South Cebu Trip

Sabi ng officemate ko, kung gusto mo mangyari ang inaasam mo, isulat mo ito. As in long hand. At lagi nangkakatotoo ang mga sinulat niya. Last January, I did that. Wala naman mawawala. And one on those list is to travel more.

 

Hindi ko naman aakalain na wala pang 2 months ang lumipas, ko-quota pala ako sa pagtravel. Pagpasok pa lang Feb, isang week lang ko nabakante then the rest of the month wala ako sa bahay. Most of my travel are work related. But this particular trip, nataon na holiday. So we decided na instead bumalik pa uli sa Manila then balik uli since may need pang daanan, we used our free day for the lakwatsa day.

 

It's not my first time in Cebu. My first airplane experience in 2014 was my 3 days stay in Cebu. First flight, then ako lang mag-isa ang mag travel. I still remember that day na para akong Grade 1 pupil in her 1st day of class. Hinatid pa ako ng Mudra ko sa airport hahaha kasi 5 am ang flight and since 1st time nga, 3 am pa lang nasa airport na ako (2 hours before the flight diba). I just followed the people around me and matiwasay naman ako na nakasakay. Hindi nga lang pinalad na mapunta sa window seat. Pero super nerbyos ako  nung mga panahon na yun hanggang sa paghahanap sa pilahan ng taxi at pagpunta sa hotel.

 

Fast forward to 2016, I was back last Feb sa Cebu dahil sa work. That week, 2 days kami sa Bacolod then diretso sa Cebu. Kung nung first trip ko, I saw the whole Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City, this time around, I got to experience the rural side of Cebu province. I realized in this trip na there are so much more to explore sa Cebu.

 

The official 1st day sa Cebu, we went agad sa Dalaguete - a 3 hour drive away from Cebu City. After we passed Carcar, you will see on the left side of the road the sea. So what's so special sa dagat, e we have Manila Bay naman. Ang linis ng dagat sa Cebu! It's like the blue sea is inviting you to swim agad agad. While looking nga for a computer shop, nakikita ko na yung dagat, sabi ko na lang sa kasama ko, ikaw na lang maghanap, gusto ko na mag swimming, hahaha. Syempre hindi ko naman ginawa yun. I just have to wait.

 

After the work sa Dalaguete, we decided to stay in Oslob instead na we go back pa sa Cebu City. Oslob is 1 hour away to Dalaguete. Lumapas pa kami sa sunod na town which is Sandater, kaya nakarating na kami sa resort na pinagstayan namin ng 7 pm. Dahil siguro holiday kinabukas, fully book ang mga private room and we have no choice but to stay sa dorm type room. Then after we settle, we planned naman our itinerary for the next day.

 

Day 2 in Cebu - Oslob.

We started our day with the whale sharks. Shocks pag kasama mo na sila sa dagat, feeling mo kakainin ka nila pero hindi naman. Super laki lang ng butanding na ayaw mong lumapit sa kanya. Swimming with the whale shark costs P 500 per person. And if you just want to watch lang sa bangka, you will have to pay P 300. Since nandun ka na rin, edi swim with the whales na ang piliin dapat. Kailangan pa ba pag-isipan? If you want to have souvenir photos, you may rent action camera for P 500, for that specific activity lang. Pero parang wala lang din naman kasi wala kami matino na photos, so sad.

 

After namin magpakasawa sa whale shark (chos lang, 30 minutes lang namin siya nakapiling), sa pool naman kami ng resort nagpakasawa lumangoy while waiting sa kasama namin na galing pa Manila for the Canyoneering. Medyo nagkaroon pa kami ng confusion sa canyoneering na yan. So tip sa mga magbabalak, ang retail price (parang sari-sari store lang) is now P 1500 including na environment fee, local taxes, tour guide (though may voluntary tip pa depende sa feelings niyo sa guide), vest, helmet and shoes (if you don’t have and may kasya) - this price is effective March 15 daw sabi ng tour guide namin.  For us, ang budget for each is Php 1100 plus 250 each kasi nagrent pa kami ng sasakyan from Oslob to Alegria. The travel is roughly 1 to 1 and a half hour, depende sa driver.

