Tangadan Falls Adventure!

Super duper late post but who cares haha. I just don't want to forget this event 'cos it was so fun!

We went to La Union during one long weekend in December last year and our itinerary included a trip to Tangadan falls. I was actually surprised that we were going somewhere else aside from Urbiztondo beach area so I was internally freaking about it because I wasn't prepared! I didn't bring my pang-malakasang tsinelas (ie my Sandugo) and I didn't bring enough clothes. I was so dreading the thought of river trekking and wading in the waters while I'm not equipped with the right, uhm, slippers. I could die you know?!

But what have you, our biglaang Tangadan proved to be my favorite part of our LU trip. Aside from our friend's proposal hehe! It was thrilling, exhausting, and rewarding. And even if I woke up super sore from the short trek to the waterfalls, I could do it over and over again because the experience is truly worth it! Littered in this post are a couple of snaps from that super memorable trip. We were driving all the way in that we didn't notice a bunch of locals had gestured for us to stop. They chased us for a bit until they were able to catch us to inform us that they do not allow private vehicles to drive up the mountain because it's not safe.

So quick note to those using Waze or Maps to drive to the place: DON'T IGNORE THE SIGNS. We missed the checkpoint so they had to chase us hehe.

You either have to trek, or rent a vehicle (motorbike, tryke, or jeepney) to get you up there. Since we're a big group we opted for a jeepney and paid over 1k for it. We thought we were being scammed but eventually got convinced of why we had to transfer vehicles.

The trip to the falls was soooooo exhilirating. Nerve-wracking climbs and steep descends filled our short journey. And on a road just wide enough to accommodate our bigass sarao?! We were juggling between trying to enjoy the moment and praying for dear life. Kaya naman pala pagsabayin.

After the jeepney ride, we still had to trek a bit to reach the falls. And when we got there, man was it so beautiful. You can swim, dive, or just chill by the big rocks. Water is cold, the river is deep but they rent out life-jackets naman for 30 pesos each.

There are locals who can guide you during the trek too. You can even borrow a walking stick to help your knees lol. Our kuya was kind enough to lend me his and GRAABEEE sobrang hayahay magtrek pag may walking stick lamoyon?!?! Hahahaha

Can't express how much I loved this trip! I wanna go baaaack!

Looking around EaTogether Food Hall by Vikings at Capitol Commons

Chanced upon this newly opened food court one weekend while doing the laundry hehe

Disclaimer, I just looked around and didn't buy anything cos Jeckie and I already decided we'd eat at Coco Ichibanya that day. Here's what to see at the newly opened EaTogether Food Hall at Capitol Commons.

Super nice and well designed interiors, lots of dining space, and also an outdoor area for smoking.

Based from what I read from other bloggers (who were lucky to be invited to a press opening lol), transactions here are CASHLESS. You either pay through debit or credit card, or use the reloadable Vikings Rewards Card. Hmm... for now I can't say if that's a good feature or not.

There's a variety for you to choose from. There's Shabu-shabu, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian...

There's chicken and steak...

And a drinks station with cocktails, beer, juices, and bottled products.

There's even a small nook for live performances. Cool!

Will definitely try this place out next time! What do you think about this place and how do feel about the cashless transaction?

ETA after a week: We did come back to this place to eat but upon circling the place twice nothing seems to catch our attention. Not to be nega about the food hall but there's seems to be not a lot of food offerings. There's only around 10 stalls inside. Food is generic and price tag is a bit hefty. You'd have to spend 250/head for a single meal in here. The stalls have a Mercato feel to them, alam mo yun, unfamiliar but interesting. But the price tag would shoo you away talaga haha.

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EaTogether Food Hall is located at the 2nd floor of Unimart Capitol Commons

Operating hours: 11am-3pm and 5pm-11pm (is Unimart even open until 11pm?)

Swamped

I have so many things I'm putting off doing at work that I'm starting to feel like it's gonna bite me anytime now, specially in the coming weeks. Whew!

First, I've been delaying on this RPA project for so long because it scaaares meee. How do you handle this? I keep on pushing it in favor of the easier ones, but now I feel like I need to get it rolling somehow. The thing is, I'm already quite sure it's gonna be very hard to automate, if not impossible. Part of me wants to get back to the client and say it's not possible to do this since it's too complex, there are too many exceptions, and yet a part of me wants to keep on digging for solutions. So what happened? It's been benched for two months JUST BECAUSE I can't afford to say it can't be done. I have yet to understand why it's so hard for me to break this kind of updates to our clients. I know perfectly well how some scenarios don't fit into the robotic scheme of things, that there's only so much I can program without the use of ~real~ AI algorithms. And we're not even there yet, so there's really not much I can do.

Second, I have like two other RPA projects in-progress that I can't seem to drag to the finish line because, uhm. Yeah that's on me. They're supposed to be my quick wins but procrastination got the better of me. Huhu.

Third, I have another RPA project that super duper hard and complicated I don't even know where to start.

Fourth, I have a wedding invite and two logo studies to finish this week. Invite's almost done actually, so it's just the logo that I need to really sit on. I have a couple of ideas running in my head but recently, work has been eating more than four hours of my life each day that I'm left with no time to focus on my other ~endeavors~ haha. My boss is gonna kill me for this.

