The joy of giving.

This is my first Christmas in the Philippines after being overseas for almost a decade. Quite ironically, I'm still spending it away from very important people in my life. A bit of a long shot as to why but in the end, this was a decision I made so now I have to face the consequences i.e spending one of the most celebrated occassion in the Christian world with a bunch of strangers in the resort. I know that comes Christmas eve tonight, it will be difficult to hold back the tears when I see families having their dinner together, enjoying each others company.

Christmas is the time of giving as the cliche goes. Last week, I organised a small project to visit Maricaban Elementary school, a small school in the village next to the resort where I am currently working, to give away presents, mostly school supplies. i.e pens, pencils and writing paper plus some goodies. Thanks to a friend of mine, Ichay, who donated cash so I was able to augment the budget I had for this project. The village school consists of 33 lovely kids, ages ranging from 7-10 years old. the pupils from Grades 1-3 share the one small room fitting in the rest of their learning materials which consists of only a few books and other educational paraphernalias. Of course, I can't just turn up in the village school with gifts to give away to the kids so I was in touch with the school teacher Christine the day before my planned visit to advise her of my intention, just to be sure it was ok come in to their school. I was quite aware that in the Western world, doing something like this might even implicate a criminal offense on me as they might think I'm a lunatic paedophile running after school kids. So I really want to clear myself from that. I don't have anything but only good intentions so when I read news of mad men walking in a school and gunning down a room full of innocent children, I can never understand what goes into those people's minds. Makes me realise what a crazy world we live in, how scary it is to know that there are people out there who can hurt us and our loved ones. I'm glad to be given the opportunity and the means to do something like this. Seeing how happy the children were as they were receiving their presents were priceless. It makes me appreciate my life more. I can see why they say "It is better to give than receive." The happiness I feel will last a long time and this feeling is a great gift I can give to myself this Christmas. There is definitely joy in giving. Merry Christmas everyone! 

Losing my Dads.



My Dad who died in his missionary boots in Southern Africa.



Mum and Dad Woodyatt during a visit in Dubai last 2008.

There are two other special occasions for me every December apart from Christmas. First is Huw’s birthday and second is our wedding anniversary. However, this year, my month of December won’t see these happy occasions as happily celebrated like the last few years. I lost my father-in-law just over a week ago. He was a great man whom I had a lot of respect. He was very adamant with his beliefs and firm with his principles in life. He will be sorely missed. I realized that I had lost 2 Dads on this same year. My Dad passed away last February 14 who lost his battle with cancer. My father-in-law died of bone cancer. I’ve never had this feeling of great loss before, I guess maybe because this is the first time I’ve lost a parent then shortly followed by another one. The sad feeling of loss even intensifies as Christmas approaches knowing they are gone. The super typhoon "Pablo" that recently hit the country which caused great casualties does not help make me feel any better. My heart goes for the families who have lost their loved ones. I know the feeling. Apologies for sounding depressed, but I hope you all understand. At the moment, for me, it feels like there is nothing to feel joyous about this Christmas. I know that life must go on and we all have to move on eventually after going through sad passages in our life. Time heals all wounds so they say but this one won't heal very soon. We only have one set of parents, when they go, it’s not like we could replace them with new ones. They will always cross your mind when you say or do something, see a familiar place - they live in us so how can we easily forget? When they go, they're gone forever but with strong memories left behind. Dad and Dad, thank you for everything. RIP. I love you.

