Hi there! Been here in Jakarta since Saturday to visit friends, tie up some loose ends and update my blog. But I'll be in Singapore tomorrow to fix up some personal stuff before heading back to Manila for good later this month. Some new entries: *Two new entries on Nepal: Video Days in Beni and Breathing Lessons * Two new entries on Bali: The Art of Letting Go and How I Got My Groove Back * A short and sweet piece on my Jakarta sojourn: Postscript Peace Everyone! [View Full Entry]

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Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el ovido Love is so short. Forgetting is so long ----Pablo Neruda So I packed my bags again, headed north, and offered my heart to this wanderer. He just can’t accept it. I can’t fathom why some people can’t open their hearts and receive the gift of unconditional love. Loving him is a mistake. But it’s one mistake that I’m willing to do over and over and over again. If only because it’s from loving him that I learned what [View Full Entry]

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It's called "active meditation". Our facilitator, Selena Bulan, explained that this meditation technique is different from what we usually do at the tailend of our yoga class - where we sit down, cross our legs, our eyes closed, breathing in and out, reciting a mantra. In active meditation, we have to move, literally, and dance, with our eyes closed. Dancing must be easy for Selena. Tall, slim, long curly hair, she generates an aura of natural born goddess. She's a woman who can't be loved and possessed because has to be adored and worshipped. She's both earthy and spiri [View Full Entry]

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n a workshop about Eros and the Divine, and its significance in writing, our writing guru, Jan Cornall, mentioned that the principle of Eros is about “being alive and feeling alive.” Tapping into that energy, according to this Aussie performance artist/playwright/poet/songwriter, will help us in our writing process. Meditating, Jan said, will help us utilize that energy, noting that as a writer and practicing Tibetan Buddhist, “desire and longing are intrinsically linked to my meditation practice.” She then proceeded to guide us to meditate - with [View Full Entry]

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Some updates: *posted my first entry about Bali (Life Goes On In Ubud) * blogged about my travels in Pokhara (Grrrl Power in Pokhara) and Vang Vieng (Bored in Vang Vieng) *will be heading to Bali Spirit soon for active meditations with Salena * miss you all! but very happy here! *and to fitri: see you soon in jakarta! [View Full Entry]

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I came to Bali burdened by the images of bloodied victims of the recent bombing plastered in the pages of the Malaysian dailies. I was in KL when the second bombing in Bali occurred . I called my parents, and they were very worried. My dad has specifically asked me to return to Singapore, where it’s safe, no terrorist bombs will kill you (and I was thinking well, in Singapore, you’ll die not from bombing but from depression, heartbreak, psychosis and sheer boredom). My sister, who’s working in Singapore, also dissuaded me from going to Bali. I told the [View Full Entry]

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Yes I know you're worried for my sake. Yes I know there's bombing in Kuta and Jimbaran. But no, I'm not cancelling my trip to Bali. I'm going to the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. And I' m going because: a.) I want to go (I've been planning to go to this festival for years.) b.) these terrorists can't stop me from enjoying my life, and LIVING MY LIFE, based on MY RULES c.) I refused to live in fear (living in fear is a gradual, albeit more painful, way to die) d.) I already booked and paid for my [View Full Entry]

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One of the valuable things that I learned while traveling is that there's no shortage of kindness everywhere. Journalism (and should I say, adulthood and the bitter experiences that I had to overcome) has made a cynic out of me, always suspicious of people's motivation, especially of strangers who want to befriend or help me. ( I was like, why? Do you need anything from me?). But it was during my trip from Kathmandu to KL last September 29 that I had a change of heart. Good Samaritans do exist and that while i can't be fully trusting of strangers [View Full Entry]

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I know it's a bit late but I was busy moving around. So here, I finally updated my Laos travelogue (look for these entries: "Mystic Vibe in Luang Prabang" and "Small Blessings"). More to come (re: tales about Vang Viang and Vientianne) ** will be in KL tomorrow to spend more time writing, updating my blog, and doing yoga with my fave teacher Shilpa. Will be there until Oct 4. I'm flying to Bali for the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival ** I'll blog more about Laos, Nepal and Bhutan, PROMISE! ** Miss you all! [View Full Entry]

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After 1 1/2 wks in Pokhara I'm back in Thamel today. Im going to Bhutan tomorrow. Ill be writing about my Pokhara (and trekking adventure) in the next few days. So keep posted pipol! [View Full Entry]

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