5 Things You Shouldn’t Be Doing In The Beach

My gahd!!! I did not blog for a whole month!!! Winter = October in my life, so that sorta explains that.. Or not.. or that really massive wall of a writer’s block that totally choked all creativity from my spazzy brain.. could be! Hmm… come to think of it, it may have been lack of lov…este surf. Haha!!

After a month of not surfing, I went to Baler for the Aloha Boardsports and Travel Factor Surf and Music Festival—- 3days and 2 nights of surfing, surfing competitions, concerts, and fun-fun-fun! Did it deliver?? Hell Yehz!

This will not be a blog post about how epic a time I had with my friends. Or the fact that I saw Gabby Alipe’s dimples. Or me joining a surfing competition. Or my friend Ting winning said competition. Or Peter getting approached by girls to have their picture taken with him. Or how big the waves in Baler were. Or how happy it felt dancing my heart out with my friends. Or about how awesome the event was..**

Nope.

This is a blog post inspired by people that my friends and I have seen in the beach. Just some nice suggestions. =)

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5 THINGS PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE DOING IN THE BEACH

1.Wear Make-up

For all that is holy—it’s a beach!! Unless you’re posing for a magazine, ditch the foundation and the eyeshadow! Or if you do have to wear make-up, make it look natural at least? But no. Really. Wearing make-up to the beach just feels effing fake. And isa pa, it’s going to run when you get wet or sweaty, both inevitable. Eww.

2. Wear dangling gold earrings (that look like tassels) and other golden abubot

This is specially true when you’re about to go take a surfing lesson in really really really really knarly waves like one girl we saw. Well, when we saw her after her lesson, she had no more earrings and no more gold necklace.  The common sense rule is don’t wear stuff in the beach or the surf that you’re not willing to give to the ocean.

3. Super Public Displays of Affection, and other “stuff”

Okay, the occasional kissy-smack thing and the holding hands thing and the hugging’s okay but torridly making out? Unless it’s preceded by a dramatic scene involving long lost love and or a mala-telenovela fight scene that will make the whole beach cheer or go awwwww.. don’t do it! Also, this includes the couple that some of my friends stumbled upon in front of a resort doing some other “stuff”. Get a room, or staaay really awaaay from the party. Or unless you’re doing really life-changing/never seen before stuff— go ahead–make my day!

4. Not Dress Appropriately

Meaning, don’t look like you’re going to a party in Republiq. This includes sequins, rhinestones and such. I really don’t understand swimsuits and bikini’s with rhinestones. I really don’t. Are they to make sure your cleavage sparkles and catches the light? Waitap…Hmm.. wait effective ba?  Maybe I should get some! wahahaha!

5. Litter

Littering is never cool. Leaving trash on the beach is just plain stupid and irresponsible. And people who smoke should never just throw their cigarette butts in the sand and leave em there. Have pity on the creatures in the ocean—including surfers!

 

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Actually, come to think of it, who am I to say what people should or should not do?
Do what you want! Disregard everything I said except the NUMBER 5!
Walang basagan ng trip!

Just be comfortable in your own skin.It doesn’t matter if you’re fat, sexy, thin, tall, short, balding or God’s gift to men and women— just be happy.

Oh di ba? biglang walang naging point ang blog post! haha!

hey! at least I blogged!
and I really <3 ed last weekend. I needed this!

*Photo above by Allen Aligam, taken during the last night of the festival. My friends are crazy. Haha!

**For one thing, i’m sure Tj/Lokal Soul will make a better blog post on the event.

Some surf, Some memories

Since it seems to be flat all over, I’m left here trying to re-arrange my weekend. Pfft.

I’ve also realized that I haven’t posted about surfing in a while but that’s because I’ve been out of the water for more than 3 weeks now. and i’m white. and i suck. and i’m dying. saaad faaaace!

So eniwei, I’ve decided to blog about some of the videos my friends made of our semi-recent surftrips, and to finally blog about my Bali trip.

STOKED SUNDAY by Allen Aligam

This video was taken and made by Allen Aligam during July 11th in my homebreak in Real, Quezon. Features friends from PSA. Also, the last time I surfed.*grumble*grumble*grumble*

Stoked Sunday! from Allen Aligam on Vimeo.

IN CLOUD NINE STATE by Peter James Villarta

This video was taken during our semi-recent surfing trip to Siargao Island. Cloud nine was itty bitty small for what it’s supposed to be and that’s the only reason I could surf it. But still awesome,  right?

