The Long Night Spent on Mt. Pulag

Remember biomes from High School Biology? The Akiki Trail on Mt. Pulag will let you experience three of those: Coniferous forest, Tropical Rainforest and Grassland. Cool right? It would have if typhoon Crising did not pass Mindanao days before the climb.

An expectation vs. reality image should be in order to better describe this climb as all planned photographs of the Mt. Pulag sunrise went down the drain for everyone. We wanted to see a sea of clouds but all we had were rain clouds hitting our faces. This blog does need any pictures though, everything is still very clear. It will always be.

 

Entering the grassland coming from the mossy forest gave me the feeling that I should turn back. The strong winds and the rains were very traumatic and I have to walk through that for an hour before reaching the camp site. I fell down head first once and I got small bruises but thankfully no major injuries. It was really scary that I have thought about my life while I was there: how I can’t die there, I have more to live for; how I prayed the weather would get better; how we got to find a new hobby other than mountaineering. It was like a moment of epiphany. It reminds of Forrest Gump epiphany moment of Lieutenant Dan during the hurricane while they were on a boat.

When we arrived on the camp site, it was really chilly. We were all soaked and two tents were already up from the early birds of our group. We left our bags outside and stayed inside. We shared a cup noodle and never went out. I was supposed to pitch my tent but I was really not into it because of the strong winds and the flooded grounds are not really good for tent pitching. So there, we stayed inside one tent, seven people crammed for the night.  We thought another tent will be pitched for the ladies but the other members of the group just like me were not into it also. They used the other tents as earth mat so it’s just my tent which was accessible.

We did not have a proper supper that evening. We only shared our trail food with the others. Flooded and hungry, the hours went really long. We had plans of sending the girls to the Ranger Station where the porters stay so at least it would be less of us inside the tent but they were not able to get there because of the strong winds.

At around 11PM, with the help of the others, finally decided to pitch the tent below the ranger station where another tent from our group was already built. It was Chast, Angel and I who transferred to the new tent. We had a good run until water crept inside then back to sitting position for us three.

I thought of going outside but it was colder. We stayed there, again soaked and worse than the first tent. I guess we were a little loud on our conversations because the guys inside the already crowded 3m x 3m shelter invited us in. they told us that they could accommodate the two ladies but they insisted to let me in also because it’s just the three of us in the tent. That was a "thank you God" moment.

Inside, everyone’s seated to accommodate everybody so it was really hard to catch a nap in that position. They were really generous in sharing blankets and food to us. Angel was shivering because her clothes were really damp so she was given blankets. They also let her lay down on her back.  I don’t know how we could have survived the night not inside that house. I also don’t know what would have happened to me if Chast and Angel were not there with me. I am lucky to have them with me that night.

When the sunlight came, I was so relieved we made it and we were warm. It was still raining but we have to prepare to leave. I will always remember that experience though I am not really keen on narrating details of it to anyone. It was a really difficult experience but I am glad I survived it and learned something from it.

How Bobo can People get with Tagalog

I know I am a little bit of a grammar Nazi sometimes but I just keep it to myself most of the times. Women hate it when you correct them and you don’t want to piss off women. I also think I am the only one who gets bugged by that incorrect usage of "ha" and "huh". The two are not the same for fuck’s sake. People jejemonize their Tagalog I guess.

Just now, I saw this on twitter and this shit is trending. Kailan pa nagkaroon ng kudlit ang "Sinong"?

My Neighborhood

"It Takes a village to raise a child"

 

