Knowing yourself.

One of the scariest, weirdest and most exciting parts of growing up is figuring out who you are. Kung hindi nyo pa naeexperience yung gantong phase sa buhay nyo, it's ok. Its normal. Some people questioned themselves at any specific time or maybe when there is a turn of events, I dont even sure if everyone experienced or will experience this phase.

I for example seen this 'knowing yourself' phase last year. Fresh na fresh! Haha! 

Pero kidding aside, i thought those self help books are for losers. I mean why the hell people need to find their selves? Of all people, sarili mo dapat ang nakakakilala sayo. You dont need books, other people to tell you that. Pero as I experience it myself. It's different. It is a HUGE pain the ass just to find yourself.

Since my parents separated last year, I tried A LOT of stuff to achieve this. And when I say a lot, i mean a lot. Let me enumerate them for you.

1. I started travelling. With friends or with the boyfriend, and at some point with myself. Travelling means a lot to single people, specially of you are finding yourself. Chos! Nakita ko ang wonders ng travelling nung may mga naging friends ako na sobrang gala. Yung tipong on the day eh magdedecide na mag-Puerto Galera. Craaaaazy isn't? But it made me realize a lot of things during these times. Madaming realizations pag nasa harap ka ng mgandang beach, ng nature and those healthy conversations. At this point, it was crystal clear that I'm broken.. inside.

2. I started shutting down friends. Yes, bitch man pero I was unconsciously shutting them down, to a certain point that I am mean and sobrang salbahe. Hahaha! I dont know whats with my crazy hypothalamus and some parts of my brain, pero I started to feel a little bit paranoid. I dont know who to trust and I began hiding and keeping everything to myself, kahit sa jowa ko, dedma sa japan na ko. Usually i shut down old friends, but not all of them. On the long run, I started concluding to myself na siguro I was just trying to be independent in a way. Last year was not a very good year for me, so I'm starting to figure things out.. for myself. And having issues, trust or emotional, wouldn't help at all.

3. I decided to live and work out of the country. This by far is one of the craziest and biggest decision I made on my entire life. Iiwan mo everything and everyone just to figure life is. But so far, I have no regrets. :)

Nung dumating ako sa Dubai, I live with my Papa for almost 2 months. After that, I live on my own. It was hard nung una, I cried usually at nights and asking myself kung nahanap ko na ba ang sarili ko or kung ano man ang hinahanap ko. But knowing the stories of other Pinoys here.. I consider myself blessed. Andito ako kase para sa sarili ko.. well there are parts for my family. But them, andito sila kasi wala silang choice, kasi may binubuhay silang pamilya. They dont have these luxury of choosing things for themselves. 

4. I push my career limits. As crazier as it sounds, my work here in Dubai is waaaaaaay more different in many ways with what I had back in Pinas. I'm working for almost a month, pero I had these thoughts na hindi ko na kaya, I need to quit right now or else. Pero I chose this, kailangan kong panindigan. I'm dealing with different nationalities everyday. You dont have the time to adjust or transitions for everyone. Americans are different, Europeans as well and Arabs as well. There's this one time na nareach ko na yung boiling point ko. As in I am ready to go back to the Philippines. Tumawag ako sa Papa ko and said my piece na naiiyak na boses but my dad said, 'Kaya mo yan. Ikaw pa.' and he cited examples of the events na pareho lang din but still I surpassed it.

There are so many ways we come to being who we are, so many ways in which we search for our true selves, so many varying circumstances around that search. There is nothing more terrifying but simultaneously thrilling about stepping forward in front of the pack, opening yourself to experience the world. I urge you to feel the wind behind your back and live life, be excited by all moments good and bad, beautiful and ugly, really understanding them for their worth to you and your life.

I know at the end of these, its the experience I will carry and treasure for the rest of my life, na proud akong makekwento ko sa mga anak ko. 

Life isn't about Finding Yourself. Life is about CREATING Yourself.

Working Abroad

I came upon a forum whereas parang tambayan ng mga OFW here sa Middle East (from Qatar, Saudi, UAE etc.). May isang specific thread dun, I cant remember which was, pero parang a person wanted to work in the Middle East so bad. May sumagot sa kanya na DH yata na huwag na lang. Might as well stay sa Pinas kasi mahirap abroad. Malayo ka na nga sa pamilya, alila ka pa.

I have nothing against people who wanted to work abroad. But one simple advice, MAKE SURE NA GUSTO NYO TALAGA MAGTRABAHO ABROAD. Not because gusto nyo lang ng malaking sahod or umalis, but make sure na gusto nyo talaga.

