The Fix

Located along the coastline in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas (Philippines), La Luz has been in my must-see beaches list since I learned of its existence back in 2006. It’s a two and a half drive, roughly around 150 kms away, from Paranaque. (**Taken using a SE W760i)

Stonewall-ed

I’ve been to Laiya a couple of times but I’ve never been to the place till a few days ago. I have yet to see the other place I’ve been meaning to go see but I’ve heard that even with the latter’s posh rep, La Luz IS teh shizzle. Hehe. I don’t know why it took me this long before actually checking out the place.

Extraordinarily Ordinary View

La Luz proves to be one of the best examples I can site on why I prefer OUR beaches over any other country that I’ve been to. Yes, the place is too gorgeous for one to take a bad photo. Regardless of the camera, you will end up with a fabulous photo of the place. (**Taken using a SE W760i)

Out there

I was lucky to have had the opportunity to spend sometime away from the busy-ness of the urban life. Lounging on my chair, I couldn’t help but immerse in my own thoughts and try to imagine a life totally different from mine.

To my left

Breaking an otherwise common shoreline are rocks and curves — sharp and soft.

To my right

You can’t escape the beautiful view. (Can’t imagine why you’d ever want to!)

Perfect Beach Footwear

Looking closer, it’s best to wear your favourite flip-flops. None of the fine, powder-y white sand, instead they’re replaced by crushed corals, pebbles and small stones — shaped by the sea.

I <3 this life.

In a bikini, with just my camera, a book and cigarettes to keep me company. (**Taken using a SE W760i)

Of course, I’d appreciate a fully-charged iPod, sunscreen + tanning oil and a pair of sunnies. (Excuse my non-smile, LOL)

(**Taken using a SE W760i)

Pre-Nup

Yea, I was there for a pre-nup photoshoot. As much as I want to say that it was mine but, no. LOL. I played driver-slash-stylist-slash-photographer for a couple who are my good friends, R and M.

I’m only responsible for outtakes and not the actual pre-nup photos. Good thing, cuz I was too tired to concentrate. But I’m glad I was able to take a couple of decent ones. I also would’ve loved to do her makeup but she already hired someone for that. Heh.

Anyway, I’m glad my Summer started early and that I was able to spend a gorgeous day on an equally gorgeous beach. I’ll be back, La Luz. You can bank on that!

What about you folks? What are your plans for this Summer?

Photo © 2009 Sasha Manuel

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We all have dreams and wants in life that seemingly fuels our drive to wake up each morning and do the things we ought to do for the day. We may wish for small things and, sometimes, we dare to dream big. The important thing is to never stop dreaming and, of course, chasing after those dreams.

I’ve always been the type who’d set goals and establish a list of wishes that leads to the achievement of the goal. It often feels like I would always prefer to go for the bigger fish but would still find joy in a school of little fishes that can somewhat be likened to getting the big fish, know what I mean?

Anyway, here are seven (7) of my dreams that had been fulfilled, not last week, but during the course of my lifetime. Comes with the memory is a reminder of what I am thankful for this week:

1. Live independently at 25. Ah, freedom! Even when twas just for only a year. But I lived it! On my own, no allowance. No running off to mummy when you need a decent meal or money when the month’s utility bill comes. Not even going home on weekends. I was definitely living independently. My reasons for moving out was nothing to be proud of, though. But I reckon that’s how I often learn, eagles do push their young off the nest so that they can learn how to use the wings they were born with. I’m now back living with my mum but not because I need to but because we need each other. I’m thankful she allowed me to have the same amount of freedom as when I had lived on my own.

2. Own a car. Technically it wasn’t mine yet. I was still paying it off but it was very much for my own use. I love cars. Owning that car allowed me to learn how to fix certain things, i.e. what to do when the car won’t start, but I have yet to change a flat tire. Anyway, twas a white 95 Corolla GTi, 16″ wheels with chrome rims, turbo-injected and that vroom-vroom muffler. Oh, yea. You’d think it was a guy’s car. LOL. Too bad I had to say goodbye, reason? See #4.

