I've always loved the water but at the same time been afraid of it. You hear summer horror stories from friends who've stepped on sea urchins, gotten jelly fish stings or totally sunburnt! Which is why, as a kid, I would always stick close to shore. But being married to a certified water baby meant that I had to love the water as much as hubby did. So that meant conquering my fear and actually getting my feet wet. I thought I was getting better at it until I saw Hubby free dive. He looked so free and agile in the water. Totally removed from the lanky clumsy guy he is on shore! So, I told myself I'd learn how to free dive as well too. So slowly I learned how to equalize, got comfortable wearing a weight belt and accustomed to using long fins. It wasnt easy especially if you're like me who no matter what would float! (Yes high fat content??) Steadily I got better at it so much that I unlocked the deepest I've ever gone -- 60 feet. Let me break that down for you, sixty feet is equal to the height of a six storey building! Yes THAT tall! I was pretty amazed myself after I finally reached the surface and looked at the depth gauge on my arm. To go that far down on a single breath of air was quite a feat for me! And amazed the hubby as well! So in celebration, Im adding a sheet of calligraphed "beach sayings" in honor of that epic dive. You can crop them up to add to images like what I did above. Or crop one that speaks to you and enlarge it for a print you can frame at home. Or make gift tags for friends like the one below. Hope you have fun!! Also, dont forget to tag me in IG (@sab_reynoso) or send me a shout out if you'll be using it. I want to see all the creative stuff you guys come up with. Also the file is background-less (saved in .png format) already making it easier for you to layer it on awesome photos. To download click here.
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As i mentioned in my previous post, I'm getting a hang of Photoshop and my new tool the Wacom Intuos Draw tablet. I'm almost done with my online lessons and I feel like I'm getting the hang of it slowly. Same with the wacom, which I've only used a couple of times. So I thought that this would be a perfect time to send out a FREE PRINTABLE!! I dont know about you but I'm a list kind of girl. I have a list for everything: movies i need to watch, things i need to buy and most importantly a TO DO list! So I dont lose track of all these things, I keep them all in a handy notebook. (Calligraphy Ink friendly of course! In case I want to beautify with my pens and such.) Which is why the free printable this time around is a TO DO LIST. The theme is more like a "grocery" feel because I know I have to buy necessities soon. But you can use it for just about anything. Plus, it's very satisfying to tick off an accomplished task -- hence the boxes on the left hand side. Dont you feel productive, when at the end of the day, all your TO DOs have been checked of? Size of the printable is our regular short bond paper (8.5 x 11 inches) so you shouldnt have any trouble printing this using house printers. Hope you enjoy the little freebie!! :) I've also included guidelines for easy cutting. As a tip, you guys can even print a couple of them (say 10 pages making 20 pieces), cut and using some padding glue to make a TO DO pad. You'd have a ready supply of these lists handy for last minute items. Or keep them inside your handbag. That's it for now. Enjoy!
