profound bliss

I want everything portable. It’s a kiddie camping chair but some kids are heavier than me so I guess it’s okay. Costs P399 at Ace Hardware. Price doesn’t include Princess, though. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter .

This is the only thing that’s left of my trekking pole. I first left that trekking pole inside the Nasugbu-bound bus, forgetting to pick it up when I got off at Evercrest. It was leaning on the window, and good thing the tricycle driver, who was waiting for passengers to take to the jump-off of Mt. Batulao, spotted me on that window. When he saw me out of the bus, he looked at the window again and shouted that I left my pole. He shouted so loud and repeatedly that I became the center of attention. The bus was already starting to take off but halted upon hearing the shouts, with the driver perhaps thinking that he hit someone or something. LoL! So I got back inside the bus to get the trekking pole and to thank the tricycle driver for what he did, I hired him to take me to the jump-off and paid him extra. But the trekking pole was really meant to be lost. On my way down the mountain, I stopped beside a fallen tree to get my poncho because it started drizzling. I leaned the pol...

Sandugo has a new line of trail running shoes with Fly Lacing System that provides a dramatic improvement over shoelaces for almost any kind of performance footwear. It was tested with thousands of hours in field use. Prices: TRUN 26 – P3,325 TRUN 21 – P2,375 TRUN 32 – P3,395 WATER 13 – P2,495 WATER 08 – P2,125 I want the Water 13A but I just bought a camera and I already made a promise not to buy anything for mountaineering/hobby for the next six months. I hope these don't go out of style by then. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter .

Ponchos are one of my must-brings whenever I go mountain climbing (aside from that Kalisungan climb when I completely forgot to bring one). I thought I have found the thinnest poncho in the Chinese branded yellow ones available at Ace Hardware for P29.75. But I found something fancy when I went with my niece to Sportshouse in SM Bicutan last Wednesday. It's a ball key chain! You can open the ball and there's a poncho inside. Watch my video below. I didn't unfold the poncho cuz I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fold it back that small. But it's actually just as thin as the yellow poncho from Ace Hardware. You just have to fold it the right way so it can fit the ball. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter .

This Vapur water "bottle" comes in other colors and I don't really know why I chose purple. But, anyway, this water container caught my fancy because I can easily flatten and roll it up once empty. That way, I won't be "displaying" an empty water bottle at the sides of my backpack when going home from a climb. Despite the 2-liter bladder I recently bought, I still bring water bottles along because 2 liters ain't enough. LoL! A 3-liter bladder is on my to-buy list but I'm still waiting for Sandugo Market! Market! to have one available. I don't feel like buying cheap bladders because I read somewhere that some of them are made of materials that mixes with your water and makes it quite health hazard. Sandugo's bladders are the cheapest branded bladders I could find, and until they have 3-liter ones available, I'd just use my current bladder and this Vapur foldable bottle. By the way, Vapur stands like a real bottle when full.

I've always wanted to buy a pocket set of eating utensils. It's a great thing to bring when climbing cuz regular spoon and fork are too long to bring along. I was tagged on Facebook by a random online seller one time and I found the item so cute I didn't untag myself. I ended up messaging him for the price and was glad to know it was cheap. The seller lives in my area so we just did a meet-up and I saved some money from paying for shipping. It's a spoon, fork, "knife" with bottle opener combination. So cute. But I'm always careful with the orange case. It's made of cheap plastic and I'm sure it would break in two when dropped. I actually bought two pieces. My climb buddy K showed interest on the item when he saw it on my Facebook wall that he even asked for its price. I thought he wanted to buy and would pay for the extra piece I bought. I didn't know he found it expensive and didn't wanna buy. I had no choice but to give it to him ...

I'm still a little pumped up from the run I had yesterday. Keeping an active lifestyle is indeed good. But there are some things you need to have to indulge in certain activities. Like footwear. You see, you can't run without shoes, and that's the first thing I bought when I decided to try running. I'm just so lucky I ended up buying Merrell's Barefoot Trail Glove because it's so comfortable to use. Honestly, I bought it for its looks (and the fact that I can also use it for hikes). It's also something I can use not only for my outdoor activities, it looks good with jeans and casual shorts as well. Aside from that, it doesn't look as big/bulky as other running shoes. I'm so thin and big shoes make me feel like I'm channeling Ronald McDonald. I was surprised, though, that the good looks of Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove is just an icing on the cake. The real wonder of the pair is really the comfort one gets when using it. Something I didn...

Went to Market! Market! with K last Saturday mainly to buy Princess' Solcoceryl. Her right eye got punctured two Saturdays ago when she played with our cat. We roamed around the mall first, lingering for so long inside Sandugo planning on buying this and that, agreeing that there should be a shop that rents mountaineering stuff (like tents and bags) for people like us who can't afford these branded, high-priced items. Wanting to experience how Merrells feel, we headed to the brand's concept store. I tried on Waterpro Maipo, Gauley, Ottawa, and the Barefoot Trail Glove. The Barefoot Trail Glove provides a different feel. It's so comfortable and you can actually feel the air going through the shoes. Walking around in Barefoot doesn't really feel like being barefoot, but of all the shoes I tried, it's the pair that comes close to wearing no shoes at all. Aside from running, the store rep said I could also use Barefoot to climb (he even pointed the campaign ...

I love traveling alone, even climbing mountains with just a guide, but I know there are some places I cannot go to alone for two reasons – it's so remote it's not safe to go alone; and it would cost me a fortune if I don't go with a group. Mt. Pulag in Benguet, Luzon's highest peak, is one of those places. That's why I felt so lucky when the MLQU Stallions Outdoor Club invited me to join them for their Mt. Pulag climb. It was originally planned for December 2010, but because of the cold weather, it was moved numerous times until it became February 18-20, 2011. I don't really have the gears, much more for a high-altitude climb. I have a tent, a backpack,  some dri-fits, a pair of trekking pants... but nothing to keep me from the extreme cold. Good thing my sister has a lot of jackets and cold weather stuff that fit me. I borrowed two pairs of pants and two windbreakers to add to my fleece jacket. I also bought a Trekker sleeping bag (which was useless i...

Too excited for tomorrow that after my last dog bite vaccine at RITM this morning, I searched Festival Mall and Star Mall Alabang for a bladder and a headlamp. Bladder because I thought it's more convenient to put inside the rucksack with the hose on my shoulder for easy access, than to carry water bottles on the mesh pockets. Headlamp because it's a night trek. Sadly, I wasn't able to find any of the two, in either malls. When I got back home, Nanay told me to call Ace Hardware and ask for those. Luckily, Ace Hardware in SM Bicutan had an Energizer mini-headlamp. It runs on 2 x CR2032 batteries so I bought a pair, not knowing that there was an included battery in the package. Okay lang, I'll save it for future use, or bring it along for back-up just in case. I don't have a bladder yet. A friend said I should go to Conquer at Robinson's Pioneer. It's so far.