Things I Need for Boracay 2012

It was around the same time of last year. The same time I was there under false pretenses. Almost a year of expected productivity that has ended up a year of destructivity. But it has been so long; almost one revolution of the earth around the sun. As this year ends, I visit one of my favorite places I've seen in my lifetime. It is redemption time.

I remember blogging about my first time there in my old blog. Very much influenced by Lost, I attributed a lot of the island's beauty and strangeness to electromagnetism and the unknowable relationship of space and time. "Paradise is not a place," a friend said during that trip, "it is a moment in time."

And it is very timely that this year is ending. One revolution of the earth around the sun. The cosmos, a spontaneous order within the chaos of the Universe, allowed for an environment conducive to sustain life. Millions of years of waves, volcano eruptions, erosion and weathering just to form the beautiful shores of Boracay.

Yes, this is the perfect time, the time for my soul to search for the greater sea once more. It is time to go to Boracay. So at the last few days of this month, expect to see your resident blogger hanging around the shores of this beautiful island.

This trip wasn't really planned properly. That being said, I'm very much unprepared. And since I've noticed a lot of people already blogging or posting about their christmas wish list and my trip is right after christmas, I figured it would be nice to list down some things that I need (or want) to bring but still currently don't have. They're not entirely necessary, I mean, I can live without them. But surely they will make my trip even more fulfilling and complete. Here's the list of things I need (or want) to bring to Boracay:

For someone who loves music, it's really so weird that I don't have an mp3 player. I used to have the old iPod video, one of Apple's strongest releases, in my opinion. With my parents providing me with so many gadgets already and since I've graduated, it's really hard to ask for something that seems so unnecessary. So really, my plan is to just find some cheap mp3 player, maybe something from CD-R King and just look for decent yet still affordable earphones.

Last night, I got to listen to Chicane's Thousand Mile Stare album and fell in love with it. I can really imagine how lovely it would be to listen to this album and many other songs I love while watching the sunset or walking around the shores of Boracay.

It's really such a beautiful album that's so chill and very reminiscent of postrock. Remember, Chicane's song Poppiholla is actually just a cover of Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros so surely they have influences from this kind of music and it really shows in the new album.

A lot of chillout and postrock can really make my Boracay experience even more beautiful. I really need an mp3 player.

I used to have these yellow shades that I really loved. The shade of yellow was really perfect. It wasn't too dark nor too light; it was just right. Also, it was the perfect fit to my head and the design was something I really liked.

But then I lost it and sadly I can't find anything similar to it anymore. The last time I used it (at least from what I remember) was in Punta Fuego or Tali, I think, and I probably left it somewhere around those beaches.

I hate UV rays. Actually, I hate the bright sun a lot. It's probably some sort of weird symptom but my eyes are really sensitive to light. Metaphorically, it's also been almost a year since I last had sunglasses to protect my eyes.

The brightness of the sun drains me. It just really sucks out all of the energy from my consciousness and having sunglasses can really be such a peaceful feeling in the beach. I'm actually also gonna bring my sleeping blindfold since I know (and have been) sleeping when the sun is up already. Maybe this kind of nocturnal sleep pattern also contributes to the fatigue and sluggishness I feel when the sun is so bright.

As I have already said, I'm really not very fond of UV rays. I despise of it. I hate the fact that it is all around us especially during the time the sunlight peaks but we can't really see it. There have been numerous studies warning us of the dangers of UV rays and long exposure to heavy sunlight. The Sunscreen Song even warns us that we wear sunscreen all the time, even when we think we don't really need it. And it makes a lot of sense. The skin is the biggest organ, after all and although it protects us, UV rays can pass right through it and cause a lot of damage and future complications.

I'm very specific though with the kind of sunscreen I want. I want the brand Coppertone. Not only does the smell remind me of my childhood, it also reminds me so much of the beach. Back in college, mainly because of the Sunscreen Song, I started putting on sunscreen especially on hot sunny days. And I love how the smell of Coppertone reminds me as if I'm in the beach and even for a bit can ease the pains and alienation of contemporary schooling.

I can't really bring my Macbook Pro, for safety reasons, I guess. And one problem I have is that when I have an idea that I want to write about something, I have to do it right away or I might end up losing the inspiration for doing it. So it would really be nice to be able to update my blogs and my social media sites in real time, most especially when the inspiration inside me is still fresh. A smartphone can really be helpful for me when it comes to these kind of things. It's really a useful device to have especially for a blogger like me.

I used to have the firstgen iPhone but it's gone now and I'm stuck with a crappy oldschool Nokia phone. I still get to update Twitter and Facebook through it but it's most definitely lacking in so many features that need for my blogs, realtime updates, notes, and other random things.

My superficial brand loyalty to Apple makes me feel I want an Apple iPhone 4S but being able to hangout with people who have other phones as well, I'm starting to consider other OS like Android or Blackberry. This is the beauty of a competitive market.

My last trip to Cebu and Bohol is still on my MiniDV tape this is because I don't have the firewire 800 cable I need to be able to transfer it here to my laptop (apple is weird for not just putting the normal firewire cable plug thing).

I'm not really sure whether the normal MiniDV tape will work for my Canon HV40 camcorder because the one I'm using now says HDV. So I'm assuming there's one specifically for high definition video capture.

Then I'd also love to have an ND filter for my camcorder. This is the dark filter for lenses that help create high dynamic shots in bright beach sunlight and even those smokey waves and water effect you see people do in beach photography.

I was thinking I could put my camcorder into slow shutter and surely it will have a lovely effect, not just in white beach but hopefully also in the other beaches in Boracay island that have stronger waves and have lots of rocks.

I'm sure I'll have a lot of time to focus this time on making a video and I also ideally want a timelapse shot so surely I'll need an extra MiniDV tape.

I haven't really booked for my lodging at all. Supposedly it's peak season so there's a big chance that I won't be able to look for lodging unless I book beforehand or pay for reservations or something. Might be fun though to just be random and just go with the flow. It could be part of the video travelogue thing I'm planning to trip out on while I'm there.

From what I see online there are hostels that are only like 400 pesos a night but then I think they're all fully booked already so I don't know what to do as of now really. I guess I really do need to consider getting Boracay hotel reservations.

Of course there's also that whole concept of the state regulating the lifestyles and personal habits of individuals and their voluntary exchange with one another. if you've seen Boardwalk Empire, that show really portrays the consequences of prohibition. And no, that show is not fiction. There really was a time when alcohol was prohibited by law in the United States. It empowers and funds syndicates and terrorists, creation of a monopolistic black market that is dangerous for consumers, and inevitably prevents progress in research regarding these substances.

Of course there's no point arguing against the status quo. Might as well be safe than sorry. It is cowardly, perhaps, to not fight for our liberties, but reason isn't really enough to fight the coercion of big government. It is ridiculous. It is bad for the economy. It is bad for research and development. It creates unnecessary bureaucracies that spend on a useless war to eliminate voluntary and victimless crimes.

Sometimes, I feel like it's a useless battle and I just want to give up. Sometimes, I don't really care anymore. It is coercion because they have the right to point a gun at you, threaten your life, search and seize your private property, and lock you up in a cell for a really really long time. It is very dangerous when we allow the State to choose what is socially acceptable and what is not. Why sugar (diabetes is one of the most common condition among Filipinos)? Why KFC? Why alcohol?

For more on these kinds of political positions HarryLeaks, my blog specifically on libertarian political philosophy.