Dreamwalker

Our first impression of Subic?  Blah...  

I am not the friendliest person on earth, everyone knows that. So when I told Jerry that we were meeting Porsche, a woman I "met" through my blog, he was so surprised. I don't blame him - I simply do not meet people.

To be honest, I was actually surprised at myself as well. I suppose that somehow, through our exchanges, I felt a connection there. And when Jerry and I went to meet Porsche and her husband Mike, it seemed like meeting old friends.

I was going to write about this encounter the day after we met but I wanted to think about how to put the experience in words. Almost a week later, here I am still unable to find the words to describe making new friends. It was a novel feeling, one that left me (and Jerry as well, I think) in awe.

What I learned - there are good people in this world and sometimes, in order to find them, you have to go out on a limb and actually interact with those you do not know.

Just a little bit of background...Porsche first left a comment in my blog when she stumbled upon it while looking for info on Tamaraw Beach in Puerto Galera. Soon after, she was leaving comments in many other posts. Naturally, I was pleased, as any blogger would be. What really left an impression on me was when she sent me a message on Facebook for Thanksgiving, telling me how thankful she was for finding pleasure in my writing.

I don't know about other bloggers but I started this blog because I wanted to write for myself (as you can see in the tag line). I have been writing for other blogs and web sites for a while and though I love doing that, what is really important to me is being able to verbalize some things in writing - it is my therapy. And knowing that somehow, inadvertently, you are making an impact on someone else's life gave me a whole new perspective. Call it cheesy but it made me feel good.

This experience has given me some food for thought (and new friends too!) as the New Year starts...

Jer and I finally decided to go to Subic for New Year's Eve and it was quite unlike most of our trips. For one, I normally plan our trips well, especially the accommodations. I like my comforts and I really hate having to go around looking for some place to stay - it's a waste of time in my opinion. This time, though, we didn't really plan and decided to be adventurous a bit.


The room was mediocre for PHP3000. The bathroom was really small and didn't have a bathtub. More so, the water heater didn't really work at all. One second the water would be freezing cold and then you'd get a burst of scalding hot water and then it would turn all cold again. Another thing was that the WiFi signal, for some reason, could not be detected in our room.


Going back, we left SCTEX at Clark and decided to have another "adventure" and quite an adventure we had- we found ourselves right smack in the middle of the red light district! I swear, I had never seen such a high concentration of white guys (yes, just guys, no girls) in the Philippines! I wonder, is prostitution legal in the Philippines now???
Anyhow, by the time we got home, we were really really tired and just happy to turn the knob of the front door (this reminds me, we need to look at door hardware this week as the knob is being gay), run to the sofa, and rest.

Directions to get to Subic
We came from Pasig so we just went up EDSA to go to NLEX - you can't miss it there are signs everywhere. Just follow NLEX till you see signs that say SCTEX. Do not get off at the sign that says to Subic/San Fernando, wait for the one that says SCTEX.

Once you get off at SCTEX, you just have to follow the long winding (and very scenic) road till you see the exit to Subic. It really is pretty easy - it was our first time up there but we didn't get lost. Just be prepared to pay toll a lot. The roads are very nice and you have to pay for that but it's well worth it. I don't remember the exact amount for toll fees but I think it should be 300 all in all, one way. Oh, and when going back to Manila from the Subic-Tipo expressway, make sure you take the Clark Exit. We didn't, and almost ended up in Olongapo!

Up next...shopping and food in Subic.

Bone tired. That's how I feel right now and as much as I want to write about the holidays, I just can't muster up enough strength to do so. Some tidbits, which are (hopefully) going to be full posts later on:

• Made new friends (this is an amazing story)
  
• Went to Subic for New Year's Eve/Day
• Went to LB today to meet family again (got to play Rock Band 2 with the whole instrument set - I want one!!!)
• Writing jobs totally restructured, got tons of stuff to do

That was succinct, wasn't it? Hopefully I'll be back on my feet tomorrow (or later today).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Try as I may, I just cannot go back to sleep...so here I am browsing the Net and getting more writing done. As you may already know, I like visiting Zenni Optical for their newest collection of eyeglasses - they always have an interesting selection to offer. For the holidays, although the period is almost over, they released a new set and they are just so cute! I found one that I really wish I could have. Here, take a look:
Now isn't that just cute? I guess it is largely due to the fact that it is blue (my favorite color) that it caught my attention. In case you are wondering, the print on the side features skaters on outdoor ice. The background has trees and snow.

