I'm Surfing!

Another cross out on my 30before30 list - Surfing! Yey! You probably may be wondering where I got the courage to try surfing when I'm a non-swimmer? First, I got envious from my friends who seem to be having a lot of fun in the waves. Second, I prayed and asked God if I should try it, and He gave me the sun as an answer.. ♥

To Surf or Not to Surf? To Surf!!

The one-hour surfing lesson starts with a short briefing about the parts of the surfboard and some quick safety reminders. These are just based on what my instructor taught me.

I used a softboard - soft because it is made of foam. He said that this is best for beginners. Other types are fiberglass and plastics but those are for pro surfers. The nose is the forward tip of the board while the tail is rear. The fin is the curved thingy at the bottom of the board near the tail. My instructor said that without the fin, it would be impossible to surf. And the leash, the cord that attaches your leg to the board.

The softboard with my uber gwapo/macho model

Safety Tips from my Instructor:

• The seafloor is a bit rocky so you should not dive. Obviously, I won't because hey I can't swim, remember? 

• When you fall, the first thing to look for is your board. Make sure it won't be between you and the coming wave or it could knock you down. Luckily, that board cooperates!

• Make sure to cover your head with your arms when you fall. That's something I never remembered though.

• Don't panic and jump if you must! Okay, I had problems with the jumping part, lol!

How to stand up? Start with a position like you are about to do a push up. And then.. do whatever it takes to stand - It's just that simple, lol! One important thing, bend your knees, it will make you more stable (remember about the center of gravity in science class?).

As I've said on my previous post, my first attempt was a fail! When Jash pushed my surfboard, I was startled.. I did try to stand up but I slipped and ended up sitting (and laughing!) on my board.

And that happened a few times. I fell and even hurt my foot, but that didn't stop me. I told myself I won't give up unless I get to stand at least once. Zaicy and the others did it, so I could too, right?

So yes, I did! And not just once.. :D

I was so happy and proud of myself. Okay, I know I may have not been really "riding the waves" because someone was just pushing my board and my stance may have not been perfect at all but I proved to myself that I can do it if I just try harder.

And the best part? I conquered my fear! Thank You God!!

*To see the whole La Union adventure, click here!

FYI:

San Juan Surf Resort

Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union, Phillipines

Per Hour Swimming Lesson Rate: PhP400 (except with Luke Landrigan)

http://www.sanjuansurfschool.ph

La Union - Surfing plus City Tour!

Picture agad agad?! So ayan, last Friday habang kasagsagan ng bagyong hindi ko alam ang pangalan Ferdie, nagpunta kami ng La Union! Sobrang guilty ko pa bago umalis kasi ayaw ako payagan ni Mama at uber warla na siya, kaso may mga naghihintay saken at for sure na papatayin ako ni Zaicy (seryoso!) pag in-indian ko siya kaya go pa rin ako.

Meet-up sa Eastwood ng 11pm, andun yun van na ni-rent namin. Originally, dapat 15 kami kaso may 5 pasaway na nagback-out (tubuan sana sila ng pigsa sa pwet,char!). Hong tagal ng byahe. Alam na alam mo kung sino yun mga night persons, dahil habang tulog silang lahat, kami ni Zaicy ay chikahan at tawanan to the max, more kain at text! Bwisit much siguro sila samin dahil sa ingay, lol!

After 6 hours, narating din namin ang San Juan Surf Resort! We had to wait til 7am bago makapag-early check-in at breakfast.

Room namin ni Zaicy yun nasa far right. Yun 8 naka-bukod ng rooms, naka-package kasi yun room nila sa surfing lessons.. saling pusa lang kami!

By 8.30am, start na ng surf mode nila. Watch muna kami ni Zaicy. Nalurkey ako sa lakas at taas ng alon!! Nakita ko silang nagpa-tumbling tumbling sa tubig. Afraid!! Ayoko na siya i-try. No no no way! Pero after 30mins, ini-stop ang lessons, lilipat daw sa mas gentle ang waves. Good.

