Feliz Año Nuevo!

Mi familia visitar al abuelo y la abuela. <3

My family had a new year celebration lunch because we won't be spending the new year's eve together. We went to my grandparent's grave today. There's still a pang in the heart when I try to accept reality that they are no longer living among us. But I'm happy that my grandparents have brought my crazy family together. We love you so much and we miss you every single day. 

My E-Book Library for the incoming new year.

What's in your e-book library?

My e-book library for starting 2018. Some books I've already read and worth re-reading again. Some books I also got the hard copy because that's how much I wanted it. But having them all in one place is also soooo convenient.

I have no big plans in 2018. I just want to eat less rice and eat less sweets. And probably think less. Not to overthink, not to underthink, just... good enough thinking, good enough to keep things operational.

I guess the incoming year will be a year of less. Have less body fat. Be less extrovert. Have less friends. You know what they say, less is more. Maybe I should also talk less, yeah? XD ... Oops, never mind the latter. 😜

Currently Reading This

Christmas 2017

First Christmas when my grandparents finally went home to the Philippines. 

I thought they were here to finally celebrate every Christmas with the family.

I wasn't home last Christmas. So this photo above was actually my last Christmas with them :( 

I miss you my grandparents. I love you both so much. Please always guide me in all my decisions from here on forward. Watch over me and be my guardian angels for life.

Jesus Christ our Savior is almost here.

My familia with my grandparents in the picture.

I am happy this Christmas season because I am with my family in the Philippines. Last year, I was in the USA to spend the holidays there. I was also there with my family in the US but Christmas there was too short. It wasn't as joyful as the happenings in the Philippines and I really felt homesick.

This Christmas I also spent so much money on gifts and I usually hate going through the malls with all the people doing their last minute shopping. I hate the crowd and the lines and the Christmas rush. But this year, I started appreciating why people are crowding the malls. They are all buying gifts for people they care about. 

This Christmas might have changed my holiday from now on. I hope that my family will be able to continue gathering together even for just a few hours. I hope that we could continue to commemorate the memories of our grandparents. I hope we continue to make efforts in getting together.

In the years before, when my grandparents were still living in the United States, my relatives here in the Philippines rarely get to Celebrate holiday seasons together. I hope that my grandparents continue to remind each and everyone of us to continue keeping that bond that runs through our blood line. 

I hope so. I really hope.

Merry Christmas to all! Feliz Navidad. 

And good night. 

My Street iPhoneography: Christmas season

Under the Sund

Little European Village

And Jesus said, "Let the Children come to Me"

North Pole

Pandora's Tree

Christmas Gift

Fully Booked Reading Corner

I have finished reading: Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents (e-book)

The books that I have put on hold are:

1) Made to Stick: Why some ideas survive and some die (e-book)
2) Learning First, Technology Second (hard copy)

Made to Stick and Learning First, Technology Second are both related to my career. Thus, I'm putting it on hold since I don't want to think too much about work related references right now.

The books below are books for self-improvement. I know I've read them before but these are books you need to read again so you get to live by it.

3) Good to Great: Why some companies make the leap and others don't (e-book)
4) How to Win Friends and Influence People (hard copy)

For leisure, I want to read a new book. This one is heavy but at the same time educational. I have an increasing interest on learning about the world lately. And I have been introducing my nephew to the world of economics. I got him a book for Christmas and I downloaded the e-book for myself. 

I'm going to stop watching netflix for a while and sit in my corner to read this book: 

WHY NATIONS FAIL. 

Sounds like a very promising book. 

Another book that is part of my leisure chosen books is the Twisted Tales series of Disney written by Liz Braswell. It looks pretty interesting and dark. But hey, Disney!

I haven't decided what Christmas gift I'm going to treat myself with. But right now, I think I wanna start reading WHY NATIONS FAIL. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

My idea of a perfect Christmas

A year ago, I decided to deliberately spend the holiday season outside the Philippines because I really hate the Christmas rush and Christmas traffic in Manila. All the malls and streets are just crowded with people, who, for some reason, decided to come out of the house all at the same time.

This year, I'm part of that crowd who adds to the congestion of malls. And as I stood outside the shops waiting for my friend, I started observing people. Walking around, holding shopping bags left and right, it's just too chaotic.

But it was a beautiful kind of chaos. It made me think that all these people braved all kinds of inconveniences all because they want to buy gifts for people they care about. Now, that's what the Christmas rush is all about.

And if you're going to ask me if I would choose to spend Christmas away from Manila again, I choose not to, despite the chaos. But truth to be told, Christmas abroad (and alone) was pretty boring.

🎶 "Looking through some old photographs
Faces of friends we'll always remember
Watching busy shoppers rushing about
In the cool breeze of December
Sparkling lights, all over town
Children's carols in the airrrrr
By the Christmas tree
A shower of stardust on your hair."

My "Street iPhoneography"

Manila, Philippines

Makati, Philippines

30th Birthday Part 3

The last leg of my birthday celebration is my most awaited and previously postponed birthday lunch. 

Thank you my family and friends for your time. 

I wasn't able to eat well but I hope my guests enjoyed the food that my caterer served. 

Wew. It's so expensive to celebrate your birthday but what the heck. 

30 is a milestone and birthdays are actually fun. It's a special day all about you.

Company Christmas Dinner

Contrary to what a lot of people may think...

YES...

I still work.

And I have people whom I call my colleagues.

With the people who are always behind computers and hiding in their bat cave. The curriculum designers.

With the people who are always putting themselves out there. The marketing team.

These people are really fun to be with. I've never stayed in one community for so long.

