adventure chronicles #7: Bagasbas Surf Festival

Procrastination and taking time is one i should adjust on. Sometimes I forget time doesn't stop for anyone.

It's been a while since I've updated my blog but good thing the adventures haven't stopped. Surfing gave me a natural high and when i found out there was a festival in the first place i road a board I couldn't pass it up. Decided I wanted this to be one of my alone adventures again. On the day of the festival i packed my tent and went on another solo adventure. As i got there i pitched my beloved movable abode and enjoyed the (cliche-ish but) sun, sand and surf..hehehe

first beach camping :)

I enjoy being alone..I have the freedom to do things on my own and on my own time and not worrying on being a burden or a bother to others. I arrived late so i had to pitch right away and had dinner right after. I'm the type who can eat anything especially on a budget. I discovered a gotohan (congee) place which served 10-peso goto's where can you get that??

Was a bit tired so i just decided to unwind and go to bed early for a full day the next day :)

hhmmmm....

i miss drinking pale then i realized why i stopped drinking pale..so that thought made my last drink a lite

Famous Philippine Balut (duck egg) best with beer...yum!

The next day I was ready for what the festival had to offer. I started of course with what I came for, I went surfing again! This time I was able to paddle on my own and get up on the board..woohoo! as usual i had a natural high i get from any water sports. After getting stoked, I went around and did my other passion which by now you know is photography. I love taking photos of nature and anything that uses natural light...imagine how high i was getting...it was just pure bliss taking photos :) I enjoyed not only surfing but i got to watch beach football, frisbee, volleyball and wall climbing, not bad for a surf festival right?

guess who's having one  :)

Surfing newbies

Must not leave tanning lotion

Ride me!

Hang Loose Dude!

Happy photo

 My travel must do's (for local or international travel) are go to the public market, drink local beer, use public transportation and visit their beach. i was able to go around this province and got to check their local market and visted their church

The Philippines is a wonderful place. I'm happy decided to go around and see its beauty

Just love this shot

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE IS HERE!!

Aside from making 2012 my activity year. I made it my fitness year as well.

Decided to join a 5k fun run without hesitation. Guess why?...Zombies will be on the loose to chase us as we run the course. Who can't say no to that?!?! :)

Outbreak Manila is the first Zombie run in the Philippines. The run was organized in Nuvali in Laguna, an area that's being developed into a commercial area for residence around the area. Runners will be provided with a belt with flags that are attached to it. The flags on the belts will represent the runner's lives the zombies objective is to get all your lives before reaching the finish line. The runners of course will try to avoid losing their flags. Runner's aren't suppose to touch the zombies.

we have 300 runners

Zombie with school kids

I saw some of my friends as i was about to finish the run. I realized that I wouldn't survive the run because my friends helped me until i got to the finish line  and because of them....

......hehehehe

I got myself a bike!!

Always wanted to get a bike. I have dreams of finishing a triathlon and just going around on a bike. I guess when you're single you definitely think only of yourself and now look what I have :)

My baby's name is Kate

Wow I can't help but stare at my baby. Ain't she a beauty?!? :) ......... oh yeah I almost forgot I'm suppose to be writing a blog. Anyway, I'm so happy i finally decided to get one. The very next day I got the bike, I went to Subic (Subic used to be occupied by the Americans as one of their bases in asia) to check how it moves. Definitely one purchase I'm never going to regret. It was perfect, I could go around Subic the whole day if I wanted to. It just felt right as i was going around the beautifully paved road of the airbase. The ride was smooth, the seat was comfortable and best of all it looks good (yes that's the girl in me talking) That day was wonderful not only did i get to check my bike. I went biking with my aunt and cousin we had a good time in Subic that weekend. Not only that there was a triathlon at that day. Premonition or what? :)

Several weeks before I got my bike during the Holy Week break, my aunt invited me to bike (using an extra bike) around for Visita Iglesia. In the Philippines during the Holy week break Manila is literally a ghost town, most of the people are out of town. Visita Iglesia is a Holy Week practice of going around several (8-10) churches to pay respect to the Blessed Sacrament. It's a practice done by Catholics. It was a first for me. I enjoyed it because i went around on a bike and it was just wonderful going around Manila without the noisy and reckless drivers. One of the reasons i decided it was time to get a bike of my own.

Sunset in the Philippines always this beautiful

That too was my first time to spend the holy week in Manila. It was a peaceful holy week. Though i wasn't in the beach this beautiful sunset ended my day.

adventure chronicles #6: LOVE DIVE

Timing is everything. There have been things I've always wanted to do but a lot of them I've put on hold because it felt it wasn't right doing them at that time. Before you know it because of a good vibe or feel I just do them without planning.

