receive a love letter

♥ eat the world’s best cheesecake

♥ Sight Tierra del Fuego(just like Magellan)

♥ drink tequila and lick salt from my hand on a beach in Mexico

☑ live without television

♥ slip into bed beside someone who’s not expecting me

♥ Ski Aspen

♥ cruise the Greek islands

☑ receive 2 dozen flowers from an admirer

☑ see with 20/20 vision

♥ trek the jungle of Borneo

♥ ride an elephant in India or Phuket

♥ Summer in a villa in Tuscany

♥ Drive a Maserati

♥ trek in Nepal

♥ dance a Viennese waltz in Vienna

♥ get a tattoo

♥ learn to roller blade

♥ skinny-dip under a waterfall

♥ celebrate St. Paddy’s day in Dublin

♥ Travel to Bali tohear gamelan music on its native ground

♥ go red-river rafting

♥ travel the coast of Turkey

♥ celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans

♥ have a shipboard romance

♥ race a car at Watkins Glen

♥snowmobile in Finland

♥ discover a sibling I didn’t know I had

♥ see summer arrive in Antarctica,lol

☑ work in flexitime

☑ sleep till noon everyday for a week

♥ see Haleakala Crater at Maui

♥ take a bubble bath in Raffles Hotel in Singapore

♥ spend a day as a citizen of Pompeii

♥get so good at poker to really know when to hold’em andwhen to fold’em

♥snorkel Australia’sGreat Barrier Reef

♥watch a sun set over Machu Picchu

♥ watch the lava out of Kilauea

☑ cross-dress for a day (college days)

☑ send flower to someone I love

♥ drink cherry and eat tapas in Spain

♥ spend a day in a nude beach

♥ bird-watch for sandhill cranes along the Platte Riverin Nebraska

♥ Swing on a trapeze

♥ visit the Taj Majal, monument of love

♥ Nap in a field of wild flowers

♥ raft the big bend of Rio Grande

♥wear a dress similar to Barbie doll

♥ find a pearl in an oyster

♥ go white-water rafting in Costa Rica

♥ have a passionate affair in a bougainvillea-covered villain the island of Capri

♥ taste a century wine

♥ move to a place where I’ve always wanted to live

♥ wear the national dress of every country I visit

♥ cruise the Nile in afelucca

♥ see a panda in the wild

♥ sit in on classes in my old high school – just to see ifI’ve learned anything since

♥ cuddle a lion cub

♥ look good with my head shaved

♥ make love at the beach, under the moon

♥ send my mother-in-law flowers on my spouse’s birthday

♥ win an all-expense-free-trip to the destination of mychoice

♥ catch a marlin

♥ be painted by a famous painter

♥ sail into the harbor of Rio de Janeiro

♥ learn to use chopsticks properly

♥ Seek Elegance rather than Luxury

Journey to my Tummy

2012-01-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

Few days ago, I was craving for cheesecakes. This was prompted when I was at Robinson's Galleria at passingby the two men eating Geinah happily pointed the cheesecake but I commented on men who were eating. I told Geinah that they were not "bagay" eating the cheesecake! The next day I have intense craving of it and thanks a lot to those who satisfy my cravings.

Horoscope from www.proastro.com: ♥ it!

2011-12-14T04:09:00.000-08:00

2012 Aquarius

General:

Your biggest problem in 2012 isthat you're spoilt for choice and that this is such a powerful and dynamicyear, with opportunities on both the personal and professional fronts, thatit’s almost as though several years have been crammed into just 12 months andyou're left to work out how to balance this. This makes Jupiter, planet of luckand expansion’s position in your home and family sector until the 12th June soimportant, for it gives you a chance to get things running smoothly andauthentically on the home front, making your life as love and user friendly aspossible. With life about to diversify in a major way during the course of theyear, if you can build your castle and get your home life running smoothly,then this can become the hub that everything else radiates out from. If youhave your home life running well, then everything else will fall into place.What makes finding the right work/life balance so essential, is that 2012 isyour luckiest and most expansive year for love and all things romantic andcreative in over a decade and it will stay that way until mid 2013, but it’salso one of your most powerful professional years in decades, opening the doorto a period of professional growth that won’t run its course until 2015. Yet asyou move into 2012 you’re probably looking around asking where theseopportunities are, for you can’t see them. That’s because things won’t startmoving on the romantic front until the 4th April, but over the coming monthsare destined to escalate, culminating in Jupiter’s return to your romantic andcreative sector on the 12th June. This opens the door to your luckiest year forlove in over a decade, that won’t run its course until June 2013. Professionalforces will take a while longer to kick in, with the 30th August the datethings start to move, with a potentially game changing total solar eclipse onthe 14th November catapulting you to the next level. It’s essential that youspend the early months of 2012 building your nest and cementing your home andfamily life, for this is the rock and the foundation that everything else willdepend on.

