Love.Risk.Surf.Live

Life's better in Boardshorts!

November 29-December 2, 2012 Surigao Del Sur, Mindanao Surf 13: Sons Season 5 Mindanao Surf 4 months in the making surf trip. Finally it's happening! One hour and half plane to Butuan and another 6 hours land trip to Surigao. The long hours we endured to see the beautiful and serene place of Surigao. As soon as we arrived the Surf Camp, we unloaded our bags and boards. I was excited to check out the place. Yum-yum was there already waiting for us. He was my first ever surf instructor way back 2008 in La Union. How awesome we're seeing each other again in his home town! with a local, yumyum, jomjom and me Before it even got dark, Johanne, Nicco and I tried out the surf. It was a reef break but stones were smooth so nothing to worry about. Got some rides and it made me really happy. We stayed at the Surf Camp. It's a place run by the LGU. Pretty decent place to stay by surfers who are really budget conscious like us. Each room has 2 bunk beds, safety closet and a...

Season 5 in Surigao del Sur We've booked this trip way back in July 2012. Manila-Butuan at P1930 2-way. It was a panic-booking just like our Endless Samar trip last August. 4 months in the making! Our first plan was to go to Siargao Island but because of time constraints and the hassle travel, we ended up planning for Surigao del Sur instead. Preparations were easy! Thanks to Yum. He's my first ever surf instructor when I tried my first ride on the waves of La Union. Weeks before the trip when we settled for Lanuza, I sent him a message and the next thing I know, everything is all set. Yeahay! Thank you. It'll be my first time to visit Mindanao and my first time to try out the waves in Mindanao. Excited and stoked just thinking about it. Can't wait!

I'm currently taking ENRM 221 (Socio-Cultural Perspectives on the Environment). One of our assignments is to submit a photo or our environment and write a paragraph describing it. So here's my assignment. May 2012 Dilasag, Aurora Love.Risk.Surf.Live This is my environment on weekends. Beach setting, sun shining brightly, waves pumping 3 to 5 feet high, fine sand exfoliating my feet, and the friendly and loving locals welcoming me every time I go home. Yes, I consider this my second home. I call myself the weekend warrior. After a busy work in Manila, I get to travel all the way to my home break on weekends (or at least once a month) only. My mom reprimanded me one time because there was one month when I spent the entire 4 weekends in Baler. I couldn't explain to her the high feeling I get after every surf. Yes, I go to Baler to surf. That moment when you see an incoming wave, you paddle hard, commit, and ride that perfect wave. Priceless. Words are not enough how ...

My sentiment today. Can't think of anything but surf. Don't want to do anything but surf! Love.Risk.Surf.Live

Andy Irons. He's my surfer idol and inspiration as of the moment. If the waves come, paddle hard and commit. No Fear!

Oct 26-28, 2012 Surf 12: Wounded Wendy It's a long weekend so I grabbed the chance to stay for 3 days in my favorite surf spot. Heavy rains poured as I left Manila. Signal #1 was declared but I still left anyway hoping it'll be sunny up North, besides, I didn't want to waste the long weekend. Early morning I arrived and it was still raining. I didn't brave get in the water, brrrr it was cold. But hours later rain didn't stop and there's nothing to do so I decided to still surf. The water was not cold at all. Got some good rides too. The weather was gloomy the whole day. Good times still cos friends were around. And oh what a surprise..KUYA JESS was there! The night was good :) It was all pure fun and laughter. To end the night, food trip at rolling store to satisfy our hungry stomach. The next day Mr. Sun was up shining oh so brightly!:) Morning surf yeah. Waves were good so I prepared Wendy. Shit happens though and it was not Wendy's day. After my la...

October 19-21, 2012 Grand Induction Nagsasa Cove, Zambales I still remember clearly my Grand Induction six year ago in Lobo, Batangas. It was the best part of being a member of UP MBS. I've missed some inductions through the years, but this year I made sure I joined even if I missed the first day, (screw work!). So anyway the Habol Group a.k.a the working force left Jollibee Philcoa 4am of Saturday. When we reached Pundakit, 4 more habol mems joined us. It was an hour and a half boat ride to Nagsasa Cove. The view was breathtaking! Wow! When we arrived the camp site the rest of the group already left for the falls. Deym I wasn't able to join. Ang sarap lang chumill! The camp site was shaded plus the view of the mountains surrounding it, wow! It was so nice to see also the rest of the alumni! Yiii perfect bonding and catching up setting. Ok words are no enough to describe the place. You should see for yourself. There's no electricity and signal on this island. But th...

