Dance, Dance otherwise We are Lost

Why pole dance?

          1. You defy one of the laws of nature --- gravity.

          2. You see things in a different perspective, esp. when you're upside down.

          3. You feel light and empowered, without losing your femininity.

          4. When you spin, you can feel the air on your face, as if you're flying.

          5. You feel tall and strong, sitting on top.

And in my case, just when I thought I couldn't do it, I proved myself wrong.

So I went back to class.



 Join me.

Cheers!

Potipot Island

(June 2011)  Headed to Potipot Island for a late summer getaway...

While the beach was nice and inviting, I couldn't help but to miss surfing --- I should go back to Baler soon!

Details:

You can reach Potipot Island by:

1) Riding a bus to Sta. Cruz, Zambales, Victory Liner has daily trips to Sta. Cruz, alight at Dawal Resort in Candelaria, Zambales.

2) Driving to Candelaria, Zambales.

From Manila to Candelaria, the drive takes about of 6 hours.

From Dawal Resort, you can rent a boat that will take you to Potipot island, which is about 5 to 10 minutes away.

Fee:
Entrance to Potipot Island --- Php20/pax
Overnight camping --- Php100/pax
Boat to the Island --- Php400 for 6pax

Wall Climbing at Camp Sandugo

 

After our first attempt on outdoor rock climbing, we found ourselves slightly obsessed with climbing that we all decided to meet-up and try indoor wall climbing.  

Indoor Wall Climbing at Camp Sandugo, Market Market mall

The wall climbing facility at Camp Sandugo in Market Market mall is a lot better than the one at Centro Athletico in Quezon city, at least in my opinion. The walls here are a lot higher and not as crowded, especially on a saturday afternoon. Not to mention the area is well ventillated and we don't have to share the ground with the badminton players.

At 12-feet tall and about 6 levels, climbing these walls would be a great workout!

The downside is, since Camp Sandugo is in a mall, it is also much accessible to the younger crowd. And when I say 'younger,' I actually mean A LOT younger climbers.

Judging from the way these kids breeze through the level 3 wall, I could say they really frequent the area! It's just like climbing stairs for them! (much to our dismay!)

Since most of us newbies didn't want to climb while the 4-feet climbers were going up in a matter of seconds, we waited and waited and took some pictures before we even attempt to climb one.



Once the last of the wonder kids were chartered away, I put on my harness and shouted, "climbing!"

And yeah, I skipped 3 levels. I figured, I should try the level 4 wall while my arms are still good to go.

 

The walls at Camp Sandugo are also more challenging, I think. The level 4 wall is already inclined. There are some marks on the wall so you could pretty much follow a certain route, but these, too, could be challenging.

 

We got to talk to some of the advanced climbers and they said that, instead of rappelling down, they actually climbed down after reaching the top. It builds their stamina even more...so that's what I did!

Boy, oh boy!!! If I didn't burn 1000 calories on this wall alone, I don't know what will!

Sweaty and tired, but otherwise extremely happy to make it back on the ground!

After a few gulps of water, I dusted my hands with chalk and tried the other walls. Some also would climb sideways --- a way to practice for those who are more into boulder climbing.

Since the rainy season makes it impossible to go out for rock climbing, indoor wall climbing at Camp Sandugo is the next best thing. And at less than Php500 per visit, it's a real workout that would beat muscle memory!

Details:

Camp Sandugo

5th Level Market Market mall

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila

Tel# 632-8560453

(open during mall hours)



Hidden Treasure: Emong's Malunggay Pandesal

On our first morning in Legazpi City, we woke up craving for hot pan de sal. The receptionist at Tanchuling Hotel where we were staying recommended Emong's Malunggay pandesal...so we walked for about 15 minutes, asked for directions for  3 times, until we reached the fork along the road of Rizal St. in Legazpi city and found a bakery with an incredibly long line!

Emong's Malunggay Hot Pan de Sal along Rizal Ave., Legazpi City, Albay

At 6:30am, this place had about 20 people waiting for their turn to buy those freshly baked malunggay pandesal.

