Summer outing with the guys

With this summer’s unbearable heat, where would you go to cool off??? With hundreds, if not thousands, of beaches surrounding the Philippines, 5 of us decided instead to go to a pool resort here in Taytay, Rizal last weekend. As usual, I was “one of the boys”.

Alvin, Anton, Ferdie and Owie met me at around 8AM and before 9, we were at Club Manila East, a pool resort comparable to Sunway Lagoon of Malaysia but without the rides. It has a wave pool, 2 large swimming pools and a pool for kayaking... hihihi.

The main entrance was crowded and the ticket lines were long. We began having second thoughts but decided to stay. The large crowd was after all expected because you could get in for just Php 260.00 for the whole day. After securing our tickets, the next thing on our minds was food!!! Unlike the other resorts or parks where they extort money from you through the food they serve, CME had Jollibee... YIPEE!!! In a few minutes, we were all munching bites from our Chicken Joy!!! With our hunger satisfied, we then looked for a shady place to put our things as there were no more available cottages or huts. We found our spot, spread a mat, secured our bags then went off to swim.

The pools were surprisingly not that crowded. We all had a great time. Anton suggested we play the usual “sisid” game of retrieving a coin from the pool floor. HAHAHAHA! I warned him before the game started that he’d never win against me... he never won against me!!! hihihiihi. I did warn him :) We swam till we were again hungry. After rinsing ourselves of the chlorine filled water, we packed-up our things then headed to one of the malls. After lunch, we played bowling!!! As always, Owie was unbeatable... hay... how do you beat someone who plays almost every week???

Well, three days of body ache and almost a week of sunburn peelings were all worth it. We all had fun, at least I did. It had been a while since I last saw some of them and the day kinda made up for days that I missed them. I know for sure, that last Sunday’s outing won’t be the last. I'll keep looking forward to trips like these ;)

Current Dream Car -- Mazda MX-5

Engine

Engine Type	2.0L MZR DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder with VVT
Displacement	1,999 cc
Compression Ratio	10.8:1
Maximum Power	168 ps (166 hp) / 6,700 rpm
Fuel Tank Capacity	48 liters
Maximum Torque	19.4 (190 Nm) / 5,000 rpm
Bore & Stroke	87.5 X 83.1 mm
Engine Block	Aluminum Alloy
Cylinder Heads	Aluminum Alloy
Ignition / Fuel System	Distributor-less electrical / Multi-port fuel injection
Exhaust System	Sport-tuned with dual outlets
Fuel Type	Premium Unleaded Fuel - 91 RON

Steering System

Steering System	Rack-and-pinion with Engine-rpm-sensing Variable Assist
Steering Column	Tilt Adjustable
Steering Wheel	3-spoke Leather with Audio Controls + Cruise Control

Wheels/Tires

Wheel Type	Aluminum Alloy
Wheel Size	17X7J inches
Tire Size	P 205 / 45 R17
Spare Wheel / Tire	Instant Mobility System Emergency Flat Tire Repair Kit

For more details, visit www.mazda.com.ph :)

Dreams and Wishes

Feeling bored lately? Bo Sanchez, in one of his self-help books, suggested writing down 100 dreams because it could make strange and exciting things happen to you. I think I wrote a similar entry earlier this year but this time, I've placed it as a fixed element of my blog at the side of the page.

I'm not that much of a dreamer and I'd like to keep this list to things that can be attainable. Bo said 100, I can only think of about 12 at the moment. The list will surely be added to... I just hope I can eventually cross out some of the items :)

My Heaven

After watching Trace Adkins in the recently concluded Celebrity Apprentice, I got interested. I downloaded 2 of his albums and I think I'm gonna start loving country music... Here's my favorite..

My Heaven
Songs About Me (Album)
Trace Adkins

Everybody has their own idea of heaven
What kind of paradise they'll see
Pearly gates, streets of gold
No getting sick, or growin old
Sounds like a beautiful place to be
But as for me

My heaven is a wood frame house with a great big porch goin all the way around
Sittin on the swing listenin to the sound of the birds singin
My heaven is a warm summer day in the back yard
While the kids all play, flies and mosquitos stay away
While we're eattin watermelon
That's my heaven

You're always gonna find a few non-believers
Those who stay lost in the dark
But I believe there is a place
Full of light 'n love and grace
And I don't believe that its all that far in my heart

My heaven is a cell phone ring while I'm at work
And the only thing that you have to say
Is you miss me and get home in a hurry
My heaven is the very worst day that I spent with you
When you were so mad but I still knew
Nobody would leave cause that don't happen
In my heaven

My heaven is where I am now on the front porch of the wood frame house
Swingin with you just lookin around at all I've been given and this life I'm livin
Is my heaven
My heaven, My heaven

Road Trip - March 29 to 30, 2008

Amidst busy work schedules, three individuals set out on a trip, each with their baggage in hand seeking out an adventure that would set their minds free from all the stress work had to offer.

Despite individual personalities, three friends got together for a weekend that would make the bond they have stronger and tighter. Though with differences, this bond was formed years ago and will continue growing stronger in the days to come.

The road trip started in the morning of March 29, 2008 with breakfast at a fast food joint in Buendia. Next stop was at a gas station at NLEX where we met one of my friends’ bosses from work. After a little chitchat, we headed for Baliwag, Bulacan. I had to drop a gift coz the previous day was my friend’s mom’s birthday. We stayed there for almost an hour trying to convince my friend to join us on our adventure but he wouldn’t budge. He had somewhere else to be early morning of the next day. We left with heavy stomachs and it didn’t take long before my friends slept… leaving me with the boring task of getting them to our destination alive. At least I got a little comfort from the fact that they’re confident in my driving skills hehehe. We arrived at the Canoe Beach Resort, San Antonio, Zambales at around 2:00pm.

The resort wasn’t that nice but it was clean and at the beach front. The meager 1500PHP was worth it though. Me being the “swimming” addict of the three, I jumped into the pool after an hour’s rest while they slept. (Hmmm… this is turning out to be a sleeping trip for them… hihihihi). Later that afternoon, Jaja and I went for a stroll by the beach following a blue bird and didn’t realize that we had walked a great distance. The walk back to the resort was no easy feat on beach sand. Dinner got underway under a tiny hut with grilled hotdogs and some leftover adobo from lunch which was followed which was immediately followed by a drinking session – one of the reasons why we set out on this trip. Our ranting and ravings were accompanied by a bottle of Generoso brandy and at the last few shots, Jaja and I each got a can of beer because we didn’t feel drunk, just tipsy. Then just after the first gulp of beer, the brandy kicked-in. We started getting louder and wilder… manifestations of being drunk... hehehe. WE got back to the room, climbed onto the beds and continued ranting and raving till 2:00AM.

At 5:00AM, we got our wakeup call. We were going on a canoe ride that would bring us to one of the beautiful spots of San Antonio. When we got there, we saw this girl, wasted by the seashore. She was half-buried in the sand, she was rained upon and who knows what else happened to her. Her fellow campers didn’t care enough to bring her inside one of their tents. Poor soul… Anyway, the place was breath-taking. The sea was as calm as a lake. We hiked up a little hill and the view from there was spectacular. We’d surely be back someday. Next time, we’d bring tents and sleep under the stars as the people we fell upon did.

The canoe came back for us at 10:00am, cleaned-up, checked-out at headed back home. We had lunch in Olongapo and had jumbo tacos with spaghetti and potato salad on the side… yum yum… hehehe We were safely back home before night fall.

Looking back, I hope we get to go on more trips like this. Friends like Jaja and May are the reason I came back home from Malaysia.