I have a dear friend living on Siquijor Island. I visit her once in a blue moon however it doesn't mean the quality of our friendship has deteriorated. It's always as if time stood still for us.

It was a 40-minute boat ride from Dumaguete City to Larena Port. Larena is the little town where she grew up and lived. I stay at her place as well every time I go visit her.

I only had three days and two nights in Siquijor so we didn't waste any time. She picked me up at the port, and went straight to her place. I met her baby for the first time as well. After an hour of catching up with her parents, eating breakfast and connecting with her little girl, we left around 9:30 a.m. to travel to our first destination - the Butterfly Sanctuary.

The place was another 30-minute travel up to the mountains. We were only riding on her scooter and the sun was already blazing. Good thing the road heading there was smooth, but it had a lot of turns.

Wall or Indoor climbing is a fun activity especially when you do it with outgoing supportive friends! Throughout our climb, I and my girl would take turns shouting some motivational encouragement and that would be either food or some cocktail drink. And this time around, my motivation was rewarding myself with a gin tonic. Well, it helps us relax and to have fun despite the focus and determination we must put on to reach the top.

In the previous video I shared, we were still warming on the beginner's route. It was just the needed exercise to be able to do more harder levels. I managed to do the next one which has more random blocks compared to the beginner's where most blocks were placed straightforwardly. This means it was a little bit of a challenge since we have to strategically determine which blocks to reach for with our hands and placed our feet so we can advance higher. Thus, took me a bit more time to finish.

My friend also did the same route though she finished quickly compared to me.

In this video, you can also witness the staff/guide climbing and attaching carabiners to the anchor points on the hardest route. It was cool to watch him move easily from one block to another and reach the top like it was nothing.

This lady then conquered that route successfully despite wanting to stop midway. Initially, she was having a hard time then I started cheering for her followed by others who were watching her as well so she took a break and then pushed through to the top later on. I was just admiring her and how strong she was. She was probably been training for quite some time now.

Wall Climbing is not only for the adrenaline junkies out there but can be just for everyone who wants to shed some sweat, try something new, or a fun activity to do with your family and friends. This must be on your bucket list!

Location: Recreational Outdoor eXchange (R.O.X.) in Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City Taguig, Metro Manila.

If you want to try this, check out Power Up Climbing Gyms for rates and other gym locations.

Finally! After a year of hiatus, I am back with a few freediving videos. Fortunately, after our onboarding event at Kal-anan Integrated School, I decided together with @intoy.bugoy and @ybanezkim26 to have an overnight stay at SEA TURTLE LAGOON in Tabogon, Cebu.

It isn't my first time at this place so I knew the place has abundant marine life and including turtles! I wanted so badly to swim with the turtles once again.

We arrived around 3:00 pm, and seeing the water to be somewhat "calm", I and @intoy.bugoy went for a short dive. @ybanezkim26 was feeling tired after our short rendezvous at Banyan Spring before coming here so he asked to be exempted from this. I didn't mind since in our itinerary we were still supposed to dive the next day.

Once in the water, I was doing some practice dives. Unfortunately, I forgot to equalize properly leaving my left ear somewhat deaf. 😅 Not to mention, I can only hold my breath for some 30 seconds only. Well, I should get back into shape soon.

There were a variety of corals and sea animals. I also found a school of fish with silver scales that looked like dancing butterflies. Getting up close was such a treat.This already made me excited to have a longer dive the next day and see what other marine life waiting for us..

So for now, enjoy this video on our first dive here at Sea Turtle Lagoon.

Years have passed since the last time I did indoor and outdoor rock climbing. Probably in my early 20s back when I still weighed less and more agile. I was confident and so proud of myself that I easily would reach the top in no time. However, times have changed. Priorities shifted. Work took over.

I never imagined I would be back, facing those mini-blocks that must be conquered some few meters above the ground.

During my trip to Manila a few months ago for the Hive PH meetup, just before my return flight to Cebu, I met with a close friend from a company I used to work for. We haven't seen each other for 2 years so I was excited to hug her once again.

I thought I was meeting her for just a sumptuous dinner. I was wrong. An hour before our meetup, she asked me if I would go indoor rock climbing with her. Although she would pay for me, I was hesitant because of my knee. So I tried to escape by saying I said I didn't bring any shorts or pants and yet she volunteered to bring one for me. In the end, I said yes.

The location? ROX BGC. I relied on my Angkas driver to take me there.

R.O.X. (Recreational Outdoor eXchange) is a famous outdoor store with many outlets all over the Philippines. They have few branches that have designated areas for climbing alone. I think the wall here was so high probably 3 stories high. I forgot to ask about the prices for the said activity and gear rentals but one can always check their social media accounts to inquire.

