Solitude
Photo by wantet.

I am just really happy and surprised this photo made it to the Flickr interestingness page yesterday, May, 21, 2006.

This is definitely something I did not expect. So far the most number of favorites I’ve had is 5 and today when I logged in Flickr I was just really surprised that I’ve got 29 faves on this photo.

I’ve always wondered how it feels like if my photo was included in the interestingness page in Flickr and it’s definitely a pleasant surprise.

This photo is very quite simple but I guess the colors quite stand out here and the view is just amazing. I always love the beach and Bantayan is definitely a great place to go.

I’m just happy to have other persons appreciate this photo. Now, I’ve got to get back to work….

First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition official website

Today is a great day for Filipino mountaineers as well as for the entire Filipino nation. A Filipino finally reached the summit of Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world at 8,848m (29,028 ft.). Leo reached the summit today, May 17, 2006 at 3:30 PM Nepal time (5:30 PM Phil. time). I definitely didn’t had any doubt in my mind that he was gonna make on top. I still remember Leo when he joined the 2nd Visayas National Orienteering Competition which we organized and hosted last 2000. He was just starting out then in the adventure racing circuit. Partnering with Rob Greville they won the race and since then he has been winning adventure races one after the other.

During the 3rd Visayas Mountain Festival held last March in Patag, Silay, Art Valdez, Expedition Leader of the 1st Philippine Mount Everest Expedition informed MFPI members about the status and plans of the Expedition.

The RP Everest Team was set to climb Mt. Everest in 2007 but after Garduce announced his plans to climb Mt. Everest May of this year there has been a change of plans and FPMEE team decided to send out two of their best climbers, Leo Oracion and Pastor Emata to the summit of Everest as a “reconnaissance” climb before next year’s First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition dubbed as the “Unity climb”.

The goal is still half-way done. I wish Leo a safe journey back to base camp.

Last April 5 I wrote in my other blog the following:

Speaking of climbing Mt. Everest, it would be interesting to see who would really get to climb there first. Would it be Romy Garduce or Leo and Pastor of the RP Everest Team. It’s quite unfortunate that their expedition has become a network war of GMA7 and ABS-CBN. It doesn’t matter who gets there first. Whoever it is, Filipinos should be proud about it. Although, honestly speaking as a member of the MFPI I would like to see Leo and Pastor of the RP Everest team get there first. I’m looking forward to see who’s going to get there first.

Links to the Summit news:

http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=2011

http://news.inq7.net/top/index.php?index=1&story_id=76078

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=39008

I’m supposed to be studying and preparing for tomorrow’s discussion about eshop but my mind is wandering and tired after all what happened this week.

This summer of 2006 has been quite memorable for me in so many ways. So many good things has happened to me. I’m very happy to have met new friends, been able to climb Mt. Kitanglad, won 1st runner-up in T.W.0 1st Orienteering cup and went on whale-watching in Bais last weekend. It was supposedly a very nice summer for me until Wednesday came.

The bad news last Wednesday was certainly a horror for all of us in the family. I really thought that kind of thing only happened in the news and movies. I still can’t believe the blunder created by the police and what’s worst is that we are the ones paying for their blunder to cover up the mess they have created.

Life isn’t fair and we certainly do not deserve this. All I can really say is that police job is certainly one of the dirtiest. In most jobs if one creates a grave mistake he/she will most likely be terminated but with the police they even make money out of their mistakes which makes me really angry. They should know that their stupid mistake is costing and destroying someone else’s life and family.

We have given in to their demands but I just really hope they would be true to their words. I just don’t trust them anymore after all what has happened. I’m just really hoping and praying this crisis will be over soon.

I hate making tough decisions. Decisions that can make or break are just too close to call. I know nothing really comes easy in life and before anybody can achieve any type of success they’ve got to take a risk somewhere along the way.

