joy

zenhabits is a fantastic blog! One of the things I picked up is - don't just empty your life, put some joy into it!

I was prompted to ask myself, what truly makes you happy? Been asked that question many times, came up with several answers, and now I vow to ask the question and wait for the answer. One sprang already! I remember the first camping trip I had as a girl scout when I was in grade 5. I loved the adventure! The thrill of "treasure hunting" for our lunch; putting up the tent, sleeping in the tent, making the bon fire, and having fun in the evening all wrapped up by blankets, sitting by the fire with fellow girl scouts! It was really fun!

Okay, I will go and camp with my fellow girl scouts, just like the old times....

But wait! Another answer came! And this really hits the nerve. Spend a lot of time with my children. Just being with them. Doing silly things. Eating together, strolling. If it's with Vince, then it's playing with him on the computer, if it's Ayel, it's watching his football games and shopping for shirts and board shorts. It's as simple as that. But time well spent.

the world is small

in the past few days, i'm being introduced to a lot of fellow travellers. the more i read about their adventures, the more i get itchy to travel and travel.

new discovery - travel blog that's interesting - zen habits.

a great resource for budget travels - attitude travel. They have all the non-advertised LCC's. wow!

circle pacific fare - staralliance

my books talk to me

i picked up deepak chopra's book the spontaneous fulfillment of desire. it has been sitting on my bookshelf for months now because the first time i read it, i found it "heavy". but now it made sense.

i am a travel researcher!

I've a new job description! I am a travel researcher. Man I can stay online for a long time doing my research about travels!

Here's one i found today. 40 most useful travel websites that can save you a fortune. Thank you to wisebread.com for this!
http://www.wisebread.com/travel-resources

mantigue island - go there next!

wow, now i don't know where to go next! after being exposed to fellow pinay travellers for the last few days, I now hunger to explore and explore our beautiful country!

today i was just introduced to beautiful camiguin, thanks to a pinay backpacker, travel mistress. http://www.silent-gardens.com/index.php

i will visit these places!

Anapafsa Monastery, Meteora, Greece. Picture courtesy of Tom Dempsey.

Maldives!

davao hotels

October 2009, I went to Davao together with two of my business partners, Eric and Lynn. We went there to help our new business partner get started. Prior to the trip, I researched for available accomodations. I was looking for something with a homey appeal. I found these two. While we didn't end up in any of these places, it was good to know that there exsists some nice and affordable accomodation - saving up the list for future Davao trips!

This is azienda meo

Bagobo house

grand canyon

one of the most beautiful places i've been to. Grand Canyon in Arizona. Next time, i will stay overnite or perhaps two nites to explore the place. We visited this place in such a rush that we almost missed the sunset. The roadtrip going to Grand Canyon was so much fun. We had a stop at Route 66, which made the visit to Grand Canyon shorter than what wanted.

punta fuego

April 2010, The Barn had its first family outing! It was at Punta Fuego.

hawaii 1996

My first visit to Hawaii!

shanghai

February 2008 was our first time to Shanghai and Huzhou. It was a 5nights incentive trip. All we did was tour, eat, and have fun and not pay for anything at all! For me, the highlight of the trip is the River cruise at the Bund. It was romantic! I remember it was super cold!

One of the two hotels we stayed at is the Ritz Carlton! Wow! The room was beautiful and the buffet was really yummy!

Here are some more pics:

....chinatown

.....in huzhou

....enjoying chinese food.

virginia

At the top of Monticello. Beautiful place.

Saying goodbye to the Hamner family, our new family. This was after the wedding of my sister Grace and Karl, her handsome husband.

singapore

Posing behind the Merlion. Funny coz we should have chosen to take the picture on the other side.

Enjoying the ride in this futurisitic chair, as my fried Paul Lee described it.

Visiting Chinatown in Singapore. Look at the colorful houses in the background. I love them! We enjoyed shopping for souvenirs.

boracay 2007

Boracay is worth visiting again, and again, and again. Summer of 2007, we went there. We booked at Blue Mango Inn, snorkeled, shopped, had henna tatoo, enjoyed watching the sunset and enjoyed each other's company.

sonya's garden

Resting in one of the gazebos in Sonya's garden.

hong kong

Regional Convention in Hongkong with OTG friends.

the ruins

I have never been to Bacolod. So when my husband was assigned to manage a project in Bacolod, I grabbed the opportunity to pack my bag and fly. I did a little research of what to do, where to eat in Bacolod, and I was determined to make the most of out of this trip. I booked at Sugarland Hotel. Nice, clean, affordable hotel. When in Bacolod, you don't want to miss sampling Inasal Chicken so off we went to Manukan Country (or was it Chicken Country?). Delicious!

We checked out the heritage houses in Silay and The Ruins in Talisay. The photo above shows The Ruins. It's beautiful! A lot of parties, wedding receptions have been held in this beautiful place.

Another highlight of the trip is Calea! Their chocolate cake is truly a winner!

enchanted kingdom

We used to bring our kids to Enchanted Kingdom and let them enjoy the different rides. My husband and I look forward to these visits too because of Rialto. There's an old-world feel to it that relaxes us. We enjoy just sitting in the benches beside Rialto and listening to the music while sipping coffee. What I love about Enchanted Kingdom is the cobblestone covered pathways! It has been years since we last visited Enchanted Kingdom. Perhaps it's time to go again and be like a kid!

maligaya beach

It was our annual company outing. We stayed in a beautiful rest house fronting the maligaya beach. I still remember the garden that opens up when you enter the gate. It was lined with beautiful bougainvillas! Too bad I didnt have the camera to capture it back then.

boracay in 1989

It was in 1989 when i first visited the beautiful island of Boracay. I travelled with friends and we marvelled at the long stretch of white sand. Back then, there was no electricity and that added more charm to the island. I remember there were only a few restaurants, one of which serves really nice pizza, and the other one serves the famous shakes. I miss the old Boracay. Not too many commercial stalls, just pure white sand, blue skies, and coconut trees.