My first Open Water Students

Oct. 14, 2012 (Monday) - Atmosphere Resorts, Dauin, Negros, Oriental. Started assisting Frank, one of the resort's IDC Staff Instructors teaching Open Water course to six students (all lads aging from 15-17) from Hongkong International School. It has been pretty hectic since, this is my first course from since I got certified as PADI scuba diving instructor a couple weeks ago. Will be posting more here later, gotta run to work now, I have to be early to prepare my dear students for their last two Open Water dives today then they get certified as PADI Open Water divers . Yay! :)

Oct. 14,2102 (Sunday), the date I pledged to run for a cause for a close friend of mine who is currently suffering lung illness and is under medication for the next 5 months. To date, I've now raised 6,000 pesos to help her with her medicines. Million thanks to the all kind people who sent over their contribution. I pledged to run / walk for 20 kms. starting from my house in Dumaguete to Dauin stopping exactly at Atmosphere Resorts where I am currently doing my internship as scuba instructor. This hasn't happened though as I only got to 15 kms. and had to ride the motorbike to get to work on time. Apart from starting off at 5.30 a.m. and having fought the sticky bed syndrome, I failed to achieve my goal I (only did 14 kms.) but for valid reasons. Besides, the road got busy as the morning went with all the vehicles. Ceres bus liner, the deadly public transport go past me and it started to feel a bit suicidal running by the side of the roads. I started inhaling the fumes too which was not pleasant at all. I know, I know, you probably think I'm just trying to make up excuses but if I really didn't want to get my respiratory system contaminated by fumes and most of all I still wanted to live. I was also running late for work. So I hope I could bail myself out on that one. I've joined fundraising programs earlier in my life where I have walked, ran, swam and dived for a cause but this is the first time I've actually initiated one and organising it on my own with a special T-shirt I wore for the activity. It felt like a mad idea but there you go, it's done now. My Dad died last February of lung cancer in his missionary shoes in Botswana. I was working as Divemaster in Coron, Palawan then when the sad news reached me. My father may be gone but he still lives in me in one way or another. I may not be as great as him in devoting most of his life helping people in Africa, but I try my best to do something for others when I can and while I am able to. I wish and pray that my friend gets well soon. She was so thankful that for the  money raised for this run. It's a good feeling achieving even something this small. Someone once said that "Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones sorround us everyday." I take the small opportunities everytime I can hoping that I can make a difference. I believe it does.

It’s been one year and a month exactly I last posted here. Amazing how easily one can get distracted especially when you have a million and one things in your to do list. However, the long hiatus in my blog site has been for good reasons. I am pleased to say that I am now certified PADI scuba diving instructor and have managed to achieve it within nearly a year of being Divemaster since November 2011. So I've been pretty busy really in a fun way. It has not been all easy getting through the Instructor course of course. The training was very helpful to prepare the candidates for the most awaited IS (Instructor Exams). There were sleepless nights, teary moments (mostly me doing the crying being the crybaby that I am) not to mention losing a beloved pet puppies during my IDC. :( But such is a life, I always find it difficult to accept how cruel the real world is. Anyways, I came out of it all very well, all the hard work and preparation paid off as I had passed my IE last September 29 and 30 of this year. I know that from then on, it will be highly unlikely for me to return to a desk job which I have not missed by the way since leaving Dubai more than a year ago. However, I do miss the pay haha! I'm still happy with my decision to come home and do what I'm doing here though. However, it leaves hubby very jealous as he's sat in his office in the Middle East while I'm happily sunning myself here in the tropics. It makes me feel bad...honest! It makes me feel even worse as he has supported me all the way in my scuba diving career. I have him to be ever so thankful for. I am now back home in Dumaguete staying with my Mum and the rest of the family (that includes the pets). Hopefully when I start earning as scuba instructor, I get to appreciate staying here for good. I'm quite optimistic with my future in the diving industry. As one of the PADI saying goes "... the possibilities are endless". However, I've still yet to find that out myself. :)

More haggis and scotch pie adventures..... oh and whisky fudge too.

My weekend trip to Scotland, it may only have been 3 days and 2 nights but it has not only charmed me with it's spectacular scenery but it has given me a chance to discover and learn more of the country's history, the noble people and famous individuals who were either born here or have settled here including some trivial information I might need to tell my friends to keep them amused. I've actually started making notes (isn't that sad?) so I can have something I can finally write in one of my travel journals. I summarised below what I have in my notes so far (don't count on me for accuracy so I'm really welcome to corrections) but here's to hoping you will benefit from this little knowledge I'm about to impart so here it goes:

St.Andrew is the national saint although St.Columba was more instrumental in propagating Catholicism in Scotland. St.Columba was Irish.

