Ilocos Trip!

Pagudpud is one of the best beach vacation spot I've been to! It's on the northern most part of Ilocos Norte and the beaches are very nice and pristine plus, the atmosphere there is very serene and relaxing .

After my OSG Legal Internship orientation in Makati, I rushed to the mall and bought some essentials then hurried back to my apartment and packed. I was not able to pack and prepare earlier because my schedule is still tentative and I had some acad stuff to finish up. Anyway, we missed the bus that goes straight to Pagudpud so we took another Florida bus from Manila to Laoag which left at 1030 pm. The bus looked deceivingly comfortable with an airplane cabin-like feel with LCD TVs and a small booth for a toilet inside. But nooo, those seats, no matter how wide and spacious they seem to be are so uncomfortable! Haven't they heard of ergonomics? man! My neck and back were aching all over! We arrived in Laoag city at around 5 am and walked around looking for a place for breakfast. Since they were all still closed, we ended up having breakfast at Jollibee! toink!

We then took another bus to Pagudpud at around 10 am. We arrived there at around lunchtime, pitched our tent and took a fun swim. After that, we went touring around Pagudpud with Kuya Lito, our trusty trike driver slash tour guide.


Kaibigan Falls
For mountaineers like us, it was an easy hike of about 1.5 km till we reached the waterfalls itself. The water is so clear and cold. Nature at its best. We got lucky because we were the only ones there (with our guide). Solo namin ang falls! haha!


Patapat Viaduct
The view here is breathtaking (but for el, im even more breathtaking hehe) This bridge was built on the side of the mountain with a spectacular view of the sea. Scary thing about it? landslides. There's a part of the bridge thats been ruined by it (or so we speculate).


Agua Grande
An estuary! It's a resort with freshwater pools flowing from the river and out into the sea.


Bantay-abot Cave
The mountain with a hole. The waves here are merciless and the wind is
harsher! A killer wave almost got me!


Blue Lagoon Beach
The best! White powdery sand, virgin cove, clear waters, very few people, very peaceful and relaxing.
On our way there, a green sidewinder (supposedly poisonous?) about 5 feet long came into our path! yikes!


We had Ilocano longganisa and eggs for breakfast the next day after we took a last dip.


We then headed back to Laoag city and did a side trip there. We visited the Ilocos Norte Museum and had lunch at Macy's Diner. They have red vinyl booths, a bar, and a jukebox, giving off a real 70’s American diner vibe. It also had black and white framed posters of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, the Beatles, and movie posters like "Ir's a Wonderful Life".

Another graduate for mommy and daddy!!!

Three down, one college boy to go! (of course, im not counting me, the soon to be juris doctor of law!)

Congrats to my little sister Irene- the soon to be nursing board topnotcher!

The boat is sinking!

Group yourselves into two!

I wasn't really affected that much when I found out that our block was the unlucky one that is going to be dissolved. I didn't even went to the block inuman that night because I figure people will be very emotional and frustrated. I thought that would be the last thing I needed then. I always thought that we had enough shared experiences- good and bad- that would keep us glued together even if we are no longer in one class. But recent events led me to think otherwise.
I know this is just a temporary thing and pretty soon everything will fall into its proper place but I hope that our unity and friendships wont be marred by certain preconditions and mere apparent bad faith.

Just for the record, I never really was a fan of the block system from the start. I survived college without a block from my first year till I graduated. I got to choose my classes and the people I want to attend class with according to my own schedule. Then law school happened. The block system was really alien to me then and I even thought that such a thing is stupid for a post-grad course. We got assigned to our respective blocks by drawing out a shabby piece of paper from a box and in the same manner, we ended up being dissolved by pulling out the unlucky little post-it. First, we are forced to be lumped in the same classes with strangers, and just when we've grown to like each other, they again force us to be subjected to this arbitrary scheme of dissolving a block. Both schemes are very similar but they have very different results. We never thought that those pieces of paper with the letter "B" ascribed on it would bring us all together and be the precursor of a lasting bond. But that star on that post-it reeked in sadness, doubts, and bitterness in us. I really hope they change this very arbitrary system of dissolving blocks after second year. Why not just have the block system for the first two years of law school then make it free for all for the next two years. At least everyone has a fair standing.
Now that we have a new and very able dean, I'm sure a lot of things will run very differently in the college and I sure hope he will include reconsidering this issue.

To my blockmates, I'm sure I'll live without some of you. You never really mean much to me anyway. HAHAHA! kidding! I will surely miss class recitations with you guys. All of you made an impression in my heart and I will never forget our wacky experiences together. Let's just keep in mind that being in a block (that is as fun as ours) is just a part of being in law school but our main priority is to graduate, pass the bar, and become great lawyers. Good luck to all of us!

"Nagsimula sa bunotan, Natapos sa bunotan"