G.A.P. Night @ Last Home And Karaoke

January's almost over and am I glad! Last week, it seemed like all the stress that has been building up in the past 3 months just got dumped on me. From the moment I woke up (after what little sleep I got) every day to the last minute at the office on Friday, I felt like I was walking on a tightrope.

Thank God for a very relaxing night out. First I went home for a few minutes to see my family before going to Last Home in Mandaluyong. It was G.A.P. Night (Guilty Acoustic Pleasures - tama ba?) and even if I didn't get to see whole set, it was great! Yeah, Kevin Roy sang a lot of emo songs but it was still fun. Here's a video Xavier (Rye!) took.

Awesome, huh? It's awfully dark but the music...wow!

What I didn't expect was the karaoke session after. Yeah...Jack and Absolut made me sing - at least that's what I thought it was.

While the boys were singing.

She's really feeling it.

Last stop: Tsokunut for some hot chocolate. This is where the conversation turned to mundane stuff such as work, the beach, family friends, and even insurance marketing!

Needless to say, my Saturday was spent indoors. I had to have a 2-hour massage and sleep all day! Now the blue moon is out and the night is looking good again. I think it's time for some Wii!

Monday Pick Me Upper: Dexter Playing Peekaboo With Sam

Here's something to make your Monday more bearable.

Dexter (the turtle) has grown so big and is showing his own personality as well. I never thought turtles had their own personalities but Dexter is proving me wrong. Watch.

So what do Sam and Dex have in common? They both love to play peekaboo!

Ken Stringfellow @ Route 196

Ren had been telling me about last night's gig for weeks, and I had always planned on going. I almost didn't go yesterday (it's the flaker in me) but I sure am glad that we went ahead with our plans!

The main act for the night was Ken Stringfellow, who used to work with REM. He has been going solo for quite some time now, but became quite popular as the front man of The Posies. To be honest, I knew nothing - zilch! - about his music before last night. What I had in mind was easy listening music - happy music. At least, that's what Ren told me.

I couldn't have been more wrong - at least with the happy part. Ken has an awesome voice and interacts with the crowd very well. He has some serious vocals and you just find yourself wanting to listen to him all night. The thing is, he sang very very very sad songs. Seriously sad songs. And with his voice, you just might end up wanting to crawl into a corner and never get up.

That being said, the night was one of the best I've had. I enjoyed going out with my sister (I think it's the first time in forever that we've gone out to watch bands) and some of my closest friends.

There were other bands, too:

Next gig: Kings of Convenience. They're a bit more mainstream, I think; although the only time I've listened to them was that one unforgettable night - their music calmed me down like nothing else. For tickets, e-mail tickets@kindassault.com. (Sorry, I am not aware of a one-stop site like Branson tickets for Manila events.)

I wanted to share some Ken Stringfellow songs on here but I think I'll do that next time - gonna have to look on YouTube first and see if I can figure out which song is which, but the one that stands out the most has the lines "There's so much pain, pain behind us, pain through us, pain to make us or erase our sense of trust..."

Now do you know why I have that tripod on my head?

Quicksand

I had this awful dream the other night. I wasn't going to write about it but I decided to do it anyway.

I dreamt that I was at a beach (probably Caramoan since that was the last beach I went to) and that I was going into the water wearing my gym shoes. Suddenly, my feet started sinking in the sand. I took of my shoes as they seemed to be the reason for my rapid sinking but that didn't help. I then tried to lie flat on my back (more surface area) but that didn't work either.

While there are no hotels in Caramoan, in my dream, there was this big building on the shore. I started shouting for help and a guy peeked out his window but he was on a high floor so he couldn't do anything. The last thing I remember was feeling - actually feeling - the sand come up to my mouth and nose. I also remember thinking "I'm going to die and there's nothing I can do about it." Then I woke up.

I don't know why I had that dream but it sucks - just like the elevator dream. I was not (and never was) on any drug. Health supplements, prenatal vitamins (not preggers, hello), painkillers, sleeping pills - nope. Naturally, I woke up feeling off but am glad that quicksand dream was just a dream.

Have you had a bad dream lately?

