My Life to Date

I do realize I haven't been updating as much as I want to. I still find that there are too little hours in a day (though I figure that more hours means more work) and too little energy to be up to task for every single waking hour.

More often than not, I find myself making my way home during the wee hours of the morning and crashing into bed the moment I get into my room. When I wake up, I get ready for work and rush immediately for another gruelling day at the office.

Needless to say, I don't have too much of a life to speak of.

Small yet far between occassions do break the monotony of client servicing every now and then.

* * *

The Great Galera Weekend Trip

I'd like to call it a test run for all the iron pumping I've been killing myself for over the past month.

But really, it was a getaway. At some point, as much as I deny it, I felt a burnout coming on. While I enjoyed coming to work before 10 AM previously, as of late getting up before 9 and leaving my bed was nothing short of painful.

Thank God for the company corplan in Tagaytay. It was just as much an excuse to get out of town as any. The corplan was a day-long event but we took it one step further by booking a house in Canyon Woods to drink and spend the night before going on to Puerto Galera the next day.

I think it was a break everyone deserved. And the whole trip was steady like anything.

It was also one great excuse to accumulate photographs and fill up my long stagnant Multiply account.

Impromptu trips rock my world. They really do.

The trip took 3 days in planning for a whole weekend of fun nonsense.

At Tagaytay, I remember the trip for lying in the street enveloped in a slight buzz in the middle of the night while watching the clouds pass me by while shooting the breeze and talking about everything and nothing all at the same time.

I think of my futile attempts at the Magic Mic-- and while my audience didn't have fun, I'm sure Nei and I had the time of our lives.

I even vaguely remember making friends with people from a neighboring house. All in the spirit of camaraderie and inebriation.

To think I wasn't even all that messed up that night. Hell, after multiple shots of vodka and lambanog, I had to fast track things with beer. Just because.

At that point, I was even pacing myself because I knew I'd be driving to Batangas city the next day. And while I've got a spare driver, I'm not one to miss out on being behind the wheel on open road.

Galera was just as great.

I think of the song "I Wish You were Here" of Incubus: "I dig my toes into the sand. The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket. I lean against the wind, pretend that I am weightless and in this moment I am happy..."

The sky was blue and at that moment, I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. Seriously.

In my excitement, I sat at the front of the ferry on the way to Galera. While everyone else sat inside, Jay and I took the front part of the boat and we sat there from the moment the boat left Batangas until we got to Galera.

It was paradise sitting at the front of the boat soaking up the sun, feeling the wind against my face, taking in the smell of the ocean and the view of the clear blue sky. What made the ride even more enjoyable was how we'd get drenched whenever the boat would hit a big wave. I enjoyed too much, I think because it was from sitting at the front of the boat that I got a nasty sunburn.

(Too much a bad sunburn that when we got to Galera my face was stinging like anything. Oh, and I turned out one of the darkest in the group and I now sport this "racoon" since I've got a shades line).

Steady was also snorkelling, which I did with a life vest around me (dorkiness rules!) because I'm not exactly the world's best swimmer. Ah, and lest we not forget our "pay-per-view" slightly X-rated photos taken on the beach.

Galera was one happy trip. We feasted like there was no tomorrow (or that we wouldn't be fitting ourselves into board shorts anytime soon) and we drank 'till dawn.

The drinking was a separate trip altogether-- we brought a cooler of the remaining drinks from Tagaytay and we had a sequel on the beach during the night. It is a totally different experience though drinking from one-half a bottle of Absolute mineral water when you're chugging down Tequila Rose and wine.

And because that wasn't enough, we went to another bar to cap the night off with beer. There we met "Katya", from (according to her) the "Viva Hotdogs".

And that bar is also where we sat at the counter, plugged in my iPod and began our own little iPod party. Of course we commandeered the sounds (and because that was my iPod, it was mostly alternative and rock stuff). Eventually, we realized that people were enjoying our music (the bar had really olats house music) when requests started coming in, and how this other dude at the bar was head-banging to the music. And we kept this up, playing song after song and singing along (to the point that one of the people at the bar told us to tone down) all the way 'till dawn.

In our drunken stupor, after leaving the bar, we even climbed a few rocks to make it to Tamaraw Beach on the other side of the island.

Steady is as steady does. I will remember the trip everytime I hear "Sugar" by Tonic and "Sugar We're Going Down" by Fallout Boy.

I'm broke but I'm happy. I'm burned but I'm steady. I rushed to a formal family event straight from Tagaytay. I got home exhausted but everything was all worth it. We did need this getaway, even if it was just for one weekend. The shortness of the trip means that it moments like these cry out for an equally fun sequel.

My beloved team/hangout buddies in Tagaytay.

Me. Moments before I got burned by staying out in the noon sun.

I love the sun, the sand and the sea

Easy like a Sunday morning

I hate that whenever I leave a beautiful place, the weather is at its best. Goodbye Galera! 'Till we meet again.

* * *

The UP Fair Junkie

I'm not from UP but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the fair as much. I enjoyed it so much that I was there for 2 days.

I was in a bad mood because I broke my tail light last Friday night. A trip to the UP fair fixed all that.

The event was messy-- but this was what made it all the more fun.

I pigged out on the chocolate fondue, kwek-kwek, barbecue, dirty ice cream and a whole smorgasbord of other stuff. This totally nullified all the cardio I was doing for the past months.

The whole thing was absolutely steady. On both nights, I sprawled on the grass taking enjoying the moment and taking in everything going on around me without a care in the world. I forgot the time, I ignored convention. It was all good.

We also enjoyed what little rides were there at the fair. After years, I got to ride an Octupus again. And while age diminished the terror of the ride, there is still that lingering fear of the rickety old car flying off its hinges. Ah, I have been spoiled by all the safety precautions of Enchanted Kingdom and Brunei's Jarudong Park.

The fair also rocked! Literally. What with one band after another-- Radioactive Sago Project, Imago, Stonefree, Spongecola, Kamikaze and what have you.

At one point, a minor stampede occured and I think that was the most exciting part of the evening.

I only wish I knew about the UP fair long before. It was a blast.

Viva UP!

Being patapon as usual

Old school Octupus! I did fear for my life

* * *

Spinning class rocks! An intense cardio workout, and one which I cannot keep up with. But wow, I feel I lost pounds and pounds after 40 minutes of intense cycling. I hope to do it again, should my budget allow.

* * *

Other than that, life is steady. There are up days and there are shitty days.

I take things one day at a time. No other way to go.

Last note:

What do you do when a celebrity visits the office? Photo op, op kors!

Jojo A, all the way!