Come Again. Begin Again.

CAM-UI-GUIN = COME AGAIN

As promised, I am now writing for my Camiguin getaway 6 months ago! Oh well, it was one of the many things I looked forward to after graduation. It's been like what?! Ten or eleven years since I've spent my every summer in that island paradise and nothing can ever compare with the thrill I felt as I journeyed back to my second home. :')

"Where do I begin?"

So here's the thing about writing 6 months after the subject matter actually occurred  or maybe this is really the thing about writing. Anyhow, let me start with the journey! :D We started traveling from CDO to the port about 3pm in the afternoon of a Monday and my tita (Flery) suggested we stay for the night near the port so we could take the first trip the next day to CAMIGUIN ISLAAAAAND!! XD And so we did. The travel by land was so far really cool. I mean, I missed seeing houses near the highway with random people walking, playing, talking etc. it reminded me of how simple life really is. You just have to focus on what really matters. And through that, you get to appreciate more of the roads you passed by and you also get to look forward to what lies ahead.

                                                            

                      This is Aeriona, my genius niece, and ate Vanessa's dog in our stop near the port. :3

Getting there

So like, it was around noontime when we arrived at Camiguin cause we actually had an accidental round trip around the island. HOHOHOHO!! My tito took the wrong turn for the cold spring we were heading to and so we took the longest cut towards it! Boy it was cool! Like, I still saw the same antique houses along the road, the same immortal landmarks and hot spots (e.g. the Sunken Cemetery, Mantigue Island, White island) in a whim! :D By the time we arrived at the soda cold spring ( couldn't remember the exact name but it sure was close to "BORA" that's why ate Van and I joked about it) we had a quick lunch and had our dip!

The Abode

We stayed in a "hotel" where my tita worked and the accommodation was VIP! :P HAHA. Oh well, I didn't waste my time, so I spent it taking some pictures around. It was near the "kabihasnan" in Camiguin so a short walk will do the trick if you'd wanna grab some food or something. :)

This is Anna Mary, my cousin AND my photographer throughout my Camiguin escapade ;D

So this is the hotel entance. Teheeeee :]

The White Fortress

Okay, so like, the word fortress might not be the most appropriate word to describe the White Island, but still I'd insist! It's such a compelling place where the simplicity of the white sand tells you how it could be covered in high tides but can still emerge itself afterwards; as if victorious from a perpetual battle! NAKS. Kinda' OA na! :'3 Anyhow, words cannot explain how CLEAN and SEDUCTIVE the sea water surrounding the Island is, so I'd just have to leave it on the pretty pictures to tell you the rest of it..

Focus on the interplay of colors AND ignore the feet :3 LOL

T'was a sunny day, I had a darker skin shade afterwards, but it was worth it! This is the distant part of the White Island. They call it the "C" side, the most dangerous yet most stunning view of them all.

So, uhm, can I cover the hottest men's magazine now?

Me+Clams= CLAMITY <3

I've never heard of this place before, but I sure have an idea that Camiguin must've had a clam sanctuary somewhere. Ladies and gentlemen AND wanderlustERS, please help me welcome, one of the best diving destinations in Camiguin: The Cantaan Clam Sanctuary! :'>

This was walking towards the sanctuary. Man, the journey was bumpy, good thing the place was all worth it! Like, REALLY! :D

Like the legendary White Island, it's got white sand and the water is really cool; not so cold, not so warm, just enough for your swimming appetite!

\

Since I just had my hair treated, so I had no choice but to take pictures of myself around the sanctuary! I fell in love with nature once more! Kisses :*

Speechless. :}

Here are the clams by the way,  I almost forgot to post 'em! HAHA. Vanity overload! >.<

The Visitors

Travel wouldn't be complete without GOOD FOOD. And so, in this journey, we visited two friends who welcomed us warmly in their houses. Of course, I took photos of myself around (and I'm sorry I forgot to take pictures of the food served! HAHA. Got too excited!)

This is my tita Flery's friend's place! (corrections?) One thing about Camiguin homes is that they never miss to have ornamental plants and all that, in front of their houses (most of the time). This is just a portion of their garden. Trust me, it's so pleasing to the eyes! ^.*

My tita's friend's house is just near the beach facing the White Island, so Anna Marry, ate Van (that's her in the photo above) and I went to catch some cold sea breeze! :)

This was at the Italian's house at Mt. Hibokhibok. I tell, you, the garden was just so grand! :D I didn't know Italians have a love for gardening!

