Seashells On The Seashore

“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.”

                                                                                                           --Isak Dinesen

I cannot agree more with Isak Dinesen especially on that third cure. Haven't you always find the sea so peacefully calm it can mend a broken soul... (even just at a moment). That's the best reason I can justify my love of the sea - PEACE. My next best reason is JOY.  Who goes to the sea and find no joy at all? The sea has been a witness to a number of joyful moments in my life - with family, friends, and even with just 'myself and I'. 

I go to see the sea even alone. Good that beaches are just few miles away from my home. But I have this favorite beach house at Lago, Glan, Sarangani Province. That's about an hour away from Gensan. This was first introduce to me in 2008 when the office guys and gals celebrated a year end party. It was a private beach house owned by a colleague's friend. We had the best party ever and so we went back the year after, in 2009, and only had the chance to come again in 2012.

The beach house captured my heart in so much admiration that I was always secretly wishing we'd go there every end of the year. Thanks to Sir Efren and his friend for a beautiful venue for celebrating fun and nurturing friendship.

Special thanks to Laiza for the photos (again). I better have a new camera soon!

Office Trip: Island Garden City of Samal

We're in the middle of summer and everybody has plans to be at the beach. I mean, c'mon! Who doesn't? :)

And being the fun-loving people that we are, the Math/Physics/IT Department wouldn't want to be left behind! So this is our first ever summer getaway as a group and the second level of our commitment to enjoy travelling together :) The first trip was in Lake Sebu last October. It was superb that we decided to continue this worthwhile endeavor. :)

The group is composed mostly of boys so the girls have to give in to more adventure rather than just the laid back, glamorous trip. So we settled on something life-threatening. Haha! We headed to the Maxima Aquafun Resort in Samal Island which promised a maximum water experience. Its best attraction according to its website and stories of other people was its giant slide. A 50-meter tarpaulin slide which ends at the sea. 

Ok. Bring it on! : )

Travel Time. Samal Island is 20 minutes away from Davao City via barge and Davao City is 3 hours away from where we're at -  General Santos City.

  

          

Finally! We're in Maxima!

                      

And I can see the slide! 

Omg! Am I really going to do this? Am I really going to risk my bones or my life? FYI guys. I'm not afraid of the water but I really don't know how to swim! Will I survive? Why am I even thinking of doing it. I can just sit around and take pictures while everyone will be on the water swimming, screaming, enjoying! But I knew I wanted to try!

I dug up all the courage in me and marched my way to the battle - the battle between me and my fear of being drowned. But wait! I have to get my shield! The life jacket! Yey! Soooo glad they provide for everyone. I'll not drown anymore right? And my friends promised to be there when I fall (literally!) : ) Now I'm brave enough. And Laiza promised to take pictures of us. 

They all went ahead of me.

 

 

Now it's my time. Don't I look scared here? I had to pretend to somehow manage to look good. But my gosh! My heart beats a million times a minute! I had to tighten my grip on the yellow tube so I won't accidentally slide. Look how long that slide is!

                

Now it's time! 

               

Waahhh!!! That was how I was feeling right at this moment. But I couldn't scream. I wanted to look at the clouds while doing this but I had to close my eyes because the seawater was painful to the eyes. The slide seemed forever but I finally fell. 

   

That's my splash over there. Yah! I'm under the water already. My fall wasn't perfectly captured. Thanks Laiz for the splash. : ) Hey! That's really me beneath all that splash. Tsk! Why only the splash!

But hey!!! I'm alive after  that giant slide! My bones are all intact and that life jacket works! In fact, I did it again. Yes! Ooops. I did it again (by Britney Spears). : ) But again no photo for that because everyone was in the water already. 

A shout out to Ma'am Beth and Ma'am Berl for being so brave in doing it! We were so surprised! Go girls!

   

More aquafun!

 

 

 

We headed back to Davao where we stayed overnight. Had a mini tour around the city.

People's Park.

 

 

 

 

Abreeza.

 

 

 

                     

It's important that we love what we do especially the job that we chose. And if we also love the people we work with, that's a great bonus! It's seldom do we find nice and kind and fun colleagues, those who may be so different from each other in many aspects but still manage to be in peace and harmony with each other. Talk about being in the best of both worlds.

P.S. This trip wasn't at its end yet when others were already discussing where to go next. So I guess this will be just the second of our next many trips. Keep reading! : )