Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo*: Swimming with the Gentle Giants

Tired as we all are, I still managed to wake up by 5:00 AM without the help of an alarm. But it wasn't until someone in our room shifted that I decided to get moving as well. We changed into our whale shark watching outfits (i.e. rash-guard, board shorts, aqua shoes) and had a quick breakfast. By 6:00 AM, the tricycles we hired last night were already waiting for us. After a couple more preparations, we were ready to go.

The tricycles dropped us off at George Resort where a Kuya greeted us and introduced himself as our contact for the whale shark watching activity. We just said yes without thinking when he suddenly informed us that there is an additional Php 70/person fee on top of the Php 500/person whale shark watching fee. Php 70 for using the shower/toilets and queuing for us?? Kaloka, we were not informed! But since we were already there, we agreed just to get it over with.

Present!

After buying a couple of butanding magnets, we were ready to hit the waters! But not before going for a quick bathroom break. I was so nervous/excited, I just had to pee real quick before facing the gentle giants. And because of that little break, I almost got left behind which would result to our Misadventure #2. Good thing, they didn't forget about me. Hihi But still, that was close!

A little too late?

I woke up this morning thinking of ways to help my sister's friend out who is in dire need of blood donors. Since both Nee-chan and I couldn't donate because of being recently vaccinated with anti-rabies, I couldn't just sit around doing nothing. I composed the following call for donors while taking a shower:

Help someone win her fight against cancer. Or at least regain the strength to do it. If it wasn't for cancer, she would've been reviewing for the bar exam right now instead of going through a series of pain. She's probably the only person I know who took up law to become a PAO (Public Attorney's Office) lawyer. She wanted to make a difference but now, she needs us to make a difference. If you think you're healthy enough, please get screened and donate blood to Jill Hernandez at UST Hospital. If for some reason you can't, you can still help out by including her in your prayers. She's in a delicate state right now, even her friends aren't allowed to visit in fear of contracting viruses.

"Jill, lumaban ka ha. Di ko talaga kakayanin pag wala ka." - Mrs. Hernandez 

If you can't do it for a stranger, do it for her mom. Every blood counts. Every prayer warrior counts. Thanks.

I was just about to post it on social networking sites when I received a text from Nee-chan saying Jill's already gone. Just like that. Life is too fragile indeed. The thing with cancer is you'll never know when it'll get you. I've lost loved ones to cancer and each one of them put up a good fight. Jill put up a good fight. She had the strength to survive 3 years in UP Law and battle cancer in a year. May you find rest and peace in your Savior's loving arms, Jill. No need to be in pain now.

Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo*: Island Getaway

Throwback Thursday, anyone?
(Photo credit: Tanja)

I can't believe it's been five years since I've met these amazing people. Like being part of the Big Brother house, we were chosen as individuals via auditions (by auditions I mean a technical exam + a series of interviews) and brought together by fate. We had no choice but to interact with each other and work together as a batch. As time went by, we grew together and formed an unbreakable bond. Some have left the company while others stayed behind (including me) but we remained the same group of crazy friends.

Feeling backpacker!

To celebrate our 5th anniversary (not as a batch but as friends), we decided to escape to South Cebu and swim with Oslob's famous whale sharks among other things. Thanks to Cebu Pacific, we were able to get reasonably priced plane tickets. Did I mention we're crazy? Crazy enough to book a 4:20 AM flight, that's for sure! That being said, I woke up as early as 1:30 AM to get ready then met up with Szet, Tanj and Ruel at Mcdo Mindanao. We left QC around 3:00 AM and reached the airport by 3:30 AM. Take note that boarding time is at 3:45 AM. Oh thank God for web check-in and my dad's super fast driving skills! The rest of our companions were already waiting for us at the boarding area so imagine our frenzy as we checked-in our toiletries and started brisk walking all the way to Gate 133.

I was so keen on listening to the announcement of our flight, I didn't even notice my batchmates looking at me (and my game face lol) and calling me while I made my way through the slow-moving crowd. Eventually, they got my attention and I got all excited upon seeing them - especially Mabel whom I haven't seen in a long time (and who thought I was already in the US HAHA)! As if on cue, the last call for our flight boomed all throughout the boarding area and we hopped on the shuttle that took us to our plane.

Good morning indeed. #nofilter

While some people hate airplanes, I love sleeping during flights. For some reason, traveling (be it by land, sea or air) relaxes me and puts me to sleep almost instantly. After chatting with Mabel for a bit (because we missed each other!), we all decided to catch some Z's. However, my nap didn't last for long as the rays of the sun seeped through my window. I welcomed the wake up call though because it's not often you get to catch the sunrise. It's definitely a sight to behold and I feel truly blessed to have been a witness to its beauty at thousands of feet off the ground. So yeah, thank you Lord, for another beautiful day!

Mactan Airport, we meet again!

We arrived at Mactan International Airport around 5:30 AM and took a cab to South Cebu Bus Terminal. From there, we rode a Sunrays bus (Php 155/person) that will take us to Sumilon. Take note that there were 11 of us so imagine how crazy it was to commute from place to place. Thus, Misadventure #1 happened.

Escape the busy life.
(Photo credit: Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort)

After eating breakfast and paying all my travel dues (Php 3,192 all in! Or so I thought. :|) to Erin, I started preparing for a nap when I heard a commotion near the end of the bus. Vanie looked a little panicked while talking to someone on the phone. It turns out, Bry and Joan didn't get on the bus with us!!! They were still at the terminal and were asking if the bus has already left. It took us a while to get convinced they weren't pulling a nasty prank on us. We're not sure whether it's a good or bad thing that the two of them got left behind. You see, it's good that there were two of them because not being alone makes any bad situation better. But at the same time, it's bad that there were two of them so there was no one to remind us that one of them was missing. Still, the show must go on! So after giving them instructions on how to get to Sumilon, we were ready for our much-needed naps.

On the way to Sumilon!

Being a certified sleepyhead, I didn't even notice that the bus ride to Sumilon was bumpy and kind of scary as the bus driver drove really fast and didn't even slow down at curves. I only found out from my batchmates, of course. Nevertheless, we got to Sumilon all in one piece around 9:00 AM, just in time for the 9:30 AM ferry trip. They served us lemongrass iced tea as welcome drinks which tasted weird at first but you'll get used to it after a few sips.

Chilling at the briefing area.

At 9:30 AM, we took the ferry to Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort and the ride was just wonderful. The sea breeze was a welcoming change to the scorching heat we've been experiencing lately in Manila. I even closed my eyes for a while to savor the fresh air and rest a bit as if the 3-hour bus ride to Sumilon wasn't enough. Haha Upon arriving at the resort, we were briefed regarding the inclusions of the Day Trip package (Php 1,500/person) and then it's game time!

What sand bar?

After changing into our swimwear, we separated into groups to explore the island. Vanie, Mabel and I stuck together and headed off in search of the sand bar. It's quite a long walk from the briefing area so by the time we reached the sand bar, we were quite confused why the sand bar is nowhere to be found. We asked one of their staff if we were in the right place and of course, we were. He then reminded us that it's a shifting sand bar so since it's still high tide, it's only natural for it to be hidden. Duh.