Love:

While 2012 will take awhile toreveal just what a huge and auspicious year for love and romance it is, you dobegin the year with Venus, planet of love in your sign, which means that you’llhave a read on your heart, which in turn will be alert to the opportunitiesahead. This means moving into the New Year listening to and following yourheart, especially while Venus is in your sign until the 14th January. Thingsreally start to move on the romantic front when Venus, planet of love returnsto your romantic sector on the 4th April. Normally here for around 3 ½ weeksthese are usually some of the most romantic weeks in any given year, but thisyear Venus has something special planned. While Venus will arrive on the 4thApril she won’t leave until the 8th August, but it’s not just that she’ll spend4 months attracting romantic opportunities and heightening your romanticexperiences that makes this so auspicious, it’s what happens while she’s herethat also counts. While Venus herself will create an opportunity for newromantic opportunities and second chances, it is Jupiter, planet of luck’sreturn on the 12th June that opens the door to one of your luckiest years forlove and romance in over a decade, a year that won’t run its course until June2013. During Venus’ 4 months in your romantic sector there’ll be plenty ofopportunities for new beginnings and second chances. Things are a lot lessauspicious but no less important on the relationship front, with Mercuryspending from the 26th June to the 1st September working with you to ensurethat the communication lines are open, something that he will normally allocatejust 15 to 16 days to. The Sun’s visit from the 22nd July to the 23rd August, aNew Moon on the 18th August and Venus’ visit from the 7th September to the 3rdOctober, will all provide opportunities to put your relationships on the righttrack and to give the resources to create something real and authentic. But thereal focus this year is on the extraordinary romantic forces that are set tomake 2012 one of your best years for love ever.

Money:

2012 is a big year for bothfinancial and income matters, but unlike the past this is not code forchallenging, for you have definitely been there, done that and have the teeshirt to prove it. However, that doesn’t mean you'll be let off scot-free, butany pressure is more about raising the bar and milking the opportunities youhave. You will move into 2012 with Mars, planet of passion, drive and ambitionand the warrior planet of the cosmos in your financial sector, where he’s beensince the 11th November 2011 and where he’ll remain until the 4th July 2012.Mars is here for just under 8 months, his longest visit in 47 years and he’sout to help you to claim your power back, to fight for the things you want andthe things that you don’t want. With no other planetary activity in yourfinancial sector until after he leaves, the normal financial reality checkswill come later in the year, making this all about declaring war and going intobattle, giving you the power to turn your financial situation around. This maycreate some problems and tensions in the early weeks of the year, for this willput Mars in opposition with some very special developments on the income front,yet the opportunities on both fronts are so extreme that while any tension maybe short term, it’s going to provide the right amount of motivation and raisethe bar. Expect things to start to move on the income front fairly early in theyear, with Venus returning to your income sector on the 14th January, Neptuneon the 4th February, Mercury on the 14th February and the Sun on the 19thFebruary. With Neptune, planet of dreams andfantasies in your income sector until 2026, this is the start of a whole newchapter and the very early days of a process of developing and realizing somevery big dreams. These early weeks as the Sun, Mercury and Venus move through,are all about getting things moving, with this more active phase kicking offwith Venus’ arrival on the 14th January and ending with Mercury’s departure onthe 17th April. Yet Venus, Mercury, the Sun and Neptune will all move intoopposition with Mars over in your financial sector, but it’s important toremember that while there may be some financial pressure or tension duringthese months, that it’s all about raising the bar, with the warrior planet ofthe cosmos over on the other side of the sky evoking your fighting spirit andmaking sure that you're not asleep at the wheel.