After a couple of giggles, hugs, and introductions, we started the inevitable...

We chose our climbing shoes which must be half an inch less than our regular size and wore our harness. Then, the friendly staff/guide showed us how to belay. He took his time and gave clear instructions. He also made sure that we will be accompanied once we do it. Safety first after all.

I and my friend started our first climb on the easiest route or as I called it the beginner's level side. It was just a warm up but it was already intense for me due to lack of exercise. Once I reached mid-way, my heart started racing again. I know I was afraid of heights but despite the assurance that I wouldn't fall, I was still scared.

Nonetheless, I manage to reach the top thanks to my supportive friend and the motivation of eating Ramen after that activity. After my death defying experience on the Viking at Sky Ranch, this should have been easy-peasy but I was so wrong. Despite it all, I had so much fun and I still conquered the wall once again. 😆

I also had the experience of belaying my friend which I did a very poor job. 😂 My mind and arms was just not in sync.

Anyways, enough said. Watch the video and see how it went. You might be inspired to try it yourself.

Sharing with you another Afro-Latin dance video featuringTheo and I at Boracay Island. 😁

Theo is an amazing Bachata, Kizomba, and Semba Teacher. During the Boracay Latin Dance Festival 2023, he taught the dance Semba. It was my first time even knowing this type of dance and so I made sure to join his class. It was so fun and interesting.

Semba (masemba in plural) is a traditional music and dance genre from Angola that became popular in the 50’s. It is the product of an evolution as it was influenced by different ethno linguistic groups from Angola as well as several different African rythms. In the context of dancing, the word Semba means “the body of the man that comes in contact with the body of the woman at the level of the belly button”. Source

Anyways, Theo agreed to shoot this dance video with us. The only available time we had was around noon so it was piercing hot. Good thing, I was hot too. 😆 The white sand and the crystal-clear water were just perfect. There weren't many people at the beach this time too. However, dancing on the sand accompanied by waves made it a little bit of a challenge.

Anyways, I'm not a professional dancer but I love dancing Afro-Latin. I'm also happier with this video as editing was much easier compared to the last one I shared. So hope you love this one too.

If you want to check out my other dance videos, head to my collection - AFRO-LATIN MADNESS.

_{Music Lejos by Tony Love. No copyright infringement intended.}

Hello, fellow dance enthusiasts! I'm here once again, sharing one of those Afro-Latin dance covers I captured during our Boracay Latin Dance Festival 2023 trip. To be honest, I still have so many pending videos to edit! Editing should be easy but it's always the motivation part that is missing from me lately.

This dance was shot at the beautiful Boracay Island here in the Philippines. And as you can see, it's just the perfect place to dance Bachata at sunset! Of course, there were a few passersby but that didn't stop us from shooting this video and having an amazing time dancing.

The dancers are my dance classmate and friend, Cha and her partner was her crush. We met him during the workshops and ask him to join us for this shoot. He didn't hesitate to say yes! And so our dear friend Cha was head over heels and showed her dance moves pretty well.

Aight, that's it for now! Hope you love this dance cover!

Music: Drama (Bachata Remix) by Kewin Cosmos
_{No copyright infringement intended}

Last month, I organized a meet-up with my OCD onboarded mentees-turned-friends. I also invited @ybanezkim26 who onboarded me in Hive 2 years ago. So I guess I could say this experience is now full circle since I'm now also sharing the gift of Hive with others.

All of my onboarded friends who attended this meet-up are Teachers from Ilihan Integrated School. Well, I was given the privilege to do an orientation for them months ago and here we are now! So much has happened in their Hive journey and they are thriving.

You can check out their stories about our meetup here:

Hiver	Meet-Up Blogs
@callmesmile	BROUGHT TOGETHER BY HIVE! - Our Successful and Unforgettable First Hive Meet-UP with Cebu's Teacher/Bloggers!
@dehai	An Extraordinary Hive Meet-Up of Northern Cebu Hive Bloggers
@mommyjane	Growing Up in Hive with Them (The First Meet-Up of Tabogon Teacher-Bloggers)
@amoreyl	Meet and Greet with Fellow Bloggers '23
@simplechalyns	First Time Ever! Hive Teachers Meet Up at the Beach: An Enjoyable Get Together
@naymhapz	THE INCREDIBLE MEET-UP OF BLOGGERS FROM CEBU'S NORTH
@jobeliever	Hive Meet-Up at Halfmoon, San Remigio: Grateful and Honored
@selflessgem	The Unstoppable Bloggers Hive Meet-up at Halfmoon Beach Resort, San Remigio Cebu
@missleray	Hive Ph Meet-Up 2023 : Northern Cebu Chapter

This meet-up is informal so no program was prepared. My only goal initially was to have this moment with them and make our bond stronger. Then later on, I asked Kim to speak about the OCD onboarding program so that they will be inspired to invite give it forward.