Anyway. UPDATE! My first problem just got officially solved so that's now old news.

Thanks to my senior, I was able to get through that trap. I really just needed validation that it can't be done, and if my senior agrees, then I have to be confident about it.

Yey. So now I'm working another project with them lol, cos you know, just in case one of the proposed ones doesn't work out they've listed a ton of other things we can try haha.

Smart Tips to Start Socialising Again

Photo from Pixabay

It's a lot easier to start isolating yourself from others than you might think, especially if you're a naturally introverted person. Maybe you work from home or spend a lot of your time doing something that doesn't require you to leave the house, like playing video games. You might go through a period when you don't feel like socialising, but then find it difficult to reconnect with your social circle once you do feel like being social again. If you want to get back out there, you need to have a plan to start socialising more.

Reconnect with Friends

If you haven't been socialising much lately, it doesn't mean you don't have any friends. It's easy to convince yourself that your friends might have forgotten about you or no longer want to hang out with you, but most of the time, that's not the case. In fact, they might be wondering where you've been and when you're going to get back in touch. You have nothing to lose by reaching out and asking some friends if they want to get together. Start with just one person who you're more confident will be happy to hang out with you or maybe plan a get-together with a few of you.

Deal With What's Keeping You In

Sometimes you don't spend much time socialising because something is stopping you from going out. It might be that you're always online, whether you can't stop streaming Netflix or your whole life is video games. Even sex addiction can keep you from going outside or can limit your socialising. If you're dealing with sex or pornography addiction, professional sex therapists can help you to address your habit. The same is true for other addictions that might be stopping you from having a normal social life. Even if you're shy or dealing with social anxiety, getting professional help can allow you to confront the issue.

Photo from Pixabay

Find New Social Circles

Not everyone feels that they have friends who they can reconnect with. Maybe you've moved to a new town, or you've found it hard to make friends since leaving school. Looking for new people to socialise with can help you expand your social circle. It's a good idea to look for activities and groups to join, whether you join a hiking group, become a member of a choir, or start volunteering. Making new friends as an adult can take a while, but when you find your tribe, it can encourage you to be a lot more social.

Set Goals

If you want to achieve anything in life, it's always a good idea to set some goals. As well as having big goals, you can break them down into small objectives and actions. Your main aim might be to make some new friends but to do that you might first challenge yourself to start participating in a new activity, talk to three different people or ask someone to hang out with you.

It can be tough to start socialising again if you've been isolated. But once you decide to make a move, you can get out there and step out of your comfort zone.

Retrain Your Mind To Slash Your Anxiety Levels

Anxiety is a modern epidemic. It’s something that seems to permeate every level of our society and imposes enormous costs. Stress literally ruins people’s lives.

It’s only relatively recently though that anxiety has become a publicly-recognized issue. Not only have we become better at talking about it, but it’s also become a bigger problem. We live in a society where no matter how much success you have, it’s never enough. We’ve become slaves to the constant need for “more” in all aspects of our lives. The pressures of the modern world create a situation where anxiety is the inevitable result. The good news, however, is that it doesn’t have to be this way. We can retrain our minds to overcome the pitfalls of our economic and romantic lives and live more healthfully (and joyfully).

Shrink Your Amygdala

Scientists think that the amygdala has a significant role to play in the modern anxiety epidemic. The pea-sized region at the center of our brains is responsible for a vast amount of the anxiety that we experience. It’s an ancient part of the brain which gives us our essential “fight or flight” response.

Photo from Pixabay

The problem is that the modern world can corrupt the amygdala. It played an essential role in helping us avoid danger in our evolutionary past, but the contemporary world confuses it. The daily stressors of industrial production switch on the amygdala continually, enlarging it and putting it into a state of permanent activity.

Shrinking the amygdala is vital for long-term mental wellness, but how do you do it. The leading approach right now is to spend 30 minutes per day meditating. The incredible thing about meditation is that it appears to shrink the amygdala back down to a regular size while cutting out the unwanted activity.

Supplement To Reduce The Activity Of The Amygdala

Incredibly, as CBDOlja.nu points out, some foods and supplements reduce the amount of brain activity in the amygdala. Ashwagandha, for instance, is a natural herb which cuts the level of activity in the brain and helps people to feel more relaxed about their day.

Something as simple as taking a powdered berry supplement can help too. Inflammation in the brain can change our thought processes, making us more susceptible to negative and unhealthy emotions. Using berries to flush out some of the inflammation cuts the odds of our thought patterns from getting out of whack with reality.

Try Unlearning Your Fear Responses

What’s so upsetting about the whole anxiety epidemic is that it is almost wholly unnecessary. Our lives are not in danger the majority of the time, but our biology causes us to react as if it were. Ancient biology hasn’t yet adapted to the realities of life in modern offices. It’s all so new.

As bodyandsoul.com.au points out, researchers are now experimenting with ways to help people unlearn their fear responses. They do this by asking people to create a list of their fears from least bad to worst. Practitioners then get people to face their fears head-on, instead of avoiding them, helping them to see that they’re usually not in danger after all.