Business:

For many years your professionallife has been a footnote, with periods of any given year holding favorableopportunities and times on both the career and work fronts, as was the case onthe work front in the middle months of 2011 and in October/November on thecareer front. But what you've lacked is a year with the kind of sustainabilityto keep things in motion, allowing you to define a year not as one that holdspatches of opportunities and is not a big professional year in itself, but onethat in its own right is a powerful professional year. 2012 is a year thatmight start out looking like any other year, which means moving into the NewYear with no planetary activity in either of your professional houses, it’sgoing to end as anything but. You'll have to be patient though, for the majorprofessional conditions won’t kick in until the second half of the year,however when they do they’ll remain in play until 2015. In fact, apart from aFull Moon in your work sector on the 9th January and a Full Moon in your careersector on the 6th May, there’ll be no cosmic, let alone planetary activity ineither of your professional houses until Mercury reaches your work sector onthe 7th June. Even then Mercury is only here for 19 days, arriving on the 7thJune and leaving on the 26th June, the Sun from the 21st June to the 22nd Julyand Venus from the 8th August to the 7th September. These are likely to be opportuneweeks on the work front, but are nothing out of the ordinary. What is out ofthe ordinary happens while Venus is in your work sector, but is not caused byVenus, though it will help having her there. It’s on the 30th August that yourprofessional world and fortunes change, with the arrival of the North Node onthe 30th August. It’s the North Node’s arrival that sets the scene for apotentially game changing total solar eclipse in your career sector, on the14th November and all that this will unleash. While the North Node will remainin your career sector until the 19th February 2014, what will give yousustainability beyond this is Saturn’s return to your career sector on the 6thOctober, where he’ll stay until 2015. With Jupiter, planet of luck returning toyour work sector on the 26th June 2013, kicking off your luckiest 12 months onthe work front, Saturn will still be in your career sector putting you on thebrink of some of your most powerful professional years ever. Once yourprofessional star starts to rise in August 2012, it will set in motion forcesthat will completely rewrite your professional landscape for years to come.

Share LOVE!

2011-12-06T00:23:00.001-08:00

Hello! Todayis the day we share love, the utmostthing on earth. Love is what makes us feel safe and valuable. It is ourdeepest need. But many people don’t feel loved; they have never hadsomeone love them unconditionally! But God can give us the love we arelooking for.

When someone loves you, how doesit make you feel? Think aboutit for a moment. Do you feel warm inside, like everything is going to be ok?Love really is the most important thing in life. Imagine this to prove it: ifyou had to choose between going hungry for a day or having your best friendtells you, "I hate you; I never want to see you again," which wouldyou choose? If you chose the love of your best friend over food, it shows justhow important love really is. Life really isn't worth living without it.

But the problem is that a lot ofpeople don't really feel loved. Have youever felt, if just for a moment, that nobody cares about you? It's horrible.The best thing to do to feel truly loved is to find the source of love. For example,if you were dying of thirst, you should find the source of water -- like afaucet or spring. God is the source of love. The Bible says, "God islove" (1 John 4:16). Close your eyes and imagine God with the biggestheart of anyone you've ever met -- just filled with love. That's how He feelsabout you. He loves you more than you can ever begin to understand and evensacrificed His own Son Jesus to prove it.

You can receive His love today byasking Jesus to come into your life.

I have big dreams. So when I was a student I didn’t have a boyletin order to focus my mind and time on achieving it. I was already working when I had my firstboylet.

God knew I wasn’t ready for a relationship soHe gave me a sign not to pursue it after I asked for one. But my tenacity got the upper hand. As aresult, I inflicted unnecessary pain and suffering upon myself.

I should’ve spent those times growing and servingGod wholeheartedly and celebrating the gift of singleness. But I was raring to go. I chose to experiencethe most coveted feeling of being in love. It took me years to recover from failed relationships.

I was not proud of myself. I thought I was not good at loving and caring. I blamed myself for not waiting for God’sperfect time. If only I listened to Him.

Now, I’m so grateful that I’m doing thingsright and waiting for God’s more-than-perfect time.
Think you are too old to be single? Remember that the most miserable men andwomen are those who married the wrong person.

