2012... what a year!

2012 is all about me. how to make me happy. how to enjoy new friends and new hobbies. how to make me love life even more. and i love it.

for the entire year i am single and i only got myself to love. i did plenty of things that i wanted to do at the time that i wanted to do them. yes, having a boyfriend would have been nice, but really (i honestly say this without being defensive), my 2012 wasn't so bad. it's splendid to say the least. i can absolutely say it's my best year so far. this year didn't disappoint and it followed the pattern of beating the previous year on being the best year of my life.

it started with a life-changing bangkok and cambodia trip. then i was sent again to spain and my jaw dropped when i saw valencia and i finally got to see salamanca. as a growing child in the PH during my time you'd be familiar with this place from the famous morning cartoons.

you know i am a beach and water lover. but somehow i couldn't swim. i have a constant fear of drowning so when i swim i usually just go to the kiddie pool. but the stubborn me says it's time to conquer the fear and just do it. i signed up for a swimming class and i was able to use the skill in my phuket, pagudpud and puerto galera getaways. now i go for a weekly swim and i go to the main pools. it's a liberating feeling being able to swim for a few meters and get back to the shore on your own.

our family getaway this year was in northern PH and we were able to see a lot of nice places. i came up close to windmills, camped with my family and our dog, and i swam to my heart's content at the beach and falls. come the month of may i signed up for scuba diving, windsurfing, stand up paddling and squash lessons. im an open water diver now! my first real dive outside the class was during my birthday. best.bday.gift.to.myself...ever.

when i returned from our easter outing i found out my flat was broken into. they got plenty of material stuff. i wallowed over it by a week, but after a while it's just one of those bad experiences that you tell your friends but you know deep inside that you've moved on from it faster than they could absorb the fact that it happens in HK. that's when i realized i am not too attached to them afterall. and that's a good thing. when a gadget is more important that your sanity then you have to think about your life. the first thing i checked when i saw my flat in a mess was my hard drive. imagine all 5 years of pictures and memories. when i found out it's still there, i didn't feel like i lost a lot. i can buy two new computers. i can earn back all the cash stolen... but i can never replace the memories of all those years of travels, those good times.

july was an important month. apart from seeing 3 ex's in 2 weeeks, this is the month that my bestfriend got married. it's a simple civil wedding, but it's full of love nonetheless. i saw all the friends and families that attended the reception and i am happy that their union is supported by every one. i am happy she found her happiness.

as i mentioned i went to puerto galera to dive. it's my first bday in 6 years that i was with my family. yeba! then my friends surprised me and other august celebrators on a beach camping weekend. it's so apt! there was a mishap but im glad no one was seriously hurt.

on september my sister and i went on a hardcore backpacking trip on southern PH. i shed a tear when i saw the tinuy-an falls. our country is sooo beautiful! the enchanted river is also giving it a run for it's money. it's the first time that i was diving into water (putting my newly acquired swimming skills to use) and it's beyond liberating. those few seconds of floating mid-air... priceless. and splashing on clear blue freshwater isn't so bad either.

october, november and december were spent on weekend hikes. i've gotten serious about it now that I sometimes go alone on some saturdays. on mondays im already looking forward to where we'd go on sunday. i have a sunday hiking group and they are the sweetest bunch of women. they are purely nice and very brave. i like being around with them. i know im the weakest link in their group when we go out and i hope they dont get tired of looking out for me. i like being with them because for a few hours every week i feel invincible. they go for extreme trails, the ones that make me cry out to heavens because i could feel that it’s my end… then we finish every time and i always come out a different person. just before the year ended i climbed kota kinabalu. it’s one of my greatest achievement. i’ve had more difficult trails in HK than this, but it holds a special place in my heart.

so 2013… you have a lot of things to do to top 2012. im sure you’re going to be one hell of an exciting ride. im ready!!!

the HK yogathon 2012

i come from a province known for people who have themselves crucified on wooden crosses as in what is told to have happened to jesus christ. i went when i was 12 and almost twenty years hence i still remember one man's face as he was hanging up there with his palms pierced and bleeding. he looked up and was uttering something. i saw peace in his eyes. he put himself up there voluntarily. years later i saw the same man in tv being featured for an easter theme episode. he said that his daughter was sick once and he prayed really hard. he made a promise to god that he would do the crucifixion every year if his daughters recovers. lo and behold, his daughter made it and he's been fulfilling his promise every year.

sometimes we find faith in one activity. at least once in our lives we find something that makes us devoted and one way or another we always make room for it despite our busy schedule. that activity for me is YOGA.

