Before we landed in Laoag City, we HAD a planned itinerary. The weather forecast app warned us about heavy rains and scattered thunderstorms. So we had it all planned out. Let's do Plan A. If weather does not permit us, we'll do Plan B. But traveling does not always work that way. However convenient traveling from Davao to Ilocos by plane is, still got our energies drained. It was raining when we got there. So we just decided to sleep for the rest of the day, scrap all our plans out, and do what we do best: go traveling spontaneously.

One of the reasons why I was so excited about this trip is because I would finally be reintroducing myself to my roots.

I am an Ilocano. Both my parents and most of my relatives from both sides are Ilocanos. But since I was raised in Davao, I never really got to know my roots. The only evident thing that would give away the Ilocano in me would be my skin and my love for gulay, suka, and bagoong.

When we booked this trip, I thought my Ilocano speaking skills would give me the upper hand to act like a local and haggle for prices and avoid being taken advantage of as a tourist. Alas, my accent just doesn't cut it and I sound so hilaw. Haha

Anyway, this post will not have a lot of details about the trip, but rather a summary of our adventures and mishaps. But don't worry guys, I'll also be sharing with you our DIY Itinerary. So please stay tuned for that. But for now, here's how our Ilocandia Trip went:

Calle Crisiologo

Isa. Isang beses ko pa lang napapanood ang pelikulang ito. Take note of the keywords "pa lang". Oo, kung may pagkakataon, gusto kong tumawa, masaktan, at tumawa ulit. Paulit-ulit.

Dalawa. Dalawa lang ang cast ng pelikula pero napakalakas ng kurot at napakalaki ng emosyon ang ibinuhos dito. Dinaig pa ang all-star cast ng big productions ng pelikulang Pilipino. Walang sinabi ang Jadine at Kathniel.

Tatlo. Tatlong salita talaga yung tumatak sa kokote ko. Saging, puso, at repolyo.

Apat. Apat na beses kong ipinikit ang mga mata ko dahil biglang gumwapo si Empoy sa aking paningin.

Lima. Limang beses kong pinigilan ang pagluha ko.

Anim. Anim na beses kong kinumbinse ang sarili ko na kapag mag ja-Japan ako, pupunta ako ng Saporro.

Pito. Pitong beses akong halos maihi sa kakatawa.

Walo. Walong beses akong sinabihan na kamukha ko si Alessandra de Rossi. Kaya ayan, gandang-ganda naman ako sa sarili ko.

Siyam. Siyam na beses naming kinanta ang Two Less Lonely People of the World ni KZ Tandingan pagkatapos ng pelikula.

Sampu. Sampung bituin ang ibibigay ko sa pelikulang ito, sampung malakas na palakpak, sampung hiyaw, at sampung beses kong paulit ulit na irerekomenda ito sayo.


Kaya kung di mo pa to napapanood, manood ka na dahil it's now, it's never.

P.S. I know I suck at tagalog.

Last night, I received an email saying I screwed up a website big time. But I wasn't worried because I knew I've triple-checked my work before I delivered. So, if there's anything, it was definitely not my fault (and yep, it wasn't. It was a server issue that got resolved in the morning). I decided to just sleep it off and send my reply the next day only to wake up to a much more terrible news.

Chester Bennington took his own life.

It's 2017.

Remember when I said I've never had any Starbucks before? Well, just recently, I've had one when Renz and I decided to do our planning at Starbucks for our second public speaking stint. That was my first time to hang out at Starbucks.

Ever.

I've had three boyfriends in my life and not one of them has ever courted me.

I don't play hard to get. If I like I guy who likes me too, it wouldn't take long before I commit.

I was 14 when I had my first boyfriend. He was my close friend and our relationship was born out of a deal. "Let's play a game. Kapag nanalo ako, tayo na". Parang ganun. It was nothing really serious. We were still too young and scared. Konting kilig dito, holding hands doon. Ganun lang.

Half the year has gone and as much as I want to take some time to review how my life has progressed in 2017, I just kept rolling my eyes.

Enter July. It has been raining lately and getting out of the bed every morning is becoming more and more difficult. But I do love waking up to cold mornings and grey skies. It's perfect for lazy people like me... which I think is also a bad thing because I still have more blog posts to put together. Product reviews, events, and a few travel posts that I keep putting off because... well. I am just damn too lazy.

I don't think I'll ever make it as a travel blogger nor will I ever be a good blogger. The fact that I simply don't like taking pictures of everything I do just amplified the truth that I am a terrible social media influencer.

Traveling, among many other things, is my passion. But my love for traveling only sprung up on an epic scale when I met the love of my life. Unfortunately, my travel budget is not directly proportional to my passion. Otherwise, I would have been writing this blog post while enjoying a souvlaki on a boat as it tours around Santorini right now.

I'm not exactly a big traveler nor would I consider myself well-traveled. I'm not the one who could just quit a day job, pack, and never be seen again. I have my priorities and non-negotiables too. But I travel with every chance I get. Long weekends, holidays, vacation leaves, name it.

I've traveled to more than 20 provinces in the Philippines just within the past 3 years and most of the time, I shared it with Jan. Solo travel you say? Did it few times. Didn't die. But I would not say it's something I want to do again.

Wish Jan was here because I know he'd be creeped out by these dead mangroves that look like thorns. Haha *evil grin*

You see, I can easily make friends with strangers, I am not afraid to take risks, I don't mind eating alone, and I can do things on my own. I CAN TRAVEL SOLO, no problem. I just choose not to. And here are the reasons why:

1. I prefer traveling with someone to whom I can share my adventures with.

I've traveled as far as 900 miles away from Davao without anyone close to me. It was great! No doubt. The thing is, every awesome experience, every delicious food I eat, and every beautiful thing I see would just leave me mumbling, "Damn, I wish Jan was here. He would definitely love this."

