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Tuesday, August 31, 2004
i have sore arms and legs. well, i can say i pushed myself to the limit this weekend - hiking back to back with a trip to the islands.
but it was all worth it - i had a great time!
brace yourself for long stories of my adventures (and misadventures)...
*i wrote these yesterday but wasn't able to post...
Posted at 4:12:56 pm by osang
saturday - hiking Sokehs Rock
i went on a hike last Saturday afternoon with the youth from church. there were 25+ of us, mostly Americans who are here to teach at the SDA School on a mission trip. we left the school around 4:30pm and was able to make it back at 8pm. it was a tough trek, challenging but the site on top is just breathtaking.
it was not a comfortable hike for me. first, i had a blooper even before we started. we all met at the school, and took a truck to Sokehs, where we'll start our hike. it's an old truck, we were all at the back (some were standing, some where sitting). i sat on the truck, and unfortunately, the rusty floor slit my pants! yaiks! it was of course, on my butt, so it was really embarassing. the problem was my shirt wasn't long enough to cover it, and my pants was black so it was really obvious! good thing i brought a small towel. some girls suggested i tuck it in my pants, so that's what a did. so i had a towel hanging on my back, it looked so weird. :)
then we started the hike. the first part had stone steps, but it was really steep. we didn't have any warm up whatsoever and just after 5 minutes, i was already exhausted. i had to stop and rest. i couldn't believe it! for the first time in my life, i felt soooo unfit. i started in the middle of the line, but ended up at the back.
then came parts where we had to leave our footwear coz we had to walk on tree roots and really muddy and slippery parts. we were holding on the the trees and stepping on its roots.
the last segments were rocks. huge basaltic rocks. there's a steel pole to hold on to. you have to push yourself so you can move. the rock formation is too steep and without creases so you won't have any ridge to step on.
if you look down, you will realize that you can't slip coz you'll fall on rocks. you will also see the vast ocean. the height is a little wobbling. good thing i don't fear heights.
while i was hanging on to the pole, realizing how dangerous the hike is, i thought of my parents. if they know about what i'm doing, they'll freak out for sure. mwehehe :)
we had to go through 2 big rocks to reach the top. it took us more than an hour to go up.
i felt too weak that time, i had to rest at leat 5 times! i'm thankful for those who waited for me patiently.
it was a really hard trek, but it cannot equal the amazing view on top. beautiful creation. enchanting. i can't help but say WOW! everybody was overwhelmed.
what i like about hiking is being able to appreciate nature. God's creation.
after less than 30 minutes, we had to start going down coz it was getting late. there was a mass of dark clouds coming... RAIN! we rushed to go down, but it was too late. we were drenched. and of course, it was more muddy and slippery.
i had an easire time going down. i was sliding on rocks, which was fun! =) it was already dark though, so we had to trust the person before us to warn us of big steps or dangerous rocks. we all reached the road wet, starving, and tired but victorious. that was 8pm.
i came down STARVING. good thing a friend was ready to give me some food. that was the most delicious corned beef i've ever had. =)
it was one of the hardest hikes i've made, and one of the best spots too.
next time, i'll bring some food. and i'll take more pictures. =) but here's some i was able to take (when i wasn't busy climbing) ... hiking album.
Posted at 4:10:16 pm by osang
it was a trip arranged one week ago. a doctor is leaving this place to go back to the Philippines and she hasn't been to Ant, the famous get-away place here. it's a number of small islands (uninhabited) that offer a rich marine life and white sand beaches. (for more information, check this out)
the group was composed of people who have been here for more than 5 years but has never been to Ant, those who have are leaving soon and want to experience the place, and some who have been there a number of times and who want to go back. (i've been there twice, and i've only been here for a year... talk about adventurous)
we were supposed to leave at 5am, and i was there around 5:30. but a group was late so we were able to leave at 6:30, almost 7am.
we ate, swam, slept on the beach, and forgot about life back in Kolonia (the town where we live). 
i was out on the sun almost the whole day, as if i need a tan. truth is, i have too much of a tan! hehe :)
it was a good trip except for the people who got seasick (it was remarkable i did not get sick) and the one boat engine that almost got busted on our way home.
we had the sunrise on our way to Ant, and the sunset coming back.
and the highlights: seeeing a school of dolphins jumping around, making a show beside our boat. and a huge whale showing its tail and body. that was great! of course, i wasn't able to take a pictures, i just had to enjoy the moment.
for pictures, go to this album. it's not much coz some pictures are censored. :) i don't want to post pictures of people in their swimsuits. i haven't asked for their permission.
Posted at 4:08:29 pm by osang
Monday, August 30, 2004
blogging personality quiz
I took the Blogging Personality Quiz at About Web logs and I am...
The Writer
Words captivate me. And, I like to capture words. Blogging enables me to write often. It also provides a place for me to share what I write with a reading public. I can be funny, inspiring, intelligent, cynical, or morbid. It doesn't matter what I write about in my blog. It only matters that I write.
Posted at 5:40:03 pm by osang
Friday, August 27, 2004
reading my 3rd Dan Brown book
i first read a hardbound The Da Vinci Code. then i got a hold of a paperback Angels & Demons and finished it.
now i'm reading Digital Fortress, an ebook sent by my bestfriend. i'm in my third Dan Brown book, so i guess it's obvious that i like his writings. they're books i can't put off reading. interesting. it's not just fiction, it's a good source of facts too.
Digital Fortress... sounds like my courses in College - Digital Circuits, Digital Design, Digital Electronics. mwehehe =) after all, the book talks about algorithms, processors, and super computers. so it's interesting.
i'm almost halfway through. here are some excerpts:
Despite the opinion of many engineers that the newly proposed code-breaking computer
was impossible to build, the NSA lived by its motto: Everything is possible. The
impossible just takes longer.
The NSA felt the crunch immediately. The codes they were facing were no longer simple
substitution ciphers crackable with pencil and graph paper--they were computer-generated
hash functions that employed chaos theory and multiple symbolic alphabets to scramble
messages into seemingly hopeless randomness.
Posted at 10:05:28 am by osang
Thursday, August 26, 2004
i wish i have chubby cheeks.
last week, a couple of people said i'm losing weight. hmm... maybe not literally, coz my weight doesn't really change that much. i just feel my body gain or lose weight. so maybe i look less healthy lately. it's my face, i know. i don't have healthy cheeks so it's really obvious when i lack good food and sleep. somebody said i have black circles around my eyes. yaiks!
the worse thing is, i was on a lighter work load for the last 2-3 weeks. and this week, since we started with Fall Semester, i'll be working full time again. and it's a really busy semester for me. it's just the middle of the first week and i already feel so tired. oh no! what will i be now? a zombie?
but don't worry, i'm gaining again. i've been eating A LOT. and i think i got my old sleeping habits back.
Posted at 11:05:55 am by osang
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