 

The real highlight ng Cebu experience, hindi lang sa akin kundi sa buong group, was the canyoneering. Kung ano yung hindi ko ginawa sa Sagada, which is the cave connection, sabi ng officemate ko, level 1 lang yun compared sa ginawa namin sa Cebu. Actually wala talaga akong idea sa gagawin namin. Alam ko lang may tatalunan na falls pero parang may choice ka kung tatalon ko or hindi. At isang beses lang. Pero I was wrong. I did not imagine na buwis buhay pala ang activity na ito!

 

Pagdating sa Alegria, nagchange outfit kami then lagay yung mga safety gears. Then 10 minute habal-habal ride papunta sa ilog. Actually hindi ko alam yung area na yun. Gow with the flow na lang. We arrived around 2 pm. Pagbaba sa motor, lakad ng slight pababa hanggang sa makarating sa ilog na puro bato. Pinagpost kami saglit ni Kuya Guide (I forgot his name, my bad) for a picture (special thanks kay kuya driver na nakalimutan ko din ang name, sorry naman, pinahiram niya kami ng action cam. Buti may micro SD kasama ko) then start na ng pagtalon. Yes, walang pasintabi, talon agad. Wala ka choice kundi tumalon. I was the 3rd one to jump. Feeling ko nun, shet baka tumama ulo ko sa bato, or baka yung paa o mainjure pagtalon. Pero bahala na. Jump na lang kasi pag mas pinatagal mo pa, aayaw ka na. So I jumped and ouch, ang higpit ng vest ko (no further explanation here). Ouch talaga ang una kong nasabi pero ang saya lang, you feel liberated after the jump.

 

Dahil nagjump, you have to swim, buti na lang nabanat sa swimming ang katawan ko earlier kasi laking tulong na nasanay ka sa pagkawag ng paa at kamay. Hassle nga lang kasi if you are in eyeglasses, you have to remove it everytime magjump at swim ka. The priceless moment here was you get to enjoy the surroundings while swimming. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam ng tubig, malamig, malilim pa, at higit sa lahat, super linis ng tubig! Hindi lang yung paikot ikot ka lang sa pool or dagat (dahil di marunong lumangoy). Lahat ng phobia mo dito mawawala. On my part, I'm really afraid to swim na walang naapakan. Kaya kahit I somehow know how to swim, I never tried to go beyond 6 feet. Feel ko nalulunod na ako nun. I never tried din ang mag jump, kasi nga baka ma injured ako, or malunod uli.

 

So for 3 long hours, jump, swim, walk, jump, swim, walk, rock climbing, slide, swim, repeat until fade, nakarating din kami sa 3rd level ng Kawasan Falls. This time, wala ng jump pero may swim pa rin para katulay sa kabilang lupa. Then lakad uli sa 2nd level then 15 minutes later, finally, nasa end na kami ng Kawasan Falls! Pagdating sa dulo, super pagod to the maximum levels. That was 5:30 pm na. Sabi nga sa amin ni Kuya Driver, ang bilis daw namin. Sabi ko, bawal kasi ang pabebe. Nagmamadali mga kasama ko kasi baka dumilim na. Canyoneering, to date, is my top 1 best experience in my life, not only in 2016. Parang isang milestone ang na-achieve ko on that moment.

 

Day 3 - Sibonga, Cebu

After ng work-related activity for that day, we went to Simala Church, in Sibonga, South Cebu, 1 hour away to Oslob. Medyo paloob pa yung Simala Church pero once nandun ka na sa façade, feel mo nakakita ka ng isang palasyo. Super lawak niya na may garden pa sa gitna. Mahigpit ang mga bantay dito at kailangan sumunod sa dress code.    Hindi pwede ang naka tsinelas or shorts. Pinatapis nga ng guard yung shoal sa isang babae na naka dress na above the knee. Isa lang ang reklamo ko sa Cebu, mapa town or city - super init. Iba nag init sa kanila.

