Experiencing Mt. Pulag

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I'm on top of the world, eh!

This song from Imagine Dragons was going through me and my friends' minds while we were traversing the 7.5 km trail up the mountain. We planned this adventure four months ago, when we felt jealous over photos of the sea of clouds being posted all over Facebook and Instagram. I admit, I'm not much of an active person now. I have grown a lot bigger than I was during my athletic days, and this was a challenge I didn't know if I could handle well. I'm not much of a climber, too, as you may have read in my previous post. Ah, but what the heck. If they could do it, why couldn't we? And climb, we did.

I'll keep this post short because I wouldn't want to dwell too much on the details. I'll leave them out so you yourselves can experience saying 'ooh' and 'aah' and be surprised and appreciate the opportunity of experiencing the beauty of the Mt. Pulag when you decide to climb. I myself still can't find the exact words to describe it, and this makes want to go back again! But this I can say - no amount of tired legs can surpass the feeling of reaching the summit and appreciating the view. So, for now, let me entice you with photos that we took during our trip up to the highest peak in Luzon!

Hanging Bridge right behind Jang Jang's (where we ate and took a bath)

Topload! 

Just a little obstacle :)

"Not tired" at Camp 1

Sunset

Sunrise

With all that, we would like to thank Backpackers United, especially Deo Calumba, for hosting such an awesome trip for us! Glad to have found new friends as well. Thanks for bringing out the mountaineer in us! :)

On to the next adventure!

-E

Conquering the Cordillera Region

I was blessed and lucky (all expenses paid!) to have gone out of town during the Holy Week with my mom and two brothers, and though it wasn't too holy of a trip, we certainly felt we were nearing heaven with the activities that we did! But, I'll divulge more on that later. For now, let me just say that it was one adventure I'll surely never forget, but will never do again sometime soon. Haha.

Since we went on a tour package that kind of went disastrous until the very end of the trip, I decided to skip the itinerary part already. Instead, I'll just give recommendations on what to do, where to eat and sleep, and how to enjoy all of these!

The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is a mountainous region in Luzon where the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province are located, and is home to the indigenous tribe of Igorots. I never really paid much attention to my geography classes during grade school, but all I knew was that CAR had Baguio City, which is (or was?) dubbed as the "summer capital of the Philippines", and the Banaue Rice Terraces, which was once called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Who knew there were other places in the region that'd be as beautiful, if not better, as the two places I mentioned? If you want to get away from the metro but would love to go up the mountains instead of relaxing at the beach, CAR is the way to go!

Our three-day Cordillera journey included Banaue, Sagada, and La Trinidad, with Sagada covering most of the trip as most of the activities are done there as well. I guess this is the usual itinerary of tour packages and DIY trips up in this area.

Banaue

Banaue is a 12-hour trip from Manila, with basically two main attractions - the city proper and of course, the rice terraces. Most restaurants and inns provide the view of the terraces, and are near each other so you can finish a walking tour there in an hour or two. The main view deck, however, where the UNESCO sign is posted, is a 5-minute ride (jeepney or private) from the town. My breath was ready to be taken away with the view, expecting it would be as beautiful as the photos in my grade school textbooks, but sad to say, I was quite disappointed with what I saw. Most of the rice terraces were already surrounded by houses and different establishments, and it took me a while to find them from our view in the restaurant. The main view deck had a better look, but I'm guessing they just maintain that certain part for the tourists. Speaking of tourism, you can have your photos taken with an Igorot there, but don't forget to donate after. According to the guides, any amount will do, but since I enjoyed the poses that he did, I gave him more than what the other tourists gave. Souvenir shops are also located at the town proper and at the viewdeck. We got a really cute Igorot tissue holder for a haggled price of Php 800 from Php 850!

From the viewdeck!

The best souvenir we got: an Igorot tissue holder. Cute, isn't it?

Sagada

As I've mentioned above, Sagada covered most of our trip, being there from Day 1 to Day 3. Sagada is part of Mountain Province and is 4 to 5 hours away from Banaue. The long hours of travel made me thankful that we had a private van and that we didn't have to think too much about comfort issues!

