Barrio Fiesta in Singapore

It feels a bit weird that in a city as busy as this, Filipinos have tried to blend in and adapt, bringing in the happy-go-lucky attitude and the boisterous laughters that are all unique in us. The Singapore Art Museum held a two-day festivity commemorating the Filipino culture and tradition. Santa Cruzan and Ati-Atihan are the crowd's favorites. I also love how the "banderitas" are hung all over the Singapore Art Museum.

Imported from the Philippines

While doing some grocery shopping at Cold Storage here in Singapore, it makes me proud that these bananas come from my native land. No wonder why bananas sold in the Philippines have black spots on their peelings, all the beautiful ones are exported to other countries.

the birth of one blissful nomad

Having been deprived of buying from the nearest convenience store when I was young is maybe one major reason why I have become the nomad I am now. My sister and I never had the simple joy of buying candies and lollies by ourselves. It has always been with an older companion.

Some might say it was a curse, but for me, it was a blessing in disguise. Since the time I had the opportunity and the go-signal from my family, I have started wandering.

I have travelled most of the beautiful places in the Philippines such as La Union, Baguio, Vigan, Davao, Bohol, Cebu, and Palawan among others. I swam in most of the pristine beaches in the country. I have started travelling around Asia at an early age. I have conquered Hongkong, China, Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Langkawi), Japan (Nagoya, Kyoto, Toba, Ise), and Indonesia. Two of these countries, I have worked and lived in.

This virtual space will somehow be the journal of a blissful nomad who never tires herself of travelling, and truly believes that the destination is not the happiest part, but the journey itself.

Here, you can find the most amusing, amazing, stunning, and even the most bizzare things I see during my travel on every part of the world.

Enjoy the journey!

Solar Eclipse in Indonesia

The solar eclipse last 26 January 2009 was very vivid across the whole Indonesia as I have searched in google and was also informed by my sister. I should know, I spent the Chinese New Year holiday in Batam, Indonesia. I gazed at the gloomy skies that time, since I haven't done that for quite a long time, I have not witnessed the rare event that occurs only 66 times in a century. Albeit, I have witnessed and encountered something more than a solar eclipse. And though I am accompanied by a very close friend at that time, I felt a closer interaction with myself. I am gaining myself back.

It has been four long months since I last swam, dipped myself into the salty waters, and get sunkissed. I patiently waited for this time to come. And I have loved every moment of it.

The traveller in me got awakened. Mixed emotions of awe, excitement and joy among others overwhelmed me.

I met new people.
I was presented with a new and diverse culture.
I was able to appreciate things I don't seem to notice in the past few months.
I conquered a new place.
I had a clearer and better perspective of how my life should be. Now, I am loving myself more than ever.

Sometimes, it takes a lot of courage to get away with the routine and daily grinds of life, and go to some place else--where no one knows you (where no one would ever curse or judge), where you could stare at the beautiful sunset longer than usual, where time is not of great importance, where nobody owns your soul except the world and the Man Above.

Just Blabbing.

I want to blab about things. Things that bother me. Things I don't seem to understand for now. Things that happen that are out of my grasp.

How does a person accept things or people that come and just go, or most of the times, we just choose to move on?

People we meet.
People we make friends with.
People we choose to love.
People we unintentionally fall in love with.
Things we choose to love.
Things we want to grow in.
Things that are unknowingly we have loved.
Circumstances we wouldn't want to last.
Special moments we only want to linger.

I know. I know. No matter how we love these, everything is transitory. Whether we have invested so much love in it, whether we have put so much effort to nurture it, time is not on our side. They take it away from us. There will always be an end to every story. And it feels bad. It creates a wound too deep that only time can heal. It leaves a scar.

I always want to remind myself that I am a warrior. And for whatever reason it is, these scars make me stronger than any other person in this world. The battle is not yet over. I have a strong shield that no one can ever take away from me.

Coming Home for Christmas

Left the office at 4pm, asked my boss if I could leave early so that I have ample time to prepare for our noche buena. Good thing, he's kind enough to give me a new project in the morning and finish it at 4pm so I could leave. Ugh, talking about making the most of the time.

I suddenly felt the warmth of Christmas in the air. Trains are all crowded with people rushing from buying last-minute gifts and groceries. I was in a rush too. I went to Cold Storage hoping to get our planned christmas turkey. I was so disappointed to find out that it was already sold out and I had to settle for australian beef marinated with herbs. 

When I got home, I finally ate my first meal of the day at 8pm. And the last meal I ate before that was lunch time day before. After eating, I then stepped into preparing for the much-awaited noche buena. I prepared food for 7 people-3 of those are invited guests. I did try to make the christmas dinner much like of a formal celebration. I prepared australian beef marinated with herbs, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. It was served together with chardonnay and strawberry zinfandel. How about that? Jhet also prepared baked macaroni. While Kate and Medz brought chicken afritada. After that, we succumb ourselves into drinking that korean alcohol (Soju) Leo gave Jayvee on her birthday. We were singing and talking about anything to everything to nothing-and loving every moment of it.

This is the second Christmas I am away from the Philippines. First was in China. Now, it's here in Singapore. Both are incomparable. I loved christmas memories in China too. But maybe now that I've grown older, I finally realized that being happy and contented is a choice.

I didn't celebrate Christmas 2008 in the Philippines, but I can say that I am home-where home is not a place, but a state of being-a haven, a comfort zone. I am content. I am thankful.

So, did you come home for Christmas this year?

God did send a BIG smile yesterday.

This was how the sky looked yesterday. I was a rare phenomenon. Venus and Jupiter appeared the brightest as the crescent moon is just below them. I wasn't able to see it personally, but I'm hopeful to see it five years from now.

Indeed, God did send a BIG smile yesterday. He's there. He's always been. And will always be.

A BIG smile back at you too, God!

*photo courtesy of www.news.com.au