Summer is finally over with school starting everywhere. The past 2 weeks, harassed parents braved the rush to buy notebooks, pencils, books, papers, etc for their kids. Meanwhile, in the spirit of learning, I've decided to brush up on what little I know about Photoshop and learn some more. Note the photo header? That was entirely done in Photoshop!! Pat on the back and applause please. In the past I've relied heavily on Mac application Preview for all my "design" needs. If things got complicated there was always the ever reliable PowerPoint. But I couldnt rely on both forever. Especially when Ive been getting requests for Wedding Suites. I decided it was time for me swallow my fear (and confusion) and finally learn Photoshop. Luckily, a blog I follow offered "beginner" classes online. If you're like me head on over to Lindsey Bugbee's site to enroll yourself in her class. It really is for the beginner -- such as myself-- and even has homework and quizzes you must pass in order to move forward. Don't worry, it isnt super difficult. Plus there's a 70 page e-book you can download to help you along the way. Im currently only on the 3rd lesson (of five) and feel that I've learned so much! In fact, I was able to finish my first wedding invite, and after 2 tries they liked the finished product! Additionally, before bidding Summer farewell, Hubby and I went on our own small vacation to neighboring countries. It was all really for a reunion, H's SSEAYP class was celebrating it's 10th anniversary. So 30 (or so) Participating Youths from ASEAN countries plus family trooped to Bali for a weekend of reconnecting, fun, sun and sea. I've never been to Bali but have read on the beauty of the Island. It didnt disappoint of course! The group had team building activities in the rice paddies --- really getting down and dirty! We also took in the culture by watching the Kechak Dance in Uluwatu. And on our free day, we both visited the waterpark where the world's longest waterslide is located. (Can you imagine the adrenaline??) Soo much fun I tell you! As a side trip we visited Singapore as well where I hoarded on craft stuff. I was able to join in the #emboss trend by buying embossing powder and pen. Here is a piece I made last night from the craft haul. Theres a really satisfaction watching the powder melt from the heat gun. Some chemical reaction is definitely happening there! Yesterday, was officially the last day of summer for many people and Independence Day for the Philippines. We decided to spend it doing outdoor stuff. So H & I mountain biked up Mayon Volcano. It's been a while since I last sat on the saddle so going uphill, there were times I just pushed my bike instead of pedaling. But, the highlight was the view and the downhill experience. A bit hair-raising in some parts where I almost slipped but all-in-all very enjoyable. In the late afternoon, along with the in-laws, we trooped to the Beach to beat off the heat. The waters were quite clear so we decided to free dive. I'm happy to announce Im back to free-dive form. No nasal congestion to get in the way of equalizing. Surprised myself when I was able to go down over 30 Feet in one single breath and check out the artificial reef in Bacacay Gulf. Makes me want to dive again -- SOON. hahaha
So these are the updates for now. As the quote above says "Always be Creating". :) May has barely started and its been quite whirlwind already! We started the month with a bang not because it was LABOR-acay --the annoying trip people make to Boracay for Labor Weekend. But because we deployed the rehabilitation for Coral Genesis. Coral Genesis was a project initiated by Hubby where with the power of the sun, corals are "planted" in artificial reefs and tickled by electricity to grow better and faster. What is amazing about this project is that it is a faith, private and public partnership -- a cooperation between the church that initially funded the project, by the private organization of JCI where the technology came from and public by the people of Sto. Domingo where the coral rosary has been deployed. Our first efforts were destroyed by the strong currents of Typhoon Yolanda and Glenda. Which is why we have decided to rebuild in a more secure location where there is already a wonderful thriving coral reef-- Ally's wall. I am attaching below a news clip by the local television channel regarding the project. Tune in to minute 20:55. Below, just in case you dont want to scroll through the video I'm attaching some photos too. Right after that we decided to go on another beach adventure with the squad which lead us to Atulayan Island off the coast of Camarines Sur Province. It was a beautiful white sand island with nice snorkeling sights off shore however our reception by the local officials was not that nice. So if you were to visit the place be careful they will try to extort money from you the way they tried with us. Our boat passed through a fish sanctuary which was not clearly marked and they wanted to fine our captain Php2,500 from a first offense. When we did not want to, and explained that the sanctuary was not properly marked they called in the Coast Guard who tried to pressure us even more. Luckily a member of the group works for the government and was able to settle the argument. So if you do want to visit get a boat from Nato Port (which is expensive) or if you will rent your own boat make sure your boatman doesnt cross through the partially submerged flaglets that designate the sanctuary's limits. Here are photos of the island -- despite the awful welcome we were determined to have fun.Photo credit to my friend Marlon. Yesterday was ELECTION DAY. It is the first time I get to vote here in the province and is also the election where up until I entered the precinct I didnt know whose name I'd shade as president. Alas, my candidate did not win. But the real action is in the VP race where Leni Robredo the under-dog has steadily gained ground over the dictator's son-- Bong Bong Marcos. I hope this will become a true victory for the widow who has sacrificed a quiet family life for one in the limelight. The next few weekends of the month for me will be as hectic and as jam-packed with travels. Can't wait!! In the meantime I want to greet all the mommas/single fathers out there a belated HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! You are the driving force of every single human being. Your constant love, support and care is what gets us through the toughest situations in our lives and what makes us people we are. We love you.