Oh, guess how much this frame is going for? Together with the lens, you only pay $15.95!

I have to say that Zenni Optical's Holiday frames are something anyone would not be embarrassed to wear. There is more to their collection than this frame I have posted above. They have various colors and designs and for those who do not feel like wearing glasses with prints on them, they also have plain ones. Then again, you can always get the funkier frames for special use, right? Why don't you go ahead and take a look for yourself?

We weren't really sure as to what we were going to do for New Year's Eve but it seems that we are going to Subic later this morning. I just want to hit the road and spend the night welcoming the New Year somewhere casual - without Jerry having to wear a tuxedo or me having to wear a dress.

Two other options were to stay at home or to go home to my parents but we could not really agree on either option so I guess Subic it is. I am quite excited - maybe that is why I woke up at 3am and couldn't go back to sleep. In case I don't find WiFi on the road, here's a Happy New Year to all of you!!!

If Metro Manila has Marikina then Laguna has Liliw. This small town in the middle of the mountains is known for quality shoes and leather products that are sold for really really cheap. We decided to hit the road on 26 December and see what we could get our hands on.

I am not much of a shoe person but I found myself buying more sandals that I had planned on. Jerry wanted Jesus sandals but could not find one that fit him. We also visited a really old church - this part of Laguna is known for them as well.
How cheap are the shoes there? For sandals, you can get them for PHP100 to PHP250. Flip flops can be bought for as low as 3 for PHP100. Closed shoes go for PHP280 above. I am sure there were more expensive ones there but I didn't really look as I have not worn closed shoes in years.

Oh, and we found an out of the way resto bar which served an interesting dish - crispy kangkong (I think it's water spinach in English). I was expecting the usual stir fried dish but got kangkong leaves fried tempura-style instead! The place is called Ralph Joy's Restobar. It's nothing special but if you want to try this dish, you just have to follow that mountain road to Liliw and about 15 minutes before you get there, you will see a nice looking restaurant with that name on the left side. It is right before the underground cemetery.
Another cool place we visited - an underground cemetery. Needless to say, I didn't go underground.Pineapples for sale by the roadside in Calauan, Laguna. They're famous for their really sweet pineapples. We got pineapples for PHP25 each!
This is what greeted us when we came back to UPLB at night.
So how do you get to Liliw? Just head south from Manila, towards Los Banos. Go past Los Banos and turn right in the big intersection - there's a sign that says San Pablo and Calauan. Go up the mountain to San Pablo and then go farther up the mountain once you pass the city proper. There is just one main road - don't leave that. You'll see lots of signs pointing towards Liliw - if you miss them, just ask anyone on the street they will point you in the right direction. The streets get narrower and narrower the farther south you go so be prepared for some tricky manuevering.

I have been yakking on and on about revamping my blog and finally, I have found the time to do it! It is 1:45 in the morning and my eyes are closing on their own but I am quite happy with what I am seeing. I got the template from Blogcrowds after a long period of searching.

The header was made by Carlo, a designer friend of mine. He really did a superb job didn't he? (Yeah this is a plug, he accepts orders. Let me know if you need a designer and I'll hook you up with him.) It took him about 2 weeks - I think even less - to finalize the header. All I did was to tell him the general idea that I had - a bluish-black dragon at night, something fierce but dreamy at the same time. I was kinda scared that he would not get my idea and that he wouldn't be able to visualize it. My fears were unfounded - I loved his first draft from the very beginning!

In the meantime, the blog elements are still in the works so if you find anything that needs tweaking, please let me know. Hoping to hear from you!