Yellow House

Everywhere I go, there's Piolo Pascual. I'm just trying to keep abreast with what's on the news and where I come from, HE is news. Enough already. Gossip is everyone's past time, yes. I'm sure you'd say small minds talk about people and all that jazz. I don't intend to save Africa but I just can't help but feel a tad too annoyed. People at work, falling in line the grocery, riding a public utility vehicle on the way home, running on solid ground,  in Facebook, in twitter, everywhere else. Even on this blog. I'm sharing my burden to cure what I'm feeling. To appease me, I'll help you connect the dots as to why that local actor is even mentioned here. He actually had a movie that was shot entirely in Sagada. No, I'm definitely no fan of his and I haven't seen the movie either. He's totally not the reason why it's part of our Northern Luzon trip. It's something else and  I won't tell you. 

Surely, everyone has a bucket list of places to visit. For me, Sagada's one of them. The bus ride all the way up is already an adventure in itself. I'm not exaggerating and I've said it for a thousand times over. It's also a bit ironic cause the place where we stayed is called Grandma's Yellow House and while in Vigan, we stayed in Grandpa's Inn. It's like the yin to the yang or love and being loved in return. Okay, I think there's no sentence parallelism there. I love this house the most because you have privacy and the accommodation is pretty cheap. The lovely couple who owns the place is even friendly not just because you're their guests plus they cook some awesome food with the freshest veggies! The house is really a log cabin and we only paid five hundred bucks, that's two fifty per head for an overnight stay with our own bathroom and water heater. I just have to mention the heater cause it's very important. We were freezing cold in Sagada and I wasn't really properly dressed for winter. I can only imagine my friends from the other side of the universe. 

I'm thankful that it's sunny where I am but when we were in the mountains, the sky was partly cloudy with some rain showers. Sagada, WE will be back. <3 

something to read while stuck in transits and a notebook for minor accounting

Dangerous Curves

the sun's in the sky, it's warming up your bare legs 

He's got me high. Well, he literally took me uphill last 11.11.11 and it left me breathless. That date was just too important for mostly everyone, it was even a trending topic in twitter and appeared in every social networking sites. I've even read from my growing blog roll on how others spent that day and this is how my 11.11.11 went. Bal took me to the Danao Golf Course and it's not certain if this was something he planned or the date just fell into place. Must be the cosmos or maybe the sunny weather. We did not even agree to wear red. You get what I mean. It's like some mental telepathy and our minds agreed on something. This is not an attempt to be cute or cheesy. I was not even close to one when we did the uphill run a few weeks ago. 

I have to give it to Bal cause he admitted defeat when we raced on foot all the way down and when we did some uphill sprints. I'm not so sure if he lets me win or I'm just improving after all that training. At first, he couldn't really accept it and tried to drain my energy but I'm not someone who would easily give up. I would always put up a good fight, no matter what. Well, I did beat him twice. There. I finally said it. That's something to be happy and remember especially that he wins most of the time. And it's not just because he's a guy. He's really good with what he does and I'm giving him good competition. It feels like we're custom made for each other. He's been very supportive, really.  Okay, that's cheesy. 

The place is truly a beauty. There are no cars to hit you, ZERO city pollution and it's just the beautiful landscape with the clouds above. The distance is painstakingly short but what kills you is the inclined road and we conquered it. You should too. 

Photos by Bal and Me

Pumped Up Kicks

Let's take a short break from Northern Luzon. I don't think I would ever be able to blog them all before November ends. This is the time of the year when everything happens way too fast. I don't even want to blink cause I might miss out on something. It must be the longer nights, thanks to the end of daylight saving time. To solve my little problem, I'm going to post daily outfits in between the Northern Luzon trip and anything else.

