Lakbay Gala

I have not written in a very long while, in fact, this blog has been in hiatus for a year. I have missed writing a lot. And though I have been to many places, or not too many places for the past year, I still have failed to document them. Oh well. I hope that this time the blog would catch up on all the happenings, so let me start. Last Thursday, May 25, we planned of going to Mt. Daguldol to celebrate a friend's birthday. Because his wife is pregnant, we were told that she can't accommodate the climb anymore because of her condition; so, the plan did not pursue. Come Saturday, May 27 at 9 am, we were still in bed and still half asleep. My boyfriend was fired up and said "Tara, alis tayo!" I got charged up too, and jerked off the bed. "Tara!" And so that started the road to spontaneity. We left home at 1pm and headed to Marilaque Road from Cainta. It was a hot sunny day and we wore long sleeved shirts to prevent sunburn and skin darkening of course. ;...

Napakalaking trahedya sa buhay ang kamatayan. Yung kahapon lang nagkita pa kayo, kanina lang magkasama pa kayo, kagabi lang magkatabi pa kayo matulog... pero sa isang iglap bigla na lang nawala. Napaka iksi lang ng buhay. Kaya nga naimbento ang motto na "YOLO." Kasi, we only have one shot in life. Unless alam mo kung ano ka sa magiging second life mo at mababalikan mo rin yung mga dati mo nakasama, diba. Kaso hindi. Bukod sa iisa lang ang buhay, maiksi pa. Hindi mo alam kung hanggang kelan ka tatagal. Hindi mo alam baka isang araw, mawala ka na lang din bigla. Sa pagpanaw ng kaibigan ko, dun ko narealize na dapat talaga itreasure ang buhay. And not just treasure it. Make the most out of your life and leave a lasting legacy that would remind them of you. How you made a change, an impact, an influence. Kasi hindi mo alam na baka hanggang mamaya ka na lang pala. Naisip ko, kung may nakaaway sya, nakapag sorry kaya sya? O kung may minamahal sya, nakapag i love you kaya sya?...

After a year of hiatus, we're back to climbing. I admit I've gained weight for over a year of little to no exercise, and it has actually taken a toll on my health. Add to that the fact that I haven't been going out and never seeing what it's like outside during the light of day. Imagine what it did to my body, that I developed jaundice overnight, and had to go out in the peak of day just so I could at least acquire sunshine. I had to thank my health concern that it got us back to the mountains. It was a blessing in disguise or more appropriately a wake up call to me. So my partner suggested to go climbing again. Yes, what better way to get tons of sunshine is by hiking. My partner decided to go for an ultralight backpacking, so the week before we were watching how-to videos for light weight backpacking. We've chosen to cut off some of our essentials or change the way how we pack them. We have bought a large 8 x 10 waterproof tarp last year and it has been very...