The Truth Unveiled

My body shivers but not from the cold
Scared of whatever truth I might unfold
You told me to ask your side of the story
I did, you lied, so don’t tell me you’re sorry

Maybe you’re only sorry that you’re caught
Please don’t tell me that it is my fault
All I ask was honesty and yet you failed
You throw our relationship to the flames

I feel like a fool, I feel hurt and cheated
Never had I feel a wreck and devastated
Gave my heart and soul to someone I thought worthy
Who in the end turned out to be just playing me

Help Me Travel and Write

I saw this blog on the internet about how a girl earned her way to college through this funding website and that’s when I got the idea. Remember me wanting to travel and write but do not have sufficient funds to do so, well I decided to sign up on this site and see where it gets me.

Click on the image to know more and maybe you’d be interested. every penny counts…:)
Take some time guys… 🙂

The Future of Story Telling

The Future of Story Telling

Hello there fellow writers,
I have recently heard of this interesting course on the internet The Future of Storytelling . It’s an online class that allows passionate lexophiles like us to connect with each other while gaining knowledge. For ten weeks, we will be given an opportunity to explore more of our ideas and turn them into something bigger. Have I mentioned that this course is ABSOLUTELY FREE. We can enjoy getting video lessons, doing homework, group works and P2P with our teacher for no cost at all.
All we have to do is click on this link: The Future of Storytelling , enroll, wait until the 25th of October and learn on our own free time.
See you in class… 🙂

Shorts and Sunglasses (Weekend at Baguio)

I’ve been to Baguio when I was a child but I was only two at the time and had no recollection of that day that being to Baguio eighteen years later felt like coming there for the first time. Since it is only for a few days and I had the tiniest bag in the world that I could possible bring (that or a huge luggage), I brought shorts instead of pants.
We went to the usual places that a tourist visits whenever s/he comes to the City of Pines.
After visiting some relatives, we went to Burnham Park, ride some bikes and ride a boat. We also pigged out at Barrio Fiesta where we order off almost everything in the menu and there was no leaving until we finish everything. The funny thing about the park is that there are no free toilet. Everywhere we look, we see toilets that charge you P5.00 for tinkle and P20.00 to go potty. You can avail an unlimited use for Php50.00 per day, talk about business.

My aunt’s family and I (tag-along) pigging out and having fun at Barrio Fiesta located near the park

I forgot the place where I got to wear this Ifugao costume for unlimited picture taking for only twenty pesos. At first I was embarrassed but hey, who know’s when I’ll ever get the chance again right? And so I did, I even do fight poses. There were now so many tourists hanging around that we didn’t stay for too long.

The normal and the Ifugao Look

Next stop is ‘The Mansion’, yep the famous white house of the Philippines where the former president (do your research) once resided. It was a grand mansion that we are not allowed to go into. All I can say is that it has terrific landscape. It was followed by a trip to the military camp where a friend of my uncle works. My aunt was joking that we were going to find a boyfriend for me there. Unfortunately, the friend of my uncle was away and Mr. Boyfriend-to-be was nowhere in sight. What we got to see though are old helicopters and guns and machine tanks and a lot more choppers that were used before during the war and other missions. I wanted to go to PMA before but only for the rifle twirling stuff and the discipline I will get to learn. Dressing plain and looking all neat and clean, well that’s a good thing but I don’t think I can give up my dress-wearing sometimes maarte side. Also, I prefer bows and arrows (Yes I know how to use em, I got a 1.25 in my archery class) over guns. I’ll just learn to twirl a rifle on my own time.
Baguio isn’t as cold as I was told it used to be but it is still chilly and a view to enjoy. If ever you want a trip out of town to just let loose and be a hundred miles away from where you are, I’d recommend this trip for you.

Shorts and sunglasses: A weekend at Baguio

Science Explorer Time (Trip to Science Centrum)

Located in the shoe-capital in of the Philippines is one of the country’s fun science interactive museum. You don’t even have to pay five hundred bucks to experience it. Just hop on a jeepney and if you have metrodeal vouchers go for it (P69.00), but if you don’t, the fee is just P150 for adults or if you’re a student, you get to pay less (even teachers get discounts).
Once inside, your sight will be filled with more than one hundred science experiments you can get to try for yourselves. The first and probably my favorite experiment to try is the Earthquake Drill. It’s a piece of bench that let’s you experience what it feels like during an earthquake. It feels like a horizontal swing really, and would be a good stop when the other experiments turns you dizzy (yes some of them will).

Sit down and let the earthquake drill bench take you to a ride

The thing is, I came to this museum to be placed inside a bubble, and I half succeed. Yes, just by half, the bubble would burst before my companion could take any pictures. There are lots of bubble experiments to try. You can spray them around and create little and big ones, get yourself inside one or create a super long one that takes seconds to burst.
They also have this weighing scale that lets you calculate your weight in Mars, Venus, Jupiter.. yes the other nine planets. They also have a flight simulator that lets you experience how to be a pilot. You can see various constellations and even hold the planets in your hand. If you’re lucky you can try the gyrocopter that will make your head and whole body spin round and round.

Try to put yourself inside that bubble. Do it and you make me envious.

Hair O Hair, they have this giant fan that will blow your hair off (if it’s a wig or too weak, of course). If you stand in the center, you won’t feel a breeze, but move even just an inch and watch people outside ask you if “Mahangin ba sa labas? (Is it windy outside?) Or if you want you can, let them up, literally up as you touch this steel ball and laugh yourself out not really feeling any electricity but seeing it in your hair. I love that static thingy (I forgot what it’s called).
They also have this house that isn’t flat but does when you look at it through a peeping hole. The house of fun, the greatest house of all is the house of deceit. One look and you feel like you’re falling (not exagerrating, this one). One look and you will be trying to hold on to anything. The surface is flat but your eyes would see it as not and mess up with your brain. It was mind blowing that I just had to try it twice.

