A Walk Through Life

Not so long ago, I had been talking to some friends about opening up a partnership business, an online selling business, that is. This plan didn't materialize this year, though. We thought we could squeeze some time for this but we ended up getting too busy with our own bread and butter - our respective jobs! We are not giving up, though. Hopefully, after we have already set up and optimized our online presence, we would be able to launch this small business some time next year. Right now, we're still discussing how we can make this small business work smoothly because we also don't want it to interfere with our jobs. We ended up agreeing to have some roles/tasks to carry out. I thought my role is quite challenging since I will have to focus on the marketing side of the business. Hmmm, how do I do that and how do I get started? Perhaps someone can help me carry out some parts of my task. I thought I could probably use some advertising ideas from a friend who happens to be a...

When our HR personnel sent a message today congratulating my husband for his anniversary at work yesterday, I got teary-eyed. Her message was a great reminder that it has already been a year since we have been welcomed by my in-laws in their home. Moving away from our own home was something we needed to do since we couldn't find someone we can rely on to take care of our little girl while we are going back to work in an office environment. We are so lucky and grateful that the in-laws have been very gracious enough to welcome us into their home and to have unselfishly poured over their love and attention to our daughter. Hopefully, come January 2013, we are going back to our own home, bringing with us all the unconditional love and support they have shown to us while we are staying with them and while our daughter was in their care. No words can ever express how grateful I am for their kind and thoughtful ways. Although we have already found someone reliable to watch over our kid...

What do I get her for Christmas? I am almost running out of unique ideas. If I ask my daughter what she wants to get, I am sure she has lots of things on her list that I may end up broke. LOL! Although I thought of granting her own wish to own a new pair of Barbie sandals, I also thought of giving her something that I have decided on my own - a gift that she would be surprised to receive because she didn't ask for it. Wasted no time, I have looked around online for ideas and found some really nice toys for girls that I knew she would love to have and play with. She is at this stage where she would enjoy playing with dolls and animal figures. Hopefully, I can get her th e caravan toy or any Sylvanian Families toy just in time for Christmas. As a mom, I hope to make this season of giving and love the merriest experience for my daughter; although I don't just mean the material things. This is why I also want to make sure that husband and I get to spend the best quality time with ...

Several years back, I've had mixed feelings about Christmas. It was like a part of me wants to rejoice and celebrate in this season of giving but there was also a part of me that grieves and aches for the loss of my mom. Yes, it was five years ago, a few days before Christmas, when we lost mom. It took me some time before I have overcome this huge feeling of loss. At the time of her death, it has only been less than two months since I got married.  I remembered I was juggling my time between work and married life that all I did was wish I could go home and see her. Who knew we would lose her that year? Definitely we were all clueless. If I had known, I thought I would have put off everything else and spend most of my time with her that year. But everything is all in the past now. I know she's happy where she is already. Every time I think of her, I would recall the happy times with her. I would also recall those times when she was starting to worry that I didn't have a lo...

I have personally declared this day as husband appreciation day. I do appreciate him everyday for everything that he is and everything that he does but just this week, he had practically over delivered. I will spare all the details but it has something to do with him being a great listener. You see, when there's something that's bothering or troubling me, he is all ears for me. What seemed to be complicated for me seemed easy enough for him to solve. For all those times that he's been a terrific husband and confidant, I thought he deserved to have a gift from me and I am thinking of getting him a guitar and a chord book. He's been wanting to add guitar playing to his list of his hobbies. Hopefully, he will be able to learn how to play great music and I’ll be his biggest fan he will never lose. The purchase will have to wait, though, as I am still saving up my extra earnings online to be able to come up with an amount to pay for such a terrific musical instrument.

Happy Friday. It's almost midnight here. I'm already sleepy but I need to finish some online tasks. So, I  have to find ways to keep me awake. This is one of those times when music on Youtube can be of much help. Right now, the music of  Foc Fashion , one of Cebu's rising bands, is keeping me awake and enthusiastic about  completing my assignments for the day that I could do away with coffee and still stay focused towards the end. Of course, I had to stop briefly to check out their video.  I only have good words for this band. After all, I personally know one of its members. The bassist here is my sister's bf. Cool! :-) er

Lately, it is getting a little harder for us to leave for work every morning as there are times already when our daughter wouldn't want to be left behind. I thought that she has already gotten past the separation anxiety stage but there are now instances that she would cry and beg to go with us. Thankfully, a simple promise of returning back home with her favorite lollipop and chocolate drink is usually enough for her to let us go. However, we always have to make sure that whenever we would promise her anything, we need to make sure that we're not breaking it since she has sharp memory that she would usually remember to ask about it later when we get home. There was one time, though, that we almost forgot to buy what we promised her to get. It was a good thing that there's a convenience store near the gasoline station where we stopped to fill our motorcycle tank with fuel. At first I thought it would take longer to find exactly the goodies that we needed to buy for our da...