i went through the most difficult 2 years of my life and yoga helped me a lot to move on. it didnt come to me as a fad. some people are just enticed by the thought of being able to lose weight in a non intense way that's why they sign up at yoga centers then lose interest one or two months later. i see yoga as a retreat for my hectic life. three to five hours of my week are spent doing meditation, stretching my dull body and somewhat satisfying my competitive nature. there is always a new posture to do and it's always nice to learn and advance to a higher level. the good thing is you only have yourself to make it or break it. there are no outside forces to blame and no luck to depend on. you do it because you can. you dont do it because you cannot yet. after regular practice you get the hang of it and you feel happy about yourself because you could do it afterall.

so i went again to the HK yogathon this year. it's still organized by the HK breast cancer foundation. do you know that there are 8 women diagnosed every day in HK, and that one person die from it everyday? that's one scary statistics!

this time i am determined to finish 8 hours again. i did it last year, there's no reason i cannot do it now. needless to say i made it and im so proud of myself for the achievement. this year there were more people who stayed eight hours and i am very happy that more and more people are appreciating the benefits of yoga. dont think of it as a way to lose weight. you cannot be seriously expecting to lose weight when you do twistings for 10 seconds every time, can you? think of it as a retreat and as an opportunity to meditate. it's different when you just sit and do nothing. i always think of something whenever i do something. i may be crossing the road but i am thinking of what to have for dinner. i may be brushing my teeth but im thinking if i responded to all my work queries for the day. even when i sleep i still dream about my orders at work.

but whenever i go yoga, everything is erased. i feel bitterness when i remember i didnt have a nice pencil case when i was eight. i feel sad that i didnt make it to one field trip when i was in college. there are some shallow bits of sadness that just pop out of nowhere and when i meditate i forget them after the 1 hour session. i always feel refreshed after shavasana even if im sweating all over. i may be exhausted during the 8 hour yogathon, but it's the most peaceful 8 continuous hours that i had had after more than a year. and to top it all off, i did it for breast cancer patients.

i will keep doing yogathon until im here in HK! i will keep doing yoga until my bones are brittle. that's the cross i'd gladly bear!

stole this from the hk yogathon facebook page. find me!

the image of the philippines

we filipino expats are like ambassadors of our country in our little ways. yes we know the problems of our country blah blah but im pretty sure that when we talk about our country to foreigners we always try to say the best things. if youre watching the tv show 'community' you will remember their episode when they had to defend their school. they say it's a trashy school but no one can trash it but them. it's still afterall the same school where they met their close friends and where they learn something. yeah yeah you should get they gyst by now.


personally speaking my de facto sales pitch for PH would be our beaches. i always say that we have the world's most beautiful beaches. i usually ask them if they have been to thailand, i would give them the reassurance that ours are way prettier. that is true, i have been to phuket last march and i would still go for palawan or bohol.

last week was a good and bad week for me on my being a tourist ambassadress:

scenario 1:
i was in china with 2 customers and they were talking about wanting to go to PH. then came my usual spiel about the beauty of our country. we were with a chinese furniture boss and he relayed this story when he used to have a travel agency with some customers in the PH maybe more than 10 years ago.
he was mentioning about being not paid on time, about how he had to fly just to get the money personally, etc. then one time he was bringing a lot of money and he was tapped by customs. he said the folded 2k pesos and slid the bills into the hands of the customs officer and he managed to leave the area unscathed. he stopped his business from then on.

scenario 2:
i participated in a hikeathon and i bumped into an indian teenager (im guessing he's 11-13 years old). usual chitchat, he correctly guessed that i am from PH. he asked if PH is really dangerous for a tourist (every one here still remembers the bus incident), i answered that accidents can happen anywhere you travel. it's just blown out of proportion by the media. he said he feels sorry that it had to happen but i was glad that he's very open minded about the issue. he knows it's a big deal in hk because the victims were hk tourists. and he ended up saying he'll go to PH when he can with his parents.



every one has their good and bad images of different places. so we filipino expats will just continue to spread the good images, then try to warn them on the bad ones with a little tips on how to avoid them.

guess who's reporting for duty?

ahemm ahemm...

yo bitch, im back! xoxo!


glad to be writing silly what have yous, rants and gossips and perhaps some relevant updates again. i've been extremely busy for as long as i could remember and honestly i didnt have the heart to write. i visit the site once in a while during those blue moments and narcissistic as it my sound it always brings smile to my face. i still feel the excitement that i felt when i tell story of a certain trip, or a little happy-embarassed that i got drunk here and there or when i read those crappy lovelife posts. aaaakkkk!!!

so what the heck, let the blogging resume!

i just came from another backpack trip with my sister in the southern part of the phils and i really loved it. i always say im a hardcore traveler but i guess you really cannot claim that phrase until you plan to have no plan and just go with it. yep, we went ahead and went with it.

i've always wanted to go to the south of the philippines. i grew up in the north and spent my uni years in the capital. i only went down to the central part of the country when i started working but the thought of the south always puzzled me. are they all sorta terrorists? will we be kidnapped there? do they really have a mayor that is glorified in cheesy action movies? are the people as passive as they were portrayed in the media?

well let me tell you what i could assess in the four days that we were there:

- they are not 'garapal'. i dont know what's the proper term in english. but it's something like getting something aggressively without really thinking of the person whom youre getting it from. yes most of them are not well off, but they wont say something behind your back if you dont give them tip or if you let them do their sales talk for half hour but you end up not using their service.

