The Raving Lunatic

I started the year just as every other else: filled with hopes and desires for betterment, prosperity, peace of mind and the whatnot. If probably not for a few caveats, especially those happening by year’s end, it would have been one of my best.

My idea of progress is still as always, yearning for more highs, learning new ideas, places and people, perhaps everything that I couldn’t get from my current work. For the first time, I learned not to complain. I channeled that desire to the search for knowledge in school and in traveling. And, after a year, it felt that everything was quite worthwhile.

I was hoping that 2009 would continue my climbing streak, as I had plenty the last year, capping it all with an Apo trek. Yet 2009 started not really on a high note as I had suffered nagging pains from that Apo climb that won’t go away.

January
January was uneventful, with me doing frequent trips to the doctor. We had planned to make Pulag a traditional climb every February, so I had to make sure I was a-ok a month in advance. We planned to do Pulag via the killer Akiki, and I couldn’t climb if my knee hurt even while walking without carrying anything.

Lili came to Manila and met up with me. By that time, I had known her for 9 years already, even if we were communicating as friends through the phone only. We were defined with the progress of technology. We met each other through IRC, and our friendship just stuck. I remember telling her I just had MRI on my knee and the findings was that I had meniscus tear.

February
I would like to forget this month if I only could. It was already obvious that I couldn’t climb Mt. Pulag so I could not use everything new that I bought for the momentous climb: a $200 50L Deuter bag and an expensive walking stick. I was always angry, and I caused a lot of pain in a lot of people. I ended up on the surgery table with my doctor eventually finding out that my ACL was actually torn and I had to have therapy to make my muscles stronger to compensate.

With my trekking Mates gone for Pulag, I went with Abby, Jade and her family to Pampanga for the yearly hot-air balloon festival.

March
March is always fabulous in Meralco. Celebration for the founding anniversary spans weeks filled with exciting acts. I joined the fun run, and was overly excited to have my body and my knees stressed for the first time since arthroscopy. The pain in my knee did not go away, but I was happy that I by then knew what went on inside it.

I also had my first gala. I joined Ana, Tin, Josiah and their friends for a trip to Anawangin, which marked my second. It was nice meeting new friends and feeling that I wasn’t angry anymore at how my life went as for the longest time, I was mad that they took away my ability to climb that really mattered to me. It was a healthy start.

April
I said that it was a start, and I started April touring Ilocos with Dona. We finally went to the vaunted Pagudpud, and Dona was ecstatic to have seen the Bangui Windmills. Life in Pagudpud’s laid back, and it was funny finding out they had only two eateries in their capital. We visited Vigan for a day before leaving via plane back at Laoag.

I also found out how to channel my desire to stress myself: through biking. Bought Scarlett, Haro R5 bike and joined the tour of the Fireflies with Sir Norms, Ana and Leah. It was a 50km ride and I did it with relative ease.

May
Celebrated the summer again traveling and this time, on a roadtrip with Dona, Ivan and the tres amigos Sir Rey, Justin and Jerome. We went swimming at Patar in Bolinao and visited the Hundred Islands before going home. We also got a chance to visit Sir Rey’s ancestral house at Villasis. It was the first time I got to see so much of Pangasinan.

CP celebrated the first summer get-together at Che’s resort. It was also the perfect time to go biking again so Ana, Sir Norms and I went to Binganonan and back on our bikes.

I also went with my CE friends to spend our long postponed get together trip at La Luz in San Juan Batangas. I was with Abby, Levs, Alpha and Virge for the weekend. We could see Daguldol from the beach, a mountain that I had wanted to climb earlier. What could one do on a beach? We swam and swam and spent most of the night playing and arguing about Monopoly! We left the place playing another game and that time, I easily won.

Well I had the first chance to climb again, even if it was more of a leisure hike to Manabu peak. Just a week later, with Sir Norms, Ana, Leah and a few friends, we went on a day hike. I was at least happy that the place was nice with greens everywhere with no overcast skies to spoil our fun. I shot everything in RAW.

I also ended my May going back to Zambales with Dona and Jerome. It was the height of the H1N1 scare but I was really raring. It rained a lot but it didn’t spoil the fun. Hell I experienced by far the scariest boat ride of my life! A day after Anawangin, we went to Capones and hiked all the way to the lighthouse. We also went to Camara island and swam again before leaving.

June
By this time, everyone was noticing how much I was exploiting my weekends traveling. My 2nd year in MTM started and I still had the chance to travel again with my Meco friends on the second week of June. We went water rafting in CDO and spent the rest of the trip enjoying ourselves in Camiguin. I loved those places. I was also guilty of ruining our planned itinerary, effectively having everything planned moved another day just because I came to CDO late as I forgot my travel voucher, but we ended up meeting new friends. One, during white water rafting and another on our way back to Camiguin. Everyone’s hoping that we could arrange a trip together again in the future, but I doubt if I could get to travel again with the same set of Meco friends anytime soon. :(

July
July was particularly depressing. One of my close friends, a batchmate at Meralco had to leave for personal reasons that I could empathize with. Uly was taunting me on how he could do something I couldn’t, and it truly made me sad.

