Bottled Sky

Last Friday I had dinner with Aggie and Chrissa, my closest friends from high school. Chrissa and I hang out pretty often, but we get together with Aggie so rarely that we were quite excited to see her. I also met Aggie’s boyfriend, Art, for the first time, and he shot what would become my new favorite photo of us:

Aggie, Chrissa and me. Photo snagged from Aggie’s Multiply album.

We talked until the mall closed, but it still wasn’t enough. It’s crazy how much we’ve all changed since high school, from the way we look and dress to how we think and approach life. Elaborating would probably make this a long-winded and mind-numbingly boring post, so I’ll just say that the last seven years has brought a lot of positive changes to our lives.

Speaking of changes, I asked Chrissa to adopt Boo, because I won’t be able to take her with me when I move to Singapore. She seemed anxious on the drive over to Chrissa’s house, like she “sensed something big was about to happen” as Chrissa put it. However, she quickly adjusted as soon as we got there and excitedly explored every nook and cranny of her new home.

Anxious Boo turned into Happy Boo. More photos?

I, on the other hand, am not adjusting as well. I miss her so much — and it’s only been three days The house feels kind of empty without Boo lying around belly-up, waiting for someone to scratch her tummy. I know it’s for the best, though, because Chrissa and her family are already in love with the little sweetheart. I just know they’ll spoil her rotten.

In other news, I finally got to see Transformers last Sunday! Since everyone has already blogged about how awesome it was, I’ll make this super quick: Shia LeBeouf was hot (he’s the newest addition to my “To Do” list), Megan Fox was hot (if only I looked like that), the robots were hot (I want a Bumblebee of my own). The end.

I’ve had bad luck with summer outings before. For the longest time it seemed like I was doomed to never set foot on a sunny beach again, but last weekend the weather gods finally decided to cut me some slack and gave me two full days of fun in the sun.

I traveled to Puerto Galera, a popular beach destination in the Philippines, with seven of my college friends. It was easily the best vacation I’ve been on in quite a while. The synopsis: We lounged on the beach, swam in the clear sea, got drunk on bonded over a pitcher of Mindoro Sling, hiked through a mountain, took a dip in a waterfall, and went parasailing! If you want the whole tale and the boat load of pictures that come with it, keep reading

Continue reading Beach Trip: Now with Real Sun! »

I just got back from my Baguio trip, also known as the Great Strawberry Binge of 2007. Man, those strawberries were fantastic. We stayed at a lovely hillside house in a village charmingly called Rainbow’s End. Here are some photos I took in and around the property:

Generated by Mosaic Maker

1. Wooden Beams, 2. Dad Reading, 3. Niche, 4. Mom by the Daisies, 5. Fern, 6. Vines, 7. Stone Steps, 8. Dad Enjoying the View, 9. Fire Hydrant, 10. Trees & Clouds, 11. Looking Up, 12. Reflections

As for my detox efforts, I would have to say they were a smashing success. I managed to stay off the Internet the whole time. I did drink one itty-bitty cup of coffee on the second day, but only because it was so freaking cold. Yep. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

I have many feline qualities, a fact rarely lost on the people around me. I’m often told by both close friends and mere acquaintances that I remind them of a cat. I get a lot of kitty gifts because of this—cards, plushies, stationery, and even original art. My personal favorite is this picture given to me by a classmate on the last day of a photography class I took in college:

On the back he wrote, “To the only cat person I know, I’ll remember you every time I hear a cat’s meow. So here, take this picture and forget me not.”

I definitely won’t

I’ve lived in Metro Manila my whole life. I’ve battled the horrendous hi-way traffic five days a week since my grade school years (and I’ve lost many times, too, if the number of tardies I’ve acquired throughout my schooling is any indication). I’m used to the smog and the noise that can be found only in a busy, over-populated metropolis. I’ve grown accustomed to being 10 minutes away from the nearest shopping mall, and I can’t imagine life without cable TV and the Internet. If I had to be away from the city for longer than a few days, I’d miss it terribly. What more can I say? I’m an urbanite through and through.

It was, hence, only to be expected that alarm bells would go off in my head when one summer my parents happily announced that they were taking me on a road trip to Vigan. Eight hours in a car with nothing but rice fields to look at? Three days in a place that prided itself on being stuck in the previous century? More rice fields on the ride back?! They must have been kidding themselves if they actually thought I’d agree to come.

As it turned out, I was the one kidding myself when I thought they’d agree to go without me. So on an early summer day, trapped in an SUV with my parents and armed with only my loudest CDs, I was on my way to Vigan.

Continue reading A Visit to the 19th Century »