mt. gulugod baboy

I went on my first climb last Saturday. And I'm still alive! I can hardly wait for the next climb actually.. heee.. I'm definitely gonna buy proper gears this time.

We climbed Mt. Gulugod Baboy. I think it's somewhere in Batangas. We just paid 1k and Nestea (our IT guy and mountain thingy expert) took care of everything so I didn't really pay that much attention. I only wanted to climb the thing. We only shelled out P100 for the bus fare. It was actually pretty cheap, diba?

(I don't know why people have a thing for taking a picture of sleeping people.. They almost got me here. I opened my eyes just in time. Di naman obvious no? Parang emo lang.. The girl who has a thing for sleeping people is Alta.)

(Before we endured 4 hours of hiking, we ate at the only open restaurant there. That's April and Karen)

(This was the first pit stop. Buko pandan ice candy for sale! Nestea ate about 10 of those when we got there.)

(Hanging out at Alta's tent)

(The morning after. Posing at the summit. Hoping we won't get blown away by the strong winds.)

(Our campsite. With horses roaming around.. Paolo thought the horses' neigh was some sort of ring tone. We didn't really see anything that night because of the fog.)

(Macao - Nestea's crazy little bro)

(Seaside resort. After finally taking a bath.)

Notes for my next climb:
1. Don't bring 4 liters of water. You will die.
2. Don't bring a huge tripod for your camera because you will die.
3. Bring salt. Armpit juice is salty but it's also disgusting and definitely does not work. Tried and tested.
4. Do not look for a bathroom in the middle of the night because when you do get back into the tent, your tentmate will think you are a mumu and will kick your ass. But one should not blame your tentmate. There are a lot of mumu around.
5. Do not panic. Horses do not eat tents.
6. Try not to slip into the ditch, break everything, and die.
7. Stargaze for as long as you can.

Now, I'm still contemplating how to clean my hiking boots. In its current state, it would seem like I'm wearing a clump of mud.. Ay. Hindi na pala masyado. But it's still pretty dirty.

There's a lot more pictures in my friendster account though. Yeah.. I took back my account from my sister. I got so bored with my life that I actually updated it. Plus it's a really good way to store pictures. I hope it doesn't die or something. 'Coz that would just suck.

baguio sniffles

We went to Baguio for the weekend. I'm proud to say that I survived hypothermia. I almost froze to death. But it was mostly because I was wearing shorts and slippers. I know what you're thinking. I'm a special child. The nails on my feet were blue. I was afraid they would die and fall off so I kept on staring at them. Para mag blush. But natakot lang sila. Tae.
It all started on a bus. We were supposed to ride the regular P460 bus but the next schedule was for 4am. It was only 12 midnight so we decided to ride the deluxe one for P710. I think it's actually better to ride the deluxe one since it's very comfy and you won't have a sore ass afterward.

So.. Baguio was.. crowded. I don't know where all the people came from. But still, it was awesome to feel close to nature.

(Walking around Burnham. Yes. It's a foggy 6am. That's Marian, Emily - Marian's sister and Marvin - the boyfriend)

(Marian has a future in driving a 'padyak'. You can rent bikes there for P30 an hour.)

(On the Burnham park 60 peso boat ride)

(Marian : Sariling Sikap with the picture taking)

I think we have a thing for solo pictures. Nobody really thought about taking group pictures. I guess it has something to do with posting stuff on Friendster. Meh. This was on the SM Baguio viewing deck. By the way, SM is on top of a freakin' hill. WTF. Marian almost died on the way up.

Dinner was at Oh My Gulay. An all vegie resto. It's an awesome place actually. Very artsy. I have a pretty high respect for those people. It's located at the La Azotea penthouse along Session Road. The walk there is kinda creepy actually but once you get there, you'll appreciate the view.

(Awesome sunset no?)
(Epok feels like a goat with all the grass around)(Molesting the woodman. He liked it. I'm sure.)

The next day, it was all about taking as many pictures as possible. On my last count, we had about 2 thousand pictures. Auughh.. If anyone would make me pose for a picture right now, I'd probably make that person eat the camera.

(Semi fresh strawberries at the strawberry fields. Too bad we weren't allowed to pick them.)

(Trying out the souvenirs)

(Neon monkeys. Oh! Ais, I bought a bonnet. Bleh.)

(Nope. There won't be strawberries for a few more months.)
(Pied piper. Hey.. I do know how to play 'Mary had a little lamb' on this thing. And Silent Night. I think. Well, it sounded like Silent Night.)

Next stop was Mine's View Park. There are so many parks in Baguio. For real. We all enjoyed eating the pusit and corn here though. Yumm.. We had about 3 servings of those things.

(Ang katutubo)
(Smile Take 1)(Smile Take 2. Marian said I looked sad so I had to redo most of the pictures. Meh. Epok is in the background to serve as my smile model. Dude, it was HOT! and COLD! At the same time. Ang weird lang. So I can't really smile.)

(Again, hot and cold at the same time.)

(I swear. It's the weirdest feeling ever.)

(Hanging out at Wright Park)

Miscellanous stuff in Baguio. There are some interesting things there actually.

(Reminds me of Greek houses. But for the love of me, I don't know how they get there. I don't see any stairs and stuff.)

(Cool cactus no?)

(This is Tricia sampling the sundot kulangot. The most pointless pasalubong I've ever bought.)

(1pm. meheheh.. the foggiest and coldest 1pm ever)

I think I fainted a couple of times on this trip. This place is so conducive for snoozing. I'm loving it.