The past few weeks went pretty hectic that I again find it really hard to sneak in to blog as well as to blog hop. Yes, the line had been very busy again. Thinking about it, I felt sad about not being able to see my good friend before she went back to the U.S. There is also another friend that I have been meaning to see and she's even just around the corner from where I work. Oh, I really felt bad about not being able to attend to two consecutive birthday parties hosted by these two mommy friends. My little girl should have enjoyed the two separate Jollibee birthday parties but it was too bad because her mom got caught up with other pressing itineraries. It's a good thing that these mommy friends understood me and my situation. I do hope to make it up to them next time! I have not even written/blogged long enough but my daughter wouldn't get to sleep if I don't sleep beside her. So, off to bed will I go now. I'll probably just pretend to sleep and sneak back in i...

It was kind of our boss to let us go home at noon today because of a typhoon. I had a lot of things to do at work but it was safer to be at home than be trapped in the workplace when the strength of typhoon increases. Indeed, when calamities like this strike, we would want to be with our family than anywhere else. So, I was excited about the thought of surprising our daughter for being home early. However, when we arrived home, we found our daughter sleeping in the sofa. She doesn't want to be surprised, huh! Anyway, it's not like I didn't have anything to do besides waiting for her to wake up. I thought it was also good chance to tinker with the computer as I remembered that a Windows cleanup is already due. Definitely, I am no longer pleased with my computer's performance. However, I could not proceed as planned as I realized we had power outage - something that naturally happens when there's a threat of a strong typhoon. The power just got back toni...

Last Saturday, we went to attend grandmother's funeral. It was one hot afternoon but the heat was tolerable since our aunt hired a bus to get us all to the cemetery. We were told that she actually hired two buses; so, me and my family (dad, me and my sister, husband and kid) chose to ride on one bus with less people still on it so we can be comfortably seated. However, after we went a few kilometers and stopped at an unexpected destination, we realized that we didn't know the rest of the people that were on the bus. It was then clear to us that we were on the wrong bus! Thanks to SMS and mobile technology, we were able to communicate with my other two siblings. Fortunately, the bus that they were on was still coming; so eventually, we were able to ride on the right bus. Even in times of mourning, some circumstances such as this happen so that we can see the funny side of life. In fact, I have also recalled that in another funeral we have attended some two years ago, we have als...

No, it is not winter in this part of the world but there are really times when it feels like we're also experiencing this type of season in the office. I am not complaining about it, though, as I would rather shiver than sweat a lot, not to mention "smell badly", at work. LOL. I can't adjust the temperature of our air conditioner since almost everybody wants the coolness that way. Anyway, a colder office environment can be remedied by drinking a cup of coffee and a thicker wardrobe.  There are times, though, when an ordinary sweater wouldn't be enough to keep me warm at work; and for that, I am thinking of getting myself a fox fur jacket . Not only will this jacket keep me warm, it can also keep me fashionable. For the record, I  am planning to buy one that will not catch so much attention because I also hate it when I get noticed for what I am wearing. :-)

Here's one song that can help us handle whatever negative and unpleasant things we are going through at the moment and see them in a different perspective. It's called  "Blessings" from the Laura Story album. I wish I can get hold of a copy of her album before the year ends. Are you one of those who think that you've been bombarded with problems after another? Health reasons? Financial difficulties? Family problems? Loss of a loved one? Whatever problems we have at hand, it's time that we think of them as blessings and offer them to God.

Some three months ago, our Tita Sarah (my late mom's elder sister) passed away after more than 3 years of battling with the big C. For some personal reason, I earlier decided I wouldn't blog about death anymore but today, I am breaking my rule as we are again losing another special person in the family - our grandmother! I know she has lived even longer than my mom and my aunt (she was 88 years old) who already went ahead of her but still it's a sad passing for we weren't expecting she'd be gone last Thursday. Even though I wasn't able to visit her as often as I would have wanted to , I have also thought of her fondly. Hopefully, if she will be able to see our situation up close now, I'm sure grandmother will understand. Truly, I will miss her. Thanks to her, I had a mom who was just as caring, as  thoughtful, and as wonderful as she. Even though her memory would fail her already, her sweetness was already part of her nature that it wouldn't be su...

