A Trafficker in Climaxes

February’s first weekend was spent with a blast. I was with my CMSC 142 class on our midterm outing in Hidden Paradise. Hidden Paradise is a mountain resort located in San Fernando, Cebu. It’s roughly 1.5 hours away from the city but that’s just a wild estimate since I never really tracked the time of travel. hrhr.

Pictures!

The trip was more fun than I anticipated it to be. I usually feel qualms the night before any party or gathering with people that I’m not close with. I worry about not knowing the right things to say or making situations awkward with my presence. I anticipate the worst and always imagine myself to be gawky and timid all throughout but it wasn’t at all like that. The games probably helped a lot in calming down my nerves and I was able to mingle with people in a socially acceptable way. hehehe.

It was really tiring though but the day ended pretty well in general. I had late dinner with my boyfriend in Tandoori (best Persian restaurant EVER) and all is cool that ends cool.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC:
Check out The National, you guys. They’re awesome.

I’ve been listening to this album since the day I got it and I’m hooked. There’s no song in this album that’s bad. For starters, you might want to check out Fake Empire, there’s a video of them performing it live on the David Letterman show. If you like Interpol, Joy Division and Pupil, you’ll probably like ‘em too.

I was invited by my friends, Cham² and Drip, to be a guest “photographer” for the House of Hope yearly magazine. I am not a professional photographer by any chance but I volunteered for this gig because it sounds like a lot of fun and it’s a good way for me to practice tweaking with my camera.

House of Hope is a non-profit Christian Drug Rehabilitation Center established in 1997, duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and accredited by the Department of Health (DOH). We offer a one-year holistic program to people who are in bondage of drug addiction and volunteer themselves for rehabilitation. The program revolves around four aspects namely, spiritual, social, work and physical therapies.

Visiting House of Hope was a great experience. I admit that I felt quite lazy in the morning and was not as enthusiastic about the whole thing as I was when I volunteered for the job last week. However, not going there would’ve been a regret. The people in the center were warm, hospitable and made me feel more important than I really am (haha).

I also met quite a few interesting people. The volunteers and those in the rehabilitation programs were fun in both their antics and the stories that they tell. Aside from the socializing, I also thoroughly enjoyed taking pictures. It made me realize (all the more) how photographing people can be so much fun and how I want to do more of it in the future – even without pay.

If they’ll let me, I’ll probably volunteer to take their pictures again next year. Hopefully, I’ll already be lugging around a DSLR with a more decent lens. hehe.