A Big Leap To Panglao

I've always had somebody to plan a trip for me and I've always traveled in big groups. So taking this Panglao trip is my bravest leap! It may not be a big deal to others but it sure is a great deal to the shy and coward me. :) Though it is not completely going out of my comfort zone because I've been to Bohol twice in the past making the place kinda familiar but still. It is, however, my first time in Panglao.

I planned the trip months before and did lots of research. :) I was half nervous and half excited or... one third nervous and two-thirds excited for a better approximation. Hihi. Taking new routes, figuring out directions, reading the map, asking and talking to locals, seeing the same things with different eyes were few of tons of things which I was thrilled about. Actually it was not just thrill. It was an ecstasy... a peaceful ecstasy.

How to get to Tagbilaran City, Bohol from Cebu City: Tubigon Route

• Cebu City Pier 3 to Tubigon, Bohol 3pm (1 hour for Php280, Starcraft. Terminal Fee: Php10. Ticket was purchased in Pier 1) Note: There are other fast crafts traveling directly to Tagbilaran City (Ocean Jet: 2 hours, Php520 including terminal fee; and 2Go. Bookings can be done online. I just opted to take the Tubigon route for a change and lesser expense.
• Tubigon Port  to Bus Terminal (Tricycle: Php8, 10 mins). 
• Tubigon Bus Terminal to Tagbilaran City (Bus: Php70, 1 hour)

I stayed in Tagbilaran for a night. I forgot the name of where I stayed. I was supposed to stay in Nissa Travelers Inn but it was fully booked. Luckily, there was another inn across the street. The next day, I took a little tour around the city.

Province of Bohol Capitol Building and the church across it

Then a country side tour (for the third time).

The Blood Compact

Tarsier Conservation Area (Entrance Fee Php60)

The Amazing Chocolate Hills (Entrance Fee Php50)

Loboc River Watch (Php450 with eat-all-you-can lunch)

I heart Loboc. Food, music, river cruise, What is not to love? It was the most fun part of my day.

I hired a tricycle for this half day trip for Php1000. It was the most unwise decision I made because I was offered a car for the whole day and the price was even discounted to Php1700 from Php2000. Had I figured out earlier that a tricycle could be so slow, then I would have accepted the car offer. The only reason I settled on the tricycle was because the price was just right within the budget. Oh well, I forgot to use my common sense. Haha! Budget matters could blind my rational thoughts.

• Loboc River Watch to Jeepney terminal - walking distance
• Loboc to Tagbilaran City (Jeepney: Php25, 30 mins). 
• Tagbilaran City to Alona Beach Panglao (Jeepney: Php30, 20 mins). 

The highlight of this weekend trip started. The main event included sleeping, eating, beach bumming then sleeping and eating again. Haha! I loved that kind vacation - just chilling out.

It was my first time in Panglao so I chose a very comfortable resort. I bumped into Isis Bungalows while searching the web and oh boy, was I blown away! It was the closest thing to my Santorini dream. The white bungalows drove me crazy. I booked their cheapest room for Php2000. I knew it was a splurge for a budget traveler me but I convinced myself it was worth it. It was right in front of the beach. The landscape was beautiful. The place was peaceful. The staff were very friendly. And please believe me. Their "houses" looked way too better in person.

Alona Beach was at its best during high tides. I exclaimed, "Amazing!" a thousand times. I stared at the blue and green canvass and I was in deep gratitude. Thank You, Father for this amazingly beautiful blessing. It was the perfect way to culminate my birth month.

Life's a beach!

Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol

 

I found an accessories haven on my way out of Alona Beach. Love! :)

Torn between waving a "Hi" and finding balance. Hehe

• Alona Beach to Panglao Jeepney terminal (Habal habal: Php20, 10 mins)
• Panglao Island to Tagbilaran City (Jeepney: Php30, 20 mins)
• Tagbilaran City proper to Port (Tricycle: Php50, 15mins)
• Tagbilaran City to Cebu Pier 1 (Ocean Jet: Php520 terminal fee included, 2hours)

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.”

 -- Lillian Smith

You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take.  

--Wayne Gretzky

Oh High School Life

Best four years of my life! And I bet yours, too! :) I want to count the ways but I'll end up blabbing here which is the last thing I'd like to happen. Just imagine crazy nerds meeting the hard core crazies. Complete riot I tell you but that weirdo combination makes all the beautiful complications. Those days! 

