Love on the Rocks (Uling Edition) with Elle Viajera
Venue: Uling Wall, Wawa Dam
Brgy. Wawa, Rodriguez, Rizal
Trip Date: September 8, 2012
PRELOGUE: Yes, I am a dysgeographicoid. I have mild directional dyslexia. I can't read maps, I am having a hard time following verbal instructions, I don't remember where to go even though I had been to that place for more than 10 times already. It takes me a while to determine which is my left and which is my right. Under relaxed situation, it takes me half to a minute to figure it out. However, when in panic, my mind seems to play tricks on me, it just doesn't even try to. And so, I thank the great Marc Gana for being so patient and for being creative in making me know which extremity to move next.
The Main Attraction
I had tried the walls twice before getting myself to climb in the outdoors. The outdoor walls that I was to climb was for intermediate climbers, so I wasn't expecting to finish any of the routes. There were two routes, whose names I actually forgot. What I remember is that I was able to finish the first route, with a few falls on the rope, of course. On the second route, I was able to finish halfway, which was perfectly okay. I shouldn't be too hard on myself.
The Uling walls actually leave chalk-like traces, so why it was dubbed uling still remains a mystery to me.
The Drama: Meeting the Ex-girlfriend
Marc thought it was too soon to have me join a TEAZone event. I insisted, telling him that a friend of mine was joining. He agreed. Just before I got to the meeting place, Marc sent me a message warning me that his ex-girlfriend, who is a TEAZone facilitator/belayer, was joining and had learned that Marc had invited the "girl that he was currently dating." The ex-gf got furious for I-don't-know-what reason. Nevertheless, Marc told me to relax and be calm and he will take care of everything for me. I trusted his words.
The moment we mounted the fx taxi that Marc hired to get us to Wawa Dam, I knew that it was going to be a hard time for me. The ex-gf insisted that Marc and she were seated next to each other. Ayos! I had to keep my composure. Marc didn't want to create a commotion as there were other participants joining us.
The ex-gf continued to assume the role of the current gf, buying Marc his lunch, collecting money from the participants, and demanding that Marc do not go near me and threatened that she would make a scene if he did. Marc remained calm the whole time. I couldn't. During lunch time, I brought out the food that I prepared for Marc the night before, didn't eat and was waiting for him to approach me and eat lunch with me. But the ex-gf hindered him from doing so. At that time, my patience was wearing thin, I called out on Marc and threatened that I would throw away the food if he didn't eat it. He motioned to me, and was pleading that I go with the flow. I was near to tears, so he ate part of the viand even though he was done eating the lunch that the ex-gf bought for him and insisted that he eat. Marc asked me to eat as well, but I was just too angry that I lost my appetite.
When it was time to pack and wash up, the ex-gf gathered the girls in the group, probably to gang up on me. Great, just great! Marc told me not to get affected. On our way back to Cubao, Marc got seated next to Lorna, instead, to my relief. The ex-gf had been put in her place, or so I thought. Marc and I were sending text messages to each other while in transit. He asked me to join them for dinner. I hesitated at first, but agreed in the end.
When we got off the cab, the ex-gf took one of Marc's heavy bags and again assumed the role of the current gf. She motioned Marc to stay by her side. I found it pretty hard to get myself to walk that Marc took my hand and guided me to the place where we were going to have dinner--that got the ex-gf angrier. At the doorstep of the restaurant, I stopped. Marc stopped, too and waited for me to go inside. The ex-gf stopped too, pressuring Marc to leave me outside. I asked the ex-gf, "Can you please leave us alone to talk?" She ignored my plead and continued to motion Marc to get inside. Marc didn't budge, much to her dismay. She started making a scene. So Marc asked me to go inside. I could see that he was having a hard time and I was making it harder for him, so I obliged. The ex-gf made it a point that Marc was seated next to her. I looked away and pretended not to get bothered, but deep inside me, my whole system was in havoc.
There were times that Marc would send me text messages to check if I was okay as I was not touching my food. I looked at him, sending him the message through my eyes. the ex-gf saw that and motioned Marc to go outside so they could "talk." Marc obliged himself.
When dinner was done, Marc explained that he was going to escort me on my way to the bus and that he and the ex-gf were going home to together since she will be carrying one of the heavy bags for him. That's when I started hyperventilating that led Marc to panic. He motioned the rest to leave us, including the ex-gf. But the ex-gf would not heed and insisted herself to be around us. When I got myself back, I heard them argue in front of me. The ex-gf was calling me ugly names. She claimed that I was flirting with her guy while they were trying to fix things. That did it. I butted in, "Marc, will you please tell us both if you were trying to fix things with her?" Marc denied it and she got even angrier and she threatened to hurt me. We were making an ugly scene, alright. Marc made himself a human shield to protect me from an impending attack from SC.