As an employee, there are many things that I love about Christmas. Aside from the 13th month pay which I look forward to receive (I'm smiling here), we also have our weekly Kris Kringle as a prelude to our company Christmas Party. It's really exciting to receive gifts even though we still have no idea who is giving us our presents every week. Anyway, we will find that out during the revelation. Here's what I received so far from my Mystery Giver Another thing that's just as exciting as the 13th month and the Kris Kringle is our Christmas caroling contest during the party. As for our group, we haven't been seriously rehearsing yet. In fact, we are still trying to agree on what karaoke version of the Christmas song to use.We can't seem to decide on the genre of the song yet. Some of us wants to sing the pop rock version while the others want the classic version. I am almost tempted to suggest that we buy cme wireless midi at Musicians friend so we can conve...

This early, many parts of the city are already glittering as homes and establishments have already put up their decorations and lights as their way of welcoming the Christmas season. Stores and malls have already made their themes even more Christmas-y than last year. Some weeks ago, I had been to J Centre Mall in Banilad (one of the newest malls here) and I just love how they have put up their decorations. Here's a picture I took of their entrance when I was there to buy some personal and office stuff. this one is at J Centre Mall entrance I love going to this mall because it's near my workplace and it is not too crowded yet. Moreover, the stores that are in this mall that I have been to are selling a lot of good stuff at reasonable prices. I'm pretty sure they also have plenty of activities lined up for this year's celebration of Christmas. I hope to be back soon.

Now that he's almost getting tired of waiting for the actual processing of his working visa for UAE, my brother told me he might not be able to hold his patience any longer that he'll probably just go into business. I believe starting  your own business is a pretty good idea especially if you are the type of person with excellent people and selling skills. Knowing my brother, I thought he's someone who really knows how to deal with and market to people; so, I told him that if he's really serious about going into business, I would support him on his idea. In fact, I should be able to help him market that business online. I told him to find something he loves doing and then we'll figure out a way to turn that into business. He told me he loves to drink beer and he wants to get into the business of selling beer. However, he wants to try making beer on his own so it can have a unique taste. I also learned he already found a good beer brewing kit that can help him get st...

Indeed, birthdays can be made special without spending too much. In our case, here's how we've basically done it and I am sharing this to my blog as fun tips to help enjoy birthdays without splurging way too much.:-) 5 Tips to Make Birthdays Special Without Spending Hugely 1. Keep a low profile so that only the very few significant people will know that your birthday is coming. Only when your birthday is over that people will realize that you just had a happy one. :-) 2. Don't feel pressured about having to hold a birthday spree. Some friends or workmates are likely to send you a hint or two that they're expecting a birthday blowout but if it is not within your budget, you can just politely smile or beg off. For friends who send their birthday wishes on your Facebook's timeline (which you forgot to turn off), you can also jokingly say to your well-wishers " Your greetings are good but I need cash! " or " Can I convert all your birthday greetings...

Many times I wonder if there is really some truth to that thing called "7-year itch" in marriage. I heard it is that stage when couples will purportedly experience too much familiarity with each other that would somehow cause a serious stir in their relationship. Like most people, that is not something that I look forward to happening in the next 2 years. Of course, I would like to believe that there is no such thing as a "7-year itch". Without sounding too presumptuous, I asked someone I know who's been married for more than 20 years if she has experienced that stage of her married life, although I am aware that not all marriages/relationships are the same. She kind of told me that it's normal for couples to have differences despite the love they have for each other. She told me that right now, though, the challenges in their married life started popping up again now that her husband appears to have lost the sharpness of his hearing. Many times, their arg...

Because there are less words to say today, I should let the photo speak for itself. :-) If only I can always capture all moments like this one in photographs, I would!

I extremely admire talented people - especially the ones who can sing and play musical instruments really well. Nowadays, I think aspiring local bands can have the chance to make it really big in the music scene if they are serious with their craft that they are willing to spend their time and money (although some have benefited a little bit from sponsorships) to create great music. I believe it takes a lot of things to really stand out as a band. Other than talent and skills, bands need to invest in the best musical gadget/equipment, an example of which is the marvelous Eventide effects processor, which will help them produce unique and impressive music, sound and recording. Moreover, most local bands have also gained a lot of following worldwide even by simply sharing their videos on Youtube and Facebook. Of course, I would personally suggest that they have their own website as well for branding and popularity purposes.