This is the part of the rest house facing the sea. I'm with the genius kiddo here :3

This is the pathway towards the main house :D

This is the other part of their place, yet to be constructed. That white portion of the sea I'm pointing at is the White island during high tide! ;)

And yes, this the the concrete explanation why I wasn't able to take pictures of the yummy dinner we had---they're all in! XD

Closing Time

In every journey, there is always a beginning and there is always an end. My one week visit here at Camiguin was a story worth telling, and this blog entry wouldn't be enough to tell it all. One thing I am sure of is that this wouldn't be my last visit, and I'll make sure that for the next time I'd happen to COME AGAIN at CAMIGUIN, I'd be hanging my Nikon camera on my neck to make sure I won't be missing anything! Hope you had fun reading as well! I'll keep you posted! ;*

Te amo

Just so I could show you how much I love myself. Today is a gloomy day. I really need some love. :')

Vanity overload ~ CHECK THIS OUT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKcAYeChc9s

Lent- What To Watch

Okay, so there are seven movies I'd suggest you should watch and reflect upon as you observe Lent. IN MY OPINION, that is.

The Passion of the Christ

You can miss the rest of my suggested movies, but not this. :')

The Bucket List

A story of celebrating life and of finding joy, wherever it may be, and however it may be found. It's not too early, nor too late. :'3

Narnia

Narnia gave me the impression of believing in the midst of defeat and anguish. It taught me to never lose hope. Oh well, the presence of Aslan in itself is uplifting. :')

In The Beginning

It's a family movie, a narrative from Adam and Eve to Moses. :D

The Kingdom of Heaven

Fight for what's worth fighting for. The blacksmith. <3

Harry Potter 7, Part 2

Just like Narnia, HP gives me the sense of perseverance in time when everything just falls apart and convinces you to giving up. The last book teaches us to hope and fight for goodness, until the end because it will always be worth it. :)

Les Miserables

“To love another person is to see the face of God.” 

― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

I wish you all a meaningful Lent! Enjoy and reflect well! ^.^ 

Review Curiosity

I “love” movies. What I usually think is that they help me drift away from reality, but what actually happens is that movies depict a fun and exciting perspective of how I ought to see life as it is. I love stories, most especially stories I can relate myself with. I am very emotional. Whenever a movie captures my heart, I cannot easily get over with it, it will take the entire night or the next day for me to move on and realize that it was “just” a movie.

It was Maundy Thursday and the family tradition during the Holy Week was to watch movies. This has been one of the many reasons why I look forward to the Lent season (HAHA). I really love seeing my mom and dad and my sister stare seriously at the TV screen, then smile and laugh and look sad altogether. :’) mem’ries. Geeeezz, not again. Okay, so this year, we spent Thursday at home, as usual, and me and my sister had the time of our lives, trying to kill each other to win the remote control. :D  I also made time to update my blog and then I skipped siesta for the time being.

In the evening, we decided to go to Church and observe the Eastern vigil (for a while, so not technically a vigil) and man, the aura was just so peaceful. There were candles, and plants and colored lights, and all else that the 21^st century can offer. I found a good place to reflect and pray. ^.^

This was kinda' how it looked like but it's way better seen actually. :)

After that, we left for home and tuned in for the television. My mom is the type of the person who’s really into Tagalog love movies (which I usually find baduy) and so we had to bear watching the replay of Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz’s (insert title here). When mom switched channels during advertisements, I caught a scene in one movie I saw before. It was not long ago when I caught boredom watching “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and believe me, I felt more excited watching boredom in front of me that to stick to this “hopeless-case-for-me” tagalong movie mom’s so serious about.

FINALLY, the remote control fell into the powerful and kilig-defying hands of mine! MWAHAHAHA! XD The three of them went to sleep already so I then owned the TV powers! (MWAHAHAHAHAHA!) Okay now, serious mode. As what I said, I already saw the movie, and the impression I got was that it was a sad love story, so what I was really up to that evening was to grasp some details of the movie which I did not retain or even understand, and to hope that perhaps, it may change even just a small aspect of me, as a person, capable of loving and living a good life. And it did.

