Calaguas Island Madness

Camarines Norte, aside from being a surfing spot, the Calaguas group of islands to its north has garnered attention from local and foreign tourists alike. The islands can be considered virgin since no resorts have been created there yet.

DREAM ISLAND OF CALAGUAS 

I still keep looking for the perfect one. Every time I experience what I thought was perfect, I stumble upon a better one. I love our country. It is indeed beautiful. I have seen a lot of beaches, and I must say that we are tops in this category. We are a land of heavenly beaches. 

After seeing a feature of an isolated group of islands of the Camarines Norte (CN) coast into the Pacific Ocean. I was so intrigued, since I never knew there was something worth visiting in my hometown. Since, my Tita is the Provincial Tourism Officer in Camarines Norte, she is always in Calaguas for some work visit purposes so I decided to go with her last summer of 2011 to see the Calaguas Island with my very own eyes.

At Vinzons river port

Our trip to the Calaguas began in a river port in Vinzons, where we snaked our way out to the open sea. The river ride was also a delight, seeing sunken coconut trees and mangroves that resembled a Vietnamese landscape. We then hit the strong waves of the Pacific, and rode the wildest ocean I have ever experienced. It was a bit frightening after hard rain fell upon us. It was like a scene from the perfect storm. Fortunately, the rain stopped and the ocean calmed a bit. But still it was a very rough ride of more than an hour to our destination. Finally, I could see the Calaguas from a distance. This will be my first time to see the beauty of Calaguas. 

At the boat.

We were nearing the islands and the ocean was loosening up. Suddenly, it feels like you were entering a portal, when everything shifted into heaven. Rolling hills, white isolated beaches, gorgeous rock formations greeted us as we passed through the first set of islands. The water was getting bluer and bluer. It left me speechless and even stunned to take pictures. I was just in awe at what I saw.

Then, we approached Mahabang Buhangin. The water was smooth and as blue as the sky. The fine white sand was luring us. I immediately jumped off the boat and got barefoot. The beach was so wide that you still get a huge space all on your own. We set up a makeshift tent as the sun was extremely hot. The water was refreshing and the sand was cool. It was perfect. I was in paradise.

Me, seriously putting up the tent.

At last! The tent was build.

Me, taken inside the tent.

I just want to say that Calaguas Island went way beyond my expectations. We stayed at the beach for a day, we enjoyed swimming, picture taking, exploring the surroundings and I enjoyed the rest of the day lying on the white sand and relaxing myself watching the sunset.

Me, lying on the white sand.

Just enjoying the white sand.

Calaguas is also good for snorkeling.

It feels so nice to be here!

Calaguas Island is the best place for sunset watching.

My Calaguas Island experience is a dream come true. I love the Calaguas Island, because I found everything I was looking for in a beach. Seclusion, serenity, amazing landscapes, the azure of waters, the cool fine, powdery, white sand. Most of all, it felt like home.

It's time to go home!

All things are packed up and we're ready to leave. It was around 10 am when we boarded back on our boat going home.  I took a last glance at the beautiful island and promised myself that I will someday come back to this wonderful place again. It was truly tiring but worthy experience for me.

A heart touching story

 

The most important community a child has, family is supposed to be a forgiving, supportive group. But what if that group is absent or unwilling to love? Adeline Yen Mah's autobiography, Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter, is a devastating tale about her childhood competition for love.

