Cobra Reef

I've always wanted to produce an all-girls surf video. But as it appears, an all-boys surf video came first. Thanks to my wonderful boyfriend who co-produced this with me though we went through a lot of bickering in the process of making this. Yup, creative differences. We kinda met halfway and this is what happened. Big thanks too to JP, Moony, and Jacky Koos.

Okay, enough I'm sounding like an Oscar winner.

Score: Spider Problem - Cha Cha (Slighter's Trashy Remix)

                                          Cobra Reef from Andromeda on Vimeo.

Baler

Baler has been and will always be my favorite surf spot in the Philippines. Not that I have been to all, but it's where a lot memories have been and continue to be made.

Funny how this is our first blog post on the place. We've been here countless times and yet it's only now we've had time to share a few photos with readers who would occasionally get lost in cyberspace and set ashore on our little space here.

This is a private beach in Baler.

Meet the lovely Dicasalarin Cove.

Thanks to JP Sarmiento for lending me his Maui prize board. I Left my 7'0" Walden in Manila. It was not a day for coasting.

Wave check.

View from the top.

The sun burned through our skin.

Shore dump.

Thanks to our friends who took some of our photos here.

Go To

Travelling has been on my mind a lot lately. A LOT. In between writing scripts and sips of tea, I think about Turkish lanterns, concept surf shops, sacks of tea in a flea market, Philippine "dreamwoven" fabrics, pearl farms, mud houses, abandoned hotels, the list goes on! 

While I love my job, I must say that constant creative deliverables demand that you bring in as much as you give. "Bala" they call it in Filipino. 

In the meantime, while Typhoon Maring takes her time looming over the country, here are some photos off my Pinterest board. Photos tagged as "Go To" places.

Soon.


The General Store, California




Brighton Beach, Melbourne




Grand Bazaar, Turkey




Anthropologie, Regent St., London



Taormina Balcony, Sicily, Italy

Seascapes

I love collecting photos of seascapes.

The colours that blend the sea and sky just escapes me.

Blushing pinks, seaglass greens, the coolest blues, luxurious purples--oh how I am itching to pack my stuff and just drive away from the city! But alas, work needs to be done. Etcetera season 4 premieres this September and am readying myself for months of writing scripts, shooting, and offline editing! So meanwhile, here are some of the photos I've collected on my Pinterest board that's dedicated to all things surf.

More from my Pinterest boards here.

Surf Grub

Here's a simple recipe that's perfect for surf trips, picnics, office breaks, or just about any time you're hungry. It's very easy to make and the ingredients are found in most groceries around the Metro.

Meet my new favorite snack.

Pear Crostinis with Whipped Gorgonzola and Honey

You'll need:

1 Fragrant Pear (the green ones), sliced 

Baguette, sliced diagonally

Gorgonzola cheese

Butter

Honey

It really depends on how many people are gonna be snacking on this treat but I tried proportioning the amount of ingredients to the size and number of pears I was going to use. For this recipe, I just used one and it's good for 2 to 3 people. 

Start by mixing 1/4 cup of Gorgonzola with 2 tbsps of butter. Use a whisk or a fork to mix them together into a creamy mixture.

Toast your baguette slices.

Once toasted into an ideal colour and crisp, place your sliced pears on each bread.

Top with your whipped Gorgonzola mixture.

Drizzle with honey.

Serve.


Mmmmmmmmmmm.


Enjoy!

On Call

The summer season drives frothing surfers mad -- during these months, most of the country's spots go flat, and if you don't have anything better to do, you'll be stuck browsing over the past season's photos just to keep the stoke flowing.
 
Before, I get antsy and irritable during the flat spell, but for the past couple of years I have managed to find a "light at the end of the tunnel." Now, I am more relaxed,and actually a tad bit excited because I know that the Habagat season is just around the corner. I am content with the fact that when the South Swell season arrives, one of my favorite places in the PI will come alive.



Pagudpud is located at the northern tip of the country, and during the typhoon season, it is exposed to the raw energy generated by passing typhoons. So when a cyclone with a good track pops up on the charts, we round up the crew and head up north to Kapuluan Vista Resort (KVR).

It's a 10-12 hour trip but hey, we don't care because we know that we are about to score some good, uncrowded waves. Couple that with the rustic beauty of KVR, and man oh man, it'll surely be another one of those epic surf trips.

Here are more pictures (and a video) from our recent trip, the waves courtesy of typhoon Huaning. Enjoy, and see you in the lineup soon. :)

     Leo Maralit

          Fruzzy Annawwuzzy

           Ede Virata

             Video and Edit by Pom (Andromeda) and Del.

                                          KVR July 2013 from Andromeda on Vimeo.

A New Home

It's not just because we've migrated to Blogspot (not that there was much written from where we came from) but because I have found a new home. A new home break, that is.

I first learned to surf in what used to be a peaceful, uncrowded beach break in Baler, Aurora.

It's also where Del and I first paddled out together.

It's where we also decided to keep paddling out together.

It turns out though, that dozens of other surfers out there decided to make Baler their special place too. Who can blame them? The place just really loves you back.

So while I still do love Baler,  I have found a new love way up north. Faaaarther north.

Pagudpud.

It wasn't my first time in the place. When I was around 13 to 14 years old, I spent summer-long vacations there. The Blue Lagoon did not have its row of resorts then. The Pebble Beach still had pebbles.

I often wonder how many people knew of the palm-sized pebbles in that beach in Bangui way before it became famous for those windmills. I  wonder if they even knew it was called Pebble Beach.

Anyway.

Enduring a 10-hour trip to greet Typhoon Huaning was worth the tailbone trauma.

We were saluted by overhead waves that arched with perfect glory.

Check it out.

I know what you're thinking--where the hell is everyone?!

Here's our friend, Ede, taking a wave.

Drei "Frus Annaw" heading out.

Delfin "Del" de Luna charging.

Del and I heading out <3

       I shall leave the technical explanation of that perfect wave to Del. He's the one fluent in swellspeak. 

Drei took a photo of our friend Leo's singe-fin board--but it was definitely not a day for coasting.

As if the uncrowded reef break wasn't enough, the resort where we stayed was another reason why I fell in love with the place.

Kapuluan Vista Resort set the ideal place for turning in after a serious surf sesh. 

Sans an alarm clock, and the pumping surf, we would have waken up early anyway to Ilocos longganisa and beautiful sunrises.

Thank you, Pagudpud.  

I look forward to coming home soon.