- they have cable, electricity, pricey over the hill restos, high end malls and all other luxuries of a middle to middle higher class life. whoever thinks they are still primitive is totally mistaken.

- they are very helpful and well mannered. they will not try to rip you off just because youre a tourist.

- when you tell them you come from another place that is not the capital, they would think that it is so far, even though it's just 50km away from the big city.

- like any other pinoy, they feel proud when they are featured in the media and they will keep talking about it over and over again. every body talked about the tv feature about their city that was shot 2 weeks prior.

- THEY HAVE THE MOST MAJESTIC WATERFALLS. we've only been to tinuy-an falls but it's enough to say that it is the most incredibly awesome waterfalls i've seen in my life.

- they have maniac bus drivers. like the crazy bus drivers in manila. you would be forced to stay awake the whole ride so you can avoid being swayed from one side to another. you'd be forced to pray for your safety too. hehe.

- honesty is their best policy. we usually had to use public toilet and you had to pay different amounts for pee, poo poo and bathing. people pay for the more expensive second even though no one can really prove that they did just that.

- when they say 'enchanting', it takes a while for you to appreciate the enchantment. but when it finally sinks in, you are enchanted forever!!! this is what i felt when i saw the Enchanted River in Surigao.


i will post photos soon. i put them in facebook but i promise i will put them here also!

i will make this site pretty again!

photo of the day: 60 - 61

some photos from my halong bay tour package. i went overnight on a boat with a busload of other foreigners. they were all crazy! i was too tired to join them in their merry making. the place is a beauty nonetheless. it's not as majestic as the karst of el nido, nor as exotic as guilin's... but the sunset is just superb.

photo of the day: 56 - 59

in july of last year the ex and i used one of the vouchers i bought from groupon for a 1 night hotel stay in a dongguan hotel, plus a bit sightseeing of successfulland, a little venue which is used vastly for prenup photos. it's a fun day, i must say. Heeeey, im not reminiscing, ok? Just sharing you the photos, which are actually quite nice. the area was crazy. you got windmills, church, castles, garden, fountain, all within a few feet from each other. it's really just for taking photos. but the most memorable part of this trip was when an acrobat who was traversing a thin wire a few meters above us suddenly just fell a couple of feet away from me. he really just plunged infront of me. my lord, it was really scary. he's still awake but im not sure if he got his mobility completely after that accident. life is short, accidents can happen anytime, you might be gone the next second. live life to the fullest, treat it as if it's your last day to live or to have your body parts full functioning. it's a win win situation. you're happy that you did what you want at that moment, and if you happen to breathe your last breath, at least you died doing what you wanted.

photo of the day: 54 - 55

i've been to several places, admired foreign structures, overwhelmed by other culture, dined on a few exotic foods, swam on other countries' nice beaches.... but i have to say, if there's one thing that philippines should be proud of, it would be that we have the most beautiful sunrise and sunset. i guess that's why we've been a positive type of people. we have good sunrise when we wake up, and an equally good sunset to call it a day.

here are a couple of proofs from my trip to cebu in 2010.

photo of the day: 43 - 53

oh yes im back. sorry if i didnt post right away. im still struggling with jetlag. i've only been sleeping for 3-4 hrs in the last 5 days.

so here you go, some photos from the oceanografic. it's one of the weird looking halls of the eccentric complex centro de ciencias y artes in valencia, spain. it has umberic, hemisferic, something with music, and the theater. all of them needed an entrance fee so i only went to the one with marine life. it's not that hard to figure, no?

it's just like hk ocean park, very much like its giant aquariums and sunbathing big sea creature. just not much screaming intsik people everywhere. and it's cleaner.

para sa yo, A

pls pls spare me this moment. kase sasabog talaga ko kung di ko ilalabas. then after this ok na. promise! i swear getting back with him is not an option but i cannot try to just brush it away, kahit sandali lang kame. i just have to write it. no more decency, gusto ko lang ilabas. kase sobrang asshole talaga ng ex kong to, at kahit gusto kong ikibit balikat na lang, kelangan ko talagang ilabas.






