Goodbye blogger

Hi friends,

I moved my blog to wordpress. I have been editing these past few days and now, I'm finally done. Please visit me at my new home: http://tepaicruz.wordpress.com/

SEE YOU THERE.

xoxo.

Valentine's Date with Nature :)

During my rendezvous with Marvsz at Baguio last Christmas, we discussed some of the travels that we are planning to do for 2015. One of the destination on our list is Mt. Pinatubo. Since my February is full, except February 14, we decided to do a Valentine date with nature :) Good thing Tripinas offers Pinatubo tours every Saturday. We availed their Mt. Pinatubo tour for PHP 2090 with round trip transfers, 4x4 ride and other fees in Pinatubo.

Meeting time was 2AM at Mcdo El Pueblo in Ortigas so yes, I did not sleep because I have to leave the house at 1AM. We bought our lunch at Mcdo since there are no restaurants/fast food chains in Pinatubo. The trip from Manila to Brgy. Sta. Juliana (base camp) is 2 hours. From the base camp, we were assigned to our 4x4 and tour guide. The 4x4 ride was exciting at first but after a few hours of the ride, my butt started to hurt. If not for the beautiful scenery, the 4x4 ride would be hell (HA HA!)

Waiting for the sun to rise

Before the trip, we were told that we could choose the long or the short trek. Since our group opted for the long trek, we walked for around 1 and an half to 2 hours. It was fun except that I have been inactive for a long time so it was really tiring. 

There were a lot of river crossings so it's advisable to use trekking sandals rather than rubber shoes. Good thing I have ninja moves to avoid getting my shoes wet. Hehe. We arrived the crater lake after a few hours and lo and behold, the 4x4 and long trek was worth it.

It was truly majestic. I have no words for its beauty. After a long sense of awe, I got hungry so I took out my chicken nuggets and ate while enjoying the view. It was love that I felt for nature and this country when I saw the crater lake. It was one of the best Valentines to date. (Well, I don't really go out during Valentines ever since because I don't like crowded places haha!) There are really more places to discover here in the Philippines and I'm just starting :)

Anyway, at around 11am, we started going back. I badly want to go home because I was super tired already (LOLA VIBES FOREVER!). On the way back, we only had a 15-20 minute trek then we rode the 4x4 again. I was really tired and the sun was scorching hot so I did not enjoy the 4x4 trip back. 

My travel buddy

We left for Manila at around 3pm and arrived Ortigas at 5:30pm. I was super hungry so Marvsz and I had dinner at Metrowalk then headed to Citigolf for a few drinks. 

It was a fun day despite the sweat and energy lost from the trip :) Over drinks, Marvsz gave me tip for my upcoming Pulag trip and I can't wait! I conquered Pinatubo, next on my list... MT. PULAG! Woot!

Impromptu Boracay Trip

DISCLAIMER: Photo heavy entry

My cousin from Canada arrived the country last Jan. 14 without any plans and itinerary. She just knows that she's going to Ilocos with her aunties then wants to go to Boracay for the rest of her trip. Since her mother doesn't want her to go alone, I accompanied her to Boracay. 

I just went to Boracay last November so I just suggested to her the things I did last time. 

We drank beers, 

watched the sunset,

Cotton candy clouds

joined the pubcrawl,

met new friends,

read books at the beach,

para sailed,

Inspired and renewed

Last weekend, our dearest Pope Francis humbled the Philippines with his presence. Even if I just saw him for a few seconds, I am very happy that he went to our country and bring hope to our countrymen. I think his visit just reminded the Filipino people that God is present even in our miseries. As I listened and reread his homilies and speeches, I can't help but reflect on my own life. These reflections allowed me to see things clearer and set my priorities straighter. I've been standing on a crossroad for months now and I don't really know what path to choose; but Pope Francis' messages reminded me to love and get ready to a life full of surprises.

I believe Pope Francis left a mark to the whole Philippines. It left a mark that will scar me for life. It reminded me that my mission in this country is to be with the poor, oppressed and less fortunate. Just allow yourself to love them and be loved by them. Be brave in having encounters with them because they are people too. People who had less opportunities and privilege than us. They are people who deserves so much love and respect too. I would like to quote a tag line that Gawad Kalinga has been using for a certain project which is "Hunger ends where caring begins." I believe that everything starts with caring. When we start caring for other people around us, then love and peace can overflow within us and our country. It all starts with us and I believe that we should start now.

Pope Francis united our country for 5 days. The poor, rich, disabled, talented, oppressed went hand in hand and braved the rain just to go to Luneta. I hope everyone, as much as they wanted to see him, wants to join Pope Francis in the peripheries. I hope this hype for being with the poor will never die down. I hope this hype for serving this country won't fade until our countrymen rise from poverty. Let this be our mission today and forever because everyone needs help, even if they don't say it.

Salamat Pope Francis. Going into the peripheries is now the coolest thing because of you ;) Haha!

EXPERIENCE LIFE

My word for 2014 was DISCOVERY and boy, did I discover a lot. I traveled around the country from Luzon to Mindanao, I found new interests, I had other means of income, I learned things about myself etc. I loved 2014 because I got exposed to different situations and I still remained strong and I think this is really the secret of life: Standing up in every hardship. Always remember to move forward!

So as I move forward to 2015, I plan to EXPERIENCE LIFE. After a year of discovery, I think it is time to start experiencing.

I don't want to see or just discover things, I want to feel things. I want to start feeling life as it unfolds in front of me and not just the good things but also the bad things. Before, I always run and hide because I'm too afraid of failure or getting hurt. I focus on one bad feeling and don't let other feelings come in. That's why I had missed opportunities. This time, I will face everything head on. Whatever life may throw on my face, I want to feel ALL the emotions. I believe that feelings strongly affects one's life and as I start to feel and understand things, I get more actions done. I realized that I feel so uninspired most of the time because I don't know how I am feeling. I don't have any motivations because I let anger and hatred rule my life just because of one thing that happened in the family.

But I won't let feelings rule my life because you know, sometimes when you let your feelings decide your actions, you can get a little stupid (especially in love. Chos!) I will just allow emotions to flow in my system and stop blocking most of it away. 

So I welcome 2015 in a more organized manner and stronger than ever.