From the preparation of the food to interviewing them to sharing a sumptuous meal, then to the little sharing that I and Kim did, swimming and finally to our short but fun banana boat ride experience. Our meet-up was filled with a lot of learning, fun, laughter, and camaraderie.

Well, this short video says it all. Anyways, till our next meet-up!

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PHOTO GALLERY

It's been over a month since my last dance video here on Hive and a lot has happened since then. However, here I am back to editing some files I had during the previous dance festival I attended.

This video is dedicated to my dance teacher (who turned into a close friend) who has shared her gift of dancing with me over the past 2 years. I am grateful to be her student and was able to attend her last dance class which was held during the Boracay Latin Dance Festival 2023 last February 2023. It might be her last here in the Philippines but I'm pretty sure she will continue to teach others as she embarks on a new journey in another country.

Yep, it's true. She already left the country. I still haven't processed it yet but I guess making the video and writing this is one way to do that. Hmmmmm. I really couldn't say I'm sad as I am so used to "goodbyes" and parting ways with a lot of friends going abroad. However looking back, I could say I made the most out of our adventures and moments together. I was present and conscious of building our connection from the very start.

Well, I always knew we had a soul contract so a genuine, loving friendship blossomed with a lot of life lessons. And a few months before her departure, I always told her that I am excited for a new chapter in her life to begin because that is how she will grow as a person, a mom, a friend, and a teacher. And that wherever we will all be, my heart knows that I will always love her no matter what.

So in the video, you will see how she passionately taught us Bachata Ladies Styling. She shared a choreography in which we can dance to any Bachata music while doing our ladies' styling. The class went on for an hour. It was short, sweet, and sexy. Well, the ladies had fun and the class helped them boost their confidence.

Somehow, I miss dancing. It has been some time now since the last time I dance. So for now I will enjoy making these videos for me and you to enjoy.

Aight, till next time, Bachata lovers!

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I have finally had the time, motivation, and most importantly the energy to go through the raw files from our dance shoot two months ago. Yep! It's been quite some time but at least it didn't take me a year. 😜

This dance cover is to the song of Sobrio Bachata Version by Vinny Rivera, and DerekVinci. A slow pace, sweet Bachata song. And I'm dancing with my girl crush Sindi... Yes, I like her and I want us to be girlfriends. 🙃

We took this video during the event we attended in Boracay Island namely Boracay Latin Dance Festival 2023 which I already shared a teaser video, you can watch it here. That was also the time, I met Sindi and her dance partner Chris. She's from Colombia and Chris's from Canada. Sindi has been a dance teacher for quite a long time now so she can follow and lead others at the same time.

After dancing with them during the welcome party, I figured that they would be both perfect dance partners for the dance shoot. And luckily, they said yes!

The white sand, the beautiful weather, the island vibes, and the fun dance that we had was all I could ask for! Thank you for watching and supporting and stay tuned for more videos! You can also check out my collection of Afro-Latin dance videos here.

Some time ago when it was planned that our family and some relatives were coming over for my grandmother's birthday, I decided to perfectly time my visit to the chiropractic clinic during their visit. With that, some of my family members were excited to join me namely my dad, younger sister, and sister-in-law. At the last minute, as we were about to leave the car, my cousin hop into the car to join us on our chiropractic rendezvous.

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REASONS FOR OUR VISIT:

ME: I had a major incident last February that caused me to be "somewhat paralyzed" from mid-spine down to my pelvis. Wasn't able to stand, walk, or bend for a couple of days, and had to be lying down most of the time. It was excruciatingly painful. Visiting the hospital at that time was not my priority because I always opted for a more holistic approach unless I know its a very dire situation then I wouldn't have second thoughts about calling an ambulance. But I hated the thought of having a doctor suggest surgery as the first approach.

Moving forward, after I visited Medellin Pain Relief and had my session with Doc Ric, he confirmed that my spine was all well. I just had severe muscle spasms and misalignment with the spine and pelvis due to many factors which I won't be talking in detail about here but I know I have to do a makeover with my lifestyle now. After 3 visits, I was out of the dark, I could move and do my daily chores and light activities. I knew I still had a long way to go to full recovery because my pelvis is still slightly rotated (LEFT AIC Pattern) which is now causing some neck, leg, and knee pain. Thus the reason for my 4th visit.

DAD: Besides old age? 😜 He mentioned something about spondylitis but not sure about that one. What I know is he has constant pain in his hips and knee. He had a hard time squatting down too. It's not his first time with a chiropractic session but it was his first with Doc Ric. He was the one who mentioned this clinic to me last year from a recommendation from one of his employees. He had been wanting to do a visit for a very long time.