October was supposed to be a long month for me but it felt like I haven't had enough of those 31 days. There were things left unaccomplished and personal goals that were not realized but the month has already ended. Good thing, though, there's always another month to make up for it! So, now I am saying hello to November, my birthday month! Hopefully, this month will be a good month for me as I am planning to be a little more productive in all aspects of my life. Hopefully, I'll get to come up with that right balance in everything that I do so that I don't get to sacrifice my health, family and personal life. Thanks to the 2 holidays last Thursday and Friday, we were able to spend our weekend with dad in Medellin. Husband and I were supposed to go to the Compostela cemetery on November 1st but we couldn't sneak away from our daughter who's been begging to come with us wherever we go; but what with an extremely hot temperature, we decided it's defi...

I am not sure if I have mentioned in any of my posts that my father is a professional mechanical engineer and that he works at a sugar milling company. Career-wise, he actually had humble beginnings where he started from a mere rank and file employee who works hands-on with bearings,  vise accessories and other industrial supplies and equipment that I am not familiar with, until he got promoted to a supervisory position. Today, even when he is already past the age of retirement, he is still working, although now I heard he is already holding a consultancy position (sort of). I am proud of my dad's achievements especially that I am aware that he worked really hard to earn his title. He's not from a well-to-do family; so, he had to work his way to get to college. I remembered even when he already got promoted in supervisory level, he's still willing to do manual labor if he deemed it necessary. He also has a lot of friends at work and this is because he didn't forge...

Yesterday marked our fifth year of marriage. We were glad it fell on a Saturday so we can have some time to celebrate. Weeks before our anniversary, we actually thought of traveling to my hometown but since the weather is not that great days before our anniversary, we decided to put off traveling. We then agreed to celebrate this important day with our Dipdip at SM. I think celebrating it with our daughter (the fruit of our love) is the best way to celebrate as a form of our renewal of love and commitment to one another. Initially, we planned on watching a movie with our daughter. It was supposed to be her first movie experience but we can't find any movie that's suitable for her age. Besides, if it's not a Dora or a Barbie show, she's not that attentive yet. Thus, we ended up watching an Art Exhibit at the Art Exhibit Center, buying socks for ourselves (bought 3 pairs for each of us) at the department store, a Snow White book and Barbie puzzle at the Toy Kingdom. A...

Some people think that I am comfortable with my weight but they don't really have any idea what I am going through. I've been planning on losing weight for ages but just can't find the means to achieve it. All those negative talks directed towards me that are supposed to motivate me to lose weight simply didn't help at all. Instead, they only add up to my anxiety and stress and has somehow caused me to eat some more - a great alibi for not being able to trim down. Lately, it is getting more and more difficult for me to lose weight. I remembered I had my chance last year when I was hospitalized because of dehydration due to severe diarrhea. I lost a lot of weight during that time but quickly regained it within two weeks after recovery. I want a healthier body for many reasons. Aside from the fact that I want to look and feel great again, I really don't want to be a burden to my husband and loved ones. I am well aware that being overweight can be a detriment to my h...

Happy Friday, everyone! I found another favorite singer in the person of KZ Tandingan, grand winner of X Factor Philippines 2012. I really like her style of singing - it's like a mixed genre or something - I am not sure how they call that. Definitely, her voice is a delight to my ears. I would say she's really a total performer. I would love for you to listen to her version of the song "For Once in My Life" which I will happily dedicate to my hubby on the occasion of our wedding anniversary tomorrow. Nothing sentimental. :-)

Husband has declared this Friday as his rest day from driving the motorcycle to work. He said we needed to be without the motorcycle today as he wants to do grocery after work. Besides, he finds it stressful to drive because there are a lot of crazy drivers out there who have no regard for others' and their safety. If we only live nearer to the workplace, we wouldn't be riding the motorcycle when coming to work. We have already agreed last night that we will leave home early because we have to commute to go to work today. Thankfully, we made it to work on time even if we skipped the last ride and just chose to walk our way to the workplace so we can have a few minutes of exercise. We're kind of getting used to this sedentary lifestyle already which is not good. So now, with this motorcycle-less day, I feel like I've done good job for myself. I'm sure husband feels the same way. We haven't had time to do brisk walks ever since we were riding our motorcycle to g...