I do not intend to write a narrative of the movie because trust me, it’s better seen that told.  :) Anyhow, I’ll write about the major lessons I learned and the very reasons why I finally cried hard in front of the television again since I can’t remember. Like SRSLY, even after turning off the TV and the lights, I still found myself crying to sleep, and I felt so moved that even when I woke up the next day (Good Friday), I still cried like crazy. OOHHHH, SEE?! I was deeply moved that I believe this movie deserves a movie review (sort of) in my blog. Not that Brad Pitt is undeniably handsome and gorgeous, don’t get me wrong please, but if Benjamin Button is actually a non-fictional character, I will really do my best to meet him one day, and it would be such a privilege to be able to speak to a virtuous man, with a peculiar case and a big heart. I’m afraid it was mistake to have taken the movie as a sad love story, it was way more than that. Much more than that. <3

It was a story of life, and of time, entirely. It was about failure, heartbreak, love, trying, and understanding that fact that nothing lasts forever, but some things are just never meant to be forgotten. It is a story of bearing with life patiently, a story of acceptance, of forgiveness and of starting all over. Benjamin is someone who grows backwards, and I admire him for being a good man at that, despite of how painful it was to watch everyone else die old ahead of him, while he grows younger, ALONE. I found it really cute when he was around 10 (I guess) and he had to lie when asked about the last time he had sex with a woman. He looked old, but you can feel that his heart was young, his eyes spoke much more than the words which came out from his lips. Moreover, I also admired the way he accepted Daisy, despite of her, rejecting him not just once, but many times, and loving her despite of her wild sex life with other men her age and for being patient enough to understand her during the process of her adulthood, despite the fact that he should also be understood, as someone growing older, yet younger. Complicated indeed.

All along, I thought that the worst thing that Benjamin ever did was to leave Daisy a year after giving birth to their daughter. But after watching the movie, the second time, I was convinced that it was the bravest and the hardest thing he ever did in his life. He had to leave, and, I admire him again for that.

What really made me cry like a dying pig was when their daughter Caroline, found out about the truth (she grew up loving a different man as her father) and read every postcard Benjamin has sent for her every birthday she celebrated. The words were just so piercing that even now, I’m about to cry na naman ulit. T T HAHA. :3

He told her how he wished to be the father who sent her to school in her 1^st grade, the father who could have been her crying shoulder during her teenage years whenever a boy would make her cry, he told her about….ahh, I just can’t do this. (haha, my gosh, super drama mode na jud) I’m really sorry, this is just how I get hooked with a movie. I deliberately and emotionally get HOOKED. So let me just quote the beautiful lines in the movie:

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” 
― Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay

“You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went, you can curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.” 
― Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay

“Life can only be understood looking backward.  It must be lived forward.” 

“It’s not about how well you play.  It’s how you feel about what you’re playing.”

“Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.” 
― Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay

"And I think, right there and then, she realized none of us is perfect forever."

"Some people, were born to sit by a river. Some get struck by lightning. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people, dance."

And the sweetest way they say this is at night, when they are worlds apart:

Benjamin Button: Goodnight Daisy.  

Daisy: Goodnight Benjamin.

You better watch the movies guys, if you haven't yet. I’m getting the feeling that I'm spoiling it badly. ^.*

No wonder the film won numerous awards internationally. No wonder it made me cry dearly. No wonder, that by now, I am very much enthused to share it with you. And I will not ever wonder, why someday and somehow, you will also feel uplifted and inspired by the movie. Don’t just keep breathing. Keep on living. And don’t just live. Live well.