a,

alam mo ikaw na siguro ang pinakanega'ng taong nakilala ko. actually first few times pa lang tayo lumalabas napapagod na ko kinakausap ka lang. actually sinabi ko naman sa yo, na ang hirap mong maging kaibigan. lahat kinokontra mo. simpleng mali lang ng construction ng sentence (na understandable pa din naman) pinapalaki mo pa. buti sana kung tinatama mo lang (na di naman kelangan in the first place), you make the person feel as if he/she needs to beg you for forgiveness. ung mga time na malabo akong kausap... buti sana kung gusto mo lang ng clarification para makuha mo ung message, talagang binibigyan mo pa ko ng hard time... para ano? para lumuhod ako sa harap mo? after mo ko igrill at ipamukhang sobrang stupid ko, di ka naman interesado sa gusto kong sabihin.

saka ung time na inaaway mo ko because of my travel plans... what the fuck is that? i work my ass off every bloody day, siguro naman deserve kong lumigaya sa paraang gusto ko. feeling mo naman nakikisabay ako sa mga 'sosyal' kong friends na di ko afford? pera ko yun ok? ung ibang tao nagshoshopping, iba umiinom, iba nambabae para lumigaya sila. ako bumibiyahe. masama ba yun?

nung maging tayo, ang dami mong binigay na rules. walang lokohan, walang yosi, walang ganito, walang ganyan. 2 lang naman ang saken di ba? ang sabi ko wag mo ko ilalayo sa mga kaibigan ko, at ayoko ng pda. sobrang agree ka pa dun sa una. sabi mo pa "oo naman di kita aagawin sa kanila. di ko gagawin ung ginawa ng ex mo na nilayo ka sa mga kaibigan mo"... pero punyeta, yun pa ang isa sa mga reasons mo bakit gusto mo makipaghiwalay?! ang labo labo mo tsong! di ka naman iniisnab ng mga kaibigan ko. lahat sila nageeffort na kausapin ka. sige nga magbigay ka ng time na ikaw ang nagstart ng conversation. di ba sila laging nagrereach out sa yo? feeling mo naman lahat ng tao estudyante mo at kelangan lagay ka sa pedestal. it's a real world of adults, lahat ka-level mo. enough of your need for adoration. they dont validate you as a person. may drama ka pang "sign kase yun na mas pipiliin mo ung mga kaibigan mo kesa saken" after ng paris incident. overanalyzing ata hobby mo. gusto ko lang sama-sama tayo, gusto mo iwanan pa sila para lang ma-test ang loyalty ko sa yo. wow, ito na ba ang sukatan ng pagmamahal ngayon?

wala pa tayong 24 hours na magsyota, tinanong mo na ko ng derechahan, "may gusto ka ba kay L?" sabi mo basta sabihin ko lang ang totoo at never mo na ko tatanungin ulit. ang sabi ko: "mahal ko sya dati, pero matagal nang wala. nung kame na ni b wala na (hello, 2.5 yrs kame nun). tinignan mo ko ng matagal, tapos niyakap mo ko. so di ba, wala ng issue dapat. pero may goodness, LAHAT na lang ng gawin ko na related sa kanya, pinapalaki mo. tumingin lang ako sa direksyon nya, galit ka na. tumawa lang ako sa joke nya galit ka na. tignan ko lang picture nya galit ka na. maraming maraming beses mo kong inaaway dahil sa kanya. sabihin mo nga, in all fairness, valid ba ung pang-aaway mo? may ginagawa ba ko sa kanya na unusual na di ko ginagawa sa ibang male friends ng group? my goodness ang dami mong issues! alam mo ba nag-eeffort na nga akong di syang kinakausap nung maging tayo. pag nagpupunta tayo sa kanila halos di ko na sya pinapansin. sa msn na lang kame naguusap pag asa work ako.

feeling ko lang ha, matagal mo na gustong makipagkalas hinintay mo lang ung kota kinabalu. so ung pang-aaway mo saken sa KK unti unti na yun no? what an asshole move na natulog kang inaaway mo ko at talagang hiwalay tayo ng kama. at baket? kase inaway kita dahil 'binabastos' mo ko habang nagiinternet ka sa kindle mo habang naghihintay tayo ng dinner. speaking of which, ang immature lang na nagrarant ka as fb about me? wow, 34 year old ka ba or 14? actually for a 14 year old di din na excusable un. sino kaya mas bastos saten nun?

natataranta nga ko pag kasama kita. alam mo bang nagwhawhatsapp lang ako sa mga kaibigan ko pag weekends pag nagbabanyo ka? my god, feeling ko may kabit akong tinatakas sayo. all because of what? dahil feeling mo mas feel ko pa kasama ang mga kaibigan ko kesa sayo? let's go back to rant #1. actually sa totoo lang mas masaya ako sa kanila. kase kahit iba iba kame ng gusto, we dont look down on each other. di ko nararamdaman na im never good enough. e ano kung di ako nagbabasa nang mga bigating libro na binabasa mo, ibig sabihin ba nun bobo na ko? kaya ba di ka man lang nakikipagkwentuhan saken about stuff na nabasa mo, nangyari sa buhay mo? kase di ko din maiintindihan? sabi mo judgmental ako, dahil sa mga sinasabi ko about sa jologs mong frat. ako sinasabi ko lang ang perception ng tao sa frat nyo. pero after mong sabihin na tigilan ko na, tumigil naman ako di ba? pero ikaw kahit anong gawin ko makacatch up lang sa mga gusto mo, di mo pa din nakikita un. ang nakikita mo lang, isang happy go lucky traveler na mahilig sa shitty music at di mahilig magbasa at tanga. sinong judgmental ngayon?

