blogging frustration

i haven't blogged in so long and i get frustrated because i really want to preserve all these memories.

and then i come to realize that i'm actually living and absorbing them, and then everything's okay.

i just want to really really put them all here so that i never forget and so that i have something to look at for inspiration when i need it.

#thinkingaloud

my 2011 in a nutshell

2011 was the year when:

i sang at ccp again with some of the most awesome asian folks one will ever meet

 

i started hitting the gym and got hooked!

 

i celebrated 30 wonderful years of being alive

i zoomed to baguio for a refreshing and energizing break masked in a beautiful union of souls. also got to know some friends better during this trip.

i bonded with workmates in laiya, tagaytay and calatagan. the start and end of my many beach and out-of-town trips this year.

 

i had (almost) monthly dinners with harkadah and enjoyed every minute of it. i know it took a lot of effort from all of us, but that effort was what made each one so special!

i went to ilo-ilo, bacolod, guimaras and aklan, and bonded with some of my tightest friends (now known as the wandersluts) over roadtrips, foodtrips and visita iglesia for the holy week. a lifetime first!(fortunately, they all were also good photographers so our photos were fantastic!)

  

i experienced boracay for the first time with some of the most awesome people. (it surely won't be the last.) wouldn't have had it any other way:)

 

i was exposed to cinemalaya. and fell in love with it. it's a parallel universe, totally.

i gained a new sister :)

 

i trotted to europe with friends (aka bagneux brigade) to attend one of my best buddies' wedding. it was a grand excuse to escape and be an excited vagabond once again!

 

 

i flew to cebu and sailed with some of my oldest and newest friends and their little families

i reconnected and renewed bonds with friends of old (and new!)

i became instrumental in making history and singing with a thousand voices in THE araneta colloseum for THE ryan cayabyab

 

i became part of some stage productions that required other things apart from singing sacred music

 

i had a most intimate christmas with the people who most mattered

 

... aaaand i could go on and on.

all in all, 2011 was pretty gorgeous. i'm grateful especially for the chance to travel, which affirms that indeed, i am not limited to just one place/culture/group, etc. i like that feeling of being a person of the world.

ages ago, i stuck a note on my cubby door, which is the first thing i see when i wake up, to remind me to look back on the day that passed and just be grateful for at least 3 things.

and everyday, i'd never stop at 3.

here's to hoping your year was as blessed as mine! i'm ready and excited for the next one!

cheers!

cebu

i have been blessed this year with many travels and although i have not blogged about most of them (can you imagine having to sift through all those photos??), i feel like i should blog about this last trip that i had. like right now, before i forget.

 this trip was extra  unforgettable because: 

1. i don't get to go on out of town trips around the philippines that much, and 

2. i don't get to spend time with my high school boys as often as before

it's different traveling with the people who i literally grew up with. as in some of them i've known since prep. i've seen them through childish antics, bigotillos, soirees and recently, fatherhood. it was surreal and educational at the same time because well, you realize how much everyone has matured and because of that, you see the world differently somehow. 

having that sense of responsibility is another thing that i was exposed to on this trip. i admired them knowing my friends now live not just for themselves but for others. that they are now responsible for a person was so amazing for me. i used to get irritated with kids crying inflight, but i now empathize with the parents and how hard it could be to hush their babies when the little ones get restless.

all in all my trip has been a blast! i have a lot to say and my thoughts are so random that i'll probably just let it sink in a bit more. i'll maybe just add to this some other time. i'll let the photos talk for now.

our view of the ocean from our hotel

my very first underwater shot

the freshest seafood. before this trip, i thought these shells were only meant to be displayed. i now know that you display them after you've eaten them.

 

 prenups, anyone?

the hat and the 'yacht'  just called for this contrabida shot:

the cast with their mini-me's and mars'

cruisin' the pacific ocean (or is it the philippine sea? eh, whatevs!)

 

tender sunset moment: nerissa and franco

fresh caught scallops baked to perfection!

i want this clock!

city view from the top

 

fantastic special cebu lechon de leche on a bmw: a treat from bowie

 

taoist temple

while the girls shopped for accessories, the guys chased after the kids

magellan's cross

short but sweet easy going night.

magellan-lapu-lapu shrine

this video captures the essence of the trip so much more. credits to joel g for this! as of press time, my video has been roughly edited, left and forgotten. i promise to post it in this lifetime.

plants vs zombies, kenneth cobonpue, special lechon de leche in a bmw convertible, white islands 'cruise ship', no problem restaurant, milo cereal, sinderella bikini bar, regla day care, sm hypermart, flat tops, jack coke, hola españa, paella negro, wine, cheese and pizza, PCSO, nikki gil coke commercial, 'mars, the late garlic rice, leia, aidan, franco, bea, AA bbq, crispy pata & gel, spicy longganisa, danggit, jellyfish, thackz, bowie, 'envy', clothes minded.

 

cebu. 10.27.11 - 11.1.11