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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

hittin' three's

 A few days back I've celebrated my birthday with family and friends. What more can I ask for? I'm  surrounded by loving people.

23.Oct.10  dinner with college friends

college barkada
24.Oct. 10 lunch with my family

 ziplining! what a way to celebrate my 30th! another activity ticked from my bucket list! :)


It was a celebration of life; of 3 decades of challenges and triumphs, frustrations and achievements, tears and smile, heartaches, but mostly love. 

30 years of my life had passed, through all the pains and joy, I grew, I became stronger and most importantly, I learned. Sometimes I get confused and don't know what to do but hey, no one's got it all figured out ; so I'll embrace it as it comes. And hopefully, pick up all the lessons life throws. 

As they say, life's a journey so far I'm enjoying the ride of my life despite some setbacks. I love my life and the people in it! I'm so blessed. I thank God for all you. 

Looking forward to another 3 decades of my life. Life is a journey so keep exploring! :)


P.S. My blog also turned 3 years old! A warm thank you to all who reads and visits my blog. Hoping to share more life stories with you all. Cheers! :)





Friday, October 15, 2010

the story of 'you'

journal entry
12 Oct
from Iloilo, on my way to Bacolod

How do I get you off my mind? Even when I'm supposed to enjoy my time, images of you  would cropped up. I wonder DO YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY TOO?! I guess not because things are going your way, every piece of the puzzle is falling into the right places. Don't get me wrong I'm happy for you, I truly am. I just wish I can say the same for myself. 

And so, here I am wishing you were here with me. Seeing what I'm seeing right now. I wish we could travel and see the world together. :(  *wishful thinking mode*


my thoughts about you..

Thursday, October 14, 2010

2010 birthday getaway

Just got back from our 6-day Birthday getaway. This is Bambi's post birthday celebration, she turned 30 last September; It'll be my turn ( to be 30) on the 24th and Vina's 26th birthday on 20October; 3 destinations for 3 ladies celebrating life! Our first destination is Guimaras, then Concepcion, Iloilo and last stop Bacolod. 

Travel thoughts:

As a sat at the back of the tricycle, I was saw Guimaras' scenic landscape. I never get to feel this on the city, the air is clean, no skyscrapers to block your view of clear skies; and no annoying traffic to ruin your schedule. 




Concepcion roadside scenery offers a glimpse on everyday rural life.



And lastly, Bacolod has a very festive vibes because Masskara festival is just days away from the celebration. 


We had lots of misadventures on this tour, but certainly had fun!

Reviews, adventures and guides on next blog post. Stay tuned!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

lines

As a guest service staff, I'm assigned at the check-in counter, and everyday I have to face these so called lines.

Day by day, I see guests lining in front of me (not to take my picture or autograph, silly!). Some looked happy and excited, others looked tired and weary, while some are impatiently staring back at me as if saying, 'hurry up!'.

As I take my seat at the counter I prepare for my new lessons. You see, as a guest service agent, I compare myself to a student, ready to learn what the check-in counter has to offer.

One by one as I process each guests, chatting, interacting and dealing with them taught me about different life lessons on:

empathy:  on how to identify with the guests, on what they go through.

on being strong: strong meaning being able to face guests who woke up at the "wrong side of the bed". sometimes its a bit intimidating especially if the guest starts screaming at me. at times, I want to give up, cry and pray that the floor would swallow me up, but I know whatever happens, the world would not stop for me and I have to face the guest. this is where empathy and patience comes in, and my being 'strong' develops. its like life is teaching me that whatever comes my way good or bad, I have to take it and make something good out of it.

sacrifice: some guests leave their families behind to work overseas to give their love ones back home a good future.

passion: there are some guests that are really passionate about their dreams and goals in life that through talking to them they have passed on to me their zeal and enthusiasm to do better and strive harder.

and the most important lesson of all is...

love: families travelling together to visit grandpa, grandma, aunts and uncles, nieces and cousin, closing the gaps and rekindling family ties which reminds me that LOVE CONQUERS ALL even DISTANCE!

Those are some the lessons the LINES at the check-in counter taught me. Hoping for more Life Lessons to learn from this unconventional classroom called CHECK-IN COUNTER.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

blur

BLUR

staring at the horizon
(day)dreaming about the times we've spent
when i heard you said, don't ever let go

my heart beat faster (faster than ever)
then everything went into a blur
except for that tiny moment
i feel loved

it doesn't get any better than this
if you only knew
its always been you

my heart beat faster than ever
ans everything went into a blur
except for that moment
i was moved


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

wishful thinking

October is finally here! Oh how time flies fast! For my fairy godmother and friends,I'll spare you the hassle of wracking your brains for the things I would want to have on my birthday! Malay naten, mewon pala ko mga bigtime na fwends, ninong and ninangs, hello! wahaha!

