1996: Mang Levi (Celerio) teaches 5 and Up reporter Eliza how to blow a tune on a leaf.

Giggles, Frances and Rodjun at a spiels shoot, ca. 2001.

Ah, I will always remember Siargao for its blue skies, clear waters, and for getting my bag stolen. No, I'm not bitter. I actually learned a valuable lesson from it, and in the 5 and Up shoots that followed, I never brought more than one backpack.

About this time last year, I decided I wanted to try my luck once again by applying to my college's study abroad program. As if I wasn't 'studying abroad' enough by attending Wellesley College in Massachusetts, I thought that the idea of being able to pick up my things and live (and study, rrrright) in a different place for a semester would definitely be a unique experience that I would never have the opportunity to do after my college years. So as this 5 and upper's luck would have it, I was accepted to this said study abroad program, and am now in Oxford University in Oxford, England.