Robert Louis Stevenson - well known Scottish writer, author of famous books "The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", "Treasure Island", "Kidnapped" was born in Edinburgh. He spent most of adult life ill and was believed to have tuberculosis which was a common illness during his time. Our tour guide showed us his house in Heriot Row. The door is painted red. There is a long list of famous Scottish writers and noblemen. I have no intention to write them all down here. Only the few ones I mentioned are the ones listed in my notes.

Alexander Graham Bell - inventor of the telephone is Scottish. We were shown where he used to live in Edinburgh. I think the color of the door was blue. :)

Listerine (the famous mouthwash) was invented by Lord Joseph Lister. He is also Scottish. So if you're wondering where the word Listerine came from, you probably guessed it right. I saw his house too, cant remember the color of the door though. :) I don't know but this made me remember Thomas Crapper - inventor of the ballcock (a mechanism for filling tanks). He inventing the flush toilet is a widespread misconception although people could easily relate the toilet to the name "crapper", you know what I mean right? Don't let me explain, it could be gross.

J.K Rowling - the English author of Harry Potter books was based in Edinburgh while she was writing HP. We were shown the cafe where she used to write because her apartment was unheated. She used to be poor but now she is one of the richest women in the world.

Sir Sean Connery, the Hollywood Actor is Scottish. He was knighted in Hollyrood house in Edinburgh.

Loch Ness - the most famous Loch in the Highlands, especially for a foreigner like me. I have heard of this Loch Ness when it was rumored to have a resident monster living in it. The loch is only the second the biggest but is regarded to be ridiculously deep at 800 feet for a loch (river). There are plenty of rumored sightings but our local tour guide is too cynical to believe their is a dinosaur-like creature in it. I didn't see anything strange when I was there. I'm not bothered, I already have a fluffy and furry version of Nessie given to me as a present. It would do. :)

And of course, who wouldn't know about the epic movie "Braveheart" in 1995 starred by the Aussie actor Mel Gibson? The movie was inspired by a real person, a Scottish knight called Sir William Wallace who fought against the English during the first war of independence. I don't think our local tour guide was too bothered to talk about the movie. I guess it was too Hollywood-ized for the Scottish taste that if they had to show how Sir Wallace was executed, it won't be allowed in the big screen because it would mean they had to rip apart Mel Gibson's chest cavity and take out his beating heart and crush it infront of him while still conscious, that makes beheading sound tame. Execution during in the medieval era was that grotesque, I guess that's why they were called barbarians then. If you are the sadistic type and would like to get more ideas of torture, I suggest you visit the Tower of London in UK where they have what I call the "torture museum".

So there you go, more useless information for your daily life conveyed to you with passion! Have a great day.

Edinburgh - the inspiring capital of Scotland and the spectacular scenery of the Highlands.

