An Escape to Anawangin!

071612. monday.

let me share to you our post-summer getaway to Anawangin, Zambales!

we’ve been wanting to do this since graduation but we never really had the time and money. HAHA. until finally, without any plans or anything, with only the urge to go, ago, roc, jonas, and i still pushed through with this escapade. HAHA.

it was a two-day outing. i must say that though it was just two days, it felt like forever! HAHA.

DAY 1

it took us almost six hours to get to Zambales from Manila. it was raining when we pulled in. it took us another hour of a nauseous boat ride to reach the island itself. the view on our way to Anawangin - the clear waters, the other untouched islands, the green mountains - was breathtaking enough to make me feel better. HAHA.

we first fixed our things and set up our tent upon our arrival. 

we changed clothes right away, then off we went swimming excitedly. the surge of the waves was so strong we couldn’t get farther from the shore at first. so, we just started throwing sand at each other instead. we even played with the waves. the four of us would be fighting the tides and whoever would fall on his/her feet loses the game. we’d get closer to the strong waves every time until only one remained. i’d always, always be the one to fall first. so weak! HAHA. we had fun just like kids. HAHA.

then, we headed back to our place for lunch. the food was included in the package so we  didn’t have to worry about what to eat. every meal, they served us with scrumptious dishes! woooo! HAHA. oh, i’d have to say this, their food was absolutely great. we were always bloated after the meals! and, they were very accommodating. whenever we needed anything, we’d just tell them and they’d take care of things from there. wonderful people. :)

after lunch, jonas insisted that we play frisbee, and so we did. it was the first time for the three of us(except jonas of course. HAHA). roc and i were teammates against ago and jonas. HAHA. well, we enjoyed it, realized it wasn’t that hard to learn. HAHA. 

we also went trekking that day. it was cool but tiring. the way up to that mountain was so steep and narrow plus rocky. it was no easy hike. you can just imagine how sweaty we were then. oh, and let’s not forget the sunblock we put on when it melted and ran down from our foreheads to our eyes! it hurt! HAHA. all the sweat and bruises paid off when we got to the top. the view, it was amazing, beautiful! it was there that we really got a full view of Anawangin and the other islands around it. wherever you look, all you’d see is the beauty of nature, untouched. :)

what else is better to do after trekking than to soak up in that salt water. HAHA. and yes, we swam again. this time we learned the trick. we just had to follow the waves and let them carry us up to keep us afloat from time to time. instead of getting scared when the tides came near, we were then excited. the bigger the waves, the better! HAHA.

it was already evening when we returned to our camp. HAHA. all the guests came rushing to the showers. we still had to queue for our turn. following bath, we had dinner. again, they never failed us. the food was overflowing. it’s perfect. after a jam-packed day of fun, a delicious dinner was the only thing we needed. the bonfire added to the beach “feel” right there. HAHA. while eating, we had a little chat of how cool our experiences were so far. we could think of only the good things. HAHA.

DAY 2

we were awaken to an appetizing breakfast, just enough to get us through a fun-filled day ahead. HAHA. we played frisbee for awhile before we hopped on to the boat for island hopping!

actually, we were supposed to  visit three islands, but due to the rain, we only got to check out one. it was fine though since it was for our safety. HEHE.

Capones Island was such a beauty. this virgin isle found in the heart of Zambales has fine white sand. it is surrounded by cool boulders. the shells are scattered everywhere. the rocks under the sea are so huge that our boat couldn’t get ashore. we all had to swim to get to the shoreline. thanks to the life vest, i managed to work my way there. HAHA.

there was a lighthouse on top of the hill. in order to reach it, we had to hike again. HAHA. o man, it was oh so tiring. every step seemed so heavy. we just enjoyed the climb and laughed the stress off. HAHA. when we arrived at the top, there was this old structure. i have no idea what it was before. it was beautiful though. then we took photos in the lighthouse. from there, we once more witnessed God’s wonderful creation. :) the view was worth the effort. see for yourselves.

when we walked down the hill, we swam and we swam and we swam again. HAHA. it was fun there. it would’ve been more fun if not for the sharp stones underneath the water. when the waves strike, the solid rocks come with them. you can only imagine how much our feet and legs suffered. i had bruises right after. HAHA. the sun was at its peak when we finished. HAHAHA!

it was an amazing experience. we even met new people. i forgot to tell you that there were five groups who availed the package, including us. we were with them in all the activities we did. there were those who’re friendly and approachable, there’re those who weren’t. HAHA.

thanks to the kuyas and ates who showed warmth and generosity to us while we were in Anawangin. :)

this video sums up everything that happened in two days.

just like Charlie in that The Perks of Being a Wallflower novel, i felt ‘infinite’ that moment, hearing the waves, feeling the sand. i didn’t wanna leave. it felt perfect that second, like nothing wrong could happen. :)

i hope to see you again, Anawangin!