Sumakay kami ng jeep papunta sa kabilang beach. May kasama kaming iba pang students. May conyo girl na sumakay sabay sabi "Oh My God, I'm gonna ride a jeep! Nah, I've never.. I've never.."  Wish ko na sana matapos yun sentence kaso bigla siyang nag "Never mind", lol.

Malayo din yun pinuntahan na beach parang 45mins na travel time! In fairness, mas mababa nga yun alon dun so resume ang lessons nila! Observe ulet kami ni Zaicy, at nagpaka-photographer muna ako.

Using Rowie's DSLR

Namangha naman ako sa zoom powers nun cam! Ang saya ko everytime na may makita akong nakatayo sa surf board, more pics agad! Siyempre, ang galing ni Rowie, siya yun unang nakita ko na nag-succeed sa pagtayo. Naging cheering squad tuloy kami ni Zaicy! Pero maya maya naman ay naka-tayo na halos lahat.. Galing galing!

Engineer/Manager/Photographer/Surfer Rowie

At yun, tinamaan na ko ng inggit, bet ko na rin siya subukan! First question: "Kuya, kaya mo ba ko turuan kung di ako marunong lumangoy?" E oo daw, kaya gow kaming 2 ni Zaicy.

Sakay ng surfboard, dinala ko ni Kuya Jash sa gitna ng West Philippine Sea! Charot! Basta, malayo na siya sa shore, at sobrang nervous ko. Hello?! Pwede ko ikamatay to no, lol!

Nun sa tingin ni Kuya ay di na ko makakabalik ng buhay sakto na ang layo, inayos nya na yun surfboard na nakaharap sa shore. Sabay sabi ng "ready?", tulak ng malakas at sigaw ng "tayo!" Sarap lang saktan ng instructor e, sa unang try super lakas ng tulak, sadista?! Nag-try naman ako tumayo, pero nadulas ako at napa-upo sa board, haha! 

So yun, makailang ulet ko ginawang balsa yun board ko. Naloka na lang ako ng makita ko si Zaicy na nag sariling sikap at effortless ang pagsusurf! Talented?!? Di na kailangan ng instructor?! Tanong ni Kuya, "Boyfriend mo yun?" sabi ko hindi, "Ang sweet nyo kasi e" pero hindi ko na na-reveal ang katotohanan sa pagkatao ni Zaicy dahil tinulak na ulet ako ni Kuya!

O taray ni bestfriend!

Nasugat din yun talampakan ko sa batuhan, pero gow pa rin. Yun last na nahulog ako, nasabayan ng sobrang lakas na alon, ilang ulet ako umikot sa ilalim ng tubig, may background music at flashback scenes na nga ng mga nangyari sa buhay ko e, haha! Pag angat ko, kapit ako agad sa board, at sabi ko kay Kuya "Muntik na ko mamatay dun, pahinga muna.."

Nag-succeed ba ako sa surfing challenge? Dahil idol ko si Arline ng Pinkline, bibitinin ko din ang kwento, haha! Abangan..

Fast forward muna tayo sa Day 2 - City Tour! Nagcheck-out kami ng 9am sa resort kinabukasan. Pero siyempre photo-op muna with Luke Landrigan, yun sikat na surfer ng Billabong Asia!

From Left to Right: Zaicy, Dulce, Joy, Pew, Luke, Me, Rowie, Deia, JR, Rio & Rhoda

Bye San Juan Surf Resort!

First stop is Ma Cho Temple. Waing borta ditey, okay? Ito raw ang largest Taoist Temple outside China though I'm not sure kung updated ang info na yan.

Next ang Filipino-Chinese Friendship Pagoda. Bongga sana ang view dito, over looking kasi. Inconsiderate lang nun mga nag-vandal!

Dumaan din kami Sa Heroes Hill, literal na dumaan lang, haha! Hindi na namin kaya umakyat pa, haggard na!

From google lang

Last stop namin sa Pindangan Ruins. It  is the remains of the oldest church in San Fernando that was built in May 6, 1786 and was was damaged due to the earthquake in 1892.

Tuloy po kayo? :)

End of La Union Trip.. Nag-quick lunch lang kami sa KFC then fly back to Manila na. Sorry naman, ang haba ng story ko.

