Bend in the road

I will miss all this. I will miss things I never thought I would experience. These excitements and thrills that make me feel alive. Make me feel that I’m making a difference. Despite all that, I must move on and say goodbye. I must think of the long run.

These thrills are momentary. Once they end, the charm wears off and I’m back to the usual. Would I exchange momentary excitement for an opportunity that I know would make me happier? That would benefit me in the long run? I think not. I made my choice. I will face the consequences and make sacrifices. Sacrifices that I know I can give up for something I want. Something I’ve been waiting for so long.

Life is full of choices and sacrifices. You choose what you’re willing to lose in order to gain.

Coming back won’t be the same. I’m not the same. It’s a start of a new journey. Familiar environment perhaps but never the same. We can never go back to what once was, we can only start again.

So to anyone who is starting again, stay strong. Pray to God for strength and guidance. Hope for the best but be prepared. Keep up the faith for exciting things may come at the bend in the road.

Evocative scents of the beach

As I picked up the fluffy towel and gently patted it to dry my face after a bath, it smelled of sun block and sunshine. It’s weird because it was quite a long time since our last beach together. The towel was already washed numerous times but it exudes the scent of memories evocative of sand under our feet, sun blazing behind our backs and salty water all over our bodies. It quickly took me back to the time you taught me how to swim and you laughed at how enthusiastic I was in the water and started to “practice” even before you said, “go,” and “again.”

Perhaps this is a foreshadowing of a beach trip sometime soon. :)
*wishful thinking*

Hearts and arrows kinda date

Ever since I’ve seen pictures of people wielding bow and arrows, I wanted to pay Gandiva a visit. As a child and until now, I’ve aspired to try archery. I guess this is from playing too much RPG games but hey, it’s fascinating. I always thought that trying archery is a far-fetched dream. Where can I do that in Davao? It’s not something you can find anywhere near here so I was thrilled to see that an archery place opened in Davao and in one of the malls to boot! I didn’t have to go far or go to out of town resorts that offer this recreational activity. Achievement unlocked for me! I planned a date with my partner in advance so we can properly have this archery date.

 

I thought I can actually choose to wield this. XD

I asked friends who played there about the crowds and how long they waited and the price/s for playing. One friend told me they had to wait 1 hour and 30 minutes for their turn! Waiting is not really my strength so my partner and I decided to go to the mall when it opens in the morning to avoid the crowds that would flock the game area. We set the date and met at the mall around 11:00 AM. So much for the planned 9:30 AM meeting.

Still we were pretty early with a few stragglers along the mall and only one customer besides us at the start of our game. The price starts at Php200.00 for 20 arrows per person. We opted for the Php360 for 40 arrows good for two persons. You can say it was a post monthsary date, early “Valentine’s” date (although we don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day). The lady-in-charge assisted us and briefed us about the possibility of the string to “recoil” after we release it. Some get bruised while others really get wounded so we have leather guards attached to our arms. I was so thrilled that my palms were gathering cold sweat. Ugh! The bow was heavy and quite difficult to wield at first thanks to my sweaty palms. Eventually we were able to fire a few shots.

Let's continue facing the same direction and goal. :">

I felt a twinge of dismay that my arrows didn’t fly true. I always end up hitting the sides of the target. I shouldn’t expect so much since it was my first time but I can’t help it. Eventually the euphoria of playing chased away my disappointment and I had a really grand time. I kept laughing most of the time that I didn’t realize that I used up all my 20 arrows. I thought 20 would be too much for me to handle for a first-timer but time AND arrows fly when you’re having fun. If another chance comes my way, I would like to play again. It was one of the best dates I ever had! Aside from the fact that we got to try something new together, everything went smoothly as opposed to most of our dates with hiccups along the way. Answered prayer!

I was hoping I get to choose which bow to use. XD

We were famished after playing so we head over to Pepper Lunch to enjoy a sumptuous sizzling lunch! The smell was divine as it was served on our table and it satisfied our tummies and taste buds! Burp! To more first-time-activity dates to come!

Garlic beef hits the spot! *burp!

New Year 2016, new adventures!

Happy New Year from us! :*

Grumpy companion. Humf! >.<

Our feet are ready to take on new adventures this year!

Photo Post # 3

Been really busy lately with work and events and practices and deadlines! We barely had time for each other. :( I do hope we'll have another adventure soon. I miss being carefree.

