profound bliss

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...

I've been paying a hundred pesos for Princess' nail trim every month. She doesn't like it when we touch her paws so we decided it'd be better to just bring her to the groomer for nail trim. We were afraid we would hurt her if we're the ones who'd clip her nails. Aside from that, most of her nails are black so it's really hard to see the blood vessels. I dropped by Ace Hardware yesterday to look for Shoe Goo. They don't carry the brand so I just roamed around a little until I saw this: I thought I would try giving Princess a nail trim on my own. I immediately tried it on her the minute I got home. She was making funny sounds all throughout the process, cried once (but there was no blood, really), but successfully clipped all her nails in one sitting. This means I could save a hundred pesos every month. No, make that a hundred pesos more for the climb budget.

It was supposed to be just plain mountain climbing but K, my climb buddy, wanted to go "chasing waterfalls" so we went to Buntot Palos (or Hidden Falls, as what the falls is known to the locals) last Sunday, July 24, 2011. We didn't get a guide anymore cuz we heard the trail was pretty easy to follow. You just have to lookout for this flat rock in the middle of the trail right after passing the second stream ( sapa ). A little before that rock is the almost invisible trail to the left that goes down to the campsite. Once you reach the campsite, there's another trail to the left that leads down to the falls area. It was very steep, reminiscent of the steep trail that leads down to Buruwisan Falls. But K seemed to find the descent so easy. I took a video of him at one point. You have to cross the water in order to get near the falls. The rocks were quite close together but there's this one hop I had to make that I couldn't do. The rock was inclined a...

I have friends in Laurel, Batangas whose houses are just a few meters away from the shores of Taal Lake. I've actually been there twice - summer of 2000 the first time and fiesta season of the following year the second time. I was in awe to see a Styrofoam box full of such big and live fresh-from-the-fish pond tilapia during my first visit. The box of fishes became our dinner, our pulutan came nighttime, and our lunch the following day. Needless to say, I looked forward to again indulge in such big tilapia on my second visit. But it was the town fiesta and the locals seemed to focus more on pork and chicken to offer their guests. It was during that second visit, though, when I experienced going in one of the fish ponds in the middle of the lake. It was owned by one of my friend's cousins and I remember being ecstatic when I saw their little kubo in the middle of the lake. They even let me swam in the fish pond saying it's still safe cuz it's not yet the harves...

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 ...

Adele's 21 album is a hit. The carrier titled Rolling in the Deep gives me goosebumps whenever. Adele's deep, soulful voice is enough to topple Katy Perry and Lady Gaga from the top of the charts (and it's true with Billboard 200). First loved Adele when I heard Chasing Pavements from her first album, and to be honest that's the only song I loved from that album. But this sophomore album is different. Almost all of the songs are great even if (or make it especially that) they all talk about her past love; all about her pain and confusion. But, of course, Rolling in the Deep , is my favorite.

The typhoon with an internatinal name of "MA-ON" has already entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), reports PAGASA at 11:30 AM today, July 17, 2011. The typhoon was given the local name of INENG. It's not going to stay in the PAR long, though, and it will not affect the sunny weather in most parts of the country. That's good news. Cuz I'm climbing with two girl friends tomorrow.

Carissa Moore is the youngest world champion surfing has ever seen. Watch her in action: via facebook.com/nike

Two weeks ago, on a Friday, I went to K's around 11:30 PM. After a while we both got hungry and went to Mini Stop. We decided to cap the night with a can each of San Mig light and went home around 2:00 AM. The result: he overslept and wasn't able to attend his Saturday swimming class. Last night, I finished my backlogs early and saw him online on Facebook. I told him I'd come over. It was just 10 PM and we ended up at Mini Stop again. He doesn't have Friday classes anyway. The baked macaroni he got was stale. LoL! He exchanged it for hotdog sandwich. I didn't eat my baked mac anymore even if it tasted okay. I lost my appetite upon knowing some of them at the shelves were stale. And I made a mental note not to buy baked mac from Mini Stop anymore. I just got doughnuts and C2 and I was a happy camper. And since he could wake up late on Fridays, we decided to have Tanduay Ice. We sat at the table outside since you can't drink anything alcoholic inside Min...

I gave my nephew Juansen a sugar glider for a birthday present March of last year. I bought it from Doc Erich who was selling exotic pets like that, plus hedgehogs, and tarantulas. The sugar glider is female, and they named her Aji. Juansen told me he also wanted a male one so I told my dentist to have a male glider reserved for me. Reservation line was so long back then. I was 10th. Before Christmas 2010, I was able to avail of a male sugar glider and gave it to my nephew. He named him Hiro. Now they don't know who Hiro is anymore. Aji has given birth twice already. One male glider on both times. They are now both the size of Hiro and all look alike, so you won't be able to tell who Hiro is anymore. Aji is the only female. Kawawa naman. Juansen now calls her "baby maker." P.S. The fourth sugar glider wouldn't come out of the "house" the whole time I was in my nephew's house last Monday.

Nature's surprises doesn't seem to end. It really doesn't stop with the climate change, because we discover more about the earth as time goes by. Imagine discovering a string of underwater volcanoes near Antarctica rising up to 3,000 meters above the ocean floor just recently? Read more about them volcanoes here .

A tsunami warning was again prompted for the Northeastern coastal part of Japan as a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit that part of the country on Sunday morning July 10, 2011, around 9:57 AM. It was the same area devastated by tsunami last March 11 when an 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit the coastal area. Residents were advised to evacuate as the 7.1-magnitude quake felt earlier could generate a tsunami. They surely wouldn't want the March 11 tragedy to repeat itself.

This is the president of my country: And they say a picture paints a thousand words. They say a nearly empty desk is a sign of laziness. But his ashtray's not empty, no? photo: pinoyexchange.com

Before my climb buddy started school last month, we decided to climb again. Dayhike destinations are already becoming rare, though, cuz we have already climbed the ones near Manila. If we could avoid it, though, we really wouldn't go to Mt. Kalisungan without a group. Holdups and getting lost stories in the jump off were so all over the internet and could we avoid that place, we would choose a different destination. But we couldn't. So last June 8, 2011, K and I braved the bad weather and went to Calauan, Laguna to climb Mt. Kalisungan. We boarded a Sta. Cruz-bound bus in Alabang and told the conductor to drop us off at the Duck Junction in Victoria, Laguna. He said okay so all the while, we thought he knew where the place is. Good thing that at one point, K decided to ask him again if we're still far from the Duck Junction. A man sitting across the aisle overheard us and said we're already past the said junction. It was only then that the conductor said he knew ...

The Coca-Cola glass is back at McDonald's with an all-new look! Aren't they cute? Starting today, July 2, get these limited edition glasses by adding P25.00 to any McDonald's Extra Value Meal. Colors include Blue, Purple, Green, Charcoal, Pink, and Lime. This promo is available only for a limited time so go to your favorite McDonald's branch or order thru McDelivery – 8-MCDO (8-6236) or www.mcdelivery.com.ph – to get your own Coca-Cola glass.