I have never been in any South Asian country before. But their culture, ways of life, and their respect for various religions has sustained my interest and curiousity to South Asia since then.

My arrival in Kathmandu was no different from what i expected. What was very memorable was the free face foundation from dust and vehicle pollution on my way to my house. Traffic was evident from all kinds of transport, mini buses, electric vehicles, cars and motorcycles. People walk on the streets wearing face masks. There were roads that were not yet paved and has never tasted what good accessibility means. I have noted a lot of international organizationssuch as Worldbank, UN, Red CRoss, among others, which shows how badly this country needs all the funding from development organizations around the world.

Amazingly, Kathmandu is a country that draws a lot of tourists. The locals depend on them to bring food into their plates. As gesture to visitors, they show their gentle, kind and peaceful being. I myself have witnessed this as i was welcomed by my surrogate family in their buddhist home. They blessed me with Tikha as a sign of embrace and good life. They are amazingly good to me and treat me as their family.

Everything was new and exciting to me. I had my first taste of motorcycle ride hanging at the back of Anjila as she showed me around Kathmandu. Buildings and temples that tested time still stand erect after hundreds of years, with intricate carvings of their religions.

I feel peaceful.

 

 

 

 

A picture of BABA (Hindu elderly)and me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Standing beside Kathmandu's Air Pollution Monitoring Board which is currently non operational.

 

 

 

 

Nepal is a landlocked country, three fourth of its total land is surrounded by India and one fourth by Bangladesh. One can see how much it is similar to India. They eat mostly vegetables, twice a day. It is one of the most polluted countries in Asia. With the Himalayas mountains surrounding it, pollutants are  not dissipated  but instead stay inside the valley, affecting people's health and wellbeing. This is the reason why locals wear masks, and the motivation that drives me to stay here- to work for cleaner air.

         I am set to travel to Zambales today. I am mixing cocktails, basking under the sun and visualizing how to catch the waves. The long ride will definitely be fun, from the break to the shoreline. The sad part was it stayed only in my mind.

 

          Call it as an unforeseen circumstance; I was instead trapped under the piercing heat of Metro Manila. City life was and is never my niche. It drags my spirit and consumes my positivism. The air is heavy and one only has to find relief through shopping and dining. Everything is beyond the bare essentials in life.

 

         I would like to believe that I have more of the bohemian spirit in me, but this time armed with a purpose. Living the bohemian life is the easy part, finding your purpose is quite hard.

 

         I chanced upon a book this weekend called “Conversations with God”- an uncommon dialogue by Neale Donald Walsch. How and why this book caught my attention, this I will tell you now. 

 

         I call it significant coincidences, chances and opportunities in our life that speak to us through events, people, material things and experiences. It was significant because I was looking for an answer; it was a coincidence because out of the 7 boxes (we were sorting books donated by the Chicago Masons for the children’s library being handled by my friend) literally scattered in the first floor, I could not put this book down. Something tells me that I have to read it, digest it and understand it. It was puzzling how my attention was drawn towards it.

 

          The first page said, “Suppose you could ask God questions about existence- about love and faith, life and death, good and evil AND suppose God provided clear understandable questions….” You are about to have a conversation...

 

In an instant, my reflex instructed me to shut the book. This is so creepy, way beyond creepy. Am I having this Harry Potter episode wherein the secrets of the whole witchcraft and magic is about to be revealed through a diary? I was looking at it like I’m waiting for something to happen, a sign, a whisper, anything that can move me.  Nothing, and so I flipped through the pages and began reading. 

 

The thing was, I never placed it down until I arrived at the last page. It was everything that I imagined, the book was just a validation of the beliefs and experiences that I have come to know.

 

Let me outline to you some of the basic beliefs that I agree with my conversation with God.

 

1.     God communicates to us with our thoughts, using images and pictures. Not all thoughts are from Him, since many thoughts in our mind can be created by other causes. The challenge is discernment. To discern well, follow this basic rule: His message comes from the highest thought. The highest thought is always that thought which contains joy. Anything less is from other source.

