Month: October 2012
Well hello there, Boracay!
Just a quick post to let you guys know that I made it to Boracay in one piece! The weather’s great–so far it hasn’t rained, and I actually think my face got a bit sunburnt already. Didn’t bring my laptop so the full post will have to wait ’til I get back to Manila on Friday. For now, I’m enjoying the sound of the waves mixing with this awesome Bossa track, and chilling on my lounge chair with the breeze stirring the air. Hope everyone’s having a great week!:)
Kayangan Lake, Philippines
In anticipation of my beach escapade next week, I’d like to feature some photos of our family trip to Coron, Palawan. It was a first time for all of us, which made the New Year’s treat all the more memorable. Coron is one of the municipalities of Palawan, Philippines. It refers to the biggest town on Busuanga Island, and is also the name of a smaller island nearby. That island is very aptly differentiated as Coron Island, but the town and the island are part of the same municipality. Confusing, isn’t it? In general, though, when people go to Coron, they end up going to both — the town, because most of the accommodations and shops are located there, and the island, because it is home to beautiful beaches, lakes and popular diving sites. There’s much to see and do in Coron, but for now, I want to focus on one of the most unforgettable places we visited during our stay there: Kayangan Lake.
Looking Back: My Journey Through College
Yesterday, after having graduated more than three years ago, I was finally able to claim my college diploma. For some bizarre reason, in the Philippines, most diplomas aren’t given on the graduation day itself. Mine took a couple of months before it was ready for claiming, and by that time, my work schedule didn’t allow me time to go to our university registrar. As I was driving in campus, I couldn’t help but remember those days of walking from building to building while half-asleep (due to the typical plate-related all-nighter), slumming on the red concrete floor of Palma Hall while simultaneously eating my packed lunch and cramming for a quiz, and falling asleep in yet another lecture class (which brings me back to the parentheses above). It was a trip down memory lane, only all the years between then and now were highlighted by the change in my point of view, as well as the actual changes in campus. The change in my POV, I attribute to my being the driver, not just the passenger. …
Back to Zero
I was excited all week to start my “Pumped Up Wednesdays” series, wherein I’ll be featuring one specific coffee drink/coffee place weekly. I was brainstorming and researching on what new drink to try, all athrill as if it was to be my first ever sip of the ambrosia that is coffee. In preparation for the much-anticipated happy hours and Halloween partying next week, I went back to my doctor yesterday for my two-weeks-late follow-up consultation re my GERD. How sad is it that upon another peek down my throat, she discovered that there was still some swelling in my esophagus? There goes the young, wild and free chilling in Boracay. I asked my doctor if I could possibly sneak in a cup of coffee and a bottle or two of liquor, and she said that it would be up to me. If I do, I should drink my medicine before, but it wouldn’t be able to counteract the acid production. I promised that I’d limit it as much as I could, because I have to …
Chateau de Versailles, France
Back in college, we had this class on the History of Art and Architecture. One of the stories that particularly interested me was of France’s Louis XIV, who hailed himself as “Le Roi Soleil” (The Sun King) and brought France into an international seat of power. Louis XIV was known to be a huge patron of the arts, and perhaps one of his greatest legacies is the Chateau de Versailles. What used to be the hunting lodge of his predecessor, Louis XIII, was transformed into a splendidly massive palace that would be the center of France’s monarchy for more than a hundred years. So when our tour brought us to Paris, I knew that we could not miss a visit to Versailles. We were the only ones in our group to venture out of the main city, but our tour guide was nice enough to give us directions on how to go Versailles. The bus dropped us off at Musee d’Orsay, where we caught the RER C train to Versailles Rive de Gauche. The ride took …
1/2 Cup and a Sigh
It’s been nearly a month since I was diagnosed with GERD, better known as acid reflux. For me, the worst part of it was all the restrictions involved — no fried food, no fatty food, no chocolates, no alcohol, NO COFFEE. Basically, take most all the food and drinks that I love, and that’s what was on my “no contact with mouth” list. According to my doctor, that was to be strictly followed within the two weeks that I was to take my medicated proton-pump inhibitors. That was back in September 19. What’s happened since then, and why did I not run over to the nearest Starbucks at the first stroke of that much-anticipated fifteenth day? I stuck with the doc’s advice to the letter…well, more or less. I may have eaten a handful of potato chips one time, and maybe taken the tiniest bite of choco-cappuccino cake. But I did follow that no coffee rule, which was perhaps the hardest of them all. In fact, I didn’t take my first sip of coffee ’til …
The Berlin Wall, Germany
So this is where I feature photos of a specific place, event or experience that I find truly memorable. In keeping with my previous post wherein Berlin was mentioned, I’d like to start off this series with my visit to the Berlin Wall — particularly, the Berliner Mauer East Side Gallery. Throughout our short stay in Amsterdam, Berlin and Hamburg, Sheila and I adhered to several suggestions of our wise and most knowledgeable travel companion: Rick Steves. It was he who led us to Muhlenstrasse, home to a 1.3 km stretch of the historic Berlin Wall. Though there are several other remaining portions of the wall found throughout the city, we decided to make it a point to visit the East Side Gallery due to the main thing that sets it apart. While the other remnants of the Wall were left in their original condition, this particular length was transformed into a huge open air gallery commemorating the trials and triumphs that took place there. Back in 1990, artists from all over the world came …
Of Train Rides and Facepalm Moments
This is a story about regrets. I’m sure most everyone would love to say that they lived their lives without ’em. Seriously though, can anyone really be one hundred percent honest and certain about that? Regrets can encompass the simple action of being rude to someone important to you, or the major decision of what career path to take. Let me tell you about one of my greatest regrets in life. Train guy.
My 5 Most EPIC Journeys Up (So Far…)
If you’ve read my posts on my Seoul trip, you’re probably familiar with my love/hate relationships with stairs. Now, I’ll have to clarify that and extend it to encompass anything going uphill, be it steps, slopes or…whatever. You get the picture. I’ve never been a gym rat and, up until a few months ago, never maintained a regular exercise schedule. That changed because, aside from the health factor, I’ve realized just how beneficial physical strength and endurance is to traveling. If you get down to the basic nitty-gritty of it, traveling involves a hell of a lot of walking, especially if you really want to explore as much as you can. And more often than not, there’s bound to be that tower, hill or bridge you have to climb to enjoy the view at the top. Trust me when I say that THAT view and that experience will make the round trip more than worthwhile. Here are five of my most epic journeys up (so far), in chronological order. * * …
wander write now 