God grant memy ideal man who met most of my non-negotiables so I don’t need to compromisemy faith.

Abundant Life

2011-12-02T03:33:00.001-08:00

Hi there, how’s it going? I pray you aredoing well today and God encourages you about whatever might be hard for youtoday. You are not alone—God loves you so much!

Maybe by sharing a great message ofencouragement with someone else, you will be encouraged too. Today’smessage is of AbundantLife. It is the life Jesus promised when He said, “Thethief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come that they might havelife, and have it to the full.”

Imagine for a moment: Two bosses are trying to employ you. Onetells you, "I'm going to take everything you have; I'm not going to payyou a cent." The other says, "I'm going to give you a generous salaryplus some: bonuses, expected perks, and full benefits." That's not a hardchoice, right? But many people are working for the evil boss and wondering whytheir lives are so miserable. Could it be you?

Jesus said, "The thief comesonly to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have itabundantly" (John 10:10). Jesus issaying that, in life, you can work for one of two bosses: Jesus or the devil.Jesus wants to give you a rich and fulfilling life, but the devil just wants totake from you: take your peace, your family, and eventually, your life. Whichone do you want to work for? Maybe you have been unknowingly working for thedevil, but you can change all that today. Put your trust in Jesus completelyand begin to experience His abundant life. You will never find a betteremployer.

Contentment

2011-12-02T03:18:00.001-08:00

Contentment -- is it elusive? You buy more, achieve more, look better... but does it really give you what you want? Most say it doesn't. We just aren't getting satisfied by consumption. Trying to fill your life with things and accomplishments is like drinking salt water when you are thirsty -- it has the opposite effect. You just get thirstier and thirstier. But Jesus talked about a water that would satisfy your deepest thirst -- forever. But where do you get that water?

It's Jesus Himself. He said, "Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). When you ask Jesus to be your Savior, He comes into your life fully and forever. It's like changing your water source from a polluted pond to a crystal clear stream. His stream will run into relationships, your heart, your dreams, and your future. And it will lead you to eternal life with Jesus when you die.

Open my eyes

2011-12-02T02:54:00.001-08:00

Have you ever met someone with a victimmentality? Here’s a sample of her script:

“I am not good enough because I don’t have a goodjob.”

“The most important person in my life left meand I feel so empty.”

“I can’t fulfill my dreams because I don’thave money and business skills.”

Familiar lines? I should know right. I used to say them a lot. It was like groping through a dark roomlooking for a match without realizing that there is a wall switch.

At one point, I asked myself, when was I thehappiest?

Too many times I failed to recognize that Iam much more capable of landing a job that will make use my core competencies,more deserving of a relationship that is based on healthy self-love,forgiveness, respect and more intelligent to learn new skills to make my dreamsa reality. It’s just that I have to waitfor the right timing and be more patient.

Too many times I have been blind to the truththat my reality is a product of my beliefs, and that I am responsible forcreating the world that I put myself into, and that I can create the life thatGod originally intended for me. For Hisglory. For His kingdom.

Open theeyes of my heart, O Lord, so that I may also bring to You those who need Yourhealing. Unfolds a blessing and victory in my workplace, Lord!

Peace Be with You

2011-12-01T22:53:00.001-08:00

Peace is one of the most valuable things to me. When I don’thave it, it robs my life. I have talked to so many people who strugglewith anxiety. But personally, I have found that the only way to have peace is for Godto give it to me.

Everyone is looking for peace. Think of what people are paying to try andget peace: money for prescription medications, "relaxing" vacations,distracting entertainment, and self-help philosophies. My friend JJ has to takerecreational drugs to sleep at night; Jal works tirelessly to feel better abouther future; and Gee has to surround herself with people to escape her owntroubled thoughts. And who can blame them? If the long list of stressors frommoney, relationships, sickness, and government weren't enough, deep downeveryone has a sense that something isn't right, an isolating sense of unrest.

I had the same thing. I tried shopping, drugs(sleeping pillshahaha), friends, work, accomplishment -- you name it. But I couldn't shake theanxiety. Until I heard about how Jesus wanted to remove all my burdens. Ididn't realize the weight and stress that the guilt of my own sins was causingme. Also, I had never had the calming sense that things were going to end up okfor me; I worried so deeply about my future. But when I opened up my life toGod, I somehow knew He was in control of my life -- that things were going to turn out for the best, no matter how they looked.