Let your hair down, sideways or even up

Lights, camera and more fun lights, that’s also a good section of the museum. I got to take shadow pictures, remains of what my shadow was from a few seconds back, get mystified by that plasma ball that feels like it can show you the future. They even have bicycles that makes the light turn on.
There are a dozen more experiments I have tried and I would love to write about them all but you have to experience it to really enjoy it. So go ahead and take a trip down Riverbanks, Marikina and let the curiousity in you gets satisfied.

P.S. Dear Bi, I hope you don’t mind me using your photos.

The One Time I got Fat (Ilocos Norte Adventure)

It’s the last week of the before Christmas vacation and I decided to use all my unused absence credits to a sudden whim of decision to go to with my aunt and her family to one of the loveliest place in the Philippines, Ilocos.
So there I was, just traveled an hour from the university to my home and instantly packed to take a ten-hour bus ride to Ilocos. I was super excited to go somewhere far away and see what’s Ilocos is like.
Her husband lives in Taguidin, a lovely place surrounded by rice fields, literally surrounded by rice fields. If you want to talk to your neighbor, you would have to walk half a kilometer. Since the house in undergoing major renovation, there weren’t much appliances or furniture yet in place. There was no television nor radio but we do have a karaoke machine that have movies installed into it. Living in a compound where my relatives are right beside our house, I was use to hearing the sound of children’s voices in the morning. Here, I could hear the sound of the wind, the birds chirping and carabaos from nearby. It was a lovely place and I felt like I could stay there forever until those times that the then object of my affection asked me out and I was a thousand kilometers away from where he is. I was ready to spend my last one thousand bucks to go home. I was that much in love and crazy about him. He asked twice that week, (why does he keep forgetting I’m away????) which only caused me more torture. At the very least he couldn’t see me jumping up and down in joy of seeing his messages or hearing his voice that one time when he called. Oh memories, how they bring so much emotions… Oh well, let’s move on to the story.

The town plaza isn’t that big but have this lovely church and little stores that can get you what you need. Plus, if you want to go there, you have to travel for almost an hour. The biggest store is a two-floor building that is composed of many little stores. There’s one that sells appliances, one that sells clothes, one for food, no need for a mall really. There are no fast food restaurants around though and renting a computer to go online is very costly.
From Taguidin to Vigan takes two to three hours of travel and the buses that passes by with air condition is very rare. We tried for two days but we were in the wrong timing and had to come home. On the third day though, we succeeded.

Vigan… oh vigan, such a lovely place to be. There is one street that was there since Spanish era and was being preserved for history’s sake. There are a lot of carriages around looking to tour passengers around town. Fast food restaurants are located in old buildings and have this Spanish look yet very modern inside. There’s Jollibee, National Bookstore, Chowking, Red ribbon and even Greenwich.

After looking at wood furniture and having a hearty meal, we went to Baluarte, an animal sanctuary where anyone can visit for free. The animals are all in the greens getting looked at to and yet people can enjoy the view. We also wanted to see the lion but he was far too lazy to come up. At around 1PM in the afternoon, there was an animal show where I get to volunteer to hold a ten-foot long snake (anaconda, I think). I got to spend time with butterflies in the butterfly farm and saw a lot of fishes from big to small. After that we went back to Taguidin, almost wanting to go back the very next day.

I’m Going to Travel and Write

Dear World,
I am 21 years old, a lexophiliac who works a communications officer for one of the Philippine’s top utility firm. Still, my salary remains very meager and a start-up rate. With all the bills that I have to pay and having to help out my family who lives in my hometown, I get zero or even a negative savings at the end of the month.
My sweet indulgence is to travel to wherever there’s something free. Free entrance to the museum, free concert, free whatsoever that involves culture, history, freebies and a great story to tell after. Living in the metro had allowed me those perks, I’ve been able to visit places I have wished I was able to go out on a field trip to when I was young.
Still, I want more. I am craving for more. I want to explore the country more. I want to go cave exploring, mountain climbing, biking, trekking and go wherever I could. I want to experience and hear about the history of century old churches and towns whose tales continue to resound in the modern times.
The first place I fell in love with is Ilocos. My next blog will be about that by the way. Then there was Baguio, then Laguna, but there still so much more that I want to visit.
I am young and I want to start as young as I could and reach as many places that I can and be able to tell the world about it. My first trip (plan) is Bacolod. I don’t know why but I just got this sudden obsession to visit the place and how I do it, with my meager income? Well, I started with a jar that I feel with loose change from my pockets (devoting a large portion of your salary in one go makes me feel guilty when I could just send it to my family). Also, I am (it’s a long shot I know) accepting donations via paypal joanmiranda0715@gmail.com. I’m also cutting my massages, lessening my Potato Corner and Dairy Queen and chocolate purchases (gulp). I have a goal, I have envision it and through His Grace, my efforts, and whosoever helps I’ll get to those places one by one.

What She wants to hear

Forgive me if my writing is a little rusty, I haven’t written in a long time. I’ve been lost in the literary world for some time and I’m trying to find my way back. My inspiration is my life, the people I have around and my passion for life itself, others included, humane or not. Here’s something most girls in a new relationship might want to hear:

Hey girl, I might make mistakes
Bring you mountains of heartaches
Forgive me and guide me, I’m new to this
I’m still figuring out what my role is

I know I’m in love and I want you happy
But I don’t always know, you need to teach me
Tell me what makes you sad, I’d take them away
I’ll let you call the shots each and every day

I love you my princess with all of my heart
Don’t give up from me when we have a fight
We won’t always be seeing eye to eye
But baby, my lady please don’t say goodbye