2.     God communicates to us with our feeling. If you want to know what’s true for you about something, look to how you’re feeling about it. The grandest feeling is that feeling called love. The feeling of Love allows you to know and understand something. Anything less is from other source.  

3.     His most powerful messenger is our experience. The result of not listening to our experience is that we keep on reliving it, over and over again. And so He will continue to sending us the same massages over and over again, in hundred forms, in thousand moments, across a million years. We cannot miss them if we truly listen.

 

He will bring to you the exact right thoughts, words or feeling, and experience, at any given moment, suited precisely to the purpose at hand. And you will know these are from Him, because you, of your own accord, have never spoken so clearly.

 

 

4.     Every prayer, every thought, every statement, every feeling – IS CREATIVE. To the degree that it is fervently held as truth, to that degree will it be made manifest in your experience. Together, they are magnificently effective in giving birth to your reality.

5.     If there is some aspect of creation you find you do not enjoy, bless it and simply change it. Choose again, Call forth a new realty. Think a new thought, Say a new word, Do a new thing. Do this magnificently and the rest of the world will follow you.

6.     When you thank God in advance for that which you choose to experience in your reality, you in effect acknowledge that it is there. The correct prayer is therefore never a prayer of supplication, but a prayer of gratitude. Thankfulness is thus the most powerful statement to God, an affirmation that even before we ask, He have answered.

7.     When human love relationship fails, they fail because they were entered into for the wrong reason. The purpose of a relationship is to decide what part of yourself you’d like to see “show up” (what you can give), not what part of another you can capture and hold.

8.     Your first relationship must be with yourself. You must first see your Self as worthy before you can see another as worthy. You should not have another who might complete you, but to have another with whom you might share your completeness.

9.     Your soul doesn’t care what you do for a living, and when your life is over, neither will you. You soul cares only about what you’re being while you’re doing whatever you’re doing. It is a state of being ness the soul is after, not a state of doing ness.

10.  The deepest secret is that life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation. You are not discovering yourself but creating yourself anew. Seek to determine who you want to be, and manifest it in your life. You will help others remember who they want to be.

 

I guess many of these dictums are part of your beliefs; most of them are part of mine. The challenge is for you to create it.

The unbeatable green team in the lazer challenge....

 

 

 

 

Snippets of my new found family in Shell during the Lazer Challenge at the Fort.

Loved the game!!! 

I had bruises on my knees and dead weak the next day, but really enjoyed it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i've been meaning to talk about love and men, and how it can be at the same time maddening and intricate. This special feeling makes all of us foolish and drives us to see the world in a different way.

Suddenly, all bald guys within your area of vision matters (if you happen to fall for a bald guy!), or anyone with goatee swiftly makes you uncomfortable (if you happen to love someone with goatee!)... then you smile with the foolish thought in your head asking yourself why you suddenly search within a pool of faces, the specific physical feature that is distinct to the person that you love. 

Why does it matter? simply because you want to have that same feeling of peace the same way you glimpse at him from afar. Or when you talk with him personally, or when he cracks jokes with you. You want that feeling to stay by simply looking for anything tangible in other people that can remind you of how it felt.

what makes women remember men?

Personalities matter to women, the way you laugh at yourself and others, how high and mighty your command is in driving people around you to work, that strength to understand how women feels and being able to appreciate them when they do good in their own field. As simple as it is, i believe these are the four major characters that make a man stand out above others.

How you look and how you carry yourself is just second down the line, whether you fashion a nice goatee or shave your head...some of the great guys i know need not look like orlando bloom (though it would'nt hurt if he looks like one!), but manifests some of the valuable personalities distinct in a nice guy...

but sadly, this is not the way most men view women... The size of a women's breast , how short  we wear our skirt, and how long our lashes is projected in our eyes-are the things that make men swivel their heads. i have been witness to this many times, and cant help but sigh, " come on, grow up!". Is it a testosterone requirement? Are they just having fun? But the real question is, how far do men play the fun game?

 

 

 

I just ended my 5 day late night marathon series of OTH, and i cant help but realize how far OTH and i have come. The story of lucas, brooke, peyton, haley and nathan has been through rough times and i felt that life story is part of me, and those words that they are saying were things that i wanted to say.