God wants to replace your worrywith peace today, just likeHe did for me.

Anticipating

2011-12-01T22:44:00.001-08:00

I can barely contain my excitement for Your coming....

1. great job and new projects

2. true love and happy family and a home!

3. 13th month and bonuses

4. next travel

5. track suit from japan

6. new lasenza undies

7. best bass headphones

8. Macbook Air

9. New pixie hair

10. More part time jobs...

Lord, thank You for granting the blessings that I asked You for, and thank You for the ones that are yet to come.

God gave me You

2011-12-01T19:51:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuF3CwJZfDk

HOLD ON!

2011-12-01T19:44:00.001-08:00

The demands are getting intense. Projects are not turning out as theyshould. Target passes by unmet. The boss presses you on to check thestatus. Some operations people are uncooperative. Team performance leaves much to be desired. Jilted. Abandoned. Hurt. Used. Fooled. Plans didn’t seem to go my way.

These are the situations when I just want to say, “Enough isenough!” When I feel like dying or sleeping without waking up. When I just want to get very drunk.

I face many challenges. I’d text 700 club, email Godlife, to intercede. They’ll pray for me and give me biblepromises that strengthen me to go on.

“Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am yourGod; I will strengthen you” (Isaiah 41.10)

And because of this powerful message from the Lord, I amable to patiently endure and carry on. Iremind myself, “Quitting is not an option!” or joke myself with “Ang cute ko panmn kaya sayang!”

I persevere in my work, constantly asking the Lord unfolds ablessing, a victory in my workplace.

Are you on the brink of quitting? Don’t. Hang on. The Lordwill give you a breakthrough!

Lord, I am sorry for the times that I have weakend in my faith. Please strengthenme to keep on.

Share Hope

2011-12-01T19:20:00.001-08:00

What are youhoping for? Is it a house? Agreat job? Healing? Hope is the thing that gets you through tough times. It'slike shifting your car into a higher gear when you're going up a mountain. Butmaybe you have put your hope in something and had it dashed to pieces, leavingyou hopeless. The temptation is to give up on your dreams altogether. What doyou do when you've lost hope?

"When the worldsays, 'Give up,' Hope whispers, 'Try it one more time'" (Author Unknown).If you sat in a broken chair and fell through, would you never sit in a chairagain? No, but you would choose a sturdier chair next time. The Bible tells uswhat matters is where you put your hope. "How blessed is he whose help isthe God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God" (Psalm 146:5). Whenyou put your hope in Jesus, you are putting your hope in the fact that not onlywill He never abandon you, He will bring you into heaven. The hope in His SonJesus tells you, When you go through hard times, I will be there for you.Even when you die, I will carry you to eternal life.

Get fresh hope todayby putting your faith in Jesus Christ.Read below to do it right now.

1God Loves You!

The Bible says, "God so loved theworld that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall notperish, but have eternal life"

The problem isthat...

2All of us have done, said or thought things that are wrong. This is called sin,and our sins have separated us from God.

The Bible says "All have sinnedand fall short of the glory of God." God is perfect and holy, and our sinsseparate us from God forever. The Bible says "The wages of sin isdeath."

The good news isthat, about 2,000 years ago,

3God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.

Jesus is the Son of God. He lived asinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins."God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinnersChrist died for us."

Jesus rose from the dead and now Helives in heaven with God His Father. He offers us the gift of eternal life --of living forever with Him in heaven if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to theFather except by Me."

God reaches out in love to you andwants you to be His child. "As many as received Him, to them He gave theright to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name."You can choose to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and come in to yourlife as your Lord and Savior.

4If you want to accept Christ as your Savior and turn from your sins, you canask Him to be your Savior and Lord by praying a prayer like this:

"LordJesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross formy sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask youin to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. I want to serve youalways."