Freshly baked Malunggay Pan de Sal

As we waited, the delicious aroma of baking bread made our tummy churn even more.
Finally, our turn came. the counter was manned by 2 ladies: one gets the cash, the other bags the pandesal. Another lady is tasked to take the baked breads out of the oven and replacing them with next batch of doughs. Inside, i could see about 6-7 bakers busy kneading the dough, cutting them, placing them in baking pans…I realized, for a store that only sells one product and operates 24 hours a day, this business must be really doing well…

When the bag of pandesal was handed over to us, we couldn’t wait any longer.  We got one each and bit through it --- ahh…now we got what the fuss was all about!

...crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, hot, fresh, and not quite anything like we’ve had before…this malunggay pandesal had us begging for more. We had to go back the next day to stock up for our trip to Donsol, Sorsogon. We even considered going back to this place before boarding the bus back to Manila the next day!!

Just how good they are? Everytime I hear someone planning to go to Bicol region, I ask if they'll pass by Legazpi City and if they could get me some of these.

Planning Another Donsol Trip

Whale Shark or Butanding in Donsol, Sorsogon

The gaping mouth of a Whale Shark, locally known as Butanding —- a photo i took over 2 years ago in Donsol, Sorsogon.

This is one of the turning points of my life --- an experience that effectively convinced me to leave the comfort zone of my geeky world and explore the outdoors.

And I’m about to it again. next month. I can’t hardly wait!!

La Union Solo Surfing Trip

Kicking off 2011 with a solo trip to San Juan, La Union.

A few days before Jan. 2, I realized I don't have anything planned yet! Well, as early as November, I had penciled in trips in my 2011 calendar, but I somehow lost my calendar (great!) and was back to zero!

So I decided to go on a solo trip to San Juan, La Union! It didn't matter that I had no idea what bus to take going there (good thing, the cab driver I asked knew enough to take me to Partas terminal in Cubao where I could take the one going to Ilocos), or if my room reservation was not confirmed (I ended up staying at another resort since the only available room at San Juan Surfing Resort is for 4 pax -- so not willing to shell out that much money, sorry!), or if the waves are high enough to surf in (back in August, we looked like roasted pigs on our surf board, waiting for waves to come).

In a series of fortuitous events, the bus dropped me off the highway, walking distance from where the resorts are, found a cheaper place to stay (P700/night, compared to P1500/night in most resorts in San Juan), got back in Manila at 9pm on Monday and got in the office with 15 minutes to spare, and the waves --- they were so amazing! I was mesmerized, overwhelmed, humbled by its majesty. I was at its mercy --- like anytime, it could engulf me and take me away if it chooses. In the morning, when the undercurrent is not so strong, it's perfect for whitewater surfing!

San Juan, La Union

Look at how strong the waves are!!

People by the shore brace themselves for the coming waves...

The waves are so strong that nobody agreed to lend me their surfing board.
They said, the waves are not for beginners and,
even with an instructor, the undercurrent was just too strong.



So I just sat on the shore --- the sky alone was enough to keep me amused! 



Look at that!!

Simply majestic.

After a quick display of amazing sunset hues, the whole area was engulfed in darkness.

By 7am, I finally got to surf! Hurrah!!

I think I found my hideaway. This is a great place to disappear to every once in a while, and definitely worth the trip --- even if I have to go alone again! ^_^

Aside from fulfilling a long-overdue trip to the beach, I realized it's not so bad to be alone. Heck, it's not a state anyone would consciously aspire for but it's also not something to be dreaded like a disease! Every so often, it is imperative that we spend time alone. One of the things I liked about this trip is that nothing is required of me except to be myself. I could choose not to talk to anybody or be somebody else! I could be Dikya Marie, the writer/surfer, and not Señorita, the Oracle HR shock absorber. I could sit by the beach and dig my toes into the sand, stare at the waves the entire morning and do absolutely nothing. I could just breathe in and out and revel at the incredible lightness of being! And in a world of almost 7 Billion (the exact figure is 6,893,200,000, 40% of which are Chinese and Indians), can we really be fully alone?

But the so-called silence in solitude didn't last for long --- after 1 day of being quiet, I was practically begging for the locals to talk to me!!! teehee!!! but yeah, great start for 2011!! ^_^