For the Women Who Started and Kept the Flame Burning

The media and people in the world of Philippine Literature mourn the death of Ma'am Ophie. (Ophelia Alcantara-Dimalanta). In this article from Philippine Daily Inquirer, it is written:

"THE DEATH of Ophelia Alcantara-Dimalanta, poetess extraordinaire, writer-in-residence and former dean of the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Santo Tomas, and supreme doyenne of at least two generations of poets, writers and literature educators in the country, has touched off a wave of grief in the media and literary world."

I am not close to Ma'am Ophie. But I call her that way as I did during college days; she was so gracious on devoting a little of her time to the Commerce Journal, the student publication I was once a member of. I was so glad that I became part of her small talks and seminars; listening to her was an ecstasy to a struggling writer like me, much more being told this:

Tim,

Be a poetic accountant.

-O.A. Dimalanta.

It was her autograph on my, guess what, accounting book in Third Year college (this is my only hard-bound book). I can still recall the slight confusion on her reaction which eventually turned to an obvious delight when I asked her to autograph my huge book which had nothing but Financial Accounting theories, cases, and problems in it. Frankly, at that time, I just don't have the money to buy her books - even my Literature book in Pre-Commerce was just photo-copied. But she was one of the inspirations I had that enabled me to snorkel over the deep water of worksheets, bonds, derivatives, and cash flows. She inspired me to breathe in the air of letters, fascination, metaphor, and realism as I find my place in this profession, which at that time was very, very unaccommodating to me. 

Three years passed and I became a Certified Public Accountant. I would have remained in the elite group of auditors in our country, would have stayed in Metrobank  or would have started a career in the Commission on Audit, but I guess, I took the challenge elsewhere - still with worksheets, profits, audits, and graphs, but with a huge twist; an industry that is filled with soil, cast in cement, and built from blueprints. I would never have prepared myself for such an endeavor, such a career, were it not for the open-mindedness, creativity, and the malleability of my preconceived synopsis of the changing environment that literature had cast on me. Somehow, I think that, it is the reason why adapt to changes so quickly, because I was trained to make room for expanding the concepts I had in my brain, a space where I can bend and twist rules, pattern them after what I imagined them to be, and ultimately leave what others would call "comfort zone" but which, I would rather name as my "reality".

I have a secret to tell. I hated my parents when they coerced me take Accountancy in college and not Journalism. But now I am thankful that they did because, in a way, everything that I learned in college, I use it now. My knowledge on almost everything that I do, from juggling numbers and costs as an accountant to putting my hard hat on as a pseudo-engineer was rooted on the discipline and adeptness for details that I learned from tirelessly solving finance and accounting problems while working at night, editing news articles with a cup of coffee from the vendo-machine, and finding out a way to distract our college building’s elevator operator so she wouldn't notice that I have forgotten to wear my elevator pass. I hate taking the stairs!

On the other hand, a part of my education had propelled me through my journey in this so called “real world” with swift and empathy and through worlds beyond this four-cornered room-slash-office of mine. My knowledge on how to keep myself from drowning in this monotonous reality sparked from a very distinct one-hour class sometime in 2002, when Ms. Virginia Mata, our Literature professor (Lit 101 is a general education subject in our University), asked us to read and interpret the first poem that I ever thought was beautiful, and it really is. This poem, by Ophelia Dimalanta, reads like this:

A kind of burning

it is perhaps because 

one way or the other 

we keep this distance

closeness will tug as apart

in many directions

in absolute din

how we love the same

trivial pursuits and

insignificant gewgaws 

spoken or inert

claw at the same straws

pore over the same jigsaws

trying to make heads or tails 

you take the edges

i take the center 

keeping fancy guard

loving beyond what is there

you sling at the stars

i bedeck the weeds

straining in song or

profanities towards some

fabled meeting apart

from what dreams read 

and suns dismantle 

we have been all the hapless

lovers in this wayward world 

in almost all kinds of ways 

except we never really meet 

but for this kind of burning. 