October 13-14 Baler, Aurora Surf 11: Kat's Birthday Surf Back to the old times of taking the Genesis regular bus. Cheaper yes and it took us 5 hours, same as the Joybus! 5am we arrived and went straight to Dream Peak. A morning surf was the perfect way to start the day. Lusong! The waves were choppy though. Paddling out was a struggle. In the evening, we celebrated Kat's birthday! Boodle dinner:) Sobrang solb sa sarap . Bonfire, booze and a special fire dance performance. Happy happy birthday Kat!   Happy Birthday Kat We're growing in numbers!!! Photos and Video by Dei Boado Back Track  Surf 1: Hari ng Sablay Surf 2: Para sa'yo to Kid Surf 3: Rainy Surf   Surf 4: Holy weekend   Surf 5: Commit  Surf 6: Yoga-surf Surf 7: S3E10    Surf 8: MBS Surf Surf 9: Sorry Wendy   Surf 10: Endless Samar Surf

Tadhana by Up Dharma Down Sa hindi inaaasahang Pagtatagpo ng mga mundo May minsan lang na nagdugtong, Damang dama na ang ugong nito 'Di pa ba sapat ang sakit at lahat Na hinding hindi ko ipararanas sayo Ibinubunyag ka ng iyong mata Sumisigaw ng pag-sinta Ba't di pa patulan Ang pagsuyong nagkulang Tayong umaasang Hilaga't kanluran Ikaw ang hantungan At bilang kanlungan mo Ako ang sasagip saýo Saan nga ba patungo, Nakayapak at nahihiwagaan Ang bagyo ng tadhana ay Dinadala ako sa init ng bisig mo Ba't 'di pa sabihin Ang hindi mo maamin Ipa-uubaya na lang ba 'to sa hangin huwag mong ikatakot Ang bulong ng damdamin mo Naririto ako at nakikinig saýo Hooohh... hoooohh... Hooohh... hoooohh... Hooohh... hoooohh... These lines! BOOM.

September 15-16, 2012 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro The UP Marine Biological Society (UP MBS), yearly organizes its own ICC. This year they go back to Puerto Galera to monitor the Clam Garden and to plan mangroves. Puerto Galera, Kay Ganda! 80 participants from Manila join this big event together with 400 students from Puerto Galera. The activity began with the cleanup of coastal areas in Muelle Cove, Hondura Bay and Balete Bay. Each dive group was assigned to collect specific trash and tally on the data card. Its purpose is to identify the kinds of trash that are not properly disposed. Photo by Jadd Padilla Arts and craft Some of the trash collected were used to create artsy stuff. The kids definitely have creative juices! The  made whale out of bottle, crocodile out of egg trays, people out of bottle and newspapers. Mangrove Planting In the afternoon, participants planted mangroves. Mangroves not only help in pr...

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The UP Marine Biological Society (UP MBS) will be having its annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) on September 15-16, 2012 at Puerto Galera. This year's theme: Puerto Galera, Kay Ganda! Activities during this event include mangrove planting, clam garden monitoring, coastal cleanup, lectures, snorkeling, and SCUBA diving.  To know more about the event like their page on Facebook: Puerto Galera, Kay Ganda! Signup and volunteer here . To help fund the event, support the Fluidsurf and Core sale . All items are discounted.

Finally decided to retire my primitive call and text Nokia phone! I don't know what unit this is, but this phone served me well. Three weeks ago I bought Sony's Xperia Go. Why not iPhone or Blackberry? These two phones are so mainstream. Everyone you see on the streets has these phones! I'm not joining the bandwagon. Xperia Go  I was searching for phones online and I fell in love with Xperia when I read its features and other reviews. It's the perfect phone for me, an outdoor person where everything is on the go. What I love about this phone is it's water resistant, dust and scratch resistant. You don't need colorful cases to protect it! You can take a photo right after swimming or surfing. No need to dry yourself! You can even use it to take a video of your perfect ride on the wave! It's that durable. Your phone suddenly slipped off your hands? No worries! It's shock proof. So there I'm so happy I have this phone. To learn more about Xpe...

