Raquel and Friends in Potipot

"Brigs" are my barkada in NCO (2006-2007), and though we work for different companies now, we have remained even greater friends through the years. Last year lang nabuo ang tawag na "Brigs" at dahil 'yan sa isang matinding inside joke at laugh trip tungkol sa brigada siyete. We had to see each other this summer dahil huli kaming nagkita ay October last year pa. We left Manila via Victory Liner the midnight of April 22 (Sunday) to head to Potipot in Candelaria, Zambales.

 Potipot was beyond my expectations. 

summer beach hair

tulog ako ng nagaganap ito

Hindi ata ako tumagal ng lampas 30 minutes sa tubig nung Sunday. But on Monday morning I thought the still water was so inviting I had to swim. Sabi ni Je-anne, sa palagay niya matinding sikat ng araw lang naman ang kalaban ko, dahil kahit beach lover siya hindi niya mati-tripang mag-swimming mag-isa.

My morning swim. I wrote a name on the sand but edited it in Paint

I did not know my tummy can appear like this in photos! Oo, ako na ang mayabang dahil 'yan lang ang meron akong wala sila. Minsan inalipusta ako ni Elga sa scrabble. Sabi ko swimming na lang kami, hindi na umalma. Haha. So yes, I say "push" to posting these pics bago man lang ako ma-CS or magka-stretchmarks. One day I might (and I want to) give birth to a child.

 I only had goto when they all had 'silogs. Ganun talaga pag may minemaintain. =P

At dahil ako daw ang may pinakamaraming picture sa camera ni Elga, dapat daw ang title ng album eh "Raquel in Potipot". Ginatungan ko na lang ng "with friends" para di masabing pikon. Tinotoo nga ni Elga.

The bus left Zambales 11am (Monday) at ginawa ko ang lahat para 'wag ako malate sa office ng 9pm. Successful naman sana, may 1 hour pa ngang allowance. Kaso dahil itinulog ko ang lunch break ko, naoversleep naman ako dahil pagod, kaya late pa din. Hay buhay. 

Sulit trip! Buo ang summer ko!

HKMacau 2012

Lahat kami first trip out of the country. We underestimated the weather thus under dressed. Sobrang lamig!

Nung mag-trip ako sa Bacolod

So I just went to a solo trip in Bacolod. Ito yung trip na trip lang talaga. Meron kasing piso fare ang Cebu Pac last year and natripan ko lang i-try kung meron pa. I chose a date, picked a destination, then confirmed. So there, I was going to fly to the city of smiles in January 2012. Parang ganun-ganun lang 'yun.

So the date came. I went out with friends the night before and I had cold feet. I was feeling a sense of adventure days before pero bigla akong nakapag-isip ng tama, parang ayoko na lang. Pero sinabihan nila 'ko na ituloy ko na din. Baka raw makabuti sa 'kin ang bakasyon. So ganun na nga.

You know how I felt about this trip? A big joke. Nakalimutan kong magplano para dito so I went there with no place to stay, no itinerary, and no sleep. But as the cliche goes, it's not just about the destination, but the journey. I had a goal - to get there and find a place to stay kasi antok na antok na 'ko. And I took it one step at a time.

Another thing I learned about travelling - it's about knowing a new place. I crammed in reading about Bacolod, and when I started going around, the maps and the articles started to make sense. Feeling ko ngayon it's just the next town to Taytay. I think I know it more than any other towns in Rizal.

When I got there, there was this incredible street party for Chinese New Year and the Ilonggos know how to party. Hahaha. As in dancing in the street, performers of different genres everywhere, tyangge, inuman and street food! It was unfortunate that I needed to sleep, pero nagising ako sa putukan when it hit midnight (partida looban kami) so I knew it must have been a great celebration.

And the languange. Ganun pala yun. You don't understand them when they talk, but you'll get used to not understanding them, as long as they don't talk to you. Haha. And they have this funny accent. Funny in a good way. It's malambing so it gets kind of soothing, mapapasmile ka. Tapos when you hear something you sort of  know to immitate, matatawa ka.

