Forward

2015 © Dana Eve Valencia

"If you are facing in the right direction,

all you need to do is keep walking." ​

Although for some, just like me, finding the right direction might require the journey of a freaking lifetime, I do believe that there is one direction that we are all meant to go:

FORWARD. ​

By taking tiny steps each and every day, putting aside over-thinking, and realising that you have everything you need deep within, you can find the right direction in your life. And while it may not be the direction you expected, it will work out just fine.

Happy Easter and have an amazing new week!

My Happy Place

2015 © Dana Eve Valencia

Something happens to time when you're in your happy place. One minute you're sitting on the dock, chatting away and it's only ten in the morning and the next time you look at your watch, it's nearly four in the afternoon and you find yourself sipping your sixth fresh coconut juice, strumming random TV tunes on your ukulele whilst your friend head-bobs to it with a panda hand puppet like a proper weirdo. And you just laugh and laugh and laugh, and there's this lingering thought in your mind: Wherever everyone else is, I am where I want to be.

What about you? What's your #happyplace like?

Ten Dope Things About Being Single

2015 © Dana Eve Valencia

Being single isn't so bad. In fact, there are lots of good things to be said for it, and every time a date turns sour I cheer myself up by enumerating the many advantages of being on one's own. 

_________________ 

TEN DOPE THINGS ABOUT BEING SINGLE 

by Dana Eve Valencia

❶ You can spend a lot of quality time with yourself.

❷ You can eat Cheetos and mashed potatoes in bed.

❸ You do not have to look and smell alluring twenty-four hours a day.

❹ You can put on weight if you wish. (In other words, you can eat all the Cheetos and mashed potatoes you want!) 

❺ You can binge-watch True Detective without being sneered at for your peculiar taste and odd obsession with sleuthing and perplexing things.

❻ You can tweet or post anything on IG and FB, minus the guilt.

❼ You can have a girls night out, ditto.

❽ You can join in on the fun when the club DJ hollers, "Single ladiiies! Make some noooise!"

❾ You can sleep diagonally.

❶⓪ You can converse uninhibitedly with your books or laptop or any household device.

See? It's actually not so bad. Can you think of some more benefits? 

The Wonders of Being Six

2015 © Dana Eve Valencia

Sometimes I wish I could turn back the hands of time, and be six again.

It's just so much easier when you're younger. You hop on your bicycle, pedal down the street. If you fall, you cry, get a little bruise, but after a short while you're ready and keen to ride on your bike again. And you get to have the time of your life. 

But as you get older, you become more . . . cautious. Too scared to go astray, make a wrong turn, and get hurt again after a bad fall. Not knowing that you've been missing out on something really, truly spectacular.

Yeah, I wish I could be that fearless little girl with adorable bangs again.

Long Lost Fears

2015 © Dana Eve Valencia

When spirit flounders 

Gone in circles

An aimless flight

I am scared.

When thunder rumbles

Hollow waves roll 

A restless night

I am scared.

When shadows enfold

Hadal silence

Drowns out of sight

I am scared.

When all bridges burn

Dour solitude

I seek to fight

I am scared.

When tender scars heal

To unlock door

Whilst it feels right

I am scared.

— Wrote this about eight years ago as a result of a newfound self-awareness. Glad I've managed to triumph over most of what constitute my Achilles' heel. Remember: It's okay to have fears, just don't let them take over your life. Peace out!

Dana Dares You

2015 © Dana Eve Valencia

"We all exist within the realm of possibility. Most of the limits are of our own world's devising," David Levithan said in one of his thought-provoking books.

And I couldn’t agree more.

Was this how I saw myself eight years ago? A young lady in her mid-twenties, buying herself a Penny board for her birthday, enjoying a simple glass of coconut shake under the sun, and pulling risky Spiderman-like stunts every chance she gets?

Nope. Very far from it, actually.

Eight years ago, my straight-A, control freaky overachiever and ambitious self was convinced I'd be living a humdrum career woman life. I'd probably be running the gauntlet of eligible men my mother has drummed up for me. And I'd simply be working on what I used to plan my life around for many years. I was so dedicated, so enthusiastic at the time. 

"So you never really felt at some point like you were losing touch with yourself?" a friend of mine asked.

I would pretend I wasn't. At the back of my mind, I knew I could work my way toward that goal and still suffer in the end. But it was just so much easier to imagine my life like that because it wasn't uncertain, you know. Because it was convenient. I suppose the thought of possibly going astray had been lurking in my mind for a while then, and I'd never before let down my guard enough for it to surface until I decided to break free.

And breaking free—releasing myself from the tyranny of compulsive enumeration, stepping out of my comfort zone—was the best move I have ever made.

I mean, look at me now. I'm a young lady in her mid-twenties, buying herself a Penny board for her birthday, enjoying a simple glass of coconut shake under the sun, and pulling risky Spiderman-like stunts every chance she gets. And I've never been happier.

So for anyone who's been dodging those scary thoughts and living life as if it were a task, I dare you.

I seriously dare you.

First Blush on Mount Pulag

2015 © Dana Eve Valencia

If there was ever a glorious moment, this was it.

2,922 metres above sea level. One of the highest points in the country. Our faces bathing in the early light. The carpet of clouds below us beautified by an exquisite shade of peach. It all felt like a little dream.

Plus, nothing could be more awesome than conquering another mountain and sharing the victory with your favourite people. The overnight climb of shoving against a few blokes and trying to look after one another was all worth it. We had managed to squeeze in fits of laughter and pranks between freak gusts of chilly wind, torn shoes and injured knee dramas.

Ah, life could be incredibly sweet. Especially with amazing friends.

Enchanted

Below me is a natural wonder that could be found only in the Philippines: the Enchanted River. It's certainly not your ordinary swimming and diving spot as it appears to be surrounded by myths and mysteries—its origin being one of them.

True to its name, the Enchanted River boasts virtually clear waters with a shade of blue that needs no photo enhancement.

If you don your goggles and take a peek underwater, you will be awestruck by what you'll see — and I ain't kidding when I say "awestruck" 'cos I seriously jerked my head back up from utter surprise — a mouth of an enormous sinkhole that is about 26 metres deep where large schools of huge, unfamiliar, colourful fish could be found thriving! At the bottom of the abyss, you'll find a fascinating underwater cave system that hasn't been fully explored.

This inviting blue lagoon is truly nothing short of paradise and looks like something straight out of your wanderlust fantasies. So if you're planning to explore the Philippines, I think including the Enchanted River in your itinerary would be a brilliant move. And maybe, just maybe, for a second, it will make you believe in pixies and mermaids and magic once again.