Summary:
A fiction that cuts through the heart - like all the other novels by Mitch Albom, The Time Keeper is a simple and light story about time. It is about Dor, the first man to measure time; about Sarah Lemon, the teenage girl who wants to stop time; and about Victor Delamonte, the rich man who wants more time.
The book tells each of their story, how they came about their own struggles against time, and how their fates became interrelated. More important was how Dor (a.k.a. Father Time) is about to change their fates, by saving the two earthly people's lives and eventually save himself too.
Reflection:
How do we keep our time? Do we treat it as if it's gonna last forever? Do we treat it like a limited resource? Do we take it for granted or do we treat it with care?
With today's demands, we are more pressured than ever to move fast, work efficient, and decide quick. There are so many deadlines we need to meet - hard ones set at work, or standard ones set by our society, or personal ones that we have set for our own selves. There are so many things we need to achieve. There are so many things we feel we need to do. But sometimes, we have to stop and ask ourselves, are we making the best use of our time with all these? If we die at the end of the day, will we have any regrets? What things would we wish we would have done? What things would we wish we have not done, so we might have made better use of our time?
Today's demands also open us to failures, unmet goals, and sadness that can sometimes lead to depression. But today's times also open us to the growing possibilities of sickness, accidents, and death, always reminding us that our time isn't in our own hands. The books uses the traditional way of looking at things: a young one with a long life ahead, and a young man about to die, but the truth is that life doesn't always work that way. Only God knows how much sand remains in our life's hourglass. Only He can extend it. Or decide to cut it short.
On a side note, as I was reading the book, I had the urge to count how many times the word "time" will be mentioned. But with each passage I read, I know that that will be totally ironic. I don't want to be consumed with counting the way Dor had been, and forget about the essence of the time I spent reading a wonderful book and learning so much from it.
And now, for my favorite quotes:
"Man alone measures time. Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures. A fear of time running out."
"Once started, this desire does not end. It will grow beyond anything you have imagined."
"Soon man will count all his days, and then smaller segments of the day, and then smaller still - until the counting consumes him, and the wonder of the world he has been given is lost."
"The length of your days does not belong to you."
"Holding on to things "will only break your heart."
"As mankind grew obssessed with its hours, the sorrow of lost time became a permanent hole in the human heart. People fretted over missed chances, over inefficient days; they worried constantly about how long they would live, because counting life's moments had led, inevitably to counting them down."
"But man invents nothing God did not create first."
"Not aging is not the same as living, and without human contact, his soul dried up."
"Mankind is connected in ways it does not understand - even in dreams."
"It is never too late or too soon. It is when it is supposed to be."
"You marked the minutes, but did you use them wisely? To be still? To cherish? To be grateful? To lift and be lifted?"
"You were one person, and you changed the world."
"Only God can write the end of your story."
"Remember this always: There is a reason God limits man's days."
"But a desperate heart will seduce the mind."
"Sometimes, when you are not getting the love you want, giving makes you think you will."
"But a man who can take anything will find most things unsatisfying. And a man without memories is just a shell."
"We all yearn for what we have lost. But sometimes, we forget what we have."
"But you grab a moment, or you let it pass."
"A heart weighs more when it splits in two; it crashes in the chest like a broken plane."
"Knowing something and understanding it were not the same thing."
"But common sense has no place in first love and never has."
"And when hope is gone, time is punishment."
"Magic came from the gods. And when the gods touch something, the normal became the supernatural, the simple became the wondrous."
"When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness."
"But hurting ourselves to inflict pain on others is just another cry to be loved."
"Love does not make you a fool."
"Time is not something you give back. The very next moment may be an answer to your prayer. To deny that is to deny the most important part of the future. --- Hope."
"Ends are for yesterdays, not tomorrows."
"With endless time, nothing is special. With no loss or sacrifice, we can't appreciate what we have."
"But fates are connected in ways we don't understand."
"We cannot stop what Heaven chooses."
Monday, September 14, 2015
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Visiting the lovers Pandin and Yambo
It was a sunny day... and a holiday.
And before the rainy season comes, we made another land trip this year to a place that's so near yet at times seem so far - the lakes of San Pablo!
