Day 1 at Romblon

As a mom, I thought I needed a break too.

I haven't had any out-of-towns in years until April 16th 2011 came. My super friends and I planned a getaway in one of our friends' hometown -- Romblon.

It had been an overdue plan, actually. We had been think thinking of going there since were were all single but there was never a chance for that plan to push through. So when the perfect time came, we were all set and ready to go!

It was an 11-hour voyage. The ocean trip to Romblon was really a not-so-good experience. We arrived at the port at 1pm. We thought it was better to be there early since many people might be going home for the holyweek. We were right. There were so many people. We were just glad that our friend (the host), asked somebody to help us get the tickets. Still, we had the economy ones which meant we'd be in the crowded area with just hundreds of bunk beds. We didn't have any choice though. (--.--)

Montenegro Lines was not so organized. There were no spare beds for us as the spaces we were assigned to were already occupied. So we stayed at the ship's cafeteria (turned place-for-unlucky-people-like-us). We stayed there until one of our friends finally found some extra bunk beds. They found just 4 beds so we had to squeeze in ourselves to those. Good thing, we were just 8, so there were 2 people in one bed. :) Nevertheless, the unoccupied beds were just next to the restrooms. Well, that explained why those beds were empty. Nobody wanted to stay there. Then again, did we have any choice? None. The trip was for 11 agonizing hours so we had to rest our backs to prepare for the next day's activities. From time to time, we spritzed some cologne and alcohol just to get rid of the foul spell coming from the public toilet. Gawd!

We also spent most of time in the front deck of the ship. It was fantastic, and scary at the same time. The voyage was at night so we saw nothing but the vast sea. We found comfort and relief whenever we saw islands or lighthouses. Aside from that, there was nothing. Oh, but of course the dolphins were amazing.. and the stars.. and the moon...

We arrived at Odiongan at 4am. It was 2 hours later than our expected time of arrival. Well they said that the ship we were on was really slow. At the port, our friends (a couple) were there waiting for us. As we got off, Lerni (my friend) took pictures of us. Haha. We felt like celebrities. Tortured, smelly celebrities. :P

We went straight to their house which was just 10 minutes away from the port. The house was spectacular. It used to be a marble factory so it was really huge. They had 3 living rooms, and there was an indoor pool (which was still under renovation at that time). Though tired, we felt rejuvenated and took pictures at the different parts of the house. After resting, we went out to have breakfast at the town's tapsilogan and we visited Lerni's mom's house. :)

After breakfast, we went back to the house and rested for a couple of hours. I, for one, took some power nap because I knew that it would be a long day. Indeed, it was.

Lerni and Jon took us to this secluded resort 1 hour from Odiongan. We first took a motor boat for 20 minutes then voila! PAKSI RESORT COVE. Very virgin. Very beautiful. We took many photos as the place was really breathtaking. The resort was owned by a family and they have just started running the business so it was not yet fully-furnished. It didn't matter though, the surrounding was serene.

We then cooked food for lunch. We had sinigang and inihaw na pusit -- Just perfect for the getaway. In between cooking, we took pictures all over the place again. We had lunch at around 2pm, took some rest, changed to our swimming outfits and went out to swim. There was a low-tide in the afternoon so we waited until the water went back to the shore. Since I'm not crazy about swimming in the beach, two of my friends and I stayed on the shore and sang our hearts out with the videoke and started drinking too. ^^

At around 5pm, we decided to go swimming. My friend brought her snorkel with her so I borrowed it. I had a great time snorkeling and thought how wonderful it was to be a marine biologist. ^^

At night, we continued singing, dancing and drinking. We had dinner at maybe 8pm or so. We had smoked longanisa which was really superb! After dinner, we went back to singing and drinking. The night was really good. Since we were the only people in the resort, we partied like we didn't care. Until now, I don't know what time I went to bed that night. But one thing's for sure, I went to bed with a smile. :)

At the ship's cafeteria (slurpee was bought before we boarded, hehe)

at the back of the ship

"I'm flying!"

the boat ride to Paksi



before we rode the boat



paksi resort cove - fantastic

we're here!

mic whore

Singing makes me happy.

May it be in the shower or karaoke rooms, I sing my heart out. It's one of the activities that can relieve my stress and can make me feel so alive.

I'm not a good singer, though. I am just confident enough to take hold of the microphone and belt whatever song I want to sing.