I never saw it coming. I was caught unaware that those best four years were already a decade ago! Ooh lala! How time flies so fast... really fast this time. Every December since we graduated from high school, we tried to do a little gathering - be it all day and all night swimming, magdamagang videoke, or just chattering over eating and drinking... as simple as that, nothing biggy. But we decided to level up this year because it has already been a decade guys! That's a milestone! :)

We celebrated in a decent function room for the first time ever! It's just so awesome to think that the once gusgusin teens from the province have become valuable professionals of this country... and of the world. So we at least deserve that decent venue. Hehe. Thanks to Sun City Suites for upgrading us to a bigger, more bonggang room which was not really necessary because of our number.

I made this goodies corner as the first part of bringing all those good old days back. The milk powder with the tiniest straw. The Bobot candy which has lost its free gold bendable ring. The Dragon Sid which made snacking exciting. My all time favorite Hebi which I thought was spelled as Hibi all those years because we all pronounced it as that and a lot more! Don't you just feel so young all over again just seeing these!

I also created this Whose Baby Is This game. Some of our classmates already got married, had a child or children so this was a way of getting updates. We also had souvenirs and game and raffle prizes which made the night more exciting. Prizes were from sponges, fans, mugs and more sponges. Hihi. So household!

Other classmates could not come because of a handful of reasons which made me wonder - Meron ba talagang reunion na kumpleto? We were twelve classmates with two spouses and a child plus a surprise guest - Sir Gani, our oh so thoughtful adviser! He never missed a reunion. We were deeply touched.

Sir Gani is the neatest and calmest math teacher I've ever known. I actually try to imitate his style but I just cannot focus on my writing on the board when I have the solutions fast running in my head. I bet my students sometimes wish I'm as nice as I look. Looks can sometimes be deceiving, you know. Hehe.

Anyway, Sir Gani had a reenactment of our most memorable moment of him. He caught us cheating on his math subject. I'd like to believe that it was our first time we cheated and not just the first time he caught us. Haha! He then let us pass all our papers and tore the 41 sheets all together. That was the first and the last time he got angry but he was still the calmest man on earth when he was angry. Slow claps for you, Sir! Thank you for being so inspiring and I'm so proud of how far you have gone in your career. Keep it up! :)

A lot has happened in that few hours. Let these photos speak.

Delete the fact that we've become professionals because when we get together, we can get a whole room rocking. We miss everyone who missed this event! Until next December pipol!

As the head of this get together, I'd like to extend my super heartfelt thanks to the following people:

To Rain, Clintford, Mark Anthony, Borj, and Harvey for sponsoring this super bonggang reunion. We literally did not bring anything but ourselves because you had it all paid for us. It was unfortunate that you could not come but your thoughtfulness pushed this event to the next level. We would have been happy just eating pansit canton and pandesal and halo-halo in Maharlika but you wanted so much more for us. Indeed, it felt better drinking water and soda from a wine glass. Haha! Thank you so much!

To Lourdes for being the host, the game master, the photographer and the talented momma of a more talented Everest. I just feel that she will be more talented than you. :) Thanks Everest for dancing "Tiny Bubbles". You are the cutest!

To Reicel for the playlist of our not-so-old songs and the collection of our not-so-old photos. I miss hearing Eminem, Britney Spears, the Hansons, M2M, etc. and I love looking at our then innocent faces.

To Luv for preparing and wrapping the souvenirs and prizes before taking an unexpected vacation. I love my yellow SB mug but I have not won anything from the raffle, as usual.

To Sahara for our registration forms which I totally forgot when the gang started coming. Hehe.

To Nenia for the most awaited prize of the evening and for the untimely exercise just to get what I left from my house. I really appreciate your extra efforts and support Nenskie. :)

To Rex for the super fun-looking tarpaulin. I like the layout.

To Champoy, Jayr, Michael (and wife), Aileen, Joev, Jervin for coming. It was a great time guys.

To Harvey, Borj, Raya, Melai for skyping. Next time, be sure to come, it was hard laughing aloud  and updating lovelives through skype with a loud sound system in the background. Haha!

Thank you all very much for the wonderful years of friendship! 

3 Things I Can Live Without

There are things that we're so used to having and we feel that we will not survive without them. We feel bare,  incomplete or empty. Well of course, things that have become so part of our every day are so hard to let go. But there are also things that we could just let go easily or... gradually. We may not notice that we're actually living a normal life even with their absence.

I have 3 of these things on my list. It was an unconscious effort of taking them off my system. Other people are surprised that I'm surviving without them. But hey, my life is still so normal and seems to be even better!

1. TV

via Google images

Our television at home is not functioning for the past 3 months. Well actually the sounds are still good but it doesn't show anything. So we don't use it anymore because... my gosh! Who wants to watch TV without anything to be watched?

