 | Roll With It | |
My name is Darwin. I always win:) All things considered, a really lucky sonavubitch:) 
Dinala namin ang aming napakagandang Iloilo hostess na si Bb.Irene sa Tagaytay at Caleruega.
Double Birthday Celebration namin ni Rona.Ang surprise party na hindi!
Ang Labing-dalawang minutong kasal ni Jun at Samia.Congrats!
Ano sinabi ni William and Kate? Wala! :)
Ang birthday vacation namin para sa taong ito.Cebu dapat pero dahil hindi makaksama si Irene, ipinagdasal niya na hindi matuloy kaya sa Norte kami napadpad hehe.
Masarap talaga sa Yoghurt House!
Hindi naman halatang nangagatog ako sa lamig. 
Parang bumalik ang dating kariktan ng Baguio. 
We Miss Cathy:)
Ang pinakamamahal kong mga kaopisina at kaibigan.
Triple Birthday Celebration ng aking fellow Virgos
Si Nat nag-bake ng cake.
Si Bettina gumawa ng pana cotta
Habang ako ay nanuod ng TV at nagpalaki ng tiyan.
Blow Times Three!
Meet Jenny...ang bagong babae sa buhay ni Ronald.
Si Mabel.Ang lumang babae sa buhay ni Ronald hehehe.Peace joke lang.
Mahangin ba sa labas? Kahit bagyong Quiel ay hindi napigilan ang pagpasyal namin kay Bb. Irene at Mabel bago sya tumulak pabalik ng Iloilo.
Old Manila.New Experiences.
Maligayang Kaarawan Camille! Salamat sa Libre! :D
Kumukutikutitap!
Yehey New Year with Cathy all the way from Singapore!  Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon.Ganda ng buhok ko no? nyahaha.
Merienda @ A Veneto Pizzeria which is a not-so-good pizza-pasta place in Trinoma.They also have a branch in Megamall which I have tried once and promised myself never to come back.The celebrant really likes the place though so we, the guests, had no choice hehehe.It was her birthday after all.The food isn’t that bad but the place itself and how they present everything is what really bugs me.Eveything just feels rushed and half-done… from the interiors to the condiments still in their original bottles. 
The birthday celebrant still felt hungry even after stuffing herself with pasta and chicken and whatnots just two hours ago so we ate “light” dinner @ Brothers Burger, BoniHigh.We had a grand time people-watching while eating.Anyone astute enough will know that people watching is a very evil activity. ^_^ 
Mabel liked what she did to her burger so much she had second-thoughts about eating it because doing so would be ruining her “work of art” :) 
We had dessert @ Conti’s Serendra. Now Conti’s is one of my favorite eating places in the world but their service that night sucked really bad for some unknown reason. 
Birthdays aren’t complete without games and singing which is what we did at nearby Timezone. All in all it was a very fun day.Nothing beats making someone feel very happy and special on their birthdays which is what we aimed for at the beginning of the day and accomplished-hopefully:)
Happy Birthday Mabel:)
P.S. verylatepost
 TIRED ASS
WET ASS
 SWIMMING ASS
EXTRA ASS
AFRAID-OF-THE-SUN ASS
HARNESSED ASS
NERVOUS SMILE ASS
HANGING ASS
ROCK ASS It was very interesting......and very colorful.
Maximus, our beloved Lab, passed away last November.He was sickly and old so it wasn't that surprising but we were very sad nonetheless. He is buried on the front lot of a very kind neighbor so we can visit him whenever we feel like it.The visits have become very sporadic though and I have a feeling we'll eventually stop visiting altogether and completely forget him. I miss him sometimes-especially at nights when I come home late and don't hear a dog barking excitedly even if I'm still 50 meters away from the house. My nephew misses him a lot.But it's supposed to be a secret. This is Maximus. He isn't dead in this pic.Just sleeping.I'm not that morbid. About a month ago, a stray dog of unknown breed started "hanging out" in front of our house, just outside the gate. We just ignored the mongrel.He seemed harmless enough.And cute. Sometimes he would lay there all afternoon for three days in a row then be gone for the next two. Outside the gate.Sumi-simple. Recently, the mongrel of dubious antecedents, learned how to squeeze himself on the small opening at the bottom of the gate and began sleeping on the same exact spot where Maxi used to sleep and scratch his balls.He also sleeps exactly the way Maxi used to sleep as pointed out(via twitter) by my sister-in-law who knows Maxi's body language more than any of us. Inside.He sleeps exactly like Maxi my sis-in-law pointed out, which is creepy. It was a very interesting development if somewhat strange. The creepiness of it all didn't escape us.My nephew and I began talking about the possibility of canine reincarnation or Maxi's soul transferring to this gatecrashing dog's body. It got me into thinking though that if Maxi's soul is inside the mongrel's, where is the mongrel's soul? Just floating around? It seems unfair. It also begs the question: Do dogs have soul? If they do, does it mean that all animals have souls?And if they were bad animals like those horrible hyenas, always preying on innocent zebras and antelopes, will they go to hell? If there is a hell. What about insects? I dread the thought of cockroach souls sharing sacred space with all the cherubs and saints up there in heaven.If there is a heaven. So.Many.Questions. My mom was mostly worried about ticks. ******************************** We haven't seen the gatecrashing mongrel of dubious antecedents lately.He has been "missing" for two days.Maybe he has found a new house to gatecrash in.Maybe his real owners found him. Maybe the mongrel's wandering soul finally found the balls to claim what is rightfully his and stood up to Maxi's bullying soul sending him to Dog heaven where he rightfully belongs. Or maybe, just maybe, a sicko found him, gave him a nice warm bath then hung him out to dry using clothespins. Just saw this on the news.
