Valentines in Bungkol-Baka

San Jose, Tarlac has been very close to the heart of the UP Mountaineers ever since the club help develop the trekking destinations there. Spearheaded by Boboy Francisco, several mountains were opened in the early 2000's, and UPM has since become a regular visitor to this part of Central Luzon.

Happy camper. #UPmountaineers #Tarlac

A photo posted by Dennis Lopez (@dencius) on Feb 14, 2015 at 1:33am PST

Ten years after

It's been pretty hectic these past few weeks. My normal out-of-office activities have waned down significantly. Lots of stories to tell, but that has to wait a few more days. I just want to commemorate this day.

Ten years ago today. We were officially inducted to the UP Mountaineers in the cold waters of Dulangan River, during a particularly wet afternoon in Mt. Halcon. It was the culmination of months of training, learning, and climbing. It was also the start of 10 years of adventure with a lot of crazy people (and counting).

Cold but happy (photo from Kram Bacharo)

So to my batchmates, both active and desaparecido, a toast to that year that changed our lives forever! May we not run out of mountains or excuses to climb. 

Mabuhay ang UP Mountaineers! 

Seven Kilograms of Chocolate

Last week, the guys from Malagos Chocolates had a booth at our office again as part of the coop's retail expo. I always look forward to these times since it's the only time I get to replenish my stock of Malagos 65% dark chocolate.

Another thing I like about Malagos Chocolate, other than its taste, is that it's a (proudly) Filipino brand; the brainchild of the Puentespina family in Davao (famous for their orchid farms). According to their website, it "uses single-origin made from ethically grown and processed beans that have been carefully graded (according to international standards), fermented and solar-dried at our farms in Davao." This is a giant step forward for our chocolate industry, which has existed since the colonial Spanish times (think of the Tsokolate E episode in Rizal's Noli me Tangere). And for it to taste good is a sign of what the industry can offer the world apart from the tablea.

Super Mario

Four days of nothing. That's how I describe my long weekend (Friday to Monday). Well actually, it doesn't mean I didn't have anything; it was just different from what I expected.

It was a rainy Thursday night when I started packing for our trip to Kibungan for the UPM induction climb. I knew it would be a wet weekend since the forecasts said so very early in the week. But I didn't expect that the weather would turn for the worse. I was woken up by a call from my brother-in-law asking if I can lend them my pick-up truck, because their house was on the verge of getting flooded. It didn't sink in at first, but then we realized that the situation was bad; Mario's wrath was reminiscent of Ondoy five years ago. 

So much for the weekend plans. At least we have something to keep us warm. #MarioPartyPooper #Osprey #GP (Instagram)

And it's on!

Romi has officially posted the invitation for next year's expedition to Mt. Everest Base Camp, Lobuche East, and Ama Dablam. And thus, the gears are set in motion.