Jan 26 St. Jerome's Laneway Festival in Singapore

Finished uploading my playlist for tomorrow's festival.

Why go to a festival and not know any of the bands?

I do not personally know these bands. I've only heard Gotye because of "Somebody That I used To Know" as covered by Walk Off The Earth, that youtube video of theirs, with one guitar. I only know Of Monster And Men, from hmm.. I cannot remember now. But anyway, I liked this type of music. Slow and Sad.

New Zealand

Escape?

- if this is escape, it is not a very good reason to move

- if everything fails, just adding heaps on worries, money worries

- from what? - the monotony? the pressure of work? just tired of it all? 

Travel

- See this part of the world

- change

- new opportunities

- adventure

- so what?

- nothing to lose

I could really work hard.

I could really be someone.

I could teach.

I could nurse.

I could study.

Really?

1.16am

Cannot sleep.

I'm listening to "Today's Hits Radio" on Pandora

Work tomorrow.

Another sweet day.

Flight to Manila - to Davao.

Bus ride to Bukid.

Should Read, Should Finish Reading

5:49 am
Kitchen
Just cooked egg with tomatoes, onions, cheese. sandwiched the oily stuff on two sliced breads.
Coke.

Alarms sounding in my head
And not even barely a month old, when I run my first marathon

Happy thoughts
happy thoughts
like christmas and wrappings

It'll be my 29th birthday in 3 days
Single, complicated
GOALS?

Why is it so hard to answer one simple question
What Am I Gonna Do With My Life?

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This city reminds me a lot of Manila. Crowded, unorganized public transportation, sometimes chaotic. Those kind of taxi drivers who will rip you off. I should say stressful, as said by friends who went there too. Near Singapore, was still worth the visit: Batu caves, Petronas and Menara Tower, and Genting Highlands.

There are two airports. I was there last May 2011. Buses are cheaper from the budget terminal to KL Sentral, I just asked attendants behind the booth at the train station there, on how to go to Batu Caves. Just purchased ticket at the machine, and go down the platform. Get around with the monorail. Be warned though, it can get so crowded. Prepare to walk, and rely on kindness of stranger. Visit the Merdeka Square and Petaling Street.

walking to Chinatown.

Heed some warning.

Gondola of the Genting Highlands, Cable Car

Maxima Resort, Davao Philippines

Travel Blog Kunuhay...

Google It!
Maxima  It's in Samal Island, 2 km away from Davao City.

How To Go There?
Wherever you are in Davao City, just asked what jeepney to ride to the Sasa Wharf. At the entrance of the wharf you can wait for the bus that will get on the barge, or just walked in to the wharf, pay PHP 10. The latter is the best option, so you can just approached any "habal-habal" driver, waiting by along the road, and take you to this resort.

Things To Do
I visited it last last Nov 2010 with a friend. Pricing that time is about PHP 300 including entrance and an over-night camp style (their own tent). We signed up for snorkeling. It was really fun. One of the staff, who lead the tour, explained about biodiversity, the kind of fished that lived there. Beneath those rocks in that crystal clear water, the earth plunges deep into the ocean, it was dark, perfect for divers.

Try the Giant Slide! More than twice! :D

Hopes for 2012

Fear. A big, ugly, heavy fear is a roadblock to Doing what our hearts' desires. To do what we want and live our lives. This fear is conceived in the head. The fear of failure and fruitless labour. The fear of not meeting up to anything. The fear of ridicule and blame when things go wrong. Guess what, things can always go wrong and so what?! And so what? At least you tried, at least you did something. There should be no place for blame. This is not a contest to who has the biggest faults and stumbles of all. Life is about trying, going out there and doing what we can despite of not knowing what lies ahead.

My hope is to not be held down by my fears. I have lots of them and I feel their weights. I am only me trying my best, not to drown out my inside voice of yearning, of hope, of believing that this life is worth living, that there is a purpose to all of this and how you live your life now will someday shape into something that serves that grand purpose. My understanding is limited. Help me Lord, to keep this hope and follow your ways.

Amen.

My Bout of Bell's Palsy - 99.9% recovered in 23 Days

I used to tell myself that I could walk miles, I could run for hours, I could forget hunger. I would think that I was able and strong and ready for anything. In my mind, I would imagine a life-changing event where my physical strength and will shall be put into test. Be it getting lost in the wild, alien invasion, the great flood, falling off a cliff, or the end of the world. Crazy..I know. It is because I am full of pride. I am proud that in my 5 years of working in Cebu I've never been hospitalized. I am proud that I never get sick. I am proud of my health. But this is really nothing but a big illusion that I clinged into.