Let me share to you one of the most profound lines in the movie, spoken by an old man who was hit by lightning seven times (HAHAHAHAHA!) but never felt disheartened and I quote;

“The truth is, despite of everything, God keeps on reminding me that I'm lucky to be alive, and that is what’s important.” <3

Making it Up

I haven't been completely honest to you my dear blog, so I made it a point to have this entry so you'd not feel bad. NAKS. <3

Well, for the record, this will be the first entry with super few words and a whole lot of photos. Perhaps they'll do to compensate for the details I can no longer write. You know, I have this memory problem (which I have to deal with so it won't get in the way with my review). :'( Any how, let's get going:

STRESSPOINT

I'd be showing you pictures of how glorious I was before, like yea. How stressed I was (take note of the eye bags) but how beautifully I smile as well. HAHA. As I told you, my course is a great challenge so here goes the stressful moments:

Perhaps this was the morning after a harsh Friday or a Sunday morning before a heavy Monday. Galit-sa-mundo look. Wai ligo. Sabog face. K. >.<

Okay, so this one looks better. Only that I look like a total swell. Geeeezz.

Before I forget, I'm the type who goes for a snapshot every now and then when the topic I'm delving myself into gets a little bit hard or worse, boring. CHEESE! :D

My favorite snack and the thickest eye bags I ever had in the history of my college life. :3

So this was what I really loved about the Midterm exams during my last semester in college because my hair was perfect like MAGIC! And I was less stressed. Dunno why. LOL XD

Okay, so this one's during the finals week. The mini pimples in the forehead just showed up like aloha! I can't blame myself. The heat was on and my heart and mind was like: I HAVE TO GUARANTEE MYSELF A SEAT ON THE GRADUATION DAY! :")

Okay. The triple proof of my damsel-in-distress look during the finals week. I had this habit of curling my hair with my pen when I solve problems in MAS ans in Audit Problems. See the poor eyes. :(

During the most excruciating day in March while I was waiting outside the faculty room for the verdict of my Government Accounting grade. I suppose you can see the stress all over my face. :P

BREAK

So here I come during weekends when I feel like having a break:

Well, during those times that I stay at home, I just chill out and eat my favorite ready-to-cook pancit canton topped with rice. Ang weird no? Nahuli yung rice! <3

I haven't been too public about this but I entertain pictorial sessions with crazy friends! This was with Katrina, Venus and Leilani at SM CDO. :*

In case you forget, I'm super into french tips, so this was one variation I did due to boredom. ^.^

One of the proofs of the tiny-sweet-nothings that my little sister does everytime I study. There are times that it's super nakakainis na talaga, but more often than not, I get to realize that I have to take breaks and jump into the kiddy side of me. :)

We're talking about breaks right? So there's always food. :D This was during my 20th birthday when dad stole a piece of my time to dine at TokyoTokyo hours before my MAS midterm exam. :)

Who dare miss vanity sessions? o.O Me? Of course not. 

This was during the 2nd day of the grand opening of Ayala's centrio Mall at the heart of CDO. I so love our family pic printed right away! (which is not available so bear with this na lang.)

I also had time to visit my tita Flery's hub and never missed to have vanity sessions with her! I like their place, it's like a movie house. Cool TV screen and sofa! <3

Taken right before my thesis defense. Quick break. ^.*

The last Christmas party that I  had as an SM scholar. I am so gonna miss these beautiful and great people! They inspired me in ways I never thought they will. :')

After the yearbook pictorial. What more can I say? I love ze hair! <3

My look for the seniors' night. :>

If you happen to wonder, what perfect present/surprise to give me in terms of food, GIGA FRENCH FIRES in cheese or barbecue from potato corner will do. Satisfaction guaranteed! :D

AFTERMATH

Glory days right after my last semester in college. <3

To start with, let the chocolatey merienda with Fr. Bobby do the talking. (oh, we had Magnum, a bit of lumpia, and an elegant pasta with this. YUM!)

And then I had this Mutya Orquia-inspired look. :*

This is me with my bestie Kyle, having a snack at breadtalk. <3

These are my officemates co-auditors doing the XU-CSG Commission on Audit year-end audit. These people were much cooler than I thought they were. Auditing is definitely NOT boring as long as you have fun and crazy people to be with! :D

With my little sister during the SBM Recognition night. (I was so under-dressed! Urgh!) >.<

My super delicious grad cake courtesy of chocolates and creams! YUM! :)

It's Percival in the house, singing his heart out (just days after his break-up). Tsk. </3

My bestie and hair-twin! <3

With my ninang Fe and my brilliant kababata Donna Marie :D

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and finally, my most recent experiment during the Holy Week:

My face with honey and cinnamon. BLAST! HAHA! ;)

TOODLES! :*