This one is even a scheduled post cause I'm out playing football today. I love the sport and I never imagined myself to be in the field. But who knows, maybe the team just needed someone to complete the list. Bal and me did 21KM early morning and it was dead exhausting. I don't think I'm ever gonna do it again, though. Or maybe I would, depends on what's at stake. Don't worry, I'm not switching careers or whatever. But that's another blog entry on my list. The photos on this post are still from Photobucket cause they're BIGGER for the anonymous eyes to see. The bitch called work gives me the liberty to dress up even if we have a slightly strict dress code. To be honest, I am more of myself when I'm wearing my worn out Chucks. When I'm in the office, I wear those murderous pumped up kicks. They're not the most comfortable but I just suffer through it. I even do fifty squats with those shoes on. No kidding. 

The bag I'm using is a doppelganger of Alexander Wang's rocco duffel but I bought mine in Parisian. SM really has it all! Well, it's not really mine but my elder sister's and I'm thankful she's into bags. Saves me a lot of money and it's good to have siblings. You can just borrow from them even without permission and they still love you for it. If you've also noticed, my bangs are back. I look like Darth Vader, yes? 

Photos by Jed Oyangoren

The House of Vintage

When going Vigan, I'm recommending Grandpa's Inn. This ancestral house was a gift of the Donato sisters to their brother, Mariano when he married Carmen Rivero in 1923. It was the first House in Vigan to have bidet and internal plumbing. I don't personally know them and that historical fact is also written in an engraved carving on the house's exterior like an epitaph to a grave. I actually don't know where to begin, like I always do,  so I thought of sharing the history of the place where our two nights was spent. 

When traveling, I personally think it's important that the bed you'd roll into is comfortable and clean. It should be something close to your own bedroom. Comfort without compromising the budget for the entire trip. Well, if you have all the money then by all means get the penthouse or suite. When I travel, I don't fly hundreds of miles just for me to stay in bed and burn money for the accommodation. This is not bedroom talk but the point is, the hotels in Vigan were just too expensive for our budget except for this Ancestral House turned into an Inn. It's not practical for people traveling with a shoe-string budget to spend a lot on where to rest. You don't stay in bed for twenty-four hours. You would only leave your things, do your evening/morning ritual and hit the ground running. That's what we did. It was more of a hit-and-run kind of thing. 

Even if it had an eerie atmosphere having been built even before I was born. I just had to mention that cause it makes me feel more younger and the house older. It's definitely worth your money and anything else. You'd have to see it for yourself but for the meantime, just feast your eyes on these: 

Panic Girl

 you make all the fashion statements just by dressing up your mind - Jason Mraz

The photo in this blog entry is actually bigger in real life. Or, the person photographed in this blog entry is BIGGER in REAL life. I'm no longer using picasa and I'm starting to use photobucket cause for some reason, I couldn't find the html code. I am not sure if it's just me or Google changed their settings. You've seen this yellow satchel a lot of times and it's obviously a favorite of mine. It goes well with anything and adds a little oomph to any outfit. I'm in no mood to blog cause it's way past my bed time. Plus, I just really wanted to try photobucket.  I'm no longer a night witch and I love early mornings. I talk too much. I should be sleeping now. Social networking reduces my sleeping hours.   

Photo by Bal Marsius taken in Calle Crisologo, Vigan City, Philippines

Postcards from Vigan

If there's one thing I'm bitter about the Northen Luzon trip, it's forgetting to send postcards to ourselves from the places we've been to. We could have received it by now and then I would feel like Claire Abshire to complete my literary delusions. Not that I want Bal to be Henry, I can't stand the whole concept of Henry's time travel and I really don't want to be like Claire. I just like the idea of receiving postcards from one another and read it in a different time, different place. We've been traveling a whole lot that I could no longer count the number of miles or kilometers spent. But thanks to Google maps, makes the tracing of bread crumbs easier. Actually, more thanks to Bal cause he's patient with mapping an entire continent. I want Northern Luzon to be done and over with cause I still have a lot of photos to dump and stuff to write. It's not that there's nothing going in with my life lately, I just couldn't find time cause 24hrs in a day is so not enough. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing outside blogging and cyberspace. 