August 25-28, 2012 Sons and Daughters of a Beach S3E13 Borongan, Eastern Samar Surf 10: The Endless Samar Surf Done with the PreSamar preparations. Now we're bound to Samar! Our flight to Tacloban was at 3:10pm. It was a smooth flight and we arrived Tacloban ahead schedule. Our pilot must have been excited for us too! We had to wait for Johanne, Biggel, Cathy, and Chino cos their flight was 2 hours later than ours. Oh wait, Chino was left behind, hahaha but yes caught up with us the next day. When we were all complete, our travel continued. From Tacloban, we had a 4-hour land trip to Eastern Samar. It was a long tiring ride! Highlight: We passed by the San Juanico bridge! Too bad though we didn't have a photo. We'll surely go back to witness this bridge with the sun shining so brightly. Around 1am we finally reach Pebbles and Tides or is it really Peebles and Tides?? hahaa anlabo lang.We had two cottages and to my surprise, both had aircon! Yeah didn't expect ...

Endless Samar Surf finally tomorrow August 28, 2012. We've booked this trip since March 15, 2012 and now it's really happening! It's our first time to try out the surf in Samar. This is so exciting! Since it’s our first time, we don’t know anything about the area, and we don’t know anyone from there.   Well I have one friend from Tacloban. Her name is Cha Nicart, my dragonboat team mate. She told me she has friends from Borongan and offered to book a van for us. I’ve done a lot of research. There are a lot of surf spots in Samar, I can’t recall anymore how I came across Borongan or was it Nikir who mentioned it to me. So anyway we’re going to this place. I came across an article from rappler.com entitled, EasternSamar: Surfing’s last frontier . Of course I got all hyped up reading! There was Carlos Aga’s contact details at the end of the article. He’s a representative from Borongan’s tourism office. I texted him and inquired about lodging, transportation, surfin...

Aug  18-21, 2012 Ok so it's a long weekend. Everyone has their own plans out of town while I'm stuck here in sad Manila. It breaks my heart that I didn't go to Baler. A lot of my friends are there as well. Hmmmph. Ok I'm letting this pass. Looking forward to the next long weekend! Endless Samar Surf session!

How much of the Philippines have I seen? Not much! I have to visit and explore the Philippines first before I go overseas. Have to target at least one province every two months. Not bad. Let's go! I'm so proud of our country. We have a lot to boast! Ok so here's a nice tool I found where you can plot places you've visited in the Philippines. My Lakbayan grade is C-! How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan ! Created by Eugene Villar .

Open your mind and be adventurous You get but one try Open your eyes and be the things you want And rely on with no spite This Gathering by Franco   This song speaks so much about what I'm going through. Whew! Jess guide me and help me make the right decision.

http://www.billabong.com/girls/global/files_blog/blog_1829_img_11_lg.jpg the desire to escape to that dream location... Just sent in my answers to their additional questions. Whew Jess thy will be done.

Two weeks ago I sent my Resume . I wasn't expecting I'll get considered I just sent it hoping I'll get a reply. A week later I got an email asking me to answer some questions. I sent my answers two days ago. This afternoon I checked my mail and surprise, another email from them. They have additional questions and then informed to expect a call by next week. Wow I really have a chance here. I'm praying I get an interview. Do I really have a chance? I hope so. I like the fact that I will be in the working environment that I always wanted. There are reservations though. Am I ready to be away from my comfort zone, away from my mom, my friends, my home, my home town? Honestly, NO. I'm at the 50-50 stage. Half of me likes the job because it's what I want to do and the fact that the office environment is not the usual one. Half of me feels I'm afraid to be away from my loved ones and the fact that I won't be able to go home to Baler as often. But I got a ni...

