Boracay Diaries: Finding Balance Between Work and Play

Hi Baboo,

My first week in paradise has gone by so fast. I know I cried the minute you left but in five minutes or so I was back on my feet again and looking forward to the afternoon when I can go to the beach, lie on the sand and soak in the sun. It was a lifestyle I’ve always dreamed of. It’s just too bad you can only be with me for about 10 days out of the 33 days of solitude I choose to have.

I was okay on my first week, great even. It might be a sin that I was spending so much time online. After all, my regular world doesn’t need to stop. Nevertheless, I knew I should be saying no to my pc and just saying yes to laziness, the sun and the surf. But I guess that’s not me. I always want the best of both worlds. I want them to mix together in an easy and breezy way.

On those hours that I would just lie there on the sand, watching the waves splashing against one of the whitest sands I’ve ever seen in my life, as boats and people pass by, I’d feel restless, like I should be doing something and not just lying or sitting there until my skin becomes golden tan.

So sometimes I'd snorkel, sometimes, I'd swim. I know it’s absurd. I’m at the beach and all I could think about is doing something productive. For someone like you, who loves to have his own set of lazy days, you might actually consider doing nothing productive. You kept telling me before how our body needs to rest and just stay still for a while, not worrying about anything or thinking about any damn thing.But you know what, that’s not me. I like action. I like doing something. I like writing about different kinds of things and learning about them along the way. I like looking at the updates of the people in my network. I like updating my own facebook, twitter and plurk. I like to blog especially when I’m inspired or feeling very passionate about something.
What I don’t like is to stay still and do nothing even if it means lying on the sand and soaking in the sun in one of the most gorgeous beaches of the world. If that’s the case, then I’d rather sleep. At least, that is something I consider productive, which is what I actually did at one time --- I slept on the beach, under a bunch of coconut trees. The breeze was just right and the sound of the waves was like a lullaby caressing me to sleep. So I slept.

I was woken by the sun’s rays hitting my face. It was almost sunset and the sun’s rays were exploding a myriad of rainbow colors across the sky.
The sun was red. It was magnificent. I can wake up to that any given time.

Then I missed you. I missed you so bad I didn’t want to admit just how much. But I did miss you. What’s the point of doing all this if you’re not here by my side. For some people, they try as much as possible to stay together coz they can’t bear the thought of being apart. And here we are, in love and happy with each other, yet I chose to stay away and you let me go. It’s insane how we sometimes are. We do the craziest of things and somehow still manage to stay together, if not physically, then at heart.

Today marks the start of my second week here in paradise. It’s a Sunday. I slept ‘til nine and just transferred a bunch of videos and photos to my usb drive.

Yesterday, while I was having lunch at my usual spot along the most quiet part of the beach, I overheard one Australian and his Filipina wife recount to two other foreign tourists how their room was robbed with all their valuable possessions: a laptop, a camera and 6000 Australian dollars. Woah! They’ve been to Boracay so many times, staying at the same cheap hotel so many times, been traveling all over Southeast Asia countless of times, then this happened. They’re broke as of the moment and all they can think about is how lucky they didn’t get stabbed coz it happened while they were sleeping inside their room, and that their passports were left behind. It’s really amazing how some people still see the glass half full even in dire situations. I try to do that as much as possible. Coz really, there’s no other way to live but to live a happy, grateful life. It’s a choice you make and not something that happens to only some people. Happiness is a decision that you do by acting on it.

So today, just like all the previous days of my stay here, I choose to be happy. I hope you do the same, Baboo. Though we're apart for a little while, know that in my heart you are always with me. When I feel like staying inside my room, I hear your voice urging me to go have fun at the beach.

When I feel sad, I hear you saying that I’m lucky and that there’s no reason for me to be sad. When I’m lazy, I hear you saying “Yeah, me too.” Which makes me chuckle every time. I miss you, Baboo. But I’m happy. I feel happy, I feel grateful. This has been an amazing journey so far and I will make the most of it the best way I know how.

Love,

Boobie