2. Traveling brings us closer together.

And by us, I mean me and my friends, my family, or Jan.

Most especially with Jan. I have never been so grateful for having him as my constant travel buddy (partly because it's good to have someone carry some of my bags. Haha). I swear I am not needy. I can handle myself very well.  I do crave for me-times. It's just that I find it better when we do things together. Traveling is significant to both of us since a big part of our relationship is built on shared experiences. Sure, we have our quiet times. Sure, we have our share of misadventures. Sure, we have our little dramas. Sure, we've seen each other's worse. It isn't always perfect but we enjoy every minute creating memories, strengthening our relationship in new places together.

Traveling with someone will either make you or break you. In my case, I have not yet traveled with anyone I do not like. And honestly, it's more fun being with a company you already know - giving me more reasons why I'd rather not travel solo.

3. Traveling solo makes you confident, helps you conquer your fears, makes you know yourself more, and it gains you new friends.

So does traveling with someone.

The only striking difference I see is, solo travel is more expensive. And I must admit bitterly, I do not have the luxury to do that.

4. Traveling solo can be lonely.

It can be fun, yes. But it can also be lonely. For someone like me who is not accustomed to be alone, I can get lonely pretty quickly once I return to my hotel room on my own.

Traveling solo creates memories. But it does not leave you with memories that you can share for the rest of your life with the same people you created them with. It does not leave you that warm fuzzy feeling when traveling with someone you love. And I would not trade it for anything in the world, not even a solo travel to Paris.

Yes, traveling solo is great, fulfilling, and liberating. I might even do it again. But right now, I choose to share my adventures with the people I love because someday, I would love to relive and laugh about those memories with the significant people I have shared it with.

Just when I thought there won't be any travels for me in the next two months, the curse month really has its way of telling me that things will never go my way because I just found myself traveling to the easternmost point of the Philippines only to have my breath be taken away by this gorgeous sunrise.

Keep writing.

That's what Jan told me when he gave me a mechanical keyboard. I've always wanted one but I feel wary about spending too much for a goddamn keyboard that pretty much does the same thing a cheap keyboard would. I never really thought of actually owning one.

But Jan knows better than spoiling me with flowers and teddy bears. He knows me too well. He knows I'll go gaga over this. And naturally, I went gaga over this typing just every word I know. Ketchup. Turtle. Benevolent. Oblong. Glorious. Sound. Much. Amaze. Wow.

Only three things make up my Facebook wall: travel, shameless plugging of my blog, and politics. And since I am living in Mindanao, the crisis might have gave way for you to guess that my Facebook wall is currently active. I made 4 posts since the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao three days ago and I think that's already a lot.

So if you want to see how I am doing with my life or if you want to look for something to blackmail me with, dig into this blog. I have cringe-worthy and hideous photos buried here since 2007. Stalking my Facebook profile won't do you any good and will only leave you with one question, "nagtatrabaho pa ba itong babaeng ito? Bakit puro gala ang nakikita ko." (That's what I've been always asked at least). There are far more interesting things you can find here. Things that I never post on Facebook. But I'm warning you, there are some things you cannot unread. LOL.

Anyway, this week has really been crazy. In fact, the past few weeks have been batshit crazy I would be terrified if I go through a week with no sh*t happening at all. Not!

When people ask me about my current job, I tell them one thing. When asked about what my college course was, I tell them another. And then everybody would give me a second look in awe or most likely in utter disbelief and blurts out, "As in?! Ang layo!"  Kung sa Bisaya pa, "atik?! layua ui!"

I participated in a survey from students who are conducting a study about people who changed career paths after graduating in college. I thought of posting it online because it just might inspire other people who figured out their college course isn't all they want after graduating. So here goes.

And oh, what you will read below are not the exact words I wrote on the questionnaire.

This summer has been the summerest so far. The sweltering heat and my tan lines just said it all. But more than that, I was able to do a lot of things and see a lot of beautiful places.

Picture this... On the first day of April, I went beach bumming at Island Garden Resort in Pangubatan. Two weeks later, I completed a Basic Mountaineering Course, which includes camping, trekking, and rappelling. Then I went diving the whole day at the Taklobo Farm and Coral Gardens just a week after that. The next day, I found myself on a spontaneous road trip with friends and spent a day and a half riding the waves of Dahican. And then the week that followed got me more and more sun-kissed in El Nido. And since summer isn't over yet, this weekend was spent for a much needed rest and relaxation in Isla Reta. (Hashtag that QuotaKaNaSarah)

I change my mind.

I do not dream of becoming a sports and outdoor TV host anymore.

This is the third time in a row that I am invited to speak in public. And I wouldn't say I'm good at it. I just watched my last public speaking stint and boy, was I so fidgety. I can hear my voice tremble. Maybe it was the lack of preparation. Maybe it was the air conditioner in full blast. Maybe it was the stomach ache. Or maybe I am just not cut for it.

I once trimmed my bangs back when YouTube tutorials did not exist yet. I wanted to sport the same bangs like the celebrity most kids looked up to - she's no other than the legendary mother of all jologs:

I already told myself a million times that I'll never ever take any advice from Google whenever I feel something unusual in my body. It's a terrible idea. But if you knew me very well, then you'd know what I would do. And I did what I shouldn't have.

I have a pancreafuckintitis.