tinanong kita dati kung bakit mo ko nagustuhan. ang natatandaan ko lang na sinabi mo: 1) dahil di ka nagsisimba, at 2) dahil gusto mo ung paghandle ko sa drivers nung nag-iloilo tayo. sabi mo ang galing ko makipagnegotiate, parang ok akong kasama sa future. wow, asset pala ako sa pag-angat mo. tapos di ka pa pipilitin magmisa. nung nagpunta tayo sa KK, sabi mo after mo maggraduate tigil ako sa work, mag-aaral na muna ko ng MBA. para magamit ang sales experience ko at wala akong mapupuntahan kung wala akong mba tulad mo. kinilig ako, dahil lang sa thought na libre ang pag-aaral. pero naisip ko, di ba alam mo namang ayoko ng corporate world? im just stuck in the moment, pero im dying to get out. alam mo namang gusto kong magturo, magplan ng events, or magpicture. pero i guess wala un sa plano mo. kelangan mo ng syotang mataas ang pinag-aralan at may postgrad degree.

i've been imagining the day na tanungin ako tungkol sayo. minsan naisip ko na sasabihin kong, di lang nagwork, good guy ka, good girl ako, pero di tayo good together. pero tae, sa lahat ng pasakit mo saken magpapakadecent pa ba ko? the best answer is: i realize im not getting any younger. life is to short to be spent with assholes.

oh and by the way, i hope your blue pills still work with your next girlfriend. because frankly, kung ganyan ka magtreat sa aming 8 ex gf's mo, the least you can do is to sustain for at least one session. sama na nga ng ugali, di pa kayang tumagal.

ayokong bumawi at sabihin ang mga iilang magagandang bagay na ginawa mo saken. di mo deserve yun. sana na lang yumaman ka, at sana lumigaya ka sa kayamanan mo.


blsm

photo of the day: 42

so here i am again... like what i did last year, i took my photo from my webcam at the hk airport, waiting for my flight to dubai, then to madrid. i lost some weight, dont ya think? :)

i need this trip. im relapsing from my drama on loneliness. so see you in 9 days! when im back i will give you more shebangin' photos! :)


i'll go to valencia and salamanca as my side trips.

you know what, life is actually good.

photo of the day: 41

that's the hue bridge that i saw on my first ever solo trip in vietnam. it was a good challenge for me because i really went backpacking on this trip. i travelled 14hrs to get to hue from hanoi in vietnam on a local train. so that's a total 28hr train travel ride.

anyway, this is an important bridge for me. i've traversed this bridge several times back and forth during the night and day and it was when i was bumping into people and seeing the hue river on one side and different modes of transportation on the other that i realized i had to fix my life. i was still with b back then but there's just something about getting from one end of the bridge to the other that makes you look into your life more deeply and realize that some good things, no matter how well constructed they are, and you see how you've been conveniently going through the same route... there comes a time when you just have to let go and go to your destination. you won't know what lies on the other side until you get the courage to go for it and never look back. you never go to where you're supposed to go if you're stuck on the same area, when everyone else moves on and tries to find their way to where they're supposed to be. i broke up with b after this trip. i dealt with it for months and you'd know that if you read my previous entries. but yes, like the bridge, i had better sites on the other side, which i wouldn't have known had i stayed and settled for the meek sites that i see from the bridge.

photo of the day : 39 & 40

the tablao flamenco in madrid. dancing on a table stage in front of fine diners. it's the corral de moreira. it cost me a fortune to watch it (i think i spent 40 euros just for the show, with dinner it's about a little over 100 euros). at least it comes free with bread and sangria, so you don't look so poor if you don't order from the menu. hehe.. it's listed as one of the top ten things to do in madrid by some guide book.

it's my first time to see real flamenco in a spanish soil. yes i saw a couple of shows in pinas but too see them in a local setting is quite an experience. i have to say it was well worth my money. it's a good show that lasted enough for me to say that the money is worth it. you have to see them up close to see how passionate the are when they sing and dance. it's like they breathe flamenco ever since they were born. when we went to sevilla (the birthplace of flamenco) we only paid 10 euros for a short show. i liked the one in madrid better. maybe it has something to do with being in a fine dining setting. it's a cultured people kind of a thing so i guess watching it in shorts next to backpackers did more harm than good in sevilla.