I came upon the idea when I started to look for 'travels to other bodies of water other than the common beach'. When we were in Iloilo early this year, I've also seen this featured in one travel show. And the food looked yummy, and the lake looked inviting. And as the place is only around two hours drive from my house, and having the road warrior traveler part of my year's objectives, I decided to give it a try.
We started the day late. We left our home in Paranaque at around 9AM and we made one stop over to have a quick breakfast, let our car rest and check the water levels.
We arrived at Lake Pandin at past 1PM. There is ample parking space, if you are bringing your car. You'd need to trek for around 15-30 minutes, depending on how fast you can go. Some of the parts is a bit steep, coupled with the scorching heat of the sun at that hour, the trek, though quick, can be very tiring.
Unfortunately, the place was packed. And since I didn't make any reservations beforehand, we were put on the list last. It doesn't matter if you arrive early, if someone with prior reservation arrived before you got on the balsa, they will be prioritized. So to be safe, make reservations.
We had to wait for around two hours as people with reservations continued to arrive. Fortunately, there was this monkey named Budoy who gave us a bit of entertainment by continuously asking for food. And mind you, he doesn't like bananas! He keeps on dropping the bananas, but he looooved the fries. He also knows how to open a bottled water. And yes, he also eats halo-halo!
At around 3PM, there were fewer people arriving so when three balsa came back from its tour, we were seated. (But we still had to wait another 30 minutes, probably because of some misunderstanding, our food is not yet prepared)
Finally! Lunch is served!
The typical lunch is Tilapia, Hipon, and Ensaladang Pako. They also serve buko juice and bottled water for drinks. However, as we didn't get to reserve before hand, the food they ordered may not have been enough so our shrimp got replaced by fish bakuli and the buko juice was replaced by a 1.5L bottle of Coke.
The balsa ride takes around two hours and includes lunch on the balsa, a visit to a grotto, a trek to view Lake Yambo and picture taking in the "swing" made by a small branch in U-shape. You can also take a dip in the lake but there are no shower rooms. There's a clean restroom though where you can change to dry clothes.
The drive was long, the trek was tiring, the heat overwhelming, the waiting was stressful, but it was all worth it the moment our balsa sailed and we got to enjoy the simple yet delicious lunch in the simple yet wonderful surrounding.
This travel is also relatively cheap. Below is a list of our expenses:
Around Php 500-600 worth of gas for a 1.0 compact car (roundtrip)
Php 165 toll from Bicutan to Calamba exit (one way)
Php 25 toll up to Sto. Tomas exit (one way)
Php 360 per head (Balsa ride around the lake, inclusive of meals)
Php 100 tip each to our trek guide and two bangkeros
Php 50 parking fee
That's less than PHP 3,000 for a group of 4! So what are you waiting for?!
Come visit the lovers Pandin and Yambo now!
And before the rainy season comes, we made another land trip this year to a place that's so near yet at times seem so far - the lakes of San Pablo!
I came upon the idea when I started to look for 'travels to other bodies of water other than the common beach'. When we were in Iloilo early this year, I've also seen this featured in one travel show. And the food looked yummy, and the lake looked inviting. And as the place is only around two hours drive from my house, and having the road warrior traveler part of my year's objectives, I decided to give it a try.
We started the day late. We left our home in Paranaque at around 9AM and we made one stop over to have a quick breakfast, let our car rest and check the water levels.
We arrived at Lake Pandin at past 1PM. There is ample parking space, if you are bringing your car. You'd need to trek for around 15-30 minutes, depending on how fast you can go. Some of the parts is a bit steep, coupled with the scorching heat of the sun at that hour, the trek, though quick, can be very tiring.
Unfortunately, the place was packed. And since I didn't make any reservations beforehand, we were put on the list last. It doesn't matter if you arrive early, if someone with prior reservation arrived before you got on the balsa, they will be prioritized. So to be safe, make reservations.
We had to wait for around two hours as people with reservations continued to arrive. Fortunately, there was this monkey named Budoy who gave us a bit of entertainment by continuously asking for food. And mind you, he doesn't like bananas! He keeps on dropping the bananas, but he looooved the fries. He also knows how to open a bottled water. And yes, he also eats halo-halo!