3. Become a model. I know. I know. I wouldn’t even dare say this out loud had it not come true. Whatta embarrassment. LOL. But, to my surprise, it did. Life is filled with one cliché after another and this one is no different (was approached by a scout in a mall! LOL). After a series of ramp gigs during the initial months, got signed by a modeling agency in Makati, approached by a free agent, attended numerous VTRs and cast calls, appeared as an “extra” in some nondescript beer commercial back in 2004 (Nyahahaha!). I’m so glad to see this chapter of my life closed. But I do sometimes miss the photoshoots. Ah, well. See #7. Ha.

4. Travel. Who has no dreams of going abroad? Growing up with parents, my mum in particular, who loved to take their kids around, had let in the travel bug to infect us. I’ve always wanted to travel and see the rest of the world. Initially, I had dreams of conquering Asia first. But I had wanted to be different. While most talk about going to Hong Kong, my first trip outside the country landed me on Singapore (back in 1999 then again in 2001). Then this early year, I had been to Vietnam and Cambodia. Yes, I still haven’t been to Hong Kong. LOL. Then this reminded me of my plans of visiting a “Western” country next. As usual, everyone is talking about going to the US, I had found myself taking a two (2) 3-month sabbaticals in Australia. Yes, two! September to December 2005 then January to April 2006. True to His word, he had given me the opportunity to have a different travel experience. It’s kinda’ awesome when you think about it.

5. Local trips. Where do I even start? One of the things that makes me proud as a Filipino is that we do live in a gorgeous country. From vibrant cityscapes to amazing stretches of untouched shorelines. If you’re able, let it be part of your life’s itinerary to visit the different Philippine locales. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to experience places like: Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Tagaytay, Punta Fuego, Vigan, Puerto Galera, Zambales, Subic, etc. AND, of course, the place that occupies the top spot in my heart, Palawan.

6. Sustainable lifestyle. From that day I wrote it down on my journal, I’ve been daring myself to try new things. Grabbing opportunities to experience things that I haven’t thought of doing. Now, I’m able to confidently say that I’ve learned what I sort of lifestyle I would love to keep. I take simple joys from quiet walks, coffee breaks, thrifty and splurge shopping sprees, economy flights, modest accommodations, or a luxurious home. Actually, I’m not entirely done yet. I still hunger for a certain balanced lifestyle that suits my personality and needs but I’m taking my time. There’s no rush. I’m simply thankful that I’m fortunate enough to continue seeing and making full use of opportunities that nurture and even stretch it.

7. Find a passion. Getting to enjoy my current work is awesome. It has allowed me to exercise certain things that I didn’t imagine I’d be passionate about, writing and photography. I’m able to enjoy fashion, styling and beauty almost everyday. It paved a way for more opportunities to come into my life. Oh, I’m so excited about the new ones that seem to be drawing my online work offline! I can’t wait to tell you guys about it. Soon!

Thinking of these things made me realise how one can be undeservingly fortunate. I’m overwhelmed by the wonderful things that had happened in my life. It’s such a delight to be reminded of the fact that dreams do come true. They may not come in the exact form as you may have imagined it, the important thing is that they came and they were all for you.

So, what about you guys? Have any of your dreams come true? What dreams are you thankful for this week?

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Early Saturday morning, I hopped into Rico’s car for a roadtrip to Subic and an overnight stay at Sunset Cove, courtesy of USAP (who happens to be looking for bloggers btw, just contact Rico for more information) and Alvin, whose family owns this gorgeous piece of land fronting the sea. Anyway, I was Rico’s plus one on this ZeeZoobic Adventure, fancy name for a company outing, eh? Heh.

Since I was just there for the beach Rico, I’ve got nothing special to tell you guys except maybe show you a few photos I took during the trip.

Subic-Tipo Expressway Tunnel

Apart from being a former US Naval Base, Subic is known for its beautiful coastline and, yea, duty free shopping. Hehe. But we went there mainly for the beach, Sunset Cove. As for the shopping part, the memory stings. Weh. I don’t want to get into it. Hmpft.

Granted that the place is called Sunset Cove, you’d think that tis a bit tacky to take photos of the sunset but I couldn’t help it. Good thing I’ve managed to get a couple or so out-of-the-ordinary sunset photos in my set. I noticed that I’ve settled on a theme, photography-wise — silhouettes.