Simula pa magkamalay ako sa Bagong Nayon na kami nakatira. Ang daling maging nostalgic kung iisipin na maganda yung lugar namin 20 years ago lalo na pag titingnan pa yung mga larawan na naka-upload sa facebook page. Sabi ng tatay ko nung 70’s daw kapag nasa Marikina ka matatanaw mo ang Bagong Nayon tapos alam mo na Bagong Nayon yun dahil sa uniform na kulay berdeng asbestos na mga bubong. The best lumaki sa amin dati. Wala pang mga bakod mga bahay na pwede kang tumawid-tawid sa lote ng kung kaninong bahay bilang shortcut. Clusters ang sistema ng numero ng mga bahay dahil bundok ng Antipolo tapos mga walk-way lang papaloob sa ibang bahay kaya kung nasa looban ang bahay nyo, malabo na magkaroon kayo ng garahe. Yung isang dating basketball court nung 80's ginawa nang garahe nung 90's pa lang nung mga nakatira sa malapit doon.
Nung bata ako, ito lang ang mundo ko. Alam ko napuntahan ko lahat ng kasuluk-sulukan ng Bagong Nayon at Cogeo Village. Nilakad ko lang yun lahat dahil kung saan may kaklase ako nung elementary na magyaya sa bahay nila,napuntahan ko yun: Cluster A hanggang O, Sa Motor pool, Journal, Conference, Agora, tangke, 3 tanks, tower, 15 feet, talipapa. Kahit yung likod ng Bagong Nayon na tatagos papuntang Seminario at yung gubat sa gitna ng Bagong Nayon sa malapit sa eskwelahan, nagalugad din namin yun. Sabi pa nga dati may sirena daw dun sa fish pond sa gitna nun.
Ganun naman yata talaga ang mga bata noon, parang kung gaano ka-adventurous si Tom Sawyer, ganun din kami. Ngayon siguro hindi na ganun mga bata. Dati dadayo ka pa para lumaban ng teks at basketball. Kahit sa pangangaroling, alam naming san lulusot lalo pag nasa looban ng Cluster H. Ngayon siguro hindi ko na kaya dahil yung ibang mga walkway kinain na rin ng mga bakod.
Nung tumuntong na ako ng ikalawang taon sa high school, naging detached na ako sa mga naging kaibigan na kapitbahay namin. Sa Marikina na kasi ako nag-aral at andun na rin ang mga bagong kabarkada ko. Ilang taon na lumipas, dito pa rin naman ako nakatira pero hindi ko na masyado kakilala yung mga taga-rito. Kung may delivery boy na makakita sa akin sa kalsada at magtatanong kung saan ang bahay ng isang pangalan na malapit lang sa amin, wala, hindi ko na siya matutulungan. Lumaki na nga ang mundo ko at kung saan-saan na ako nakarating.
Nung biyernes, namatay ang isang kababata ko. Biglaan. Hit-and-run. Ewan ko matagal ko kang plano isulat tong blog tungkol sa lugar namin. Naalala ko rin sya nung minsan lalo yung isang nakakatawang eksena namin sa dati sa FX nung papasok kami noong high school. Pumunta kami sa lamay niya kanina. Higit labinlimang taon na nung huli ako nakapasok sa bahay nila. Iba na hitsura sa loob at sa labas.  Ang dami nang nagbago sa lugar namin. Maraming tao, mga kapitbahay namin pero kakaunti na lang yung nakausap ko. Hindi ko na nga sila masyado kakilala. May mga anak na sila yata lahat. Naging sentimental na lang din siguro ako. Sila yung mga kalaro ko sa basketball dati nung maayos pa yung half court, umaaraw o umuulan. Kasama ko tumambay hanggang madaling araw. Nakaribal ko pa na naalala ko lang ulit two years ago nung nakasabay ko magsimba yung babae at nakwento nya sa akin ulit. Memories.

Doctors are like Rockstars

image source

Ever been to a gig and the main act takes a forever to come out and play? If you are that giddy and impatient you will scream at that empty stage. Waiting for a long time in Medical city for my really tardy doctor makes me think that they are just like that. You wait for them, you hate them for making you wait but then seeing them do makes you feel better. You will pay them for what they do if you are satisfied with their work and you will come back again if you feel like it. They are also better heard live.

Mt. Marami

This is my first climb after a really long hiatus. A year and half without a climb made my body aches a lot after this one. This is a practice climb before we go to Mt. Pulag in two weeks. Some people could not make it but hell yeah this climb is a must.

To get there we took a bus ride to Naic, Cavite then a long jeepney ride to Magallanes where the jump off point is. That trip is really long. Biyaheng probinsya. There’s the terminal where the jeepney has to be full before it could go. Because it was full, there was no space for my butt to move a little. It has to stay at that same position in that firm seat the whole time.  Before reaching the Barangay Hall, there still yet another tricycle ride from where the jeepney dropped us off.