I don’t want to commit the same mistake like I did in the past which makes me more confused if I should take the risk or not. I took a risk a before and I ended up falling really hard. I’ve regained some ground but now I’m put in a precarious and uncertain situation again.

There’s no question I’m interested in airplanes and I love to learn to fly but right now I have also come to realize that I love computer stuff and work. I wish I can do both at the same time. Giving up one is too hard for me.

Being a pilot was a childhood dream of mine. Right after I graduated high school I took up Aeronautical Engineering because I wanted a course related to Airplanes and Aviation. I was able to take the Pilot’s Ground course also that year but to go on with the proper flying course was just too expensive. My Ma told me that I can still fulfill my flying ambitions even if I take up another course because all I need is just money. She told me that maybe someday when I have work I can save up for it. I took that hope with me and told myself not to give up no matter what happens.

College days were turbulent years for me. I was itching to learn to fly but no opportunity came for me. As each year pass by the hope of being to fly grew dimmer and dimmer as the cost of Aviation gas grew higher. In my desperate attempt I took the PMA Exam in the hope that I will be able to get in and maybe land a spot in the Philippine Air Force (PAF) but I realized going into the military was not something for me. Even if I’ll make it to the PMA it was not an assurance I’ll be assigned in the Philippine Air Force. For 3 yrs. I tried to focus myself with my course, ECE, until I graduated. The urge and dream to fly was still there.

Right after I graduated I took my chance in applying in the Philippine Air Force as a Flying cadet but at that time I already reached their age limit and I also had a probem with the height limit. They required a height of at least 162 cm but I’m only 160 cm. Even if I only lack 2cm the military is just too strict when it comes to rules and regulations. They did allow me to take the exam but I know my chance of being taken was very dim.

I set aside my flying dreams again and took a job related to my course but I told myself that If I won’t be a pilot I wanna have a job that’s related to aviation. Then came my plans of applying in ATO as an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) or as an Air Navigation Systems Specialist (ANSS). I took the ATC exam but I didn’t make it and then a few months later I took the ANSS exam. I passed the exam and I was very happy about it at first but when I got to Manila for the training I got dissapointed and realized I didn’t want to do it anymore. I regretted my decision resigning in Sykes and compiled with my other personal problems I really got frustrated making a bad decision.

There’s no question about my interest for flying. I’ve tried doing almost everything just to give myself a chance but nothing is working out. I’m just thinking that maybe flying is really not for me as my plans seems to always fail. I don’t know. I remember telling myself before that I’ll never give up on this dream no matter what happens. This dream is the only thing left for myself.

Right now I feel comfortable with my current job and I hate leaving it. I’ve learned a lot of things and since I started working in Bigfoot I was already setting myself for an IT career. I still wanna learn to fly but I’m not sure if I really want to make a career out of it anymore. I’ve risked more than enough and I’m afraid to take another chance and then fail again.

To give up my current job right now is something very hard for me to do but who knows when I’ll get an offer or chance like this again. An offer like this only comes once in a lifetime I guess. I am desperate to find an answer on what I should do and decide. I wish God would just give me a sign.

This is the opportunity I was always longing for before. Now that it finally arrived it seems that I’m still confused how I am going to decide.

If this opportunity arrived earlier this year then it would not have been difficult to make a decision.

I’m afraid to make a decision and regret to have made that decision. The fear of failing is in me again. I seem to be comfortable with my current job right now but I can’t really say that this is the thing I would like to do for the rest of my life.

The offer that Dan Bahinting gave to me is something that will probably never come again. It’s a chance of a lifetime but I’m still not sure if I should go for it or not. It’s a very tough decision to make. I can’t even seem to think clearly right now. I’m afraid to make a bad decision and regret afterwards.

How I wish I know what to do and what to decide. I wish I’ll get a sign on what to do.

Our Kitanglad hike is one of the most memorable climbs I’ve ever had. It was the first time I was climbing in all-women’s group and we were only 3 who summited Mt. Kitanglad. It was definitely an adventure.

More pictures at Flickr

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