There's just too many photos that I'll make a separate entry on where we stayed. It was that great that I need to tell you about it. I just couldn't stuff them all in one entry and I hate long posts. Seriously, I do, even if I burden you with such. This is the part of the trip where we switched into Tourists mode. This is also the second time that I'm mistaken as a Vietnamese. Okay, I'm not really sure if the friendly guy who offered to take our photos in the post office thought I'm from Vietnam but he sure thought I'm no Filipino. The first incident was in Siquijor and I just had to tell you cause I got amused. Must be the bangs. Have you ever been mistaken as somebody else other than yourself from your travels? Just a thought. 

Vigan's one of UNESCO's World Heritage Site and one of the few Hispanic towns left in the Philippines. Why does it sound like I'm giving a lesson about Philippine history or something like it. Scrap that! You can always Google Vigan anytime you want, only if you plan to visit the City. Or ask me questions, I dare you not. All apologies if you're directed to this blog but thanks for the visit, leave a comment if you like. 

We didn't ride the Kalesa, okay. 

Photos by Bal and Me

Keep the Faith

Today is wordless Tuesday.

Paoay Sand Dunes

I still have tons of photos and stories to share from the Northern Luzon backpacking trip and to be honest, we had seven hundred snapshots from my camera alone. At first, we thought we didn't take too many photos but apparently we did. I'm even having a hard time choosing what to post to avoid spamming. This is the part where I should be glad we're digital and not on film. If you can just imagine the amount of rolls and money spent. Out of the seven hundred, majority of them were taken by Bal and it's given that I'm on the photos.  He's the one lugging the camera, something I could never complain about. We traveled hundreds of kilometers for this. For him to take my photos but you know I'm just kidding. 

But I kid you not when I tell you I first heard of the Sand Dunes from those classic Philippine movies of Nora Aunor and FPJ. You know you're Filipino when you actually know who they are and have seen any of their movies from beginning to end. Haha! I'm really not a fan but what can I do, I grew up watching them. Our television set is adjacent to the dining table and when your Mom forced feeds you, you got nothing but the TV to turn to. It was a sort of refuge and torture. Kids growing up don't like to eat when asked to but things are different now that I'm older. I meant the eating habit, okay. Some scenes of Himala and Panday were shot in Paoay's Sand Dunes and in La Paz but we never had the time to go there. NO, they're not the reason why we went there. We're not trying to relieve those classic moments in Philippine cinema. Believe me on this, please!

I was more excited to try sand boarding and all other stuff you can do in the desert but none of those were in Paoay. I'm just saying that to stay away from FPJ and Nora Aunor cause I might end up talking about them when I know I shouldn't. The Sand Dunes were a trike ride away from the main road. When I say main road, don't know where it really is but I know it's where Malacañang of the North is. Just ask around the locals if you intend to visit this green-land. Good thing it was about to rain when we went there. Or else, we could have burned our skin and we're feeling dehydrated. It's still a desert, after all. 

That's Bal thinking he can fly. (this is not my way of giving back cause you took all my photos,okay)

Running with Scissors

This fashion blogger is also a marathoner. 


Today, I still feel infinite. Ever had the feeling of learning something so great that you can't even contain it. Those moments when  something so damn good happens to you, you just can't wait and share it to your friends - close ones and even the not so close. I can't help feeling all giddy when the boy taught me how to bike yesterday. Yes, I'm that kind of girl. When I was younger and more self-deprived, dad doesn't want any of his three girls to do anything less feminine. We're in the Philippines, this is my country and we have a patriarchal system. Regardless, I have no regrets and I'm happy with the family I have. Well, if I do have it's not learning how to drive in wheels that soon. If I knew it even before I started this blog, I wouldn't even be scribbling right now. But that's how it is, we all have to go through growing up pains. All girls in a typical Filipino setting and all other sob stories that's too private I won't even tell you. If only Bal brought a camera yesterday, I could have showed you how I did. I'm feeling like a kindergarten kid. Like those screaming kids, they create so much wreck and sorry to Mr Jogger. Oh, I'm not sorry at all. He knew I was heading towards his direction and he could have avoided me but he just stood there. Like an accident waiting to happen. 


