Livin high and takin it easy

We have a scheduled trip to Bohol on September, just us the little family, and another trip to Batanes with the little family and my mom and her eight other friends but tell you what, I am finding it quite hard to plan for these trips. Why? Because it seems I am losing the traveler in me. Could that be possible?
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Sunbathing in the early afternoon….

…and contemplating in the early morning light.

Walking by the beach at high noon… with the relentless sun on the hot sand.

Dumaluan Beach… a beautiful quiet beach on a weekday.

Photo by Romulus Rueda, click on image to view original

Pahiram muna ng photo mo cuz, palitan ko na lang ng akin pag balik ko?

This is where we will be staying for our 4D/3N trip to Bohol. (No, not really this beach-front room, though I wish! Hahaha!)

http://www.dumaluanbeach.com

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This trip is made possible by Travel Factor.

This past week has been very, physically and emotionally, exhausting for me. A lot of things happened this week. For some of the important occurrences, one could say, “I saw it coming.”

Ryan going out on a business trip is not something new. He has been going for years. What is different is now we have a baby. I used to not mind his going away. It meant I was going away too. If he was going on 20th for example, I’d book a flight somewhere for 19th and make him drive me to the airport. If he was coming back on the 29th, I’d book mine for 30th and make him pick me up at the airport. Now I can’t go anywhere because I can’t bring the baby to other places just like that, especially by myself. So I stay home.

Staying home in an apartment by yourself, to take care of your seven-month old baby all on your own, without any help from any other family member on any or both sides, and with an insensitive and inconsiderate maid who sleeps earlier and wakes up later than you do is not easy.

Friday I finally snapped my thinning patience and yelled at the maid who instantly packed her things. When it comes to maids (even if I have only had one of my own in my entire life.. the ones my parents had over at our house through all the years of course do not count) I am never one to say or ask, “No, don’t go.” In fact, so enraged was I that  I even had the urge to throw her bags out my gate. An urge quelled by other things of course.

So harassed and exhausted was I that I made a distraught call to the husband who was in the middle of a crazy “Black Friday” sale to tell him that if I had wanted to become nothing more than a housewife, I wouldn’t have taken up graduate studies. That if I had wanted to be a single mother, I would have just gone home to my parents or back to El Nido where I could have a real job and I would be surrounded by a lot of people all the time that I never have to spend a single day taking care of a baby all on my own and nary a person to practice my social and communication skills with.

A hysterical me found myself asking when is it exactly that I would be able to rest? When was the last time I could say I have had a good night’s sleep? I haven’t had a real straight sleep in seven months. I haven’t had a real ME-time in seven months. I keep saying I need to go to the spa for a good massage perhaps but I don’t ever make it. Taking care of a baby, though tremendously rewarding, is also exceptionally tiring. My back used to hurt because I breastfed all through the day and all through the night even as I slept. Now my back hurts because I have to carry around a 20-pound baby. I keep saying one day I’m gonna make it out of the city by myself and have some me-time in some beach in some island somewhere even for a day or two. Just like old times. But I never make it. I cannot be away from my daughter for long periods of time. Not because she demands it, but because I just can’t. I keep wishing I could but I just can’t.

A lot of things is going on right now and I post happy stuff in this site because after all, I want to project that I am living high and taking it easy. One would think my life does not have any privacy at all since I seem to blog all the time, but you would never know what really goes on in my life and I will not tell you either.

Today I was rewarded for all my efforts and hard work with a lot of things I have so wanted. Yes, things. I finally got a Sanuk sandals and a Bamboo tablet. I even got a Nine West sunglasses (which is going to be handy this weekend when we go to Bohol). Ryan finally got himself a point and shoot camera he has been wanting to have for months since he finds it tedious to keep lugging his heavy Nikon D80 around on business trips. That being said, the Nikon D80 is officially mine. Well, it has been mine for some time. The 50mm f.18 lens is mine. I keep thinking of selling my Olmpus E-500 since we hardly use it but I looked at it online to see how much it sells these days and it’s still at about $1000 with used selling from $400 and above. It has not lowered its price that much. I especially love the 40-150mm lens on it and I have a hard time parting with it. Maybe  I won’t.. but what is it gonna be there for?

Ryan even got me a balloon animals book and kit! A few months ago I saw an episode of MOMents where they featured a mom who made balloon decorations as a business on the side and I was sort of envious. No I did not want to put a balloon business but I wanted to be able to make balloon decorations too. We saw a kit at Shopwise once when we were shopping for book shelves but I did not really buy the kit. Ryan said when we were chatting on YM when he was there, “I got you something you at some time expressed a passing interest in,” and I wondered what that was. It seems to me I express passing interest in almost everything and anything, even the most mundane.

I am excited about making little balloon dogs and gators with Lia one of these days.

I am still tired. I am still in need of a good massage. I look at what I have now and I can’t say I’m not happy though. I have to be. These are good things. Some days we get the things we want but not the things we need. Still, is that not something to be thankful for? We know money can’t buy happiness but at least it makes up for some real hard time you have had to and will endure. I deserve these things too I guess. To mask the pain I have in my heart and soothe the pain on my back.

I wish I was the one who took this video or even the one in it, but no, I just had to be the one watching it all green with envy. Hahaha. I got to this video because Kristelle tweeted it this morning. Thanks Kristelle! This video makes me look forward all the more to our Bohol trip on December 5-8, 2009. That’s just two weeks away! Yehey!! I wish we could scuba dive too!

Travel Factor's UBBE+SNUBA Bohol

Travel Factor’s Ultimate Beach Bumming Experience and Snorkeling/Scuba Diving adventure
Dec 5 – 8, 2009
Bohol, Philippines

What is SNUBA?
SNUBA stands for Snorkeling and Scuba Diving. It’s a Travel Factor trip that caters to both divers and non-divers.

Package Rate:
depending on total number of participants
P7,000 per pax (if 5 participants)
P6,000 per pax (if 10 participants)

Package Inclusion:
• roundtrip service from airport to resort (includes van transfers)
• 3 nights aircon accommodation in Panglao Island, Bohol
• free use of resort amenities: swimming pool, etc.
• guided tour with service and entrance fees
• aircon van for the Countryside Tours
• lunch at Loboc on board a floating restaurant w/ serenade
• boat transfers from resort to Dolphin watching area / Balicasag Island
• Travel Insurance
• Travel Factor ID

not included:
• roundtrip airfare and terminal fee
• snorkelling/scuba diving gears and fees
• other meals not part of package

Itinerary Summary:
Dec 5 – arrival in Bohol; check-in at resort; free time (relax, swim, dive)
Dec 6 – Dolphin Watching and Snorkeling at Balicasag Island. option to scuba dive.
Dec 7 – whole day Bohol Countryside Tours
Dec 8 – free time; flight to Manila

* Whole day Countryside Tour including Chocolate Hills, Bilar man-made forest, Tarsier watching in Loboc, Loboc river cruise w/ lunch & serenade, Clarin House, Hinagdanan Cave, Phyton Mini Zoo, Baclayon Church & Museum, Hanging Bridge, Blood Compact Marker, Souvenir Shopping, Bohol Bee Farm

For more information, visit the Travel Factor site.

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Owraaayttt! Ok, I am still waiting for the poster for this event but as I am overly-igzayded I am already reposting. It seemed like the Cebu Pacific website was down or having server problems, probably from too many people accessing it so thank you so much for Leia Nagal for helping me book the tickets through phone. Thanks much! I am excited to go on a TF trip again. I am excited to be on a TF trip with you again Leia. The last time was Coron back in June 2008 and that was more than a year ago!