There are three major activities to do in this beautiful town; these are mainly: Spelunking (Normal or Cave Connection), Trekking to Bomok Od Falls, and touring the different famous shops and establishments in town. The weather during the mornings and evenings is very cold, but come noon it gets hotter. Unfortunately we also had to experience some rainshowers in the midafternoon, but it cooled down the heat so it was still all good. If you have difficulties getting around the town, there is a tourist center in the main road where the locals themselves can help.

Being the daredevils that we were (NOT), we only tried normal spelunking which did not have additional costs. Of course, thinking about our mother getting tired, we didn't want to risk doing the cave connection part. Normal caving includes a two- to three-hour experience of the Sumaguing Cave, while the cave connection explores both Lumiang and Sumaguing Cave for approximately five hours (given the holiday situation). Spelunking really made me realize that I was slightly acrophobic! It also made me sad about my height. Haha. At some parts of the cave, I was entrusting myself to the guide since I could not extend my legs to step on certain rocks. The hard part of going down was the slippery rocks, but the best part was being able to see the different rock formations (ehem, the genitals, BUT THERE WERE OTHERS AS WELL) and getting some cold temperature to your body. The guide also gave us a chance to try different ways to go down and climb back up through stepping on thighs and legs, pulling through ropes or going up rubber ladders. One thing I also liked about the guides there was that we didn't need to worry about our photos since they were actually trained to handle both point-and-shoot and professional cameras! I was actually surprised and amazed at the same time that sometimes our guide had to stop for a while to fix the settings of my brother's DSLR. The most difficult part of spelunking was actually climbing back up, especially when nearing the mouth of the cave, as it was already composed of steps going back to the entrance. I would love to try Lumiang Cave next time, but again, I wouldn't be doing that very soon, and I would most likely try that with friends this time.

With the "Queen". Can you guess why?

The curtains

Thanks, kuya guide, for documenting my height problems. Haha!

Trekking to Bomok Od Falls takes half of the day as well, depending on your pacing. It took us about an hour and a half going down and around two hours going up. Everything contributed to the slow pacing - heat, resistance, and the enormous amounts of people going to and from the falls! We had to stop at some points because there was only one trail for trekking that caused heavy traffic for us. I think I enjoyed the trek more than I did with the falls. Don't get me wrong, the falls were nice, too, but I just didn't like the sight of too many people swimming and shouting. Plus, the trekking part provided magnificent views. Expect to say "Wow!" over and over again with everything you'll see on the way down. Be ready to get tired with this activity, because if you're not into exercising, your legs will surely feel sore after! But don't worry, there is a village halfway where you can stop to rest or buy snacks and drinks as well. There are two to three sheds along the way, too, if you just want to sit down and appreciate the view.

Heavy traffic!

But the view going down is amazing :)

Bomok Od Falls

Another favorite of mine was going to Sagada Weaving. There was no one weaving when we came, but luckily the owner and his son volunteered to orient us about how weaving happens. I'm amazed at how meticulous the process is - from installing the machine to making and finishing the pattern. Sadly, we were not allowed to try it, but I was able to take good photos of the place.

 

Here are other things you can do in Sagada:
- Visit St. Mary's Church then head straight to Echo Valley (for a view of the Hanging Coffins - not my favorite part but it was still interesting. Maybe I was just too tired during this time since we did this after trekking.)
- Visit Sagada Pottery
- Visit Lake Danum
- Visit Marlboro Country
- Ride on top of a jeepney (something I'll try soon in another destination :P)
- Watch the sunrise at Kiltepan (so far the best sunrise I've ever seen)
- Orange picking (depending on harvest season)
- Eat, eat, eat!

St. Mary's Church

Sunrise at Kiltepan

Lake Danum

Sagada Pottery

And speaking of eating, there are numerous restaurants and cafes around the area with different delicacies for each, but one thing in common is that almost all of them serve pinikpikan, Sagada's specialty. Pinikpikan is basically a chicken dish, where the chicken is beaten to death (I know, sounds so morbid), and the blood inside serves to flavor it more. Unfortunately, Sagada ran out of pinikpikan when we were there due to the peak number of tourists, and because of the long time it takes to cook it as well. I'd still love to try it when I get back!

My favorite out of all the restaurants we've been to was Yoghurt House. It's the most unique place I've eaten to there, serving really good breakfast food (yup, even better than IHOP) and homemade yoghurt. The yoghurt isn't like the froyo we're used to; it's not actually cold and tastes really sour. I like sour food. Haha. They also serve other homemade delicacies such as oatmeal cookies and other trail food. Moreover, they have great interiors! Too bad we weren't allowed to take too much photos inside.