Access to Skype and the Blogger website are indications that I’m in a truly free country. UAE claims to be an open and free country but that is debatable. I guess they mean it is a “free” country if you compare it to Saudi Arabia. What I’m trying to get at is, alas! I finally get to access my blog website and post stuff. Viva Brittania! Posted above first few photos from the thousands I will be posting shortly. The first two photos are from the scenic Loch Laggan ("Loch" according to Wikipedia is the Gaelic term for a lake or sea inlet), followed by the ruins of the 13th century Inverlochy Castle which has remained unaltered since it's construction. The next one is the mighty Glen Coe - mecca for outdoor activity lovers - this National Park gives open access to mountain bikers and trekkers. Seemingly, Scots refer to their mountains as Glen. I suggest you look it up in Wikipedia why they call it that way. :) Went to get a wee bit of culture in the National Museum of Scotland, the picture you see above is the Grand Gallery. The museum is massive, one could spend a day in it. My favorites were the astronomy area and somewhat the jurassic and endangered species area featuring fossils of creatures like the T-rex, dodos, elephants and tigers. Went to the museum's rooftop and saw a very nice 360 degree view of Edinburgh. The monkey statue with the tartan is just one of the statues displayed all over Edinburgh. There are also elephant, tiger and alligator statues. They showcase them all over the city to raise awareness of the endangered species. The statues are for sale and the money goes for the conservation project of the relevant animal statue that one buys. I would have loved to buy the Scottish monkey but I think I wouldn't be allowed it in the UAE. I might end up in prison, knowing my luck. All in all, the weekend trip to Scotland was brilliant apart from the rains which was expected. The UK weather altogether is unreliable. Edinburgh definitely made it to my list of favorite cities in the world. Haggis made it to my list of foods to be avoided. As for the locals I've come across so far, they are actually not as miserable as believed :) (I blame it on the weather). Judging from the few great Scottish mates I have in Dubai, they are the fun ones to have a pint or 5 of Guiness with! :)

Unemployment.

August 21, 2011 officially marks my first day of being unemployed. A lot of my friends think it was a mad idea resigning when back home in the Philippines, half of the population is desperate to work overseas for employment. They ask: "Why resign?" I answer, "Why not?" I would like to break away from the humdrumery of the job I've been stuck with for the last 6 years that even money (which is the main driving force in our lives, sad but true) could not convince me to stay anymore. I'm sorry for those who don't or can't have the options I have. On another hand, I don't think I have options, I'm just stubborn and pretending to be brave to have made my decision. To re-assess my priorities, find myself (or more likely lose myself), "burnt out" will be my stupid reasons if you ask why I left my job. Or just drop out back in the Philippines if you're looking for more reasons. Yes, I will be a hypocrite if I say that lazing in the Philippine islands don't appeal to me. I have plans brewing you know, but I won't tell. :) I've always liked the cliche: "Live one day at a time." or that song "Tonight" by Ne-Yo. I know the song is a bit suggestive but there's that concept of living life by the moment. Sometimes I wonder how come we human beings worry so much about the future which may never come? Why do we want to gain riches in this earth that when we die, we leave our love ones behind fighting over inheritance. I think it's better to have nothing. As one great man once said "To die wealthy is to live in sin." I'm definetely going to have nothing when I die, I am skint as it is! They can inherit this my blog site ahaha! Who knows? it might be the next box office motion picture! :) If I was being honest, I'm sh*t scared of what lies ahead because at the end of the day, I'm just a little girl lost in the moment...

Roxas City, Capiz, Seafood Capital of the Philippines

Roxas City has an abundant marine life and the center of aquaculture for Panay island. I guess this is why it is credible for what it claims to be. For anybody who comes here, you'd be a fool if you fail to have seafood, unless of course if you're allergic. I don't have fish or shell allergy of any sort so it was seafood galore each meal for me most of the time. My friend Ino manages the fishpond family business so he took us into one of his fish farms. The trip there involved a quick boat journey operated by a boatman via saddle only, no machines. We "sailed" in the middle of a vast fish farm and stopped by a hut. We had fresh oysters with chili and vinegar nicely prepared for us when we arrived. Yummy! :) This place is so laid back up to the point that you'll be forced to just relax. It's funny how a lot of my friends react when I say I'm in Capiz. They always seem to be frightened because "aswangs" congregate here. ("Aswang" is a Philippine mythical creature, vampire like and eat humans). Oh well, I enjoyed myself and left Capiz unscathed... :)

Puerto Galera, Mindoro, holiday destination for scuba divers and beach party goers