In other news, I also won one of our cash raffles.

Thank you Lord for blessing me with a job and very cool officemates!

We don't meet people by accident.

I know how it feels to travel alone and I was very much happy to take the time off to accompany Regina on her last day here in the Philippines. 🇵🇭 We met in Cebu and decided to catch up in Manila before her flight to Hong Kong 🇭🇰 and then back to Munich 🇩🇪 she goes.

Earlier today, I asked myself, "Is it worth it to invest your time with somebody whom you know will leave anyway?" 🤔

As I previously posted, we don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our paths for a reason.

And the answer to my morning musing is: Yes, of course. There are so many reasons why it's nice to meet people whose culture is different from what you are comfortable with.

A lot of locals have taken their time to spend time with me when I was out of my country. Thus, the least I can do is paying it forward when somebody visits my home country.

I hope you find yourself back in the Philippines one day, Regina! I had a really great day.

Thank YOU for allowing me to look at my home with a different perspective. I really found some good stuff to buy. 🤣

Maybe one day, Russia 🇷🇺.

On making friends...

I always like meeting new people. That's the reason why I like travelling. I like meeting people outside the culture that I have grown comfortable with. But the consequences of meeting people is that they remain just that... as passers-by. They come and go.

Thanks to the internet, of course, I get to keep in touch with some of them. In hopes that maybe one day I get to go to their country and be able to see them again.

But what are the chances?

It's not like I am a stewardess or it's not like I travel around the world for my work.

This is just something I have to deal with. It's either I am the local or I am the tourist. But regardless of who is who, the fact still remains that some of the people I meet are there to say hello in my life.

I meet people at the airport. I meet people at a pub. I meet people on a tour group.

Sometimes I fail to put it out there and maximize the opportunity that I am there with them.

But I am making this blog post for me to remember that when I meet a new friend, I should maximize the opportunity that I am with them.

There are three foreigners that I am thinking of right now that I've continued to keep in touch but I regret not being able to spend more time with them.

There was one guy I met at the pub but I didn't spend enough time talking to him until the pub was about to close and we just exchanged our e-mails. He did mentioned that they were about to leave manila the day after the next day which meant he only had one free day in Manila. I should have offered to show him around that day after. Although luckily, I was able to afford visiting him in his country and he was able to take me around. He lives in USA, and c'mon... I don't mind going to America.

Another foreigner I met at the airport in LA, she was also travelling but lives in Australia. I've been really meaning to go to Australia one day but I don't think it's happening anytime soon. I met her at the airport because I was too early and she sat beside me. I started striking up a conversation and to my surprise she was comfortable enough to leave her luggages with me because she needed to go to the bathroom. Later on, she had to go in to check-in. When I checked-in I still had time before boarding and I tried contacting her again so we could continue our conversation. Luckily she replied and we were still able to meet before our flights took off.

My recent encounter which triggered this post was the Russian girl I met in Cebu. I should have just invited her to couch surf at my place when that was initially what my instinct was actually telling me while I was talking to her. It's too late now because she already booked a place in Makati area. My next instinct was to meet her for dinner but then she beat me to it. She invited me first. Unfortunately, it's already too late and the traffic is bad. She's inviting me over for breakfast instead which prompted me to change my entire schedule for tomorrow. My new friend is leaving Manila tomorrow afternoon and I'm telling myself I should not let this opportunity pass. We could still hang out tomorrow.

Sometimes it makes me think if investing my time with people I know who is going to leave anyways, would be worth it. Maybe it is? Maybe it's not? But I guess I'm just going to bank on the experience I'm going to get. If it's not friendship that I will gain then at least having a good time.

I've also met people when I was travelling and most of them I don't communicate anymore. They are just passers-by. Whatever it is that they have imprinted on me, I cannot identify but I am sure that has probably shaped who I am, somehow.

I am making this post because I still need to appreciate the time that I have with people that I meet.

I need to speak my mind whatever instinct tells me. Ask them out for dinner. Ask them our for lunch. Ask them if they already have plans.

I may never see them again after that, but, at least I get to spend more time getting to know another person who's culture is far different from what I am comfortable with. And I would learn a lot of things from the interaction, I am sure.

I'm hoping I still get to meet my Russian friend tomorrow for breakfast. She doesn't have a local sim card, thus depend on the internet. She hasn't replied to me since then. I'll just take my chance and probably go to their hotel tomorrow and let's see what happens.

Otherwise, I'll just go to the gym.

*Sigh*

30th Birthday Part 2 #ACECAPADES

Summarizing the second leg of my birthday celebration.

CEBU!

Thank you Acela Travel & Tours for organizing our amazing trip! <3

The Blue Orchid Resort @ Moalboal, Cebu 

Panagsama Beach, Moalboal, Cebu

Canyoneering at Kawasan Falls!! 

Deep South, Oslob Cebu

Whaleshark Watching, Oslob Cebu
(pictures of the whales to follow on a next post)

Blessed Virgin Mary Shrine at Simala, Sibonga Cebu

MoveNPick, Mactan, Cebu

One of the best birthday trips ever. It's only been a 2 week vacation but I am already homesick. 

It's funny because a year ago I was away for 2 months. 

I wonder how I will celebrate my birthday next year. 

I am hoping it would be another out of the country trip, maybe.

Thank you friends for the good memories and the friendship that we've had throughout the years. 

Now it's about time for me to start working out and shed these extra fat bulging under my chin and on my tummy.

My 30th birthday celebration isn't over yet because I still have a birthday lunch party this Saturday! 

Thank you Lord!