So here's a video about this whole joke. Haha. I wanted to make a video to this song so this was my opportunity. Hehe.

Uhmmm...first time ko nga pala makasakay ng eroplano. :)

when in Bacolod from Si Raqs on Vimeo.

A Weekend in Callos Spa

My dear friends and I booked a spa getaway in Antipolo to celebrate a lot of good things, nataon sa typhoon Quiel, and decided to just push through with it anyway.

Kapag may bagyo, either nasa work or bahay lang ako, painfully waiting for the typhoon to just come and go, praying that my love ones are safe. While others dread traffic, exams and asthma attacks, my bad days are the rainy ones or when there's typhoon.

Personally, I have to say this is a refreshing way to get through a storm. Being somewhere else with people dear to me made me forget my typhoon anxiety and "everywhere is wet" crankiness.

And when I say "dear", I mean "I just had a setback so I should be bitter about your all expense paid Paris trip and your promotion, but I'm not because whatever makes you happy makes me happy, what makes you sad makes me sad."

Hot Sweaty Crazy Fun Franco Night

Nag file ako ng leave for a Friday with a plan in mind - to watch Franco in the flesh. Kasama sa plano ko na makapunta sa gig nila before the year ends, so when I learned that they are performing in Cainta Rizal, I thought it's only practical to go.

Dahil nakahanap ako ng kasama, tuloy ang plano. Ang daling kausap ni Kars, go agad kahit medyo rock ang lakad. Pagdating namin sa venue ang dami ng tao. Tatayo na rin lang kami, dun na kami sa malapit sa stage. From there I thought I saw some Jejemon's on mosh pit high on pot. Nakipagkulitan din kami sa mga katabi namin na members pala ng isa sa mga performing bands. Nakakatawang isipin na ang tagal namin iningatan ang pwestong 'yun, nung Franco na ang tutugtog, matataboy din pala kami sa area kung saan ang view ko eh kung hindi side, puro likod. Wala eh, rowdy ang crowd at hindi kami lalaban. Sabi ng isa kong kaibigan na nakita ko dun, nakapunta na siya ng ilang gigs ng Franco sa ibang lugar, pero hindi ganun. Nung nagkabasagan ng bote, Franco even had to remind the crowd to take it easy para hindi masira ang show. Nakita ko ang sarili ko bilang isang fan, wa-poise at walang pakiaalam. Ni hindi namin nakuhang magpicture ng sarili namin sa loob, feel na feel kong mukha akong dugyot. Para akong tinotorture pero ayokong ipatigil? Ayoko na kasi ang init sobra, ang dami kong pawis! Inspite of that, I enjoy watching them so ayoko pang matapos. The band was sweating big time too, but they were obviously thriving at the crowd's energy. We don't smoke pero nag-amoy yosi kami. Napaisip pa nga ako, "dapat ba sa 70's Bistro na lang ako nanood para medyo urbanized?" Then I thought, no, this is the way to best experience it: the waiting, the mixed crowd, the init and pawis. These make actually seeing them sweeter.

Thanks Kars for putting up with my Franco craze and for not being maarte. It was crazy and unglamorous, far from a sosyal gimik night or ideal date. But it was quite an experience. And we, church girls, survived!

Beach at last!

After 11 summers, ngayon na lang ulit ako nakabalik sa beach. (Ang pathetic no?) :)

Last time before this was Boracay in 2000. This year is my first time in Puerto Galera (aka Sodom and Gomorrah, if you know what I mean).


This is me attempting to live life to the fullest - come out of my comfort zone, go places and do things I haven't done before.

