Conquering Pinatubo

Remember when I said I was going on a mini trip? Yes, well, surprise! I spent my May the Fourth murdering my legs by hiking all the way to the crater of Mount Pinatubo with two other friends. As I've probably said a dozen times before, I rarely do anything remotely outdoorsy, so this was definitely an outside-my-comfort-zone sort of thing. And for someone who's pretty much sedentary, the whole thing really was a challenge. But given the chance, as this summer is supposedly about transcending my own limitations, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

That time in Pintô

Feelings are a funny thing. You go out of your way sometimes to forget about them or, at least, place them so far at the back of your mind with every intention of not ever having to think about them for a long time and yet somehow, they still have a way of pressing so hard that ignoring them becomes an impossible option. This is not to say that Pintô triggered my emotions, no. Thing is, it happened to be where I was when my subconscious decided it was time to process a few neglected ones. Perfect timing right? So, aside from every beautiful thing I saw there, I will always remember the place as a sort of venue for reflection (for obvious reasons). But never mind that for now...

ASMPH Football Team, Palarong Medisina 2015

I've no words for what kind of person I am given this context. I've been busy with so many things and with Death March already making its existence very much felt, it's a wonder how I even have time to do this. But I think I had to, because any time later than now makes this post less and less relevant. So here it is.

Exploring the North Part 2

To everyone who has a reason to celebrate it, Happy Valentines Day! ♥

Now that that's out of the way, here's the second part of my Ilocos travel log. It took a long time, I know, but it's always better late than never, right? Anyway, days 2 and 3 had us exploring more of the province and with each minute, I was realizing just how much I've fallen in love with the place. We literally went everywhere - the trek to Kabigan Falls made for an excellent reason to bond with friends over random conversations; photo ops in Bantay Abot Cave had me finding out that some friends are scared of heights and that others have serious modelling potential (HAHA); and Calle Crisologo convinced me, as have other similar things, that I was definitely born on the wrong era. But more than anything, the trip made me realize how absorbed I've been lately by everything else so much so that I've actually forgotten that a huge part of my childhood was spent around nature, and how much that younger version of myself actually loved it. But I remember it now, and I don't think I shall ever forget it again. And, well, I don't mean to.

Exploring the North Part 1

January 2015 marked the first time Jesuit (yes, emphasis because I absolutely adore the Jesuits!) Pope Francis graced the Philippines with his presence. And though the best thing would have been to go all the way to Quirino to brave the rain, the heavy traffic, and the undoubtedly huge crowd, I instead went on a trip to Ilocos along with 11 other people I'm glad to call my friends. It was a stark contrast to the five-day weekend I would have otherwise had if I stayed -- far from being holy, to say the least -- but I can't say that I didn't enjoy every bit of it because as a matter of fact, I very much did.

Sky cycling, mostly

Truth be told, I miss Davao. After all, for the most part of my life, it's been a second home to me. But for reasons I care not to divulge, I haven't been back there since before I went away for college, so while the cool girl in me may resent it, I do admit I was very excited to be back (for a much desired family reunion), even if it were only for three days. And indeed, those were three days well spent; new memories were created with good people about good food and good experiences.

One Big Frat: The ASMPH Sem Ender Party (Plus a snippet of One Big Fright)

Okay, after finishing an entire sem of YL6, I can finally attest to the truth behind what everyone has been saying from the beginning — YL6 really is zombie year. It’s been a wonderful crazy kind of ride — from the manic exam Mondays to the incredibly exhausting transes! — and it was only fitting that it ended in the way that it did.

Goodbye (hopefully forever!) first semester!

When girls come out to play

I hardly get to see my high school friends anymore, what with living far enough away from each other that the commute downright sucks and our almost always incompatible schedules. But I guess those things are what make our dates all the more special. We’re always talking about doing vanity sessions and with summer break being short of ending for us and having nothing better to do, we decided to finally hold one. Nothing looks at all well thought through granted that it was a last minute thing but for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t trade that day/night for anything — well, except maybe having the others present as well.

Tuli Mission + Satchi Vinyl Day 2014 (aka What I did with my Saturday)

If you must know, I’m still on that phase where I prefer theoretical learning over practical. So when I agreed to join the tuli mission in St. Martin yesterday, I immediately felt afraid. Because as interesting as it looked, the fact remained that I was an inexperienced med student who had just recently been promoted to second year. Granted that circumcision is a huge deal in Filipino culture, I did not want to be that person who screwed up a little boy’s life just because fate meant for him to be my very first actual patient.

Random shoot

Because there are days when my boredom feels like it can almost eat me up. Also, everyone, meet my sister. (I know I'm a bit rusty but I hope that's nothing a bit of practice won't be able to fix.)