My mom's hiker's meal (rolled pancake with yoghurt inside, plus strawberry jam, toast, and 2 fried eggs). HEAVEN ON EARTH!

My chocolate chip cookie yoghurt. I like this one because the toppings go way to the bottom.

Here are other known restaurants/cafes in Sagada:
- Kusina y Sagada
- Lemon Pie House (known for their lemon pies and chicken dishes)
- Masferre (named after the famous Sagada photographer Eduardo Masferre)
- OTHERS! There's too many of them so you won't run out of places to eat at. Plus, they have the biggest and most generous servings of food I've ever eaten here in the Philippines, with very affordable prices as well. Most of them have free WiFi if you're itching to have that Internet fix like I did. Haha. Just remember that most establishments are open only until 9 o'clock in the evening, so it's better to have an early dinner and just buy snacks after if you feel you'll want to eat again by late night.

La Trinidad and Baguio

The last stop of our CAR trip was La Trinidad, Benguet. The drive from Sagada to Baguio takes another five hours, but you get to stop by the highest point of the Philippine highway system and have a view of Mt. Pulag, the highest peak in Luzon. We just dropped by the strawberry farm for a bit then headed straight back to Manila because it was already getting late. I don't have much to post about this one, but I'll try compiling all my Baguio experiences for the year (I'm going back again in 2 weeks hihi), so I can blog about it in one whole post.

And with all that, here are some tips I can provide when doing this trip:
1. DO NOT go there during the peak holidays! When we were there, traffic was so bad that even the police had a difficult time enforcing everything. Even the hospital parking area was made into a driveway just so the vehicles can pass through. According to the owner of the cabin we stayed in, tourism in Sagada is always packed, or none at all - meaning, there are almost zero visitors during regular days, but during peak seasons, it's always packed.
2. If you are going there on a peak season, make sure that you have contacted the place you're staying in, and confirm it again even up to ten times if you must! During the holy week, every inn, homestay, guest house, was fully occupied, so walking in to get a room was not possible. This was our problem when we got there. The inn we're supposed to stay at gave away our reserved rooms to other guests so we had to look for other places. Luckily enough, some good soul offered his rest house to us, with much better amenities!
3. Bring warmers! It's hot during the day, but early mornings and evenings are too cold! Also, prepared to get dirty with spelunking, trekking, and swimming. Remember, pack light and appropriately!
4. Bring painkillers if you feel your body will hurt after all those climbing activities. Also, try to buy meds that help you get out of the feeling of vomiting. The roads to each province are mostly zig-zagged.
5. There is enough cellular signal to make calls and texts, but don't expect data signal there (or Globe just really sucks). There are establishments with free WiFi available, but don't get too hung up with it. If you really need to go on the Internet, there are some computer shops around the area.
6. Enjoy the surroundings and culture! Take good photos! Appreciate your vacation! It's one of the things I'm proud of about our country. Even if I was already tired with the activities that we did, I still kept saying to myself that I'm truly blessed to see all of God's work. Every angle of that place was photo-worthy! It really is more fun in the Philippines! :)

April is going to be another busy month for travel, and I'm loving Northern Luzon already bit by bit. Because of that, I'll be back in two weeks. Mt. Pulag, you're next! :)

-E

My First Attempt at Travel Blogging: DIY La Union Trip and Things I Learned

Okay, I think this has been long overdue, so while the trip is still fresh off my mind, and since there's no work today, I better go ahead and start.

Remember when I said I would try this thing called travel blogging, and that I've entered a YOLO phase with my friends? Well, I think the following post will kick it all off. So, all thanks to my friend, Ronna, who initially planned for us to go to San Juan, La Union to try surfing. Of course, being in YOLO mode, I said yes!

After researching on transportation, accommodations, surfing and wind conditions, and other expenses, we were finally set to go. Me, Ronna, and our other friend, Cheska, met up at around 9 PM in Gateway, Cubao so we could all go together to Partas Transport at the other side of EDSA. Since it was already quite late and I did not trust Cubao at all, especially at night, I suggested we take a cab to the station. A tip for taking cabs: take those that are part of a franchise group so you can be more sure of your safety. The driver of the cab we rode on agreed to taking us to our destination but kept yapping about how it was too near and that we could've just walked or taken a jeepney instead. Ugh, hate those kinds of drivers.

