Life's Reflection

Life had given me enough happiness, triumphs, and success  that helped me be who I am. It was also the pain, disappointments and failures that made me a better individual.

On Family:

Growing with Chinese roots and being the eldest entails that I have the largest responsibility. I have to absorb the lessons being taught by my parents - to always be good. It's not easy. It's a struggle to be always good, to be unselfish especially in the growing stage. Parents had taught me be to always be truthful and to respect people. It was not an easy task - to be what your parents had envisioned you. You try to stick to what they imagined you would be, sometimes leading them to disappointment just because you cannot be that perfect child. The words they told me when they were mad were inspiration to be a better person. Those words caused wounds that will forever remind me that I should be a good person to anyone in this world. 

As the big sister, it is still a working progress. My siblings and I are tackling different paths and to fully understand each other's priority will take time. I miss the days we were just so close and having fun. At the end of the day, I know those two know that I will fight for them no matter what. Just back to the day that I even tried to punch my classmate for hitting my brother. 

On School

I may not have struggled hard to excel academically because I have good teachers - my parents. It was not that easy at first. Mom taught me that perseverance is the key. She tore papers for me to repeat again what I am doing if she just saw one mistake. I cried a thousand times perfecting things until it became natural to excel to what I study. It was always my inspiration to bring smiles to my parents and my grandfather during recognition day  in school. The best way to do that is to have academic honors. 

I know that the best gift I had given to them was when I passed my entrance exam in college for the most prestigious university in the country. Even if it entails a big adjustment for me to study to my university, I really gave my best to finish my course on time for my parents. It was just sad that this time around they were not able to go up the stage with me because I did not graduate with honors. It will forever haunt me that I did not give my all. That also is where I got my inspiration to pass the board exam 6 moths after graduation. 

I am taking my masters degree now and I am indeed losing my will to finish it.  It's hard to juggle time. I am trying to refocus my thoughts that I am doing this because of my goals. I will find the power to continue, to finish what I had started. 

On Career

I had been exposed to different companies and one thing that is constant among them is the politics. I had learned to accept that people are not all kind. They sometimes become the worst they can be because of their power struggle, aspiration and goals. It is my obligation to learn how to cope - to not be like them but to keep away the stress they can bring. Parents always emphasized to me that if we don't  want the system, get out the system. My take on that now is that I should try to understand first if there is still hope, if my passion is stronger than the stress they bring then it's ok to stay and not give up. If it does not bring you happiness anymore, it's time to walk away and start an new path where I think I can become a better person despite the struggle of starting my own name.   

On Friendship

I had made a lot of friends due to many circles I am into. I had learned that not all those considered friends are real friends. Despite that, I am still grateful and happy that I had made a few true friends in my life. Those whom you can still rely on even if there are months, years that you had not talked to. To maintain the friendship is not an easy task - we should not always just receive, we must at most give what we can to help build the foundation of the friendship.

On Love

I had enough heartaches that helped become the better version of myself.  What I am into know  is a working progress. I am blessed that I am able to love and feel loved again. I am happy to put a smile on someone's face. It's a working progress. I just pray that God guide us to our relationship until we figure out what we really want for ourselves. 

A perfect Life may not mean that we are always happy and on top of the world. Rather, it is when we stood up strong to all the obstacles we face. 

Best Times at Bataan for KEM05

Good old college friends and I left Manila for Bataan to attend our friend's wedding. Being the adventurous, explorer we all are, we arranged for side trips. We did not consider in the equation on making our itinerary how titos and titas we are all now compared to college days. We tried keeping up with our plan, but we just stick to what we can do for the 2 days trip in Bataan.

We traveled Friday  night and reached Balanga around 11PM already, we did not have energy to go out any more as the wedding is early morning next day. We just washed up and had a good night sleep at our hotel.

The following morning, we attended the church ceremony followed by the reception at noon. We did not bother to change to a different clothing and head straight to Mt. Samat with our semi-formal attires. 