I'm with my father here in Dubai and I must say Im one of the lucky few na medyo hindi hirap sa ibang bansa kasi nandyan yung tatay ko to provide as well. But when you're alone, matetest talaga ang lakas ng loob mo dito.

I've been here for quite some time and I can give you reasons why and why not live and work here in Dubai.

Why here?

1. Financial  - who doesnt want a tax free salary diba? thats one of the few benefits na binibigay ng mga Dubai companies. If you're earning like 20 thousand pesos a month, sayo na yan! tax free! wohooooo!

2. Multi-cultural Experience - in my area of work, madami kang makakasalamuha na iba't ibang lahi. europeans, arabs, asians, americans.. you name it! to the point na may learning on the way about their cultures and traditions because my co-workers eh iba iba ang nationality. mas madami pa sa UN since  this is an open country. :p

3. Adventure? since I mentioned the financial part, planning an adventure or trip is easier here in Dubai. for one, I know madali lang sila magbigay ng Visa and there is too many places to go sa UAE pa lang! 

4. Free Trip Home - i think Middle East lang ang nagpprovide for their workers ng Free Trip Home. They'll give it to you pag naka-12 months or 18 months ka ng nagwowork. tapos paid pa for 30 days! bongga!

5. Pangbongga sa Resume :) 

6. English Speaking Country - as long as you can do conversational English, keri na yun! The first time I went on a grocery store, super English pa ko dun sa cashier, 'Do you have chicken breasts? The fillet ones?Or you just have the whole chicken packed?' tapos ang sagot nya saken.. 'Chicken. There! *points at the freezer*' Oh dba! Bongga! Walang kahirap hirap! But if you're working for business type of company, kailangan duguan. :p 

Why not?

1. The Heat - If you're not fond of heat or summer, might as well wag na talaga kayong tumuloy sa Dubai. When I got here, on early August, ay shet! Hindi ako makapaglakad ng 5 minutes sa labas. Sobrang init! Yung hangin, parang blower na naka-max! 8 months na extreme heat and the other months were extreme cold. O dba. :)

2. Multi-cultural Experience - well others might take this one as a negative one. I cant blame you. This is an Arab country so there is restrictions which you must be aware. But its just a matter of adjustment and adaptation. :)

3. Second class citizens - You're not working sa sarili mong bansa, so for them you are just a guest. You'll be treated with good hospitality but with boundaries since they do have a very consertive tradition and culture.

For now yan muna. Sana madami pa ko maisip next time! :)

xoxo

Experiencing Dubai

After a month of staying here, Im pretty much can say that I enjoyed Dubai as much as other people do. Hindi ko pa man napupuntahan yung mga major tourist attraction (because of time and weather. mainit wag kayong magulo.) And pag-iipunan mo talaga I might say. 

I've been to major malls and supermarkets. Haha! Since Ramadan ako dumating, basically no food and drink tuwing 6 am to 7 pm. So ano.. gugutumin mo sarili mo? So lumalabas lang ako, after 7 tapos uuwi ng 9. Oh dba ang fun! Ang fun talaga sobra. *insert sarcasm*

Marami pa rin akong di napupuntahan actually. Ang loser. Pero I have time, plenty of time! Bwahahahahahahaha! 

So I listed some of the few places I am dying to go! Im zo exzited. :D

1. Jumeirah Beach!

I remembered the first time I went out with my fatherloo, ang sabi ko sa kanya, 'PUNTA TAYO SA BEACH!' and he said something like, 'PUNTA KA NG BEACH EH 42 DEGREES.' and I was like.. OK. then straigh face. Haha! Pero sabi nila masarap daw magwalk along the beach sa winter. Eeeeeeeh! Btw, up is the picture of Jumeirah Beach.. parang Boracay!

2. Desert Safari

Nasa disyerto ka na, might as well utilize the resources! Gusto ko to! May plano na si pudrakels. Sana libre nya ko! Hahaha! Ang extreme daw ng experience.. drifting at its finest!!!! :)

3. Ski Dubai

Syempre kung may disyerto, may yelo! San ka pa! I actually saw the place already kaso ayaw ni fatherloo itry. Kaya itry ko sya ng di sya kasama! Hahahaha!

At madaming madami pa, but I have to geow now! Will post more soon!

credits to the owners of the pics!

xoxo

Touchdown Dubai :)

I AM FINALLY IN DUBAI!! :)
more kwento soon!

22nd Birthday Celebrations!

with The Boyfriend :)

with The Weekenders! 

with Jamemoy and Charmee!
this is so biglaan kaya walang pics :(

with Family! :)

Travel Post: Burot, Calatagan, Batangas

The excruciating heat of summer made us plan our first stop for the summer for merely 3 days! 