My ex-workmates used to tease me that I have a thousand voices and that's because I enjoy singing along with the songs played on the radio in my own style and tune. They never complained about my singing, though, as I have already primed them up that I was a choir member when I was in high school. In other words, they have managed to accept that I am musically inclined. Haha! Speaking of my choir days in high school, I thought I would consider these days as one of the best times of my student life as this have somehow helped build my self-confidence. Being a member of a choir is probably one of the best memories I have of my younger years. Every time we go to church, I would remember the good old times with the group because not only did we perform onstage before, we also sang at our local Catholic church. And would you believe we sang even at funerals for free? Oh, it's not entirely free after all because we get served with snacks after the service. :-) I remembere...

Another reunion took place on a weekend. This time, I met up with some of my ex-workmates. Thanks to our friend Jenn who invited us over for her post-birthday treat, we again had the chance to catch up on each other. You see, we were all busy (work, family, lovelife, etc.) that we didn't even think about hanging out for old time's sake. Although there's Facebook, nothing beats having real conversations and seeing friends in the flesh. To be honest, though, I do have apprehensions about going to reunions like this. Sure, I would love to see them but I knew friends would surely notice how I wasn't able to manage my weight well after entering the motherhood phase. And I was right. One friend didn't think twice about telling me how scared she would be if she had grown to my size after giving birth herself. Ouch! I thought that was a little on the offensive side but, anyway, I thought she only mean well and I was probably getting too sensitive. So, I just prete...

I knew it. This year will not end without reunions taking place. In fact, I just had a mini reunion with two of my classmates back in high school. It was actually a brief meeting with them at Krispy Kreme in SM. There were a lot of things to talk about but we don't own all of our time that day. I brought my little Dipdip with me while husband enjoys his short 'me time' window shopping for a wedding anniversary gift (I wish). Mouth-watering! Anyway, it felt great talking to a nun and a property specialist while enjoying the best doughnut in America. So thankful that we get the chance to taste it here as well. My classmates in high school Before this year ends, I should be able to meet up with old classmates and friends from my elementary and high school days as well as those I have worked with in the past. It's actually nice to finally have the time to socialize.

I promised to devote a separate post about a friend of mine who recently arrived from the U.S. for a vacation. I think, it was about two years ago when Jenn and I last saw each other. At that time, she was still planning on her pregnancy after marrying her husband for the second time here in the Philippines. They had their first wedding in the U.S. and had carefully planned for a Philippine wedding after that. Although we weren't really talking about our wedding plans before,  we were happy about the fact that we share the same wedding date as her very first wedding that was held in the States. Isn't that great? There are many things that I am thankful for this friend of mine. Aside from being a thoughtful friend that she's always been, I will always be grateful for being one of those partly responsible for leading an officemate (now my husband) to me. Had it not been for her and another officemate's pushing (the 'instrumentals'), I am not sure if my guy would...

It's funny how you end up getting too busy to blog lately despite wanting to do so, yet find yourself checking out the link to an old post of a blogger friend during a lunch break, and then find yourself or your alter ego being mentioned in the post ( A Tag from Shengkay ) you are reading.  This, by the way, showed up on her 'feedjit live' widget of her blog about a week ago. I originally intended to publish this post before September would have ended; but lo and behold, it is already October! :-) Thank you brother Jason for this photo :-) So, after a year of being tagged, here are my quick answers to the questions: 1. Do you think you’re hot? A lot of people say I am, which is why I am "forced" to think that way. LOL! Seriously, I am! :-) 2. Upload a picture or wallpaper that you’re using at the moment. 3. Talk about the picture. The little girl in the picture is my daughter. She inspires me to work harder. All weariness goes away when...

I feel like making another blog update today because I bumped into a happiness quote being shared on Facebook. This is a good thing about social networks, you get inspired by the positive things that are being spread around. Photo: Not Mine Indeed, happiness in this walk through life is hard to achieve and this is due to the fact that most of us are bound to seek it only for ourselves. We tend to look for it for our own benefit. However, if we start wanting this happiness to be felt by the people around us and actually doing something about it, this feeling will simply resonate with us. Let's not also forget that it is not through material or financial things that can give permanent/ultimate happiness. It is the peace within ourselves that can bring about that feeling. No one else can make us feel that way but God in His goodness and grace. A blessed Sunday to all of us.