 

Anyway, pagpasok sa loob ng simbahan, patapos na ang rosary in Cebuano. Hindi ganun kalaki yung simbahan, unlike sa lawak ng buong palasyo. Then mga 10 minutes later nagmisa na. Syempre Cebuano version uli pero ang nakakatuwa yung katabi ko, ang lakas ng boses, feeling ko dinadamay na niya ako  every time need ng response. Yun nga lang, hindi ko na-gets homily. Keri na rin kasi I feel blessed na, thanks kay Nanay na katabi ko.  After the mass, nag-lit kami ng candle then meron sila doon na malaking prayer room. Nasagot na rin yung big question ko, may malawak silang entrance going to the prayer room then need na tangalin ang sapatos. Hindi na kami pumasok sa loob dahil hassel pa magtanggal ng shoes, and we were bound to Cebu City na. I never imagine yung laki ng funds nila to make that church. Maski nga sa Manila, we don’t have like that.

 

After our South Cebu trip, I can say that this was the most adventurous trip ever. I didn’t expect na kaya ko palang tumalon sa falls with 30 feet high, or got to swim with whale sharks. If I were to ask if I will do it again, I will definitely say YES!

 

 

Love, 

Cherry

*Sabi pala ni Mars Google, Kanlaob River sa Alegria pala yung binabaan namin and we do the downstream canyoneering. Taray may pa trivia pa diba? Then yung end ng stream is in Kawasan Falls in Badian.

Feeling Sad

I am sad.

Natapos  na ang holiday feels. Yung tipong dapat default na masaya ka. Kasi lahat ng nasa paligid mo, feel mo ang kasiyahan. Kahit na ikaw deep inside hindi magawang magsaya. Ika nga ng sa status sa FB: "Cherry is feeling :) - happy," pero feeling lang. Hindi "Cherry is happy." See the difference?

Sometime in highschool, habang waiting sa teacher namin for the next subject, one classmate asked me randomly: "Cherry bakit parang wala kang problema?" Sabi ko na lang, "huh?". Chill-chill lang daw kasi ako. Sabi ko na lang, "Ano ka ba, meron din naman, di lang halata." Pero napaisip na lang ako, ano ba ang dapat pinoproblema ng mga ka-edad ko noon? Boyfriend? Well, technically, may nagpapakilig sa akin noon, di ko naman masyadong inidibdib. Pera? Hindi man kami mayaman, sapat naman na yung pera namin para sa aming pamilya. Studies? Pwede dahil dito kasi kailangan ma-maintain ang grades kasi strict ang parents. Hindi e. Sa totoo lang wala. Until makagraduate ng ako at magsimulang magtrabaho, steady lang talaga.

Fast forward to my 25th birthday. I'm still in denial na I reached the quarter life assuming na I will live for 100 years. Another milestone na dapat. Pero bakit ganun, wala man lang akong na-achieved? Yung mga ka-age ko, kung hindi nakapag travel around the world, married na (yung iba with kids pa), or nakagraduate na ng MA. For 2 months, I immediately dismissed the thinking all of that. Kung baga sa Sims 3 (na currently kinaadikan ko ngayon), nagawa ko yung isa sa goals ko kaya ecstatic ang mood ko for 2 months. And now, wala na yung effect ng ecstatic mood, kaya I'm feeling sad. Nagiging matampuhin ako agad. I seek attention. Bakit ako wala nun? :( Bat di niyo ako niyaya. Sa mga naka mute sa FB Message and di ko nirereplyan, now you know.

Sana like Sims, 48 hours lang ang effect ng "feeling sad mood" ko. At para maging happy uli ang Sims kailangan may ma-achieve na Lifetime Goals.  And one of my lifetime goals is to maintain my blog. Hay nako, ang drama much ng post na ito. Give niyo na ito sa akin.

 Looking forward for more good vibes year. I won't list promises or resolutions para hindi na naman ako mabigo. I don’t know, pero pag I failed something I feel brokenhearted. Parang nakipag break lang sa jowa. </3. I'll just embrace this new year with open arms. GV and Love, love, love lang.

Love,

Cherry

Ang Pagbabalik

I’m back!

I miss writing. Nang kung anu-ano lang. Mapa-diary man, o pa-deep na mga sanaysay. Bakit nga ba ako huminto sa pagsusulat… Siguro, writer’s block. Sobrang habang writer’s block na  umabot ng 2 taon. Imagine, 2 years of no writing? Feeling ko kinakalawang na ako. O wala naman talagang kakalawangin kasi hindi naman ako magaling. :( Feeling writer lang ako.