Oh The Things I did on My Birthday

A day before "the day" I went on VL and because I'm used to being up at night, I was awake when it turned 12am. Funny...I had planned to go to Baguio to read, to think, to relax. But on that exact day, I was in my own room, on my bed, in front of my laptop. In short, the usual. I was supposed to be in Baguio, but instead, I guess I brought Baguio into my room. Napagtripan ko lang magdownload ng podcast ng Basta Lovelife. Wala lang, just to check it out. It's a radio show Kuya Kevin does and it only airs in Baguio. My first thought when i listened to it was, it sounded weird. I sometimes listen to Against the Flow with DJ Jordan and that's the look/sound/feel I was used to in a christian radio program. So when I wasnt getting that vibe, I was like "what is this?" But as I listened to it, I sort of got into it. Kuya Kevin reads a letter from a listener, then Kuya Erwin and him share their thoughts about it. Then in between breaks they'll play a contemporary Christian song. It was like, Love Notes by Joe d Mango and Against the Flow in one show. Imagine that mix! And these are missionaries, not DJ's, but I thought this Erwin guy is really doing a a great job, he really is. His voice isnt like Jordan Escusa's. Not NU material. It's more of what you'll hear in Magic or RX. Ganun.

In the morning, as I listened to the podcast again, more texts and greetings came in, and I remember having this feeling na...this is great.

I usually do not go anywhere on this day. I used to have this feeling na, nothing should go bad this day. If I stay at home, I'm safe, but if I go out there, I'm giving Satan this perfect opportunity to pick on me. Yeah, that's my crazy mentality. But now, I'm going out of my comfort zone. This is just any other day, only special. I agreed to meet Ate Sarah in MegaMall and while I was waiting, I bought myself, a swimsuit. Oh yeah. I thought, with a physique like this it's a shame that I don't own a swimsuit. (it's a joke, you know how I keep on saying I'm rich but I really ain't? Something like that, get it?)

Pagdating ni Ate at konting gala, we decided to go to Shangrila to visit a college friend who works in Topshop. Inaanak ko yung daughter niya who was born on July 24 as well. Pagdating doon, we were told na naka VL siya kasi nga, bday ng anak niya. Bakit ba hindi ko naisip yun? Ah, kasi sa amin, bday mo nga ang hirap ma-approve ng VL, sa bday pa kaya ng anak mo? Anyway, hindi naman nasayang ang pagpunta namin doon kasi may poetry reading event at may banda. Hindi na namin inabutan yung poetry reading, which is sayang, pero ang galing nung banda. And I was thinking, "Wow, I get to enjoy this music for free?" Sa same area, malapit sa carousel, were these video games booths and when I looked behind me for Ate, I saw her playing this car racing game. Ang sakit na kasi ng paa niya so she bought a token so she can sit on the car seat, played the game anyway, and happened to enjoy it, kasi bumili pa siya ng 2 pang tokens. She dreams of driving her own car, so that was kind of her practice. So there we were, two adults, playing car racing and I thought, we look like 2 people trying hard to have a great time on a short budget. But that was fun. And maybe pathetic.

Imimeet ni Ate yung mga friends niya sa Metro Walk and I took my way to Wensha Spa in Roxas Blvd. Ang plano dapat kinabukasan pa 'ko pupunta doon. Naisipan lang, 'sige ngayon na'. I like those sometimes, mga lakad na wala sa plano. Makes me feel I'm adventurous. Ang gusto ko kasi, spend sometime in a quiet place, to read, think and relax, kaya ko naisipang pumunta ng Baguio. Yung nasa harap ako ng fireplace, enjoying a hot choco, nagbabasa, at ang lamig! I like that. Feeling ko may marereveal sakin sa ganon. But I thought, if that's all I want hindi na siguro ako kelangan lumayo. Maybe I can go to a spa, not those places where you have to go after the massage, but a place I can stay, to do the 3 magic words: to read, to think, and to relax. And ate suggested that I go to Wensha.