P.S. Anong gagawin mo kung nahulog ang pouch mo sa toilet bowl ng isang public CR? Anong i-prioritize mo? Ang kaartehan/pandidiri o ang cellphone/cash/ids/cards mo? I chose the latter.. Yuck!


P.P.S. Pictures from Zaicy. Add ko na lang yun iba pang pics, busy pa si photographer Rowie!

FYI:

San Juan Surf Resort

Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union, Phillipines

Bungalow Room for 2:  PhP1760(with free breakfast) + Early Check-in Fee: PhP500

Per Hour Swimming Lesson Rate: PhP400 (except with Luke Landrigan)

http://www.sanjuansurfresort.com.ph

http://www.sanjuansurfschool.ph

Van: PhP8000 for 2days + gas and toll: PhP3000+

Zero Degree Manila

By now, siguro naman alam nyo na ang Friday e gala day ko di ba?haha! Ang destination namin kahapon ay ang Zero Degree Manila na ang press release nila ay ang First Ice Bar in the Philippines! Taray di ba?

Kasama ko si Zaicy for the nth time at si Empi for the 3rd time. Nagkita kami sa Antipolo na homeland (homeland talaga?) ni Zaicy. In fairness, madali lang puntahan yun Ice Bar, sakay ng fx na pa-Cubao na ang daan dapat sa Sumulong Hi-way at chikahin si Koyang Driver ng slight para ibaba kayo sa tamang spot!

and voila, were here!

The bar is open from 6pm to 12mn. Dumating kami ng 5.30pm at napaka-hospitable nun receptionist, pinaghintay kami sa labas, haha! After 15mins, tinawag na kami at inofferan na mag-upgrade sa unli drinks at unli entrance sa Ice Bar for PhP200 only! Nun pumayag kami, biglang naging PhP300 yun upgrade rate! Scammer si Kuya, joke! Pero ayaw na namin, ang gulo e!

Nun 6pm na pinapunta na kami sa 3rd floor for our Eat-all-you-can buffet! Masarap yun food. Okay din yun ambience ng place. At dahil umulan ng bongga with matching kulog at kidlat pa, kami lang tatlo ang customers nila so alam na! More kain, more fun... silang dalawa! hahaha..

Fav ko yun Orange Chicken, bongga sa magic sarap!

Nag-stay kami til 8pm sa buffet area. Then we decided na bumaba na sa basement para ma-experience ang freezing cold na Ice Bar! May small prep area kung saan pipili ka ng jacket na isusuot mo, 2 sizes lang - large at xl!

Ganito yun walls nun prep area.. Hindi siya artsy para saken, ang dumi at gulo kaya tingnan (opinion ko lang po yan)!

Ayan, pwede na kami pumasok! But wait, may bagong policy daw.. hanggang 2 pics lang ang allowed sa loob! Joke yun? Nope! Kung gusto ng mas maraming shots, kailangan mag-avail ng drinks, nakakalowka!

Wala naman kakaiba dun sa loob, tiled floor and glass walls.. at malamig, yun lang! Sabi nga ni Zaicy na uber funny, para lang daw kami nasa loob ng Morgue, haha! May table made of ice kung san nakapatong yun mga alcoholic chuvaness at bench na gawa rin sa yelo..

Picture#1

Tapos may dalawang ice sculptures, a dolphin and a swan (mas maganda yun dolphin). At eto ang bonggang eksena..

Zaicy&Me: Pa-picture tayo with the dolphin!

Picture#2

Question: Nasaan ang dolphin?? Answer: Tinakpan ni Empi!

Kaloka Much! Kung hindi ko lang love tong si Empi, nabatukan ko na siya, hahaha! Siyempre, naka-dalawang pic na kami so wala ng take 2 ang picture with the dolphin, tsk tsk! LOL!

We got bored din sa loob, so after 10mins lang ata e lumabas na kami (you can stay upto 30mins). Saka kami bumawi ng slight sa pagpipicturan, kunwari malamig pa din!

Love love Zaicy!

Wala kang hug dahil sa ginawa mo sa dolphin shot, haha!