Enough of my emo introduction. What did I do while I’m on hiatus?

Travel, watch movies, makipagkulitan kay Imma and many more. Oh before I forgot, I’m a Tita again. This time, to my 2nd sister. Baby boy uli. Certified kuya na si Nigel. I will elaborate all of my 2015 happenings in due time. Hehehe. Sasamantalahin ko na ang nalalabi kong Christmas break.

My resolution this coming 2015 is that I be a regular in blogging again. So expect more post this 2016. :)

Love,

Cherry

My Baby Nigel

Last Thursday, nagcelebrate ang aking baby Nigel ng kanyang 2nd birthday. Imagine, 2 years na kaming kinukulit ng aming baby boy. Pero kahit makulit siya, super nakakatuwa ang mga innocent actions niya. Na minsan feeling ko sinasadya niya yung mga kalokohan niya.

Here are the things I love about my baby Nigel:

1. Everytime he calls me TITA. - right after naka-upo na siya, excited na kaming pasalitain siya. Mga 6 months na  yata siya nun ng nagpipilit na rin siyang magsalita, indications na madaldal siya. So timuruan namin siyang bigkasin ang MAMA. Super tuwang tuwa kami ng mabigkas niya yun. Parang super achievement na namin yun hehe. So lahat ng kakilala niya, ang tawag niya ay Mama. Dahil doon, ang naging next lesson niya is ang pagbigkas naman ng TITA. Medyo effort nga lang kami sa pagtuturo sa kanya. But super bright ng baby namin, nasabi naman niya ang Tita, pronounced as TEE-TAH.

2. Power Hug niya everytime masayang-masaya siya. - Last Sunday sinama ko siya sa SM then we ate sa Jollibee. Tuwang tuwa kasi nakita niya yung mascot ni Jollibee.  Sakto kasing may birthday celebration sa Jollibee ng pumunta kami. Naglalakad pa lang kami, Jabee na ng Jabee si Nigel. At ng nagpakita na ang mascot, nagpakarga na siya sa akin and tuwang tuwa ng makitang sumasayaw si Jollibee. Kaya ayun, hindi na ako makahinga sa kanyang power hug.

3. Kanyang random sentences - such as Aba! (Kapag ayaw niya yung ginagawa sa kanya.); Eto naman kasi eh! (Kapag pinapagalitan ko siya at sisihin niya ang tunay na may kasalanan); Wag lipat (Siya na may-ari ng TV namin. Ayaw palipat ng channel pag nanonood siya.) at marami pang ibang spur of the moment words niya,

4. Future Singer - Fave niya yung theme song ng Two Wives at Be Careful With My Heart. At pag narining niya yun, kukuhain niya yung remote control then tatayo siya saka kakanta with matching pikit ng mata. One time nanood kami ng My Cactus Heart sa Cinema One, then sa scene ni Matteo na kumakanta ng Kaba, ayun, kinuha ang remote then sumasayaw sayaw pa. Suddenly narealized ko na fave nga niya pala yung kanta ni Maya. 


For now, yan pa lang ang mga i-list ko sa hundreds of reasons why I love Nigel. 

To my baby, your Tita will love you forever. Pakabait ka ah para lagi tayong punta sa Jollibee! :) Mwuah!



Love,
Cherry

My New Year's Resolution

I always write my New Year's Resolution annually. At kailanman hindi ako nagtatagumpay sa halos lahat ng items sa list ko. At heto na naman ako, gagawa na naman ako ng listahan. Good luck to me, and before the year 2013 ends, I'll go back to this post and let's see if nagawa ko ang lahat ng nakalista dito.



My 2013 Resolution:

1. Read at least 2 books per month and will write review on it. Well, I read many books din naman this 2012 kaso hindi ko naman nililista. And super tamad ko mag review lately, obvious ba na ang konti lang ng post ko nitong 2nd half ng 2012. 

2. Will watch at least 2 movies in cinemas every month and try to write a "matinong" review. Lately, nahilig kaming mag watch ng movies ng mga friends ko kaso tamad akong mag document. This year I will write reviews sa mga napanood kong films. I minimize ko na rin ang pagiging bakla ko sa mga review post ko. Sana magawa ko.