At around 3PM, there were fewer people arriving so when three balsa came back from its tour, we were seated. (But we still had to wait another 30 minutes, probably because of some misunderstanding, our food is not yet prepared)
Finally! Lunch is served!
The typical lunch is Tilapia, Hipon, and Ensaladang Pako. They also serve buko juice and bottled water for drinks. However, as we didn't get to reserve before hand, the food they ordered may not have been enough so our shrimp got replaced by fish bakuli and the buko juice was replaced by a 1.5L bottle of Coke.
The balsa ride takes around two hours and includes lunch on the balsa, a visit to a grotto, a trek to view Lake Yambo and picture taking in the "swing" made by a small branch in U-shape. You can also take a dip in the lake but there are no shower rooms. There's a clean restroom though where you can change to dry clothes.
The drive was long, the trek was tiring, the heat overwhelming, the waiting was stressful, but it was all worth it the moment our balsa sailed and we got to enjoy the simple yet delicious lunch in the simple yet wonderful surrounding.
This travel is also relatively cheap. Below is a list of our expenses:
Around Php 500-600 worth of gas for a 1.0 compact car (roundtrip)
Php 165 toll from Bicutan to Calamba exit (one way)
Php 25 toll up to Sto. Tomas exit (one way)
Php 360 per head (Balsa ride around the lake, inclusive of meals)
Php 100 tip each to our trek guide and two bangkeros
Php 50 parking fee
That's less than PHP 3,000 for a group of 4! So what are you waiting for?!
Come visit the lovers Pandin and Yambo now!
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Sama na sa Zambales
The 2015 summer is halfway through and we haven't explored enough, so we decided to proceed with one of the adventures that has been pending on my list for so many years now ~ to explore the islands in Zambales.
No airfare needed! Just a car and gas worth around PHP 1,500 for a 1.4 small hatchback. (You can also travel by commuting, there are lots of blog and sites that give direction on the bus you can take). As we passed by NLEX and SCTEX, there's also the toll fee.
Coming from Marilao, Bulacan, our total travel time going to Pundaquit is around 4 hours which includes a number of stop over to check our car's water levels and to have a quick lunch. We stopped at gas stations on the way and at Harborpoint in Subic where we had a quick lunch at Sumo Sam, and went around for window shopping :p
Because we currently have a lot of concerns about camping overnight (particularly with the lack of "comfort" rooms), we decided to stay in a resort in Pundaquit.
Megan's Paradisio Beach Resort
The rate for the small room that we've got is PHP 1,800. We made a reservation only a month before by calling and texting the numbers in the site. We were asked to make a deposit for half of the total price to reserve the room.
We booked for an island hopping trip with the resort, They were the ones who arranged it with one of those renting their boats. It doesn't seem to be the season for visiting this place as there were no lines or waiting necessary. The island hoping we got is priced at PHP 1,500 for a small boat. Because our checkout time is at 11AM, we asked to start the island hopping tour early at 6AM (yes, this is already early for us :p)
Because it was the last night of ABSCBN's Forevermore, and there's no TV in Megan's, we decided to hop over the resort beside them - the Canoe Beach Resort. We had a simple dinner there while watching the show's ending together with a bunch of people who were probably booked in that resort.
The next day, our island hopping begins!.
Camara Island
Capones Island
Anawangin Island
Camara Island is pretty small. Most tourists would just drop by to take pictures and move on with their trip. Capones Island is a bit bigger. There's waves, rock formations, woods, sand, and sun. You can take a dip but the waves can sometimes be big so be sure to wear your life vests. And then there's Anawangin, where the others seem to pale in comparison. I don't mean to downplay the beauty of the other islands, maybe it's just my preference, but Anawangin gave me a certain kind of feeling ~ sort of being at peace with yourself and with nature while at the same time enjoying an adventure with it. We swam and played with the huge waves here (of course still wearing our life vests,and aqua shoes that were eventually washed away by the waves :( ) We only spent an hour or so in this island because the boat ride takes around 30minutes and we have to get back before our check-out time.