So yun, bye bye ice bar na.. Nagpunta kami sa chicboy para magpakalasing dahil sa naunsiyaming picture with the dolphin (haha, hindi naka-get over!). We had a bucket of Antonov, a bottle for me, 2 for Zaicy and 3 for Empi.. lasinggero pala si Empi, haha!

In fairness, we still had so much fun! Sabagay, kahit san naman ata kami magpunta e happy kami lagi, kahit may mga unexpected or unforeseen events! Ganun dapat di ba? :)


***

I just joined BlogsNgPinoy and they added me in their directory list! If you also want to be added, click here!

Plus you can also vote for your most favorite blogs which will be displayed in their Blogs of Fame, click here! BTW, I am voting voted for Teacher's Pwet (eto yun super fav ko, check it out if you want to know why).

If you are already on the list, let me know and I'll vote for you too! :)


Much love everyone!

FYI:
Zero Degree Manila
Sumulong Hi-way, Antipolo, Rizal
584-95-40
http://www.zeromanila.com

Beach 1-2-3!

I fear deep waters. I am not a swimmer. Yet ironically, I love beaches! I love to see that sand-water-sky picturesque view. I love the calming sound of the waves. I love the cool breeze. I hate the fact that I didn't get to hit the beach last summer, lol.

I know that the Philippines has a lot of beautiful shores but I've been to very few. These are just some of them. Sharing you my experiences, my firsts and my photo album :)

 

Laiya
 March 2009

This was one of the happiest team buildings I've been to. Oh how I miss these peeps I was with in this 2D/1N adventure (most of them are working in other companies now).

We stayed at La Luz Beach Resort in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas. Food was served buffet style. And I love that we ate at tables outdoors with the sea as a perfect backdraft!

Yeah, the shore isn't fine sand but who cares?! It still is beautiful.

Talikodgenic much?

Awesome beach. Fabulous friends. Cozy hotel room. Good Food. Nothing more you could ask for on a weekend getaway.

Marinduque
 September 2010

Do you see the Elephant Island? That's BellaRocca! One of my dream destinations.

Oh, I was really excited for this Marinduque Trip! Why? Cause I thought that this would be my first time outside Luzon! Only to find out later that Marinduque is an island that belongs to Region 4B, and yes, it still is part of Luzon. Anyways, it was my first time to ride RORO, haha.

Leaving Mainland China Luzon

Again, with a set of crazy office friends.. Andie invited us to join him in his short vacation in their province.

While waiting for the boat going to Gaspar Island

I did say we're crazy, right?

Look at how clear the water is!

Sea Urchin

Plus a perfect sunset to end the day

Beautiful island. Free accommodation. Hospitable people. Home-cooked food. A perfect 4 day get-away.

Boracay
 August 2011

Who wouldn't fall in love with this gorgeous place?

This is my real first-time-out-of-Luzon trip! And the first time I rode an airplane. With my super gay friends..

What's not to love about Boracay Island? Super fine white sand and clear waters combined with shops and bars plus handsome topless guys (charot!).. And it is packed with endless activities that you can enjoy..

Just Walking; best if barefoot

First Attempt to Snorkel.. Fail! :)

Nope, I didn't drive! I simply can't :(

What am I doing?!Lol..

 The best part of being with gay friends? Never a dull moment!

Saya no?!

Did you notice that in all 3 trips there were two other faces who were consistently there? Yup, first one is Zaicy, the other is Carlo!

I'm a late bloomer for travelling. Not that it didn't interest me, it's just that I had other priorities before. But I'm looking forward to seeing more places and swimming dipping in more beaches! Love!!

**Pictures are either mine or Zaicy's - no pirating please, :) **

Ace Water Spa Atbp!

Cameras are not allowed! Seriously?!

Well, that probably is the only major setback in Ace Water Spa. That made us all sad. We're all cam addicts, you know, lol!

Habang ang daming dumadaang sasakyan, hehe!

But with Ace Water Spa's facilities and service? There's nothing negative that I can say.

