oceania · travel

The Leap of All Leaps: Skydiving in Queenstown

Skydive - waiting in the plane

Today, dreams won over nerves.

More often than not, people come here longing for that surge of adrenaline, one great jolt to feel alive. You have to understand that for me, it felt completely different.

Terrified would be the exact word to describe how I felt towards skydiving. I would turn pale from simply looking at videos of people hurling themselves out of planes and into the great void. You can imagine how I felt when I watched Felix Baumgartner jump off from the stratosphere; it was a mix of awe, admiration, and ‘oh-my-god-what-have-you-done-!!!’ hysteria. No matter how much people try to convince me that I’m more likely to meet death by car or cow (?), I was adamant about staying grounded. I’d bungy, I’d go rafting, I’d bungy again — but throw myself off a plane? No-si-ree sir, I’d pass. Even if you offer to pay for it, nope. Even if you throw in Channing Tatum as the diving instructor, no (– well, maybe in that case, yes! Death by Channing isn’t so bad.) Continue reading “The Leap of All Leaps: Skydiving in Queenstown”

asia · singapore · video

Wakeboarding? Bangarang!

Bangarang (as defined in urbandictionary.com)
1. Battle cry of the Lost Boys in the movie Hook.
2. Jamaican slang defined as a hubbub, uproar, disorder, or disturbance.
3. General exclamation meant to signify approval or amazement.

When almost everything in your entire country fits in one tiny island, you don’t get a lot of chances to go out to sea. That’s one of the main reasons why I love to head out to the Punggol Marina to don on those wakeboard boots — just to jump on a speedboat and feel the wind slap against my face as we zip to the vast open water — ah, this is the life! For a moment, the busy urban jungle that is Singapore feels like worlds away.

This is for Yuvraj, Parvind, Lawrence, Cecily and Dai Lin — our brave first-timers for this round, and for Gaurav, who seemed to have banished all anxieties of open water. Til next time!

Song: Bangarang by Skrillex
2012-03, Wakeboarding at Punggol Marina Country Club, Singapore

oceania · travel

Day 1 in Melbourne: No Plans? No Problem!

Flinders St Station -- Melbourne's favorite meeting place

Fresh off a chill-out weekend in Perth, I found the busy, bustling streets of Melbourne a bit disorienting at first. Quick-footed yuppies stirred the city off to a start, while tourists and a whole lot of tennis buffs looked forward to another nail-biting day of the Australian Open.

Our well-laid out itinerary for Melbourne Day 1? Verbatim, it was this: “see the city”. Okay, sounds like a plan to me! Continue reading “Day 1 in Melbourne: No Plans? No Problem!”

north america · travel

Having a Field Day in Boston

Fenway Park’s a fun place to visit even if you know zilch about baseball (I sashayed in wearing a Miami Heat jersey — wrong sport, for crying out loud!). One thing I discovered was that Boston was home to probably the most loyal fan base of the sport. Locals speak of their home team (and ballpark!) with much pride. Probably the only thing that can match their worship of the Red Sox is their fervent hate of the Yankees. Continue reading “Having a Field Day in Boston”

asia · philippines · singapore

Azkals Loose in Singapore

Us trying to put on our scariest game faces. As to what the hell I'm doing, I have no idea.

Ever since I left Manila, the list of the things I’m missing out on seems to grow longer and longer. Artists like Jason Mraz and the AI S10 idols oblige their throngs of fans in Araneta, but couldn’t be bothered to even take a peep at wee Singapore. Football-fever struck Manila as well, and I could only watch the FB updates as my high school friends troop to the game stadiums together.

So when a friend sent a shout-out about watching the Lions-Azkals friendly game in Singapore, I immediately raised my hand for tickets. At last! I have ZIP knowledge about football; I couldn’t tell you what the red/yellow/technicolor cards meant, even if my life depended on it. But what the hell, it’s been so long since I’ve been to anything nationalistic and I’m determined to yell, cheer and heckle for my country.  Continue reading “Azkals Loose in Singapore”

asia · travel · video

Bali, Bungee and Bugsy

11 April 2011
Double Six, Legian, Bali

Better Über late than never. We’ve been friends for more than a decade, yet here we were at only our first trip overseas. Bugsy* invaded Bali last April for some much needed eat-pray-loving. Here’s a clip of us trying out the bungee jumps at AJ Hackett in Legian/Seminyak. It was Jam and Dana’s first tryst with flight; we enjoyed it so much we went for 2 jumps each (I actually went for 3… they would let you bungee jump riding a bike. How could I resist?). Although the jumps were not as high as the ones from AJ Hackett in Macau, Bali’s definitely the place if you want to jump in style — they have costumes, motorcycles, even fireballs! Sadly, I just found out that AJ Hackett closed shop in Bali; hopefully they put up a new spot.

* The name with which my high school friends and I christened our group. Don’t ask why; it’s a loooong story.

europe · travel · video

Invading the Scottish Highlands – Day 2

Hmm, imagine if halfway across, you realize you left your keys…

Picture a genteel castle, perched on a  solitary island in the middle of Loch Duich. Picture the classic stone bridge leading to it, that has seen both gallant knights and violent warriors. Picture a small room with tiny windows, albeit with a breathtaking view of the loch. Ladies and gents, welcome to Eilean Donan castle.

Continue reading “Invading the Scottish Highlands – Day 2”

asia · travel

kaladkarin goes surfing in bali

Of course, I wasn’t going to let a trip to Bali pass by without trying to catch a wave! I signed up for surf classes on our last day, and I have nothing but praises for the Pro Surf School in Kuta. Kudos!

Thanks Errol for the pictures! =) I look funny when I put on my game face — that’s why I resolve to not take myself so seriously. Nyahaha.

[ Pics over at http://ishg.multiply.com/photos/album/43/kaladkarin_goes_surfing_in_bali ]