There are facts I disregarded. Bout of asthma in the first 13 years of my life, the worst kind. My parents thought I would die one day of that disease. Episodes of headaches, sleeplessness, irregular bowel movements, dizziness. I suck at taking care of myself. I don't take vitamins, I don't eat regularly, no exercise.   It's no wonder I woke up one day  with this Bell's Palsy. 

I take this incident as a reminder, that I was simply, cruelly, abusing my self. This condition didn't choose me. I kinda invited it. I opened a door for it to get in. I'm not saying that I could have prevented it. I know healthy people get sick. But there's a lot of small everyday things that I could have done to help my body. To take care of myself, this was all that I could have done.

• • 
    

    Yhatz Provido my prayers with you moks... you takecare... kblo ba ka na mas gahi kag ulo nako? ayp..
    

    July 24 at 1:12pm · 
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    Balot Enerio you'll get better, yola...maulian pa man ang bell's palsy...just pray.
    

    July 24 at 1:29pm ·  ·  1 person
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    Joyce Go ohemgee! yols, you get better... tc always!
    

    July 24 at 1:53pm · 
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    Chari Vidal Get well kambal, pagadli kaayo ba arun laag ta :)
    

    July 24 at 2:00pm · 
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    Pines Mendoza Gagaling karin....panigurado yan.
    

    July 24 at 2:13pm · 
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    Yola Udtujan Salamat sa mga prayers all :)
    

    July 24 at 2:48pm · 
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    Race Ebarle Valenzuela you can overcome what god gave you... your a strong person... get well soon... = )
    

    July 24 at 3:20pm · 
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    Nini Trinidad Get well soon Yola
    

    July 24 at 3:59pm · 
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    Sheryl Babia get well Yols..
    

    July 24 at 8:13pm · 
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    Sheryl Babia Be patient... things will get back to how they should. You will be fine. Do what needs be done - Jazz
    

    July 24 at 8:21pm ·  ·  1 person
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    Bonna Smrh ‎:( cry ko. Maa ayu man ka..balu ku...pag amping lagi! badlungon man gud nah! nah! Nah!
    

    July 25 at 4:45pm · 

    

Tegan And Sara

A gig in India, in the City of Mumbai and New Delhi. This us the Closest they will ever be. Maybe. Too EXPENSIVE! I would be crazy!

I Love You Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin

some pics from Samsung E-590 phone

The 25 Best Adventure Travel Trips by National Geographic

East:
    1. Kayaking Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam
    2. Climbing the Karakoram Range, Pakistan
    3. Rafting the Mekong River, China
    4. Jungle-Hiking Southern India
    5. Trekking with Kazakh Eagle Hunters, Mongolia
    6. Biking from the Dead Sea to Red Sea, Jordan
    7. Exploring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

South:
    8. Overland Sahara Desert Crossing
    9. Snorkeling with Whale Sharks, Australia
    10. Island-Hopping Easter Island, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn, Tahiti
    11. Diving Madagascar
    12. Viewing a Solar Eclipse, Ghana
    13. Skiing in the Andes, Chile

West:
    14. Volcano-Hopping, Nicaragua
    15. Rafting and Hiking Red-Rock New Mexico
    16. Sea Kayaking, Hiking Costa Rica
    17. Climbing the North Cascades, Washington
    18. Sea Kayaking the Mediterranean, Italy
    19. Hiking Monte Rosa, Switzerland
    20. Trekking Oaxaca, Mexico

North:
    21. Paddling Greenland
    22. Reindeer-Packing Sweden
    23. Cruising Polar Scientist Territory, Norway
    24. Arctic Safari, Canada

Space:
    25. Orbiting Earth

Which one would you take?

Gay

No matter how much acceptance is expressed, no matter how many there are that provides good example, for some, there are parents who will always feel depressed, a failure, a disappointment, for bearing a son/daughter who turns out "GAY." Gay! Gay! Gay! Bakla! Tomboy! words that are said with such hatred and disgust.

We are always gonna be freaks of society. And if we get infected by THE VIRUS, they would say because you're gay, you're lewd and gross. No doubts in their heads, that being gay caused it. And the saddest thing of all is because there's a Fact on it. 