 

They say we leave this world just the way we came into it ---- naked and alone.
So, if we do leave with nothing, What then, is a measure of a life ? Is it defined by the people we choose to love ?
Or is life simply measured by our accomplishments ?
And what if we fail ? or are never truly loved ? What then ? Can we ever measure up ?Or will the quiet desperation of a life gone wanting drive us mad?

There were many who couldn't understand, and sometimes he walked among them. But even in his darkest hours, he knew in his heart, that someday it would return to him. And his world would be whole again. And his belief in god and love and art would be reawakened in his heart.

Sometimes when you're young, you think nothing can hurt you. It's like being invincible. Your whole life is ahead of you, and you have big plans. Big plans. To find your perfect match. The one that completes you. But as you get older, you realize it's not always that easy. It's not until the end of your life that you realize how the plans you made were simply plans. At the end, when you're looking back instead of forward, you want to believe that you made the most of what life gave you. You want to believe that you're leaving something good behind. You want it all to have mattered.

Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is gonna come from, the next smile, the next wish come true. But if you believe that it's right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it. You just might get the thing you're wishing for. The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So make your wish. Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it. With all your heart.

Albert Camus once wrote, "Blessed are the hearts that can bend. They shall never be broken." But I wonder.... If there's no breaking, then there's no healing. And if there's no healing, then there is no learning. And if there's no learning, then there's no struggle. But the struggle is a part of life, So must all hearts be broken ?

Suddenly, it was as if roar of the crowd, the echo of the final buzzer, the cheers of my teammates were all sounding from a thousand miles away. And what remained in that bizzare muffled silence was only peyton, the girl whose art and passion and beauty had changed my life. In that moment, my triumph was not a state championship, but simple clarity, the realization that we had always been meant for each other, and every instinct to the contrary had simply been a denial of the following truth. I was now and would always be in love with Peyton Sawyer.

Much as some of us fight it,
Our parents have a mystical hold over us,
The power to affect out thoughts and emotions,
The way only they can.
It's a bond that changes over time, but doesn't diminish,
Even if they are half a world away .....
....or in other world entirely.
It's a power we never fully understand,
We're left only to wonder that when our time comes,
What kind of hold will we have on our children ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PINOYNOMADS presents

Travel Photography Expedition

to Bolinao and Hundred Islands , Pangasinan

with Michelle Morelos

Nov 28 – Dec. 1

 

Places of interests:

• Swimming in Patar - White Sand Beach
• Visit to Enchanted Underground Cave
• View of Cape Bolinao Lighthouse (built by the USA in 1903)
• Sunset shoot in rock formations
• Day tour in lA laminos Hundred Islands National Park  
• Bolinao falls
• Church of St James Fortress

 

SCHEDULE

November 21 – (6-8PM) Pre-trip meeting (Venue to be announced)

November 28 – December 1 Actual trip 11pm Departure

December 5   - (6-8PM) Post-trip meeting (Venue to be announced)

 

JOINING FEE P12, 000 inclusive of lecture fee, board & lodging, meals, transportation, land tour, travel insurance, and certificate. Please settle

P 3,000 to reserve a slot (non-refundable).

 

DISCOUNT Settle in full by October 31 and pay P10, 500 only. Reserve minimum of P3, 000 on or before October 31 and get P1000 off the joining fee (pay only P11, 000).

 

Target Participants: 13

 

Email at pinoynomads@gmail.com for reservations

another year is about to end, as i flip to the pages of alvin toffler, it makes me realize that as i stand in the middle of everything, what i am used to seeing changes in front of my eyes.

I wish for the world to stop, i need to get off for a while......

The Rainbow Warrior, the famous fleet of Greenpeace has docked in Manila Port last Saturday. Grabbing this a surprising opportunity, me, YAs and Leah went onboard the Rainbow Warrior to witness how this ship has conquered our world's environmental problems. Being a forefront in various active movements, Rainbow Warrior sailed agains Japanese ships that were killing whales in Japan's coast, served as a rescue fleet for tsunami victims across south east asia, and refused entry of fleets carrying coals for power plants in the Philippines. Inside a vacant facility in the port, Greenpeace has showcased their t-shirts famous for individual stories that mark the time. These were used by volunteers when they fought against GMOs,  use of COAL  in Masinloc, Zambales and many more. One gets to bid to own the shirts, and if you are lucky to get it, the story behind the shirt printed in an article depicting their struggles will come with it.

