Rationalizing Wanderlust

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

-- St. Augustine

Although certainly not exclusively the domain of bespectacled lovers of the written word, traveling is not an easy hobby to pursue. For those who live in the real world, where oil prices are currently inching toward the $200 per barrel mark and so on and so forth, it takes a certain level of financial confidence to be able to indulge your wanderlust and go where the wind may take you. Not to mention, a lot of VL credits, and also a certain amount of chutzpah to convince the head honchos that, yes, you are a very important cog in that well-oiled machine that you helped grease up and that although your time-out might bring about the ruin of the company as they know it, chances are they’ll endure in your absence, and so they need to let you go as you please--or else...

My last trip, albeit a little more "short and sweet" than I would normally care for (it's just a paradox), was certainly an eye-opener. When I saw the never-ending expanse of good ole Mother Nature in all her verdant glory, I felt something deep inside me being quenched, like a ripple swelling from inside out, saturating the weary soul. And it felt goodah!

I may have been a bit flippant in the past about serial traveling, but I realize that traveling can only do you good. No duh. But seriously now. Notwithstanding the present economic pickle we're all in that demands a little more effort from each of us in terms of conscious consumerist deliberation, if you should find yourself at a crossroads of sorts and faced with the question, “To go or not to go?” there’s only one way to rationalize it:

If you can, go.

Like them Nike ads say, just do it. End of story. And if you do your homework right, it’s gonna be well worth it. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

-- Mark Twain

I like to be prepared for the future, thank you very much.

Something to help you with homework...

Available in Powerbooks branches everywhere. Grab a copy if you can. You can’t help but fall in love even more with the Philippines after seeing what’s inside.

Bicol Express

It is in the compelling zest of high adventure and of victory, and in creative action, that man finds his supreme joys.

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Happy Guilt Trip!

Which would be more excruciating:

To want what you cannot have?

Or to want what you want, which you can have but know you don't really need and would probably be better off not having (which then makes you want it even more)?

Gaaah! Why oh why did the concept of want ever have to come to being anyway? As if that wasn't enough to give you a minor heartburn, there's freedom of choice waving in your face the proverbial noose with which to hang yourself. Ack. This indecisive war between the id and superego, between desire and responsibility, is killing you. You're positively writhing inside. And it's all your own doing.

***

But it's great, you think, that you're made to come to terms with such things. Through the distress of contemplating battles with the self comes the Trojan Horse of a boon, a welcome respite reminding you of what you have and have had.


You have had the time of your life. Whatever's gone down in the past so far, you know this much remains true. And for this, you will always be grateful.

And yet you sit there nursing your designer coffee, whining about how the past is getting old, and clamoring for más y más.


Maybe that's the beauty of experience. Maybe it's human nature to want more than what you have in your hands. Others are not so lucky. A few will probably never be.

And really, you have to admit that sometimes, you don't even deserve it. At least not all of it. Maybe not all in one big go.

But dammit, you want it. You want it. Heaven help you. You just don't know how bad you got it.

Then again, maybe you shouldn't try to find out...


Happy April Fools', everyone.

Life's A Beach

Hunger hurts but starving works
When it costs too much to love...

- lyrics from "Paper Bag" by Fiona Apple

During a trip to Palawan with a few friends last year, I asked Greg as we were sitting out on the porch of the rustic beach house we were renting about something that my mind just wouldn't lay to rest. Earlier that day, we had toured the myriad of islands in El Nido and by golly, the view that stretched out in front of me was so sublime that my eyes hurt. I was so struck by the blinding beauty of the place that the question I posed only made sense: "What is it that makes places like this a thing of universal beauty?" That is, if there is even such a thing.

