Since arriving to the Philippines a little over a year ago, I have been privileged to travel to the many beautiful parts of this country.  Here are some of the places (cities, provinces) I have gone to, and I can’t wait to travel more.  Photos to follow

Baguio City - Thanks Alice for your family’s hospitality!  This was our first major trip.  I enjoyed Baguio so much more because of the people I traveled with.

Pagudpud - We stayed at my mom’s ancestral house.  We fit almost 30 people there.  I’m from Ilocos Norte, but I’ve never been to Pagudpud.  What an awesome beach!

Vigan - I’ve been to Vigan before; my mom is from Ilocos Sur.  Some of my cousins live here.  We hired seven Kalesas to take us around.  We even landed in a huge zoo!

Batangas - Balai sa Laiya and Anilao.  Resort.  Diving.  First time diving.  It was great.  I want to do it again.

Cavite - It was more of a business trip, but I still enjoyed.  One client invited me to become a commencement speaker at their school graduation.  Another client invited me to become their keynote speaker for their Foundation Day.  Thank you for the gifts.  I didn’t expect it.

Lucena - Several times.  Vin’s uncle’s resort.  Amazing pool.  Great beach.  Great service.  Great company.  I want to go again.

Naga - What a ride!  From Manila to Naga.  Freaky, but worth it.  Especially in the middle of the night, not knowing where you are.  But we made it!  Friend’s graduation.  Friend’s father’s funeral.

Camarines Sur - Damn!  I gotta go again.  I went to do some wakeboarding was twice denied due to events.

Puerto Galera - Great beach, though it doesn’t compare to the beaches in Hawaii, hehe.  Still, I’ll go there again.

Boracay - Wow!  The beach is really, really nice.  I went there with a few friends, but it was just over the weekend.  Too short.  I can’t wait to go again.

I love this country.  There are so many beautiful places.  My brothers sometimes think that this is a “God-forsaken” place, and they envision chaos and ugliness.  I can’t wait for them to visit this beautiful island.

I am a wedding singer. I have been a wedding singer long before Adam Sandler’s movie came out. Although I hardly have time these days to indulge in this hobby, I still manage to squeeze in one or two in a year.

I started doing this semi-professionally in 1996. But the very first wedding I sang in from start to finish was when I was a freshman in the UP College of Music in 1987. One of my teachers recruited me and 3 other girls in my batch to sing at his friend’s wedding. We were a female quartet — two sopranos and two altos. I was lower alto. We sang at The Archbishop’s Palace in Mandaluyong. Our teacher trained us for about three weeks. I remember singing “What Matters Most,” “Take and Receive,” “Come Saturday Morning,” and “Anima Christi” in four voices. It was awesome! Only because I’ve never sung in a quartet before.

Fast forward to 1996. My friend, Edith, who is also our church organist, and I started playing at weddings in our parish. We’d have gigs almost every week because we tied up with the Parish office and they’d set us up as an option in the church service. We didn’t charge much. It was just pocket money for us. We considered ourselves lucky if the newlyweds would invite us to the reception. But more often than not, we’d just sing at the service.  

Even if we were partners in the biz, there were times Edith wouldn’t be available so I had to sing with whoever the client hired to play the music. No practice needed. I’d just show up at the church with a list of songs requested by the couple, tell the instrumentalists what key I’ll be singing the songs, and off we go. It was practically a jam session and it was a blast. I’ve had the privilege of singing with some of the most popular music groups in the wedding industry — most of whom were also from UP and were part of either the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra or the Manila Symphonic Orchestra. 

But there were times I had to do double duty — as a wedding singer and as a wedding reception host. It’s fun but it can also get crazy. Not only do I sing in church, but I sing and host the reception. As wedding hostess, sometimes it was my job to think of what will happen during the reception. That part is easy. The challenge is how to make the program interesting. That’s when my wit and humor have to shine. I daresay I’ve done a pretty good job with the hosting part. I guess it’s because I talk with an American accent and that impresses a lot of people. Nyahahaha!

When do I get to eat you ask? After everyuthing’s done! Yup! You heard me right. Usually at the end of the party. Well, not totally at the end. I and whoever else is performing with me get to enjoy the food when the program’s over. By then, we’d get special treatment from the servers. If it’s a buffet, they’d serve us the food. We didn’t have to get it ourselves. Plus, we get to bring home food as an extra special treat!

I’ve sung in a lot of churches in Manila, namely: The Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Santuario de San Jose in Greenhills, The Archbishop’s Palace, Shrine of Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life (also known as the church beside Mall of Asia), Paco Park church, St. James in Ayala Alabang, St. Jerome in Alabnag Town Center, Mt. Carmel in New Manila, Pasig Cathedral, the Nature Church in Las Pinas, Christ the King in Greenmeadows, Church of the Risen Lord in UP Diliman, and other lesser known churches. I’ve also sung in Tagaytay, Bulacan (thanks to Clara of the Mafia!), Dagupan, Baguio, and Batangas. The farthest I’ve sung would be my cousin’s wedding in Los Angeles. That was one of the coolest since my cousin’s cousin brought his string quartet with him. So it was a truly a family affair. And FYI, my cousin’s cousin, Carlo, is part of the White House Orchestra.

I love being a wedding singer. I love making people cry….with happy tears. Someone asked me who I wanted to sing at my wedding - if and when that happens. I told her I’ll record my songs and have it played during the church service and at the reception. Nyahahaha!

Neysa singing \”Ikaw\” at the Nature Church

Diving is my zenith. It is my summit. Because after going through a long, arduous process of failed attempts all these years I have finally overcome my fear of the water.

All my life I have been crippled by this fear. I drowned in the pool when I was a little girl. That’s why I was always scared to come near the water. In fact, I have a lot of swimmer friends, and diver friends who try to encourage me. But I guess when you are not ready emotionally and mentally it’s almost impossible to conquer a fear.

But three weekends ago in Anilao, Batangas I finally made it.

It took me almost 6 months and went through different stages. I started last October. First, I went swimming in the pool; then I would go out to the beach with my diver friends in the open water. I would stay in the “bangka”, stare at the water and read a book while my diver friends went down. By December, I would still go with my diver friends and stay in the “bangka” but this time I would go down the ladder, dangle myself and dip my head with my mask on to look down below.

Early this year I was able to do snorkeling at 20 feet with fins and all, I was ecstatic! That in itself was a breakthrough. I felt so brave.

Last July I started my diving pool sessions. Still doing fine, stable and determined. Familiarizing myself with the regulator, BC (buoyancy compensator) and masking.

And finally, three weekends ago I did my intro dive in the open water. I did the back roll, stayed under water for 2 hours (I did two dives, 1 hour each), scribbled down notes on the slate while my friend took pictures of me. I was in a trance, in awe of the beauty of the sea. It was so peaceful down there. God is truly an awesome Creator.

I will be forever grateful to my diver friend who patiently shared his time and knowledge in teaching me. It’s not about the diving, it goes beyond that. It’s very personal. A painful past is now forgotten.

I have finally befriended the ocean.

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