Stumble, Fall And Rise – The Inflatable Island PH Experience

“I feel the earth move under my feet, I feel the sky tumbling down”, the lyrics of Carole King popping in my ears as I, together with the Third Party Risk Management team, am on my way to Inflatable Island Philippines. We all boarded the van, some are asleep, and some are chit-chatting, while me, I am just on my earphones acting nonchalant. I am trying to hide the excitement within me, my heart pounded wildly as we entered SCTEX. The lyrics of Carole King’s song is explaining it though hahaha!

We arrived past 10am. Quite late for our 2-hour pass which is supposed to start at 10am until 12nn. It took a while for us to settle down and change, leaving us only 30 minutes to enjoy the Inflatable Island. And I tell you, it was the wildest 30 minutes of my life! After the briefing, we donned our life vests and went straight to the fun! It was a struggle upon entering the island. The flooring is slippery and wobbly so it was very difficult to balance. I stumbled and fell into the water a number of times. There were 14 obstacles all in all but given that we were already late, we just tried 2 out of 14, the Giant Tarzan Swing & Slide and Jumping Pillow (the complete list and map is below). My apologies for the very few photos taken on the island, as what heywatermelon girl said in her blog, “It is when you lose your focus on taking pictures that you know you are having pure happiness”, this is genuinely true and I couldn’t agree more – check her out here.

Photo from http://www.theinflatableisland.com/

Aside from the playground and the Bali inspired cabanas, there are these trendy floaties by the shore. We took the opportunity to pose and shoot some Instagram worthy photos. No need for words on these shots I suppose, *wink.

As the sun started to set, we took some shots, packed up and left. It was indeed a fun weekend. You know as well as they say, time wasted at the beach is time well spent. All the stumbling and falling were all worth it. What's important is that we rise after we fall.

Meet our non-human companion - Joon Jae.

Special thanks to the Third Party Risk Management team Manila for the invite! It’s not very often that you feel you belong to a group instantly, and I felt that sense of belongingness with you guys (cheesy but true hahahaha!).

Buena Familia – My Favorite!

It was a bit of a surprise when I didn’t include Buena Familia in my annual routine blog, People of My Year (2016). Yes, they were very significant in my 2016 and yes, they’ve been one of the group of people who gave it soul. Originally, I intended to include them in my annual list but I came to think it through, Buena Familia is so special and dear to me to be just included in a list. 

So here’s the reason. This year, is our 2nd anniversary. We all met summer time of 2015 on a great escapade to Cagbalete Island, Quezon Province. I never expected that trip to be so worth remembering until today, 2 years later. 

Who are we?

Buena Familia is a group of 5. Yet again I say, we share one common denominator - The Love for Travel.

• Mami (or Mommy) Tina – the matriarch of the group. She is the girl who looks after everyone else and makes sure no one goes past the line of good, clean fun. Mami Tina is a great adventure partner because she supports us wherever we want to go but will definitely warn me if, say, the mountain I want to trek up is too much for my asthma. 

• JB – I put him next to Mami as he is her favorite son. We don’t take it against him right Mei? Hahaha! He is undoubtedly kind-hearted and well grounded. JB’s a bit of an introvert, but I am at times surprised at how much insight he can offer. And since he is an introvert, he too, is low maintenance. JB is the perfect companion for chill adventures like road trips and late night bonfires.

• Ray-Ray – the group’s “Ate” or big sister. What’s special about Ray2 is that, even if we don’t see her too often, she makes sure that we are loved by her. I miss you Ray!

• Mei-Mei – But of course! The spear header! He has a knack for finding places and generally not getting lost. No wonder he has tons of public relation skills. He is a kind of companion who would probably find the best route to our destinations, leaving us more time to actually enjoy where we're going.

• And then, there’s ME, Lil. I am more of the - you-live-only-once (YOLO) friend. I am game to do all high-adrenaline activities, seek out the secret hideouts, and try the most bizarre delicacies despite the fact that I have the most irritable tummy patterns hahaha! It is just because, I really want each adventure to be a memorable one.

We are given a lot of choices in this world. And one of those is the freedom to choose your friends. Not just friends, but great travel companions. An adventure isn't complete wihout them, Buena Familia, my favorite people in the world! With them I found the perfect travel and adventure buddies. #travelgoals #friendshipgoals

My Modelling Career in Ilocos?!?!

The Buena Familia (minus the boys), travels to the Northern Philippines on an epic road trip adventure covering Paoay, Laoag, Pagudpud and Vigan. We explore the best local spots in each city. We would come to find that Ilocos is one of the most unknown and best kept secret in the Philippines. We visited the famous Paoay Church which is declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine government in 1973 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the collective group of Baroque Churches of the Philippines in 1993. The Paoay sand dunes as we take a jeep a go 4x4 extreme off-roading and sand boarding in the desert. Kapurpurawan Rock formation in Burgos, Ilocos norte, Patapat Viaduct, the Blue Lagoon Hannas beach resort in Pagudpud which is known as the Boracay of the North. We also went to Vigan in Ilocos Sur to taste the best foods that this historic city has to offer.



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