So I got there at 9pm, like I planned. Kasi if things don't go out well, atleast hindi ako mabobore. I'd be too sleepy I can sleep, as opposed to going there during the day. But I found out that it was crowded kapag ganoong oras syempre nga naman mga galing sa work. And everything I googled about it were true. Except that, I didnt expect it to be that crowded. Like after the shower, I couldnt dive into the steam bath because you have to go in naked with all those other girls. I tried the sauna, but it was so hot, puro usok, hindi ako makahinga. There was a buffet, but I knew it was something I wouldnt enjoy not only because ang daming tao, but you also have to be in the buffet area only in a robe, and I knew mine was medyo maluwag and I'd be too conscious if it's peeking open once in a while. And all the well-lit places where I could read were crowded, and I will not be comfortable reading in a place where there are other people wearing only a robe. So there was nothing left for me to do, but get the massage. Hindi ko ipagpapalit ang Nuat Thai masssage sa Taytay for that, but it was relaxing nakatulog ako. I woke up at around 12, expecting to feel great, but my foot was hurting which I suspect was from the massage. I got up anyway, freshened up, ate from the buffet table and started reading. It wasnt so crowded anymore that time, but I was feeling terrible. My ankle hurts, at inaantok ako. So I went back to bed, and woke up at 4am. I grabbed my book, went back to the spot in front of the TV. Starmovies was showing a film with Lucy Liu on it which was medyo morbid, parang Texas Chainsaw. And I was thinking, "this is supposed to be relaxing, not horrifying". Good thing patapos na pala yun, and up next was "Outsourced" and I thought I should see it since I myself work in a callcenter. It wasnt so commercialized and no one on it is famous, but it was funny. I'm glad I still gave this place a chance because I had a great time, alone, in front of the TV watching that movie. It might have been the best thing that happened to me in that place. That movie ended at 7, left the place at 7:30.

the robe and the magnetic locker key

I arrived at GCF in Ortigas at 8:20 for this event where Kuya Kevin was speaking. Again, I wasnt disappointed at going. Hindi ko expect na nakakatawa pala siya, funny in an effortless, laid back way. I was trying hard to fight back my giggles every once in a while.

Overall, had a great time. One thing I realized though, is that, the things that I enjoyed the most are the simple things - listening to the Basta Lovelife podcasts, watching that band in the Shang, car racing with Ate Sarah and being on that cozy spot in Wensha and seeing "Outsourced".

I've been to MV Doulos!

with Ate Salvie

The sailing bookstore on a mission was here in the Philippines again, and I went there with Ate Salvie and Ate Bing.

Cool Titles=)

Mission Accomplished

I have accomplished the 49th item on my things to do in 2009: Send Tatay off to a vacation to homeland Davao. It was an idea I thought of before but have never really taken seriously until last year. Hindi ako matatahimik kapag hindi ko 'to nagawa. So last December, I made a little magic with my finances and bought the tickets for 2 for a flight in March!

The day came. It was a Saturday morning and Ate and I accompanied our parents to the airport. It was reaaaaly traffic in C5. If the passengers don't show up 45 minutes before the scheduled departured, they will give the seats to chance passengers. We arrived 40 minutes before the flight, we were only 5 minutes late and the seats were already taken. We had to rebook so they can fly on the same day. The next flight was 2 hours later.

I lined up to rebook along with the many late passengers. Ang bagal ng pila grabe! Ate took our parents to the waiting area and bought them chicken joy and fed them. Tatay didn't want to eat yet, but she insisted saying there will be no time to eat later. I got the new tickets after an hour and we accompanied the folks to board the plane. We were only allowed up to a certain area, but Ate refused to leave until they were out of sight. I didnt realized she was like that. We were relieved to know na sa wakas, kahit may aberya, tuloy ang biyahe nila. The way we ate our lunch, hindi masyadong halatang napagod kami. We were talking and one point was raised- that day, we were like the parents and the folks were like the kids.

But the time came to for us to be kids again! We toured around the new terminal 3 and took pictures! We went to Rockwell after that, and I was practically unconscious sa FX pauwi. Wala pa kasi akong tulog.

When our parents came home, they were so dark from swimming at the beach and Tatay even had sunburn on his back. Talicud Island, Davao, Philippines. Haha. Tatay has been telling us about this place ever since we were little. Ate went there in 2007, and she liked it so much she was so supportive of me with this idea. Now, Nanay has been there too, where the people in the island are mostly your relatives. She even saw the piece of land Tatay inherited. It's not much she said, but it's enough to have an island paradise living.