Well anyway, we arrived at the station at around 10 PM, and tried to buy tickets for our 12 MN trip. It turned out that we were still early so we had to sit out for another hour and wait to buy. Partas Transport Station is a small station which is situated in Aurora Blvd., and is not near the other major bus stations so it was more peaceful in their area. It wasn't the cleanest station I've been to, but there were enough benches to sit on, and it was still comfortable because there was proper ventilation and there's also a little television if you did not bring anything for entertainment.

At around 11PM, I lined up again to buy three tickets to Urbiztondo. A little while after I got them, the bus was ready to accept passengers already so we went inside. It was only a regular airconditioned bus since the last deluxe bus already left an hour before. We thought there were no seat numbers indicated so we just sat anywhere, but when another passenger who was supposedly assigned to the seats we were sitting on told us that we were assigned to another seat, we finally saw where we were supposed to go. Fail moment. Anyway, it was a clean bus, but it wasn't that comfortable since the seats were too near each other and there was little leg room. I just had to rest my feet on top of my backpack. At least the airconditioners were working well and it didn't have that weird bus smell (ever experienced that?).

The bus left Cubao on time, which was a good thing. We had two bus stops: one in Urdaneta (I'm not sure, since I didn't see any signs when I got off the bus), and one in San Fernando, La Union.When we got to San Fernando, I got off with a map and asked some drivers and conductors where we should be dropped off. Since the place we're staying at was a new destination, and the drivers had a hard time identifying the landmarks, I just stayed awake the whole time from San Fernando so I could watch out for the signs. It turned out that it was only five to ten minutes from the bayan and we got off near our destination. The bus trip was supposed to take six hours, but since we took the night trip and the bus driver drove too fast, we arrived there an hour earlier. By the way, the last destination of the bus we took was Vigan, and it passes by La Union.

We walked through a short dirt road to Circle Hostel. When we got there, the reception area was closed and everybody was still sleeping, but we still rang the bell because we were so tired and sleepy as well, and we didn't know where to wait since it was still dark. Luckily, the receptionists, Kuya Larry and his girlfriend, I think, woke up immediately and warmly received us. We paid our check-in fee (Php 400) and our deposit for the linen (Php 100 - to be given back during check-out). I wasn't able to appreciate the surroundings yet since most of the lights were turned off and I just really wanted to rest. After fixing our stuff, we finally dozed off for a bit to energize for the upcoming activity - surfing! :)

I woke up first at around 8 AM so I could prepare my swim wear and check out the area. I really like Circle Hostel's vibe - creating an open area to encourage socialization among travellers, surfers, and guests alike (a skill I will have to learn more about). What I liked most were the different paintings about living life to the fullest and loving life because of surfing. I guess the place was really a surfer's haven. I also personally liked the hammock area where there were pillows on the floor as well if you wanted to sleep there. Sleeping on the hammocks was a nice idea, but we opted for the bunk beds instead. That provided more comfort, and there was a personal kulambo for each bed as well to fight off the mosquitoes. There were also some books and musical instruments which you can spend your time with if you just want to chill and relax.

I asked Kuya Larry if it was okay to surf at this time and he said that mornings were actually the best times for beginners. I then immediately woke up my two friends and after preparing, we were set for an adventure!

The weather was nice at this time (9 AM). It was not yet too hot so it was perfect for us. Kuya Larry handed us over to our personal instructors. They first taught us the basics on land, such as how to stand up on the surfboard and what to do when we fall from it. After the orientation, we were finally brought to the water. We had a one-hour lesson in the morning and another half and an hour in the afternoon. It was really fun! It was hard to get up on the surf board and balance, but once I got the hang of it, it was easier to do. However, I still wasn't good, which was okay according to the instructors, because at least I got to experience standing on it for a long time. You may think that an hour of lessons is too short, but that one hour felt like an eternity, especially if you repeatedly fall and go back up on your surfboard. Plus, you also have to keep holding on to your surfboard when big waves come. It was really tiring to continuously do those, but I must say that it was truly worth it. It's something I would do again, if I have the time and the funds. An hour of lesson is worth Php 400 and that already includes the surfboard rental. Pretty cheap at first, but if you want to do it again and again, you may have to save up and invest more on this.