Warning:Barf bag needed.
After Anawangin, the thirst for a new destination that's not too far from the city, affordable and still undiscovered by the general public has finally been quenched.I think.
Introducing, Cagbalete Island! Just off the coast of Mauban, Quezon.A gem waiting to be discovered and all that paradise cliches. 
Holy Week was fast approaching and I wanted to go somewhere new. I wanted to recapture the same feeling I got when we first landed on the shores of Anawangin three holy weeks ago.The same "I,Columbus,discovered America by accident kind of feeling."
With the help of travel forums-and the insatiable desire to get out of the city,I found Cagbalete Island.Or maybe it's the other way around:Cagbalete found me. Told you a barf bag is essential.
Getting there is so easy.Just go to any Jac Liner Terminal-Kamias was our terminal because I live in the neighborhood.Ride the bus that's Lucena,Quezon-bound(FreeWiFi!). After three hours,get off at the Lucena Grand Terminal.Look for the bus bound for Mauban.Ask around, people are essentially very helpful.The Mauban ride takes about an hour-no aircon and no wifi, asa ka pa.  Once in Mauban, look for Mauban Port.Once again, it's not a sin to ask around. Ride the ferry bound for Cagbalete and in less than an hour You're THERE! Actually, you still need to walk for about a kilometer or so to reach the resorts but you get the drift.
Very Important Info:The ferry only has two trips daily:10 am and 4 pm.Make sure to plan your trip around those schedules to avoid wasting time and hair-pulling incidents. 
We took the 10 A.M. ferry ride and boy the water was really rough.I have taken ferry and boat rides in the waters of Galera, Boracay, Batangas, Anawangin, Palawan, Sorsogon and can say with utmost conviction that this ferry ride was the roughest of them all.Even the Manila Zoo boat ride couldn't hold a candle to this! See how painless name-dropping different places I have gone to without sounding mayabang if used in the proper context can be ? ^_^
There are only three known resorts on the Island:MV STO.Nino,Villa Cleofas and Pansacola.We chose the latter on a hunch..When we got there, there were no available rooms or tents anymore.The only thing available was a two-floor cottage that can accommodate 25 people, has two bedrooms, a living room, a dining area,a huge 2nd floor area which can also double as a bedroom plus it's own toilet and bathroom. Just when we are about to leave and try our luck at the next resort, which is another kilometer away, we were told that we can use the cottage good for 25 people at a price so low I am not even going to mention it.  It was at this point when I realized that I was really destined to go to Cagbalete.hahaha. 
Because of the weird ferry schedule, you need to stay overnight to fully enjoy the island whether you like it or not.Some of our ferry co-passengers planned on leaving the island that same day.It was almost lunchtime when we arrived on the island and to my limited knowledge, the boats bound for Mauban Port leave the island at exactly 1PM. How they managed to enjoy their stay there in such a short time is something that I really shouldn't be worrying about but I care for them in some ways hehehe. I hope they were able to maximize their short stay there.
Enough of that though. Cagbalete Island is really beautiful.Even if it was a bit cloudy on our first day there, you can already really see how clear the water is and how fine the sand is.Lunchtime to 5 pm is lowtide time which gives visitors a chance to walk for as far as the eye can see and see nothing but corals. 
