Travel Bucket List

I hope to cross off my list some of these countries and cities in the future:

ASIA

• Japan
• Vietnam
• South Korea
• Thailand
• Indonesia
• Maldives

AUSTRALIA

• Sydney
• Melbourne

NORTH AMERICA

• California
• San Francisco
• New York
• Chicago
• Washington
• Florida

EUROPE

• Iceland
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Switzerland
• Germany
• Denmark

MIDDLE EAST

• Dubai
• Qatar

Since I was a kid, my ambition is to travel the world. If others wanted to own a mansion or ferrari or an estate, me my main goal is to travel to places around my country and the world. If you can hear a person say this before, the first thing that you will think about is that it is too expensive. But now, there a lot of budget airlines that suits your lifestyle. For accomodation, there are hostels, backpacker inn, and airbnbs that are very affordable and won't break your bank.

Travelling nowadays is not anymore a luxury but a necessity. In a fast-paced and stressful world that we now live in, we need to unwind, we need to have an outlet, we need to have a breathe of fresh air. And for me the best way is to travel. It does not only help us relax but travelling is a first-hand experience of learning about the places's culture and history which we only read in schoolbooks when we were still students.

I have only been to four countries so far, Hongkong, Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia but those were the best experiences in my whole life. I have learned about their culture and the more I learned about them, the more I learned about my country, the more I learn about my country, the more I know myself. So yes, I agree, travelling is not an expense, travelling is an investment, an investment in yourself. So go ahead, plan and live your dream of going places.  Happy travelling!

5 Reasons Why you need to watch "13 Reasons Why"

I've just finished binge-watching 13 Reasons Why on Netflix. How? Watched during traffic, to and from office. Watched while doing threadmill. Watched at night until 2:00 am. Started watching last Sunday afternoon and right now I am done with the 13 episodes.

It's a story about a highschool student, Hannah, who committed suicide because of life issues that she can no longer handle. Before she committed suicide, she recorded 13 audio files about the people who triggered her to do it. If you received the set of tapes, it means you are one of reasons why she did it, thus the title "13 Reasons Why".  But what does a highschool student usually go through in life that made her want to end her life?  Better watch it and you will know. There are lots of insights here which can help us parents bring up our children and now, I will enumerate my 5 reasons why we need to see this series.

1. The series revolved around the lives of all the students who were included in Hannah's list who made her end her life.  You will know the reason behind every personality and character of each of the students. And not surprisingly, parents play a big role in developing the personalities of their children. If you are a parent, this series is a revelation.
2. It tackles bullying inside the school. If you have no idea what school bullying looks like, well, it's all over the show. It helps you be aware what is bullying. In case you are not in touch with your kid's life, you better be because you can never tell if your kid is being bullied or not. You have to have a strong bond with them to feel it.
3. As a kid, you are made to be responsible for your own actions. The kids that were involved have different reactions when they learned that they are in the list. Most were in denial. Some admitted to their actions. Some want to cover their actions to the point of wanting to kill one of them. But one thing to learn from this series is that most of the kids who owned up knew the meaning of responsibility at such a young age. They knew that how they treated others has an effect on their fellowmen. 
4. If parents play a big role on prevention of bullying, the school also has its share in prevention. Hannah's school seemed to be oblivious of bullying inside the school. It's either the school officers don't know about the issue or they just chose to keep mum about it. 
5. And lastly, I noticed that kids here are so obsessed with what others will say about them that they heed to peer pressure. Learn to say no. Learn to go against the flow. Be yourself. Clay is one character that you will admire because he couldn't care less what others think of him. He accepts himself the way he is and he is cool with that.

If you are a parent, I recommend that you watch this one. It will open your eyes on the subject of bullying and abuse. It may make you paranoid, but paranoid is ok than regretting it at the end.

Holy Week Then vs Now

Hello once again peeps! How was your four-day rest from work? Sulit or bitin? For me its sulit na bitin. Sulit coz I slept most of the rest days I had. Bitin beacause I slept nga all day, wala akong nagawa sa house. Plano ko na kasing ayusin ang bedroom ni bagets.

Parang hanging dumaan lang ang holy week no? We did the usual, Visita Iglesia sa 7 churches.  I used to do it with my Mom sa Manila. Diba dikit dikit ang mga churches dun? Now, Mom's kinda hirap na talaga lumakad, so I did it with my hubby and son na lang. But instead of going to Manila, churches near Antipolo ang binisita namin. First stop was Padre Pio Chapel in Libis. This was where we did the 15 stations of the cross with a "cross" literally on our shoulders. Photos are not allowed so no pictures of us "carrying our crosses".

So here's the list of the next six churches that we went to after Padre Pio:

2. Sta. Clara in Katipunan
3. Our Lady of Abandoned Church in Marikina
4. St Therese in Marcos Hiway, Antipolo
5. St. John Mary Vianney in Mayamot, Antipolo
6. Santo Nino de Praga Parish in Cogeo, Antipolo
7. Immaculate Conception Parish in Taktak Road, Antipolo

We left our home at 7:15 am and we were able to get back at 11:00. Ang bilis namin no?

Anyways, as I said ang bilis dumaan ng holy week noh? Naalala nio ba dati and I can very well remember, ang tagal matapus ng holy week. Ang palabas sa tv, 7 last words, Himala ni Nora Aunor at ang walang katapusang The Ten Commandments. No choice ka talaga kungdi manuod para lang lumipas ang araw.

Ngayun, parang hangin lang. Its all because of the technology. Di na tayo naiinip kasi puede tayong mag YouTube, mag FB, mag Instagram. In short, our time is taken away by the social media stuff. Nalimutan na natin ang kahalagahan ng pag mumuni muni tuwing Holy Week.

Anyways, our Saturday was spent at Kidzania. Yes! Again! There was another 25% off as Weekend comeback treat. And so, 2 Kidzania visits na ang utang ko. Here's a sneak peek of what he did inside.

O sya, till next blog post.