It was noon when we got there. We don’t have butane so we have to eat our lunch there. There was this sari-sari store where the good lady cooked meals for us for a really low price. We also have to cook rice there for our supper later.
 

The trek began. We were lucky that it was cloudy because the trail was really open, not much foliage to protect us if it was sunny. The first part of the trail going to the river was a really steep downhill slope. I know then that it would really suck going back the next day. The whole trail actually is really hard because it was dusty. I read blogs describing their experiences with this mountain during the rainy season and it would sure be muddy and slippery by seeing how steep and dusty most of the trail is. 

This weather suits trekking this kind of terrain

rubbish near the shanty

People also get lost along the trail because there’s too much of them. We had a guide but Mang Junior left us on the first camp site and then true to what they say, we got lost then. It was kinda close to the summit so we just hack our way through the bushes into the direction of the summit. Some moments later we found what looks like a camp site.

He left us right there then we lost our way

Pico de Loro from the west side of the summit

Because we have no butane, we ate dinner early that night. Not cooking for dinner and also for breakfast saved us a lot of time. The adobo was still yummy. We were also very tired so we slept very early. We were awoken a lot of times though because of the really strong winds. It was really fortunate that we pitched the tent satisfactory this time and the shape of tent helps a lot.
 

I intended to wake up early that morning to see the sunrise and take photos of the clouds. I woke up 6, it was not that late because the sun rises late but I kinda forget how to get back to the summit because of all the cows surrounding us then and I also lost my sense of direction with seeing new tents around us. I failed to get a picture.
 

We descended early compared to our previous climbs. Not cooking breakfast really helps. It was sunny that day so the dreaded thought of climbing up steeper trails going back will be worse, and it was.

Driving with my dominant left

I just finished this 10-hour driving school session. I enroled with Affordable Driving School for 4200 pesos only. I have tried driving only once before and it was just going in circles in a cemetery so I can say I don’t really know much before going through driving school. School is done and all I can say is I suck at this. It feels like learning to play the guitar once again. I am a southpaw and in a world ruled by right handed people, getting into their world is hard especially with this when safety is important and there's too much variables out there in the road. 

My instructor always tells me that my grip with my left hand on the steering wheel is too secure which makes steering difficult. I also tend to shift it to the right involuntarily whenever I change gears. I also have to correct the way I steer it all the way through when I make a U-turn. I really sucked at this. My footworks also sucked. Being dominant on my left makes me press on the clutch too much which causes problems when I make a full stop. I also have this tendency to put my right foot on the floor when parked or when on full stop when the safe practice should always put it on brake. I tried driving an automatic once and not using the left foot is just dull. I may cause an accident if I did that right foot on the floor thing.
I know the problems it’s just that I’m having problems correcting when the situation asks for it. I’m thinking I am kinda like Sheldon Cooper when it comes to driving. I do recommend Affordable Driving School though. You will learn the same thing on other driving schools so Affordable is the best choice if you live within our area.
I am also planning to get a driving license soon and I want to read this in the future if ever I improve at this.

I Hate January

Today is the 2nd anniversary of my balloon dilatation. Before that operation my weight was just 114 lbs and now I ballooned to 140 lbs. Before I did half marathons and I do drink socially. I kinda blame my condition with my former lifestyle and I think I am a little better now. Back then, I was the only one getting sick.
This month was different. We started the month with my niece getting hand-foot-mouth disease. She possibly contacted that viral disease from all of the parties they have been to. The timing was bad because she was not able to enjoy the Disney on Ice because she had a fever then. After that my sister got some kind of flu. I don’t know but it was kind of the flu season this month with some officemates getting it too. My other sister got sick too. She had this case of food poisoning or whatever that she had to miss four days of work. My father had this spine condition which requires three sessions of therapy. The therapy thing was not covered by the HMO so we shed some extra cash for that.
The year just started and its just diseases to start it with. I am just lucky my resistance got better through the years. I thank God still and hope for the better.