Together with my cool friends/co-workers, we went to Burot Beach, almost 3 hours away from Manila, one of the secret paradise in Batangas. A secret paradise because it is one of those beautiful undeveloped beaches in Calatagan  and unknown to many city people. If you want a laid back, budget and casual summer getaway with friends, its the place to be!

credits to the owner

It was almost noon when we reach Burot so we decided to take our lunch first before enjoying the water, the sea and the sand. I suggest that before reaching Burot, make sure that you have everything you need due to scarcity of stores and the town proper is approximately 30 minutes away. 

Trivia: Burot Beach was recently bought by SM. Since then an entrance of 120 per pax was implemented. So if you are planning to visit, make it soon hangga't di pa sya mahal! We were very fortunate that somehow our group made it to this trip before it becomes private.

There are few trees in case you want to have a quick nap with nature, but make sure you have tents for overnight campers since there is no cottage or rooms to sleep in. 

We decided to look around the island. For 40 Pesos each, boatman can take you somewhere more safe to swim and sandy white beach talaga!

Papahuli na kami sa jumpshot?

The place is a haven for backpackers and campers. There is no electricity at the beach but there is a public toilet that you can use.

From Calatagan Town Proper, you can ask the tricycle drivers how to get to Burot because they used to service travelers to the beach, in our case, we asked a few locals and they don't know where Burot is. :)

Thanks for the memories Burot! :)

Travel Post: Liliw, Laguna

Our family decided to go on a nature trip! 'Batis' may not be as popular as the beaches but it is indeed one of our richest resources in the country.

credits to the owner

We stayed at Batis ng Liliw Resort.

Liliw is best known for its cold water spring resort and shoe industry. 2 hours from Manila, this rather long trip en route Sta. Cruz, Laguna will be worth your money and time as well.

I dont really much to say sa trip na to since im with my family, and 80% of the time.. it was a family joke and secret, at the same time! And we stayed there for free since the resort is owned by a family friend.

Try Liliw!

Travel Post Part 1 (Baler, Aurora)

This year, so far, has been a the most adventurous year of my life. I have been and will be in different places! The experience itself is worth it, pano pa kaya ang memories na nagawa!

First off, BALER!

The very first time i travel with someone this far, and biglang 6 hours away from Manila agad!

My friends and i really wanted to try surfing. And when it comes to surfing, Baler is slowly becoming a popular place. Some travelers they say that wish to just relax and feel the strong waves of the sea. The time when we were there, some resorts are underdeveloped pa so expect to more places to go in few months! There are a few resorts where you can pay as low as 400 to 500 pesos a day.

credits to the owner

We stayed at Aliya Surf Camp Baler.

Our room is good for 4 persons. 2 double decks. And we were almost 6 in a room. Installed with air-conditioned and cable TV, own bathroom. They do have free wifi as well. Check in time is 2 pm and check out is 12 noon. If you are on a budget, i suggest that you go for Aliya. Friendly staff who are always ready to serve you. :)

The experience itself is worth trying and to travel for. You will definitely have a few bruises if its you're first time, but the hell with bruises, you can feel the ocean, baby!

How to go to Baler:

Cubao where Genesis Bus Transport  is just within the vicinity. Traveling time is approximately 6 hours or more. 

Once you are in Baler, tricycles are available at a cost of 15 pesos only. You'll arrive the beach in 10 minutes time. I believe that the only mode of transportation other than the bus are tricycles.

Happy Surfing!

RECAP RECAP!!

Wow! Its been 3 months.. 3 long months! Ang bilis ng panahon! So its a night of full recap of everything! Yey! Im so excited!

Watch out!

HIGH SCHOOL LIFE.

this is what i love about having a 3 days off! this is just happiness! i can sleep all day. blog. go to the malls. be with jowa and pig out! looooove it!

anyway, i think this is the first time i will be blogging this very much familiar topic. i was scanning through my friends' updates and then i stopped on my cousin's album of her high school life (she will be graduating from high school this year, so may i emote si cousin about high school life nya.) and she looks very happy and looks like having fun all through out, and then i realized.. i miss high school.

sabi nga nila, 'high school ang pinaka-masayang stage ng buhay.'

as you can see, i had a normal high school life. friends. love life. fighting. mga kalokohan, but if i had a chance to go back, no. i wont take it. i had fun and i was hurt either.