The Philippine Daily Inquirer describes this poem as:

"But her most enduring verses will probably be those about love and its ineffability. One of her most famous poems is “A Kind of Burning,” about love that remains love because it is kept at a distance, unconsummated and unrealized, so that the burning seems to last forever. Its last lines are often quoted by her fans: “we have been all the hapless/ lovers in this wayward world/ in almost all kinds of ways/ except we never really meet/ but for this kind of burning.”"

I have never thought that there will be a time that I will, again, marvel on each word, each punctuation and metaphor of this poem, much more, indulge myself in the beauty of poetry. After hearing the sad news about Ma'am Ophie, the first thing I did is to search the internet for this poem and read it line by line, as if I was dissecting a newly discovered specie. Then I felt the passion that I thought will be gone forever after donning that hard hat hanging on my wall. I felt again the heat of that bashful excitement upon seeing my first crush that I thought was lost when I started a struggling business. Most of all, I had a splash of that romance and that irrationality when I first learned and practiced love, and that I thought was gone when I became more and more pragmatic as I start putting zeros into my bank account. They were there again.

I guess the romance, the passion, and the flame never left – they stayed silently, lurking in the depths of my reality.  –champ 11.12.10

P.S.

Ma'am Ophie, thank you for the gift of your poetry. You know, at present I have the same burning as your poem depicts. It's a kind of burning I found in UAE (of all places). But I will give your poem a different ending - I plan to keep this flame burning and until such time I see it,  I am letting it consume me. 

And when I see it, there won't be slinging at the stars and bedecking of the weeds. I will let it burn perpetually by fueling it with my heart, my soul, and my  entirety.

This kind of burning.

For

Ophie Dimalanta

"Let your glory perpetually shine upon her..."

Len

and

all the poetic accountants in the world.

Stress, Desert, and US of A

I wonder whether there's a gauge available in the market that'll show if one person's stressed out or not. If there is, I'm pretty sure the inventor had been stressed damn well in his life. Sometimes, we'll only know that we are in a certain condition only when we don't feel anything else but it. Well, it took me more than a week to realize that I've been sleeping hardly 4 hours a day, haven't been eating meals at the right time, haven't watched any news for 3 days now, and haven't taken a shower for two days (I'm putting the emphasis on 'stress' and not on my hygiene, ok?). And things get really, really worse when it's already worse, you get what I mean?

And right now, I'm in that situation. Difficult thing about it is, options are scarce when these things happen, and you have to weigh in your priorities so you can decide whether to tread the hard, stressful path or just say screw it then go home.

Most of the time I'm overseas have been very easy for me. I earn, help my family, and build my future. But as they say, one can't have the best of both worlds. I get more than a dozen times the salary I was earning before in Makati, yet I'm losing that one thing no one can ever recover once lost - time. 

4 years and counting. Looking back (I usually do this when I'm stressed-out), I began asking my self. What have I gotten so far? Grey hair? 40 pounds? Irremovable eyebags? These are petty, simple things in exchange for quite a comfortable living (not luxurious). But then I start thinking deeper and ponder on things I have lost so far... love life, beer sessions, and the worst of all - 2 inches of hair line!

One thing for sure, I'm trying to regain the first one, and I'm at it whole-heartedly. I am not too late, am I? In fact, I don't think I am too late for anything (but who knows). I'm so damn young but sometimes I feel so old. Probably what I get for working with people who are a lot older than me, and about half of them can already be my dad or grandfather. 

Last night, somebody from US, apparently tired from reviewing my work over and over again, told me on his email that he's losing his patience on me, as if I were a kid. It irritated me and I responded with a one-liner rebuttal -

"Don't take this personally buddy, it's just fucking work"

He answered (as if it was my fault that these revisions came up when it is clearer than an electric microscope that it was his boss' request to do the changes):

"Well I don't have the time to review your work once, much less twice, thrice, four times!"