Random Thoughts On Age

I remember a friend saying that once you hit the big 3-0, you start feeling old. I didn't believe her, but now, I think that she just might be right.

When you turn 30, you feel weird changes - physically, emotionally, and mentally. Gone are the days when you could stay up for several nights in a row. Gone are the days when all you had to worry about was finding acne solutions. The days when your anxieties revolved around the petty things are way over.

You start feeling tired more easily. You start thinking about what you have achieved in life and whether or not you have reached your goals when you were younger. I thought life would be different. Then again, I thought a lot of things.

Is thinking these weird thoughts part of becoming old? I don't think I am that old, but I am definitely feeling the changes! People my age - what do you have to say?

Hurt Locker, My Sister's Keeper, and Invictus

This is kinda stupid but I woke up thinking that if only shedding tears equated to shedding pounds, then I would be well on my way to quick weight loss. With the amount of tears that I shed in the past few days, if that wish were true, then I would have lost tons of weight by now!

The reason for the tears? These three movies: Hurt Locker, My Sister's Keeper, and Invictus.

The first movie is about a det expert stationed in Iraq. It is so sad because it highlights the worst in humans. This line from the lead character doesn't help either: "When you grow up, you realize that some things you love aren't that special anymore." Talk about disillusionment!

The second movie is about a family faced with one of the worst problems families could ever face: a young girl with leukemia. Her parents decided to have another child - a genetically engineered one - that would serve as a donor for the older child. The story is set around the time when the "donor child" decided that she wanted to be medically emancipated from her parents. She didn't want to donate to her sister anymore as it was killing her quality of life. Need I say more?

The third is not that sad - it's about how Nelson Mandela united South Africa and how rugby played a huge role in his plans. The thing that made me sad is the realization that I am so apathetic. Well, the fact that I used to play soccer every day and that it has been 15 years since I last played made me depressed, too.

On a lighter note, it's Wednesday and it's payday. Two more days and I shall embrace the weekend!!!

Thinking About Resolutions

Before the year began, I had planned on making a long list of resolutions. January is almost over and I never got around to making that list. However, I have been making resolutions as I go along. At the top of my list is to lose weight fast. No success so far.

Next is to pay off my debts - something that I have been trying to do for the longest time. I am getting somewhere, little by little. The trick is in NOT incurring more debt. Now how do I do that?

Another resolution I came up with is not to let external circumstances affect me that much. Now in this area, I am experiencing a lot more success than in the first two!

One out of three (so far) - not bad, huh?

Enough of this - I'll enjoy my cold cuts from Gustavian now! But do tell me about your resolutions if you have any. ;)

Changes

Not everyone is comfortable with change. A good friend kept telling me that last week. I never really understood that idea. While I am a creature of habit, I do long for change every now and then. For one, going through the same old things every single day bores me. I think that only through change can we experience more than what we've been used to.

Change is not always easy. Sometimes, things change just when we don't want them to; THEN, I become fidgety and cranky, especially when the change makes me feel as if I have lost control. I can't sleep (mind on overdrive) and I get dark circles around eyes - who doesn't?

Then again, at the end of it all, we see the effects that change brings. More often than not - at least in my experience - I end up learning new things and find myself even enjoying what the change has brought about.

Change is not easy, but we don't have to make it more painful that it has to be.

Going Back To Earth

Friday night, we went to the nth going away party of our boss. As usual, it was a blast. I learned something: there are times when you have to let go of yourself and just "go back to the earth." I understand the first part, but for the life of me, I do not know what going back to the earth means.

Maybe it has something to do with letting all your stress melt away? I can see the benefits of that:

• I won't need a massage once a week (or more!)
• I won't need to spend tons on the best acne cleansers
• I won't need to pop painkillers like they were candy

But how do you do that? I have some ideas:

• Go on trips regularly (once a month, go on a weekender)
• Don't work too much (hmmm, maybe not possible)
• Don't think too much (definitely improbable)

The general consensus that night: enjoy yourself, get so drunk that you don't remember what happened the night before. Now that's something I have never ever done! No matter what I do, I just can't do it!