At first, it was odd getting no news from other parts of the world, no crying over a drama, nor getting updates from my favorite celebrities. :)  Sadness crept during the night because I was so used to watching news and dramas. TV sets are usually the centerpiece of Filipino homes  so not having a TV at home is almost feeling like unpatriotic. :)

But we didn't want a new TV. My father said he would get it fixed but months have past and our TV still remained unfixed. We eventually forgot all about it. And that's great! Because we had more time talking and laughing.

I later realized that I don't need a TV! I don't hear bad news in the morning so I'm able to start my day with positive vibes. No bad news still in the evening so I'm able to sleep without being paranoid. 

I also realized that news on TV can be exaggerated because I don't get the same paranoia when I just read from the web. Maybe some of the newsmen are using the fact that Filipinos love drama so they inflict drama. (This is an opinion. I don't mean any harm.)

I've become a lover of books especially magazines! Well, I've been an avid reader since my grade school. In later years, TV has corrupted some of my reading time. Thanks to the absence of TV. I've rediscovered my love for reading.


2. SODA

via Google Images

Yes! I know what you'll say. How boring my life could be! I love steaks but I don't drink softdrinks. I love barbecues but I don't drink softdrinks. How do I enjoy fiestas without taking in even a drop of soda? How can I not give in to a glass full of coke with overflowing ice? My gosh! Even the thought of it is so tempting!

Well, I'm not totally taking it out of my system. I do enjoy drinking soda as much as I want during New Year's day. I don't want to be mean to myself so I also give in to my gratifications but only once a year. So that's 1 day with soda and 364 days without soda. Still so mean? Uhmmm... When I'm really dying to drink, I eat the ice in the drink instead. There's still that soda taste on it but at least I don't drink the soda. I eat it! :)

This is a conscious effort - a big effort at that. With all the great tasting food around, it's so hard to not look for a bottle of coke. But I want to do myself some good. This is my one way of taking care of my body. :)

3. PILLOWS

via Google Images

The thought that I can sleep without pillows came a surprise to me because I had lots of pillows on my bed before. I couldn't sleep without a pillow at my head, a pillow at my back, a pillow at my feet and a pillow that I could hug. I can't recall how I learned to live without one but I'm still alive! :) Yes, I've survived without pillows! I have to have a blanket though. That's a must.


How about you? What are the things that you thought you couldn't live without but after letting them go, you turned out to be just fine?

My First Day High :)

Just done with my first day of class this semester!!! :) And I'm feeling ohhh sooo good about it. :) I've never felt so excited to start a sem and never been this fulfilled after the first day! :) A very great way to start something so wonderful and successful.

I had a very nice schedule and very interesting subjects. Well, actually I'll only be teaching Geometry, Trigonometry, and Statistics this sem. There's been a shuffle with the teaching loads because of the two newly-hired lecturers in replacement of a professor(my thesis' adviser) who's on a study leave.

So this sem is somewhat a new change in the department and in me. But as I have perceived changes, this one is such an advantage to me.

1. I'll be handling students all from the College of Education. The first time ever in my career. I got excited about this because I remember a vision of mine not so long ago that I'll be teaching teachers and future teachers. (The Lord answers my prayers so fast:)....)

2. I am positively forced to change my teaching strategies from lots of lecturers (a strategy that I apply to engineering students because they have good math foundations in high school and topics in algebra and trigonometry are mostly effective with the use of lecture method) to different teaching styles which would create a better learning appreciation of my BS Elementary Education students. (They are not so into math and thus, I have to make them at least like it. And to do that, I have to find ways to make them so. :) Quite challenging and I like this. )

3. I am offered to teach a newly-offered subject. Still in education. It's a Seminar on Technology in Mathematics. It was given to me before the end of the last semester and I have actually prepared for it during summer. :) I'm always excited about learning new things from computers and this subject greatly captured that interest. I pray that I'll be able to provide my students the required skills that are expected of them.

4. For the first time ever, I'll have a Wednesday class. :) In this university, we only have regular classes four days a week. A wednesday is an activity day. But due to the excess of classes maybe and the limited laboratory schedule, that computer class I've mentioned will be on a Wednesday. This would mean a no-idle day for me. :)

5. I'll have classes in another building. Another first time ever. (Maybe I should have entitled this post "First Times" :)...) This for me is another advantage because I'll be in a new environment which would mean a fresher aura. Fresher energy and thus, fresher perspective and fresher attitude! :)

There!!! The things that I'm so glad about my first day of this school year.

