Of 'Spikers' and Hipsters

So this how I spent my first week of summer break part two...

The day right after my ITM (computer-business course) final presentation, I went to MOA Arena to watch the Game 1 of the Shakey's V-League Finals between Ateneo and National University. That was the best game I have ever seen, probably because the Lady Eagles won HAHA. But seriously, the girls from Loyola Heights were all stellar during that game, showing their 'defending champions' bravado and all that awesomeness. Also, I discovered how amazing of a player Ahomiro was, will definitely keep an eye on this volleybelle come UAAP Season 76.

Props to my sis for taking this shot.

Valdez flew so high the ball got cut out the shot (really?).

I was a bit sad and worried (yes, worried) when we were on our way home since that was the only event I was looking forward to during the two-week break from school; after that, I had no other plans of how I'm gonna spend the remaining days without rotting in the dorm. I seriously do not want to rot in the dorm.

And then I got a call from my brother-in-law Friday afternoon.

Apparently, he got me an extra ticket for this year's Circuit Festival. Funny story (pretty sure you're not interested to hear this), I was checking out the Circuit Fest website Wednesday night and that was when I realized Megan Nicole will be performing in the said event. (Who the hell is Megan Nicole?) She's on YouTube, doing covers and collabs with some of the famous YouTube artists like Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider (IDOL!!!), and Alex Goot to name a few. See? I was so meant to be near Megan Nicole. ;))

Here she is!!!! *momentarily dies

Come Saturday, we had an early noontime snack (wouldn't that be lunch?) at KK (some branch in Makati) and then we were off to Globe Circuit Makati Events Ground. The whole place was a massive hipster get-together (well, maybe not as massive compared to Wanderland...I presume). Guys with the usual tank top, chino shorts and boat shoes combo flocked the open grounds like some cool boy band with their wayfarers and aviators (srsly). While the ladies, oh my, charming as always with their short shorts, dress(?), hava/sandals, and wait, what the--flower crowns. Yes, flower crowns, is that even the right term for that? I'm not quite sure why they have those on their heads, but I'm pretty sure that event wasn't some garden or forest-themed festival where all the girls had to dress up like flower fairies or that sort of thing (nymphs?). Then again, it was the hipster niche and I was but a lame visitor.

An example of hipster gals:

Ooops, sorry Directioners, honest mistake. xD

Thurrrrr o.o

And for the guys:

Meh...

TBH, I'm just insecure that I don't have a tank top bod. (SOON. lol)

That part turned out to be rant, sorry, back to my Circuit Fest experience:

So among all the bands who were performing that night, I was only looking forward to one performer (yes, Megan Nicole. You've been mentioning her quite a lot, Jao). Anyhoo, after her performance--she did a cover of Taylor Swift (I forgot which one) and I guess a few more covers and one of her singles which I have no idea what (I was obviously preoccupied by her beauty...)--I got bored a bit since I can't relate to the songs. Plus, that annoying rain (it rained twice), ruined the event for me.

Good thing my sister and brother-in-law were ever so accommodating, offering me food and drinks by the hour. Good thing my allergy to alcohol didn't act up, which was totally weird coz it always did like every time I drink. 

Anyway, here are some of the bands:

A+ Dropouts

Sang barefoot, you're cool, whoever you are. =))

Yellowcard

Didn't take a pic of Before You Exit and The Downtown Fiction and didn't get to take a shot of We Are The In Crowd (greatest regret of my life) because it was raining during their performance and I wasn't able to discover their awesomeness beforehand. 

My first music festival was still memorable. I hope the next one will have bands that I can actually sing along with. =))

One week after all those amazing events, I'm here in the dorm, slowly rotting in vain. -____-

Ultimate Binge Fest

All aboard the Vikings' ship!

My Vikings Buffet experience was one of the most overwhelming ones, since I was literally overwhelmed by the volume and variety of food and drinks. Had my feast in one of the only two branches of Vikings in the country, Vikings SM Marikina.

It's so hard to narrate the entire experience, so I'll just let these photos show you what you're missing out on:

Desserts Cloud-9

Not one, but three fondue fountains,

your mallows will thank you eternally.

It's times like this where one can discover a thing or two about others or even one's self. Personally, after that buffet, I discovered my dislike for Korean Food (sorry to all Koreans and people who love Korean food). I finally got to taste Crème brûlée, and I fell in love. Now I know what Sharpay felt that time, lol. Probably one of my greatest regret during that binge fest was the fact that I completely missed out on the French Section! 

I definitely had the time of my life in Vikings. Can't wait to go back soon and eat to my heart's delight. 

Truly a feast from the sea, don't miss this one out!

All photos from the internet

Traveling Pants: Mt. Pinatubo

My long weekend was spent in Mt. Pinatubo! Hurray, I barely lived to tell the tale.

The journey began in McDonald's EDSA where our tour group was planned to gather for some orientation. At around 2:30, we (group of four: sister, brother-in-law & sister-in-law) arrived at the venue and had our briefing + final payment stuffy...I guess we were the last people to arrive since everyone got in the designated vans soon after. By 3:00 AM, we were on our way to the base camp (honestly, I have no idea where. HAHA) somewhere in Zambales. Once we got there, we waited for another 30 minutes or so before we could ride on to our 4x4 vehicles. By 6 AM, the one hour ride to the crater began.

Here's the map to the crater:

Photo from TRIPINAS

I personally thought (based from the map) that the trip would be fast and smooth. Apparently, I'm bad at imagining things or I was merely a victim of ignorance. Either way, the 4x4 trip alone was a punishing foreshadow to the horrors of trekking up the crater (lol, so dramatic).