I answered:

"I apologize if your work calls you to review reports once, twice, thrice or even a hundred times. I feel sorry for you pal"

You know how old that person is? 50. (Twice my age, though I know you won't believe me).

Anyway, I did not set this blog up to absorb my rants about my work, nor my complaints in life. I just mentioned it here because it helped me realize one thing - you can grow old, and let each second that pass in your life consume you, but never grow up. Growing up doesn't mean adding up years on your life. It doesn't mean losing hair either. Growing up is learning while you lose time. Growing up is making your life bigger in order to accommodate not only your self but others. Growing up is making sure that when you face our good Lord, you have wise words to say on your mouth and not lollipop. Oh, did I say that in literature, lollipop is sometimes regarded as a metaphor of immaturity? 

I strongly believe that people reach maturity only when they start being on their own. Loneliness helps us yearn for affiliation, thus making us emotionally 'wider' to let other people in. However our world right now is too complex that being alone is hardly a possibility. Just like that person, who was working for our company for God knows how long, and he's been surrounded by praises, night outs, sycophantic colleagues, competition, and probably threats of being overshadowed. That's the world for him right now and in order to survive, he's got to prove himself to the people around him. Funny, because he was so used to doing it that he even did that to me, a bloke silently working 18 hours a day in a burrow somewhere in the deserts of Afghanistan. 

You know what's worse? There's a lot of people like him that I work with. Most of them are in the US right now. Gee, I'm starting to see USA as the United States of Assholes when spelled-out. 

So what advantage do these people, in suits and are driving pretty cars, have over us, rugged mercenaries thriving in this desert? Well, first they've got time to spend with their families and friends, make out with their girlfriends, enjoy a can of beer every night while watching their favorite NFL team on TV, and plan for  out of town trips on weekends. What advantage do I and people like me have over these people then? Well, we have 'wider' emotional space and we allow more people in our lives rather than overtake them. The fact that we are here enduring, the loneliness and the dust in the air, proves that we are putting others (like families and loved ones) before our selves. 

But you see, my statement cannot be generalized, nor be even proven as a theory or a scientific law of mankind, otherwise, I would be winning the Nobel Prize every year. First I'm referring to people in US of A (you should now by now what that means). Second, I'm venting out my stress over my work, being far from my family, being far from my love (she's about three hour plane ride away), being far from my business, being far from my friends, and just the thought of being far. I'm just beginning to feel the tiring predicament of just carrying on with work, no matter what I lose, whether it's time, affiliation, confidence, self-esteem, or even "normality".

Or maybe, I'm just getting tired of growing up and that I am needing for a break. 

You see before, when I'm tired, I just don't give a flying f*ck about most things. But I think I have become different. Now, it is when I am tired or stressed out that I over-think about so many things. It drains me further but I can't help it. In my brain, there's this battle between working things out just for my sake only and planning ahead for the sake of others. It's a never ending surge and ebb of advantages and disadvantages, but at the end of the day, the chaos subsides and I just continue pushing. Just like a real mercenary.

But, just as everything in this world is, there's a time for everything. There's even a time for giving up and heading for a change.

Before I go, I leave this simple prayer.

"Lord, all things good happen in your perfect time. Help me prepare myself so that I may become worthy of your grace when that time comes."

Advance Merry Christmas everyone! champ110310

for R.P.

P.S.

Talking about 4 years overseas, here's something for you to look at.

Evolution of the hairline

2007

2008

2009

2010

Sagada Part 3(Final) – Between Life and Sex Drive

For life to become ‘life’, you have to live it out. And so does Sagada. - Dumadakep

  Perhaps, you already know that this is the last of my three-part feature about our Sagada Trip. And as you all know, I don’t want it to appear like a travelogue, hence, my boring life, conspicuously but incongruently tied into it. I am trying to come up with another topic, but with pictures randomly shot, videos taken (without any style or art), and just for the heck of finishing this off a la gran finale style, I found myself doing this: Copying and pasting pictures and, yup you guessed it right, putting my thoughts into words that nobody will even give a damn.

