Not Your Ordinary Love

There was a time when love became so ordinary that people fail to understand it's value. I had never understood how one can fall in love and fall out of love so easily- as easy as removing your soiled clothes and replacing it with clean ones. It is quite a perplexing thought and I, the disillusioned one, never fully recovered from the dilemma brought forth by these crazy lovers. I, for one, believe that love is unconditional, irreplaceable and never ending. 

All my life I prayed for someone like you and I thank God that I finally found you- these words were intricately carved inside my neurons.. It rose from too much watching Disney fairytales and I'm not embarrassed by the fact that I was hoping for a Prince Charming- not some jerk who does nothing but irritate me. Then a miracle happened. I found my Prince Charming! Unfortunately, I was not who I was before when he found me. I was broken. I became a disillusioned soul. Nevertheless, that person made me revert back to my old self- the old me who believes in happy endings. That's why I still thank God that I finally found him even if it's already too late.

My First International Trip: Backpacking Cambodia

When I dreamed about going out of the Philippines, I never thought it would come true. Then I realize that nothing is impossible as long as you set your heart and mind into achieving or getting something. I was under the impression that if you don't have enough funds, you can never get out of the country and be a tourist somewhere. I was wrong.

Deciding to travel internationally, I contacted my close friends the moment I found out that there are sale international airfares (airfare was booked 6 months before the trip). Then I pondered on the best tourist attraction in Southeast Asia and only one came into my mind- the Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia. We decided to go there and we got a booking in Tanei Boutique Villa where there's free buffet breakfast but rates are very affordable (cheapest is around $20  per night for two persons for off peak season check Trip Advisor for prices). Oh by the way, we booked the hotel a month after booking the air fare. Next, we booked the tour. Try Angkor Guide Sam Day Tours. They offer excellent and affordable tour service.

Cambodia is a peaceful place. I was shocked to see a lot of Caucasians walking around the streets. Some don't even have slippers (Haha.) You can actually walk on the streets holding your expensive phone because no one would dare snatch it from you. Cambodians, on the other hand, are soft spoken and down to earth. When it comes to shopping and food, it is very cheap and everything is priced in US dollars so you don't have to go to a money changer. The night market offers a lot of bargain shops as well as crocodile leather goods store at very cheap price. Street food is so yummy except some exotic street foods that made my stomach lurch. Pub street has lots of clubs and night restaurants so if you want to chill, you can always go there. Oh, try dragon fruit shake for $1. It's very refreshing. A massage is also good after touring the temples. You can have a half hour massage for $1. Everything is so cheap that you wouldn't ever want to leave. Lol.

The best thing is, KFC there has tasty hainanese rice served with the chicken (haha).

Of Life and Love

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  Have you ever wondered living life without letting your heart beat romantically for someone? Have you told yourself that you will never fall in love in the course of your life? Would you consider living with someone you never fancied sharing a bed with or someone you just want to warm your bed?

In the years that I have lived my life, I have come to realize that life and love are two contrasting agents. These two salient aspects of our existence can never have a symbiotic relationship. Some people say that they are successful in their lives but are never successful in love or vice versa. Some are lucky to have both but are stupid enough to take it for granted. They let temptation get in their way.

 Symbolically, life is the seed of our existence while love is its flower. You can grow a tree out of a seed; therefore, you can live without being romantically involved with someone. A tree can survive without flowers but a flower cannot grow if not from a seed. (photos courtesy of Google)

Mambucal Resort Hot Springs and 7 Falls (A journey to the wonders of nature)

Nature has its own way of telling us that life is beautiful.

Have you experienced trekking to a row of waterfalls and bathing in warm sulfuric water?

Mambukal has its own way of telling us that nature abounds in the most pristine environment and although it is located only 45 minutes away from Bacolod, Negros Occidental, it has a lot to offer to nature lovers and adventurous souls. With just a 35 peso fare from Bacolod's Libertad Market you can already reach Mambukal.

Mambukal is located at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon, an active volcano. To go there, you need a pair of sneakers and slippers (and of course your bathing suits and clothes). Swimming facilities include two swimming pools and two warm sulfur dipping pools. 

If you want to dip in warm sulfuric acid water alone or with friends, try the Ishiwata Bathhouse. This is a private bath house that can give you solitude and relaxation.

Mambukal also offers a spa for you to relax and unwind.

The highlight for nature lovers and adventurous souls is the trip to the seven waterfalls. It is tiring yet fulfilling once you reach the 7th waterfall.

 
For more information about Mambukal, please visit this link: http://mambukal.negros-occ.gov.ph/

GOOD THINGS

google photo courtesy

Imagine yourself devouring a delicious, not too sweet, chocolate cake with Belgian chocolate filling. What would you have felt by then? Good. But will the goodness last?

   

google photo courtesy

Good things never become foul or manipulated.

Take the cake for example. After swallowing it, the cake may have been squeezed by your stomach, defiled with gastric acid, ruined by bile juice then comes out of you as a disgusting stool. Worse, it may give you an upset stomach if you eat a huge lot of it.

google photo courtesy

So how can we tell anyone that we have all the good things in life if the good things we refer to are the tangible things that money can buy? How can we brag that we have so much and some people have less? We have things the way we wanted but it does not mean that these things we have will stay that way. How can we boast about anything if we would not know that by tomorrow we would lose it?

google photo courtesy

The humble man begets blessings while the proud begets ruin.

Blessings never come in monetary form. You can never say you are blessed if you have all the material things in this world. The word blessing is intangible. This is the main reason why I sneer when a monetarily wealthy woman boasts that she have a lot of "blessings"  from God.

google photo courtesy

So, then, what are the good things? These are the intangible blessings we have. When we know that someone cares and loves us, that is a blessing. Waking up beside the people we love is a blessing.

google photo courtesy

Time is also a blessing. When we have time to do something, that is a blessing. When someone gives time for us, that is also a blessing. 




True friendship is also a blessing. In this imperfect world, we have dealt with people who only act as a friend but were really never true to us.

God gave us blessings not in material forms. The tangible things around us are just prefects of our existence. They just serve as our guide. We do not breathe for these monetary things. We strive to acquire money and resources because we are blessed- with time, love, We live for our blessings and our blessings exist because of us.

Disclaimer: I do not intend to make this blog for spiritual enlightenment. I, personally, do not hear mass a lot and I do not read The Bible a lot but it does not mean I am a bad Christian. I am a thinker and if this blog makes you think then that's a BLESSING.

A Moment of Solitude

BLOG POST

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.