Surfin' Bali

i never thought i'd get to say this, but i did it! i surfed! i surfed bali! ;p

all rhei and i wanted was to check out the beach in bali and compare with our beloved boracay. (our verdict is same as that of our filipino friends, who have gone before us, our fine white-sand beaches esp. boracay and palawan are way more beautiful than bali's ;p ) but we came home with a bonus, the best experience ever- we surfed the waters of bali!

we didn't have any plan surfing except when we got there and saw the brochures. even then, no decision was made. the idea was just there at the back of our minds. but the night before we left, we agreed it would be a shame if we didn't try it out. so we called up wayan, the travel agent and booked ourselves for surfing lessons first thing in the morning. at first, wayan won't agree to an earlier sked. he said pick up was at 9. we will start the lessons at 10 and will end at 1230 then the driver will take us back to the hotel.

i explained that our flight back was at 2pm so we had to be at the airport an hour before. so with his sked, it was too tight. he has to have us picked up at 7, start lessons at 8, finish by 1030. that gives us enough time to play by the beach and head back to hotel to wash up before going to the airport. he said, that's the school's sked, we have to follow. besides, there were no waves that early.

i did not give up easily. i pleaded and told him to arrange something. i said it would be a shame coming to bali and not trying to surf. the magic words. he said, ok, i'll make a call. (to the waves?!!) so we agreed that our pick up was at 8, our lessons will start at 9 and finish by 1130. we'll wash up right there at the beach/school. we checked out and brought our luggage so we can go straight to the airport. the beach was 30 minutes away from the airport, assuming traffic was light.

surfing day came and rhei and i were so excited. we thought the mini van was cool.

with our group are 3 australians. only rhei and i were first timers.



i was intimidated by genna. she said she's been surfing since she was 5! although friendly, her toned body bespoke of her prowess. same for her boyfriend. and while rhei and i brought our handbags, she just brought a small pouch where she put her voucher for the surfing program.

we were given rash guards, boardshorts, booties and helmets to wear. after some lectures and exercises, it was time for the real thing. our instructor said,we did well. hmmn, let's see if i can do that in the water, with waves and all. so, we boarded the boat and headed to shore where the waves awaited. 3 more expert looking students joined us.

when we got to the spot, the surfer dudes were throwing the surf boards to the water and we're supposed to swim to it. the thing is, even if i know how to swim, i'm scared to dive in deep waters. even in pools, i have to check how deep it is before i swim. i noticed, they were not handing us lifejackets. what if i drown? we were in the middle ofthe sea, too late to back out, so i faced my fear and jumped in the water and grabbed my surf board #37.

whew! i got on it without drowning, yey!

lying on our boards, we paddled to another spot. my worry was that i didn't know how deep the water was beneath me. what if i fell, how do i get back. i don't i remember the things they said about eskimo roll etc.

i realized 2 things, it's not easy to paddle while lying down. and it's difficult to maneuver the huge beginner's board. i relied heavily on the kindness of my instructor-partner, ketut, who most times asked me to hold on to his leg rope while he paddled hehe. despite that, my arms hurt the next day and the next 3 days after. maybe it was not out of kindness, but out of frustration. he said i was doing it wrong. haha!

anyway, shortly, getting in the water, a wave came and ketut told me to get ready. and when he shouted, stand, stand up! i did it!

i was surprised myself. i got to perform the maneuver - lying down then standing up. i got it! but i still i kept saying, oh no, oh no! when i was half-standing. and i completely forgot that they were taking my pic from afar. i'm surprised i managed to smile afterall as the pic showed.

it was amazing, feeling the wave underneath my board, surging me forward. and then i lost my balance and fell into the water and gulped some of its saltiness. after that, i felt proud and wanted to do it again and again.

i was too eager. even when ketut said, roll, i stood up and rode my board. twice or thrice i did that and twice or thrice, i got thrown off. i apologized later and told him i will listen and obey hehe. poor guy, everytime, i got thrown off, he will come and get me and paddle while i held unto his leg rope. it was fun, for me. sometimes, i'd try to paddle to show i want to help somehow.

anyway, he was so choosy with which waves to ride. if it were up to me, i'd ride all that came along. haha! i never sawhow high the waves were because we were taught never to look back to keep our balance.

i only got to ride 4x, but in one instance, i didn't stand. it took me awhile to stand then i took it was too late so i just lay there so i fell. in the last one, rhei and i went together. one hotshot girl surfer was right in front of me, and i was trying to maneuver the board away from her (like i can) and then boom, to my right came rhei and her board hit me on the jaw. it wasn't painful but i had bukel, a few hours after. ;p

all in all, it was fun. we had an amazing time. and we want to do it again!

My First Novel: Noelle, Last Chapter

Three Years Later

Noelle sits by herself at Jollibee and smiles as she recalls that conversation she had with her friends in Sing when they gamely chose to meet here at this fastfood. How time flies. She couldn’t believe it has been three years since. She couldn’t believe how her life has changed greatly.