The Tin Shed of Patagonia

This site is awesome. I haven't finished all the stories. So far, the surfers in Indonesia and the 24-hour climb are quite amazing. The videos summarize the experience of something that you feel you can only look at. Personally, that's how I see it. I know my own adventure will be something of a miniature version of any adventure. And this site is something to marvel.

The IPA and The Med Check-Up

Two days before my stay in SG turned into a month, a company called for a job interview. Things went fast-paced when otherwise it could have been slow. Final Interview, Contract Signing, Orientation on Employee Benefits, to Application for an Employment Pass. And then came the days days days of waiting. It turned out that the employment pass was applied and approved at the same day, 8 days after I signed the contract and submitted the required forms. And then, it still took 4 days for the company to call. If I hadn't emailed and banged on their door, I feared that I would have waited long. Thank God, that part is over and I've just had HIV and X-Ray Test. The result will take about 5 days. And there's this background check where I have to submit Certificates of Employment and of No-Criminal record. Little things that I have to take care of.

on the train in the way back to Block 123

A Regular Day in SG

For quite some time now, let's say, for about 4 weeks, this is how my regular day in SG is;

About 9 10 AM > wake up, use the CR, have coffee, cook dry noodles (pancit canton), toast bread (if there is)
10-11AM > Laundry Time (every Mon or Tue) (consist of hauling dirty clothes, tossing them to the washing machine, turn on power and press buttons) after about 22-26 mins, take out the washed, rinsed, spinned clothes to hang and dry (so hard! hehe)
     *This varies if there is a walk-in or job interview to go to
11AM-3PM > ONLINE time (chikka and YMs, job portals, facebook, youtube, flickr, google news, wikipedia, AE, and lately the blogger)
3-6PM > walk time, if the weather is fine, I sometimes take the stairs from the 12th floor going down and going back up) I go and walk around the Tampines Fitness Park. Sometimes I go to hawker centers to eat or go home and eat whatever I have.

6PM-3AM max > ONLINE time again and watch downloaded movies (so far have seen Alice in Wonderland, District 9, The Hurt Locker, The Book of Eli, Up in The Air, The Blindside, and many mores)
3AM-10AM > zzzzzzzzzzzz........

I am a Fan of Liz Clark

Here is this person in the world that truly embodies the ideals of living a simple-life, free-spirit and adventure. Liz Clark. Read her biography here. She is currently in a boatyard in Tahiti, fixing her boat, Swell.
This is a movie trailer of Dear & Yonder where Liz appeared together with other female surfers. And here's a funny video, it looks like Liz made this on her own. She is seen surfing and working around and living in Swell. And another video by Liz's sponsor, patagonia.

"Every day, I consciously try to minimize my impact on the earth. I do my best to eat and live sustainably by utilizing the resources that are closest to me. I use mostly solar (and soon wind) energy to supply my electricity. I pull up my sails and use the wind to push me around the world rather than jet fuel.

Seeing places that are still largely unaffected by human impact has made me realize just how much of the earth we have altered. It is my hope that through my travels and writing, I can help people understand why we must fight to preserve what's left of our environment and invest our collective human genius to work towards implementing sustainable solutions for humanity to live in harmony with the earth."

Philippines Caves and Falls I've Been To

Balantac Falls and Sohoton Cave in Basey, Samar. Visited Aug 2006

Cambugahay Falls and Cantabon Cave in Siquijor,Visited Oct 2006

Bomod-oc Falls and Sumaguing Cave in Sagada, Mt. Province,Visited Nov 2009

Nothing To Do

Today it is exactly 1 month and 1 week from the day my friend and I boarded that flight form Cebu to Singapore. Singapore, the city of promise. We came here for WORK. There are forums full of to-dos, suggestions, recommendations, real-life experiences (success and few on failures) and I read and gobbled them all. The money, the precursor was obtained by a loan. Passport, documents, noodles, clothes were packed tightly.

Jobstreet, jobsdb, jobscentral, monster SG; these sites became my bookmarks. Frustrations crept in after 2 weeks of nothing to do. To pass out time, we went to some tourists destinations; The Merlion park, Raffles Place, The Esplanade, Bedok Reservoir park, Sentosa.

And then came a blessing, a call from one of the premier entertainment, hotel, casino-destination in SG. They offered me a job similar to my previous post in a call center in the Phils. But the quest is far from over, since before I could work, the government has to issue an employment pass. To be continued...