After almost a week, Tatay said "thank you" again to me. It's been a week na daw, and he was still teary eyed. Fifty years, that's how long it took for him to step foot on his hometown (or home island) again. The day before their flight, Enna the dog died and we were sad. And he said, that might have been the price for the happiness he was feeling. Hay, emo din si Tatay. But knowing that he was happy, was the main point of this whole thing, and if the vacation made him happy, then all the sacrifices, all the aberya, are all worth it!

YOUTH CAMP 2008

We just had our church's summer camp in Baguio. Hindi naapprove ang leave ko so I had to miss a day and follow na lang. Nagbiyahe ako with Karen, Donna at E-anne. Left Cubao at 10am, and arrived in Baguio at 5pm.

I was a counselor, partner kami ni Jisel. It flattered me to hear her say that she had requested that we be partners again this year just like last year. Had fun with our girls...i felt like I missed so much on the day I was not there yet because they seemed to be comfortable agad with each other. 2 of my campers are from my home church in Taytay so I'm happy, and our former pastor's daughter pauline who I used to teach in VBS and Sunday School for years is now my camper in Youth Camp. Awww...isnt that nice...or bothering? Tumatanda na talaga.

There was a cheering competition, and I joined my girls! Honestly, I think I just had to because I was asked to by the counselor of the boys our cabin was paired with. But given a choice, sana moral support na lang. Okay lang, I didnt have problems with cheering and dancing. I just thought that being a counselor I can be free from the pressure of the rehearsals and performing. Grabe...they were giving away so many prices it suddenly became a big deal to win. Would you believe one of the staff gave away P10,000 in a talent portion? Kaya lahat kinakareer ang cheering at mga games. Sa bible trivia nga, everyone was so cranky and competitive kasi walang gusto magpatalo at ayaw magpadaya. After all the arguing, ang premyo ng nanalo, tig-iisang garapon ng peanut brittle. hehe.

On the last night, as part of the camp tradition, we had our camp banquet and this year's pakulo is having it like a prom. I didnt took it seriously as I thought it was corny, but I was surprised to find that some of the girls really prepared for it, bringing nice dresses, shoes and accessories. While they were preparing, the girls would come up to me asking for help with their dresses, putting on their necklaces, asking help with make-up and stuff, and I gotta to say I really enjoyed that. It was an experience I would never forget, being there for them on an occasion they took seriously. One of my girls was very shy, and I knew she was feeling insecure because she didnt have anything to wear. Yoej, my 14 yr old tropa had an extra dress she wore as a bridesmaid, and I borrowed it from her to lend to this shy girl and I did her make-up as well. She was very nervous as we were lining up with the other girls, and her arms were squeezed tight all over me, and I heard her say "Ate Kehl ikaw ang kalakasan ko." Yeah, it may bu mushy but it is still nice to hear.

Sa entrance sa banquet, the guy would have to give the girl flowers and walk her to her seat, and counselors and staff are included. They made us line up so whoever we get paired up with was totally unplanned and spontaneous. I had a friend who I used to have crush with as a partner, and he also happened to be Jisel's bf. Jisel later told me we were holding hands while walking but I really couldnt remember. Promise.

Another camp tradition that everyone looks forward to, is the camp's last night wherein, wala nang lights off, pwedeng walang tulugan and you may get to talk and spend time with the apple of your eye all through camp, all night. Jisel was asking me makipag-last night daw kami. She has a bf so I was thinking she's thinking of pairing me up with anyone she knew. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I fall asleep because one of the girls were giving me a massage. In the morning, we went to the market to buy some pasalubongs and karen and the girls and I passed by burnham because most of them are baguio first timers and this had been our official gala all week.

We all got into the same bus and kaming mga taga Taytay got home at 6:30 pm. Naligo lang ako then diretso pasok na sa work. I was so tired I was sleeping sa calls. I got a final written warning for that being absent the day before which means I cannot be absent in a year unless Im sick, but that's okay, I had an awesome time. God is good!