Indeed Rainbow Warrior has served its purpose during those moments when it was needed most. I am truly humbled to meet the crew from across the world, and the Filipino volunteers who opened a big window for me to witness how non-government organizations work across this borderless world. The ship came all the way from Amsterdam, where the main office is currently based. The rear flag (Netherlands) indicates where it came from and the front flag shows the direction where it is going- Philippines. As most ships i've seen on movies, they have huge anchors to set the ship in place, and arms itself with 6 speed boats to chase whale killers and rescue victims in the vast ocean. It is capable to use the ocean water to pump out and kill fire on other ships. And most of all, it is able to sail along transboundary countries with ease.

I always wonder how's the life of a crew on this ship. They say that it usually takes at least 3 months to board as a crew and sail across the world. I guess most of these people leave their families behind to work in making this world a better place. Why can others give up so much? what sustains them?

It all boils down on how much you love yourself, and what you can do to make this a better place for everybody including yourself. 

 

 

I just heard them from stories of people and friends. But later did I knew that when we camped out in Cape Engano that night, i could hear faint steps of people circling around the tent in the wee hours of the night. I was'nt able to sleep the whole night. I felt that it was the longest time of my life, just waiting for the light to arrive, and convincing myself that im still alive. The wind was howling like crazy, and the trees were swaying back and forth as if telling us that this is not a place for fools like us. 

 

This is what  made us busy during the night in Cape Engano Lighthouse. In the middle of darkness, we wrote our names on thin air, drew cars and trees from bautiful lights as it was all captured by the lens of a camera.

 

 

 

 

Anguib Beach Cove was a great breather and an amazing surprise. It is like Boracay Island without people and man-made structures. It has wide expanse of sea grasses, the sands were sparkling white from coral grains. The waves were inviting where you can see them from the shoreline. Its tranquil, clean and calm, just what a genuine cove promises to provide anyone craving for natural high.

 

 

 

 

We trekked towards a forest area with amazing tree profiles, wild orchids, and ferns. We passed a few creeks that lead us to the waterfalls. The forest was cold despite the piercing heat outside. Its amazing to see how ecosystems coexist in different environments and one can really appreaciate uniqueness of a living organism and its capability to survive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A boat ride to Palaui Island reveals itself as the last frontier of the North. The landscape is similar to Batanes, where waves cut and pierce rocks to form majestic boulders.

 

 

 

 

If you are interested to visit these places, drop me an email at cashmere_wah@yahoo.com/ sms me at 0927-9935864. We are organzing people to attend the Viray Festival, a fluvial parade in Sta. Ana, Cagayan (May 26 to 27), a day tour to Palau Island (May 28) and Tatus Festival (Coconut Crab) in Calayan Island (May 29 to 31), part of the Babuyan islands up in the North. This is part of the circuit festivals that the Philippine Department of Tourism is promoting in the country.

Thanks,

 

Chin

Hello Sunny Philippines!!! I'm back to explore your wonders!!!

It's amazing to be home again. My life is at crossroads, i plan to go back to Europe next year, hopefully to stay for good....But who knows where the tide will take me, if i had reasons to stay in the Philippines, i hope to see the reasons this year...For the meantime, im up for surpirses....

 

Im bound to conquer Mt. Pulag. March 14-17, 2008....with UPM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And hopefuly will still have the strength to go to Batad , Banaue after the climb

March 18-20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But definitely will come back to my province to visit  the quiet town of Sta. Ana where they have this beautiful lighthouse on the northeast part. March 20-24, 2008

Cape Engano, Sta. Ana, Cagayan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow, napakaganda ng Pilipinas!!!!

 

JOIN!!!!

The UP Mountaineers
Talikasan Open Climb 2008
Mt. Pulag, Benguet
Ambangeg Trail
March 15-16, 2008

To all interested participants:

Registration fee is P2300 (a P200 discount will be provided for undergraduate
students and minors). This will cover transportation, guideship fees, equipment
(tents and stove), and a participants' T-shirt.