While riding the boat on the way back to our resort, I immediately felt the longing I rarely feel. Gosh! I really loved that place. Someday I will be back! And when I do, I want to be adventurous enough to camp overnight. On our way back, we stopped at Subic Freeport Duty Free and had our lunch at Meat Plus.
And as the home of the original Razon's halo-halo was on our way, our last stop before heading home ~ something sweet:
No airfare needed! Just a car and gas worth around PHP 1,500 for a 1.4 small hatchback. (You can also travel by commuting, there are lots of blog and sites that give direction on the bus you can take). As we passed by NLEX and SCTEX, there's also the toll fee.
Coming from Marilao, Bulacan, our total travel time going to Pundaquit is around 4 hours which includes a number of stop over to check our car's water levels and to have a quick lunch. We stopped at gas stations on the way and at Harborpoint in Subic where we had a quick lunch at Sumo Sam, and went around for window shopping :p
Because we currently have a lot of concerns about camping overnight (particularly with the lack of "comfort" rooms), we decided to stay in a resort in Pundaquit.
Megan's Paradisio Beach Resort
The rate for the small room that we've got is PHP 1,800. We made a reservation only a month before by calling and texting the numbers in the site. We were asked to make a deposit for half of the total price to reserve the room.
We booked for an island hopping trip with the resort, They were the ones who arranged it with one of those renting their boats. It doesn't seem to be the season for visiting this place as there were no lines or waiting necessary. The island hoping we got is priced at PHP 1,500 for a small boat. Because our checkout time is at 11AM, we asked to start the island hopping tour early at 6AM (yes, this is already early for us :p)
Because it was the last night of ABSCBN's Forevermore, and there's no TV in Megan's, we decided to hop over the resort beside them - the Canoe Beach Resort. We had a simple dinner there while watching the show's ending together with a bunch of people who were probably booked in that resort.
The next day, our island hopping begins!.
Capones Island
Anawangin Island
Camara Island is pretty small. Most tourists would just drop by to take pictures and move on with their trip. Capones Island is a bit bigger. There's waves, rock formations, woods, sand, and sun. You can take a dip but the waves can sometimes be big so be sure to wear your life vests. And then there's Anawangin, where the others seem to pale in comparison. I don't mean to downplay the beauty of the other islands, maybe it's just my preference, but Anawangin gave me a certain kind of feeling ~ sort of being at peace with yourself and with nature while at the same time enjoying an adventure with it. We swam and played with the huge waves here (of course still wearing our life vests,and aqua shoes that were eventually washed away by the waves :( ) We only spent an hour or so in this island because the boat ride takes around 30minutes and we have to get back before our check-out time.
While riding the boat on the way back to our resort, I immediately felt the longing I rarely feel. Gosh! I really loved that place. Someday I will be back! And when I do, I want to be adventurous enough to camp overnight. On our way back, we stopped at Subic Freeport Duty Free and had our lunch at Meat Plus.
And as the home of the original Razon's halo-halo was on our way, our last stop before heading home ~ something sweet:
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Guimaras - Iloilo Trip, let's Go!
Travel Details: MNL-ILO-MNL for Php 2,696.92 via Cebu Pacific
The time of our arrival in Ilo-Ilo is a little past 12 which is the perfect time, just in time for us to get a ride to Otiz Wharf, a ferry to Jordan Wharf and a tricycle ride to our hotel of choice. (Tricycle is the main mode of transportation in Guimaras)
Accomodation in Guimaras: Raymen's Resort
Plus Points:
Minus Points:
DAY 1 P.M.
Guimaras Land Tour
Our first stop for the land tour is the famous Pitstop. It's a restaurant that serve mango in different dishes. They have the Must-Try Mango Pizza, mango spaghetti, got mango shake, and of course mango desserts. They also serve regular food like bbq, adobo, and other pizza flavors. Next, we head on to the Trappist Monastery, where we bought some pasalubong. We also visited the Mango Plantation but we were not able not able to come in. We just saw the expanse of mango trees from the road. Lastly, we visited the Guisi lighthouse, where we had to traverse rough roads with lots of sand that our cameras became full of sand afterwards. The view at the top, though, is worth it.