ReBlog: Living Your Dream

2011-12-01T19:03:00.001-08:00

What is yourdream life? When youclose your eyes and think about the life that would bring you the most peaceand deep joy, what do you see? Take a minute right now. Close your eyes,breathe deeply, and ask God to show you His dreams for you. What did you see?Anything? Don’t worry if you don’t know your dreams yet; God will show them toyou with time. He says, “Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you donot know about things to come” (Jeremiah 33:3). But if you DO know yourdreams, what is the key to fulfilling your dream life?

You know, MANY people in theBible had to wait for their dream. Abraham waited decades tohave a baby; Moses had to endure Pharaoh’s intimidation and 10 plagues untilGod’s people were released; and David had to run for years in the wildernessuntil he was made king. These are just a few examples! But the greatest wait inthe Bible was for Jesus, the Messiah. God promised Him thousands of years inadvance, and only a few were still waiting for Him when He finally came.

One of them was Simeon.“At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous anddevout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The HolySpirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he hadseen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So whenMary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required,Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘SovereignLord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen yoursalvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal Godto the nations, and He is the glory of your people Israel!’” (Luke2:25-32).

Simeon WAITED for his promise,and that’s the KEY for you too. Waiting isn’t glamorous. Infact, it’s really hard. But it’s the key to obtaining your promise from God.Maybe He has promised you healing, maybe a great marriage, or maybe your kidsserving the Lord. Whatever it is, it’s going to take patience. That’s just theway God is. He uses the waiting period to make us better, to make us ready forthe promise. “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD testedJoseph's character” (Psalm 105:19).

While You Wait Inthe meantime, what is the best thing to do while you are waiting? The Biblegives you several tips, and that’s what we are going to talk about this nextmonth, while we wait to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus. Together, weare going to learn from the Bible on how to wait effectively and obtain ourpromises, because I am right alongside you in this! I have many things I amwaiting on, and sometimes it gets hard to keep believing! But God wants us torenew our faith and wait in great expectation. “Indeed, none who wait for Youshall be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3). Let’s do it together.

So this week, let’s pray togetherthat:

· God wouldshow us the dreams He has for us

· We wouldhave the patience to wait for His promises

· Global MediaOutreach would see the dreams God has for us

http://www.godlife.com/

Missing you!

2011-11-29T02:31:00.001-08:00

With 5815 km away from me and 1.22am (CMT) time zone. I wish you are closer so I could reach you by grab!

Twirl and Swirl at Mt. Pinatubo

2011-11-29T02:02:00.001-08:00

Mt. Pinatubo brought a heartbreaking historywhen it exploded June of 1991.The 2nd largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century recorded. Now, it isbecoming one of the "must see" destinations in our country(Philippines).

I have beencontemplating long time ago on scaling the mountain to reach the crater, Iinstantly made arrangements for the trip and eventually assigned it to Geinahfor coordinating with the trek organizer, not actually a mountaineer, butdetermined to conquer the volcanic mountain.

We took a trip all the way to PDC (PinatuboDevelopment Corporation) Spa Town in Sta. Juliana Capaz Tarlac to launch ourPinatubo adventure. The package costs P1,750 each, which include 4x4 sky wayride, a local tour guide, a Filipino/Korean lunch(when you get back to PDC)anda hot shower bath with free soap and water.

The 4X4 ride was bumpy and dusty, but thescenery is really exquisite. The trace of explosion is still visible but itapparently slowly recovering from cataclysmic past.

After an hour 4x4 ride and we finally arrivedat its jump-off. We were surprised by the numbers of cars parked there… This iswhere the trekking begins….

It took us almost 3 hours to hike the trailbefore we reach the top of the edge. Note that we have lots of picture stopalong the way and loads of pause breaks to rest our aching feet and legs and tocatch some breath as well. Sadly, they do not allow 4x4 any longer to drive upto the point of trek as before after the accident last 2006 where the soilerode and causes the 4x4 to fall down and lead to the death of some tourist.The suppose 30 minutes trek is now 3.5 hours for some but to us who is not usedto walking took 6 hours to and fro.

The crater view on top of the crest wasmagnificent.

The lake has sulfuric blue green water; is icycold and comforting treat for both locals and tourists. Of course, we wanted toswim in the crater - note that it can make your hair very dry and can stainyour clothes but is good to your skin since water contains sulfur but fora-not-swimmer like myself and not so sure of how deep the water is, I containedmyself in walking around the edge, feel the water at my feet.

