BALER WEEKEND GETAWAY

Parekoys and I have been waiting for a chance to travel somewhere locally. But ever since we graduated, we never got a chance to go somewhere because Angelica migrated to Canada, Debbie got a job, Embi went to study again while I am just at home doing nothing. Haha. But Debbie, Embi and I were messaging each other on Facebook and came to stumble upon talking about travelling to Baler. At first, we were just joking around, hoping we could do it soon. After a few minutes, we were searching for a place to stay at in Baler and texting each one of them if there are still rooms available. And then we’re booked for the 28^th and 29^th of March! It all happened so fast I didn’t believe our wish is finally coming true.

(Warning: this is a heavy-photo post.)

And on Friday night, we’re on our way to the bus station in Cubao to get a ride to Baler. We arrived there and asked the guard if there were still available seats in the ordinary bus but he told us that it already left. So we bought tickets for their deluxe bus instead for PHP635. The deluxe bus offers a snack and a blanket and also has a bathroom in it. We arrived a little early for the bus ride which will leave at 2AM so we stayed at 7-11 while waiting. After a few hours, we were in the bus and on our way. I wasn’t able to sleep in the bus because it was a little shaky and I’m a light sleeper. We arrived at the bus station in Baler at 8 in the morning. And then, we asked if there were bus tickets available for the next day already. But they’re still closed at the time. So we went to our hotel first, settled in and went on our way to the city to eat breakfast.

DAY 1

The tricycle driver offered us a tour along the tourists spot in Baler for PHP800/day. We went to The Mother Falls first. It was a good 30-minute ride and a 30-minute hike to get to the falls. It was tiring but it was also adventurous so it was really fun. It was my first time to hike along rocks and running water. When we arrived at the falls, the hiking was worth it because it was simply breathtaking. The water was fresh and super cold. We took pictures, we swam, we laughed, and we enjoyed every single second of it.

Next is the famous Balete tree. I think it took us 20-30 minutes from the Mother Falls to get there. The Balete tree is 600 years old! Wow. You can climb on it & go inside of it. It was also fun.

And then we went to Diguisit Beach and Lukso-lukso Islet. We just took pictures and went to the beach and ate merienda there. And then we’re off to our hotel to rest. We rested for a bit and went out to eat dinner at Bay Inn’s Hungry Surfer Restaurant and tried their dinner buffet. It costs PHP220/head. It was okay for me. Not that delicious. And then we walked back to our hotel while sightseeing. We slept in early because I wasn’t able to sleep in the bus and we’re gonna wake up early to watch the sun rise.

DAY 2

The Sabang beach is just a few minutes walk from our hotel. We arrived there early so we just sat there in front of the beach and waited for the sun to rise. We waved to the other people who were crossing by and they all waved back. We also met some guys who asked for Embi’s number. Haha. And then the sun rose up, we took pictures and then they learned how to surf! I took pictures of them because I wasn’t able to pay for the surfing lesson. In short, na-short ako! Haha. Surfing lesson costs 300 per hour. But it’s okay. I can always go back and try it next time. After an hour of surfing, we went to Hungry Surfer to eat breakfast. Their breakfast was delicious. Yes, more than okay. Haha.

We got back to our hotel room and changed so we can go tour the city. The Baler church is just simple. We didn’t go inside since they held the mass in the covered court beside it (I have no idea why). We stayed for just a few minutes to pray and then we went to Bahay ni Aurora & Museo de Baler next. We paid PHP30 for the entrance fee. Pictures below.

Before we planned on going to Baler, my friends and I were also planning to go soul-searching. When we were at the beach waiting for the sun to rise, I felt peaceful. I just love the feeling of seeing the sun rise or set. It reminds me of all the good things and how thankful I am for this life. And I definitely love the beach! I plan on getting married & living in front a beach someday. :)

I know summer is almost ending but I can still suggest for you guys to come to Baler whenever you like! It's a small town with lots of places and stuffs to see. You'll enjoy everything! 

- A

Read more

BATCH 2014

YES! HOORAY! Finally! After 13 years of studying, I can proudly say I finished college with a degree in Bachelor of Science Major in Psychology. I couldn't be prouder of myself right now because college life or I must say, school life, wasn't that easy. From preparatory to college, school was hard yet it was the most fun part of my life. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for school, the teachers, my classmates, my school mates, the school staff and the memories that came along with it.

