the story of an epiphany

over at Daivy's blog, i downloaded her soundclips that she recorded from the Maroon 5 concert. i'm so jealous! Maroon 5 was supposed to have a concert here last year or maybe i just imagined it at the hype of my extreme fanaticism. whatever happened to the plan? her posts inspired me to download "Must Get Out". i love the whole album, Songs About Jane. i also love the cover art of the cd. She Will Be Loved and Sunday Morning.

back to regular programming. my initial purpose for this post is to share with you something very important to me. I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT! (hehe). while in Palawan, Van and i joked that the whole trip was "life changing". what she didn't know is that it was LIFE CHANGING, INDEED and i really took it seriously. the trip was an epiphany of some sort. living in the city amid the hustle and bustle of life can be draining and it can take your mind away from the beauty of what there is outside the metro.

a boat ride to the underground river from the wharf at Sabang supposedly takes just 40-minutes. but since the South China Sea was ferocious that morning (I've never seen the sea that scary in my whole life), we were forced to take the 2 hour trek to the underground river. another two-hours back. i was hesistant at first. who wouldn't be? i knew it was going to be really tough especially if the weather wasn't cooperating with us at all! but we chose to go anyway since we were already there and we wouldn't want to miss the heritage site!

the four-hour trek (back and forth from Sabang beach to the Subterranean National Park) made me appreciate nature even more. the sound of waves from the South China Sea down below crashing to the shore as we made our way up a steep hill was a different experience. as we made our way into the jungle, there were animal sounds which i can't explain but it sounded like a song to me as they welcomed people to their territory-- their home. the trees were gigantic with their branches stretching out very far. as apple said, thanks to these trees in the jungle, we were able to trek safely up and down steep, rugged slopes because the bulging roots were our grips as we trekked upwards. the smaller trees also helped us out a lot because we used them as support whenever we climb down or go up a mountain.

another epiphany: when i got back home, i had flashbacks of the hard trek. i got into thinking that climbing up a mountain (or trekking in general) is like life. sometimes the road is smooth, the terrain is neutral. along the trail, there were stone steps and cemented trails where you can relax while walking after a gruesome trek up and down steep slopes. i tell you, it's a treat when you're dead tired and you think you can no longer go on. what's torture is when you're already exhausted and worn out but you know that there's still an hour and a half more to go. the trek back to Sabang was harder because we already knew what hell we had to go through again!

life is like that. sometimes the road is smooth-- there are no ups-and-downs. sometimes life can seem like a walk in the park then there are times when you need to climb up and your perseverance and strength are put to the test. you think to youself that you could no longer go on because you feel tired already and there is no energy left for you to carry the trek. when you think about the difficulties ahead that you have to go through, you'd think that you want to give in the towel and there's no hope for you. you give up. that trek made me see that I CAN DO IT afterall if i put my heart and mind to it.

just like a survivor after a stormy night, you'd think: Wow. I made it through. I didn't think I'd do that! But I'm here! Still in one piece!. that was what i thought after the trek. not in my wildest dreams did i think of jeopardizing my chance to live until i'm in my 80s because before the long trek, we were warned that it was going to be dangerous if it rained. the day was really cloudy and rainy when we got to Sabang in the morning. but we went ahead. For the sake of adventure! Ambet Ocampo said.

i told myself that i'd never go trekking to and from Sabang and the underground river. but upon the realization of how much i changed by that four-hour trek, i think i'd do it again with the right preparation, a bigger bottle of water, insect repellant, sturdy flip-flops, and good company.

From the day we arrive on the planet
And, blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

The Circle of Life, The Lion King.


onto some pictures....

Sabang. the beach with the mountains as backdrop. beautiful!


still at Sabang



we had lunch here when we got back. frickin' 5pm!!


follow the leader!!! trekking. on our way to the jungle and up and down two mountains.




Chairman Ambet Ocampo. we were intimidated at first. but he turned out to be really funny :)








the Chairman taking a break!


Chairman Ambet Ocamo, Director Melly Almosara, and Mrs. Belleza (the curator of the Legazpi City museum) taking a breather.


"van! di ko na kayaaaa...."


no Underground River picture here because my digicam's battery died on the way. i do have pictures in my film camera, though. haven't got it developed yet.

when you're at that side of the world, you'd tell yourself how lucky you are to be alive. GOD is THE ARTIST. nature. what can i say? i really want my children to see this part of the world. i want them to climb trees, hear birds sing, and learn to love animals. but it's sad to think what might come in the future if we continue to abuse Nature.

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth

The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends
Colors of the Wind, Vanessa Williams (From Pocahontas)

now it's about time i gave something back to Nature because it has been giving a lot to me already. i volunteered for/joined Haribon www.haribon.org.ph in hopes of contributing/helping even in a little way to PROTECT NATURE and PRESERVE LIFE as the organization's tagline says.

this is definitely not a phase. i've been ignoring this all my life. it's time that i actually paid attention.

it is through experiences like these that i feel MOST ALIVE.


P.S. this is my desktop wallpaper as of the moment. download the wallpaper here :) sorry, it's just for desktops with a 1024x768 resolution.