July 28-29 Surf 9 An unexpected surf trip. Thursday night I asked my mom if I can go to Baler. Surprisingly she allowed me without questions considering I was there just two weeks ago. Thank you mother. As soon as I arrived there, I dropped by Kuya Cris' house first to visit his new born baby, Karissa. What a cute cute baby. Ate Joanne was at the middle of breast feeding her. Then came baby Mira with her lola. Exaaag ang laki niya. She's so big for her age. Now I'm not afraid to carry her. That morning waves were small but managed to ride Wendy. In the afternoon waves were better. Sayaaa sobra! Wendy got injured though. Its nose hit Mantik's shin. I thought it was nothing, but Mantik asked me to check my board. And yes, there's a crack. Rode my last wave and got out of the water. The next day woke up 6am and what a morning surprise, big waves. The heavy rain the night before created this wonderful waves. I couldn't resist not paddling out even if (1) I ...

Here's another video of Poks.  Video by Stokedinc.  Those long rides were amazing! If he made it, there's no reason I can't. Rest in peace Poks! You continue to be an inspiration to all of us.

Ronie "Poks" Esquivel, Team Stoked Rider Upon witnessing him surf, everyone becomes a massive fan of Poks Esquivel. Born with one leg and fused toes and fingers, Poks is a supreme example of how a person, through sheer effort and tenacity, can overcome even the most devastating physical disability. Poks can do on one leg what other surfers fail to do with two legs. He sneaks into barrels with ease. He lacerates the lip of a crashing wave with minimal effort. He accomplishes aerial assaults with grace and fluidity. In many other ways, he’s just like the rest of us with our complete set of legs. http://stokedinc.com.ph/2010/12/21/one-legged-wonder-poks-esquivel/ Poks global counterpart in surfing is the lovely Bethany Hamilton. She has gained global recognition and surf sponsors having lost her hand after a shark attack yet courageously getting herself back in prime surfing form immediately thereafter. Well the whole surf world should be even more impressed with R...

  Directed by Taylor Steele The Drifter was chosen as the "Best Film" at the Ombak Bali International Surf Film Festival and bagged "Best Film" title at the California Surf Film Festival, which took place in Oceanside, CA. In the summer of 2008, iconic surfer and former Pipe Master Rob Machado flew to Indonesia to experience a different kind of surf trip. A journey that would take him way beyond his comfort zone, to the point where he could finally be alone with his thoughts, his desires and the empty perfection of an unnamed Indian Ocean reef. What did he discover? You never stop dreaming. Even when they come true. I wish to do the same in the near future. A soul surf trip in Bali or in Africa. I'd like to experience their culture . It's nice to be around people who don't know you at all. The new friendship you are to build will surely be a lasting and priceless one. I had my own Soul Surf trip February 2011. I must say it was a ...

July 14-15 I'm getting the hang of taking the regular bus to Baler again. I get to save a whole lot from not taking the JoyBus. So yeah I took the regular bus' first trip alone. Atche, Kara, and Migo were lucky enough to get JoyBus seats. Good morning Baler! And the flat beach welcomed me. Why! The weekend before was so kind to bless me with good waves. Timing, kaya lang wrong. Oh well. No waves, fine. Tambay at Charlie Does was fun anyway. Besides, my purpose really for coming home was to get the boards, Denden, Winona and Johanne's cos we have a Samar surf coming up on August! Because we had nothing to do, lokohan nalang. Pasahan ng bola, pag di nasalo lipstick sa mukha katapat. Kung saan ako ang nagwagi! Hahaha di man lang ako nalagyan kahit isa. Isa pang laro, lahat patanong. Ang sagot ay tanong din. Hirap nito lagi akong nadadali.  After lunch, still no waves. We head out to see the Mother Falls instead. I've been there for so many times already but stil...

http://www.billabonggirls.com.au/blog-post/1829/white-wash-2012   Should I add more? Nuff said.

Yesterday I chanced upon a job opening in Facebook that I really really want and I feel that the position is meant for me. So this morning I fixed my resume, prepared my application letter and sent it through email. Few minutes later I got a reply. Wohooo Jess please work this for me. I hope and pray to get the position.