Sometimes, you really have to step out of your comfort zone in order for you to capture a photograph in a manner least expected. I love the colours of the sunset. Though melancholic, it still makes you feel glad you’re alive, yeah?

Sunset Cove has a long way to go before it reaches the status of premier beach destination but in the Subic area, it’s a commendable choice.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the photos!

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We took the Manila-Cebu plane then boarded the SuperCat from the Cebu Port to the Port of Tagbilaran in Bohol. Then we head towards the town known for its beaches, Panglao. It’s where Bohol Beach Club and Dimaluan Beach are located.

I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to experience what Bohol has to offer when the BoB (Rico, Aileen, Abe, Gail, Marc and Sharm, joined by Chris) went to the Cebu-Bohol trip a few weeks back.

The sand was so fine that I can actually create ‘sandballs’ (it had almost a similar consistency with that of mud), which I then used to throw at Rico. Hehe. Much to his annoyance.

Anyway, having been to Palawan and loving the beaches there, particularly Sabang Beach, I had lowered my expectations. I guess, Bohol had plans of impressing the beach monger in me. Apart from the fantastic stretch of powder white and powder fine sand, the brilliant blue and green colours of the sea amazed me. It had wonderful marine life — shells and starfishes — that Bohol is seemingly known for.

Seeing all the beauty that surrounds me, inspired me to take better photos. I needed to capture exactly what my eyes saw. I know that’s near impossible but I knew I had to try! It’s quite frustrating that my mediocre skills in photography and lack of equipment limit me in accomplishing this quest. But it’s far better that I have a camera than not having one at all.

Oh, yes. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take photos of these beautiful people, now, could I? Besides, I get bored easily with landscapes. Hehehe.

The entire beach experience simply took my breath away. It’s also a 4 out of 5 stars rating. I got to take home fantastic photos, great memories and a fabulous tan. What else can you ask for from a beach vacation?

I wouldn’t mind going back, even for just the beaches. Actually — especially for the beaches!

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With Fuego‘s awesome vistas, one can’t help but understand the millions a person has to spend in order to grab a hold of a spot. Driving around, you’ll find yourself looking at mansion-like houses or brilliantly designed homes fronting the sea. It’s a crazy experience, actually. You can’t help but wonder why the Philippines is a third world country after seeing all these people with tonnes of money to burn on houses like the ones I’ve seen in Punta Fuego.

As an avid beach monger, I long to find the ultimate beach destination and having been to Fuego before, I had longed to visit it again. My wish was granted when Rico organised a trip to his Tita Marie Chua’s house that lasted three days. This year’s trip was extra special since I got to see more of the place.

Apart from staying at a house with a glorious view of the sea, I got to enjoy the sun and the surf at Long Beach on the first day, the main beach in Fuego. We came back for more the following morning and hit the rocky Fuego Beach in the afternoon. Later that night, my friends and I hiked up to Fuego Point and did a bit of podcasting and singing. Of course, there were a lot of stories (scary ones, at that!), sexy slings and photos in between.

PLUS I loved the fact that I got to take a lot of photos during the trip.

I’d say that from my over-all experience, I’d give the place 4 out of 5 stars. The exclusivity has its ups and downs, the former’s reason I’ve already stated and as for the latter, reason is that it simply makes it inaccessible for a non-member. However, hands down, Fuego had certainly help define the luxurious beach life one can only dream of.

A big shout out to the Band of Bloggers who were present in the Punta Fuego vacay —

• Rico, the host
• Aileen, the bartender
• Abe, the driver
• Jayvee, the abuggedlife guy

Next up on the BoB travel itinerary — Cebu and Bohol. Yea, we’re all boarding a plane to go off and raid a couple of islands in our country (so, if you happen to be a blogger thereabouts, ping us! ). This time, other BoBs will be joining us such as Gail, The Macalua and Sharm.

Can’t hardly wait!

Note: You can click on the photos for a larger view and more photos can be found here.

—————
Humor me.