Like Boracay, the sand never gets hot.Like Palawan, there is a mystical, enchanting feel to the whole place.It also has pine trees just like Anawangin.The people are uberly friendly like the townsfolk of Sorsogon.And just like Galera, it's very affordable and quite convenient.I expect Call Center peeps to come in droves for their team buildings and whatnot in the future once word gets around.
 As for me, I am just grateful that the universe conspired for us to experience the enchanting island that is Cagbalete before anyone turns it into another commercialized vacation spot bursting with drunk people and mired in environmental problems.
Ah, this is the life
'I could die today"
Four words that I kept on uttering to myself as we entered the third hour of spelunking inside the Amazing Sumaguing-Lumiang Cave Connection in Sagada.
Our very capable guide is giving us instructions on how to reach the top of a huge rock using only our bare hands with a little help from a rope.Seems easy enough.Only problem is, one wrong step can send you hurtling down a vertical shaft that's about as wide as megamall and deep as a ten storey high building.The fall alone will kill you.
The first two hours involved walking on uneven rocks, entering holes the size of a toilet bowl, crawling on slippery stones (bat-poop!), wading through chest-deep icy water, and testing the dexterity of our limbs.It's very cold too and very dark.Booooo.
It's like working out-but deadlier! 
After the obligatory picture-taking and the ooh-ing and aaah-ing at the rock formations, We made it out of the cave in record time and felt very proud of our accomplishment.Thankfully, we all made it in one piece! I wouldn't be writing this if we didn't obviously. 
Being the inexhaustable(clueless actually) travelers that we are, we went to Bomod-ok Falls on the same day that we explored Sumaguing.with only an hour of rest in-between. In hindsight, I don't think it's such a good idea.We enjoyed it of course.The Big Falls is as majestic and beautiful in person as it is in photographs.The falls was really high and mighty.Dipping invites hypothermia.Being with really happy, shiny people also made it really enjoyable.  But the trek! The trek was brutal.My lungs and my legs almost gave up on me.And I am not alone.There were seven of us and almost all of us whined at how tiring the trek was.Even the fantastic sight of the rice terraces all around us couldn't hide the fact that physically, the Bomod-ok trek was really tough. 
Which was almost the same case as our "guide-less" Echo Valley trek looking for the Hanging Coffins the day before .We got a little bit lost to tell you frankly and if not for the sin that is Pride, I would have given up on trekking and just cried in the middle of all that foliage.
 We immediately recovered from that hiccup and headed to Bokong Falls aka Small Falls as if nothing happened.Getting there wasn't as exhausting, but there were tricky parts involving rice paddies and mud. I got acquainted with one of them paddies and ruined my red slippers as a result.The Small Falls was a bit underwhelming but the name itself is sort of a giveaway so one really shouldn't expect much.
Later that night, a bit of drama unfolded inside our very nice room which involved a person pretending to sleep, another person threatening to leave first thing in the morning while punching the wall, and yours truly, pretending to care. It's a good thing the morning sunshine disinfected all that negative energy, or the spelunking slated for that day would have been ruined altogether.
I really like how non-linear this post has become ^_^
Before I completely forget, we stayed at this lovely place called Residential Lodge owned and managed by the equally lovely Tita Mary.It’s a four-storey structure painted in sky blue situated right smack in the middle of Sagada so it’s really hard to miss. 
I was able to chat with the owner at the lodge’s rooftop(which has a stunning 360 degree view of the town)for a few minutes, and was told how her husband planned on adding a garden exactly where we are standing but it never materialized because he suffered from a stroke.I then asked her where the husband is and she answered:”here.” I said “oh is he recuperating at your home or in a hospital somewhere?” She repeated;”He’s here.” That felt kind of awkward so I changed the topic and we just talked about her son who is currently studying in Baguio.
We also met four really nice people and we have one dinner caught on video encapsulating just how much fun this Sagada Trip had been for all of us.
If you're planning to visit Sagada, I suggest you stay for three days at the very least.Anything shorter than that is a waste of time in my opinion. Readiness to die is also very essential. I'm not saying that one needs to have a death wish to be able to enjoy the place, but knowing that the possibility of dying is high should definitely be in one's mind.At all times. If you don't have that frame of mind you will end up cowering in fear the whole time and end up not trying anything at all. It really takes bravery and resilience to endure the six-hour bus ride from Baguio to Sagada where you will encounter ravines at every turn, the aforementioned dangers of the cave connection, the hypothermia-inducing dip at the Big falls, the long, arduous treks just to get from one place to another and so on and so forth. 
Sagada is beautiful no doubt about it but it's also very deadly nyahahaahaha.
