First things first

Epic rain.

That is what people are calling it. Darkness has fallen and still, the rain is unrelenting. I can hear the winds howling outside, threatening to blow my neighbors' iron roofs away. I'm very familiar with floods. I live in an area where we bear floods 365 days in a year, depending on the tides. But this onslaught is ridiculous. Ondoy --- it has a name ---, is giving Manila a heavy beating.

Cars have been abandoned in the impassable streets of the metro. The water continues to rise and would soon, if not already, cover them. The waters are creeping in, if not washing away some folks' houses. People are stranded on their 2nd floors, and those are the lucky ones. I've seen pictures of people on their roofs. On their roofs! In this weather!

I hope everybody I love keeps warm and dry tonight. And my prayers go out to those who are waging a battle outside. These are desperate times. Keep safe, everyone.

***

And, I guess, I'm back. We'll, let's see how it goes.

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.

But I want one!

This morning, in another episode of my-so-called-life...

Me: Beb, I think I left my gym keys in your car. Could you please check?
Beb: Ok, wait. I'm at the office. I'll call the house.

A few minutes later...

Beb: It's there. Manang has it already. When do you need it?
Me: Great great. I'm at the gym already. I'll just pick it up after my yoga class.
Beb: Ok. Good. 'Cause I have something at home that I was supposed to give you yesterday, too. I'll have manang give it you with your keys.
Me: Oooh... what is it?
Beb: it's a surprise. I think you'll like it.

...Me: Yey! You finally got me a baby elephant!!!

Beb: Uhmm, no. That's expensive, and a little too big.
Me: Aww shucks. Dang it!

Jump In

Jump In, originally uploaded by ♥Lallie♥.

Manila is just too hot for words.
I wish I have this in our backyard.

***

This is one of the smaller falls of Kawasan, found in Badian, Southern Cebu. My gorgeous friend Eden has gone over the place so many times, and has trekked further than our group on this trip did. I think last time she counted, there are at least 9 falls here.

Next time I visit, I'm going canyoneering. Mark it.