Our best shots. Thanks, Kuya Larry! :)

Ronna, Cheska, and myself.
STOKED! :)

 After surfing in the afternoon, we hung out by the beach to wait for sunset. It was really a magnificent view when we came - one of the best I've seen in my life. I love sunsets by the beach. They make me feel more relaxed and feel peaceful, watching them while hearing the waves crash into the shore as well. Me and my friends were chatting while watching then we suddenly realized: Why not make a side trip to Baguio on the next day? It was feasible, since Baguio was just a 2-hour trip from San Fernando. Well, we actually pushed through! But that I would just write about on my next post.

During the course of our trip, we've encountered some bumps here and there, and I guess the following are the tips I could give you (and things I've learned as well) so you could have an awesome backpacking trip like we did!

1. RESEARCH about your trip beforehand. This includes the exact place where you are going, your transportation to and fro (and the schedules), your accommodations, weather conditions, and expenses. Also, find out about their specialties - where to go, what to do, where to eat, what to wear, etc. It would be very helpful if you know someone who's from the place you're going to. That could help you save a lot. If you don't know anyone, there are a lot travel blogs with DIY trips. My personal favorites are SENYORITA and Ambot-ah Travel Blogs :)

2. PLAN everything before you leave your home. This is related to my first tip. Make sure you are ready and check all your things and reservations again. Don't be like us who had the map but still didn't know where we're getting off from the bus. It's nice to get lost from time to time to get the feel of backpacking, but it's not a nice feeling to get lost during the wee hours of the morning!

3. Pack LIGHT, but don't forget the essentials. This is a trick that I haven't mastered yet, because sometimes I nail it, and sometimes I just really overpack. Pack only the things that you really need: toiletries and clothes that are appropriate for your trips. Find out as well if the place where your staying offers the stuff that you forgot to bring, or those that can be lessened from your bag. It's difficult if you forgot some things that can't be bought where you're going. They may be in the form of towels, blankets, etc. I also always bring a jacket and blanket when I'm in long road trips. A friend gave me a blanket that is malong-type, so that is always handy and light to carry.

4. Bring extra money, but try your best to be EFFICIENT. Separate your money and put them in hard-to-find and secure places, such as inner pockets, notebooks, other pouches, etc., just in case of emergency. Extra money is also important just in case you run out and can't find any ATMs where you're going. However, it doesn't mean you have to spend them all. What's great about backpacking trips is that you don't need to go to expensive hotels or eat at expensive, fine dining restaurants to say that your stay was worth it. Try the turo-turo areas or the small stalls, especially if you're in the provinces. Most of the time, they provide the more authentic food from that area. You don't need to stay at expensive hotels as well; you're not going to spend most of your time there anyway.

5. SOCIALIZE. Again, this is a skill I'd have to master. It's nice getting to know the people from the place you're visiting. Try talking to them and getting to know their background. It's a humbling experience as well. During our trip, I came to know more about the instructors just by asking how long they've been teaching surfing. You can trust them, I know. But still, beware of those who take advantage, especially if they know you've got money to pay them.

6. Of course, HAVE FUN! Leave the stress in the metro, take pictures, eat lots of food, commute and get lost; there are a lot of things to do in one day. Have a worry-free trip :)

So there, good enough for a first blog post on travel? Hihi. Baguio post coming up soon! I'll post the links here as well.

ITINERARY

Friday

10 PM - Arrival at Partas Transport

Saturday

12AM - Bus to Urbiztondo

5AM - Arrival at Urbiztondo, Check-in at Circle Hostel, La Union

6AM to 8AM - Rest

8 AM - Prepare for surfing lessons

9 AM to 10AM - Surfing lessons

10 AM to 12 NN - Hang out by the beach

12NN - Lunch

1PM to 3PM - Siesta at Circle Hostel

3PM to 4:30PM - Surfing lessons

4:30 PM to 6PM - Waiting for sunset by the beach

6PM to 7PM - Preparing for dinner

7PM - Dinner

11PM - Time to sleep and get ready for an early trip to Baguio

EXPENSES

Cab to Partas Transport - Php 60

Bus to Urbiztondo - Php 400

Circle Hostel - Php 400

2 hours surfing lesson - Php 1000 (you can cut down on this)

Lunch at Seanymph Restaurant and afternoon snacks - Php 260 (you can cut down on these)

Dinner at Angel and Marie's Place - Php 204

-E

Of 31,536,000 full seconds of awesomesauceness...