Much like moral relativism, I believe in the plurality of aesthetic values, in how something to which one ascribes beauty as a natural truth can be viewed quite differently by another. But certainly, at the key moment of recognition, there was no question in my mind as to whether El Nido was beautiful. No ifs, no buts, no maybes. I'm saying this now because prior to our arrival in Palawan, I had expected the rave reviews of El Nido to be overrated, that maybe the budding tourist trap was not all that it's cracked up to be. Now I know that to cradle thoughts to the negative was a sacrilege. To even acknowledge such a question could exist in the realm of the natural world was unimaginable. And that was what got me wondering, exactly what was it that made imagining so difficult.


To this day, I still have no idea.

And really, all I wanted to do was just post pics of some of the things that got me asking that question again today. But of course, I had to have an opening. =P

Anguilla

Nevis

Tangiers, Morocco

Capri

Amalfi, Italy

St. Barts

This is why people like me work like dogs. Because you never know when it's gonna be the day that the cosmos might decide to go nuts and give you your lucky break. C'est si bon!


Photos courtesy of Wimco Villas. The Conde Nast-winning villa and boutique hotel reservations company has an ongoing essay contest wherein you stand a chance to win a US$1000 credit on your villa vacation. Check out their official site and MySpace profile for more information.

Quo Vadis, Bora Une?

This is my current shoutout in Friendster. Got it from KR, who in turn quoted Alex Garland:

..And me, I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for, 'cause it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something, and if you find that moment... it lasts forever... - The Beach

I will miss 2006. Maybe not today, 'cause 2007 is still kicking and screaming and beating down my door, and it's all good. But at least when the happy storm has passed (and by some freak accident I delete all the pics in my PC from that era), I will still have this to come back to.

Palawan Chronicles: Short and Sweet

(...chronicling for real)

So here are the pictures from the Palawan trip. Of course, these aren't representative of the entire trip. For presentation sake (or rather, because of this particular slideshow template's limited capabilities), these are basically the highlights of the show.

I really need to get going in a while (it's way past my bedtime). So I guess this post is really a working file of sorts. I'll post details as soon as I can scrounge up some downtime from behind my boss' back. Peace, Pat!

Palawan Chronicles

I should be finishing the damn deliverable. But random memory pop-ups of last month's trip won't let me get on with my neatly set schedule, all of which boils down to "Finish the damn deliverable."

*Sigh...* Palawan. Can anything in the rest of the thousands of beautiful islands in the PH compare?





More to come. Abangan.

The Wannabe Travel Fiend In Me Just Had To Advertise

Grabe, so many more places to see! Dang it, why wasn’t I born rich? Why? Wwwwhhhhhhhyyyyyy?!?!?

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Revelations, Revelations

~written on December 31, 2006

I’ve calmed down a bit. It’s been a little over half a day since I received the final wake-up call of the year to date, after all.

I don’t think I can take any more surprises today, the official end of twenny-oh-six. I figure fate probably couldn’t hand me any more shockers in the next 12 hours coz I’m shutting myself off from civilization long enough to enjoy a nice New Year’s Eve with the fam. Kind of like trying to start the coming year with a clean slate.

I’ve been neglecting posting updates these past few weeks on account of work and preparations for my pilgrimage to the homefront. Anyhoo, in the interest of making a neat summary of my two-week sabbatical thus far, I’ve come to the following agreements with reality:


1. If you’re the hero of your own story, others will always be the bad guy. At some point, everyone takes their turn at trying to make life a little more complicated for you. And I do mean everyone.

2. If the market seems too bullish to be true, it probably is. Look before you leap. Don’t assume your stock will always soar.

3. I am Cold Fish. Normally, I’d go for Ice Princess or the proverbial Girl-on-the-Pedestal or something equally privileged-sounding. But I feel I’ve been a tad too generous to myself this year. Time to make like Calvin Klein and get hard-core minimalist.

4. Sometimes you’re on top, sometimes you’re not. And sometimes others need the prize more than you.

5. Every dog has its day. Just hope that yours comes at the time you need it the most.

6. Muay Thai is always a good idea, especially if you’re feeling the need to beat someone to a bloody pulp. Trust me, a mental picture won’t be enough. Of course, this doesn't mean that I condone violence. Like the ladies in the beauty pageants, I wish for world peace.