Experiencing all of the preparation for graduation makes me sad because I was realizing that this was the last time I was experiencing all of this with my friends and classmates and professors. I will surely miss our school, the professors, my classmates and my friends. After this, this will all be memories to us. And I'm glad to say that I did all of this with them. 

A lot has happened to me in college. And I can say that I've totally changed through the years. I can't even begin to describe how awesome my college experience was. I found new friends, I met my first boyfriend, I had unforgettable adventures with my classmates..

When I was in my fourth year in high school, I still didn't know what course to take. I was indecisive at the time until the day came that I had to enroll for college and I had to choose which course to take. I wasn't totally decided what to choose so I asked my sister if Psychology is easy. She told me it was so I told my mother that I would take Psychology, too. And so I did. I didn't even try to take entrance exams at other colleges I just settled for where my older sister went for college which is Trinity University of Asia. 

While I was getting the hang of it, I became interested in Psychology. In how do people behave. How a person is different from another person. How our mental processes work. Some minor subjects were hard, but I survived them all, especially Physics and Chemistry. I also learned how to become confident. There were a lot of school work that required talking or speaking alone in front of many people and I was known for being the shy type of person and I get a lot of butterflies in my stomach whenever I am faced in front of many people. I'd rather be alone in the corner than be faced in front of many people. I get anxious whenever that happens. So when I was in college I'd avoid anything that would get me to face a lot of people but in some of our subjects, you just had to. So even though I was afraid, I faced my fear and I survived. I even got a high grade in of our subjects when I did a speech even though I was speed-talking. LOL. Some of my classmates loved to go to parties, too. But I'm not of them. I was never one of them. Like I told you, I'd rather be home than be at parties. I don't know. I'm not totally anti-social. I just don't like being around a lot of people, I guess. And I'm really shy especially when we're not really close. But once you get to know me, I'm the weirdest person you'll ever met. I also give love advices which I lack experience of. Lol. But yeah, I'd never regret anything I did back in college. I could even say that I'm glad I did it. I may have some things I did that I'm not proud of but they're part of me now. I can only learn my lessons from them. :)

The day before graduation was also the day of the Baccalaureate Mass and the last day of our graduation rehearsal. We all put in our togas and caps and then the mass and rehearsal started. And then they had every section take their class picture. We also got our ticket for the next day and we took lots of selfies after :)

After that, we stayed in school for a while and had our blouses signed by our friends with their messages. The messages were short but they're all sweet :)

After that, we went to the cafeteria to surprise our friend, Ica. We've been planning to surprise her for her birthday which was on March 13 but we were all kind of busy so we executed the plan on April. We talked to her crush, Ian, to meet up with her and give her a message for her birthday. It was really fun suprising you, Ica :D

Thanks to Debbie for coordinating with Ian ;)

After all that, our friends from the other two sections invited us to eat lunch with them. They also invited all our Psychology professors. We ate at Red Buffalo.

It was a really fun and nice day to celebrate your last day at school. And then on the next day, OMG! THIS IS IT!!! WE'RE GRADUATING!! ;) Our graduation was held at PICC on April 4th. I was having butterflies in my stomach because of excitement and nervousness. We waited a while outside for our friends to arrive because we were planning to go inside together. But then we couldn't wait anymore because someone told us that we need to get in line inside for the march. 

Papa couldn't make it because his flight was delayed but it's okay. He arrived when the program's over. :P While we were waiting for the program to finish, most of dozed off because there were so many graduating students so we had to wait until the last student has marched and got his/her diploma at the stage. We took lots of selfies, of course, went to the bathroom, etc. We had to march alphabetically, so since our college is the college of Arts & Sciences, we were the first ones to march on stage. When it was all finished, we went outside, took lots of pictures again and it was still not sinking in to me that I graduated. That I'm already finish with studying. I'm gonna miss everyone from our school and everything that I usually do when I was still in school. In short, I'm gonna miss being a student! :)

SELFIESSSS

I just want to congratulate all the students who graduated this year! We did it, guys! :)

- A

Read more