The Resorts World Manila Experience

I have got to admit, I rarely ever check my blog email. Yes, the one I posted on my contact page so people can get in touch with me. I wouldn't know that I was getting a handful of emails until Kuya Andrew (Davao Bloggers Society's President) asked me if I got an email from Resorts World Manila (RWM). So I checked and behold!

I have been exclusively invited to the RWM Christmas Familiarization Tour.

As interesting and exciting as it sounds, I was quite apprehensive at first because I have never been invited to an event this big. And knowing RWM, the words world-class, prestigious, and elite are always attached to it. And buddy, I am none of those things.

This is something far-fetched and different for me. But then, different is something that I always love to try. It is definitely an experience I wouldn't want to miss. So even if it means working double time to make up for the two work days that I won't be around, I gave out a faint, sexy whisper: Resorts World Manilaaaah.

Here. I. Come.

Being Sick Sucks

I don't always get sick but when I do I get the nastiest cough and cold virus ever. I think this is the first time in 2016 that I got hit (yeah, I'm a hardy like that). I was all and well training Muay Thai, then the next day I have a sore throat, then came the fever, and now my voice is gone. I have an annoying dry cough, my nose is stuffy, and I can't breathe properly.

I hate being sick because it makes me lose my appetite and I end up feeling completely incapable of taking care of myself. I hate that I feel too needy. Jan has been going the extra mile to take care of me when in fact I could have done things myself. Although I love it this way (spoiled girlfriend alert teehee), being sick still sucks.

And the worst thing about being sick is the timing. The body could have chosen another time to weaken and lay all the drama of dying. I cannot afford to be sick when I have to impress the client with my awesome skills and fast delivery. But work is not something I could do properly when the head is all foggy. I couldn't get a lot of stuff done. Even writing this post is a beast.

I really hope I get better soon because I have a prestigious and BIIIIIG event to attend to. Not that I am excited about it (the word prestigious scares me). But damn! It is something I don't want to miss.

Ito talaga yun eh. Ito lang naman kinain ko bago ako nagkasakit.

Get a Life

I was browsing through a thousand photos that I have just transferred from my memory card and sorted them according to the places I've been to when I said to myself, "my 20-year old self would be so envious of me".

She was a carefree, adventurous, and spirited young girl until the chains of digital age caught her. She got herself locked up and enslaved in a virtual world. Many of you would describe her as a video game addict. Yes, that typical gamer who'd resist the urge to use a toilet and deal with it for as long as she can. She allowed the video games to control and take over her life. And for years, she turned into a zombiefied no-lifer girl who merely existed for rare drops and +7s.

She wasted her life playing video games, I would say so. And that is the sad and horrible truth video game addicts will never realize until they take a step back and zoom out to see a wider view of what they've been missing (and losing) in real life. When you get into that sinkhole and lose sight of what's real, you lose grip of what could have been great. Maybe if I played a hundred hours less and devoted that hundred hours practicing the guitar instead, I would have been a prodigy by now. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but I know you get my drift.

Go out. Chase the sun. Be free.

I have nothing against gaming and I do not regret playing video games. Perhaps I played too much, spent too much, and did not care too much. Perhaps I did not set my priorities right. Perhaps I neglected a lot of important things. Apparently, the video games have not brought me any closer to the things that I really want and honestly, it made me feel a little dead inside. But there's no use crying over spilled milk because none of that matters now. I cannot change what I've done in the past but I have changed my ways to live better than to simply just exist. Maybe I have just outgrown it. Maybe I got bored. Or maybe I just want to do something even more with my life. Whatever that is, I am certain now that I know better.

It's a tough world out there and I do understand we all need an escape from time to time. I have my ways of escaping reality but gaming is no longer one of them. (I don't do drugs, okay?)

Yes, I have already quit playing virtual games a long time ago and LIFE HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER. :)

Review: Sandugo Eiger Shoes

I've done several river crossings and canyoning before. And not one of them have I worn a proper footwear. I used to be so proud wearing my trusted hiking shoes - waterproof and all. But on occasions, I've had these futile attempts to keep my shoes dry. I turn to a different route or look for another way. I would avoid crossings that are already ankle deep at all cost to save me the trouble of wearing a heavy bucketful of water on my feet. But of course, that's not always the case.

Sometimes, I'd wear sandals because it's more comfortable and lighter than a hiking shoes. Plus, I don't have to think twice about wading into the water and getting my feet wet. But since I can be clumsy too, I've had blisters and injured a toe or two with it.

But these days, I'm no longer worried about taking on any water adventure because I have this:

My Sandugo Eiger Shoes.

I've always trusted Sandugo. I've worn Sandugo sandals during my first climb in Mount Apo way back 2006 (I was a newbie and a student who can't afford a good hiking shoes, so please, spare me that glare). I even took it to more mountains and back and it has never under-performed. Sandals yun ha. Sandals. (Lookie! Scroll down to the picture where I was standing almost at the edge. That's me with my ever beloved Sandugo sandals that served me well). Knowing that I will be having a lot of water adventures, I got myself a pair of this water shoes without hesitation. And it did not disappoint.

Three Years Ago Today

I've taken a lot of buses in my travels. But the most memorable one happened three years ago today when I sat next to guy on the way home from Gumasa, Glan.

His name is Jan and we had a little conversation - the first real one we ever had two months since I came in as the new Software Designer in the company we previously worked with. It wasn't exactly the kind of conversation that will get you butterflies in the stomach. There isn't much to remember what it was about either. God knows what broke the ice because he's the shy type and I'm not the one who'd initially strike a conversation. But something got us talking that it felt we've known each other for a long time. It was so spontaneous and natural. And the next thing we knew, time flew. It was already 3 hours later.

Bang late!

Those were the two words he sent me over Skype the next day after coming late for work. Just so you know, our conversations on Skype before were no more than work-related shiznits. It's pretty obvious how those two seemingly insignificant words are so meaningful to me that I could not easily forget it three years passed. Not just because it made me realize that my habitual tardiness has done me good somehow, but from then on, we always had something to talk about like Science (wtf, right?), music, or our shared love for Jack Johnson that slowly drew us closer until we became so inseparable. And the rest, as they say, is history.


It's past midnight and I am bathing in mush right now as I write this blog reminiscing that moment on the bus three years ago. Bus rides do have a funny way of bringing people together when they least expect it. Our story didn't exactly begin with love at first sight, as seen on TV. We were both broken at that time but who would've thought? We never really know who in our lives will turn out to be a blessing, do we?

I oftentimes find myself asking how did I get so blessed and what have I done right to deserve him. We still ride buses together. But this time, he's no longer just that office mate who knows how to rock a guitar that I had (and still has) a crush on. He has a special role in my life. A role he plays so well. He is my best friend, my critic, my number 1 fan, my mentor, my favorite challenge, my inspiration, my confidant, my +1, my travel buddy, my rock. He's pretty much everything but above it all, he's the love of my life.

Yes, it was three years ago today I sat on the bus next to the man I never thought I would want to spend the rest of my life with. And that was just the beginning.