1. laptop  - you can donate your old ones to me! I'm not choosy. hehe! :p



2. iPhone  or ipod touch (with camera!) kailangan specific! :D


3. backpack - my dear eastpak gave up on me. sadly, i have to let it rest.



4. running shoes - I wanna give running a try, and eventually I wanna join a marathon.

5. lomo camera -  I'm really fascinated with lomo. It has a 180 degrees fisheye lens! and It's not that expensive! I asked clang to find one for me when she was in the US. She wasn't able to find one.



6. canon d10 - I gave my canon ixus75 to my dad. and since SLR are too bulky to carry sometimes. I want a regular point and shoot cam. and this is perfect for me! it's water proof, dust proof and freeze proof! I like!


7. letters, cards and picture greetings! - I'm a sucker when it comes to receiving letters or cards. a letter expresses what that person thought of you or how they feel about you. no amount of hi tech gadget can compare to that.



8. prince charming!  to quote my former colleague, anra; "nobody should really take me seriously when I say I don't wanna fall in love,because everybody knows I would... Eventually.... "


Monday, October 4, 2010

Day 4: Vibrant Ho Chi Minh - Happy eyes

We spent our last day in HCMC at the park. Our flight doesn't leave til 5pm so we have plenty of time to spare.


loved our shirts!
From the hotel, we walked towards Ben Thamh Market. Almost every local we met greets us 'good morning!' They seem happy and amused to see us, maybe because us 3 are wearing same shirts with Vietnamese flag as the design.


peek-a-boo


At the park while, as we were talking and enjoying our lazy time, a man approached us and offered to clean Joshua's shoes for a minimal fee. At first we said that we didn't want to. He insisted and said, he just want to earn money, he seemed friendly and keeps trying to make conversation with us. So Joshua gave in and let him clean his shoes. A kababayan who's been living in HCMC for years now, knows the guy and calls him Bakla. He said that Bakla is hardworking and a good lad. Bakla is from the capital; Hanoi, moved to HCMC to earn a living. He said he's still single but plans to marry in the future when he has enough savings. We can see his perseverance. Poverty is not a hindrance, it serves as a challenge to strive harder and eventually, overcome it. Even with our brief encounter, Bakla  managed to touch us, we can see from his eyes that he is happy. He may think that he is poor, but I know he is rich not with worldly possessions but with something more valuable. He also sells coconuts, businessman through and through. wahaha!

cleaning Josh's shoes

josh: my shoes are dirty noh?
bakla: (nods) ya! ya!
josh: are my feet mabaho? bad odor?!
bakla: ya! ya!



By 2pm, we're at the airport. What's the best way to do in the airport?! People watch! :) Met these adorable brothers. We gave them chips (nova) and they loved it, and kept coming back for more. Soon they were posing for the camera and smiling. And another kid came and played with us. We had a grand time, the flight was delayed but the children kept us entertained. Sometimes, I envy children, they're so carefree and happy as if nothing else is mattered.



i know you want this! wahaha!

taking the bait. :)



mr. pogi and mr. rockstar



rock on!

 baby james (lookalike)

young dreamers

Time to say, goodbye, Vietnam!I have mixed emotions in my travel to Vietnam. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my stay but it breaks my heart knowing in 10 years time or less, Vietnam will be more advanced and progressive than us, if we continue with our slacking ways. I just wish that Philippines will move forward and not get stuck in our current condition. 

This is want I love from travelling. Travel, to others its a luxury but I think of it as an investment. I am not rich but I make it a point save (money)  in order for me to visit places once a year, to  breakaway from stress. The more I travel, the more I get to broaden my knowledge, appreciate others and learn more about life. At the same time, it helps me understand and love my country more than ever.


time to say, goodbye Vietnam!

 
As my sister aptly says it, Traveling for me (and for my sister too) is not just about leisure, sight- seeing or shopping... It is much more. For in it, my eyes are being open to different perspectives and it never fails to widen my horizon. It exposes me to how the world looks at a much grander scale and it even takes me farther as it urges me to dig deep within and connect to my roots. As I travel and learn about new countries and cultures I learn more about the Philippines and how to be a Filipino. When i go places, my heart always burns and it yells inside, I'm proud to be Pinoy!=) ~Jaichey