The Beach Monger: Palawan
The Beach Monger: Port Noarlunga
The Beach Monger: Boracay

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The Mindoro Sling Experience

It has been said that a trip to Puerto Galera won’t be complete if you haven’t taken a shot of their infamous Mindoro Sling. A concoction filled with Tanduay Rhum, Soda and a fruit drink (four seasons or pomelo, I forget). It’s served in a pitcher and shot glasses, which I believe I drank 10 before saying goodnight as gracefully as I could and head back to the room and hit the sack. But, I did catch the drunken podcast hosted by the new media maven before I left. (Are we ever going to see that posted, sir?) Heehee.

On Blogging and Various Online Chismis
(Chismis means “juicy newsbits” for people who aren’t in the know on Filipino lingo)

The Sling assisted the blogging and personal chismis to commence. I caught most of the ones on the podcast and then some but I’m sure there were more of it that any of us will ever blog about. I’m sure I missed a lot more since they stayed up till around 2-ish in the morning.

A clue in on what was divulged — check all the Puerto Galera posts then decrypt.

The Bikini Photoshoot

Much to the dismay of the male bloggers who didn’t go, the photos aren’t “bloggable” but some are viewable online if resourceful. May this serve as a reminder for all that if you see an invitation to go to the beach by the Band of Bloggers, then make it a point to clear your schedule so you can go. LOL.

Anyway, I requested Abe to take a decent photo of me in a bikini and it turned out into the bikini photoshoot that it was. I left my 400D in his care, it got a lil wet (EGAD!) but no major damage (thank god!) and I got some fabulous looking photos. Yay! Sharm and Aileen looked gorgeous as well. Heehee!

Photos by Yuga

As for the boyfriends, Marc and Rico can only scowl and throw pebbles (kidding! kidding!) at the two male posers and DOMs who made a beeline to where we were. LOL.

Moving on. Some photos can be found here, here and, er — nevermind.

Summer’s just starting so I’m looking forward to more beach time!

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Aileen is organising a get-together and it’s happening on a beach! Does that interest your travel taste buds? If it does, then we’re inviting you to sign up for this weekend blogger getaway at the beach!

It’ll be fun to take a break and relax under the sun! Spend some time with us and we’ll have a drink or two before heading back to Manila! (Better yet, check out Aileen’s itinerary for that weekend!)

Let me know if you’re coming!

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Boracay is considered the most popular beach in the Philippines. It got featured in Discovery Channel’s Lonely Planet. So, seeing a lot of tourists there wasn’t a big surprise. It’s not just the media that brings people there. It’s the reputation that the place has established for itself — the ultimate beach party place. So, word-of-mouth works just as effectively as any advert they’d come up with.

Like I said before, I wasn’t impressed. But I did appreciate the gorgeous powdery, white sand and the clear blue-green water. However, I was longing for the sun when I was there, but since it was raining during some portions of my stay, I didn’t get enough tanning time. It was during the month of December, so, yea… we were there during the Holidays. Anyway, I was able to catch a glorious afternoon and was able to watch the sunset. Woohoo. How romantic. Yech. Ahahahaha.

I did have fun. I wore my Roxy Bikinis, played frisbee, enjoyed Jonah’s shakes and built sandcastles that Demolition Cammy loved destroying. Teehee.

As much as I loved spending time with my family, I’d love to go back to Boracay but I prefer to be with friends so I can party. Hehehe.

Note: I still recommend Palawan.

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One of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen is this one in Port Noarlunga. On my first visit to Australia, I only got to see this place once but this year, I got to see it twice. It was only that last time did I get to have my photo taken. I want to keep track of all the beaches I’ve been to because I want to document them like this.

I can recall the first time I saw this place, it was windy and a little cold even if it was spring then. They tell me that it’s a great place for body boarding and even, surfing. I haven’t tried either because one, I don’t know how and two, I was chicken shit to wet my toes in the certainly cold surf. I’m sure it’s cold because it’s already cold even when I’m not in it. Ha. It’s a tad bit disappointing though since I am so intrested to give these sports a go. I guess I was just waiting for the “perfect” weather. I know.. excuses. Excuses. Hehehe.