 I have to be honest; I started writing this last sequel three days ago only to find my self starting all over again today. I just didn’t find the crap I wrote over the last two days satisfactorily enough to even keep a 6-year old hooked to reading (as if the first two was that entertaining). And I know the reason behind that – I just wanted to finish it so I can move on and write about something else – no matter how beautiful Sagada is, the thought of it becomes boring over time, that is if you just keep on reading and reading and reading about it. Much more if you think about writing about it. 

  So reading about Sagada soon becomes boring if you have done so for many times. It’s the same thing I felt after reading a lot of reviews about Boracay (where I have not laid my eyes on it till I was 24). When Rico Yan (bless his soul) died, I found myself reading about “Dos Palmas Resort, Palawan” in magazines a lot but after some time, I lost interest in it and I even changed channels when the news about Yan’s death was shown on TV. Luckily, fate allowed me to go to these two extremely beautiful places.

Dos Palmas Resort -2008 (They destroyed the Cabana where Rico Yan died)

Boracay - 2008

Probably, I just get bored easily (that’s what my profile says).  One time, my ex-girlfriend told me I have seven symptoms of ADHD – that is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I asked her how many symptoms of ADHD are there all in all. She answered, without a pause, without even thinking about it, “seven.” She sounded so sure about it that I did not dare rebut her. I just blurted “But you still love me, right?”

Can’t tell you her answer.

And NO, it was not the reason why we broke up.

ADHD positive or not, I still can’t last reading or hearing about something that will just entice my senses and excite my hormones. I go for it, (as long as my resources will allow). And so must you. 

Despite having fever and fear of being infected with Dengue virus, I, along with the Grand EB mates (my friends in Gareth’s chatroll know exactly who this group comprises of) pushed my plans to go to Sagada in the rainy month of August. As you all know, all went amazingly outrageous there, despite hitting a dog in Nueva Ecija on the way. (Again, salut to the white dog…)

Who's going to Milan and who's staying behind? 

Anyway, ever wonder when did this curiosity of mine about Sagada started ? I’ll tell you the answer later…

Moving forward let me show you some more pictures because I know reading this is slowly becoming boring. Just like how bored Emerson looked like in the picture below.

Chon-chon in Echo Valley

You see, Emerson and I have had some of the best times together that we don’t miss the chance to create a “scene” out of them. Just like what you see below. 

That hurts... Fight scene at Marlboro Mountain

Meanwhile, I know that Desiree had been preparing for this trip (for almost two months, since we started chatting on SaGGas website), that she surely wasn’t ready to have this shot taken… Yeah, right.

Desiree ( aka Redgurl) in Echo Valley

I've seen this type of photo (below) before in movie posters, just like a scene in the movie Twilight. The only difference is that this time, they’ve got more handsome leads. (I’m waiting for Universal Pictures to contact me, my number is 0919-143-HUNK)

Team Werewolves or Team Vampires?

This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip. I always like the sight of being above the clouds, it was always what I dreamt of since I was a kid. Apart from flying on airplanes where I always see this sight, this one’s different since I can really ‘feel’ being above.

Kiltepan Peak at Sunrise

Remember last time on the previous blog, there was this super sexy star(let) hiding behind the tree? Well, as everyone is so excited to know who that is, I am showing the picture below. From what we found out, she was actually doing a music video. How long do you think will pass before she makes it to tinseltown?

Leah (aka Leahgurl31) sings "Steep" on a very steep mountain.

Below was one of the most extraordinary thing I’ve seen (well actually, I’ve seen it before in websites, magazines). It’s so extraordinary that for once, I didn’t show MY face (or the faces of my friends– which you must know I just did grudgingly because THEY requested for it ha,ha,ha). Don’t ask for a close up. We’re too tamad to even go down there. 