My top karaoke favorites are:

1. Linger (Cranberries)
2. Everything I do, I do it for you (Bryan Adams)
3. Fame (Irene Cara)
4. Break Away (Kelly Clarkson)
5. Head Over Feet (Alanis Morissette)
6. Make It Real (The Jetts)
7. Dancing Queen (Abba)
8. Akap (Imago)
9. Torete (Moonstar 88)
10.Dreaming Of You (Selena)
11. I don't want to miss a thing (Aerosmith)

Haaay..it's been a while since I last sang (I mean, in a karaoke room, that is). Oh well, I think for now, I'm just going to sing in the bathroom. (--.--)

Trying to belt out "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" :P

"I guess I missed a thing." :P

Bjorn's heart was broken (again)

I love animals. I adore furry creatures. But I loved them more when I was a young girl.

I remembered bringing home some stray kittens. My grandmother, who took care of me back then, would often get angry but would end up adoring the pets I brought home. I also remembered crying whenever I saw some homeless cats and dogs, and yes, even chickens.

And if there was one thing I handed down to my son, it was my being animal lover.

Last Monday, 'Miming', Bjorn's pet kitten passed away. Please understand, 'Miming' was just maybe a couple of weeks old when Bjorn saw her on the street. My grandma tried to feed her but of course, she couldn't take solids yet. Then I remembered the kitten I adopted when I was young. We bought a feeding bottle for the kitten and patiently fed it. So, that's what we did too. I used one of Lexi's old bottles and tried to feed 'miming'. Still, the frail body of the poor kitten gave in.

Bjorn was broken-hearted. I was not surprised to see him cry because last year, he also cried over his dead bird. This time though, his cries were more painful. I know because I saw him, heard him and felt how upset he was. Even if it happened 2 days ago, he would still cry whenever he remembered 'miming'.

I tried to explain to him that 'miming' already gave in because her body was weak and she was too young to be separated from her mom. I even told him that when he was still a baby, he never wanted to be away from me. So did the kitten, with her mom.

I knew he understood but another lost of a pet was really difficult for him. Maybe he was thinking that he did not give his best to raise the pets. This, I told him, was not his fault. There were just some things that we couldn't hold onto. No matter how hard we try.

Bjorn, if ever you'd read this someday, I'd like you to know that mommy was hurt too. Hurt that your pets died, but more hurt to see you so sad, so broken. And just so you know, I am still very proud of you because you already have the sense of responsibility at that very young age. I love you.

"Miming" and "Woody" (the bird) will always be remembered. 

not my day

Today, I screwed up.

Errr. Wrong.

Since last week, I have been screwing up.
Last week, my boss reminded me of the daily reports that were missing. Actually, they were not missing. It was just that, I completely forgot to do them. Yeah, yeah, negligence.

Today, he, again, reminded me of undone reports on April 1st. I could have said, "Oh, it was April Fool's Day so the reports might have fooled you that they were there." Nah. That would have brought me somewhere.


I don't know what's happening these days. I mean, I am not that busy. There are tons of books to do but I'm not panicking about them. End of April is the due date, so what? Talk about PROCRASTINATION.

I guess I haven't changed yet when I thought I've had. When I was still a student, studying a night before the exam was more effective than studying a week before it. I know it was not a good habit. But I think I've carried it through the years.

Today, my boss gave me a piece of his mind. Like what Ivan (in a book I've read), the mind is a beautiful thing so giving a piece of it to someone is good. I have humbly accepted my boss' piece of mind. And promised that from now on, I would check my reports first before going home.

I just wish someone would remind me of doing so.

Err. Wrong again.

I wish I could remind myself of doing so. Forgetful me.

summer's here!

It's summer again! I always kid my students that in the Philippines, there are only two seasons -- HOT and HOTTER. They always laugh at the idea. But me? I was never happy with it.

Summer in the Philippines is excruciating. With a temperature of over 40, who would ever enjoy it? Luckily, our country is surrounded with lots of beaches by which the nearest is a 2-hour drive from Manila.

I'm not a beach person though. Well, I do enjoy going to the beach, eating bbq, seafood, and grilled stuff on a banana leaf. But getting my skin tanned and spending hours in the water are not just my favorites.

Maybe, one of the reasons why I don't enjoy it that much is that I'm scared of seawater. Not that I had a bad experience or something. I also do know how to swim, not a pro, but I know the basics. Nevertheless, I don't like seawater. I've read and I've seen from news how powerful water is. When you're trapped, there's no way out. And drowning is one of  the most dreadful ways to fight for one's life.

Awww. morbid.

Anyway, I'm thinking of greater ways to enjoy this season. Eat halo-halo? Sounds good. Go to Baguio? Better. Go abroad? Impossible. Oh, I think we'll end up swimming in a pool this summer.

Well anyway, it's just the beginning of the season. I can still do a lot of planning. :) Happy tag-init! :)