First stop: SEAFDEC @ Igang Marine Station
This stop is such a good start specially if you'd like to learn a few facts about fishes and fisheries. There was so much to learn! Some of the trivia shared to us are:
Second Stop: Ave maria islet is a small island with very fine sand.
Next Stop: Baras Cave - the boat that we've hired is big so we didn't really get to to enter the cave, but we did get to take some pictures.
Last Stop: Nagtago island - Of course this is my favorite because I got to experience holding and taking a picture with a pawikan. We also got to have a lovely swim for some time in this island.
DAY 3 Bye-Bye Guimaras, Hello Iloilo Proper
Iloilo City Proper
Accomodation in Guimaras: GoHotels
Plus Points:
When I saw the room, I almost wanted to just sleep through our stay. But having not eaten lunch at 2pm is quite a challenge to both of us, so we headed to have a taste of the original La Paz Batchoy.
D-I-Y Ilo-ilo Tour
We were supposed to go to Netong's but it seems manong taxi driver did not know where Netong's is located, or maybe he got confused when I said La Paz Public market so we went to Deco's instead. We are not Ilonggos and we can't tell what exactly is the difference between the la paz batchoy here as compared to that served in Manila.. It has the noodles, the laman-loob, and chicharon. I was so hungry that I almost finished one extra serving (extra is how they term the serving with the most (laman) but my travel buddy didn't quite like the food specially the bitter taste of the laman loob.
Our next stop was Camiña Nga Balay. We had a little misunderstanding with the driver, with him thinking we were referring to a literal house made of stone and so brought us to one even though we have told him to stop on the location being pointed by google maps.
We had a tour of the house and learned about the history of the house and the story behind the steep stairs. We had some biscuits, hot chocolate and a molo soup right after.
We also went to the Iloilo City Hall. I read somewhere that the 360° view of Iloilo is part of the iloilo city tour itinerary so I included it in our list. We were guided by one of the employees to the roof top and we get to take shots of Iloilo top view. We next went to Calle Real. We went there a little before 5pm and got a shot at day and waited in I-mart for it to get dark and the lights to be turned on, so we can take another picture at night.
We had out dinner at Buto't Balat near SM Delgado, where we tried seafoods. We had baked oysters, ampalaya with egg and sizzling butteted shrimp. The food here is excellent. If only not for my worries about my tummy reaction and high cholesterol, I would have finished all our orders!
DAY 4 SEE YOU AGAIN ILOILO
Our departure from Iloilo is scheduled at 2:50PM. Again, this is perfect timing, giving us one more day to go around for a bit, pack up, check and head on to the airport. We decided to do to Esplanade. Today, being a weekday, the place is very peaceful. There are not much people around, mostly those that are just passing by. The place is very clean and is perfect for a jog. I wish we can have places like this in Manila.
There are a number of restaurants located at Esplanade, and we chose to ate at Ramboy's, known for Aklan's best chicken and liempo.
The time of our arrival in Ilo-Ilo is a little past 12 which is the perfect time, just in time for us to get a ride to Otiz Wharf, a ferry to Jordan Wharf and a tricycle ride to our hotel of choice. (Tricycle is the main mode of transportation in Guimaras)
Accomodation in Guimaras: Raymen's Resort
Plus Points:
- Affordable price
- Hot and cold shower is working great
- Beachfront
- Good food and Sweet Guimaras mangoes always available in their canteen
Minus Points:
- The room is so small, the CR is also very small and has a certain smell
- The walls are very thin with most of the sounds getting through
- Some of the canteen's staff are also not very attentive
- They did not provide the wifi password head on. I had to go back to the front desk to ask for it and its signal is intermittent.
DAY 1 P.M.
Guimaras Land Tour
Our first stop for the land tour is the famous Pitstop. It's a restaurant that serve mango in different dishes. They have the Must-Try Mango Pizza, mango spaghetti, got mango shake, and of course mango desserts. They also serve regular food like bbq, adobo, and other pizza flavors. Next, we head on to the Trappist Monastery, where we bought some pasalubong. We also visited the Mango Plantation but we were not able not able to come in. We just saw the expanse of mango trees from the road. Lastly, we visited the Guisi lighthouse, where we had to traverse rough roads with lots of sand that our cameras became full of sand afterwards. The view at the top, though, is worth it.