3. Be on time in ALL engagements. And I mean ALL talaga. Mapa-work, meeting with friends, personal ganap and lakads. Dati naman best in being early bird ako, kaso nakakawalang gana din if most of the people around you is best in late naman. Nonetheless, it should not be the reason for my tardiness kasi paano na lang tayo aasenso niyan if ganyan ang thinking ng lahat ng tao. 

4. Keep a personal diary and diligently write an entry everyday. Nagawa ko naman to for the past 3 years, kaso wala akong planner this year so tinamad na akong bumili. Since my 2 akong planner ngayong taon, kailangan mapuno ko ito ng memories.  

5. Save, save, SAVE. I have so many plans starting this year and I need a lots of moolah. 

6. Blog more often. Bilang tamad-tamaran ako this past few years, I will try my best to blog at least 5 post every month. Seryoso po ako ditey.

7. Greet my special love ones on their special day. Sign of aging yata pero medyo nakakalimutan ko ang mga birthday ng mga friends ko. Kung hindi pa dahil sa FB na naka-sync sa phone ko, hindi ko pa malalaman na malapit na pala ang mga special day nila. So this year, I will see to it na magiging extra special ang birthday nila.

8. Be more organize sa work. Medyo toxic sa work lately but this coming 2013, I will be more organize with the help of my planner and OneNote.

9. Treat my family at least once a month. I want to be extra sweet and close to my family this coming 2013. Feel ko lang magpa-sweet this year.

10. Learn how to cook complicated dishes. Napansin ko lang na lately, bati na kami ng kutsiyo kasi hindi na ako nasusugatan everytime I try to cook. So I will took it as a sign na matutong magluto. hehe And dahil ambisyosa ako, I will try to cook not the simple dishes but yung mga pang Master Chef levels. 

11. Be good. This includes the following: 
a. Not swearing especially in front of Nigel and Manu (Napakasaklap na ginagaya ni Nigel ang mga sinasabi ko like: "Aba! and Ito kasi kasi eh!"); 
b. If I'm angry I will not speak things that I will regret in the end; 
c. Avoid gossiping;
d. Mellow down my voice especially when I'm mad; and lastly
e. Avoid having a fight with my sister Charina (LOL)

12. Start to write a book. Though hindi pa naman siya priority for this year, at least I should think of what would be my first book be all about.

13. Visit at least 2 places that I haven't been to, preferably outside Manila. I just want to explore new places and enjoy life. In short, gala lang talaga ako. hehe


Hmm.. more on career, personal growth ang resolution ko for 2013. How about a love life?

Grace asked me 3 days ago if kamusta na daw love life ko. I answered: "Love life is not a priority for the next 5 years." Sa totoo lang, I don't want to look for love. If the right time comes for me to fall in love, so be it. But I won't be like others na can't live without it. Besides, I am full of love from my family, friends and my nephew(s), Nigel and soon Manu.



Love,
Cherry

Sharing: I'd Date Me by Jessica Zafra

(Note: Flo posted this in FB some time in September. I just want to share it to you girls. I repeat, this essay is not mine. How I wish!)


I'd Date Me 


I am intelligent, independent, semi-famous, well-read, responsible, and I have a good sense of humor. I can talk about anything, and I can also talk about nothing and make it sound like something. And as you can glean from the previous statements, I do not have a problem with self-confidence.

If I were a guy, women would be launching themselves at me in great numbers. They would be camping out on my doorstep, begging me to father their children. However, I am a girl, and the exact same qualities that would make me an attractive man cause guys to run screaming in the opposite direction. 

Apparently there is something about me that causes their testosterone secretions to dry up and their facial hair, among other body parts, to retract or fall off. When I was younger I thought it was because of my looks. I went through agonies of self-loathing. I couldn’t look at mirrors: I was too fat, too ugly, too repulsive. Cosmetic surgery would not begin to address my woes-I wanted my brain transplanted to another body, preferably Michelle Pfeiffer’s or Kim Basinger’s.

As I grew older I realized that not only did the problem lie elsewhere, but it wasn’t even my problem.There are women out there with more unprepossessing features, more prodigious butts, and bigger thighs than I do, and they get guys. I would be the last person on earth to mock the members of my gender-well, maybe not the last-but some of those women are ugly. They have no trouble finding boyfriends because they know how to treat guys. They make men feel like men.

