on the flying trapeze

I have been traveling all over the Philippines for the past month for a writing project—from up north in Tabuk, Kalinga down to Zamboanga City—while trying to meet my other deadlines that I haven’t had time to read the tumblogs of the people I follow, reblog or tumblog (not that I’m much of a blogger). I’ve endured a vomit-inducing boat ride during the last days of a typhoon; trekked on slippery mountainsides to see a lake, lagoon or waterfalls; walked in a beautiful area of a marshland while keeping my eye for crocodiles and snakes; kept my seatmate on a plane calm while it went through a terrible turbulence; ride a van with an offensive driver who goes 80-90km on rocky mountainside curves; and most recently, sit in a hut in the middle of the sea, enjoying the scenery while waiting for photographer to finish his shoot, before being told my locals that terrorist group Abu Sayyaf kidnapped some people just on the other side of the nearby island. It’s been an exhiliarating August.