DAY 2 A.M.
Guimaras Island Hopping TourFirst stop: SEAFDEC @ Igang Marine Station
This stop is such a good start specially if you'd like to learn a few facts about fishes and fisheries. There was so much to learn! Some of the trivia shared to us are:
- Female Snappers are bad! They bite similar species and thus need to be separated from males and even other females.
- Seabass males become females as they grow old.
- Giant Lapu-lapu are born female then grow up to be males. This species is also one of the laziest and is thus a good investment. And they can reach up to 125yrs old!
Second Stop: Ave maria islet is a small island with very fine sand.
Next Stop: Baras Cave - the boat that we've hired is big so we didn't really get to to enter the cave, but we did get to take some pictures.
Last Stop: Nagtago island - Of course this is my favorite because I got to experience holding and taking a picture with a pawikan. We also got to have a lovely swim for some time in this island.
After checking out of our hotel, we rented an L200 to get us back to the wharf and proceed with the Iloilo part of our trip. We dropped by a shop that sells mangoes and lots of other goodies like otap, tarts, and butterscotch that are made from mangoes.
Iloilo City Proper
Accomodation in Guimaras: GoHotels
Plus Points:
- Affordable - Our room was priced at PhP 1,014.45 good for two
- The location is just right inside/beside Robinson's mall (it's like within the same buolding but the emtreance is outside. So when we watched the Insurgent movie in Robinsons movie world after a long day out, we did not worry about getting back to our hotel).
- The comforter really provides comfort, allowing us to regain our energies through the night.
- The bed is bigger. Equipped with a TV and a remote controlled a/c, this really is value for money.
- I also loved their comfort rooms with their super shower.
When I saw the room, I almost wanted to just sleep through our stay. But having not eaten lunch at 2pm is quite a challenge to both of us, so we headed to have a taste of the original La Paz Batchoy.
Decos-Original La Paz Batchoy La Paz Public Market
D-I-Y Ilo-ilo Tour
We were supposed to go to Netong's but it seems manong taxi driver did not know where Netong's is located, or maybe he got confused when I said La Paz Public market so we went to Deco's instead. We are not Ilonggos and we can't tell what exactly is the difference between the la paz batchoy here as compared to that served in Manila.. It has the noodles, the laman-loob, and chicharon. I was so hungry that I almost finished one extra serving (extra is how they term the serving with the most (laman) but my travel buddy didn't quite like the food specially the bitter taste of the laman loob.
Our next stop was Camiña Nga Balay. We had a little misunderstanding with the driver, with him thinking we were referring to a literal house made of stone and so brought us to one even though we have told him to stop on the location being pointed by google maps.
We had a tour of the house and learned about the history of the house and the story behind the steep stairs. We had some biscuits, hot chocolate and a molo soup right after.
We also went to the Iloilo City Hall. I read somewhere that the 360° view of Iloilo is part of the iloilo city tour itinerary so I included it in our list. We were guided by one of the employees to the roof top and we get to take shots of Iloilo top view. We next went to Calle Real. We went there a little before 5pm and got a shot at day and waited in I-mart for it to get dark and the lights to be turned on, so we can take another picture at night.
We had out dinner at Buto't Balat near SM Delgado, where we tried seafoods. We had baked oysters, ampalaya with egg and sizzling butteted shrimp. The food here is excellent. If only not for my worries about my tummy reaction and high cholesterol, I would have finished all our orders!
DAY 4 SEE YOU AGAIN ILOILO
Our departure from Iloilo is scheduled at 2:50PM. Again, this is perfect timing, giving us one more day to go around for a bit, pack up, check and head on to the airport. We decided to do to Esplanade. Today, being a weekday, the place is very peaceful. There are not much people around, mostly those that are just passing by. The place is very clean and is perfect for a jog. I wish we can have places like this in Manila.
There are a number of restaurants located at Esplanade, and we chose to ate at Ramboy's, known for Aklan's best chicken and liempo.
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