of firsts and facing fears

the last 2 weeks have been the shortest growing up period for me. everything that i've done within this span of time i never thought i would do or would be able to do...some happen too fast, some too soon albeit long delayed. let me explain.

pat's greek/australian friend theo came to the philippines for a month long visit. because pat couldn't be there for him all the time ( as a tour guide/ nanny ) she asked me to fill in for her. i agreed. i thought i was doing her and theo a favor by sharing my time. it turns out, he, theo would be an instrument to my growing up. something which should've happened ages ago.

some may find it bizarre that two weeks before i've never in my whole life tried to ride a bike. years ago i've decided it's difficult  so i never entertained the thought of learning and told myself it's not as interesting as everyone says it is.  but this person, when he learned i didn't know how to ride the thing made it part of his mission in life to make me learn to ride a bike. my first try was in lamesa ecopark ( my first visit ) approximately 2 weeks ago. we borrowed a mountain bike from a couple of bikers who were looking for the boating/kayaking area in the park. after much protest i decided i couldn't change his mind so i rode the bike. theo was on my left and this owner of the bike on my right. we had a few rounds and some shrieks i've never done in my life but i didn't learn plus aching shin but i didn't learn. theo was still bent on making me learn. when we got to bagiuo( also my first time to this place. it's been elusive. all plans i've made to visit never happened and it did when i didn't) a few days ago, we saw bikes for rent at burnham park. he rushed to rent a bmx for me and taught me for hours. i learned. i might've fractured the base of my left thumb, had both shins swollen, my right knee bruised to death and right ankle cut but I CAN NOW RIDE A BIKE.it feels good and free. i saw the video he took of me and i felt proud of myself.

i have an ardor for water but i don't know how to swim so when in the beach or pool i never go deeper than my chest level.like biking, i've also decided a long time ago i'm not gonna learn it because it's difficult. the fact that i don't know how to swim also shocked theo that, again he made it his mission to teach me how to swim. it's in my immediate plan i told him to enrol in a swimming class because it's a good exercise for my weak back ( because of my scoliosis i decided to abandon my i-don't-wanna-learn-how-to-swim-mentality ). he fast tracked my plan. in subic ( also my first time here. it's just not a favorite place ) , just minutes after we got to the resort we checked in he told me we're going for a swim. patiently, he taught me. i've learned to float and freestyle after 4 hours. the next day he taught me how to breathe while swimming and tread the water. i suck at both and i felt bad ( i still do). he also taught me how to dive. i learned very, very fast and he was proud. i didn't realize how big it was that i now know how to swim until after swimming around one of the three biggest islands ( quezon island ) in "the hundred islands" ( again my first time here. i got to visit earlier than my scheduled visit )  3 days ago. after that one whole round, i still couldn't believe i did it; that i swam around. of course i stopped several times to catch my breath and to fix my mask, to cough after drinking salt water but i did it. i enjoyed it enormously especially because for the first time in my life i've really felt that i was snorkeling for real. i've snorkled a lot of times in the past but the water's like i said never been deeper than my chest level. i've never been comfortable in the water when it's deeper than that. but in the hundred islands i was swimming waters beyond  10 or so feet. i've also learned to tread water ( flippers do help a lot ). the sight under water was absolutely amazing. the colorful corals were beautiful and so were the parrot fish, butterfly fish,some crawling fish, eel, groupers, several variety of angel fish, urchins among others i don't know what's called. the swim to see the giant clams between two islands cost me three cuts a few scratches. i was bleeding when i got out of water but it was well worth it. i've never seen giant clams in my whole life. i'd do it again without any reservation whatsoever.

the day before the hundred islands swim and such, i had the chance to try surfing in san juan, la union. i've been to this place before but seeing the waves i got scared and decided surfing's not for me. but the insistent theo had me try it. i did. i still don't know how to but it was an incredibly good feeling to ride the waves on a surf board. i kept falling even when i was just paddling. the waves were violent so i wasn't hard on myself plus i was exhausted from the trip from bagiuo. i'm looking at learning how to surf. i feel that i should give it another go. i'm no longer scared of the waves ( after this person dragging me to catch them until i can breathe no more ).

while in bagiuo, i also got the chance to learn how to play fussball. i've been attracted to this game but i never really saw any fussball table until this trip and i bet my head on this one, only shooters' got a fussball table ( and only one ) in the whole of bagiuo. i lost count of the games we've played and i'm mighty proud of myself because i played relatively decent games. there's also that nice feeling when people started to gather around us watching our game. apparently, the fussball table in shooters don't get to be touched much. after, the fussball we played pool. i was surprised to find out that i still can play decently. i honestly thought i would suck like crazy since it's been 9 or so years since i last played pool. we left shooters with me still ecstatic at the fact that i was able to play fussball, that i can actually play it and that i can be competitive when i decide to or when there's something great at stake. the bet in the fussball game was for me to look at the aquarium that contained an albino snake. i'm scared of snakes. the sight of them gives me goosebumps. everytime i lose a game i had to look at the snake and i hated it. i won some games and i was getting used to looking at the snake so theo upgraded the bet to touching the glass/aquarium. i thought i'd faint at the prospect of doing it so i tried to do well in the succeeding games. i was successful for awhile until his expertise caught up with me. he dragged me from the fussball table toward the entrance where the snake was. i touched the glass. hairs at the back of my neck stood like armies on alert. hateful!

before the road trip, i got to try go carting for the first time. it's so cool despite being just a passenger. i don't know how to drive a thing ( not  even a bike during this time ) so was scared of ending my life through go carting. i've already committed myself to doing it again sometime soon and when it happens, i'll  be driving.

theo is also into paint balling so i  suggested we go play some after go carting. unfortunately, the place chu and i went to paintball before he left for bkk has already transfered location so we were left with nothing much to do. theo suggested we go to starcity. i'm not a fan of amusement parks. i've been to starcity just once in my life and i got bored. even enchanted kingdom doesn't interest me. i have entertained the thought of going to enchanted only because friends wanted to go and i can go anywhere my friends want to go. like a lot of things i've decided a long time ago amusement parks are uninteresting, crazy rides are scary. once i was forced by some people i work with to try roller coaster. i was hurt and was crying the whole time. i hated it. and now this greek person insisted i try all rides. he bought unlimited ride ticket for me and warned i better use it. i thought i was gonna die at the newest looking roller coaster. at the surf dance, i shouted like i never did before and said the most number  of " shit ", " damn it " and " f*** "  anyone can possibly say in a few minutes. i still question the entertainment value of the rides. even the adrenaline rush they say that rides give i didn't and still can't appreciate. my first unlimited ride  will most likely be my last unlimited ride. i'm just not inclined to doing it again.

this last two weeks had been surreal not only because of what i've mentioned but because of other firsts and facing my fears i chose to just accomodate in my memory bank. i'd like to believe that aside from having learned some new skills that are either useful in this life or just for the sake of having fun or both i've become a  slightly different person in the way i think and  in looking at things. theo is a necessary event in my life just as much as the last two weeks had been.