They say YOLO, I say Hakuna Matata!

Image from www.butler.edu

For the next few months, I think this blog will change faces - from only receiving stuff to taking risks finally. Can't wait! My dream of being a travel blogger might happen soon enough! Still seems apt for someone living in the quarter-life. See you next week! :)

-E

Of ending 2012 with a bang!

2012 was the Year of the Dragon indeed, as all the luck has been with me this year. And for everything, I am thankful. I keep thinking that this cloud-9 feeling makes me want to stay here forever, but we all have to move on, and keep on dreaming for the future. And with that, thank you 2012. You have been very good, too good, for me. Cheers to the next year ahead, and the next, and the next :)

JANUARY: Birthday celebration with family and friends. Thank you for the surprises! :)

FEBRUARY: A time to connect and bond with old and new friends. Thank you guys for the wonderful times!

MARCH/APRIL: Being in 4 US states in three weeks! Thank you to my family and newly found friends, and to Cocoy :*

MARCH/APRIL: Being in 4 US states in three weeks! Plus, a chance to scratch off from my list one of the most beautiful places in the world. Thank you to my family and newly found friends, and to Cocoy :*

APRIL: Graduation, with lots of twists. Thank you to my classmates, professors and all my mentors who inspired me all the way to the end.

MAY: Start of review for the board exams. Thank you, God, for the energy and determination, and to my reviewmates as well for all the encouragement to continue studying :)

JUNE: The NKOTBSB concert. Though this time, I was far, it was still the most enjoyable night for me! Cannot wait for BSB's new album next year :)

JULY: Our little girl's 18th birthday! Thanks for the great party and the chance to unwind a little bit from review, Nics!

AUGUST: PASSING THE BOARD EXAMS! Need I say more? I'LL BE FOREVER THANKFUL :)

AUGUST: First getaway to Butuan and Cantilan, Surigao del Sur with the college friends. Thank you for the good times! :)

SEPTEMBER: Oathtaking and passing the TOEFL exam. Another big thing to be thankful for :)

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER: Cagayan de Oro/Bukidnon/Camiguin trip with the family. Thank you for the chance to bond with each other! :)

DECEMBER: Get together with the best friends in the world! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, guys! Thanks for the enduring friendship throughout the years! :)

Happy New Year everyone! I pray for more blessings to be showered upon you and your family for 2013. God bless you all! :)

-E

Of being in the season to be (insert adjective here)...

Well hello! Disclaimer: this post may be too self-centered aaaaand uninteresting, thank you very much.

Lots of things uncalled for (in a good way) has happened in the past two months that I have been on hiatus on this blog, but may I just say that I am quite satisfied (except for the fact that I'm totally bankrupt now) with everything. As days during December passed by and since it's only three days before Christmas, I've come to realize that I've already reached a point in my life where I would be obligated to do certain things that are related to this important month of the year. With that, let me just share with you a list that I have produced in my mind these past few days:

Eryka's signs that it is, indeed, Christmas (adult/newly baptized working girl version):

1. Christmas lights and sounds in and around malls
2. People not interested in malls and instead just go to bazaars (which have different names and dates but sell the same stuff anyway)
3. Marks & Spencer paper bags (if you know what I mean)
4. The fact that you are expected to give gifts to EVERYONE because you are 'earning' now
5. Everyday Christmas parties (party with the company, department, high school friends, college friends, other friends, family, other relatives - it just goes on!)
6. Gangnam Style (just because I've been hearing the same song for the past hour from the neighbor's party)
7. Traffic... EVERYWHERE AND ANY TIME OF THE DAY (wastes my gas, money, and time)
8. Bankruptcy

The last two things I wrote, I believe, has what made people not feel the Christmas spirit this year. I've been hearing from my co-workers, family members, and friends, that this is the year that they don't feel the season at all. It is true, anyway, as I even don't feel it that much anymore - in a physical way, that is. I don't think we've been experiencing the December breeze and the heat is just overwhelming! I know that it just irritates all of us that the heat has been combined with traffic, that we don't want to go out of the house anymore. I also believe that the people were more focused on this 'end of the world' phenomenon as it happens before Christmas, and that they were too caught up on what to do or where to go on that day. Plus, there are the national issues such as the RH Bill, Sin Tax Bill, and the Typhoon Pablo. I believe there's been so much negativity around lately...