Still, Friday night was great. I suppose that was as close to "going back to the earth" as I can. Pictures!!!

Some of the bestest friends a person can ever have! ;)

Travel Overload

Is there such a thing? Probably not. It's just that there are so many places to go, so little time, and even less money!

The first month of the year is not over yet and my head is swimming with travel plans. February, March, and even April - these months are brimming with plans and choices and I am so excited! I just hope that my schedule and finances will permit me to do everything.

One consolation: the destinations are not that expensive and the hotel rates will not kill me (unlike hotels in orlando and other hotels in Europe). So who wants to travel? First destination: Anawangin Cove north of Manila. Get your tents ready - we're going camping!

The Little Things

RULE #32: Enjoy the little things.

Release the ball, dear.

No, it's not basketball.

He likes sleeping with his back leg like that.

Some Days

This will be a real quick one...I woke up feeling off, which is really not a surprise. This week is one of those periods which take a lot out of a person. Interestingly enough, I feel satisfied, content. I think it's because of all the things that I am accomplishing, things I am ticking off in my list.

On the other hand, I feel drained. Two weeks into the year and my battery needs to be recharged!

I gotta get started preparing for the trips that I have lined up in the next several months. I have a series of short trips to places that should replenish my energy enough to get me by...am really excited about them! The problem is I have no bags. All my travel bags have disappeared and I need to buy luggage sets. Greenhills, here I come!

Anyway, here's something from U2 that's playing in my head right now:

Some days are dry, some days are leaky
Some days come clean, other days are sneaky
Some days take less, but most days take more
Some slip through your fingers and onto the floor
Some days you're quick, but most days you're speedy
Some days you use more force than is necessary
Some days just drop in on us
Some days are better than others

May you have a good day today!

Big Boy Dexter

Ever since I transferred Dex to his new tank, he has grown so much bigger and at a much faster rate! His gigantic bottle of turtle food is almost gone - I actually had to go get some yesterday just to make sure I don't run out.

He's eating so much and moving around a lot, doing the funny stuff that he always does. I need to do lots to make sure he's okay:

1. Buy a filter - I have to ask around about this. His tank gets very dirty easily.

2. Buy something that he can bask on. He's been trying to get on that little glass platform forever:

Unfortunately, there is no grip. Maybe I ought to get him something like garage flooring that will give him traction. Any ideas?

3. Start looking at feeder fish and worms. I think he needs other items in his diet.

Anyone here an expert on turtles???

Tomorrow

I just finished reading today's devotional (Daily Bread) and I feel much better. Some say religion is a crutch, and maybe to a certain extent that is true. I think, though, that it's more than that for me. Faith keeps me going. It keeps me from going crazy about what tomorrow may bring. This passage really struck home:

Entering a new year is like entering uncharted territory. The fear of the unknown could cripple our capacity to follow God’s leading through the days ahead. Yet, like Abraham, when we cling to the One who knows all things, we’re in good hands—regardless of where He leads.

I don't know what the new year brings. I am determined to make it a great one and not worry about the "could be's." After all, no one is really certain about tomorrow. Tomorrow, I could get sick and have to worry about mesothelioma treatments. Next week, I could be out of a job. Next month, I could be on my way halfway around the world. But why worry about these things when I have today? Why worry about what could happen when Someone is orchestrating my life so that I get the best?

This song, which I used to love, comes back to me now:

Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.

Yes, I don't know and I don't understand; but the One who holds my hand has got back my as well.

Island Hopping In Caramoan - DAY 2

I originally planned on going island hopping for only one day, thinking that the beach at the resort would be enough to fill up my "beach meter." Unfortunately - or maybe fortunately - that was not the case. Also, the resort offered a really good deal for two days of island hopping so I decided to just make the most out of it.

On the second day, we headed out to the southern group of islands. I am GLAD that I decided to go for I discovered my new happy place.
Miles and miles of endless sea and white powdery sand. This island is best visited when the tide is low - they say it looks like a desert. When we got there, the tide was just coming in, so it was perfect for wading! There were some bars of sand left, though, so I still had some fun in the sand.