For a more informative and helpful guide, ignore this nonsense and go HERE! :D
Is Automatic - Jan 04
Rule#32: Enjoy the little things -Jan 09
Because in Kris Aquino's world, we are nothing but mere spectators -Jan 18
Is a parenthesis -Jan 22
"Please don't be cynical.I hate cynicism.It's my least favorite quality;it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get.But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen" -Conan O'Brien's last words on the Tonight Show. -Jan 23
Pithy and adequate -Jan 25
Kay Manong FX driver na hindi ako pinagbayad ng pamasahe dahil mabait lang siya.Maraming Salamat Po. -Jan 26
According to my survey conducted between Dec 09 and early this morning, most cabbies will vote for Gibo is he's not associated with GMA; Noynoy if not for his seeming inexperience; Villar if not for the C5 fiasco;Gordon if there is a chance that he might actually win.Erap and the rest were deemed irrelevant. -Feb 02
Kapag hindi namatay si Santino, lokohan na! -Feb 05
Sunny with a chance of squid balls -Feb 07
Facebook has really become the newest breeding ground for whiners of the most annoying kind. I'm not whining :D -Feb 18
It's raining sunshine -Feb 20
Has agreed to accompany someone to hear mass later before realizing that he's wearing a black shirt with a huge demonic,devilish,satanic face printed on it.This should be interesting -Feb 28
Is at the mercy of Vitamin C -Mar 08
Just let Manny Pacquiao sing The National Anthem next time around -Mar 16
Taho and lasting love, is what I've always dreamed of -Mar 20
It is what it is -Mar 29
Trust is more than just a condom -Apr 04
Cold Sundae on a Hot Sunday -Apr 11
All things considered...I'm a really lucky sonuvabitch:) -Apr 15
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." -Apr 17
To attend a wake is to become a shrink for a couple of hours -Apr 19
Pokpok mode -Apr 21
"Just the knowledge that a good book is awaiting one at the end of a long day makes that day happier." Today is International Book Day -Apr 23
No Day but Today -May 10
Yeah they were all yellow -May 11
Is surrounded by a bunch of diddering omadhauns -May 19
A few seconds is better than no glimpse at all...I think -Jun 09
Don't get mad, get.....odd ^_^ -Jun 11
Being still and doing nothing are two very different things -Jun 22
Kay Tagal Kitang Hinintay (sweldo) -Jul 09
Shun the non-believer...shuuuuuuuun -Jul 12
If not having electricity means being able to finish a book in a day, let there be power interruptions every single day ^_^ -Jul 14
You are the only Inception (^_^) -Jul 19
Mikey Arroyo, Representative sa Congress ng mga security guards, vendors at drivers.KALOKOHAN!!! -Jul 23
"Positive emotion trumps negative emotions every time." -Jul 30
“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which one is true.” -Aug 29
Patrick to Spongebob:"Dumb people are blissfully unaware of how dumb they are." -Aug 30
Is blessed beyond measure -Sep 05
"If you worry about enough things, sooner or later your paranoia is going to be fulfilled." -Sep 07
Was able to travel from Kamias to intramuros and back,ride a calesa, eat halo-halo, meet people from different parts of the world, tour Fort Santiago,San Agustin Church and Casa Manila AND learn History from THE Carlos Celdran for only 42 pesos! Ah, the wonders of volunteering:))( -Sep 09
"Nothing so fortifies a friendship as a belief on the part of one friend that he is superior to the other." -Sep 11
The greater the expectation, the bigger the disappointment -Sep 22
Is Drama-free -Oct 02
Is onboard a 17th century Spanish Galleon.A replica yes, but still. ^_^ -Oct 06
You'll never know if you don't know now -Oct 08
Is ninety-percent water and a hundred percent friend -Oct 14
You can never earn another person's trust by breaking someone else's -Oct 22
To the dead friends and relatives I cannot visit, I'm there in spirit -Oct 31
I miss the days when the threat of terrorism was just something to be "experienced" on the big screen -Nov 05
Let The Right One In -Nov 13
To the loser who keeps calling the house but never says a goddamn thing: May you become the thing you hate the most upon waking up! -Nov 19
All dogs go to heaven - Nov 26
If they can make a good movie out of Facebook's Zuckerberg, they can surely make something epic out of Wikileaks' Assange -Dec 06
Eleven days na lang 2011 na! -Dec 21
I know that it's better to give than to receive... but it sure feels great to receive, receive and receive. Keep the gifts coming! ^_^ -Dec 25
If the relationship has to be kept secret, you shouldn't be in it -Dec 30
That's what I'm here for -Dec 31
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