boracay 2011

the ease and savings of booking online, not just airline tickets, but entire vacation packages, has changed the travel habits of a lot of my friends. i know a lot of them who diligently surf the net, aside from always being in the lookout for great deals. they end up having their whole year planned out for them. which should be good for them and for the airlines and the tourism industry (imagine accurate forecasting usage as well as cash upfront!).

much as i would like to jump into the bandwagon, i really dont have the patience for it. so i rely on friends to do this for me, at least for those who feel i am worth bringing along on these trips. (none of the fabCs has a penchant for this, methinks)

and where as before i had this group of friends from way back, with whom i would take trips with (usually with boyfriends and plus ones), my ever-expanding social networks have given me the chance to travel with new sets of friends and acquaintances. and a chance to learn about and adjust to new sets of people!

the first time, it was a trip to dumaguete with the badminton buddies (including my ex and his love), a few years back. this time, its boracay. and it was with friend, legal eagle, his bf, and other friends ive met through him at parties and dinners. so there's always something new to learn.

for one, i really, really prefer having my own room now. i chose to room in with friends because that was the consensus, but i should have said otherwise. for the convenience and 'hassle-free' accommodations. no matter how nice your roomies are, you all have your set ways, and these wont always agree. besides, as oc-oc as i could be, i want to tidy my room at my own time and pace.

and learn about people, too. like how much more oc-oc others can get. or the idiosyncratic morning rituals. or how much fart one generates in privacy! or the deep-seated insecurities that surface during alcohol-facilitated late-night discussions.

in the end, you appreciate people more, and treasure their friendships. but i still want my own room. hehe

this boracay trip was like the culminating event of my six-month abs race. all those workouts, runs, diets led to the this point. i was picturing how i would have all those solo shots on various parts of the shore and the resort, with board shorts and washboard abs.

and i achieved the goal. yeah, i got the wows of all of the group, who were equally determined to get the abs look. and for the first time, i was walking around, shirtless, with some people actually checking out me and my torso.

but the pictures... sorry. i just didnt feel like posing anymore. one of us was actually so conscious of his abs and was having multiple photos taken, it felt awkward to do the same. i guess it is enough for me to know that there was a time i looked that certain way.

and the price i had to pay? LBM from day 2 to day 4. yup. two weeks prior, i went with a diet of lean meat, steamed or oven-baked, no salt, fruits and camote, oatmeal and wheat bread. two weeks. upon arrival here, i binged on the buffet lunch and dinner, right on day 1. it was the prize! a chance to indulge! but my stomach knows better. and all that fat and cream and oil it started rejecting. and uber-watery stools for the rest of the stay.

did it ruin my vacation? yes and no. the yes part is obvious. the need to go to the toilet from time to time. the self-imposed alcohol ban. but the no part? it didnt stop me from doing swimming, and sunset-viewing and enjoying their company. and doing juice bar and even white house (i like it. a real sunset happening place in station 1).

it also helped maintain the figure LOL. (i prayed that i wouldnt get fat and bloated. an answered prayer?) and kept me from staying at juice bar too long to attract temptation. hehe.

yeah. pc wasnt with me due to family activities. so i was in boracay again, no plus one. so while walking the beach footpath, i recalled my last trip here last year. a trip i took in haste just to use expiring miles. a trip filled with expectations of hot one-night stands picked up in juice bar. that trip had just one encounter, grindr-facilitated. and it was horrible. the guy looked okay but the attitude was a major major turn-off. it gave me erectile dysinterest. and juice bar drinking alone, well, didnt materialize. i didnt have the guts to go up to guys i liked. and nobody had the guts or the reason to come up to me, too.

so it felt so comforting to know i didnt have to do any of that with this trip. no need for me to meet and mate. no pressure, except to just look great in board shorts. lol. and though i did get that stranger saying hi, i felt no need to get jiggy with him.

lbm and all, it was a fun trip. it was the barkada that made it all worth my while, even as i was wishing pc was with me.

and i still want my own room.

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