high school life will always be memorable for me, because it is where i truly learned what life is really all about. i learned to cherish the little things i have with my loved ones. i learned to be contented whatever i have right now. i learned how to stand still and be strong no matter what life throws at me. i learned how to respect, care, and love the people around me, and lastly, the most significant one, which surely i will bring with me for the rest of my life.

looking back, i admit i did not make the most of my high school life. i had been a disobedient student (and when i say disobedient.. ay nako!). i did not take my academics (really) seriously. i took my potentials for granted. i hurt some of my friends. i was not able to be the person that i can be. i missed a lot. there are many things i should have done, which may result to a better outcome, but i was too blind to see that I gave more priorities on the less important things. i dont want to rant about how horrible/fun my life in high school was but lets take it as a fun, memorable experience of a lifetime. :)

so parang naglabas lang talaga ko ng sama ng loob. haha! next time i'll be more detailed :)

The Vow Movie Review

Warning. This is a Channing Tatum Post. Totally A Channing Tatum Post.

i just saw the movie yesterday and i really dont know what, why and how could i describe the movie without focusing on channing tatum. i am with my boyfriend and the whole time im watching the movie, i keep on saying, 'shet ang pogi ni channing tatum noh?' HAHAHA. and my boyfriend keeps on replying, 'inulet. oo nga pansin na pansin mo nga.' so ONE BIG ADVICE IF YOU'RE GOING TO WATCH IT ON CINEMA.. HUWAG NYO ISAMA ANG MGA JOWA NYO. AGAW TRIP LANG YAN! *crazy*

the vow, starring rachel mcadams and channing tatum, is definitely not the usual chick flick na binayaran nyo. they have the usual “oh this this is just the Notebook kind of movie,” but hell its not. in fact, it’s far from it. it was funny to be exact. it leave you feeling all fuzzy inside, teary-eyed (god, i cried like two times) and wanting to see some more. annnnnnd it’s inspired by a true story.

whats funny and surreal about the story is.. they have those type of love that everyone can dream of. but their love took a turn when they were involved in a car accident that caused paige (rachel mcadams) lost her recent memory (past four years of her life that includes his husband). i won’t spoil the rest of the movie for you, but they obviously go through many ups and downs as leo (channing tatum) tries to make his wife fall in love with him again. *awwww*

here are my 5 reasons to see the vow!

#channingtatumSHIRTLESS

they've gone skinny dipping and during their "great" days.. they dont have any problem getting hot and sexy (you know what i mean). so needless to say, there are MANY sexy channing tatum moments that you can’t miss.

#channingtatumIDEOLOGICAL

i swear i can listen to his voice.. all day. everyday. his character often shares his theories about love and life which.. haaaaaaaay.

#channingtatumCRIES

there's this particular scene na umiyak ako na si jowa na ang nagpunas ng luha ko. i saw the vulnerable channing tatum at that moment. which is.. haaaaaay ulet. *walang basagan ng trip*

#TRUESTORY

i read a few reviews before watching the movie and i have that idea that it was based on true story. it was a tragic, at some point, that a marriage that perfect have to go through and endure that situation where one partner suddenly became a stranger to the other. that was just.. heartbreaking.

#CHANNINGTATUM!!

are you convinced yet?

Relationship failures.

It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy relationships.

Fact. Relationship fail for a lot of reasons, all depends on the couple and sometimes how they treat each other. As I gather some information (officemates, friends, family, strangers.. chos!) on what reasons, these are the top ten reasons relationship fail to shed some light that turns to breakups.

Warning. All couples face these issues in their relationship but not all of them lead to breakups. *defensive.*

1. promises (broken promises, i might add) lying, cheating

these very much obvious violations of trust. if the basic trust in a relationship repeatedly broken, over and over again, problems increase, motivation of staying together.. down! couples should learn to reconcile, forgive each other and accept their differences without anger and bitterness.

2. 'power' in the relationship

couples may be more likely to break up when there is a dominant decision maker than the other. when one person makes all the decisions about activities, friends, vacations and everything else.. the relationship isn't balanced anymore and it becomes unstable. both partners should be equally share the power of making a decision! isang malaking check!

3. stereotypes (lame!)

this is one of the lamest reason a couple shouldn't do! this is just madness! chos! mistaken gender myths such as, 'men should earn more money than women' or 'women should likely to stay at home that men.' this is just.. pure.. blah!

4. isolation or we-are-sociopaths-couple

i may or may not agree with these one but yes, it is one of the reasons. you know that new couples tend to isolate themselves from the outside world because 'they are inlove and want to be together all the time' ANSABEH? a brief period of isolation from the main environment is normal but its way far healthier to interact with other normal people diba?