The next visit were just for some strawberry milkshakes at Agatha’s Foodstore and the last one was supposedly for my sister’s birthday lunch at a much recommended Thai resto that offers a great view of the beach and jetty. It didn’t happen. They were only open for dinner, which happened to be like 5 hours away and we were too hungry to even consider waiting. Pffft. Rotten luck. So, yea.. we opted for the nearest Macker’s lunch we can get. Hahaha. But before that I grabbed the opportunity for my beach photo op. Hehehe.

It’s currently ranked at number 2 on my Best Aussie Beach list. It’s only ranked 2nd because I didn’t really get the beach experience I was hoping for but it still is one of the loveliest beaches I’ve ever been to in Australia.

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I can say that it’s a source of relaxation for me. I didn’t use to love the beach because it would mean my skin’s going to grow darker but when I reached my late teens, I found myself falling and falling and falling… Ack. This is becoming too tacky for my taste. Bleh.

Anyway, I just wanted to re-hash all my beach adventures. I wrote something about Boracay, a popular resort island in the Visayas Region of my country, Philippines, a few months back when I went there during the holidays.

Last year alone, I had travelled to a lot of beaches in the Philippines and in Australia. It’s been a fabulous experience. Now, like I said, I’m going to trace my steps back to most, if not all, of the beaches I’ve been to.

First up… Palawan, Philippines.

If I try to count all the islands I’ve seen so far out of the 1700 islands that my country has, I reckon I’ve only covered like around 8% of it. Heh. But that’s not bad considering the number, right? Hehehe.

February 2005.

I went with my family, which consisted of my mom, my younger brother, Arnold, my older brother, Aaron and his wife, Sally. And how can I forget my baby, Mr. Angelo? I miss my teddy. Sniff. Anyway, it was actually a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing because what happened was my older brother was just telling my mom about their plans to celebrate his wife’s birthday on the beach and he was sort of asking me about the beaches I’ve been to [I think..] when I chided my mom that we should come with them. Surprisingly, the couple agreed and said we should all go to Boracay. My mom said yes so, I went to my brother’s house to do some research and made some phone calls to make the arrangements. But I found out that it was way too last minute to go to Boracay but I did find a pretty decent deal for Palawan. I told them about the option and we decided to give it a go. It’s exciting because neither one of us has ever been to Palawan.

I then called my dear friend, Kanch, who lives in Palawan, to let her know that we’re coming over the next day. Boy, was she surprised. She helped me find a good place where we can stay and basically helped us make further arrangements about our trip, like where we can go and see and stuff, which was really wonderful of her. We paid for the plane tickets that night and left early next day.

It was island hopping [Luli Island –the disappearing island, Snake Island, and a few more others], the city tour of the capital, Puerto Princesa [flea markets, Vietnamese Village, and some other place which I simply can’t remember], Dos Palmas Resort [where I just lounged under the sun while they went snorkling and kayaking. Hehehe], Sabang Beach [the best beach ever! The two-hour landtrip over rough terrain was well-worth it!] and yes — the famous Underground River, the longest in the world.

You can see more photos of this trip here.

June 2005.

I went back to Palawan to attend my friend Kanch’s wedding and spend some time with my girlfriends, Raissa, Victoria, and Happy.

It’s our very first time to go on an out-of-town trip together after a number of tries. Hahaha. It was a fantastic time being with them. The wedding was gorgeous. I can’t forget the cake! All my friends were part of the entourage. Well — I would’ve been too but the Aussie plans got in the way and Kanch didn’t want to risk having a no-show for a bridesmaid. But since I was still around, I decided to go anyway. I really didn’t want to miss it in the first place! She was the first in the group to get married.

It was only after the wedding did we start our real vacation. We initially planned to go to El Nido but some uncontrollable circumstance hindered that from materialising. Pffft. We instead went on the same island-hopping adventure that I did the first time I went to Palawan. We decided that we were going to spend the night on one of the islands.. Starfish Island. I did see a beautiful blue starfish. It was awesome! Loved the sun, sand and sea with a dash of Vodka. Hahaha. It was the trip that launched me as an amateur photographer. I fell in love with the camera and photography. We’re still together and going strong. Teeheehee.

You can see more photos of the wedding here.

And of course, the rest of the photos, here.

By far, Palawan is ranked number one on my list.

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