...except for me!

Despite being too busy balancing life and work (naks!), this is actually the first year that I'm not worried about how I'm not going to be able to give gifts to my loved ones, about how I can't afford to go to parties all the time, and about how I could just go on staring at stuff that I can't buy. Too materialistic? Yeah, I know. But that is the reality of life, and I know I'm not the only one experiencing that. However, this year is a totally different thing. I was happy buying and wrapping gifts to my loved ones and took pride in giving those to them. I just can't explain the joy I'll feel when my mom says "wow" when she sees my gift, because it just ain't any other gift. It's THE GIFT.

Ahh, now I can't wait! Yes, I am excited. And yes, I am positive and happy! 2012 has been a great year for me (but I'll save this one for my end-of-the-year post), and I am optimistic about the coming year! A merry, merry, merry Christmas to all of you!

Of crazy glowsticks, wild dancing and Mark Foster's perfection...

Before I rant about what would probably be the best concert of 2012 (yes, sadly beating my beloved NKOTBSB), I would just like to apologize for not devoting much time to this little nest of mine. Maybe I was still devouring the feeling of being free after months of being jailed in my textbooks and notes. For the weeks that I haven't been showing up here, I was just finishing off my backlogs. namely, all my series. Plus, I have two jobs already, and on to my third (GYEAH!).

Anyway, on that Saturday (I hardly remember what date that was), me and my cousin arrived really early since we only got free seating Upper Box tickets. And yep, we waited that long in sacrifice for good seats. It was a gruesome 3 hours sitting there talking about everything until we talked about nothing, just staring at the stage, waiting for the lights to go out. And out the lights went... but only for the front act. Don't get me wrong, that group did really good, but personally, I think front acts really weren't necessary unless you were that popular. People came to see the group printed on the ticket, with the expected time on it to start as well.

When finally the three most awaited people finally went up the stage, the crowd suddenly rose on their feet, and all those expensive glowsticks being sold inside the coliseum lit up. It was a feast in my eyes, in everyone's eyes.

The stage was simple. It had a tombstone painted on a black backdrop, and there weren't any other fancy stuff aside from the instruments and the light. I wasn't able to memorize the complete order of the setlist, but man, from the time they did their first song all the way to the last, the crowd was one with each other. The first one they performed was Miss You, and when we all saw Mark Foster almost knocking off his piano because of pure awesomeness, we all knew that  it was a night we would never forget. Never have I seen a band so dynamic. The stage was literally filled with all instruments you could never imagine they'll play and experiment with. From the DJ set to the pianos to the maracas - everything was there, and they played them all so nicely! But nicely sure was an understatement. It was more than wild.

Another moment that maybe surprised me was how Mark was going to sing. At first, I was hesitant to attend the concert since being the album was wholly digitalized, I wondered how they were going to perform live. When I heard them the first time at that moment, my view totally changed. They were really good! Mark had the perfect voice, and the others changed the arrangement that was fit for live performance.

While dancing my heart out to every beat they had, at the back of my head I knew that it was going to be a short concert. Their album lasted for an hour, so I thought that night wouldn't even last for two. As my brother recognized the slow melodic intro of Pumped Up Kicks, we knew that we reached the last leg. Everyone was really up on their feet, singing and whistling their hearts out. I think the band made the song last for about six to seven minutes, but still we didn't want to let go of them when they ended. As we went outside the coliseum, people were still going crazy over what just happened. I myself kept saying that it was one hell of a (short) night!

Foster the People was a band. THE BAND. I never imagined I would like a techno-pop-rock band as much as I did for them. I marveled well at what they did in their album, and marveled more when I saw them live. They knew everything about pleasing their audience. Again, pleasing was an understatement. They knew everything to make us all go bonkers with our bodies.

I wish they'd release a new album that would be as great or even greater than Torches. If I would describe that night in one word, I'd say it was definitely cathartic. I literally forgot everything I was thinking about and poured all my emotions into dancing and singing! I sure would like to experience watching them again!

Me (very left), my brother (next to me), and my cousins

Now, did I make up for the lost time? Heeee.