5. facts and myths about each other

there's a difficulty in building a better relationship or healthy love relationship if one is not aware of their partner's interest, need, plans, goals and other kachuvahan. knowledge in these kind of stuff help you communicate well on what they are and what they want in the relationship, which on the other hand prevent problems. :)

6. insecurities.

funny part on concluding this one is i have a friend who constantly says she is not worthy of being loved by her jowa or she didn't feel loved something. basta ganon! and in psychology, insecurity, low self esteem or lack of self confidence can lead to possesiveness and dependence. doesn't sound healthy right?

7. JEALOUSY! epic.

hindi naman lingid sa kaalaman ng lahat ang bagay na to. (nanosebleed na ko kaka-english) no matter what type of jealousy pa yan (delusional, normal, extreme) jealousy is jealousy. it is frustrating, annoying, painful, embarrassing and devastating to a relationship.

8. ineffective communication.

both should be able to share everything, well not totally everything but the thoughts, feelings, opinion, values, even frustrations and happiness! there is some couple who avoid to talk honestly with their partner and hide their true selves. many people believed that the no. 1 secret to maintaining a healthy relationship is having good and constant communication. it keeps the relationship bonded and flowing. :)

9. control issues

this is somewhat the 'power' issue but this is way much more. power and control are two of the most significant issues in any relationship. the more trouble the relationship is facing, the more of these power and control issues will resurface. many people said that this should be a 'guy thing', but this is 20th century people. everyone is equal. :)

10. picking faults

relationships require a certain tolerance of others’ weaknesses. relationship should be able to cope with constructive criticism and suggestions but that doesn't mean we stop ourselves on noticing whats wrong or the bad things. and if you become too critical it will cause long term problems.

i am no expert in these stuff, me myself experienced/experiencing this things as well. but there is something called, the magic of making up. :)

you shouldn't sacrifice all the good memories for the bad ones right? and as for the quote from the movie 'the vow' said, you should't sacrifice all the good things the person have done just because he made one bad thing. :)

HAPPY 2012!

Its better late than never, mate! Wew! As i checked, i posted here last September pa. That long! I'm on my 'talkative' mood. I'll try my best to give you the best details without ruining anyone's reputation. Destructive 'to! Chos! Syempre joke lang yon. Joke lang talaga yon.

So let's start, shall we?

It's 2012 people. (obvious ba?)

And everything has changed. And when I say everything. From head to toe! From work to personal thingies. It's a good change though. Good change that I became a bad person in months! (Labo lang.)

I just started reading again. Reading means absorbing, choosing the right books and right genres. I just finished reading Eat, Pray, Love. Veronica decides to die. Love and war and so on and so forth. These are good books by the way. So good you want to change your path in your life once you finished reading it. Try it! Now na! I usually read the books on pdf, tapos tsaka ko sya bibilin and see if worth it ba. (300 pesos in a book is no easy decision.) Except for the Love and war. My kind officemate let me borrow it after reading a few pages and then i got hooked but for the rest ganyan ang kalakaran.

(being talkative starts to wear off.)

What else?

Well, no love life muna tong post na to. No bad vibes please! *may ganon! BITTER!*

I started blogging. Ok.

I started being paranoid, bipolar and extremely unreasonable human being. Let me add, it gets worse. I don't know what's going on my floating brain these days but it gets worse and worse na dumating sa point na parang baliw na ko talaga. (parang lang guys ha.) It's not the hormones or the weather or the pressure or the stress.. basta ganun lang sya. Oh diba, na-enlighten kayo. Baka naman lahat tayo dumadating talaga sa point na 'to. Di kaya? Oo na lang.

Enough about me. Kasi baka masira pa ang reputasyon ko sa sobrang honest at narcissistic ko.

I just realized, as in at these very moment ko lang to narealize, na.. friendship sucks. Well not all. Pero when you re-evaluate them, parang you have so many friends that you invest time, love and effort tapos one day.. poof.. gone.

In psychology, there are factors that makes draw people together as friends. Common interest. Common values. Equality. Well this is all true. But what if.. all these three factors changed? You changed your interest, the values and the equality between you.

I, for example, loves to hang out lang sa places ng mga friends ko when I was like 19 or keme. But now, since i discovered that travelling is way much more exciting, intimate and fun, that my friend is a changed of interest. Pano na yon? Sino mag-aadjust?

I am very much aware that I am possessive in a way. O sige na nga, in many ways. I don't like being lied for someone else. Okay enough. No bad reputation on the way.

Anyway, promise on my next post wala na tong sumpong ko and I'll post something na worth it basahin. Hmp!

Night!