A Moment of Solitude

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photo courtesy of LIL RAMOS

Whenever I get the chance to really dig into the deep recesses of my inner vulnerabilities, I always try to scrutinize my erroneous decisions in life. 

Have I really lived life according to how I planned it? No. I planned a lot but a lot of times I go out of the road towards the fulfilment of my dreams. It is not an issue of how I can reach my dreams but it is an issue of when I will pursue them. Never did I doubt myself that I can have what I wanted to possess but then, I lack the perseverance and the patience I needed in order to achieve my goals.

It is ironic because from sixth grade up, my motto had been: TRY AND TRY UNTIL YOU SUCCEED. Only to realize that I never lived up to that particular adage.

When will this end? When will I not give up? Such questions are really hard to answer for in the realities of my everyday life, I have come to a conclusion that we can never have everything that we wish for. The pain that caused me because of my past failures were indeed a big dilemma that I faced back when I was still a weak and dewy-eyed female creation.


Now that I am brave and skeptical enough to face the world and its incongruous constituents, would I now know how to NOT LET GO and not only hope but strive for success? 


I do not need to be motivated in order to work harder for my bright future. What I needed before are LOADS OF PATIENCE, PROWESS and PERSEVERANCE. Before, I never exercise my courage in the eyes of the public. I do not speak out and be optimistic enough to believe that what I am saying is true and that I need to exercise my right in exposing the truth and nothing but the truth (so help me God). And I was not a patient individual. I was never patient towards anyone or anything. Most of the time, I rush things up and it was quite embarassing to admit that because of my impatience I made decisions that I regret in the end.

photo courtesy of LIL RAMOS

I no longer want to regret anything that I have decided to do. I want to move forward and have the courage to face all the consquences of my past actions. I am not afraid of anyone or anything. I am afraid of my own self- afraid that I'd get depressed again should I fail once more in reaching the stars and if that failure happened in an unforgivable manner- more graver than my previous incompetences.

BAGUIO at the Spur of the Moment

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NOTE: photos in this blog are courtesy of google

One day, I woke up in a hurry- had to take a bath, do the laundry then cook my meal for the day. I was thinking about the many activities that could make me while away the time when a thought struck me- what if I pack my clothes and go to Baguio? Such a thought never entered my mind the night before but it got into me out of the blue. In the end, instead of doing the laundry after bathing, I ended up packing my knapsack and head off to Victory Bus Liner Terminal in Cubao. Voila! I'm now bound for Baguio.

I got to Baguio after approximately 5 hours and head off to Hotel 45 in Session Road where I checked in for 2 nights. 

Alone and hungry, I got down to the busiest street in Baguio, Session Road, and grabbed a bite at the nearest fast food chain, McDonald's. I also stopped over the nearest  store I could find to get the things I needed for my stay. Then, I walked down towards Burnham Park to savor the afternoon breeze, read a book somewhere near the lake and watch the tourists swarming the area. I even brought a blanket with me so I could lie down and read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons.

After 2 hours of just whiling away the time, I headed off towards the jeepney lanes and caught a ride for Tam-awan Village. One of the most funny things that I remembered about Tam-awan is the fact that they have a fertility house, Dukligan house, where a man and a woman can stay for a month in order to procreate. 

After a day's trip, I retired for the night back in my hotel and hauled blankets over me for the night was really a very chilly one- that I wished I've gone there with a man. Nah, that was not on my mind at that time.

Next day, I ate breakfast at Mcdonald's (my favorite sausage and egg Mcmuffin).

Then, I rode a jeepney to Lourdes Grotto. I climbed the stairs until I reached the top and was so exhausted that I drank nearly a liter of water.


After Lourdes Grotto, I went to Mines View Park to admire the breathtaking view of the mines in Baguio, then, headed off to their market to buy some silver ornaments- earrings, necklaces, rings and other trinkets that I'll bring back to Manila.

