Camping Weekend

Warning: This is a picture-heavy post.

Went camping last weekend with a bunch of my friends. It was nice to get away from the busyness of work and the city for a while.

It rained really hard when we got there, it was a real bummer pitching tents... But it was bright and sunny the next day and it stayed that way until the end of the trip. Here's a group shot of all of us...

Preparing for breakfast - we had nasi goreng, champorado, scrambled eggs, cereal, fruit, turkey bacon, veggie patties, chicken adobo, hot chocolate... and the list goes on :)

My favorite time - nap time :)

Went out later the next day for a hike on a really cool trail. Of course, Mr. Photographer had to bring his gear...
My friend's daughter - Justine. She stuck with me through 90% of the hike and told me all about her trip to Disneyland, going in detail about all the rides she went to.
Some wildflowers that were on the trail.
And finally, after about a 40-minute hike, we reached our destination...
I didn't get in because the water was so cold. It did look really inviting though... (That's my brother with the weird pose, btw.)
The baby of the group went in but only for about 5 minutes. Then she had to bundle back into warm clothes. Here she is with Ate Jean...
Cool (dead?) tree on the way back.
And you know how I am with my flowers...
I was eating a grass stalk so she curiously asked me if she could try it too. Kids really do try to imitate everything you do. The walking stick idea she got from watching her dad.
More wildflowers...


And wild 'shrooms.
Back to the campsite and picture taking. Thank goodness for tripods and self-timers :)
Getting ready for our midnight barbeque and s'mores...
Ella and Jemn goofing around. I don't know why Jemuel was smelling the Growers...
Yummy bistek and leftover adobo in the other pot...
I swear the bistek sauce on top of white rice could've made a complete meal but I also got extra-large helpings of Jufran-infused spaghetti.
Smokin' cold...
Corn, burgers and hotdogs on the grill... We slept around 2 a.m. just talking, eating, playing Taboo, charades, telling each other scary stories. It was a lot of fun.
The next day we are still eating the same thing - we had to finish the perishables in the cooler coz nobody wanted to bring food back home. Justine again with Kuya Mark who is visiting from California...
Nobody brought sauerkraut and I forgot to put ketchup. Otherwise, this would've been an awesome hotdog...
Leftover corn...
Playing ninja. We also played patintero and volleyball, some canoed and went boating in the lake...
Here's Justine and Kuya Rydee swimming...
She really loves the water...

All in all, a great weekend with friends and family, we're going camping again in 2 weeks - I can't wait!

PhotoHunt: Rocks

Dominica is known for having one of the most pristine tropical rain forests in the Caribbean Islands. Last year, we were able to take a short hike to Trafalgar Falls - which are actually twin falls - The Father Falls and The Mother Falls, which is the photo below.

Look how huge these rock boulders are compared to a normal-sized man.
The rocks are also kinda slippery because of moss growth and the forceful water current.
See more PhotoHunt entries here.

10 Things About Me

I got tagged by utotmopink so here goes...

Things you may or may not know about me:

1. We moved around a lot while I was growing up. I've lived in Naga, Legaspi, Daet, Aklan, Bacolod and New York. Interestingly enough, I've never lived in Manila.

2. Although English is my first language (I only learned Tagalog when I started going to school at age 4), I am able to communicate in Bicolano, Cebuano, Ilonggo, Aklanon and Spanish (I took it as a foreign language class for two semesters in college).

3. I am the eldest of 4 children, I have 3 younger brothers.

4. I play the piano, guitar and some violin and clarinet - but the last two I hardly touch anymore.

5. I have a short attention span. If you see me nodding and smiling after 10 minutes, I'm not really listening to you.

6. Up until I was 6 or so I was predominantly left-handed, until my dad decided I wouldn't succeed in life if that was the case (just kidding) and forced me to use my right hand. So now I am right handed but still with right-brained tendencies, which makes me a little messed up inside.

7. I am a gadget geek - the internet, cool stuff and technology in general fascinate me. I read Gizmodo and Engadget daily.

8. Even though my grandfather (my dad's dad) was a Cantonese immigrant, my family has not retained any Chinese heritage nor practice any of the many customary traditions. We know nothing of the language or culture but I don't think we missed out.

9. I am lactose intolerant. Like 90% of other Asians out there. But despite that, I will still not give up my dairy products.

10. I love to travel but I hate long plane rides. If only I could snap my fingers and instantly be where I want to be... :)

The Rules of this Tag are:

- Tell your readers 10 things about you that they may or may not know, but are true.

- Tag 10 people, and be sure to let them know they've been tagged.

- Don't forget to link back to the blogger who tagged you.

I am tagging:

jennys-corner.com
chocolateword.net
newlysqueezed.blogspot.com
badudets.com
bu-ge.com
itsnotalwaysaboutme.blogspot.com
simplyrachel.onewickedsoul.com
luckgoesalongway.blogspot.com
vanitychild.blogspot.com
i.luved.net

Litratong Pinoy: Tuyo

Tag-lamig nang kami'y bumisita sa Grand Canyon ngunit halatang tuyo na tuyo pa rin ang lugar na ito - parang isang desierto...

Marahil dahil sa kawalan ng ulan iniisip ng iba na hindi puedeng mamuhay sa isang desierto ngunit maraming nagtatagal na mga hayop at halaman na nananatili dito katulad nalang ng mga cacti.
Kakaiba ang mga halaman na namumuhay dito - lalo na ang mga cacti - dahil sa klima at kawalan ng saganang tubig. Espesyal ang pagka-likha ng mga ito upang makapag-ipon ng halumigmig at tubig sa kanilang kapaligiran.

PhotoHunt: Garbage

A garbage bin in San Francisco's Castro district. Note the gay pride flag displayed prominently on the side.

See more PhotoHunt entries on this subject here.

Litratong Pinoy: Basa

Isang larawan na kinuha ko bandang August 2008 sa St. Thomas...

Kamuntik nang mabasa ang aking camera nito :)

Shooting Flowers

I really enjoy taking pictures of flowers. Any kind will do as long as they're not wilted :) It's a pretty relaxing activity appreciating each flower's beauty and uniqueness...

Granted the naked eye is so much better than any camera, I think I still managed to capture quite a bit of how beautiful these flowers are in real life...
I'm not an expert on flowers, in fact, I have no idea what the names of any of these gorgeous beauties are, but it doesn't deter me from appreciating them.




In a way, flowers are like people, in some ways we differ, in some ways we are the same. Each one has qualities liked by some but not others - but in the end, we are all beautiful in God's eyes...

Litratong Pinoy: Kandado

Maraming kandado sa mga larawang ito na kinuha ko sa Sausalito, isa sa mga marina o garahe ng mga bangka at yate sa San Francisco.

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang nasa loob ng mga bodegang ito - malamang mga gamit sa pangingisda o pamamangka...
Ganunpaman mananatili itong isang pribadong lugar na pagmamay-ari lamang ng taong may hawak sa susi ng kandado.

PhotoHunt: Pink

Pink is the PhotoHunt theme for this week. It so happens that it's one of my favorite colors :) Here are some pictures of pink cherry blossoms taken last year on my youngest brother's birthday...

Lovely, huh?
Such a pretty contrast to the clear blue spring sky. Have a wonderful day, PhotoHunters!