It was my first time to see the shrine dedicated to the fallen Filipinos and Americans during World War II. It was only in books that I read about that iconic place. I did not anticipated that it was indeed a massive structure. To reach the top, an elevator will bring the visitors up. (I think the building needs some rehabilitation already especially for the reliability of the elevator).

The view from top is breath taking. Greens always calm me. It always reminds me that we still have hope for sustainable living. 

The background I believe was actually an altar. I never thought I would appreciate those glass arts. It's so cultured.

We might had been too tired laughing out loud and had a great time kidding around so we just had an early dinner at The Beanery (where we now consider our fav go to place in Bataan) then checked in at La Vista Resort. We had an initial plan of using the pool for more bonding time and have a drinking session after but I guess we're all so titos and titas already. Upon taking a shower, we dozed off to sleep. 

The following morning, we randomly decided to visit Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. I was more than excited to have that trip because I know that I can finally see in person those beautifully preserved ancestral homes.

The place is located in Bagac, Bataan where Spanish Mansions are being rebuilt. The weather was really scorching hot but I still manage to appreciate the beauty of those homes.

Entrance only cost us 800php because we have a friend who's already a member of the place and he was with us during our visit. The place was indeed very beautiful. I could imagine it to be more beautiful at night. I appreciate the influences of the Spanish colonial days in terms of enhancing our culture and heritage.

I am indeed a one happy kiddo posing around at one of the majestic door entrance of the mansion. 

We went back at the Beanery before we called it a day and headed back to Manila.

Life's a Beach - Nasugbu 2015

Summer's definitely over and beach experience always brings me peace and unusual happiness. Comparing to my summer 2014,  I only managed to visit a few beach destination this year, but the company I had was more intimate than usual. 

It was a random decision to go to Nasugbu last April with my closest officemates. We had just finished our usual quarterback meeting and woola, we headed straight to Tagaytay to let the night pass and went straight to Nasugbu the following morning. From Tagaytay, I think we drove for another 1.5 hours to reach our destination - Canyon Cove.

What we did? beach bum! Yeah, we just slept at the shore literally but  of course they had set up tents, thanks a millions to that. If I remember right, we had paid 800 php for the daytrip tour and 500 of it could be use to purchase food.  The pool was very inviting but we were dead tired from everything so sleeping was the winning activity.

Calming view. Just what we needed after all the stress and hardship we are experiencing at work.

The sunset of course makes the experience a thousand times better. 

The following month, I was invited by my then suitor (now boyfriend) to join him and his friends to visit Fortune Island that is also situated in Nasugbu. It is a resort island owned by the Levistes which through the  years underwent questions from the government on its  acquisition and ownership. It's an hour ride from Punta Fuego.

The resort literally looked like an abandon island. No cabanas available. Upon arrival, you can see that visitors are setting up tents as shelter. We managed to find a spot that we can lay our things down so we can explore the rest of the island.

The beach was a bit stony but the water is clear. There are also a lot of fishes so snorkeling is recommended. Cliff diving is also endorsed but be sure you have the guts as the way to the top is already a risk.

 

The eye catching part of the resort is their Satorini feels. It's really a good spot for pictorial. You can't decode you are in the Philippines.

Again, my favorite part is sunset by the beach but we have to return back to Punta Fuego for that since last boat ride should be around 4PM. I honestly cannot remember how much we paid for this trip. 

Malaysia: An Unforgettable Vacation with the Rents

March has always been a favorite because it's my birth month. This year was more special because after N years, I finally got the chance to have an out of the country trip with my lovely parents. Kuala Lumpur was the chosen destination because I had  stumbled upon a very cheap fare via Malaysia Airlines. 

For 3 days and 2 nights, Arenaa Star Hotel in the city center had been our home. I had also came to realize that I needed to arrange everything so my parents will be comfortable and will be worry free through-out the vacation. I had booked in advance our city tour and Batu caves tour via viator.com and airport shuttle service was also arranged. This is way out of my usual travel trip where I explore places on my own,

We had arrived in KL past noon already and we have to catch our city tour schedule around two in the afternoon. We are lucky enough to know that the tour had been upgraded to a private tour, so lesser pressure to visit the places on the list. First stop was the National Museum where I personally wished to have more time to explore the place. Daddy and Mama was never a fan of culture and history so  I was not able to appreciate the place wholly. 