The 4x4 trip was fun for the first 20 minutes since we got to see all these amazing 'mountain' formations. The tour guide informed us that they were actually not natural mountains but they were made of lahar or mud flow of what was once a slurry of water, ash, and other pyroclastic material from the eruption. Halfway through the trip, the terrain changed from smooth, 'sandy-ashy' to rocky, bumpy, butt-painful road. Wait, there wasn't much road at all since the vehicle was just hammering through the boulders (okay, that's a bit over board but I hope you get what I mean...I know you don't). There were times where the vehicle had to go down a steep slope, through a raging rivulet and up the steep slope again. Imagine how we held on for dear life during those moments (that happened for like 2 more times).

Just the 'tip of the iceberg' type of terrain

It was such a relief to see the end of that fun/adrenaline-filled ride (forgetting the reality that we will have to go through that ride on our way back). Here's a pick at the trek marker:

All smiles! (For now) *insert Doofenshmirtz laugh

Next was the 2-hour trek up to the crater of Mt. Pinatubo. I'm sparing you all the details. Honestly, it was so tiring that I even feel tired right now trying to remember that trek (for realzzz :'< HAHA).

Anyway, after two long hours of a seemingly endless trek, we finally reached the summit! 

Finally...

We had lunch by the lakeside (or lake-crater side whatever) and did photo ops for the next two hours before we went back to base camp (and by back, I mean back to that full-body beating ride).

The so-called Toblerone Mountain, locals prefer 

calling it the Yema Mountain. 'Punny' Pinoys indeed.

Even if the trip was a bit gruesome (team no sleep!!!) and long, it was an adventure of a lifetime. I can proudly say that I'm one of the few (few = thousands) who were able to survive that journey up to Mt. Pinatubo.

Crater lake. 

Let's make a story board for these two photo bombers. >:)

 After that ordeal (srsly?), I say achievement unlocked! Off to higher peaks and summits! =))

Throwback Blues: Christmas Lights Show @ ATG

Throwback to my very first holiday away from home! (insert mixed emotions emoticon)

Anyway, my sister and brother-in-law took me to this wonderful lights show at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati. It was really a majestic experience since the entire place was covered with lights of all sorts and sizes. When the show actually began, the 'light choreography' was just amazing. We were all speechless (and by all, I mean just myself).

Look at all those people waiting for the show to start

According to my sister who happens to watch the show annually, Ayala does this from mid-November to late December and people always flock there to witness the majestic show of lights and music. They have different themes every year so one can always expect something new to see.

Amazing, right?

Yours truly enjoying the lights

More pics (way decent ones) from the internet:

I seriously can't wait to see the show this Christmas Season! See you guys there!

Throwback Blues: Quiapo Church

Looking back at how interesting Freshman year was, quite a number of memorable escapades would slip into my mind. But I guess the most worthwhile among them would be the Quiapo Tour I did with my English group mates.

Quiapo Church 

As a requirement for our Features articles, we had to go to Quiapo (our group's assigned place) and describe our encounters therein. So, last December 16,  my group mates Tin, Roy, Abby, Marc and I went to Katipunan LRT for an early 7am train ride to Recto (which by the way is the last stop of the station, gruesome). After arriving, we walked our way to Quiapo which was still a kilometer away. Although the walk was a bit stressful , the gloomy weather kind of made the trip less tiresome.

Snatched a pic of my group mates en route to Quiapo Church

Once we got there, we immediately explored the vicinity (esp. Quiapo Church & Market) Here are the pics that I took:

Upfront: Plaza Miranda Behind: Quiapo Market

Clairvoyants or 'manghuhula'

Quiapo Church

Also, we got to interview a sampaguita vendor during that trip to Quiapo. We learned so many things about her life and how the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church's Patron) has helped her through all her ordeals.

*Ate Aning

It was probably a good decision that we went there early to avoid the bulk of people who normally go to the area every weekend. 

One of my desperate attempts at photography, hash tag fail

All in all, that was an amazing trip. It actually gave me the opportunity to see the other side of Metro Manila, one they deemed was a part of the old, authentic Manila. Truly a beauty in disguise.

My Quiapo experience

*not the actual name

Bucket List

We all want to go to places. I personally wanted to back pack Europe for a month ever since I was young (I still do until now). I think it's natural for us humans to want to explore and experience new places and immerse in different cultures. Also, I guess it's the idea of getting away from stress that makes traveling so appealing in a therapeutic sense (lol, therapeutic?). 

The cliche brown suitcase with country postcards...:))

For quite some time now (and I mean, a few hours ago), I've made a list of places that I want to go to in the next 10 years or so *fingers crossed*.

Go Local!

Since it's more fun in the Philippines, top priority on the list are these amazing places.

The official AVP from the Department of Tourism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADNgEHFDYzo

1. Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro*

White Beach!!! =))

2. Hundred Islands, Alaminos*

3. Mt. Pinatubo, Zambales*

*been there places (will try to make an entry for these places)

4. Taal Volcano, Tagaytay

5. Sagada, Mountain Province

6. El Nido, Palawan

7. Chocolate Hills, Bohol

8. Basco, Batanes

9. Cebu Island

Malapascua-Bantayan-Camotes-Moalboal-Oslob: Any, or all of the above!

10. Boracay

11. Mt. Pulag, Benguet

These are the places that I HAVE to go soon. But seriously, there are still a lot of places in the Philippines to explore so this list will definitely grow longer. 

This entry drained the life out of me (almost), so ciao!

(Photos from Google)