I have my ways...

The latest showbiz scandal has piqued my father's interest. It was hard to ignore, really. It wasn't exclusively on showbiz talk shows, none of which Papa was a fan of, but it was on the news, with everyone throwing their opinions about it. Even senators had their mouths foaming in rage, condemning the douchey doctor. I'm all for hanging the pornking wannabe, pitchforks and everything, but puhleezze, people in glass houses should not throw stones.

Anyway, my father hasn't had the chance to go to his suking dibidi pirate for a copy. He knew it was all over the internet, just a mouse click away. It was only logical for him to ask the most techy person he knew --- his daughter. I don't know how he came to the conclusion that I had a copy of the latest feast of the town. Moi --- the single, childless, virginal, chaste (whatev hahaha) middle child of his.

With that said, of course, I had a copy. I still am very resourceful, one of the very useful skills I honed during my stalker school research days. I gave Papa a thumbdrive with the full converted file. I may not be giving him grandkids in the near future like my sisters bribed him with, but I have my ways to get on his good side.

I just supplied my dad with porn. I am officially his favorite daughter. Take that. :D

Ped Xing is not a Chinese general...

Whoever put this sign up is a genius...
It's either that or he's into some recreational drug of sorts. If he is, c'mon, whoever you are, please share!

Ano raw?

And no, this is not Singapore. This is, like, North Edsa to Monumento. North peeps don't get enough street cred. Reprezent! Pag di mo pa naintindihan na U-turn slot yan, ewan ko na lang.

Pinoy sense of humor... gotta love it.

The hall

The hall, originally uploaded by ♥Lallie♥.

Wouldn't it be nice to always eat breakfast while staring at an jaw dropping seaside view? And it certainly doesn't hurt if it's in a very sosyal resort.

A girl can get used to this.

The Apple and the Tree.

Any sudden change almost always encounter a certain amount of resistance. When I got bitten by a severe strain of the travel bug almost two years ago, that resistance came in the form of my mother. She would demand one week advance notice of any upcoming trips, and would hound me with texts and calls if I didn't come home on the agreed time. And although I would always spend my money and had never bother asking them for help with my 'vice', I would die of guilt with every trip. I would restraint myself with only a trip a month or once in a couple of months. And by the end of the trip, I would empty out my travel budget --- buying them all the pasalubong I could possibly carry.

Strict ang parents ko... dati.

Of course, with time, things got easier. Lately, I can get away with 'notifying' her a friday-weekender the night before the trip itself. I guess she figured, I'm old enough to make my own choices, I earn my own keep and it was way better than blowing my money on drugs or what-have-you. Now, I can travel as if I was running out of time, and would grab any invitation to a new place, to the next adventure. Just as long as she gets a text of my safe arrival and a new ref magnet after every trip, she willingly lets me scratch that travel bug itch.

I understand the initial defiance on Mama's part. I wasn't exactly the healthiest kid growing up. I was the gangly asthmatic kid who spent an obscene amount of my school life in the clinic getting high on the nebulizer. I think for a while I held the record of most number of absences in a given school year. Obviously, I learned to manage my health better now. I'm aware of my limits, and although I keep pushing it, the inhaler is still my BFF. From time to time, I would get asked what has gotten into me, why the sudden urge to travel non-stop. The answer was always "Just because I can.". This morning, an alternative answer came to me.

On the breakfast table...

Me: Grabe, Ma. Tinitingnan namin sa mapa. Nasa Pacific Ocean na pala kami. Daanan nga daw ng bagyo dun. Bawal pumunta pag masama panahon kasi malakas alon.
Mama: Ikaw, kung san san ka nakakarating.

Pa sits on the chair next to mine...

Pa: Ano yun? Ano yun?
Me: Kinukuwento ko kay Mama kung san kami napunta nung weekend.
Pa: Saan ba?
Me: Sa Calaguas. Sa may Daet.
Pa: Aah, Calaguas Island. Nakarating na ako dun.
Ma: Huh? Kailan?
Pa: Nung binata ako. Nagtripping kami.
Me: Ayun naman pala! Sabi ko na, may pinagmanahan talaga ang pagiging gala ko.

So maybe, it wasn't the travel bug at all. It had to be hereditary. It's the travel gene.

Hah! Excuses! :P

Lead the way

Lead the way, originally uploaded by ♥Lallie♥.

Midway through our spontaneous roadtrip, we found ourselves in the middle of a busy rotunda. It was a hot and humid sunday noon. The policeman escaped into the shade under the town gazebo, in the company of a newspaper vendor and a napping street cleaner. I looked up and saw this peculiar structure, displaying the wrong time, seemingly misplaced. In a quiet town in the middle of Cebu, famous for their tasteful and sinful pork rinds, the two marbled ladies of Carcar certainly feels out of context. But for five wandering travelers looking for the next stopover, it was a promising sight. At that moment, we need someone to point the way.

Say a little prayer.

Say a little prayer., originally uploaded by ♥Lallie♥.

Never burden your heart with unnecessary problems. Life's too short to warrant that. Of course, there will be moments where even the gratuitous can feel drowning. It doesn't hurt to close your eyes and drop to your knees. The heart's little whispers echo in the halls of heaven. Surrender. Believe.

Laying Low.

I'm not a mind reader.
But I can read codes.

Of all the people, I'd never thought you'd be the one to break my heart.