*thanks to jonas, roc and ago for the photos and video(edited by ago).

21

070212. monday.

just wanna share a photo of this cutie present i got on my birthday. :)

thank you to the TWO thoughtful friends of mine who still came over to our place even if i begged them not to. don’t know if i should or should not be grateful for that. KIDDING! of course i’m grateful! HAHA.

they had to wait for me ‘coz i left home and went somewhere else. they were too patient and persistent to leave. HAHA.

i do appreciate this so much. SIMPLE YET SWEET. :)

made it my wallpaper. HAHA. wag na majinx.

i don’t even wanna take a bite. i don’t want the cupcakes to lose their form thinking they won’t be cute anymore. HAHA.

thanks again JOSON and FAITH for the gift. :)))

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST by STIEG LARSSON

070112. sunday.

the last book in the trilogy of Stieg Larsson.

the moment i finished reading The Girl Who Played with Fire, i opened The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest right away. there was no stopping or else i’d be left hanging. they are so connected that i actually consider the two books as one. HAHA.

this book gave a clearer view of who really were involved in the many events of the story – who did what, who murdered who, who conspired with whom, who helped who. HAHA.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is a game of outwitting each other. one must be one step ahead from the other. as Blomkvist and Salander unravels the truth, the Section tries to prevent the truth from coming out. what really made the story more exciting is the fact that there are also other parties who intervene in the turn of events. each party has to decide which side they’re taking, Lisbeth’s or the Section’s. this is not just about Lisbeth and Zalachenko anymore. HAHAHA.

but the coolest thing about it, as for me, is the HACKING skills of Lisbeth. i’m amazed! (or am i just not really that good in computers that’s why i feel this way? hahaha!) it is so easy for her to dig into the computers of other people. thanks to her friends who are just as great in hacking. hahaha! i love it when she contacts her colleagues from the Hacker Republic and asks them for help to access/copy/destroy data in someone’s computer. what’s even more fascinating is the fact that they, at Hacker Republic, don’t know each other personally but they can count on every one when they need a hand. HAHA. suspension of disbelief – can a group with such great hacking skills exist and can hacking really be that powerful and easy for these people? HAHA.

tactics and resources, that’s what the characters used to play with in the story. the Section and Lisbeth made use of all the possible ways to win, even doing things they never thought they’d do, up to their last resorts. HAHA.

the real battle begins at the trial. this is the time when Lisbeth’s side starts firing their evidences and counterstatements. they (particularly Lisbeth) have been silent for quite a while. just when the prosecution thought they’d nail it, they screwed up like hell! they underestimated the power of the defense. HAHA.

i just can’t help but notice, Blomkvist really has a thing for women. he just can’t seem to resist them and vice versa. HAHA. in the three books i read, he’s had issues with Berger, Lisbeth, Cecilia, Harriet, and Figuerola. HAHA. you playful thing. HAHA.

i always find the relationship of Lisbeth and Blomkvist cute. HAHA. in this book, they don’t really get to see each other. their correspondence was only through the net but they always had the understanding. he always gets what she wants to say. she doesn’t say much most of the time but he got used to her and started to see right through her. HAHA.

thumbs up for the trilogy! HAHA. no regrets in exerting effort to finish the books! HAHAHAHA!

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE by STIEG LARSSON

061612. saturday.

another book i couldn’t seem to drop the moment i got a hold of everything that’s inside it - The Girl Who Played with Fire.

it’s the second book of the trilogy, following The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

i love how everything looks as if nothing’s wrong, like everything goes according to plan and all of a sudden something shocking happens to bring chaos. HAHA. well, there’s where everything gets exciting i assume. thriller, right? HAHA.

this time the story mainly revolves around the interesting character and past of Lisbeth Salander. she had been subjected to a lot of injustices and wrong accusations. this fact is what makes it distinct from the first book. the first book dealt with a wholly different story. in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, she could be considered an outsider to the case had she not been contacted by Blomkvist. i so love Lisbeth Salander. HAHA.

here, Blomkvist and his colleagues only wanted to expose those who were involved in Sweden’s sex trafficking business. Bjurman wanted to get rid of Salander so he could be free again. then, Salander got caught in between. she became a suspect. her past was dug up. all her efforts to be unnoticed for all of her life had flown away. Blomkvist came to her rescue. (that’s the only gentle part. HAHA. there’s a love story but a love story that is far from the flicks we know. HAHA. cute in its own sense.)