All adult participants will be required to sign a safety waiver. Minors (17 and
below) will need to have their waivers signed by a parent or guardian.

For safety reasons and limited camping space, we will be limiting the number of
participants to 30. Priority will be given to UP students.
To join:
1a. Email your name and contact details to join@upmountaineers.org.ph or wagnyokongkausapin@yahoo.com.
1b. OR text your name and contact details to 09178654619 (Tope)
2.  Make an advanced payment of P1000 (nonrefundable). You can make a deposit to Dennis Lopez's Savings Account #2429000524 (BPI - SM Megamall Branch) and email a scanned copy of the marked deposit slip to
join@upmountaineers.org.ph and wagnyokongkausapin@yahoo.com.
3.  Wait for our confirmation.
4. Attend the PreClimb Meeting on March 11

This email came from UPM.

Today, i received my marks for the semester. From almost 20 people around the world listed on the wall, (Central America, Asia, Europe, Africa and U.S.A.), the name of someone coming from the Philippines came in First....

I had an average of 9, (10 would be perfect)....All my exams, papers, research works were not lower than 9, and it felt amazing!!!

Wow!, i still can't believe it!!!

 

Berlin Film Festival opens on Feb. 7 to 17, 2008... Competition line-up includes:

 

 

 

Ballast - U.S. (Director-Lance Hammer)

 

 

 

 

BLACK iCE -Finland-Germany (Director-Petri Kotwica)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elite Squad - Brazil (Director: Jose Padilha)

 

 

 

 

 

Heart of Fire- Germany/Italy/Austria (Director: Luigi Falorni)

 

 

 

 

In Love We Trust-China (Director: Wang Xiaoshuai)

 

 

 

 

Julia - France (Director: Erick Zonca)

The Song of Sparrows- Iran (Director:Majid Majidi)

Lake Tahoe - Mexico (Director: Fernando Eimbcke)

Quiet Chaos- Italy (Director: Antonello Grimaldi)

Heart of Fire - Germany-Italy-Austria (Directir: Luigi Falorni)

Kabei: Our Mother - Japan (Director: Yoji Yamada)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every two years, my family (father's side) celebrates our reunion in Cebu. It was always during the Sinulog festival where all locals come back to their hometown. Like any other filipino families, my father has six sibling, married with their own children and either living in the country or abroad. That would count us all as 27.

This year i missed the reunion in Cebu. We usually spend it in my uncle's resort in Boljoon, my mother's birth place down south. It is an amazing town where locals are genuinely warm. The seafood comes in as bucket full and fresh. And you can breathe in good air into your lungs. You can drink buko juice from the palm nuts coming from the trees.

Boljoon happens to be my favorite place on Earth. I imagine myself living in this town, retiring and getting old. If only the seas bring in waves for me surf and ride, then everything would be perfect.

(Uncle Marlon's resort-view from the top hills)

Adding to my disappointment, my dad mentioned that they had a fabulous time during the reunion last week. The weather was amazing and it even came to a point that during the night, the full moon was beaming.

 

My counsins and my brother played "patintero" under the moonlight. Uncle George took out his casino game cards, and everyone else played with their chips. The winner always ends up exchanging his chips with dollar bills, hehehe. And i always lose that game. My uncle believes that we have to be responsible betters that it even came to a point that he gave each of us money  to try our luck in a 5 star hotel casino in the city. That was my first time to get inside a casino and seeing piles and piles of chips on the tables of foreign visitors. Most of my experience of first adventures began during our reunions. In those get-together, we were taught how to fish, set up the bait and throw the line in the water. We were taught how to swim and dive. I used to be fearless with heights, one time i was able to touch the bottom of the river with my fingers. What was an outstanding memory is when we saw real boxing fight in the fiesta, struggling boxers who started their way from below. And we scream and shout their names, as blood drip from their jaws and mouth.

This year, my cousins from U.S. came with their boyfriends and was amazingly impressed with the warm welcome. Since it is only a small town, everyone happens to know everyone.