but still, flamenco rocks. the tapping is a bit deafening for the audience but it all goes away when you see the dancers' eyes and facial expressions. it's so full of passion it can intimidate you within 5 seconds.

photo of the day: 32 -38

our palawan trip was the trip that i didn't get to take more photos. it's one of my dream destinations and i was with my whole family. we certainly had a great time. it's mostly a day on the beach/es, eating, and a lot of inland travel.

of course the highlight is going to EL NIDO. it was a pain getting there (think 6 hours van ride, then with the smallest leg area that you can have. and you know it's a tropical country. i wasn't that impressed on the first day because the beaches were bleh. it all got better on the second day, and I was in love with el nido all over again. there's just something unique in each beach and you just can't wait to go to the next one. didn't disappoint and I'm glad we got there.

we also did the underground river tour, which is now one of the new seven wonders of the world, thanks to the power of mass text voting. i thought it's over rated. i haven't traveled that much yet... but I'm telling you, there are much better sights than this.

photo of the day: 31

this is my take on the usual shot of pebbles stacked on each other. took this photo from one of the temples in siem reap.

photo of the day: 30

today is my parents' 29th wedding anniversary. some people really get it lucky! and I'm glad it's my mom! i mean, i wouldn't be here today if they hadn't gotten married, right?

you have to give it to my mom. she got her first boyfriend, got married, got two perfect kids (that's obviously biased) and 29 years later, she's still happy with the same perfect man! sometimes some women really get all the luck! i haven't been that lucky on the first boyfriend part but I'm sure i will get my perfect man also!

photo of the day: 21 - 29

i just came back from my longest solo trip. two words: LIFE CHANGING

my goodness, Siem Reap is B E A U T I F U L ! ! !

my friends have been saying the same thing but you have to feel (not just see, you have to feel it with your heart!) to prove them right.

i was a bit discouraged by the poipet, the border city (i went inland and did a full day travel from bangkok to siem reap) but when you see siem reap, it's definitely worth all the fatigue!

the orange brownish soil, the humble people, the incredible temple ruins... it's like taking you back in time and you say to yourself, what the heck, asia has gotten much more civilized than the western world. we should be the superpower!! what the hell happened?!?

oh the people. they are the nicest people on earth and even though they're the poorest people on earth they seem to be living an honest and dignified life. im taken back to my childhood days with all the farmlands and no gigantic billboards.



ill show you the photos of mundane life first, ok? the temples ill post in my next entries.

when i get my heart broken...

I travel solo.

I'm now boarding for my Bangkok and Siem Reap.

Aaah, dream destinations!

I'll catch up on my photos of the day when I get back.

Xoxo,
Blsm

photo of the day: 18 - 20

on our europe trip i really fought for cordoba to be one of our destinations. it's a little out of the way but i won and we finally got to see the cathedral. it's a fight worth fighting for. just first step on the cathedral lets you know on the luxury that it could offer. i swear i almost cried. i couldn't get over the red striped arched columns even after we went to our next destination. we were only there for 24 hrs but i have to say (although my travel mates wouldn't agree) it's one of the best stops we did.

photo of the day: 17

my first Apple purchase. I know I've said it before that I dont get why some people venerate their products. this is not veneration, ok? hehe.

i just bought one because i really wanted a good computer that i can use for my photos. and my netbook is really slow most of the time. im planning on 2012 to be the year to get back to photography. i havent opened it yet! im too busy today. i guess im the first person to not open her macbook pro. so not veneration, ok? although a new ipod wouldnt hurt. hahahaha

photo of the day: 16

part of our palawan underground package is a visit to the ugong rock. it's called 'ugong' because of the hollow stalactites and they produce a sound when tapped. it' s a little challenge to go through the whole cave but i really liked it. then to cap the experience we went on a zip line, it's about 21 second ride and you go through a normal rice farm. i grew up in this type of landscape in our province. i've ridden buffalos, i've gone hide and seek with my playmates, we've stolen some corn and sugar cane harvest and teased the owner's dogs so they could chase us. aaahhh, those were the days. such normal (and fun) childhood. :)

a door closes, a window opens

i have always been an optimistic person. you know why? because when things get really shitty and i hit rock bottom, a very good thing happens and all the misfortunes just seem like heavy rain and at the end of it you see a magical rainbow.

just this morning i was just writing how i've been in a few relationships and after a decade i still end up alone. but let me change that: i've been in a few relationships and after a decade i still end up alone... and rich! today i learned that i got a really big bonus! really big, as in 1.5 times of the savings that i had for the last 5.5 years i've been in hk. woaaaahhhh! and im getting a salary increase! my boss is happy with my work, and he got good things to say about me. all those hard work in 2011 has finally paid off.

thank you universe! thank you!

a decade of love

Today marks the decade of I being in a relationship. That’s bloody ten years of flirting, caring, sweetnothings, dressing up’s, fights and make up’s and eventually parting ways.