Next on our places to visit was the Istana Negara where it is the official residence of the head of state of Malaysia. The place was so majestic, but too bad we are not allowed to go inside.

The tour guide then brought us to the National Monument where the world's tallest freestanding sculpture grouping is located to honor to those Malaysians who struggled for freedom.

We had also passed by the National Mosque of Malaysia where the architecture was truly amazing. The main roof is like an open umbrella. We were not allowed also to go inside as we are not dressed for the place.

The next place was probably my favorite as I was truly in awe with the historical vicinity of Merdeka Square. The independence square was the place where the first Malaysian flag was hoisted. 

We were also brought to the Royal Selangor Pewter House where mama bought some souvenirs. We were also able to learn the process on how they made the items using tin.

Last stop was the visit to Beryl Chocolate Kingdom where I had so much fun because of the free tasting of chocolates. All flavors can be tried without limits. Oh spell Happiness.

We had a very tiring day so we requested the tour to end early without even going to the Petronas Tower. After resting for a while in the hotel, we decided to have dinner at Chinatown in Petaling Jaya Street. It was just an 800 meter walk from our hotel. After feasting with Chinese cuisine, we head to shop for t-shirts and other souvenirs.

The following morning, we decided to explore Bukit Bintang area for some more shopping. Since parents were up for some adventure, we tried the purple bus line to go to Bukit Bintang, we were supposed to go to Berjaya Time Square, but we were quite lost around the area. We eneded up shopping in this authentic tea house.

After finding a good haul at the tea shop, we had walked to Berjaya Time Square to do more shopping. A lot of items were on sale so I was able to shop more than I planned to. 

After having lunch, we went back to the hotel to wait for the tour guide so we can have our Batu Cave tour that I had arranged. We went to pass by Little India before going to our destination. The street was so colorful but unfortunately it was not a good time to take pictures since it was drizzling.

We then proceeded to our main destination - the Batu caves in Gombak district which is a limestone hill that comprises caves and is considered as a religious site. Mama cannot climb up the stairs so it is only me and daddy who went up to explore the cave. Unfortunately, there were also no wild monkeys lingering in the area during our ascend.

Last stop in the tour was the visit to a Batik Shop where we purchased some clothing and scarves. They were also able to demonstrate the difference between Malaysian and Indonesian Batik.

For our last night in the city, my auntie and cousin joined us for a quick dinner at KLCC. I hoped to finally have a decent picture with the Petronas tower. Again, luck was not with us because it rained so hard. Below is my only acceptable picture of the famous building.

For the third day in KL, my cousin and I decided that we quickly explore the malls in Bukit Bintang area before we head off to Genting Highland. Pavilion and Starhill Malls are really upscale. We ended up shopping at a medium range mall called Fahrenheit.

En route to Genting Highland, we rode a bus. The bus station was just a walking distance from our hotel and the ride to Genting was around 1.5 hours. We also rode the longest cable car, around 3 km to get to our hotel at First World Genting. Hotel was very cheap but it has no air condition and wifi.

Upon resting for quite some time, my cousin and I headed to Resorts World to try the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum.

We had an early dinner at Old Town Coffee before we decided to try Snow World. I really thought they will provide some winter clothing so we can tolerate the -5 degrees Celsius. I only had one layer of clothing so I ended up going out after 20 minutes because I cannot stand the cold.

I had some solo moment before I headed back to my room. I was also able to witness some magic show. I was even planning to go to the bar inside the casino, but I chickened out. The next morning, I got up early so I can catch the free shuttle to Chin Swee temple. The place was so beautiful and sacred. It was our last itinerary before we headed back to the airport.

The 4 days and 3 nights trip with the parents was something I will forever treasure. I had came to realize that indeed time had flown so fast. Our last trip outside the country was when I was just 10 years old, and I remembered that I did not worry a thing because it was them who arranged for everything. This time around, it was my duty to ensure that they just sat back and relaxed.