Adeline is an unlucky child. Her father's cherished wife dies giving birth to her, branding her life a hard one from the start. Her father's grief causes him to ignore her and instead focus his attention on the beautiful Niang, whom he later marries, cementing Adeline's unhappy future. Her siblings also express their parents' disfavor toward Adeline, adopting the same demeanor and going so far as to pull mean, disgusting pranks on her. They are forced to compete against each other for their parents' acceptance and Adeline, the smallest and already out of favor, is an easy target for her siblings. Niang does not stop them and instead watches in silent amusement as her least favorite stepdaughter is tortured, if not physically then mentally. The only love Adeline experiences during her childhood is from her aunt, who saves all of Adeline's grades, bringing them out whenever she feels no hope for the future. Her aunt is the only family who offers shelter and support, daily reminding Adeline that her academic achievements will earn her her freedom. True to her aunt's word, Adeline attends college in England and moves to America to become a physician. Although physically free from her stepmother, Adeline is far from over the psychological abuse she suffers. Her father's death and Niang's claim to his fortune push Adeline to further seek acceptance. Since she has never heard it from her father, Adeline wants to hear her stepmother say that she loves her, that she is proud of all that Adeline has accomplished. While Niang is dying, she makes a special request of Adeline - she wants to die in Adeline's home in America, intimating that Niang has finally accepted her. But when her stepmother dies, she leaves Adeline completely out of her will and splits the money between her other stepchildren. Surprisingly, the story ends on a happy note. While going through her father's room she finds his will, which Niang had hidden. It reveals that his fortune was to be equally divided between all his children, including Adeline. This knowledge overwhelms Adeline as she finally feels like she belongs. This book left me completely raw. The emotions sparked by Mah's simple words are powerful and I felt like I was a bystander, powerless against the never-ending disapproval. Like Adeline's aunt, I wanted to protect Adeline from her family's unjust hatred. Mah's story reminds us of humanity's never-ending quest for acceptance.  I think Mah wanted her biography to be less of a feel-sorry-for-me story and more about following your dreams. I believe she was able to defeat her feelings of worthlessness by using writing as an outlet for her feelings. Through her experiences, others can learn that while family acceptance is important, the most important thing in life is to approve of oneself and others will do the same...

This book made me cry and feel Adeline's pain because the descriptions are so explicate. It is amazing that one lonely girl had to go through the pain and torture that Adeline describes. Chinese Cinderella was such an incredible read that I just couldn't put the book down. Though at times the story was so depressing that it seemed untrue. It was extremely hard to believe that such horrible things could happen to a person. Adeline Yen Mah deserves all my gratitude...this book was excellent even though it made me cry! :)

This life is what we make it

"Sing as if no one is listening. Dance as if no one is watching. Love as if you've never been hurt. Live as if you'll die today. Dream as if you'll live forever."

Let's often talk of noble deeds and rare of the sad ones,
And sing about our happy days and none of the sad ones,
We were not made to fret and sigh,
And when grief sleeps to wake it,
Bright happiness is standing by,
This life is what we make it.

Let’s find the sunny side of men, or be believers in it,
A light there is in every soul,
That take the pains to win it.
Oh! There’s a slumbering good to all,
And we, per chance may wake it,
Our hands contain the magic wand,
This life is what we make it.

Then here’s to those whose loving hearts,
Shed light and joy about them.
Thanks be to them for countless gems,
We never had known without them.
Oh! This should be a happy world,
To all who may partake it.
The fault’s our own if it is not,
This life is what we make it.

- Unknown

I maybe alone but not lonely

I love to be alone. I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.

I choose to love you in loneliness, for in loneliness, no one owns you but I.

I always see to it that I have some free time everyday. There should be at least one hour or more for me where I can be by myself. I consider my room as my lair. I may not be literally alone inside the room, but I see myself being alone in the sense that I can focus more on the things that I want to achieve by myself. I often walk by myself in school. For me, this is the time to reflect on just about everything. and to add to my many solitary acts, I love to watch movies, play computer games or just hang in the house - all in the company of me and myself. Some people might say that I am a lonely girl, others might say that I wallow in low self-esteem. Still, others might suspect that I am afflicted with Asperger's syndrome. Well, it wouldn't be a shock to me if they said such things or thought that way, but I certainly don't possess all of that. In fact, I still have some friends whom I like to have fun. I feel good about myself and I don't hesitate to show my feelings. And I certainly not anti-social nor do I suffer from anything that prevents me from having relationships. What I do have is a belief from the saying "I maybe alone, but not lonely." Usually, when people heard the word "alone", they associated it with being lonely or sad. But for me, being alone doesn't mean being lonely. Being alone makes me feel free and independent. Whenever I'm alone, I feel, I can do anything because no one is there to stop me or judge. I can finish things quickly and efficiently because no one is there to disturb me. I can reflect on the things that I have done lately and reflect about anything that I have read or seen.