Sagada

It was suppose to be my summer project but summer passed and it was still on my to-do list. I've heard and read so much about the natural beauty and serenity that Sagada offers that my curiosity and penchant for adventure was just piqued.

I have this fantasy, if you may call it as such, to travel to Sagada on my own and there, discover the quiet that I always crave for in this urban jungle I'm living in. I cannot wait to walk along the trails of this mountain hideaway and explore the caves that supposedly tell so much about our ancient past.

My friends tell me it's not safe to venture into Sagada alone especially if you're a girl and you've never been there before. But I've always had a stubborn streak and I've always loved going away by myself to some place unfamiliar. So, i guess my Sagada project is still on and definitely before the year ends. But who knows, I might ask my one of my girl friends-cum-travel buddy-cum-partner in crime to join my little adventure.

escape

i want to fly,
fly away
to the paradise of our own creation.
a hidden cove
of all our secret desires, hopes and joys.
an oasis in the desert,
quenching our thirsty souls.

The Cure-All

"The cure for anything is saltwater - sweat, tears, or the sea."
- Isak Dinesen

I came across this quote in a newspaper article detailing the coffeetable book of one famous Filipino fashion photographer (whose name ironically, escapes me now) where he tries to capture the essence of water using artful photographs of beautiful Filipina celebrities. And it just stuck on my mind from then on.

Those words of Isak Dinesen struck at me because I realized how true those words are. Well, for me, at least.

For the times I feel angry, hurt, tired, and just plain confused and lost, there are three things that do wonders for my bruised self. These three things never fail to make me feel good about my life and always put a smile to my face.

First, there's nothing like a good cry to make me feel better. Letting the tears fall somehow puts things in perspective and leaves me feeling lighter and brighter. And of course, to cap it off, a warm cup of coffee to celebrate the freedom brought about by my tears.

Second, scrubbing the bathroom floor or typing furiously away at my keyboard to finish reports, always prove to be therapeutic. All the pent-up emotions and energy within me find the much-needed release either through physical or mental activity. Nothing compares to the flushed and energized feeling afterwards, just like after a vigorous exercise.

And the best cure-all for me? The beach. There's a sense of serenity that the sun, sand, and surf bring to my soul. I am most at peace and freest hearing the waves softly crashing into the shore or dipping my toes into the salty, stinging water. My problems just seem to float away into the vast ocean, as if they weren't really there to begin with. After a stint at the beach, I come back to the urban jungle feeling like a whole new woman, ready to take on everything and anything.

So, i guess Isak Dinesen was really right. There's nothing that sweat, tears, and the sea cannot cure. With my three cure-alls, life really is beautiful. Well, for me, at least.