My father also brought home mama finally, after ten years buried in Cabanatuan Nueva Ecija. We now had a chance to visit her everytime we wanted.

August
I started August with a dayhike with Dona at Makiling. It was one of my most memorable. I felt nature like no way before. It was as if some spirits were always watching us. We were attacked by Limatiks/leeches and we got lost. We didn’t reach the summit and I lost my walking stick. Nonetheless, it was one unforgettable experience that I was looking forward to do again.

As always, Leah, Ngot and I met up with our old CE friends for dinner. We’re the only August celebrants able to gather our friends every year. We ended up this time in a restaurant in the new Dampa along Macapagal.

On the third week, Dona and I decided to go to La Mesa for birding. We went late though so we just fancied taking pictures everywhere.

Tita Nelly also passed away. Te jean came home pregnant from the States.

I ended the month doing a trek with Dona which would be the last of the year. Initially, we planned on doing Makiling but opted for Batulao. The reason? I was scared to do the climb with only the two of us, remembering everything that I felt during our previous hike. Batulao was a perfect choice it turned out. We did the old route which was more tiring and more challenging and we prevailed. I bought a new tent just for that climb.

September
September was filled with ups and downs, new beginnings and goodbyes.

We celebrated despedidas for several people, including Madz who was also one of my batchmates and who left without me ever finding out why. We went to Anawangin for that, which marked the third time I’d be there just for the year.

Jaq also tied the knot with Jay. Sir Norms and I experimented on new ways to make our shots better, as we had always dreamed of doing wedding photography in the future.

Most in CP celebrated a few days in MMLDC, planning about the future of our system supporting the branches in Meralco. It would be our last with Ma’am Che though.

Without warning, Ondoy came and swept the aspirations and lives of a lot. Rizal was badly hit. It was the first time in my life I got scared seeing the extent of the flooding. Everyone in CP extended our help to the those badly hit.

October
Madz, Luis and Cait left…

November
November was my busiest ever. 5 weekends hit the month and I was out traveling for all but one.

It started with Dona and I spending the first of November at Enchanted Kingdom! We wanted to try Star City for the night but we ended up really tired so just went home. Before going home we also passed by Mom’s tomb.

For the second weekend, I had my second overseas travel with Abby and Levs, this time visiting Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. We didn’t know what to expect at first as Langkawi was little known in the country but we were surprised to see the place really nicely developed and preserved. We swam, ate a lot, did biking, rode the cable car all the way to the top of a mountain and walked the sky bridge. Everyone in Langkawi was extremely nice and hospitable and it was weird walking as tourists with around 80% of the people, Europeans.

We went to Kuala Lumpur and were proud to be the only ones we know of who toured the place without setting our foot on Petronas. We were also more than happy to be able to squeeze in our schedule Genting before going home.

For the third week, Mabel, Justin, Krae and I went to Macau. It would be my second time but they know I won’t back out of an invitation. The plan was also for October and was actually postponed because of Mabel’s house being affected by Ondoy. She had it pushed through though, as a way for herself to cope up with the painful experience.

As much as I would have liked to enjoy our trip, it was sad that we started with Krae losing her iPod to pickpockets. It was hard to be happy when two of our friends were distressed. We got to enjoy the trip even if it was by far the most tiring of my trips ever with us starting always at 6 and ending at midnight, walking and shopping and snapping pics all the time. Before going home, each of us had something sad that we could talk about: I not able to do the bungy jump, Mabel not being able to go karting which was what she had only really wanted, Krae losing her iPod and Justin being the one with the bag from which the iPod was stolen.

By this time, everyone was telling me, including my boss to slow down. I couldn’t understand their concern. I wasn’t getting sick from all of these unlike before.

I spent the last week of November touring Cebu and Bohol with my Meralco friends. I had been to both places but I consider each trip a new adventure – this would be the only time I’d be in those places with that set of friends.

If there’ll be one mark that would scar this month however, it would be the subjects I got in school. I had another Saturday class that would spoil my planned trips in the future for a semester. I also got an elective that was far from what I was expecting.

December
The Christmas season should always be exciting, but it wouldn’t be for a few of us in the company.

A serious issue affected us and our department, but we still got to celebrate our Christmas party. It would cause me to go to work a day before year-end. Everyone is just hopeful that the new year would come with blessings, acquittals and a lot of understanding in everyone for those affected among us.

I also had a year-ender gala, and is proud to have enjoyed the experience, also going home with a ton of nice pictures. Dona, Johanna, TJ and I met up with Irvin, his girlfriend Molly and his brother Jeck to tour Puerto Princesa in Palawan. In a way it was funny that I’d be doing this trip when I have toured already a lot of places in the country. The place was really nice but Puerto Princesa was not what I was expecting. It was great that we decided to go to Estrella falls before leaving for Manila, as I overly enjoyed the view of the south of Palawan.

With all that, I am grateful to everyone for making my 2009 one of the most eventful in my life. May 2010 come with even more blessings in life.

Thank you. :)