the chapters narrated the never-ending hunt – Lisbeth hunting Zalachenko, Zalachenko hunting Lisbeth, the police hunting Lisbeth, Blomkvist hunting Lisbeth and Zalachenko.

on a more serious note, i was so affected while i was reading. i don’t know. maybe because of Lisbeth, maybe because she’s a woman, maybe because she has suffered from injustice in the most cruel way. i know none of this is real but what the hell? i know in the outskirts of wherever there’s a Salander in so many women, those who suffered and were not treated. seems like the story’s totally gotten into my nerves, huh? HAHA. look who’s talking? who am i? i talk like i’m a women’s rights advocate. hehe. no, i just care. i’m a girl, too. would you believe? HAHA.

another thing, i know this is already a cliché but it is what it is. the book also tells us that no matter how hard we try to keep a secret, it will always find its way out, doesn’t matter if it’s for the good or bad. and that it will put itself where it should be so that things would start to fit the situation. in the book, this fact lead to the discovery of a lot of things about Lisbeth’s life and a secret agency’s operation.

that powerful John Clements training...

060112. friday.

if ever you noticed, i've been quite inactive these past few days. i was always hella tired! been busy attending to a very important commitment. HAHA.

i was an active participant in the John Clements "Near Hire" Proficiency Training. it was an initiative of Lyceum of the Philippines - Laguna and John Clements Consultants, Inc. to help the fresh graduates prepare for their applications. sounds nice, ayt? HAHA.

i was kinda hesitant at first when i learned that the training was gonna last for two weeks (which would later turn out to be three weeks). as for me, two weeks is such a looooong time! hello, it's already half a month! honestly, i was like "what the heck?!" HAHA. but then, i still showed up on the pre-assessment day. like i have a choice??? HAHA.

our class was a mix of fresh graduates who were still up for learning. HAHAHA. (just so we wouldn't be tagged as bums or unemployed. HAHA.) we came from different courses. you have there ab comm, tourism, hospitality management, computer science, and accounting something(not sure of ken's) students. the truth is we have different reasons why we came in the first place. aside from being pressured by someone influential (HAHAHA), i wanted to try the training and what it offers. some really wanted to learn and be more proficient. some just wanted to do something while still unemployed. some wanted to be placed by the agency. 

during the graduation of our professors. HAHA.

the powerful CITHM people with ago, roc and jonas.

looks real. HAHA. (raiza, ken, bimby)

raiza, darwin, katchie.

rhec, raiza, kuya renz.

the reason the originally two-week training would be three weeks was because the first week was spent for the encouragement/recruitment of other fresh grads to attend. we had to be 25 for the class to start. and there, we were thinking that the moment we had pre-assessment was day 1. hell no. we were wrong! HAHA!

we were taught about three important things during the training- pronunciation, grammar and fluency. for the whole day everyday, we were given lectures that would provide us knowledge and activities that would further enhance our skills. there were mock interviews, raps, jazz chants, speech choirs among others. what's good about the activities was that they were mostly group efforts so we had the chance to get to know our new "classmates" more. i was able to make new friends. the awkwardness faded as days passed. we even reached that point when training days were what we were looking forward to. 

what's even more fun was we got to learn new terms from our new classmates. POWERFUL, AY PLEASE, APPRECIATE, APPLAUDED, DOONSING, DYANSING, GANOONSING! hahaha! thanks to CEDRIC and RHECA for these! they are just crazy!

presentation of jazz chant. HAHA. past tense team, the winners!

i'm glad ago, jonas, roc, jamie, sarah, faith, cedric, rheca, raiza, shine, zandro, katchie, darwin, ken, and kuya renz were my classmates in that training.  i was amazed by how inspired and motivated they were. they were never scared to try again and again and again. they were always open to opinions/criticisms.  :) what's even more fascinating is the fact that we were still able to have fun while learning. the atmosphere inside the classroom was always so light and easy.

fooling around while waiting for the trainer to come. HAHA.

whatchalookin' at, mister? HAHAHA.

break time. haha! 

i must say that the training has been a great help 'coz we have seen how drastically all of us improved in just a few weeks. i'd like to thank the trainers (Sir Jon, Ms. Gerby, Ms. Cel, and the assessor, Ms. Vera) for being patient and forthcoming all the time. they never considered our mistakes as mistakes but as rooms for improvement. they never got mad at us. HAHA.

and just last monday, 061112, we had our graduation and final assessment. HAHA!

a few words from the assessor herself, Ms. Vera. haha!

the team.

sir jon. :)

and after everything...

hmmmm? HAHAHA.

*thanks to sarah, faith and jonas for the photos.