Oh love, you come and go, leaving me more damaged than ever. But hey, if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be what I am today. Ten years… and I haven’t hit jackpot yet. Well I have always been a determined and optimistic girl and I know my ‘one’ is just around the corner waiting for me and my damaged yet healed self to come out and love as if I haven’t been hurt before.

photo of the day: 13 - 15

yes i had a quite a busy weekend.

friday i went dinner with S, my former sheung wan housemate. we had a semi buffet vegetarian supper and it's really good. then saturday i went biking with friends. V was the organizer, and there were four of us girls who went with him. just imagine 4 heartbroken single girls, each one of us having our own recent break up stories. ayayay! i didnt like one of the girls but somehow after that bike trip she was ok with me. maybe we just got on the wrong foot (and the fact that i was still with the ex-bf who somehow hated her didnt help) but there's nothing like badmouthing about all assholes that can be a good icebreaker for girls. so there, we had a good time. i had to rush out because i had a send-off party to go to. one of my good kuya's in the photo club is being relocated to manila.

before going to the bar i rewarded myself with a sole vietnamese dinner. there's nothing that vietnamese spring roll and cold noodles cannot heal. trying to be emo? spring rolls! being reminded of the past? spring rolls! feeling lonely? spring rolls!

then off i went to the party, and being the only girl in a group with 8 men, you cannot really help being the center of their attention... in a 'bad' way! well they're still gentlemen and all, but they really see me as one of them and that i will ride on to the jokes of the night. they were teasing me to this guy and they were really full on! there were super cheesy punch lines, suggestive pics and leaving us so we could have a private talk. and i have to emphasize that i was drunk as hell!!! the shooters just didnt stop and i had three full glasses of cocktails! the last time i was drunk was when a and i officially announced to our close friends that we're together. and that's like 6 months ago! last night was really crazy shit. i had to go to a fastfood restaurant only to vomit a bagful of shit. that guy that they're teasing me with offered to take me home, but i politely declined. he seems a very good and kind guy (he was trying to be interesting and appearing to take care of me during my last hour in the bar when i was just drunk as fuck) but he wasnt my type. i think i've gone through so many shitty relationships, and just going home with a guy i just met but not attracted to is just not the way to go. i still learn from my lessons, you know?! i went home so dizzy and vomited a lot more on my sink. i woke up on a sink full of vermicelli and pizza bits. eewwww!!!

so there goes my weekend. next weekend im going to drink silly with N... in bangkok!!!

just when i was about to feel emo...

you know my moving on from break up with A was quite too rushed. we ended just when my sister visited me. then i got busy with the christmas party, then i went to palawan with my family. it's actually just now that im feeling the loneliness. you know, these cold winter nights without cuddling anyone, and the fact that it's new year and i got no one to look forward with the whole year. im too mushy and i was hoping to do something super romantic on 12-12-12.

but then again... my boss just notified me that i have to go to spain... so who's f*ckin' sad now?! just when i was about to feel like the world is forgetting me, good things happen. and now im happy again. :)

photo of the day: 12

last night i met up with my girls M and H. they're the two women who have been with me when i was trying to get over the two ex bf's. they're the ones whom i get to do shopping, get really really drunk, and share much of myself in the girl friend kinda way. we smoke, dine, flirt, drink, and talk about things that we normally do not talk about with other people. and H is having her third baby! so now we're trading our cocktails for hot chocolate. it's one of those nights when you're just happy you're with your close girl friends and it does not have to be in a rowdy bar like you did a couple of years back.

on love and loss

J - taught me how to love
R - I became the craziest version of myself when it comes to loving someone
B - the longest, the one i shared most of myself
A - the one I thought, hoped and fervently wished was the One.

I hope the next one is the last.

photo of the day: 11

the sevilla bull ring.

it's my first time to see a real bull ring. i didnt expect it to be this decent. i thought bull rings are dingy places with worn down facilities. let's just say the spanish people take their bullfights seriously...in style. such nice contrast! after this we went inside the museum and we learned a lot about the history and the whole bullfighting she-bang. watching a bull being slayed within an hour is beyond me, but oh well, to each culture its own, right?

if there is a couple of things that i learned from the recent past about relationships

do not go to bed angry

i swear if your partner sleeps on a fight, it's a big sign that he/she is not really in-love with you. sleep is to conclude that you are leaving the awake world for a few hours in a peaceful state. how can you close your eyes when you know there are unresolved issues with the only person you care about the most? it's just beyond logic that you just leave it like that and sleep peacefully. yes, granted that you're tired. but im sure 10 minutes of your time is nothing compared to the emotional pain that you're causing your partner. just be considerate and talk over it. then after 10 minutes it will be a whole evening of cuddling and tight hugs. a big reward, eh?