My grandfather (mom's father) happened to be the first mayor of the town, and so we always get the feeling that locals are much more friendly to us,  smiling and trying to stir conversation with us on our way to church. And you usually hear them telling you how you've grown up when ironically they see us almost every year. Then they will prepare tons and tons of local foods and sometimes they even bring it to us in the resort. My dad said that this year, someone came with jars of "tuba" and everyone had a fun time tasting their first tuba wine.

I miss this feeling. I miss the sun, the waves, the fresh air and most of all the people who makes me feel loved.

Sarah and Betty treating us for dinner before they leave for Paris this week.

(L-R) Mariella, Sarah, Me and Brenda, Betty taking the photo...

First serving: Soup, then the main dinner comes after, with wine, ice cream, and a lot more!!!

I live in a city near Amsterdam. The randstaad area are composed of Hague, Delft, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the bigest cities in NL. But you cannot say that you have been to holland without visiting Amsterdam, and so i spent the weekend there with a good friend.

Amsterdam Central station- this is where we arrived. The biggest train station in Amsterdam with intercity stops to all cities of NL and international connecting trains to Germany, Belgium, France among others.

 

 

Amsterdam Square - I had a photo taken with Kingkong, as he claims to be. This was fun, there were a lot of people here, fronting the Madame Tussaud's wax museum and Grand Palace. Its good time to feed the pigeons around the square.

 

 

 

 

Agora street - this is where the flower market is. The whole stretch is covered with tulips, roses, seeds and bulbs where you can buy them. I was contemplating if i wanted to buy bulbs and seeds, mabubuhay kaya sa pinas pag tinanim ko?

hehehe

 

Hash Marijuana and Hemp Museum- this is in the Red Light District area. my friend said that we shoud try it, and I bought hash pops, hahaha, and tasted it. Curious? its sweet tasting with an after tasts of a leaf, it tasted like a cola for me...

Red Light District- this is in Casa Rossa, a famous bar for nude and porno shows, as in!!! live pa...the whole street is filled with women selling their bodies displayed in an artistic glass window.  (yung mga glass windows sa likod ko, babae mga nakatayo doon sa loob, with two piece outfits, sometimes, plaster lang sa boobs, hahaha!!!

TRIVIA: These glass windows are privately owned. They rent it  to women for prostitution. The fee is 40 euro each day = 2400 pesos (rental of the glass window) and you can squat, dance, bare naked in the glass window the whole day to attract customers.  You have to get at least one customer in a day, which is equivalent to 40 euros per sex, in order to get back your investment of renting the window. The more customers you have, the more money you get, hahaha!!!

 

Grand Palace in the square - these are guards guarding the palace...The horses wese so huge and tall...This square is where Madame Tussauds wax museum is, and nearby is erotic museum.

 

 

 

 

 

Canal Cruise/Souvenir Shops- as we get off from the canal cruise, we started looking for souvenir items. I bought myself a "Lagalize It! Marihuana key chain" and some nice looking cofee mugs, beer openers, ref magnets, cool stuffs!!!

things that im grateful for: (this week)

1. my bus ticket (one way) coming from home to school is now reduced from 1.60 euro to 1 euro starting this year, yehey!!!

2. i bought h&m winter clothes in sale prices! imagine from 15 euro, i got it for 5 euro...

 

.

3. i get to see my sister tomorrow in brussels, belgium where i'll spend three days before hitting the red light district of amsterdam

 

 

 

 

 

            4. my flamates cooked dinner for me tonight and i had chocolates and muffins with chocolate fillings for dessert, yummy...(flatmates: esti-second from right, brenda-third from left)

5. afrah gave me an authentic key chain from yemen and an amazing postcard from prague. (afrah from yemen)

 

6. i'm meeting the "guru" of constructed wetland (my research topic) mr. ruud kampf next week in Nijmegen and will be able to work with german student researchers on that day.

Nijmegen

 

 

 

7. i'm learning few dutch words from Marcin, my guy classmate from Poland. (back view of Marcin)

 

 

 

 

 

8. We went to Flovoland for an excursion.

with Hans Hasselt (Course Director) and Frans Bertels (Adviser of Urban Planning students)