SCUBA diving will always be on top of the to do things for me. This of course is one that I'm not in a hurry with because it takes a little investment for this bucket list item. But with a little help from the universe sometimes there are things that are served on a silver platter so when RRights had a LGBT intro dive event on minimal cost, i grabbed the opportunity without thinking. What best way to experience an intro dive but with friends and eventual new friends from the LGBT community. The event was called LOVE dive and it is in partnership with the world OUT games. awesome or what?! and this was a week after my birthday weekend

No doubt i knew I'd enjoy discovering the marine underworld. It's such a wonderful high where in I wished i had gills. Love the water, the marine life and the different kind of silence underwater.

ME!!!!

awesome or what?!?

My experience was definitely  unforgettable because i got to meet new friends and strengthen others. Aside from the dive itself the best memory would be interacting with friends and learning new things and insights. A weekend in the beach will always have a night with alcohol that will eventually lead to stories and sharing. There were a lot of things said and  a lot absorbed by me .. This single life is such a journey and one of the best things I'm experiencing are things people have to share or say...

Adding to this cool weekend. I won a discounted Dive certification course. I won it in a drinking contest hosted by the owners of the resort. who said alcohol is bad for you?

Can't wait to be finally certified. that of course would be another story.

adventure chronicles #5: My birthday weekend

 I'm the type who doesn't celebrate birthdays..but there are things id like to do on the day i was given the chance to live :)


Always wanted to celebrate my birthday out of town traveling alone. This year an upcoming event I've always wanted to go to coincided with my birthday, I made sure i was going there. The event is the Malasimbo Arts and Music festival. It's a 3-day event where local and international talents perform starting 4pm to around 3am. Artists are invited as well to create several installations around the venue. The event is done at the foot of Mt. Malasimbo in Puerto Galera (an island outside Manila).

View from the top of a hill

The event had an option for those who would want to pitch a tent and just enjoy the beauty of nature. I, of course took this option and brought a tent. I found a perfect area just meters from the stage. Alcohol wasn't allowed but i had to bring and hide a bottle of wine because it's my birthday, hehehe

Home base during my trip

My essentials: Wine and cheese, fruit, bread and cookies

Music lovers should at least go once to this festival. It's a definite music high starting from the first until the last performer. You'll also get another kind of high, you wouldn't worry leaving your stash at home because everywhere you went it smelt of natural herbs (if you know what i mean)...hehehe. The experience was a discovery of new talent and appreciation of different genres. I loved every minute I was there.

One of the awesome performances from the festival

Traveling alone is not as bad as people might think. Every moment i spent at Mt. Malasimbo was something i cherished. The isolation and the moments i got to meditate i believe are the times i took care of myself. I was able to assess where i am at my life now. I got to think too how i have spent my 35 years of existence.

....I guess that thought woke me up and made me realize i have a lot of catching up to do :)


here's a glimpse of the festival

adventure chronicles #4: Getting another Tattoo

Passion is such a strong word for me. It's how I go about living my life. I don't do anything without passion. Everything I do everything i believe in are all based on this powerful word. And i learned through the years the more passion you have the more effortless and light everything becomes.


Having a tattoo never entered my mind growing up. It was not even in my subconscious I had no interest nor concerns for this art form. Until one day i saw a tattoo design that just turned on this switch in me. It was a simple design of a wave. Again, the love for water made me want to have it imprinted on me for the rest of my life. Then I told myself if i do get a tattoo I'd want a design similar to that and another rule I had was (one of those no compromise rule), If I do get one my first tattoo should be done in Boracay. Boracay, is a world class beach Island and I thought was a perfect location to get my first "wave" tattoo from. As always, when you throw thoughts to the universe, She/He/It would do something to make it happen. At the end of that year, the family decided to go to Boracay for New Year. Perfect setting for getting something that would be one of life's memorable moments. Hence, i had my first tattoo in the beautiful island of Boracay.

Getting a tattoo for most people is like having sex for the first time. It's something that your parents will discourage you from doing but once it happens they can't do anything about it. Since i knew my parents wouldn't like it, I hid it from them for several weeks and of course when my dad saw it all he said was "it's ugly" just because he doesn't like the thought of "dirtying" your skin. My first tattoo was quite beautiful, I should say.