give your partner a right to be wrongfully condescending on something

so i had this ex-bf who made a big deal when i said "yaiks, point and shoot" when we were talking about cameras. he owns a point and shoot camera. yes, i know that's insensitive and uncalled for but before i could take it back, he blurted out: "you are such a bitch, as if you dslr owners are the only children of god.". i let it go on the first time and apologized, but he kept repeating the same line whenever he would see me holding my camera. which annoyed me to pieces.
come on, there's this one thing that we know we are very good in doing. some paint, some dance, some sing, some eat fire and glass crystals. and i, for one, know that i have quite a good eye in photography. it's not professional level, but if you were to ask me now on my 'talent' i would say it is photography. but this ex-bf is such a loser that he could not let it go. it undermines the fact that it's so important to me and he could not even support me just because of a short bruising of his ego. so puh-lease, give your partner a pass on something to be arrogant and just full of him/herself. for everything else you can remind him/her to keep grounded. just dont touch that one thing that they think defines them as an individual. doing so destroys them to pieces, i swear. it's a double slap: non-supporting partner, and stepping on his/her dream. that's just not love.

photo of the day: 10

shanghai skyline. we had a stopover here before going back to HK after our EU trip. in fairness, these rows of buildings make quite a marvelous view. i like them better than HK's . at least shanghai's are more nicely located. HK buildings are too close to each other.

photo of the day: 9

ladies and gentlemen... pls bow your heads to the best noodle soup base in the world. tantananan (cheap ng sound production ko. hahaha)... CHAO LONG! it's a beefstock soup with rice noodles, and they give you togue, kalamansi and mint leaves so you control the taste. i swear the mixture of calamansi and mint, and that insanely rich beef soup is a concoction only thought by the gods. they also come in pork flavor. and as extra you can order medium size french bread with garlic spread (and this french bread is also very good, it's not too hard, but hard enough for you to feel its toastiness (yes, i just invented that word). chao long and french bread --- what a match made in heaven!

have i said i love vietnamese food? im sorry i may be patriotic and all, but pinoy food has never been my top choice if i were to be stranded in one country and im cursed to eat their food for the rest of my life. i would choose vietnamese without a single blink. it's their pho's, spring rolls, fried rice, vegetables, beef cubes, prawn chips, crabs, etc... that make me treat myself to a vietnamese restaurant quite often with or without company.

before going to puerto prinsesa i have visited some blogs and i stumbled into a blog of a backpacker and he highly recommended chao long. i told the tryke driver to take me to the best chao long place in town, and just as it may, he brought us to bona's chao long. he said the reverred mayor of PP is seen eating there. and true enough, there were so many people eating when we got there, and that's like 5pm! you know, it's that hour when servers are supposed to rest. it's after merienda, but too early for dinner. but behold, we were like the 10th person in line, and it took us half hour to wait for them to serve our food. and yes, the worth was definitely worth it. i think i've already established that on my first sentence. hahahaha!

photo of the day: 7 - 8

there's this dish in puerto prinsesa that you just have to eat. your trip will not be certified with a touch of palawan if you hadn't eaten it. it's the TAMILOK or woodworm.

it's not terrible even though it's perceived to be exotic. it's just like eating oyster, only longer. i swear it's not even bad tasting. i had a few bites or so. it's about 150/dish and could be shared with beer. perfect with vinegar and perhaps a bit of alcohol. they can also deep fry it. we ordered the 'classic' which seemed to be boiled lightly with a little dash of vinegar.

photo of the day: 5 - 6

sorry i missed last night! anyway today is my dad's bday, and since he's the only man i love all through my life who never failed to care and love me back ever so endlessly, he deserves two pictures... with me! hahaha.. i've said it here many times, im a papa's girl! happy birthday papa!

photo of the day: 4

so i dove! you know the picture does not justify the height between the platform and the sea. i swear it was friggin high! only 3 people from our group had the nerve to jump (we were with 3 cute greek guys). though i was the only one with life vest, so it's not really THAT brave! hahaha! i was bloody struggling. for a moment i thought my lifevest would fail me because i was dipped underwater for a few seconds before i was naturally pulled up. but still... good times!

i'll give you the photo since this is photo of the day afterall... of my father jumping. hahaha!

photo of the day: 1-3

here we go again...

let's see how long i can keep this. hahaha! but seriously i think i need this to practice writing again.

well i need to start with three photos. i believe i have chosen the most appropriate photos. fireworks! i took this while at the rooftop of my sister's workplace, next to gigantic satellite receivers and signal towers. how cool is that? i got flu next day though. :(

this would be the first time since my beijing trip almost 5 years ago that i see fireworks on residents' backyards. you see im a visual person, so i like rainbows, colorful stuff, fireworks. i think they're works of magic to amaze us all. it's a bit too late, but i wish you a happy new year! cheers to the blessings of 2011, and more cheers to more blessings of 2012!