2016: On Things Other Than Traveling

Photos from 2016 show fantastic things that happened to me this year (throwbacks included), but the real best things weren't caught on camera. Traveling was still a huge part of my year but more than these experiences, 2016 was a year of self-discovery. I'll call it the year I came to terms with my own titahood.

The year that was

Stumbling Into Jeepney Hostel and Rediscovering Boracay

Boracay is still gorgeous with its white sand beaches, stunning sunsets, and superb internet connection (I need this for work) but my disenchantment stems from what I see is an unsustainable growth in the tourism sector. The last time I was here, I was that b*tch who complained about everything -  it's too crowded, people don't care about their trash, the traffic in this tiny island, and exorbitant prices at least for a backpacker.

I didn't realize that staying in the right place would somehow change my mind.

I reluctantly included this stop in my Visayas trip to take a friend around the island. While walking to Mt. Luho Viewpoint, I spotted this hostel right by the corner of the road. The place looked laid-back, with its pool table, hammocks, and a bamboo bridge between room areas. Since I needed a place to stay for the night, I went ahead and got myself a bed in the dorm room.

"Some places make you feel at home and Boracay right now just doesn't feel like one," I wrote three days ago.

Funny how this changed after a few days.

Add a billiards table to this photo of downstairs area - Photo from Jeepney Hostel's Facebook Page

The Real Halloween Special: Haunted Road Trip with Experience PH

It's that time of the year when we are all allowed to be scared shi*tless.

And no I don’t mean scaring yourself with a semi-terrifying, semi-cute bloody nurse or a slightly gory but really sexy, shirtless hunter showing off his abs. No.

I mean being haunted by the kind of stories that make it to the Magandang Gabi Bayan Halloween Special.

If you were a 90’s kid, Halloween means watching Noli de Castro in his ghastliest appearance as he narrates paranormal stories. It means covering your face and peeking through your hands when it's time for all those too realistic reenactments of floating caskets, drifting white ladies, and red-eyed devils. That’s the sort of thing that I miss with the Halloween of the 90’s.

So last year, we decided to scare ourselves ala Magandang Gabi Bayan style.

We ended up sleeping in a haunted house.

Sleepover at the ever famous haunted house, Bahay na Pula. Thankfully, no personal horror experience to tell. #manhidforever

A photo posted by Ruby Batallones (@bubiburn) on Oct 30, 2015 at 3:48pm PDT

2015 Gratitude Post

For top L to bottom R: coffee with Mayoyao Rice terraces as background (July), swimming with sea turtles at Apo Island, Negros Oriental (August), Salagdoong Beach, Siquijor (October), Bulusan Lake, Sorsogon (May), Falls #2, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato (December), Tinuy-an Falls, Surigao del Sur (December),  Cambulo Rice Terraces, Ifugao (August),
Porchetta at FAT, BGC (because there ought to be food), Batad Rice Terraces, Ifugao (August) 

2015 has been a year of green and blue hues, of an unending love affair with the outdoors, of curveballs, and of unparalleled great times. I'll always remember 2015 as the year I finally (wo)manned up and took the leap to my longtime wish.

In Pursuit of Location Independence

From a corporate employee, I have turned myself into a freelance writer/online worker/ self-employed individual. I'm still at loss when answering forms that asks for Occupation because I still can't believe that yes, even when it doesn't feel like it, this is my occupation (at least for now). I've been tempted to write non-practicing telecoms professional. I would love to romanticize how the whole decision-making process went, how years of imagining finally became reality, and how it felt to finally take the leap into the giant unknown but you can look that up and I swear I feel the same way as the others who have gone before me.

I'm here to write about the reality of the pursuit and some of truths I have discovered so far.

Who doesn't want to see this view all day, every day?