July 7-8 MBS surf Surf 8 Surf trip with MBS boys Oka and Mikko. It's their first time in Baler and I was more than happy to go with them. I was afraid the beach might be flat but no, Jess was kind enough to spare us with some quality waves. And yes they enjoyed their rides as much as I did. Back Track  Surf 1: Hari ng Sablay Surf 2: Para sa'yo to Kid Surf 3: Rainy Surf   Surf 4: Holy weekend   Surf 5: Commit  Surf 6: Yoga-surf Surf 7: S3E10  

June 30, 2012 Binondo, Manila After such a long time I get to see again my UP MMC orgmates. How? A food trip in Binondo! It was raining on my way to UP and honestly I was in the verge of backing out. I hate commuting when it's raining. But I was already in UP so, fight fight despite the rain. It's my first time to go to Binondo. We took a train to Recto, then a tricycle to Binondo. Our first stop, Wai Ying.  We ordered a lot, I don't know how they're called. I have photographs though. From Wai Ying, we had Fried Siopao across the street. And then a long walk around Binondo. Bought some Hopia at Salazar's Bakeshop and Eng Bee Tin . Funny we were at Chinatown but Gene Mark was looking for Korean ice cream. Luckily we found one. I ordered Almond Tea :) We were all longing to have a seat and rest our legs from walking. Cafe Mezzanine was the answer. What a relief to have eaten here. Cafe Mezzanine is a volunteer fireman's cafe. All the earnings here are do...

Official ISD Trailer  It's International Surfing Day today. As much as I'd love to celebrate and of course surf, I can't, cos I'm stuck here in sad Manila as my friend Bay would say. Surf's up to all those who are lucky living near pumping waves!

<p>fd</p>   When I wake up it seems  Like my world is caving in  I won't break down this time  I'll be fine   Happy Father's Day Papa!

Lek lent me her hard drive full of movies and songs. Here's one of those movies I watched, Half Baked. It's about four friends who love getting baked together. Until one day Kenny got jailed because he fed the policeman's diabetic horse with sweets and died instantly. So the rest of the friends had to do something to bail their friend out. How? By selling marijuana. Find out the funny mishaps and how Thurgood found his Mary Jane. Tama na ang lokohan, sindihan na yan!

Day 1 Highlights Check out surfers representing the Philippines,  Luke Landrigan and Nilbie Blancada.   The undisputed favorite in the Women’s Division was Nilbie Blancada from the Philippines. Nilbie hails from Siargao Island and her home break is the world class wave of Cloud 9, and her experience showed as she impressed the judges and the crowd who clapped and cheered as she proceeded to aggressively attack the Cimaja waves and post the Women’s Division highest single wave score of an 8.0 (out of a possible 10) in her semifinal heat, and also the highest combined heat score of 14.75 out of 20. This was her first time surfing at Cimaja, and her first trip to Indonesia for that matter, so she was delighted to have made into the final, which will be held on Sunday. “It was a little bit hard because I didn’t know what to expect with this wave, but I just tried to surf as good as I could,” explained Nilbie. “The wave were a little bit tricky, you have to learn ho...

Heard this song yesterday as I was driving to UP. The lyrics were so apt to the events of the week. Timing nga naman... Sorry, I've never told you,all I wanted to say And now, it's too late to hold you 'Cause you've flown away So far away ..... ..... Darling, I never showed you Assumed you'd always be there I, I took your presence for granted But I always cared And I miss the love we shared ..... ..... And I know eventually we'll be together One sweet day

http://www.cocorepublic.com.au Let's have fun with colors!  I'm loving these retro-themed boards.  I want to have my own.  The second to the right is called Chevette Mini-Malibu   Dimensions H2125 x W550mm. Specifications Mini-Malibu style board. Polyurethane covered in exclusive Sparkk fabrics and fiberglass. Designed by Coco Republic, manufactured by one of Australia's finest retro shapers and perform to the highest surfing standards when in the surf. Out of curiosity I emailed Coco Republic and asked the selling price of this Mini-Malibu. I received a reply from Scott Finlay:   Hi Gene, Thank you for your email. The price of the Chevette Mini-Malibu surfboard is $1,895 Inc. GST. As each of these surfboards are unique, this particular one is located at our Crows Nest showroom, in North Sydney. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Kind regards, Scott Finlay Trade Manager C...