Young Underpaid Professionals

In the past four or so years, I’ve learned the importance of keywords. With keywords, you can get indexed in Google, thereby be found more often and grab the attention of readers. After years of practice, I’ve found that the only keyword that will get my friends really excited (no, not “Sony is dead”) is a four-letter word: Lobo.

To nail the point down, here are a couple of examples of reactions I got when I mentioned the word to my ex-officemates wasabikid, Ahorney, and Mai.

Rio: aside from the usual suspects, we’ll have elaine, mabs and rem ata for this year’s lobo trip
Mai: ayus
Mai: shemps si ahorney sasama
Mai: kung hindi…
Mai: susugod ako sa kanila na may kutsilyo *0*
Rio: hahahaha

Rio: Ahorney
Rio: go ka padin naman sa lobo this year, yes?
Ahorney: Yes
Ahorney: Yep
Rio: nice nice XD
Rio: mag ipon na kayo ng [work] leaves or something
Ahorney: I can always fake a stroke Rio
Ahorney: Lobo is always worth falling on the ground during my performance review and drooling like an idiot
Rio: hahahahaha
Ahorney: Also spastic arm-flailing, that shit always gets them.

Rio: wasabikid!
wasabikid: hi chocheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeness!
Rio: we’re planning the next labo labo sa lobo
wasabikid: OMG OMG OMG
wasabikid: when?
wasabikid: i miss lobo
wasabikid: and the cutting-edge rocks.
Rio: hahahaha
wasabikid: literally cutting-edge

Lobo can mean a balloon or a wolf, but in our universe, it means the beach. As in the one in Lobo, Batangas. If you haven’t ever been to Lobo, Batangas, let me put getting there into perspective. It takes around 4 to 5 hours to get there from Makati, and the travel time varies depending on how much you like to take gambles with your life. You’ll have to go through 2 superhighways (Star Toll and SLEX), several curved mountain passes featuring drops that you’d be lucky to instantly not survive if you are unfortunate enough, and then there’s the rough roads that’ll make your insides feel like they’ve been pitched into a blender.

But that’s all worth it because what you get in return for the grueling trip (cooped up in a van with people who you normally like but may start to irritate you once cabin fever starts creeping in) is a wonderful, clean beach. The water’s clear, and what’s underfoot depends on what part of the beach you’re on, varies from round little pebbles and white-ish sand, to giant mossy boulders and craggy sharp ex-corals.

Well, in case you’re having some trouble visualizing that, here are a few pictures courtesy of Abraham Alegre.

The sunset is quaint and it’s always fun to see Bam running to the shore with his cam to capture the moment.

Need I say that the waters are clear in Lobo? I can stand in neck-deep water and still see my toes if i look down. Another thing to note: this is one of Bam’s one-slip-bye-bye-camera shots.

The very accommodating people at the last resort we stayed in at Lobo asked us whether we wanted a bonfire and voila! Bonfire.

So anyway, we’re going back for our annual trip to Lobo and we’re all excited. Anything for a break, right?

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