Me, Zaicy and Lori arrived at around 3pm and went directly to the reception area. We are not paying the full price of PhP550 (PhP250 for kids) because we are using discounted vouchers from CashCashPinoy. There was a special queue for voucher holders and we were accommodated readily! Prompt service, yeah! You will then be provided with your locker keys.

We went to the locker rooms. They would ask you to deposit your shoes upon entry. They have slippers there that you can use so there's no need to bring your own! You will also be given shower caps that you are required to use.

Important Rules: Only swimwears are allowed, no cover-ups, no undies! No mobile phones and again no cameras! No food/beverages! So you would basically have to leave the locker room only with yourself, your swimsuit and your locker key strapped around your wrists! That's it!

Okay, so then we went to the Spa! I was wearing string bikinis, and it was a huge mistake! I suggest you wear something that fits snugly to your body. Go for boylegs and wide-strapped tops! Why? Because the water pressure in some pools is so high and it almost took my swimsuits off, lol!

I don't know how many "hydrotherapy massage" pools they have but the one that I most enjoyed is the Rainfall Acupuncture! It is like lying on a bed in your rooftop while it is raining! Yes, it is relaxing and a bit tickling. I also liked the Lazy Pool where you will ride on a floating board while the water current carries you around.

The other massages are too hard for my body that I can't even stand it even for 1min (they suggest you stay for 3-5mins), it felt like someone is punching me. That's maybe because I'm too small and skinny, and I have low tolerance for pain.

They also have those hot herbal pools! It's like dipping your body in a teapot! But I cannot stand the Sauna nor the Steam Bath, it will kill me with dehydration! But they do have purified water dispensers available, in case you feel the need to rehydrate. Or if you want to tease your friend by pouring cold water to her right after dipping in the hot pool just like what me and Zaicy did to Lori, lol! But FYI, it is actually recommended that you dip yourself in the freezing cold pool after the hot bath, they say it is to keep you heart rate normal. So Lori, we did you a favor! :)

You can stay at the spa for a max of 4hrs! We got tired after about 2 hrs, we had our last round of the Rainfall Acupuncture and Hot Pool, and decided to go. The shower area has shampoo and body wash available! I still suggest you bring hair conditioner though, you know how much pool water makes your hair dry. They have hair dryers and hair gels available for use too! Very convenient, right?

There's Zaicy and Lori! And "hon" at the back, hehe!

Me in my blue dress and shoes! Terno dapat sabi ni Zaicy!

So after the mini pictorial session, we then walked from the hotel to Shangri La Mall. We were looking for Power Planet Sports to check out Arena's rash guard that we will be using for our La Union Surfing Trip week after next.

Since we were already starving, we left Shangri La and went to Mesa in Mega Atrium! They serve mainly Filipino dishes. We ordered Chicken and Pork Adobo, Laing 2 ways, and the Sea Food Bean Curd Soup! The Laing is superb, like!

Tastes more like Chicken and Pork Mechado, hihi!

confused na soup

yummy laing

Look at Zaicy and Lori, they look good together, eh? Too bad, Lori's married and Zaicy's gay, lol!

And there I was, alone at the other side of the table singing..

 ♪ I was not so happy being lonely

Living without you... ♫

And then came along Empi, and the song continues .. 

♫ You and I
We were meant to be
Sweet as rain falling from the sky

These are all the many changes in my life.. ♪

The Mark and JRo Love Team by Lili, haha!

I'm just kidding everyone! Me and Empi are just friends (showbiz?!lol!). Anyways, I don't know why but I've had LSS with that song since this morning, haha!

Back to the original story.. After eating in Mesa, we then went to Chewy Jr. to claim my 2 boxes of mini cream puffs that I bought from Ensogo! We ate a box of cream puffs for dessert, yummy! 

Surprisingly, I was not satisfied with that and I wanted to eat more.. Icecream in DQ!! I had too much dose of sugar last night, haha! And though, I tried hard not to buy new shoes, I still did! Thanks to my uber kunsintidor friends, hmp!

It's already past 9pm and we had to go home! Til our next lakwatsa guys, which will be next Friday, right? :)

FYI:
Ace Water Spa

Mon - Sun

6:00 am

-

11:00 pm

www.acewaterspa.com.ph