On Wanderland 2014

Concerts were never really my thing. I kind of grew up watching Gary V on stage and that was more than enough for me, hahaha. I never really loved any artist or band enough to pay thousands of pesos to watch them live...

Plus, I am an awkward turtle that only jumps up and down during super - exceptional occasions and can fall asleep at the wildest of parties. I'm also biased against "human aquariums" or venues for subconscious self - display. Like bars and concerts and stuff. Basically, I don't like it when people do things or dress up or talk or act in a manner that's obviously for show.

And that's why I was super happy at Wanderland. :)

Of course, there were still a lot of people that were so unconservatively dressed and others that were behaving in a way that's totally inappropriate while in public hahaha - but, there was just something about that... that was beautiful.

People were lying down on the grass, sleeping in the strangest positions, eating their dinner on the floor, and literally dancing like no one was watching. To my own surprise, it was precisely because of those things - because no one really cared about anyone else - that made the it all so great.

Imagine if we could have that every single day of our lives.

Ugh. If only.

The event reminded me of a school fair - except for the alcohol and the absence of a dress code, haha. There were games and booths and all that... but the nice thing about it was that it was basically just twelve hours of good music and good vibes.

There was no host that was trying to keep the audience engaged the entire time. There was no annoying guard that would kill the fun in the audience. There was no sign that prevented people from doing anything they wanted to do.

We were all kind of just there and that was actually kind of nice. I think people kind of need to be "just there" sometimes. You know, without the pressure of having to act a certain way or having to behave with a code of conduct in mind or whatever.

Anyway, the best thing about all this is that it was all free! Hahaha. This whole experience was sponsored by my good friend, Tim. (Hihihi thanks again!)

Anyway, I've got a whole lot of new music to download. 

Hopefully, my attempt to recreate the chill Wanderland atmosphere in my room will be successful hehehez.

Happy summer! :)

Pushing Your Way to the Top: My Mt. Batulao Experience

[ With, Timo, my adventure buddy for the day ]

Climbing Mt. Batulao was a spur of the moment type of decision. Life's monotony frustrated me so, I went online and booked the soonest hike Trail Adventours had.

I got my brother to join me on this much needed adventure and without much thought and preparation, we got up at 3am and head out for our day trip. We met our team lead and everyone else at around 4:30 am at Mcdonalds and by 8 am, we were at Batangas, ready as ever to start hiking.

However, what was supposedly a Level 3 climb turned out to be a lot harder than we all expected.

We took a new trail and the obstacles surprised everyone in our group. At some points, the trail was so narrow that I would get nauseous, seeing the lower terrain on my peripherals; so steep that I felt like I was gonna fall backwards or forwards with every step; so slippery that sliding right down became frighteningly possible.

There were also many times when we were literally climbing vertically, grabbing onto rocks and pulling ourselves up or holding on to ropes for dear life. (I actually liked the rock climbing parts a lot better than just panting your way up an inclined surface.)

Anyway, after around 6 kilometers, we finally reached the summit. Struggling to keep up with my superstar athlete brother paid off, because we ended up arriving first and getting good spots under the shade.

There was a nice little halo-halo stand, where we ate our lunch and enjoyed the view, the peace and the mere sense of fulfillment.

[ Cheese and crackers at the summit c/o our mommy ]

And then, the rain started to pour...

Because of how hot it was at that time, I was never happier to feel water fall from the sky. A new friend lent me this glorified garbage bag that I used as a raincoat and with that, we were "ready" to go back down.

Many of you may be grossed out by this but, man, Timo and I were so happy about the mud. We sort of relived our childhood a bit - going barefoot, running and sliding along the streams of the dirty, wet soil, dancing in the rain and singing the songs we used to sing as kids.

Childhood. Right there. I was so happy.

We weren't really able to take that many pictures. Every last ounce of energy I had, I used to take the next step. Haha.

On this trip, I realized what it truly meant to push. I don't know how many times my face got white or red, how many times I felt like fainting and how many times Timo literally had to hold my hand throughout the duration of the hike. But hey, as they say, the view from the top is pretty great. :)

[ Happy is she who survived today's adventure! ]
[ Shout out to my brother whom I wouldn't have been able to do this without. ]

That was 12 freakin kilometers. My body hurts like hell and I still have to study for an exam tomorrow...

But at least now, I know that, uhm, good things come to those who push.

(Or something to that effect. HAHAHA Have a nice day!)

When Bored, Make Art

There are times during my calculus class when the formulas and equations get all jumbled up in my head and the sound of my professor's voice seems to get softer and softer until it's totally drowned out by the summation of all my thoughts.

I, then, catch myself reaching into my bag and searching frantically for the one thing I know would help me escape the confusion - my sketchbook!

I tend to space out, in other words.

And then, I end up doodling.

Or calligraphy-ing. Or something. Haha, anyway.

Before I know it, the class is over. :)

Based on experience, I've come to believe that doodling speeds up time. Therefore, I highly recommend it be done in class.

[ when bored ]

[ make art ]

Have a nice day!