(On the ride back from the Strawberry fields)

(Somewhere In Wright Park)

Yeah. That's about it. I love the weather there. And the millions of people on the streets. And the ukay ukay - You can buy a shirt for P20. Nice huh? And the myriad parks. Love the parks. You really should visit once in your lifetime.

germs

I hate being sick. Well, I loved being sick when I was still in school. It was the only way to dodge certain exams and assignments. And menopausal teachers. And school plays. And embarrassing dance thingies. I remember playing a sunflower with really green tights when I was in grade school. The horror! Anyway, I digress again.

This is the first time (as far as I remember) I've gotten sick here in Manila. Been here for almost 2 years already. I don't usually get sick.

Being sick suckkss!!! I'm always surrounded by tissue paper - used and unused. I've gotten used to guessing which ones hold surprises and stuff. I can't sleep. Mostly because I can't breathe if I sleep. So, unless I want to choke on mucous (death by mucous is just pointless), I have to get up every few minutes to do jumping jacks. Oddly, it clears my nasal passage for a few minutes. But I can't do jumping jacks when I have a fever. And the cough makes it hard to count. And it also makes it doubly hard to swallow food stuff (But I still eat like a pig). So.. I can't sleep and breathe. The lack of oxygen also makes me delirious. I also have to drink some medicine. I hate medicines. They make me deaf. I already have inferior hearing abilities. Now, I have to deal with lip reading. In conclusion, I look and feel like shit.

There's a good side though. I'm allowed to whine like a baby. I don't have to report for work (This also sucks though. Now, I have a shitload of work to do.). Marian made me soup. Awesome. I can just pig out in my underwear. I don't have to take a bath. And I can catch up on my movies.

But still.. being sick suuuccckkkssss..

on luck and gifts

The blogs I've been following have been talking about :
- how shitty Christmas can be
- gift giving being the vessel of bankruptcy
- how cutting pine trees for decoration is murder and would eventually lead to the annihilation of the human race
- how they need to buy more pepper spray in preparation for the rising crime rate
- thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator
- listing down medication for fast relief from high blood pressure due to over consumption of fat
- first aid and Heimlich maneuver for people choking on a ham bone
- Sunog!! Talk on how Christmas should be banned due to the fire hazard. Too many lights everywhere. Even the dogs are twinkling.
- and other Christmas horror stories

Christmas is the new Halloween.

Meh. I don't mind actually. My mom never really spent that much during Christmas. We only had a wreath for decoration. It pretty much works for all occasions. Wreath with candles for Christmas, Halloween and New Year (my mom's favorite combo since she doesn't have to replace the candles). Wreath with little pink hearts for Valentines day. Rainbow wreath for gay day (This one is mine. My mom never really figured this one out).

My mom would toss coins and everyone (yes including her) would scramble to get as many coins as possible. Everyone (even my 200-pound-bearded-motorcycle-riding uncle) would be shrieking and jumping and scratching and foaming at the mouth. I bumped heads with my 7 year old cousin the last time we did this and she passed out for 5 seconds. Yes, she's still alive and she's not brain damaged.. I think. It's too early to tell. We'd always find about 50 pesos worth of coins the next day wedged everywhere. My mom is our very own coin piñata. God. I love my mom.

There used to be firecrackers as well. But ever since my cousin lost all his eyebrows and 1/4 of his hair, we resorted to sparklers. We do other secret stuff as well. But I won't spoil the surprise if I ever invite someone over for Christmas. Tip : Always bring an extra shirt. And be prepared to lose some limbs. Don't worry. They'll grow right back.

So.. If you ever come by our house during Christmas, be sure to bring a helmet and earplugs.

Anyway, I was chatting with a friend earlier and I remembered something. I know I suck at gift giving. But I've been lucky so far since no one has put me out of my misery yet. She (the chat mate) has had the hugest crush on her parish priest. Christmas came and she had the misfortune of having me as a manita.. *very evil smile* On the bottom of her very long wish list, Arial font size 1, she printed that all she really wants for Christmas is something from that crush of hers.

So, with my mom in tow (it's always a lot more "official" if you have a super adult with you), I traveled to the far reaches of earth.. A place where only a few would dare venture. We went to this place where priests "hang out".. A monastery. That's what it's called right? I was actually shivering due to the holiness of the place. So, I asked for a particular priest. I told him about a friend who was "inspired" by his cermons and stuff. I didn't tell him who though. 'Coz as much as I hate withholding information, I also hate being buried alive.

Come gift giving day, I apologized for not bearing expensive gifts. I gave her an envelope with a bag of chocolates and ran for my life. Inside the envelope was a picture (super pa cute.. like kadiri pa cute.. ew), card, pendant, and a handwritten message addressed to "An Enlightened Soul". Heh. Her friend told me that she shrieked before she passed out or something. She told me she still has them with her. See? It's not all about the money. Sometimes, it's all about making someone faint. Um. I think it's also pretty easy to ignore a 700-peso cap on her wish list. WTF??! Well, she's in Japan right now. Happily wearing knee-high multicolored striped socks. I still don't know how she could stomach wearing them. And she's still looking for that "The One" guy. She finally gave up on that priest. I'd ask her about love stuff. She'd have no idea what I'm talking about (no boyfriend ever) but she'd still look into her little notebook of love theories and find advices under "What to do if you have Delusional Love".

Christmas is not that bad though. Maybe, it's not even because of Christmas. Maybe it's because I'm coming home to the people I love most. I'm coming home for Christmas. Wanna tag along?