This is MINE - at least until the water covers it.Thank you, God.Standing on the most beautiful spot on earth.

As with most things, that beautiful moment had to come to an end. We had to leave for the other islands in the area, but everything else seemed to pale in comparison.

Cotivas Island. It was beautiful, but I still wasn't over the first beach.

Still Cotivas.

What do these rock formations remind you of?
If you say dragon cliffs, you have my respect. ;) Can you see the little baby dragons fluttering around? This is the sight that greeted us as we neared Sabitang Laya. It is smaller than the first two islands, but the rock formations made it more fun.These three islands are more than enough reason to go this part of the Philippines. Next time, I shall get up early and spend a whole day just wading and swimming in these islands. How does May sound? Any takers?

Time to go home...sad Numi.

Here's a happy Numi. For those of you who have been calling me raccoon and other silly names, THIS is the reason. It was so bright I decided to keep my nice new sunglasses on the whole time. Now, I got myself looking like a raccoon. Blame the glasses! (If that doesn't make sense, ask anyone who has seen me this week.)

Check back for a short ride up a river and a hike to a cave.

Island Hopping In Caramoan - DAY 1

The most beautiful beaches I have ever seen are in Caramoan. I am sure I haven't been to more than a mere fraction of the world's beaches, but the islands we saw in two days of island hopping made everything else in my mind disappear. Just take a look for yourself and you'll understand what I mean.It didn't start out well...as we pulled out of the resort, it started raining. Have you ever tried boating with a raincoat on? It's NOT fun, I tell you. Well, okay, it was a new experience and it was funny after a while.

Lahus (Lahos?) Island. The weather was not cooperating at first.

In the middle of Lahus Island, there is this spot with powdery soft sand.

Rock formations are awesome - even better when the sun came out.

Crash into me, yeah...

I think this is still Lahus Island.

Letting the sea and sand wash away the #%&* of 2009 ;)

Matukad IslandWould you believe I prepared that buko (coconut) myself? Nah, I just borrowed the bolo from our boatman. I had lots of fun with it.

See. I love that bolo. There's a lagoon up there with a ginormous bangus (milkfish). Legend says that this is the guardian of the lagoon and that if someone catches the fish and eats it, bad luck will fall upon him. I wanted to see it - not catch it - but the rocks were too sharp and the climb too steep. I hate my fear of heights!

Pagong (Turtle) Island. I suddenly missed Dexter.

I think I'll try defying gravity...

The most serene spot in Matukad.

Yep, I've named it Numi's Rock.

They say it's a pandan tree. Looks like a pineapple, doesn't it? (Except we know that pineapples don't grow on trees!)

There are two main groups of islands in Caramoan. This first set is in the northern part, and was quite near to our resort. It only took us about 3 hours to go around. There were actually more islands that we wanted to go to, but the December waves proved to be too much. We also went to a couple more islands but I just cannot figure my photos out anymore - too many!

Day 2 of island hopping (down south) up next!

MSI Wind Not Charging

I was having a great day. I really was. Then Koryu stopped charging. I have been noticing her acting up in the past few days - especially when the power cord gets yanked accidentally, but I didn't think it was a serious thing. Now, my MSI Wind is running purely on its poor old 3-cell battery.

I'm not that worried - I am pretty sure it can be fixed, but it's such a hassle to go to the service center. Unfortunately, the computer store near me does not fix this hardware issues.

It just got me thinking, is it time to get a new lappy? I was already planning on getting an HP Mini-note, but not till half of this year is over. Maybe I should just speed up the timeline a bit? I can do away with some "extras" that I am paying for - like the additional health savings account

I have been maintaining. That should give me enough cash every month to pay for a new netbook. I am having a hard time dealing with the idea of letting go of Koryu, though.

Whatcha think?

[UPDATE] I tried another charger-adapter and Koryu worked. I did not use it for long, though, as the output current was 3A - Koryu's is only 2A and I don't want to overload her circuits. This means I gotta buy a new charger. That's way cheaper than a new netbook AND I get to keep my baby!