I was moved. SC agreed to leave the scene after realizing that she was making an idiot out of herself. And Marc led me to the bus stop, even offered to take me home. But I already got pacified, so moved by his actions that I got so confident that even though they went home together, I knew that he had chosen me over her. He kissed me goodnight on my lips in front of the ex-gf and the rest of the crew who were waiting at the other side of the road.
That special day made me conquer three challenges: the rocks, my handicap, and the drama.
The Main Attraction
I had tried the walls twice before getting myself to climb in the outdoors. The outdoor walls that I was to climb was for intermediate climbers, so I wasn't expecting to finish any of the routes. There were two routes, whose names I actually forgot. What I remember is that I was able to finish the first route, with a few falls on the rope, of course. On the second route, I was able to finish halfway, which was perfectly okay. I shouldn't be too hard on myself.
The Uling walls actually leave chalk-like traces, so why it was dubbed uling still remains a mystery to me.
The Drama: Meeting the Ex-girlfriend
Marc thought it was too soon to have me join a TEAZone event. I insisted, telling him that a friend of mine was joining. He agreed. Just before I got to the meeting place, Marc sent me a message warning me that his ex-girlfriend, who is a TEAZone facilitator/belayer, was joining and had learned that Marc had invited the "girl that he was currently dating." The ex-gf got furious for I-don't-know-what reason. Nevertheless, Marc told me to relax and be calm and he will take care of everything for me. I trusted his words.
The moment we mounted the fx taxi that Marc hired to get us to Wawa Dam, I knew that it was going to be a hard time for me. The ex-gf insisted that Marc and she were seated next to each other. Ayos! I had to keep my composure. Marc didn't want to create a commotion as there were other participants joining us.
The ex-gf continued to assume the role of the current gf, buying Marc his lunch, collecting money from the participants, and demanding that Marc do not go near me and threatened that she would make a scene if he did. Marc remained calm the whole time. I couldn't. During lunch time, I brought out the food that I prepared for Marc the night before, didn't eat and was waiting for him to approach me and eat lunch with me. But the ex-gf hindered him from doing so. At that time, my patience was wearing thin, I called out on Marc and threatened that I would throw away the food if he didn't eat it. He motioned to me, and was pleading that I go with the flow. I was near to tears, so he ate part of the viand even though he was done eating the lunch that the ex-gf bought for him and insisted that he eat. Marc asked me to eat as well, but I was just too angry that I lost my appetite.
When it was time to pack and wash up, the ex-gf gathered the girls in the group, probably to gang up on me. Great, just great! Marc told me not to get affected. On our way back to Cubao, Marc got seated next to Lorna, instead, to my relief. The ex-gf had been put in her place, or so I thought. Marc and I were sending text messages to each other while in transit. He asked me to join them for dinner. I hesitated at first, but agreed in the end.
When we got off the cab, the ex-gf took one of Marc's heavy bags and again assumed the role of the current gf. She motioned Marc to stay by her side. I found it pretty hard to get myself to walk that Marc took my hand and guided me to the place where we were going to have dinner--that got the ex-gf angrier. At the doorstep of the restaurant, I stopped. Marc stopped, too and waited for me to go inside. The ex-gf stopped too, pressuring Marc to leave me outside. I asked the ex-gf, "Can you please leave us alone to talk?" She ignored my plead and continued to motion Marc to get inside. Marc didn't budge, much to her dismay. She started making a scene. So Marc asked me to go inside. I could see that he was having a hard time and I was making it harder for him, so I obliged. The ex-gf made it a point that Marc was seated next to her. I looked away and pretended not to get bothered, but deep inside me, my whole system was in havoc.
There were times that Marc would send me text messages to check if I was okay as I was not touching my food. I looked at him, sending him the message through my eyes. the ex-gf saw that and motioned Marc to go outside so they could "talk." Marc obliged himself.
When dinner was done, Marc explained that he was going to escort me on my way to the bus and that he and the ex-gf were going home to together since she will be carrying one of the heavy bags for him. That's when I started hyperventilating that led Marc to panic. He motioned the rest to leave us, including the ex-gf. But the ex-gf would not heed and insisted herself to be around us. When I got myself back, I heard them argue in front of me. The ex-gf was calling me ugly names. She claimed that I was flirting with her guy while they were trying to fix things. That did it. I butted in, "Marc, will you please tell us both if you were trying to fix things with her?" Marc denied it and she got even angrier and she threatened to hurt me. We were making an ugly scene, alright. Marc made himself a human shield to protect me from an impending attack from SC.
I was moved. SC agreed to leave the scene after realizing that she was making an idiot out of herself. And Marc led me to the bus stop, even offered to take me home. But I already got pacified, so moved by his actions that I got so confident that even though they went home together, I knew that he had chosen me over her. He kissed me goodnight on my lips in front of the ex-gf and the rest of the crew who were waiting at the other side of the road.
That special day made me conquer three challenges: the rocks, my handicap, and the drama.
