Surviving Mt. Pulag’s Akiki Trail

This was originally posted a few months back as a note on my Facebook account. Back then, I still wasn’t convinced I could start and maintain a blog. I’m putting this here because it is where it should be. Here is a link to my original post. Twenty One The Akiki trail is definitely one of the best […]

Another Dream Come True

I am in the airport waiting to board a plane that would take me to Cagayan de Oro. Once there, we would climb Mts. Dulang-Dulang and Kitanglad. Mt. Dulang-Dulang, at 9,649 feet, is the Philippines’ second tallest mountain, while Mt. Kitanglad’s height of 9,511 feet puts it at 4th place. These two mountains are part of the Kitanglad Mountain […]

Mission Accomplished!

Two lists serve as the main reason why I started this blog. The first one is a list of thirty things I wish to do or accomplish before I turn thirty. The other, which is actually a sub-list of the first, lists ten of my goals as a starting mountaineer. Though I am far from […]

Surviving Mt. Makiling or My First Failed Summit Attempt (not!)

Here’s something I wrote back when I first climbed Mt. Makiling: I may not have reached the summit, but I survived the mountain. 😉 No, I was not able to reach Mt. Makiling’s summit. But I can’t say that I did not survive it. We were very close to summiting (we were near the […]

X-Men: Days of Future Past Movie Review

“We need you to hope again.” That’s what the older Charles Xavier said in one of the trailers and that’s exactly what I did. I had high hopes for X-Men: Days of Future Past partly because the director of the first two X-films, Bryan Singer, was back at the helm of direction, and because I […]

In Retrospect: My Non-Meeting with Mitch Albom

I love reading books. I especially love reading books by my favorite authors. Mitch Albom is one of them. That is why when I first found out he was coming to the Philippines to have a book signing event, I knew I couldn’t miss it. Last February 22, I skipped a chance to climb another […]

Mt. Ugo Traverse (National Mountain Cleanup Day)

All this happened, more or less. And so it goes… Ignore the awful times, and concentrate on the good ones. Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt. And so on to infinity… The text/quotes used in this post are all from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel “Slaughterhouse-Five.” For more photos: Mt. Ugo Traverse + Cleanup Photos For the […]

#mtncleanup2014 – Mt. Ugo

This is a video documentary of our recent cleanup hike in Mt. Ugo. Credit: Mykehl Angelo Hanopol Casem of Myktography

The Day My Mother Climbed a Mountain

After climbing my first mountain, I promised myself two things: that I will continue to hike for as long as I can and that I will take as many people as I can outdoors. Of course, I want to be able to share the experience with my closest friends. More importantly, I want to be […]

In Retrospect: Being a First-time Mountaineer

It was February last year when I had my first taste of mountaineering. Before then, climbing a mountain was only something I had always wanted to do but not actually try, let alone carry out. Let’s just say that there are a lot of things that should have kept me from climbing mountains. (There are doctors […]

At Last, an Adventure!

“I’m a person of the mountains and the open paddocks and the big empty sky, that’s me, and I knew if I spent too long away from all that I’d die; I don’t know what of, I just knew I’d die.” ― John Marsden, A Killing Frost Finally, after a 9-week hiatus from hiking, I’ll be […]

Those who can, do…

I studied and trained to be a teacher. There is something about teaching that is so noble and so fulfilling. When I first walked into a classroom filled with young minds teeming with potential, I was scared. I was to teach four different classes for our practicum – our last year in college. For one […]

It’s not about adrenaline

Pick-me-up

What is the one word or phrase that immediately cheers you up when you hear it? “Buti na lang may climb bukas!” In English, it translates to “it’s a good thing there’s going to be a climb tomorrow.” This is my perfect pick-me-up. Every commune with the mountains is an experience that makes my heart […]

What This Young Student Wrote Is Shocking

The task: To write a 5-paragraph essay answering the question, “If you were a singer, what kind of song would you like to sing?” One student’s response: I want sing a song of destruction, pain, and despair. Because, I don´t want this world. I can´t like this world what god gave to us. Adult always despise […]

In Sixes

A six-word story? A story? In six words? Let’s see… Eyes met. Lips touched. Time froze. Was that good enough? Let me give it another try… Holding hands, they faced the world. This is quite fun. Third one… Their love, like time, was fleeting. I’m just getting in the mood. Here’s another […]

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