A Sunrise Vignette

I remember the first sunrise that I wished to have seen with you. It was glorious and warm and almost perfect. Almost— because I wanted you by my side. And that one time when the sky was painted with a light shade of pink, I thought you would have loved it. You said it reminded you of the blush on my cheeks. I remember that beautiful Rayleigh, too. That early morning when the eastern sky was a soft blend of purple and blue. The air was cold and I missed the comfort of your hug. God, I lost count of the times I fell for sunrises and the thoughts of you. When will you come back?

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We are all stars

Each day, we wake up consciously or unconsciously wondering which version of us this concrete world will accept. We tiptoe our way on the streets. We watch what we say or do— or not do. Perhaps this is why many prefer the silence of solitude, the earthy smell of mountains, the lapping of waves. Mankind think too much, trying to turn life into one big stage. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But one thing is for sure, we are not in for an audition. We are all stars.

Here’s to beating our Monday blues. ☕️

Alto Peak: A Jungle Parkour Adventure

It is a lot easier to attribute the cityscape when you think of parkour. The rails, the stairs, the ramps and the elevated structures easily became hotbeds for the nascent enthusiast. But how would you feel about parkour in the forest floor?

I’ll tell you what— joie de vivre.

But before we head onto the climax, let’s start with the [not so] easy walk.

I have been hanging out with random hikers in Cebu and I could say that this group of people– put together to face the heights of Ormoc– makes a colourful weekend. Spearheaded by Shiela and Kevin, I along with Jovy, Idol, Ate Sherlyn and Paul were present from Team Bang. Meanwhile, Phil of Laag Bisaya led the pack with Chiara, Rell, Loche and Hardi. The nomads, on the other hand, were nothing short of dull with Shikienah, James, An Jurvel, and Shandy on the troupe.

Upon arriving at Ormoc City port, all 16 hikers from Cebu were geared with excitement for the major weekend escapade. After a quick breakfast and last-minute shopping for our trail and camping essentials, we set out on an hour-long drive to Brgy. Cabintan where we met our guides, Kuya Oheng, Kuya Danny, and Efren. Also joining the fun were two harkor hikers from Leyte, Dave and Ryan.

(Mis)Adventures: Scaling the Mountains of Naga

February has always been special for me— not because of Valentine’s Day but because it’s my birth month. Rumors say that most of the weird ones are born on February and, though I may not completely agree, I have to say they got some of it right. In fact, one of them was weird enough to make the list below. 😉

As a part of my #GrantMyWishThisFeb, I asked my all-time katkat buddy, Shiela, for a Naga adventure as a gift. Naga City is blessed with gorgeous hills and mountains, and it’s a shame that I haven’t set foot on its trail yet. Gladly, she was kind enough to give in to my request. Haha.

After my Bohol escapade we had our Naga adventure all planned out. Shiela and I managed to convince our officemate, Spencer, to come. I originally asked to chase only four peaks, Pangilatan Peak, Magdook Peak, Mt. Naupa, and Kabalas, but Shiela wanted to add Mt. Kabuwan to the list. So off we go.

Thanks to these two for granting my wish. 😉

Allegory

Ours was an allegory of indecision—
Moving one step forward,
Taking two steps back
And love was the tide tickling the sands
Only to retreat
Back to the ocean.

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Written for NaPoWriMo and A to Z challenge. Happy National Poetry Month, everyone!

Cambugsay Healing Hills: Your pit stop in this road called life

We are all mosaic of broken little things, a patchwork quilt of mistakes and missed takes. Some people hide in the hems of denial while others try to embrace these flaws. Some run off to silence, others turn to noise. We’ve heard songs, read poetry, seen art about healing. But do we ever truly heal?

I ended my 2017 fleeing to Binabaje Hills for a sweet escape and I realize there is no better way to welcome the new year than to spend it in the cradle of mother nature. Tucked in the fringes of Alicia is another agri-eco space that is slowly making its name in the tourism scene. Cambugsay Healing Hills, located in Brgy. San Pascual, is a convention of beautiful rolling hills and still waters from the Malingin Dam.

Spell SERENITY.

Coffee and A Little Bit of Pain

I was holding a cup of coffee when I heard her spitting curses from the other room. She was sitting in front of the mirror when I came in, her face buried on a Sylvia Plath. “What happened?” I asked.

She looked at me from her reflection with an expression I couldn’t read, “I’m happy.”

This girl is insane. I try to read her mind but fail. Like I always do.

“It’s too much,” she plainly stated as she flipped through the pages of The Bell Jar. “I keep reading these lines but nothing’s working.”

She has always been fascinated with sad stories and sad songs and everything that has to do with sadness. “What is wrong with being happy?” I asked.

She walked right to me, tiptoed and gave me a kiss. “Nothing, of course. But art doesn’t work that way. I need coffee. And a little bit of pain.”

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It has been a long while blogosphere!! I miss you badly. 😭

I can never say I’ve been out for the reason that life was giving me a hard time because, truth is, I was kicking life in the butt. The past months have been nothing but blessings. And while happiness is not a bad thing, I find it hard to get back into writing. For years my muse fed on sadness and the creatures in the dark. How am supposed to handle this too much joy? Please wait for me. 🍃❤️📝

Finding Simple Joy: A Visit to AO Farm

January was a month for me-time, poetry, and crafts. In the past weeks, I have gone to places but have missed a lot of pages. Hence, I made a promise to laze around with muse.

But, despite the perks of solitude, some things are hard to resist. After an incessant request by Shiela, whose feet are giddy to get back on the trails, we headed to the mountains with Jovy.

Tres Marias out to be one with nature!

2 of 20 Spartan 😀

Binabaje Hills: Fleeing To Nature For A Sweet Escape

If you could ask for one thing at a certain point in your life, what would it be?

On the last remaining days of 2017, I asked for an escape. But the thing about escaping is you never really can. What you get, instead, is a temporary break from life’s shackles and you just have to make the most of it.

Truth is I didn’t intend to write about this trip. I haven’t even shared much about it in social media. It was, of course, one of the sweetest escape I’ve ever had but I wanted the feelings and memories to cling close to me as much as possible. My friends, however, think I’m greedy. *eyes roll*

So here goes a little sneak peak.

***

On normal days, I could just use a long walk or poetry or books or music or coffee. But what happens when your outside world is just as chaotic as the world inside? Where do you go? As for me, I chose to slip away from the busy streets and head into the land of hills that I like to call my second home— Bohol.

I got the idea of this out-of-the-blue escapade from Marc of @theweekdaytraveler, who recently came from a solo trip in Bohol. When he posted the photo of the Binabaje Hills, I knew right then that I had to flee.