Hanging Coffins of Sagada

And maybe you're asking why the hell did we miss the chance to take a closer look at the famous hanging coffins of Sagada, it’s because of this: making music videos.

Well there’s lot of things you can see in Sagada that cannot be captured by a camera. Yes, even 200,000-peso cameras. The best travel blogs won’t give you the experience you want about the places you desire to visit the most. They can, however, give you information. Handy information in the form of words that represent ideas. These words are but a group of symbols that have mutated since the Phoenician civilization. These words (if you hear it in radio or TV) are but a combination of sounds humans have imitated from animals (what atheists believe in). They give you ideas that you process in your minds and help you create your own experience inside your mind.

And maybe, that’s why I get bored easily- because I don’t have too much space in my brain to convert into a workshop of ideas. I get bored because it excites my heart, my mind, my hormones, but then again, the excitement stops there, in my brain.

Just like life in general. You know, I read works by Freud and Jung, renowned psychoanalyts, but their books mean nothing to me unless I can relate the very thoughts each page uncover to my own experience. I watch National Geographic and I see and hear a lion’s roar on TV but can’t feel the same thrill that the network’s crew is feeling upon capturing the scene. My parents would always tell me to finish my studies, and emphasized to me how important it is, and yada yada yada, but only now do I fully realize its importance after graduating and working my ass out for a living.

You see, life, if contained inside a book, a computer screen, or even an I-pod, is DULL.

For life to be ‘life’, you have to live it out. And so does Sagada.

Before I end this 3-part series about what they call as the “Shangri-La of the North”, I leave you this simple prayer:

“Father, Your word became flesh in Christ Jesus.  Let Your words become alive and work in us through our faith and our actions. Amen”.

Go visit Sagada NOW! Live the experience and stop being boring. Click HERE for more information, or contact Jake @ 09109280533 or Gareth @ 09295569553 and reserve a guide. Don’t hesitate, it’s cheap anyway (for a group of 4 with 3d and 2n tour – 4k is more than enough all in!). The SaGGas (Sagada Genuine Guides Association) will be able to help you with your inquiries and making your trip there more memorable

Till next time. Carpe diem! Champ (Dumadakep)101210

P.S.

 I’m 100% sure that you are asking what sparked my curiosity about Sagada and eventually made me wanting to go there.

A. Was it after I read Lonely Planet’s feature about the Sumaguing Caves as one of 2009’s best adventure destination? (Click  HERE to see Sumaguing Cave)

- NO.

B. Or after I watched Juday and Piolo’s “Don’t Give Up on Us Baby” (which I have watched, believe it or not, onboard one of my flights to Manila)”?

- STILL NO.    (Don't look for the link to the movie. I DISCOURAGE you to watch it.. LOL)

                                                                                                

Remember that movie starring Maui Taylor and Katya Santos entitled Sex Drive? I was in early college that time when I saw that movie. Do you know what that movie is all about? Yep, you guessed it right. It’s about their journey to Sagada - BUT - with all the intrigues and complications that would climax to Maui Taylor’s showing of her hard (newly inflated) boobs. Pretty cheap? Nah… That’s the first time I became fascinated with ‘mountains’ and ultimately, Sagada. Did I live the dream? Hell yeah! I even got a name in Kankanaey - Dumadakep­, which means 'Peace! Let's Unite'. lol

 Speaking of Sex Drive, these two reminded me of Maui and Katya. They come close, don’t they? (Don’t Laugh!)

leahgirl31

redgurl

My heartful thanks to:


- Gareth, Jake, Apalit, Daryl, Ben, Batang - X (Our guide sa echo valley which i don't remember the name), and the rest of the SaGGas. See you mga manong/ading sa December.
- Desiree, Leah, and Emerson for the wonderful company going there. Thanks tol sa pagdridrive din nung nilalagnat ako.
- Doctor in St Theodore's Hospital sa pagsasabing wala akong Dengue.
- Vitamin C, I never knew, ikaw lang pala ang kailangan ko.
- Si Manang na inglisera sa Ganduyan Museum (Marunong palang mag-Tagalog, ay apo!)
- George Guest House para sa keyless door (bwahahaha)
- Salt and Pepper and Yoghurt house para sa delicious food at Kanin na may thyme?????
- Kay Manang Pottery - sa makabuluhang pag-aaral ng siyensya ng paggawa ng paso (at ng plato)
- Local Tanods/DPWH staff para sa pagcle-clear ng landslide nung pauwi na kami.

Sagada Part 2 - Myself and My Other Self

I just finished packing my things when I wrote this. I’m flying again tomorrow, and somehow I’m already getting tired of moving from one place to another, especially if there’s not gonna be much change in the scenario around me in my destination – in my case, I will still be sitting in front of my laptops, piles of paperwork waiting for me, not-so-intelligent bosses hounding me, and (gaddamnit!) chicken for my lunch. The only thing I’m delighted it has never change is Facebook – and I hope it stays free to use for eternity.     

So just like what the HL say (HL refer to Indians or Pakistanis – don’t ask me what HL stands for, ok??), everything will be SAME, SAME (pronounced as sem-sem).

I am not complaining. I’m just saying I’m tired. How can I complain against the profession I chose, the source of my income (which will give me baon for my Sagada trip in December), and the giver of the things I give to my ultimate crush(es)? I’ve chosen this life almost similar to a vagabond treading the vast expanse of Sahara desert where the sand at one place is the same as the sand elsewhere (within a gazillion kilometer radius). There’s nothing I can do about it – it’s a choice I made, and all I can do is to suck up all the benefits I can suck, and shut up. Whoa! That’s a good phrase – suck up then shut up (or vice versa).

One time, I heard Myself and My other self talking…

My other self:    So how do you deal with it?

Myself:               Deal with what?

My other self:   You know, boredom? Monotony?

Myself:               Easy, I look at things in different ways – just like every stone/rock in

Lumiang and Sumaguing cave, they’re almost the same, but if you look at them at a different angle, you will discover that they form different images. You can fill up your fantasies (even dirty ones) simply by looking onto things at different angles.

My other self:  Really? Can you show me how?

My self:            Sure, take a look at the photos below and we’ll tackle each one of those

My other self:  Great!

Myself

My other self

 

And so I followed Myself and My other self “below” where a lot of pictures taken during the recent Sagada adventure of Myself are posted.

Authors note: (Sorry guys I have to to do this; again I’m trying to avoid writing a travel blog LOL. But not bad, eh?)

Rice Terraces Formation in Lumiang Cave

Myself:             Tell me, what do you see above?

My other self:  I see weird rock formation.

Myself:             There’s nothing weird on that, it’s the Lumiang Rice Terraces.

My other self:  Oh I see! But… where’s the rice?

Myself:             (Silence)

Underground pool of water in Lumiang

Myself:             How about the one above?

My other self:  That’s pretty easy, that’s the studio where Chokoleit played Dugong in the TV show Marina.

Myself:             That’s not it!

My other self:  I think it is – do you see the one in white sando, that’s Dugong, full of angst.

Myself:             (Surprised) Ok, I think you’ve got a better imagination

My other self:  Why, who do you think that person appears to be?

Myself:             Derek Ramsey…

My other self:  (Comes to his senses) I think… I will agree. Sh!t, he IS Derek Ramsey! (Click  HERE to see Derek Ramsey's profile)

Rice Granary Rock Formation in Sumaguing

My other self:  (Referring to the photo above) Oh I know this one!

Myself:             Yeah? What is it?

My other self: A Rice Granary!

Myself:             Almost but not quite,

My other self: What is it then?

