Surf's Up!

I am into sports all my life but I have never really tried any serious watersport before. And I didn't know I would actually love one until I tried surfing with my Citi friends. I can't get enough of it eversince :)

Once a month, we try to head to La Union for a weekend of fun, sun and sand. We usually stay at surf camp and head to Bacnotan for friendlier waves. And believe me, it is a challenging but equally amazing experience trying to paddle on your own, balance on your board and drag(or paddle) back to the sea to catch a new wave.

One important lesson learned though --Do NOT apply too much sunblock on your forehead because when you get wet and the water starts dripping down your eyes, your eyes will start to hurt and you'll spend the entire time squinting and trying to see through the waves! Believe me, it makes balancing on the board more difficult!

Aside from the perpetual tan that we seem to have acquired, the once a month trips to La Union gave most of us a much needed exercise. Hopefully, we get to have those washboard abs soon! ;)

Should you wish to go surfing, let me know. I'll introduce you to our surfing contacts.

Good Morning, Philippines!

I just love sunrise!

These are my best sunrise shots yet, taken on my way back from Bangkok with my IXUS 75. We were flying over our 7,107 islands at around 4AM last September 4.

early morning colors

flying across our 7107 islands!

Buendia Through the Eyes of a Novice

I've been playing with my new toy, Canon IXUS 75, lately and I must say, I have no regrets buying the camera. It is compact, has a wide LCD screen and has a variety of shooting options that would allow an amateur like me to explore some basic photography techniques.

Posting some of my first shots.. Buendia through the eyes of a novice.

from across Citiland 8

Buendia at dusk

Painting Strawberries

Isay and I tried our hands at ceramic painting last March 17 at Hobbes (Greenbelt 2). It was actually a good way to spend the day... a nice alternative to the usual malling and movie watching that we do during weekends.

Just a quick intro, Hobbes provides an environment that allows you to relax and explore your artistic side. This quaint little shop in Greenbelt 2 sells a wide variety of imported toys and other whimsical items (they even sell fishes in fancy aquariums!) that one cannot normally find in the malls. They also offer scheduled art classes for a more formal introduction to the art world!

If you want a more relaxed artsy afternoon, you may choose to spend it with a warm cup of coffee (or tea), just chatting, browsing through the art books, or trying out the available game boards in the activity area!

Posting the result of my almost 5 hours of artistic attempt (took me that long all because of my stubborn insistence to manually paint the strawberries instead of using the available fruit stamps!)

top view

bottom view (overdid the strawberries here.. which explains the scarcity above..hehe)