After finishing her studies abroad, she came back to start her own pre-school with her friend Kara. The idea came when Denise was complaining how she can’t find a good pre-school for her two toddlers. They started small with less than 20 students, children of friends and family members. At present time, only after a year of operation, their students more than doubled.

You can say 2010 was a great year for Noelle and Kara because that was when they started their pre-school, “God’s Little Angels.” It was also the year when Noelle finished her MBA and finally came back to Manila for good.

Kara finished hers in 2009 and came back home. After a year, Jason couldn’t bear being away from her anymore, so he came home for good and they became Mr. & Mrs. Rivera. Their wedding was held at their favorite beach, Boracay, where only their closest friends and family members were invited. It was a beautiful intimate wedding under the setting sun.

Anton and Frances are still based in Singapore but are planning to come back home for good when their eldest, pretty little Clara, who is now two years old, starts school. More than anything, Frances misses her family and her best friends. She is now pregnant with her second baby. The couple is excited and hoping for a boy this time.

The city is all dressed up with lights and tinsel to welcome Christmas and this fastfood is not spared. There’s a Christmas tree decorated with toys and candies and more gifts on its foot. The mood is festive. But these are the times she becomes the loneliest. It was nearly Christmas some three years ago when her life took a topsy-turvy turn. It was when she first went abroad for studies and her beloved David proposed to her. They made a lovely plan together. After she finishes her studies, they will get married and right away they will have beautiful kids. But they didn’t agree on the number. Noelle wanted four, David just two. But fate was not on their side. Who would have thought, that their love story would end so suddenly and tragically?

Noelle will not forget that fateful day Eric calls to say David met an accident. That day, her brain seemed to stop functioning. She could not process the news. She becomes teary-eyed remembering these as she plays with her engagement ring. Three years doesn’t seem a long time, she thinks. It was like just yesterday.

“Ninang Noelle!” Clara calls her and her thoughts are back to present time. The little girl runs to her followed by Frances and Anton. Soon, Kara, who is pregnant, walks in hand in hand with Jason.

“Where is David?” they all ask.

As soon as he heard his name, a 2-year old boy who was at the playhouse runs to Noelle and cries, ”Mommy!”

“There he is,” Noelle beams with pride at David Jr. “Say hello to everyone.”

He mimics his mom and says, “hello to everyone!” They laugh at him and he laughs as well.

He takes the grown-ups’ hands for a blessing. They all marvel at how smart he is and how he looks much like his dad. Too bad, David did not see his boy growing up. But Noelle thinks he is always taking a peep from Heaven to watch over them.

My First Short Novel: Noelle, Chapter 10

David Meets An Accident

*reprint from Mod Magazine, 2011

“I leave you for one day and you go flirting with Jason?!” Noelle tells Kara as she plays with her engagement ring on her finger. Frances and Kara laughs at her statement. They just finished lunch at the Mendoza couple’s apartment. Kara is recalling to them how she and Jason got together the night after David proposed.

“So, who said I love you first?” Frances asks and with that the trio roared in laughter. About a week or so after that night, Jason expressed his love for Kara. Soon after, they are couple and they couldn’t be any happier to be in each other’s arms.

“Maybe you guys need popcorn,” Anton says as he comes in to the living room from the kitchen, teasing the ladies.

“What time will you be back, honey?” Frances asks his husband.

“Right before you miss me. Going.” With that, he kisses his wife goodbye and waves at their two friends.

“Where is he going?”

“Visiting a colleague in the hospital so we can be alone.”

“Oh, but Jason is coming.” Kara tells them while she spoons some ice cream.

“Why?”

“I told him we’re watching a movie here and he said he wants to join us.” Kara is blushing now.

“You guys are really inseparable now! You will soon be finishing school. Any wedding plans? ” The two continues to tease her when Noelle’s phone rings.

It’s her sister, Denise, on the other line. As soon as she said hello, Noelle sensed something is wrong. Her sister who is usually jolly sounds frantic today. She could not understand was she was saying. She was blabbering something about David, praying to God, speeding truck . Noelle had to tell her to take a deep breath. Then her line was cut off.

When the phone rang again, it was David’s younger brother on the other end. And he delivered the saddest news Noelle has ever heard in her life.

His voice was calm and cool. “Ate Noelle, this is Eric. Kuya David met an accident last night. His car was hit by a truck. He is in ICU right now. He’s in a critical condition…”

“I don’t understand,” was all Noelle could say almost in a whisper and Eric repeats himself but what she actually meant was how could he deliver such an unfortunate news in such a calm manner.

She hands the phone to Kara. It’s just too devastating for her, she had to sit down. Kara, who took the phone, could only gasp in disbelief upon hearing Eric’s words. After she put the phone down, Noelle looked at her waiting for her to say something else, not those words, accident, critical condition. She was hoping she mistook what Eric and Denise said. But Kara confirmed her fear by hugging her. Noelle could only sob silently.

Kara told Frances the news about David and as soon as Noelle heard David’s name, she goes, ”no, not my David. No!”

*reprint from Mod Magazine, 2011