Myself:             A night club dance pole

My other self:  You’re shitting me!

Myself:             Look closely…

My other self:  Oh yeah… and I see the pole dancer right there.

Turtle (According to SaGGas) Rock Formation in Sumaguing

Myself:             Ok, I’m sure you know this one

My other self: Yup, that’s a turtle

Myself:             How’d you know?

My other self:  According to Gareth…  I just don’t know how that became a turtle…

Myself:             Yeah me too. Still can’t imagine it to be..

The Queen

My other self: (Seeing the picture above) Yuck, that’s gross!

Myself:             Yup it is… must be a pervert, tsk tsk…

My other self:  Whose LEGS are those anyway??? Gross!

Myself:             What legs?!?!?! What the -?!?!?!(No connection was made here between my ‘two selves’)

Right before the "Tunnel"

Myself:             How about the one above?

My other self:  Oh I see a monster’s mouth… there’s the tounge.. and…

Myself:             And?

My other self:  The two girls might have tasted so bad… he’s throwing them up…

Myself:             Pretty good way of seeing it, but that is actually a womb…

My other self:  A womb? No way!

Myself:             Yup, it’s an ultrasound image of a womb with twin fetuses in it…

My other self:  Ha, ha.. I see it now

Myself:             Finally this one.

My other self:  Poor guy… he must be having diarrhea.

Myself:             No he’s not….

My other self:  What, is he starving?

Myself:             Look further below.

 

Jake Likigan and Leah Añonuevo At King's Curtain Formation

My other self: Oh I see, indeed, a picture says a thousand words…

Myself:             And sometimes you ‘feel’ it.

My other self:  Hahaha… Poor guy indeed.

At this point, Myself and My other self disappeared from my mind. Actually, as I was writing this, I remembered I’ve got to get my clothes from the laundry room or else the desert rats will feast on them. Actually it’s good that they vanished, otherwise the people involved in the picture may kill me if they continue talking and I continue writing their thoughts. And on their behalf, I apologize to these people (I’m sorry guys, you know I don’t mean it.. ). So in reality, the desert rats saved me.

As we all know, life is full of choices. Sometimes, it’s really hard to take one back. When that time happens, all we need to do is to have a different perspective. Just like our adventure in the caves of Sagada. After posing for a picture in on place, we proceed to the next area Jake and Apalit are leading us without knowing what we are going to see. It’s our choice to follow them, and once we did, we couldn’t step back. So we stop by to get pictures, make the most of those rock formations, and enjoy each other’s company. Anyway, all we knew in our hearts, is that we’re going to go out of that cave, save the pictures we took to our computers, and finally make fun of them, like what this blog is doing.

Life is a vine of choices. When you’re uncertain  of what you’re going to end up to, stop for a while, enjoy the moment, fantasize and imagine – who knows, you may not be making the same choice again.

I love this very simple prayer. This prayer tells us to seek God and not our own desires as such will lead us nowhere but just back to where we started:

Lord, help me to choose the path that leads me to you rather than the path that leads me to myself.

.

On the last part of this Sagada adventure story, you will know who the super sexy star behind that tree was. These avid (or should I say morbid) fans were even trying to get a stolen shot of her. 

Echo Valley

Ok got to go now, I’ve got a flight to catch tomorrow morning! Meanwhile I will leave you some other pics from our Sagada trip. Enjoy! champ100310

Mighty or Chubby?  (from left to right: Desiree Bionson, Leah Anonuevo, Me, Emerson Galvez)

Lumiang Cave Entrance

King's Curtain Formation - with Jake (left most)

The reverse frog position  hahahaha

Mr. Sit Down! Stand Up! Man, APALIT, and the group. (He's there to assist Leah all through out LOL)

The group at the Tunnel.

The "Shadow" photography, starring our Shadows... LOL

Your Guys next door...  txt us if you want an escort...

Going with the flow....