The last leg of my journey ended in SM City Baguio to eat in Dencio's Restaturant. I ate my favorite Dencio's Sisig with much ardour that I nearly finished off 3 cups of rice. Wow!

So that's my Baguio trip. Whenever I'm on a day-off and wish to relax, I head off to Baguio with or without companion. I pretty much know the area because of frequent visits and I love bringing back some broccoli, other vegetables, peanut brittle, and strawberry jam from its awesome market.

***Unluckily, my photos are no longer available. I downloaded some photos in Friendster and they're gone now. Lesson learned: Always keep a soft or hard copy of your photos. Thanks to Google, I was able to post some pictures of the scenic views in Baguio as well as the logos of my favorite food chains and convenience store.

From 1995 and Back: the Reunited Friendship 2011

Who would have thought that after all the years that we have spent time away from each other we would still be “reunited” amidst our busy triathlon in life? That is exactly how I felt when I got acquainted with my grade school peers from our Alma Mater-Bo. Obrero Elementary School. 

We had so much fun that I welcomed them back in my life and made me want to spend funny times with them in my spare moments. We all have our own worries, our own pains in life, but we still have the capacity to have fun and we do not let that one bit of chance slip away. No matter how meager our salaries, how bad our love life is, how stressful our jobs are (be it a household job or a corporate one, it doesn’t matter. haha!)- we still gather together to celebrate the joys of being alive and kicking. Such is the niceties of having a circle of fun friends- they don’t drag you down, instead, they lift you up so you can aim to reach the sky and grab one of the stars (or if you’re lucky, you can grab the moon hahaha).

I’ve always treasured my friends. They’re priceless- which leads me to think that I am, indeed, getting older. I now know how to value camaraderie and companionship. I may not see my friends that much but I know that they are just right there behind the clouds and they can always pop out if it’s possible.

“A string of friendship can never be broken if it’s made up of diamonds.” 

Diamonds can only be cut using its own kind- diamonds. This leaves me to ask one thing- what makes up a diamond? It is made up of carbon particles- pure dirt. So, to make an analogy out of the previous statement, let me tell you this: PURE FRIENDSHIP COMES FROM NOTHING. There is no physical, mental or emotional basis for friendship because it is a bonding of SOULS intertwined to have one common goal- to share the fun and excitement life has to offer as well as to be a comforter of lost hopes.

THE ONES WHO LOOK SERIOUS ARE THE ONES NOISIEST AMONG US

It is normal to hurt a friend’s emotion especially if he is going out of proportion. Wounds heal. Sane individuals do not nurture a wound. We heal them and when the scar remains, all we have is just a reminder of the past. Scars from earlier wounds do not tell us to live by The Past. We outlive the past and we move on towards the bright future. Thus, friendship that is rooted to the ground can be wounded or even cut out for all eternity but they can never die due to pain, unless, of course, they are uprooted.

Pure friendship can only be broken, not by other individual or other factors, but by the friendship itself.

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Boracay: A Sweet Escape

photo courtesy of Lil Ramos

 If Boracay had been a miniature world that you can carry in your pocket and what you just need to do in order to get back there is to touch it and wish you are there, then a lot of us won't have to spend much to be able to reach that SUPERB HAVEN OF ADVENTURE...

Had it been that long since I got back here? Yes, it was pretty much a long time ago. I was here when I was still 17 years of age and now that I'm a little older, I can say that my perspective of the place had changed helluva lot better than it was a long, long, long time ago.

I had dreamed of this place as a paradise for all romantic souls out there who wanted to have some peace and quiet- away from the turmoils of their everyday life. Now, this place had enthralled me with endless fun and activity and it is now, for me, a SWEET ESCAPE from the daily humdrum of my not so good life.

For us, Boracay had always been a place to make fantasy real. A place to escape to when things in our normal lives are getting way out of hand. The raving parties, the endless wonders of the sunset, the unending fun and excitement of water activities- all these bring pleasure to our senses.

photo courtesy of Lil Ramos