Accommodations In Caramoan

Before I actually got to visit Caramoan, I didn't believe that there weren't more than a handful of resorts (at the beach) there. When I did get there, though, I knew I was wrong. Aside from where we stayed at, there was only one fully functional resort - Gota Village. This is the resort that everyone knows about, as it is owned by the Governor of Camarines Sur. I think it is the one that they show in the ads. While it has all the amenities that you would want during a vacation, I was quite disappointed with the beachfront - it was a tiny strip of brown sand. I called them up on my second day at La Playa (reasons to be discussed in the next paragraph) but they were fully booked. I am kinda glad that I didn't end up staying there and paying much more than I could afford.

So about La Playa Resort...it is owned by the same people who own Vista del Mar, an inn far from the beach. This resort is situated right on the beach, but my first glimpse really made my heart sink.

That's the beach - dirty-looking brown sand with lots of dead seaweed:

The "clubhouse" looked really nice, though:
That's the cottage we stayed in - just one room without a bathroom.

And that's why I wanted to move to Gota Village. The bathroom was about 50 steps away - it just about killed me, seriously. I didn't have any choice, though, and the stay turned out to be good anyway (except for the bathroom issue).

La Playa was originally meant to be a campground/picnic site. They opened early in 2009, hence the lack of amenities. The staff and their service more than made up for their lack of amenities, though. Ate Omie, Ramon, our bangkeros, and everyone else made us really feel at home.

The room costs PHP800 per night, without aircon. There is actually an A/C unit but the December winds already chilled me to the bone. There is no set menu at the resort. They'll tell you what they have in the kitchen and ask you what dish you want. Here are some of the dishes they made for us. They cost anywhere from PHP150 to PHP200.

Bicol Express at the bottom. I don't remember what the other dish is.
Chicken adobo
Fried lisong (family of tanigue) and a pot of steaming cocido (it's like sinigang but with fish)
Chicken in gata (coconut milk) and adobong pusit (squid in soy and vinegar)

We also had laing - gabi leaves in coconut milk - but I can't find the picture. One thing I can say - their servings are HUGE and the food is very tasty. In fact, after each meal, there were leftovers which they would keep and heat for the next meal if we wanted to eat them again. By the second day, I was ordering HALF servings so as not to waste the food!

So would I recommend staying at La Playa? If you can hack not having your own bathroom, YES. I have to say that I will wait till they finish building their new rooms (with bathrooms!) before I even think of going back, though.

There was another resort that I saw while walking around the barangay - Breeze and Waves Cottages. It was still being built, so I am not sure if they are operational already. I did find a sort of a bar at the end of the beach and stayed for a drink. All they had was beer, Matador, and a bottle of Vodka (they were selling the whole bottle so I passed).

The funny thing is that there was another lady at the bar and I overheard her say that she lived in the same neighborhood as I do. As it turned out, she was staying at Gota and she lives in the building right across the street - I can actually see it as I am writing this. Small world, indeed.

As I mentioned in the previous post, there are other inns in the town proper, Centro. A popular place - popular because I read about it a lot online - is Rex Tourist Inn. The building is quite unimpressive, though, and a friend told me that he wouldn't recommend staying there. He stayed there a year or so ago and found the rooms to be small, stuffy, and infested with your friendly neighborhood roaches. A better alternative, according to some, is La Casa Roa. They are supposed to offer the best service in the area. The building looked really nice but I didn't get a chance to look around. I really discourage staying at the town proper, though, as it really is NOT near the beach at all. If you get stuck in a rut on the way to the beach, you'll be in dire straits as there probably isn't any 24 hour towing service in the area!

Seriously, I cannot imagine the hassle of having to travel to and from the beach every day. It's a waste of time and energy. If I were you, I'd wait till March - La Playa will have been "upgraded" by then - or cough up a little more dough and stay at Gota Village. As they say, you have to pay to be pampered.

More pictures of La Playa.





As you can see, it's not that bad. In fact, it was pretty cozy. Still, I am so proud of myself for having survived a week with the bathroom outside. Thank God I packed lots of toilet paper, a bottle of toilet seat sanitizer, and a bottle of alcohol!

Next...the amazing islands of Caramoan. This you have to see!