Wallowing to Undaunted

Posted on September 1, 2016 at 14:00 Life List

I was 26 when I started prefixing my number with an adjective, to describe what that year would be like. I find sense in it. Last year it was “wallowing”. Nasty-sounding, I know, but after reading its definition after being suggested by a friend, well, “I choose you!” happened. And that’s way before Pokémon GO. Since then, I’ve gone to places and did things month after month but never a single update in this good old hub of mine. About time.

• April 2015: Celebrated my 27th by going out with different sets of friends and officemates on different nights. On the final night I was surprised to see all of them gathered at a Jollibee Kiddie Party for me. That. Was massive. 😯 And for that I owe you a lot! Capped off the night at The Butcher and Walkyrie.
• May: Summer outing of my then company where on our way we were already drinking lambanog to our hearts’ content in the bus. During the socials there were two groups by the pool and one in the cabana. That was wild over there. ¶ Camped in Cagbalete with folks from my first workplace where at night while swimming we were invited by another group to join them. And that’s after we made a scandal of ourselves by singing 90’s boybands’ songs on top of our lungs.
• June: Frolicked in Fortune Island. ¶ Revisited Enchanted River, Tinuy-an Falls, and Britania Islands with two good friends from college and one from high school. Couldn’t have been more chaotic.
• July: Flew to Cebu to be with high school classmates (a first out-of-town involving flights for us) for the whale sharks, Tumalog Falls, and canyoneering. ¶ Flew to Iloilo the weekend right after Cebu for Siquijor, Apo Island, and Dumaguete with college friends. On short notice while serving a 30-day notice.
• August: Iwahig Firefly Watching, El Nido, San Vicente Long Beach, Underground River, Honda Bay, and Puerto Princesa City tour in Palawan with college friends. The most jam-packed trip to date. Seven days DIY for ~10,000 PHP each!
• September: First bottomless experience at Tides. Sulit na sulit. Some night for everyone that was.
• October: Attended the overnight birthday celebration (and Batangas tour the following day) of one of our tourmates in Fortune Island, became a godfather and spent a ghastly night in Pangasinan, and wallowed at Walkyrie (with my Fortune Island mates) and Chaos. Did you notice the use of Oxford comma somewhere there?
• November: Almost shouted “Itigil ang kasal!” at the wedding of a college classmate in Bacolod and experienced Prism in Smallville by flying in, once again, via Iloilo. Side tripped to Campuestohan Highland Resort and Mambukal Mountain Resort afterwards. ¶ Moalboal and canyoneering happened (yet again!) with the boys from my first workplace and ran amok at Liv in Cebu. :laugh:
• December: Materialized in Guimaras, with the same boys less than a month prior, the morning after my current workplace’s Christmas party (which didn’t bring out the fun in me). And did I mention that a college friend tagged along? ¶ The Christmas party of our college batch didn’t just conclude after dinner but at Club Haze. ¶ Dropped by General Santos to meet a college friend working for ABS-CBN and scrambled nights at V, Pahayahay, and Xplore before going home for the holidays.
• January: Found solitude in Puerto Galera after a planned trip to Borawan went astray only two days before the schedule. Dark times.
• March: Hopped on the RORO to Caticlan and visited Malumpati Cold Spring and Malalison Island in Antique with a college classmate. Headed to Boracay thereafter (where we met up with another classmate) and joined PubCrawl for the second time.

And then I needed to select another adjective. But before that, there was the lovely Calaguas with my very first workmates for our annual summer getaway. Given its distance from the metro, it’s just not right to spend just a night there, which we didn’t do. As one of us also gets a year older on the same month, we did a double celebration a week later with other friends at Walkyrie. Such a long night. I’d consider attaching a GoPro to my head next time for me to watch everything and laugh at myself first thing in the morning. Two days before finally flipping another digit, I skydived in Bantayan and spent a memorable time in Cebu. 😎

• June: With two different college friends, Boracay happened again. As well as PubCrawl. Guess you guessed that right. Two officemates were also there!
• July: First international trip of the year it would’ve been if I were granted a Japan visa. So I resorted to Tatlong Pulo in Guimaras and Anawangin in Zambales with college friends instead. It’s so cool they were around. 🙂

Like most people with itchy feet, most of my wanderings are born out of seat sales, so I guess I’m saved from being labeled as a spendthrift wanderlust. As of writing I’m currently in Palawan. My tickets, bought last year, only cost 485.62 PHP. Who could resist that, right? Well, my company last year. But not me. And I look forward to blogging about this trip.

I wouldn’t say I’m getting tired of going to places, and here are the cents I’ve picked up along the way up to this very day:

1. Plans can go haywire, with most of the group suddenly being unable to make it and then the entire trip crumbles. When planning, it could help to have a group chat with only those people who have something to say in it. Ditch those who just read and send thumbs-up signs. (Yes, there’s a bit bitterness there.)
2. Even just once, travel alone. Just you and your own two feet. It’s liberating.
3. Priorities change so eventually all your travel buddies will no longer be able to always go with you. Learn to accept that.
4. Your priorities will eventually change as well so be prepared for it, because what-ifs and if-onlys are such inglorious bastards.