Last week I turned a year older, and decided to spend it in Manila for a change. Weeks in advanced we had most of it planned out, we were going to see friends we havent seen in a while, celebrate with family and of course go on a date night. We havent been to the capital in a while because of work and extra curricular here in Legazpi. Additionally people have been telling us that the heat in the city has been unbearable due to El Nino experienced all over the country. (We've been lucky here in Legazpi that there are occasional showers, plus being by the sea cools down the concrete jungle a few degrees.) Which is why we havent been to Manila since February. But 2 months away makes you miss the lights, the food and the glamour that you cant quite find in provincial living. Arrival in Manila was delayed due to air traffic congestion in NAIA. What's new right? But that didnt wane the excitement. We were finally in the capital and excited to get the festivities started! First stop was an overnight stay in Batangas with Hubby's childhood friends-- some of which were here on vacation from Australia. This meant good company and good food! REALLY GOOD FOOD. We left the traffic behind and it only took us 3 hours drive time to reach Batangas -- with a food stop in Sta. Rosa of course. Upon arrival, we unloaded the cars and headed straight for the beach! Additionally, got a surprise for dinner when they brought out the most delicious moist chocolate cake for me to blow!! The kiddies had to participate of course. :) Too bad we could only stay one night, but we needed to head back right a way to catch the 8PM showing of Les Miserables. I have been really excited to watch this musical for a very long time because of song favorites like ON MY OWN which I've practically memorized. Also, Les Mis holds a special place in my heart ever since I played Marius Pontmercy in a Grade 6 reproduction. The predominantly Australian cast brought the story to life and left me at the edge of my seat! Rachelle Ann Go (a Filipina) was extraordinary as Fantine!! If you havent yet, please do catch the production in Solaire-- I think they even extended the run because of public clamor. You cant forget family when talking about Birthdays. Being married has only doubled the people I call family, which also means double the food, partying and cake eating! During the actual day, April 17, I rose up early to attend Sunday mass and was even lucky to be able to have confession and a special blessing from the priest. After which we headed directly to Lola's house for lunch with the hubby's side of the family. We didnt go there empty handed-- I brought one container of my family's special Bacalao Recipe using fish that Hubby salted himself. It was quite a hit with people going not just for one serving but for 2 sometimes 3 servings!! I had to call my lolo, from whom I got the recipe, to tell him the good news-- everyone LOVED it! Dinner was spent with my family-- which also meant more eating!! We trooped on over to D'Marks a local Itallian restaurant which we grew up on. As kids, it was a special occasion if we could eat in D'Marks, we would have pasta, pizza and their chicken croquettas! The menu wasnt any different this time around: we had 2 pizzas, 3 pastas and 2 orders of the chicken croquettas. Quite a lot to feed 8 hungry tummies. hihi Cake was super delicious too, the cake blowing was shared between us April celebrants namely my bro, his girlfriend and me. hahaha Before heading back, my last "party" was a reunion with college friends: Lunch with Jocel and Dinner with Mgt Eco blockmates. We had a lot of catching up to do because two of my friends are newly engaged, one is in a new relationship, etc. Haha Too bad I didnt get to take photos of my lunch date so you'll just have to make do with the dinner photos. For dinner our cravings lead us to CYMA for good Med food where we ordered Hummus, seafood platter and their humongous MEAT PLATTER. These catch ups must be repeated soon. hahaha So yes, turning a year older is awesome. Being blessed with a great family and good friends is all a girl could ask for really. :)
Thank you to all those who greeted me, made me feel really really special! :) |
Who is sab_adventures?I have always wanted to write. This will now be a creative outlet-- home to all my arts and crafts. So feel free to browse around my everyday adventures. Interests
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November 2016
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