the white room: Beach Trip Weekend, In Bullet Form

Let it be known by all that sun, surf, good food, great friends, a nice, thick fantasy book, and endless rivers of booze all a fantastic weekend make. And so, in bullet form and pictures, the Batangas weekend beach trip:

Headcount, less is definitely more (Pii, Momi, Kat, Dianne, Aine, Boss Lyza, Kuya Joey -- the Magic 7!)

When the engine of your ride dies in the middle of a long highway because of overheating, waving empty bottles of mineral water at passing motorists, hoping for help, will make them think you are thirsty

Shopping for booze, always get at least 30% more of what you think is the right amount -- this will come in handy for when emotional floodgates open later in the evening

It is NOT a good idea to open a jar of salsa when you're lying down

You can get away with anything when no one is looking (i.e. jumping into the pool to wash off little bits of salsa on your clothes)

Swimming in front of someone you like, thereby splashing water onto his pretty face does not count as flirting... for humans

When the boozefest starts, pick one person to put in the hot seat -- it should be enough for at least three hours of entertainment

Those long lounge beach benches? Yeah, they function like normal ones. When two people are seated end-to-end and one stands up, the one left will fall flat on her ass

You will be laughed at, and, despite the amount of alcohol in everyone's system, it will not be forgotten

Artificial waterfalls are not nature's answers to back massages -- when you wake up in the morning, you will hate yourself

Do not scoff at your room's air-conditioning and say you'd rather sleep without a blanket -- you will wake up earlier than everyone else, shivering like an idiot

9 km is not 9 km when the road getting there is a series of sharp curves and steep inclines

Holding your breath during a drive up a mountain will not make the road less steep

The old and the rich can be very contemptuous in a very subtle manner, and while it could be very satisfying to scratch at their faces and explode in a fury of curse words in the sweet, sweet vernacular, the art will undoubtedly be lost on their world-weary and discriminating countenance

Lite Cubes = Win

( Full photo parade under the link! )

Bleary-eyed me and Momi with Isaac, taking time off from his busy schedule to see us off.

Diane, Boss Lyza, Kat, Aine, Momi Dea, me, and Kuya Joey (taking the photo), making a quick washroom stop at Shell SLEx.

At Star Tollway, Aine and Diane, waving empty bottles of mineral water to motorists for help. Despite the situation, we were all very calm about it and I think the experience added more to our enjoyment rather than dampen it.

This was taken around 2:30pm in our rooms, when we touched down at Blue Coral in Batangas.

Class picture at the beachfront!

The girls, staring in awe at the beach. Boss Lyza was the first to run into the welcoming arms of the warm sea.

Diane, Aine, and Kat, looking pensive. Not really, actually, we were all exhausted from the long drive, and we were wondering if we should rest first or hit the beach straight off. Happy problem to be in, I say.

Diane, Aine, and me, lounging by the beach. Boss Lyza and Kat finally decided they wanted to swim right away. I, on the other hand, got my book, dug myself a cozy spot on the sand to lie down on, and read.

Boss Lyza, Aine, Diane, and Kat, sampling the kiddie pool.

"Never lose your childlike wonder," says the crazy lady from Under the Tuscan Sun.

I'm not exactly sure how Kat managed to slip herself into this, but it must have taken a great deal of... well... bending and acrobatics. She must have a really happy boyfriend. Hahaha!

Evening, after dinner, we jump right on the drinking session! Here's Aine, mixing our poison of choice -- two parts dalandan soda, one part lime, everything else, gin!