Photo Post # 2

“Most of us need something not to walk away from”
― Josh Stern

FullDive with you

I watched Sword Art Online and now I’m currently watching Sword Art Online II and can’t help but wish that it’s real. Of course, I won’t “dive” into the virtual world right away. I want to observe the first players first because who knows what could be the consequences. I don’t want to experience the die-in-the-game-die-in-real-life concept of Sword Art Online. Of course in the later parts of the anime when Sword Art Online was cleared, the other full dive games have no such concept.
 

Here’s a little description of what Sword Art Online is about. Sword Art Online, hereby shortened to SAO, is a full dive game where a person will wear a NerveGear on his/her head so he/she can FullDive into the game. The body goes on a comatose-like state while playing the game. The player can fully interact inside the game like in another world. No consoles, full interaction & fighting. So even if you live far away or not, you can interact with anyone on SAO being a VMMORPG.
 

So back to wanting to play a game similar to Sword Art Online… Okay, I prefer ALfheim Online since it has more “magic” and you get to choose from different classes of fairies. Alfheim Online, hereby shortened to ALO, is another full dive game in the SAO anime that is similar to SAO. You can buy in game houses & properties so you can have a place to stay while meeting with friends or go on quests or do stuff together like homework or any game/activity you want. It’s pretty convenient for people who live faraway. I know nothing beats real time, actual meeting with friends but if there are time constraints or location problems then an environment like SAO or ALO is very convenient. Imagine buying a log cabin with a beautiful view (hahaha rip-off from Asuna & Kirito’s log cabin) where you can meet with friends or escape reality for a while when it’s getting rough. A dream come true for someone like me!

Since ALO uses an AmuSphere (google it), you don’t have to stare at the screen while playing because you’re IN THE GAME. For someone with poor eyesight like me who suffers from astigmatism, this is a great development in that the grades of my eyes won’t increase leading to poorer eyesight caused by staring at the screen for long hours. Can’t it get any better? Plus I get to have 20/20 vision in the game so no inhibitions to my movements caused by constantly wearing glasses. Aaaahhh.. T_T

I don’t know if it will become possible in the near future but I do need such an environment at the moment. An escape... a place to meet with that person who lives far away from me… A place where we can stay, play, do quests together & relax together after completing quests…*sigh

 

Sword Art Online 

picture source

ALfheim Online

picture source 

Tiny Tea Shop

     One day, a tea shop followed me on instagram (silohime) named Tiny Tea Shop. Since it sounds promising, I decided to check out their profile and searched for their Facebook account. Lo and behold! Such a cute tea shop with comfy places to lounge about and a comforting vibe. Also, the reviews are good so I decided to “bookmark” it and schedule a time to visit the place with CJ.

    We decided to visit the place on our monthsary (which thankfully was half day for our office). We scanned the area looking for the tea shop only to find it along a quiet street near SM Ecoland. Tiny Tea Shop is actually a quaint little house decorated inside for comfort and relaxation. The light colors and dainty furnishings and decorations give you that tranquil & sleepy feeling like you just wanna lounge there to kill the time or read a book while sipping their ice cold milk tea. 

     CJ & I chose “seats” at the back area wherein there are low tables and cushions for us to sit or squat on. They also have these colorful square papers where one can write anything they like and have the freedom to post it on the walls surrounding the lounging area. I scanned the walls and read some interesting messages, doodles and illustrations left by customers. We even saw CJ’s classmates’ note representing CS4. He couldn’t help but join them so he wrote his name and taped it beside his friends’ notes. I laughed at how happy and childish he looked while doing it.

     CJ said we’ll be having dinner after relaxing at the tea house so we decided on buying only drinks. It was a shame though ‘cause I wanted to try their snacks. Maybe next time. Hehehe. I ordered Taro Milk Tea with rock salt & cheese, which is one of my fave flavors of milk tea, while CJ ordered Buko Pandan Milk Tea. While waiting for the order we thought of what to write on the papers in front of us. So we wrote each others “nicknames” in turns and see who can “artfully” do it better. I guess I won because he was annoyed with the outcome.

     When the drinks arrived, I got so excited that I tasted both! Yum! So refreshing and delectable! I finished mine quite fast. I made a mental note to visit the place some other time. So guys, if you want to check the place out, Tiny Tea Shop is located at Phase 1, 4th Street, House no. 82, Ecoland Subdivision, Quimpo Boulevard, Davao City.