I stole this sea horse photo from my friend's website because I didn't have any photos taken when I came here, simply because I didn't have a camera then. The Sea Rider Dive Center is one of the popular dive shops in Sabang, Puerto Galera. My friend owns and runs the place so I'm sure he wouldn't mind me "borrowing" his pictures for my blog. :) I chose the sea horse because I think this was the same one I saw (or more likely dreamt of seeing then) in one of my dives way back early 2005. I went to Puerto G on a solo backpack trip with the intention of doing some scuba diving so Sabang was the ideal place to base myself during my 2 nights stay. I got to experience the night life in the White Beach as well. The locals claim that the White Beach nightlife is as vibrant as Boracay. I can't comment. Having been to both places, I think they have their own individual attractions. I like them both to be honest and fair. :) Puerto Galera's proximity from Manila makes it a popular and a much cheaper holiday destination. Apart from diving and partying, there are other activities you can do here like quad biking, hiking or drinking till you drop by the beach! :)

Camotes Islands, Cebu, Nature's Gift

Camotes Islands is a group of 4 islands (Pacijan, Poro, Pilar & Ponson). Pacijan or San Francisco (San Fran as locals call it) is the main and biggest among the four. "Kamote" is the local name for sweet potatoes and if you are wondering if these islands are called after it then you've guessed it right. They've even got a sweet shop that sells pastries all made from kamote. :) From Cebu City, there are ferries that sail straight to Camotes but I took the ferry from Danao, Cebu (almost 2 hrs. away from the city). My trip to Camotes was an unplanned stop. I just had finished from Malapascua when I thought I explore one more island before finally heading back to Dumaguete, my hometown. I was pleased to make that stop. Camotes is one of Cebu's back door jewels. Nature trips are definitely the thing to do here. The air seems much fresher too, maybe that's why I saw a lot of cyclists training here. Next time I go back, maybe I'll try cycling around the islands... :)

Baguio City, Pines City

It is also known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines" because it's here you can escape from the heat of the lowlands during summer months and because it is always a cooler weather up in these mountains. That is, from what I remembered it to be. Today, it's so populated and commercialised that it's losing all it's cold, not to mention global warming. From where the SM Mall stands now used to be a little hill full of trees. Shame that people find more attraction to a concrete block than nature. :( I spent my university days here and graduated after 4 years. I  never wanted to leave for Manila but I found it difficult to find a job in Baguio after staying another year after graduation. The last time I was here was on my wedding day, this was a promise I made to myself that I wanted to get married in Baguio whatever happens and wherever I might end up to. I was glad to have kept that promise. This place has always got a place to chill in my heart...

Bohol, home of the world's smallest primate, The Tarsier

The tarsier is the first thing that springs to mind when you think Bohol but there is more to this island than just this furry little creature and the Chocolote Hills. I felt sorry though that the tarsiers had to be pestered by tourists during the day when they are supposed to be asleep and resting. The guys who runs the conservation place probably hasn't got a grasp that these fellows are nocturnal. Makes me wonder if they really care for the conservation of these animals. :( On the other hand, it's nice to explore the island via motorbike (which I did with hubby) all the way to Panglao island where you will find a white beach and enjoy a bubbly nightlife. You won't run out of beach resorts and cocktail bars here. Balicasag island is a popular dive site in Bohol. It's a massive wall drop teeming with sea life. It's easy to fall back and just chill out in this island. I promised to come back.

Camiguin, The Volcano Island

My trip to Camiguin island last April 2009 is one of my life's favorite solo backpacker's episode. I took the ferry from my hometown Dumaguete to get here. It took six hours to arrive to Cagayan de Oro (CDO), Northern Mindanao. As I arrived around 7pm, I had to stay overnight in CDO. Early the next day I hopped to a bus to take me to Balingoan port where I could take the ferry to Camiguin island. From the port, I could see clearly where I'm heading to. Seeing the view filled my heart with so much excitement. I know I'm going to have a great time here and  I did! In this beautiful island are hot springs, falls, a popular sandbar in the middle of the sea and volcanoes of deadly beauty. If you are feeling energetic, you can do a climb of the 14 stations of the cross and be rewarded with a spectacular view when you reach the top with wobbly knees! :)