7. Secrets are a fine thing. Everyone should tuck away at least a couple funny ones to smile to for times when life seems a little less fantastic than usual.

8. You can’t blame parents for being how they are. You may be right, but they know best. Usually, anyway. Or at least until you become one yourself.

9. Despite your best efforts, you can’t change society. It’s either get with the program, or get your walking papers. Good luck to you too, Oprah.

10. Consider this: You’re strolling along downtown minding your own beeswax when all of a sudden, one by one you run into each member of your family, plus a few outliers in your family tree (i.e., baby-ridden relatives you see only at weddings and religious holiday parties). And get this, all in the space of 5 minutes. It’s enough to make you go off your rocker. But if your own uber-overprotective dad bumps into you at a time you least need to be conspicuous and at which you took pains to go incognito, then you know it’s time to pack your bags and skedaddle. There’s no such thing as anonymity in downtown Zamboanga City.


Happy 2007, everyone!

can hardly wait for Omar to burn the soundtrack of our lives

Oh God. I’m having flashbacks of that lazy afternoon under the palm trees in Bora. Even under the shade, I was sweating buckets as the sweltering heat made siesta impossible. But man oh man, was it perfect. Forgive the cliché but I swear to God, it was THE life to live.

My Top 5 for a Tanned and Grand Summah

1) Waterwaterwater!
Pitchers upon pitchers of ICE COLD H2O. Need I say more? For obvious reasons, this is the one thing I cannot do without, especially during summer. No amount of Condura power can beat the sheer satisfaction that quenching deep-down body thirst brings. Fuels your sizzle without the drizzle.

2) Bring on the bling, baby!
Whether they be plastic baubles, ethnic/wooden neckwear, or sparkly capiz trinkets, piling on beach accessories is a surefire way to make you feel like the summer goddess that you are. Corollary: This is the time to indulge in all things pastel and nautical. If you're usually the ball-busting power dresser in corporate-landia, you now have an excuse to dress up a la Charlotte York of SATC (but still kick ass in the boardroom). Maybe instead of piling on the pearls, you can opt for some rockin' capiz charms.



3) Gyming!
Nothing like kicking butt indoors so you can kick butt outdoors, coz that's what summer is all about, baby! Remember to load up on water so you won't exercise yourself into a tizzy. For the more adventurous, this is the best time to embark on that Muay Thai class you've been meaning to get into for the longest time. Of course, there are other less disfiguring options, like that new craze called Zipping. Best taken up down Boracay way.

4) Hit the road, bustah!
You don't have to go to the beach to enjoy the summer. Even just going on a joyride about town will do wonders for your cooped-up-too-long-in-the-office self. So long as you're with a fun bunch, or even with your summer honey, you can never go wrong. You can get lost, but hey, it's summertime. Anything's bound to be fun as long as you don't totally lose your head. Just get yo' ass off that couch, like, ahora mi amiga!

5) Click away!
What's a fantabulous summer if you don't have the mementoes to show for it? Just like any other time of the year, one must lug around a trusty device that can capture instantaneous, precious moments in a flash. Even more so in the summer, coz in theory at least, it's the time you're given license to go nuts and be at your ditziest. And what's more photo-worthy than that? If you don't have a decent snapper at hand (like moi), you can always hang around people who do. Then you can hog the camera and guarantee that your summer adventures will forever be etched not only in memory.

Be seeing yah, peeps!

Summer Lovin'

galera, baby!


my girls and i partying to beachside beats

This is quite overdue. The "Walero" posse and I had a grand time catching the rays at good ole Galera. I had a blast faking a crawl by splashing about in shallow waters. Of course, how could I also resist showing Mylene, Karen, and Jubert my dog paddle? And let me not forget, the beach tiangge was divine! Now if I'd only brought enough moolah to score myself more loot.. Hopefully, an encore sometime in May will curb this summer hankering of mine. In the meantime, summer is spent indoors playing badminton. After working hours.. I so miss the palamunin life.

almost there...