I recently had a word with a friend/officemate who already started a home-based online business. I think she and her partner did pretty well that I thought going into it is worth a try one day. I guess I am going to have to start planning my own business as well. I must say that I find her small business blogging activities worth emulating one day. These days, I think that it is already expected for a small business, no matter what kind/type of business it is, to maintain a blog and update it frequently. This is one way that visitors will know that your business is very active because you have put every effort to maintain your website/blog and provide some information that visitors and potential customers might need to know. Right now, though, I am already contented with accepting content writing opportunities for extra income - SEO and the works. This is why I always see the need to update this blog every so often because I don't want potential clients to have a wrong impress...

Thanks to a former officemate who left all her bookmarks on the computer which I am already using at work, I have learned some very useful tips about blogging and marketing. I particularly find Chris Brogan's blog interesting that I have actually subscribed to his posts and newsletter. Among the many things I learned from him was to never apologize if you haven't written in awhile. Hmmm, I must admit I was about to do that ('apologize') after contemplating on getting back to the blogging world. Anyway, I felt like it didn't matter to most readers/visitors that I was on hiatus - well aware of the fact that the world can go on without me or my blog update. Let me just say that I really miss blogging again, BIG time! I miss all my blogging friends. Time is indeed both an enemy and a friend - depends on how we make use of it. I'll have to remember that every time I choose not to update my blog just because I can always put it off tomorrow or the day after. :-)

Found this 30-second Coca Cola CEO speech all over the web and across social networking sites. I thought this is the best speech ever made to inspire each one of us to be efficient in our work so that we don't get to leave behind all the other important aspects of our life. For many employees out there, the message also boils down to one thing - time management ! There are times when some of us can be guilty for goofing around while at work and, as a consequence, we would end up stretching our time and sometimes to the point of not delivering the desired quality and amount of work that is often expected of us. That is not a commendable behavior. Sometimes, messages like this can give us the best motivation that we need in order to create a good balance in our life in order to end up happy and fulfilled. Happy Sunday to all. Looking forward to a great week.

Sunday was pretty special because we were celebrating Mother's Day at home with the in-laws. It was actually a double celebration as hubby's aunt also celebrated her birthday. I felt special not because I received flowers from husband. As a matter of fact, he didn't think of giving me any but it is no reason for me to feel disappointed like I once used to. After all, flowers are not practical gifts because I will have to dispose of them when they rot and wither, anyway. See, I am starting to think like him. LOL. I am happy to say, though, that he took care of our laundry that day without asking me to help out. He also ordered 3 trays of leche flan from mother-in-law. That was clever of him to decide on having leche flan served on Mother's Day because it is also his favorite. :-) Overall, my heart is full of happiness because of the many blessings I have received from God. Motherhood is surely one of my biggest blessings. There may also be trials along the way but the...

Note: This is a sponsored post for Sway Chic   If you find that you can't stop shopping, maybe you should give your wallet to a trusted family member. You probably didn't need those high waisted shorts , or those cute dresses , but you wanted them, right? And that's all that mattered? At least try and buy shorter dresses. Since they are short and have less fabric they tend to cost less (unless designer). Short dresses can be worn technically on any occasion and can really help to flatter your figure. Although you don't want to go too short, mini-dresses can really help to alleviate hot flashes in the summertime and also make you feel sexy at the same time. Mini-dresses are most popular for clubbing and going to parties. Wearing a short dress can help you to attract men and really be the center of attention. If you've been working out in the gym a lot for a killer body, you may want to try for a shorter dress to really show off what you've be...

Thanks to my in-laws who have planned for a summer vacation, we finally had the chance to explore the Hidden Beach in Aloguinsan, Cebu. We have planned to visit this place last year but due to the not-so-pleasant weather (there was a threat of typhoon at that time) where the van we were renting got stuck on the way to that hidden beach, we decided to change our course and headed to another beach in another town. You can only imagine the anticipation of being able to finally experience the white beach and the long shoreline. So, this summer, we finally made it happen. But, it almost didn't happen when, as we were on our way to where this beach was hidden, the rented van didn't seem to cooperate. Unfortunately, the vehicle's radiator leaked while we were still halfway through our destination. I think we were in Naga at that time, which spoiled our anticipation for a good swim. I thought we wouldn't push through with the Hidden Beach summer outing. I thought we will ...