I make the average man feel like a worm. I make him feel like an inadequate mass of protoplasm that I’m going to slice up and use as compost.

The problem is not that I’m intelligent, independent, semi-famous, well-read, funny and confident. The problem is that I’m more intelligent, independent, semi-famous, etcetera than the average guy.(oo na feeling na) Let’s not pull our punches here-than most guys.

Yes, the women’s liberation movement has helped produce more enlightened men. Yes, men are becoming more attuned to their feminine side and dealing with their true feelings. But the fact remains that guys still want to rule. It’s the way they were made and the way they were brought up, and if you don’t cooperate, you’re an emasculating bitch. Men want to feel that they’re running the show, and the funny thing is, they don’t have to actually run the show, they just have to feel like they are.

It’s really quite touching. Men are more fragile than they’re allowed to show. Aww, wook at the poor wittle boys. If I weren’t destined to dominate the universe, I’m sure I would be more sympathetic.

Oh, and I acknowledge that there are guys who reject me purely on the basis-of looks. They have ceased to bother me. I understand their need for beauty, as I myself tend to lose IQ points in the presence of gorgeousness. Besides, we’re talking about the kind of guys who would have fulfilling relationships with inflatable dolls. When I see these guys preening at the side of their starlet-slash-model trophy girlfriends, I know there is symmetry in the universe, and I hope they have a fun time memorizing the alphabet together. (Hint: C comes after B.)

The simple fact of the matter is that men have an easier time finding women than women have finding men. Exhibit A: Woody Allen. A brilliant filmmaker who happens to be a funny-looking, deeply neurotic man. Woody Allen has long been considered a sexy man. I know women who would jump his bones if they had a chance, and dammit, Woody, if you wanted an Asian woman, why didn’t you just come here?

If you think I’m being lookist, try Exhibit B: Salman Rushdie. For many years he’s had a fatwa on his head and Muslim extremists are out to kill him, but while moving from one safehouse to the next, evading potential assa
ssins and living constantly under guard, Salman Rushdie has managed to find a wife.

You may argue that living in the shadow of death (Aren’t we all?) is an aphrodisiac, so I submit Exhibit C: Stephen Hawking. The genius physicist, today’s Isaac Newton, the author of the bestselling A Brief History of Time, Hawking is wheelchair-bound, shrivelled, and requires a synthesizer in order to speak. And yet this man left his wife and ran off with his nurse, who by the way was the wife of the man who designed his synthesizer.

Okay, an extraordinary brain is deeply attractive, and don’t forget that many women are suckers for men who need looking after (and they all do), but honestly, do you think that if Stephen Hawking were a girl… The answer is no, not because she’s paralyzed, but because her brain is too big.

  
Jessica Zafra (1998). Confessions of a b*llbreaker. Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, Inc.




Love,
Cherry

Hope Springs

(Note: Here is a super quicjie review of the movies I watched this year. Super late post na ito pero for the sake of documentation, deadma na! hehe)



August 28, 2012

I just watched Hope Springs with Flo and Kuya Choc. Kapag sila ang kasama ko, expect na kung ano-ano ang maiisipang gawin agad-agad. That day was supposed to be our chika afternoon since its been a month nung last time kaming magkita-kita. So we were in Figaro Gateway Cubao then suddenly gusto na namang panoorin ni Flo ang Hope Springs with me. Take note that they already watched it, silang 2 pa ang magkasama pero gusto daw ni Flo makita reaction ko. Wala na akong nagawa, so gora na! We checked if it was still showing in Gateway but wala na. Akala ko hindi na matutuloy, pero pag may ginusto si Flo, kailangan matuloy so we searched for malls na showing pa ang Hope Springs. And guess what? May mall pang showing - sa Eastwood. Wow! It was my first time pumunta dun and in fairness ah, super layo niya. Muntik pa kaming ma-late sa movie and yun na yung last showing. The movie was fun, I like the story and I want to watch it again with my future other half. It is perfect film for couples. Yung mga type na medyo wala ng trill ang relationship. I was wondering kung may same place din ba dito sa atin na ala Great Hope Spring Village. Hmm...