Moalboal, Cebu (Low-Key but excellent diving destination)

Moal-what? I know, its a bit of a mouthful to pronounce the place correctly but who cares. I fell in love with this little low profile island the moment I set foot in it. Diving here is terrific. My dive guide told me that this is one of the best places to get your first diving lessons because you don't get much of bad currents. I did my first night dive here and it was worth doing! The people in the resort were lovely. I think the people in this place were lovely in general. It's nice to explore the island on a motorbike too as you can appreciate the locality even better, just mind the public buses.

Anilao, Batangas, One of the Philippines first dive destinations

Anilao, according to my guidebook is one of the first diving destinations set-up in the Philippines. I travelled here with my very good friends. We did some snorkelling after our rented boat / boatman took us to a nearby reef. What I saw was disappointing. The corals were bleached and there weren't many fishes hanging around. I could only suspect that this area had suffered from years of overfishing and dynamite fishing. It's very sad to think how we can easily destroy nature for short term gains. :( Apart from that, the holiday spent with my friends was most enjoyable. On the way back to Manila, we drove down to Tagaytay to have a good glimpse of the unassuming but fascinating Taal Volcano Lake.

Mt. Pinatubo, Tarlac, Pampanga

My itchy feet had taken me to trek Mt. Pinatubo. I took my whole family with me just to make sure I get all the moral support I could get along the way. I ended up doing all the pep talk just to keep them going. The trek was taxing. It took nearly 4 hours to reach the crater involving an off road 4x4 wheel drive, that was the fun bit. The view that welcomed us at the end of the trek was fascinating. It definitely blew us away and we all forgot how tired we were.

Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Island Hopping, Crocodile Farm and the St. Paul Underground River

My very good friends Tanya and Cess arranged the trip to Palawan. I only had to pay my share. :) I came back from overseas and this was the first real holiday I had in ages. We went island hopping and snorkeling. Visited Baker's Hill and stuffed our faces with pastries. Cringed whiled walking above a steel bridge overlooking a sea of crocodiles in the crocodile farm. Even managed to semi-hugged a baby reptile for that matter. Played proper girlies in the butterfly farm. To sum it all up, it had been a fabulous time.

Sagada, Mt.Province, Sumaguing Cave & The Hanging Coffins

Sagada has great mountain ranges to boast and because it is located high up in the mountains, it's like it's got its own air-conditioning system, not to mention free for all. We came across Banaue Rice Terraces, the self-proclaimed and allegedly the 8th wonder of the world. It was indeed impressive to see and makes you wonder how those rice terraces came to form during ancient times in human hands. Sagada had their own rice terraces too. My local guide asserted that it is better than the Banaue's. I think he was only biased. :) He showed me Sumaguing Cave which had primitive coffins by the entrance. This used to be a burial cave during early times. Inside the cave were fascinating formation of limestone. One of my favorite was the "Truffle Cake".

Siquijor, The Island of Fire

Most Filipinos are scared to go Siquijor. I can't understand why they believe rumors that witches and supernatural creatures reside here. Having visited the island twice, the rumors still prove to be untrue. All I have witnessed was a lovely little island with exquisite nature and superb beaches. My Mom travelled with me on my first visit to Siquijor. When I found out about the Cantabon cave, I insisted to go in it. My Mom objected that I go even with a guide because it's too dangerous. I still went in... with Mom... :)

Malapascua, Cebu, The Thresher Shark

Malapascua is located north of Cebu. Divers come here to see the endangered thresher shark. I was glad to know that the thresher shark is protected here and not eaten by locals like we most Filipinos do. i.e we eat whatever crawls on four feet or whatever swims in the sea. I failed to see the shark on my first dive visit so I had to come back then I saw him.