Another thing they say about tattoos, once you have one you can't help but get another one and another one and another one. I've had 2 more tats after my first and I added two more last weekend.A friend from Canada came home for a visit and said when she gets here she'll have her tat fixed. So when she arrived a tat party was arranged for her and for others who would want to get one as well. A tat party i found out was not practiced in North America mainly for purposes of sterilization. All tats made there should be done in a parlor so our other friends from the states who joined the tattoo session thought that having it in a house and with several people was quite an experience. They said this was "so Filipino".

The first advice people say when getting a tattoo would be "make sure to think about it first". For most people, their tattoos would have stories behind them. My tattoos are all about what i love most in life and what makes me happy. I have 3 visible tattoos but i've had 5 sessions already. 2 tattoos were retouches.

Having a tattoo is definitely an adventure for me. The thought of what to put and where to place it starts the journey. Then when decision is final, next would be planning on when you will have it done. That means this is the time you are most ready for it. The minutes before the procedure is when anxiety sets in. Even though you know it's going to be ok after, the thought of the pain you'll go through would be the one that makes you think twice about it. Enduring the pain would be the toughest part of course but when you see the final product it's all worth it..it's like climbing a high mountain and reaching the peak after hours of hiking..When you see the beauty on top,all pain and fatigue just goes away.

Definitely a unique experience i believe one should try. But it's not for every one..

"make sure to think about it first"

mens sana in corpore sano

see you on my next adventure. This would be my birthday adventure :)

Travel Dreams

I love life and everything that comes with it. People my age know that nothing comes easy and sometimes they think life is terrible but i believe that life is what it is cut out to be. It's beautiful and fabulous. It's generally up to us if we want to view it that way or be swallowed by negativity of those who don't see how lucky we are to be living.

Everything is accessible now. We know what's happening in the other side of the globe in seconds. Everything can be viewed. We now know what the Sahara dessert looks like (hhmm like a dessert?,hehe) or how beautiful the barrier reef is because of photos. This accessibility makes you want to explore or see the beauty of things up close. We're even lucky because we can even observe and learn about a culture of a certain country or even a hidden tribe because there are people who document these and air it on TV. As much as the internet makes us immobile it makes us want to think big and want to explore what is out there.

When you have so much time to yourself, there are a lot of things you want to do and conquer. When you're alone, you feel that you can do so much more, it's just so liberating. Anyway, If i can travel every nook and cranny of the world i would but that's when realities and lack of funds come in so i just narrowed down my list to a few places. These are the places I know I would channel all my energy to be able to go.

My dream destinations

I love the beach that's why I want to have a good beach destination. I want to go to the Maldives to have that beach experience. India is definitely in my have to list. India has it's own unique appeal that i want to discover first hand and of course the main reason I want to go there is their food. I so love Indian food. They have a unique culture too that I must experience to understand. If I had the money to spend, Morocco would be my first destination. Like India, food is the reason I want to go there. I dream of going to the night market at Marrakech and try all the food that i can devour,hehe. Morocco, is rich in culture as well. Venice for me is like a cliche country to visit but i really want to visit that place. The main reason i want to go there is for their mardi gras. I also believe that i was an Italian in my past life and i lived in Venice---> I feel that deep in my gut :) I think visiting that place might  make me feel at home,hehe. Last place i would like to visit when i have money to spare would be Africa. I think with everything that's changing Africa will always be a destination that will give us that feel of mother nature. I feel that this place will always protect the animals ( i hope ). This country together with Italy will also satisfy my love for wine.

This is my shortlist of dream destinations but there are more I want to visit. Because of the internet our views on different beliefs, religion and philosophies have expanded. And I found out that if you visualize or you focus on the things you truly want to do you or have--> you will actually get it. So that's the other reason I'm posting these places because i really do want to go there and Im owning that thought.  This post is my visualization board. Then hopefully in future blogs you will see me capture the sites in these places. :)

I have travel destination places but I only have one place I want to live in aside from the Philippines.

and this is NEW YORK

I LOVE NY!

Every time I see this city on TV or when it's featured anywhere i literally feel my heart swell. I have a soft spot for this place, I don't really know why. My first theory as i mentioned awhile ago. I feel I was an Italian in my past life and I migrated to this great city, no kidding :) . This city I think will bring out the best in you, it teaches you to be independent and people seem to don't care about you unless of course you plan to wreak havoc in their place. I feel it's a melting pot of civilization with class :)

I would definitely want to spend time there and I know I it will happen and then when Im there I'll take wonderful photos like this.

Passing thoughts for today.

Definitely loving my current state now....wait for my next adventure...pics will be posted next week.