back in the game

Yet again another lame post title. Hello everyone, I'm back! I've been gone from the blogging world for half a year because work has taken over my life. Tons of updates, travels, and everything else in between. I decided to make my (in)significant cyberworld presence felt because after browsing through my favorite blogs the past two weeks I realized I missed blogging. Such a shame I haven't given this time considering I already had loads of backlog entries, more so now with 6 months of being gone. 

I'll keep this short, but would just like to say it's good to be back :) 

update schumpdate

Lame post title, I know. But I can't think of a good one now so might as well use this one. Anyway, again, I haven't posted anything in more than a month since work's been really really keeping me busy. I could have blogged if I wanted to, but I guess I wasn't 'inspired' enough to get myself to write. Plus, I've been having trouble uploading pictures for my entries from my computer because they'd always come out sideways. Weird.

Just to update anyone who's even interested (haha), I already mentioned that work has been really toxic lately. I'll try to upload the pictures I've taken when I go out for oculars. Believe me when I tell you that I've gone to a lot of remote areas. The pictures would prove it, but that'd be for another post.

Besides work, I did find out more than a month ago that I have a friend from Manila who's also based here in Isabela! Shocking, because we don't even see each other in Manila and the last time I saw him was probably 4 years ago. He's lucky, though, because he gets to go home to Manila every two weeks while my trips back home are very unpredictable...meaning, whenever I do have the time or if I'll be allowed to go home haha! Speaking of friends, I did meet a few new ones here in the span of 3 weeks which is pretty cool. So it's not going to be super lonely anymore here :)

Though I'm pretty focused on work most of the time, I can't help but be a bit distracted by my upcoming trip to Singapore. I'll be going home to Manila on the last week of October, squeeze in meeting different sets of friends, work the two days before the All Saints Day/All Souls Day long weekend before flying off to Singapore to visit my two girl friends Esther and Tin. I haven't seen them in more than a year since they moved there for work (they're both pre-school teachers). I've already planned out my itinerary, booked my plane ticket and hotel room reservation, and I'm saving up moolah for shopping (as expected). I'm so excited as this will be my first ever trip abroad without my family with me. I'm sure this will be a very fun trip, now all I need to do is plan out my wardrobe and figure out how to maximize my luggage space.

Honestly, there's so much going on now career wise and personally. However, I can't seem to be able to verbally express it as much as I want to here because this entry will never end if I did share these things. What I can say is that I feel like I'm just taking things as they come, and am sort of trying to suppress anticipating or expecting because I think that would just make me panic or worry. If that happened, I wouldn't be able to deal with things anymore with as much rationality and patience. Maybe I am overthinking things, or maybe I'm trying to control things too much? I don't know. So yeah, I better stop now.

Anyway, I hope you all had an awesome weekend and have a great week ahead! :)

traveler's dilemma

I've been living in Isabela Province for almost a year now, and have come to the conclusion that....there really is nothing much to do here. Ha! You see, I've tasked it upon myself to be absolutely sure that I could 100% claim that there aren't a lot of places to go to, or that the number of activities that can be done here are sparse. Yeap. The sad truth is, unless the roads to the coastal towns are constructed, well..unless some sort of miracle happens, Isabela won't be on the list of any tourist or traveler's 'places to go'.

Fine, you can check out the Magat Dam in Ramon. You can even go to the local markets and try out the delicacies. Why, you can even go all the way to Cabagan just to try authentic Pancit Cabagan in Felicitas (which is just along the Provincial Highway). But are there other things you can do, or other places even worth visiting? Nada.

I write this with a very disappointed tone, because I was somehow hoping that I'd be proven wrong. That this huge, hot (literally), province is even worth going to.

Despite my disappointment, let me tell you though...if you want to go on a road trip, just to relax and clear your head...drive along the provincial highway here. The view is amazing. Seriously. Vast farm land, mountains in the horizon, clouds like you've never seen before -- take a long drive here. I guess this place's saving grace is the beauty of its land.

More Isabela Day 2012 pictures

Here are more pictures I took last Isabela Day while the floats were parked already in the Provincial Capitol Grounds :) I really love the details of most of the floats, and I can't imagine how long it took to make each one--how each bean was painstakingly glued onto the float, how carefully they had to attach the fruits, veggies, coconuts, and other float components.

Isabela Day 2012

I don't know how Isabela Day is usually celebrated, but for this year I was able to watch the float parade. This is such a delayed post, haha! Isabela Day happened on May 11th.

I woke up really early to be able to get a good spot where I could wait and watch. The parade started late, it ticked off a lot of people (me included, hehe). It was supposed to start at 7 a.m, I think, and it started at 10 -- 3 hours late!! And mind you, it was super hot that day so everyone basically fried under the morning sun for a few hours while waiting and watching.

Although it was a bit of a wait, I actually enjoyed the parade. Each municipality prepared one float, and the best one won. I actually don't agree with the decision for first place, as many people also did once the roster of winners were announced. I don't know how the judges came up with their decision, but I seriously think other floats were waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the one who won first.

Anyway, I do hope you enjoy the pictures :)

bought local handicrafts first while waiting 

here come the floats!!