This is quite a lengthy post, a summary of all the marathons we joined over the past eleven months. There's just three so this is not really lengthy at all. In fact, I just got home from one. There are times when thoughts appear on my mind and I have these light-bulb above my head that I lost control of them. Thank you, euphemism. And you, I know you're just sitting there, silently judging me. I do that, BTW. 


Definitely not HER FIRST marathon in her entire lifetime. BUT it's a baptism of sorts or something like it because:

• First marathon with the boyfriend. Yes, we have to take note of that. And it has to be the number ONE reason. Never thought of running with him but the unrealized idea is now a blog entry.  
• It's still about the boyfriend. He swims and bikes but it was his first marathon. 
• They were officially part of the race just a few minutes before they pulled the trigger. It pays to have friends in high places and an athlete during your growing up years.  
• Random fact, the athletes/runners I used to compete before are now race marshals. Thankful for it, only for the fact they are the race marshals.  
• If she wasn't that 'influential' - they could have ran 10k. With no rest, no mercy, no matter what. 
• They had pizza, pasta and chicken after. The more calories you burn, the more food you eat. Like, duh! They're carnivores. 
• Insert witty lines here. 

This is how we spent Halloween. We do midnight runs instead of the regular trick or treating. 

• He does all the tricks. I think I deserve some treat, alright. 
• Second marathon for this year, second sun down run but minus our foster son, James.
• If you're as observant as I am, my race number when added all together is equals to five.
• Before the race started, we had a bet that I will make it to the top twenty finishers.
• For someone who can't even complete to jog five rounds in IT Park, it was surprising to know that I finished fifth in the womens category. 
• It was my best performance, post high school varsity days. He couldn't get over it. Trust me, it felt like winning a beauty pageant but more. (Not that I joined them)
• He was beaming with pride. Especially him.
• After a long run, we always feel the hunger for food. Water even never tasted so good.
• What better way to celebrate the fifth place finish with  a bottle of French Cider and the eternal favorite chicken. 
• I was unconsciously hitting two birds in one stone. Winning the bet against Bal and like a true athlete, the celebration. Since I don't know you, I won't tell you and I never would to anyone. 

Do I sound like I know what I'm doing? 

• In Cebu, there's always a marathon every Sunday but it's not always for free. 
• Worked six days the previous week just so I can run today. That's how eager I was aside that it's free.
• Work is part of the gold sponsor, free registrations are once in a lifetime opportunities.  
• Something I noticed from the marathons before and now, they only recognize the top three and not the rest of the top ten. There's not even a fine print on what and how much the prizes are. Nobody races to lose. Everybody wants to win not unless you're someone fat who thinks you will lose weight in joining a marathon.
• Before, top ten runners gets the recognition which is apt. Dude, it's not easy to train. Also, I'm not being bitter with the fifth place finish unrecognized. Times are just changing. *shrugs shoulder*
• Registration fees are way, way, more expensive than before. Organizers are regaining their capitalist throne.  
• My shoes used for running is just the most basic one. It's has streaks of pink though. It doesn't have any modern technology something like the ones sold in RUNNR. It's not bitterness, a good shoes is something you can always buy over-the-counter but never stamina or performance. 
• It was a good run. I'm happy that I'm slowly getting back in shape, albeit the lack of leg and lung power. Sure, I had my glory days in high school but I just missed running.
• Special thanks to Ninski, James and Poi for the photos used in this entry. Had to say it otherwise, someone might block me in Facebook.
• I'm very much thankful for Bal even if he despises this part of me being cheesy. He serves as my water boy, wing man, and all others in every race. Must be love. 
• But, I am not so sure if I would still be thankful for him when we run 21K next month. 

Cheers! 

let's get physical!