SISTER-IN-LAW: She didn't have any intense pain or complaints with her body although she did mention she had a 9-degree curvature in her spine. But we know that a chiro session would be able to help with some of her minor pains like headaches and migraines. She also mentioned to Doc Ric the pain in her neck, shoulders, and lower back during the assessment. She felt pain on the side of her rib cage which was addressed during the session.

YOUNGER SISTER: I always knew she had major problems with her health and body which she doesn't pay much attention to. 😅 She mentioned she had mild scoliosis which was the cause of this slight shift/tilt in her body. This became a normal thing for her for a couple of years now. Besides that, she constantly had headaches too. I insisted she comes because I know this will be so beneficial for her.

COUSIN: He said during the assessment that it wasn't his first time doing a chiropractic session but he did mention that some of the pain in his neck and left side of his body didn't go away. His mobility on his right shoulder and arm wasn't in full range capacity too and that was one major concern he wanted to address for that impulsive, last-minute decision to join us. 😅 Good thing, Doc Ric and Mam Jen were cool with having a plus one on our appointment. We had a fun time during our visit because of his reactions during the process.

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AFTERMATH:

The pain in my neck, legs, and knees felt so good and I had a better standing posture. My dad had better mobility from his waist down. He was so proud to show us that he was able to squat and bend again. My sister-in-law found relief in her upper body. My younger sister was standing tall, no longer slouching. She said she feels weird having this new sensation with her shoulders being balanced out, and her weight equally distributed on her legs and feet. She later mentioned to me a couple of days later that it also feels new and weird having to sit with a very good posture. 😅 My cousin had a full range of motion in his right shoulder and arms.

We were all just happy and beaming with smiles afterward and discussing on our ride home the relief we all had from our pain. True to its clinic name MEDELLIN PAIN RELIEF, we all found relief during our chiro session!

I have been enjoying this holistic approach to health and wellness since 2 years ago and has always been my go-to when I had major issues with my body. And now, I'm grateful to have shared this with the rest of my family too.

Huge thanks to Doc Ric and Mam Jen! I highly recommend my friends in Cebu to visit him. More info here.

If I could sum up those amazing 4 days and 3 nights of workshops and social dancing I've recently attended in Boracay Island, this would be it!

A month ago, at the onset of my physical and emotional recovery from an injury and the loss of my pet cat, I decided to push through with going to my first-ever dance festival for this year 2023. I needed some time out from the "down-spiraling" of my life. It would also be a shame to waste the airfare and event ticket which I'd already purchased back then. This time around I was with a few bunches of friends. The more, the merrier!

I promised myself not to dance because of the said injury although my doctor didn't stop me from doing, only to be just careful and not exert too much so I opted to work on shooting videos of the event but my itchy feet couldn't hold back. I danced during socials but exempted myself from the workshops except for a few that I wanted to learn so badly and that was Tarraxo and Zouk.

Will be writing more about this trip/event sometime in the future but this video already tells you so much about how epic this event was and how much fun I enjoyed dancing and shooting. There were several artists and dance enthusiasts who attended from other places here in the Phlippines and from other countries so it was a great opportunity to make new connections in the Afro-latin dance community.

Again, I'm no pro and I'm only using my Go Pro 9 for taking videos which already did a decent job. My only challenge was shooting in low light so I brought with me a portable LED light that I used. At first, I felt awkward carrying it but for the love of taking and editing dance videos. Then why not?

Anyways, I gathered way too many videos and didn't realize how tedious it is to go through each file one by one but I had to so I can produce this shortened version of what transpired during this fun event. I guess it took me about 5 days just to finish this so please enjoy watching till the end! Let me know your thoughts!

Love,
Clara

I finally have the energy to go through my files and make a video from my travel to Boracay Island last November 2022 to attend My First Out of Town Mini Dance Festival. To be honest, I needed to delete the raw files to make space in my drive so here I am. 😁

Anyways, I've already written a blog about this travel, you can read it here: A Short But Sweet Escape To Boracay Island! but having to document the experience through videos is a different thing! I get to reminisce and bring back the good feelings I had. And this makes me smile.

The first part of this series is the literal "joyride" I and my dance teacher experienced getting to the island! When I say joyride, I mean it was so fun commuting and doing it on your own - from going to the wrong airport terminal to following the locals where to ride a tricycle, to dealing with the paperwork and fees at the boat terminal, and finding another tricycle to take us to our hotel. For others, this might be tedious and exhausting, but for me, it was just the excitement and adventure I needed at that time.

So for those heading to Boracay Island sometime in the future, it's more fun to go there DIY!