The Bali Trip

I did recently take my first long trip in 2 years (for me anything beyond 2 days is a long trip) to the island of Bali in Indonesia. This trip was planned last year, but I was majorly unprepared for it. It all worked out though. Life is awesome.

Kuta Beach early in the morning

The best memory of that trip was when I was waiting for a wave (about 2 days into the trip) and I realized i was in BALI! and I didn’t have to think of work, or anything else–the water was cold, the beach was full of people, the sky was blue and cloudy (yay shade!), and there was a wave coming. =) BEST.FEELING.EVER.

Surfed a funboard when i should have gotten a longboard, getting ready to surf Canggu

the surfgroup that went to Canggu

Trying to get a right hander in Canggu =)

We stayed in Kuta for the whole trip but managed to take a quick daytrip sidetrip to Canggu, which totally rocked. To say the waves were really nice in that spot is an understatement.

I came home refreshed and very much rejuvenated. I really needed that trip.

Since I’ve been surfing, I can’t imagine going to a place that I can’t sneak in some wave/water-time. So sadly, I have not been to any trips but I have been making use of the free time that I have to  finish off some books in my TBR pile. I think i’m counting 20+ books+comic books from July to today. Not bad considering some of those books were doorstops, and I still have work and a semi-busy social life.

That said, I’m going to watch a play tonight, and eat at Mercato. Tomorrow might be another play or a movie, maybe wavepool surfing on Sunday, but I know i’m supposed to be somewhere on Sunday night, but I’m terrible with dates.

Another weekend in the city, but all I really want to do is surf.

Big Z comp next week, hopefully I can join and there are waves coming.

**photos by Peter Villarta and Cristin Siason.

ENDNOTE : I really don’t think I would have much fun surfing if not for the people I surf with. You know who you are, and you know that you rock. I love you guys.

Chockblock Weekend Part 3: A Quickie Binondo Foodtrip to Dong Bei Dumplings! :)

(This post is waaay overdue and i’m bored. So here it goes. Happy times.)

Binondo Funtrip Sidetrip

We did say that we wanted to go to Binondo to eat. We didn’t know where, but Mike suggested Dong Bei Dumplings. And having never eaten there before, I said– yeah! And I got my way, life’s good. =)

Dumplings were freshly made, hot and wonderful.Literally, we were seeing them made beside us.

I’m guessing this is the kutsay (chives) dumplings. The chives taste wasn’t very overpowering, which was good because having eaten my share of overly kutsay dumplings, this had just enough of the flavor but I could still taste the meat.

Fried Pork Dumplings. This was my least favorite dumpling. I’m thinking the kutsay dumplings would have been better fried and we should have had this steamed instead.

Kutsay pie or fried pancake. I liked this more than the steamed ones. There is something robust about the kutsay flavor, it holds up well with the fat and the frying of the wrapper. Maybe the “herby” taste of the chives compensates. It works!

Vegetarian dumplings. It was a little wet.. too wet and kinda hard to eat with metal chopsticks. But for a vegetarian option, it was good.  May I also say that the dipping sauce they had was awesome, just the right sour-salty note. I wanted to take it home and ulamin siya with rice. =)

Joseph also had Handiwork Beef Noodles. He enjoyed this and finished the bowl, and yes– di namigay..so methinks it was good? =)

The piece de resistance—the Xiao Long Bao which are basically pork dumplings with broth inside of them. Pretty hard to make, and usually done ala minute. I was ill prepared for the amount of broth inside this thing that I burned my tongue trying to hold all that broth in. There are helluva awful pictures of me almost in tears eating this but we’re not going to post that. haha! But even though, it’s still the tastiest Xiao Long Bao i’ve tasted and I’ve tried my share in various dimsum places in the Philippines. Next best would be the one that Harbour City serves in Cebu. Oh wait! And Lugang’s in Connecticut was also good! Note to self: get back there and eat Crab Congee.

So that was a lot of food for 4 people to eat, but we just came from running a race, walking around Intramuros,and not to mention visiting about 4 museums. All in all, I was super stuffed and the bill was just close to about 100++ each for all of us. So that was good, and worth the travel and the searching (since we got lost trying to find it for a minute lang naman).

Dong Bei Dumplings can be found in 642 Yuchengco St (formerly Nueva)
Binondo, Manila.

**I know we had dessert somewhere and Kassy and Trick joined us, but I can’t quite place where the hell we did. DEC? or Luk Yuen? Where the beejeezus did we have dessert?

Well, that’s it. I need more food adventures. Time to revive the food blogging and revive the FFG.

You dig? =)