When Pulag Chose Me

at the start of the year, i decided to accomplish some things.

that includes being able to go to three new places.  by may, i was able to see four new places and it includes mt. pulag or as they say the "mountain of the gods."  

i do not earn a lot and to go to these places was a struggle that until now i am facing.  well, i exceeded my budget because of these:

yup, i have reached the highest peak in the island of luzon.  was i scared?  hell yeah!  i thought i was gonna die of fatigue yet we were still at the ranger station and have not started the actual trek yet.  we are not yet talking about the six-hour bus ride from manila to baguio and the four-hour ride from baguio to the jump off site.  

at the beginning, i told myself that i'll bring my things with me during the climb and that i will not hire a porter. but after a twenty-minute "walk" from the ranger station to the jump-off site, i definitely told myself that i badly needed a porter so i can truly enjoy the climb.

i was prepared to join other groups as i registered by myself with a travelling agency.  lo and behold, i met these workmates at the bus station and was totally surprised that we were on the same trip!  yay for friends!

did it rain?  totally.  slept with a wet and cold blanket as the moisture from the rain got inside of our tent. literally felt like a "basang sisiw."  i shivered and was tired from the trip but i was prepared for these things.

this is my prize for reaching the top and working my fat ass.  just beautiful.

in the past, i have told myself to never climb mountains.  i have fear of heights and honestly, i am not that physically fit.  i am lazy and i like eating double rice.  but after reaching the top and see the beauty of God's creation, i begin planning again my next climb.

of all climbs that i did in the past, this has to be the most challenging.  yet, it was also the most beautiful that i had.  i had to endure travelling with a 12-kilo bag that i thought i could manage to bring it with me at the top but realized early on that i could not.  i had to slip a number of times in the muddy paths and had to stop to breathe.  there were times that i could not feel my legs anymore and there were those times also that the cramps that i had made my eyes sweat.

however, i relished on every moment of the climb.  there were no regrets for sure as i  i felt the sacredness of the climb and of my intentions that i will keep to myself.  i never felt more human and more capable.  

thank you for choosing me pulag!

Pulag

been opening my blogger account since yesterday.  i had some spurts of ideas of what to write and what not. so here, i will start with this:

June

hi june.

you have been so good so far.  a surprise off today.  a dinner courtesy of a patient's relative.  a favorable weather.  then, the hillsong concert on the thirteenth.  my tita and dad's birthday.

as i look back of the past five months, i think i am making progress of the things that i want to achieve this year.  except for the weight and the rare times that i get my fat ass work.  for now, i am trying my best to be positive.  and active.

i hope you' ll be good.

Lessons from a PM Shift

tonight i will be on a night shift followed by a rest day then a morning shift.  so yeah, my rest day will be spent on the bed sleeping. but no, i will go home and enjoy my day.  as i have written here, i will spend more time with my family in any way i can.

two days ago, we admitted a patient in our unit.  upon admission, her condition was not stable and so after just more than an hour, she died.  while doing post-mortem care, her daughter told me that she should not have left her mom in her last hour.  she told me her mother was afraid to die and that she never wanted to be left behind.

i did what i had to do and told her that her mere presence here is enough.  then silence.

you see, i sometimes dread going home because of some issues with my family- finances, relatives and anything under the sun.  but growing old, i believe that no one can replace them.

so yeah, spend time with your loved ones anytime you can and always keep in mind that our days our numbered.

All of Me

Today, three people led me to greater realizations. You see, I have avoided standing out academically and professionally. It felt like all I wanted was to cruise my way to what I perceive are my goals. I wanted to be invisible. Somehow ordinary.

But the way I see things now, that desire has brought self-loathing for not maximizing my potentials. If I get unnoticed, it feels like I have something to prove to other people. 

And after all these years, I know that I should start giving all my best. 

Fun

okay, i was kidding.

i had to post now or it will take a lot of energy to fight off my laziness.  so yeah, i have been traveling here and there.  now let me show you where i went last april 26.  again, i was with people from work- new and old colleagues.  batangas was the place and it was the first time i had party under the sun.  one word: fun!

Coming Back

where do i start?

i could start with my trip to calaguas and how i got to meet new friends.  the beautiful island was not embarrassed to show its beauty.  my eyes could not stop staring at its beauty.  the sun was just highlighting the scenic shots that i had on my phone.  case in point, these:

 

 

these friends that i met treated me like their own.  got drunk with them and laughed so hard that i asked myself when was the last time i had so much fun like that .

i could also start with the unit outing to potipot island in zambales.  except for the food poisoning from indulging into too much food, it was a blast.  the laughters, the bonfire night and the trip to this island:

 

well i guess you have an idea now what kept me silent from this blog.  i still have to talk about my trip to batangas and pulag.  

this post will do for now.

My Captain

The past weeks, I have been listening to some podcasts.  As I run, I listen to preachings.  This picture reminded me of a podcast about faith as exemplified by Jesus calming the storm in a lake.  I took this photo after trekking the mountain nearby.  It looks so calm.  So serene.  But having experienced the boat ride going to the island, I knew it is not always this peaceful.  There will be waves.  There will be splashes of water.  It will hurt your eyes.  It will make you scared.

Remembering His goodness and faithfulness, I had peace.  I hope that as I go through life, I will have that peace.  As my Captain, I give You my life.  I entrust my future, my dreams, my hopes and my life.

Lord, You remind me of where I am, what I am, what I need to be and who You are!

Thank you Lord!

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

there are moments in your life when you have to decide on things even if they will put you in uncomfortable places.  there will be risks.  there will also be disappointments.  however, have you ever thought what if none of those risks will happen?  or those disappointments will never come to life? luckily, i decided that i have to go on with the things that i have planned.  even if i will have to go to a new place alone, again.  you know what, it is the best thing that has happened to me this year!

as i write this, i just got back this 2am from calaguas island in camarines norte after travelling for 2 hours by boat and another 8 hours by van.  the boat rides were one of the longest and wildest that i had in my entire life.  in addition, the travel by van has prevented me from sleeping since the roads leading to calaguas were literally like the intestines of a chicken.  hence, the name "bitukang manok."

but as they say, you really have to work hard to be able to achieve greater things in life.  as for the trip, it was all worth it.  here, take a look:

Life List Update 2

1. learn how to swim 
• my instructor just gave up on me.  will find another one soon!  i will jog for now.
2. save
• struggling...  will double my efforts after my vacation leave...
3. travel to 3 new places
• two more to go!  will cross out another one as i will travel to a new one later today.   yay!
4. reach ideal body weight and maintain it thereafter
• done with my annual physical exam and it showed that my BMI is pre-obese.  but hey, i am doing something now.
5. be an expert in ecg reading
• uhmm, still struggling.  i need more time and devotion to it.
6. celebrate my birthday in a different country where i will live
• i have few more months for this...
7. sleep 7-8 hours/ day
• always!  yay!
8. write
• i am trying...
9. read 10 books (at least)

• i have read my third book for this year- the giver.
• more books to read.
10. be the person who i want to meet
11. meet my life partner
12. watch a concert
• will do in june!  yay!
  
13. whine no more
14. expect less
15. talk to friends regularly
16. smile a lot
17. go home with the family with every chance that i have
18. clean the room regularly
19. throw the thrash
20. practice yoga.  or just sun salutations at least

• thanks to simply yoga i can proudly say that my warrior pose is almost perfect hehe.