May my excitement and enthusiasm be continually renewed throughout the semester that every day will be as if my First Day! :)

Change Can Be Exciting After All

The past month, I went through an emotional struggle on changes. Actually, the changes weren't happening yet. I was just so into the future consequences of the things which were about to change. I engrossed myself too much on the negative effects of those changes. But I haven't anticipated the good things which would also go with them.

But thank God for the grace of enlightenment. Just about the changes truly occurred, I've handled and managed my emotions well and had actually tried to view everything from the good side.

And guess what, it's just in the matter of how you perceive things. I'm now happy with the changes in other people's lives which would partly affect mine. Partly and greatly, as well. :) Uhhhmmmm... That's about it. I can't explain further. Hehe...

Thanks to my one-week mantra. "I will handle my emotions gracefully."

And I know I've handled this one more gracefully than I ever thought.

I'm now more excited of what will come ahead of me. And of I will be able to overcome every challenge! :)

How To Handle Change Gracefully

Changes are coming my way and sometimes I get disturbed. I'm just not so used to abrupt changes but I know that there'll be big changes soon. Thus, I need to be prepared. I don't want to be caught unaware because I don't like "bad" surprises. :) I need to acknowledge this only constant thing in the world.

I want to post an article by Jeff Cohen. It's just so helpful to me right now. Be filled by Mr. Cohen's wisdom. :) See it here.

Change can either be good or bad; but whatever form it takes, there’s only one reason why change occurs – it is to set aside the past and look ahead to the future. Although leaving your comfort zone is a tough thing to do, there is always a way for you to move forward and meet these changes successfully.

Acceptance

You have to realize that change is inevitable and no matter how hard you try to run away from it, things eventually happen if they are destined to happen. It is true that the only thing that is constant is change, so always be flexible. Admitting that change is already happening or just actually happened is hard but denying it will not make things easier.

Look on the Brighter Side

View change as an avenue for growth. You may not like the transformation at first, but most likely you will get used to it soon. Be optimistic and keep your head held high. Who knows what is in store for you? Keep in mind that there is always a reason for everything and look at the changes around you in a different perspective.

Let go

Letting go is one of the hardest things to do. Letting go of things that were part of your routine doesn’t happen overnight. Stop dwelling on the past, move on, make your first step forward and accept the change with open arms. Letting go is easier said than done but it does not mean that you cannot do it. You have to realize that you need to let go to give way for new things in your life. Letting go is a process everyone needs to undergo in life. Every now and then, you have to sacrifice something or someone in order to start anew, oftentimes, for the better.

Focus

Focus on what is left and not on what is lost. Rest for a while, concentrate on the next step and give all your attention into it. Do not look back, just go forward and confront the changes that are already in front of you.

Do not Stagnate Yourself

Change does not mean the end of the world so stop feeling paralyzed. Do not let fear of change stop your world from evolving. Do not resist. Rather just go with the flow and see where change takes you. Remember that you control your life. Do not let change control you.

Scared and Sad

"The more we know how we feel and ways to feel, release, be with, or let go of our feelings, the better we feel about ourselves." by Kali Munro, M.Ed., Psychotherapist.

This statement says it all. The past days, I've been confronted by my inner self with a lot of emotions. New stones are being left on my path for me to step on or to avoid. I'm now facing situations where my ability to handle emotions gracefully is tested.

My officemate/friend Laiza has been approved of her scholarship in Cebu. Ate My is waiting for a call from a university in Davao that she applied in. Then I felt a pain inside. Why are people leaving me?

(Ate My and Laiza)

Letting go is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, thing for me to do. I just can't let other people go easily especially those who have been so attached to my heart. And these girls are all I have for the longest time that I've been working here. Though Laiza will be back for two years, that's still a long time. And though Davao is just 3 hours away from Gensan, that's still a big change. Ate My and I have been living under one roof for 2 years.

Everything would be so different without my two fabulous girl friends. We share almost everything about life. They're my closest friends now. The girl bonding moments are the best ways to stay alive and enthusiastic in this somewhat routinary world. KFC moments are always laughing and touching lives moments. In the coming days, it will just be me eating alone there. Whew! I'm again scared for that moment to come.

So what exactly am I feeling right now? I feel scared again. Scared of not going to be as happy as when they're just around. For now, that's it. I'll be taking this one step at a time again. I don't wanna preempt things. Let the emotions come as they will. I know I can handle them :) (I'm trying to be brave here. Please spare me some of that courage that you have.)

And I'm sad for I'll surely miss my girl friends!

I pray for Ate My at these moments. She really deserves this, Lord. I guess it's time that You please fulfill her heart's desire.