Medellin, luv at first sight

slept like a baby during my entire flight from Miami to Medellin. cuz it’s been more than 25+ hrs of planes, airports, and terminal exchanges. lucky not to be flying on coach this time or i’d seriously turn to a top-class whiner biatch. it’s been almost 3hrs and pilot has just announced plane’s final descent. and voila!!! woke up to an incredibly gorgeous view of rolling hills and charming city perched on a valley. wooow! had no idea about Colombia’s 2nd biggest city – Medellin. obvi, i didn’t do my homework and read nothing for this trip. just packed my stuff and took off. if you’d mention to me Colombia – i can only come up with 4Cs in my head – coffee(!), Cali Salsa, captivating Colombianas, and coke (!!!). but never had i imagined it to be such a beautiful city. it’s a shame that my knowledge of this city i’m about to explore is obviously as good as nothing. hopefully, my buddy, J, whom i’m visiting here, can introduce me to this beautiful city! ohmygawd!!! i haven’t even explored it yet, and i’m already luvin’ it from above <3 even my (apparently) cute seatmate who’s seated by the window didn’t manage to contain to himself and said, “nice, yeah?”. i let it slide cuz he’s american and it’s understandable if the only adjective he can afford is “nice”. “stunning!”, i replied. he’s nice though after few small talks and exchange of name cards and whatsapp numbers, he offered his seat to me so i can have a better view of the city. i gladly accepted the offer, of course! woooohooo!!! lush green hills some even kissing hovering low clouds, streaks of sunlight casting to the greater part of the valley, and seamless mix of old and new buildings sprawling from the foot of the valley to top. it’s so beautiful…so poetic! <3 can’t wait to land and explore the city, ahora!!! splendid times ahead! yay!   (drafted aboard Spirit)

leafing another page

wanna be cheeky last night and greet him, “happy annivs! thanks for givin’ me back my life!”. but I thought otherwise, cuz i remembered dry humour is not for everyone and he’s not proficient with my second language, sarcasm.

besides, after that bomb was dropped which i actually thought i won’t be able to survive or would leave me such an ugly scar, life has been nothing but beautiful adventures! made several bold grown-up decisions (i’m proud of), and gone through slow sweet steps of metamorphosis <3

is it really 17 mile drive?

it’s the beginning of Fall, and here in NorCal, temperature could drop us low as 50°F (10°C), not considering yet the wind chill. brrrrr. and the tropical specie me finds it hard to move my arse off the bed. but it’s a beautiful day, and driving to Monterey all the way to Big Sur looks sweet! sun is out and temperature is mild at 70°F (21°C). double-clad with pullover and warmer, braved the drive along Highway 1 with D.

17-mile Drive is a very scenic drive along the coast of Monterey Peninsula from Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach. A rugged coastline of granite and white sand beach, dotted with weathered Giant Kelps, Cypress and Ghost trees that add charm to the beauty of the restless sea. the entire stretch allows you to commune with nature to give you that requisite respite from the city’s chaotic jungle.

today’s drive to Big Sur

art of cairn, yeah gotta show it off

seated next to a Western Gull overlooking the seal and sea lion-covered Bird Rock

cabbie, music and me

arrived 2hrs late of my ETA in MNL and had to take an airport cab back to makati. it’s been a looong day of airport stuff, connecting flights and yes delayed flights and long queue in PI’s immigration, with a trace of hangover from my day-long cocktail drinking with friends in BKK for a quick catch up, so i’m a li’l pesky, to say the least, when i hopped on the cab.

but to my amusement, the cabie had a good taste for music and his set-up is actually neat for an airport cab. it’s Up Dharma Down’s “OO” playing, and i suddenly realized how i missed listening to real good local music. lead guitar, bass, percussion and the vocals complete the magic of UDD’s music! do you remember the last time when you got actually transcended away from all your cares by music? 

Cabbie’s playlist also included “sana”, “taya”, “thinker”, “tadhana” (oh boy!!! do i luv it?) and so on and so forth jumping from “fragmented” to “bipolar” to “capacities” albums in random order. 

it’s a good 20min drive and all i can think of is how i wanna be alone in my room and play in my itunes more lovely music like that. i miss those days when i would start and end my day with my Sennheiser HD 598 headphones on (had to drop what it is as it’s real steal for its power btw!) and just get lost with the richness and beauty of music of whatever genre. was so deep in it, i came to understand soundstage when a song plays. have you had that? that feeling when you can actually visualize the music coming through your headphone? :-) soooo good you can see it. sooo good, you can taste it :-)

“Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can’t.” 
― Johnny Depp