Here’s the hardest part of the trek - hikinghungry during lunch time. We thought that packed lunch is included in the tourbut they serve it after the trek. Luckily we bring food and water, andthere is a store that sells only drinks at a very “unreasonable” price. So when you packed, do not forget to include drinks that you can carry along tohydrate yourself during the trek.

We fall asleep during the drive back to thevenue to have our lunch.

You can try their “Pina-thai-tsu” - a one ofits kind combination of a traditional Thai massage with that of a Shiatsumassage and a few local massage techniques. For 500Php the massage would anhour or so, not bad at all. They also have mud bath for 500Php and volcanic ashspa treatment for 500Php.

Mt. Pinatubo is undoubtedly extraordinary wonder, it brought a cruel past, butits beauty now is seriously stunning yet it could possibly lead toearth-shattering future… Life is beautiful yet so unpredictable!

Send Him back

2011-11-25T01:08:00.001-08:00

I know I'm praying for much too much
But could you send back the only man I loved
I know you don't do it usually
But dear Lord I'm dying to hear and see him again

Empty

2011-11-23T07:23:00.001-08:00

Tell me why does ONE feel so empty from losing someone that was never theirs to begin with? (sob)

Blessings

2011-11-23T07:21:00.001-08:00

You desire me to prosper and grow beyond my wildest imagination. Thank You for granting the blessings that I asked You for, and thank You for the ones that are yet to come.

ang sumpa!

2011-11-23T07:19:00.001-08:00

FROG: mahal na prinsesa, ako'y dating prinsipe na isinumpa.

PRINSESA: ha ? pag hinalikan ba kita .. babalik ka sa pagiging prinsipe ?

FROG : matindi ang sumpa! kelangan jerjer!

♥ broken

2011-11-23T07:06:00.000-08:00

We're supposed to be partners, remember? But you decided this on your own. You've decided to leave me... (sob)

Enjoy! Experience! And Explore! Caramoan

2011-11-20T23:55:00.000-08:00

For my third time in Bicol this year, I was invited in priest ordination of my friend Chie’s cousin in CamSur and prodding the girls’ to side trip Caramoan as well, furthermost coast of Camarines Sur is a paradise hidden in a primitive area and rural soil, where white sand beaches, limestone cliffs, islands and islets are common scenery. Caramoan, an isthmus town, is a cluster of islands and islets spread around the isolated part of CamSur, endowed with nature’s splendor and conserved by its seclusion.

Made prominent by the hit global reality show franchise “Survivor”, the group of islands is blessed with numerous islands with fine white sand, lagoons, caves, limestone cliffs and rocks, and rich marine life that give new definition to an island experience. Even before the “Survivor” series, there was already Caramoan – beautifully unspoiled and unexploited.

With its unusual beauty and rich history, Caramoan stands proud as a top visiting attractions gem of Bicolandia with a promise of a perfect stifling island escapade!

Enjoy! Experience! And Explore!

When we get to Barangay Sabang in the town of San Jose, Camarines Sur where the common jump-off point to Caramoan Islands, it was already late and boat travel is cancelled due to typhoon. There are passenger boats that depart every hour from 6AM to 11AM from Sabang port going away to Guijalo, Caramoan charging P120 per passenger. However if you miss the last public boat like we did, you can hire a private boat en route to Guijalo. Price varies depending on the size of the boat and your bargain skill. A boat that is capable to accommodate 10 or more persons can be rented from P3000 above. We decided to spend the night in Sabang and wait for the first trip in the morning to Caramoan. A threat of signal #1 Typhoon is foreboding. I said a little prayer before slept wishing it couldn’t spoil our visit to the island. True enough, the next day is a happy island tour.

Barely known as “Survivor Capital” the Caramoan isolated from the rest of Camarines Sur, that’s why Philippine's Secret Paradise still unexploited from business tourism.

Caramoan offers island hopping a true sense of meaning. Enjoy its magnificence in many ways. Great Ocean adventures for canoers, snorkel and scuba dive to experience the sundry marine vigor, trek and explore for the enigmatic lagoon, rock climb the limestone cliffs, walk around the caves or just stargazing at night.