What are you thankful for? (A Thanksgiving celebration post.)

"Girls, let's do a thanksgiving celebration... prepare a list of things you're thankful for." I received this text from my friend Cai.

"Sure, will do. When are we doing this? On our Christmas celebration?" I replied back.

"No, Thanksgiving nga. Around November 24," she replied.

"Ohhh... THAT Thanksgiving! Game!" I texted, laughing at myself for not getting that one right away.

For some reason, the Thanksgiving holiday is not normally celebrated in the Philippines. We put more emphasis and importance to Christmas than this one, well probably since we don't share the history of its origins with US or Canada. Anyhow, though we don't have a specific day for this, we Filipinos do thanksgiving celebrations at any given day or time of the year especially whenever we have a special event we want to be thankful for, like graduation, passing a board exam, buying or moving in to a new house, a promotion, etc. (Oh, not to mention our hundreds of local festivals celebrating a good harvest and all that).

Here's Some of our Thanksgiving List

It's true that we are to be thankful everyday. But it's a different feeling, I realized, when my close friends and I have gathered together over dinner to give thanks for our blessings. It was so encouraging to hear all the things my friends were grateful for this year. It simply reminded me how great our God is in our lives in the past eleven months:

... One of my friends was thankful for her getting engaged this year and for the safety and protection they as a couple experienced in Japan during the earthquake and tsunami.

... One was grateful for her being assigned in the US for work. It helped her moved on with things or with someone.

... One of them is happy about how things are going on with her career and MBA studies (plus her high grades) and didn't forget to be content even with the simplest things, like having free lunch outs.

... A guy friend is delighted with the video projects that he has received and is currently working on as well as his budding friendship with this certain girl.

... And speaking of projects, one of my friends has also been getting more make-up gigs and is finally doing what she loves. What's good is that she has a loving husband to support her in all that she does.

... To reciprocate, another friend is appreciative of her beautiful wife and all the provisions that they have as a new couple: a condo, paid appliances, and other blessings.

... Another one was ecstatic about their Japan visa being approved and that they'll be celebrating their Christmas there. Even better is her good health so she can enjoy this altogether.

... One friend is thankful for her restored relationships, realizations and the dream God has placed in her heart. She's elated to pursue this and will take it one day at a time.

... And lastly, one of us is thrilled about finding fulfillment in her work, being able to finally manage her finances and starting to diversify her portfolio, and for being able to fund her trips locally and abroad.


Time to List Down Your Own

What are YOU thankful for? Share your gratitude with your friends and family. Say why you're also thankful for one another. Be amazed by God's faithfulness and how he has moved in your lives this year. :)

PS. No turkey was harmed in our own Thanksgiving dinner. :)  

Long weekends, portraits, and a lake...

The past two weeks gave us two consecutive long weekends--non-working Mondays at that! It gave me time to rest and... well, do just about nothing. I don't remember being pre-occupied by anything, which is good. That's how I like it.

The first long weekend also particularly gave me the time to celebrate my birthday with my lovely girlfriends. Away from the city, by a calm lake, overlooking a volcano. I don't remember getting busy throwing a party, which is good. That's just how I like it.

I'd just like to take this space by sharing some of the travel photos I took in this birthday get-away and the portraits of my beautiful friends. They're a beauty inside out. :)

Photos taken in Club Balai Isabel, Talisay, Batangas:

 

 

TRAVEL... while we're young, wild, and free... :)

A number of my friends in Facebook recently shared a link to this article about reasons to travel while you're young. We couldn't agree more with what Jeff says:

1. Traveling teaches you to live an adventure
2. Traveling helps you encounter compassion
3. Traveling allows you to get some culture

True, true, and true!

"Yeah, but..."
The writer says that these words never were more fatal words spoken:

Yeah, but… what about debt? Yeah, but… what about my job? Yeah, but… what about my boyfriend (or dog or car or whatever)?

“Yeah, but…” is pernicious. Because it makes it sound like we have the best of intentions when really we are just too scared to do what we should.

It allows us to be cowards, while sounding noble.

Most people I know who waited to travel the world never did. 

I have always marveled at people who were courageous enough to quit their jobs and travel. They are definitely past that "yeah, but..." stage. I've been reading about their fascinating stories in a Couchsurfing forum. I met someone in my travels who actually did. I've also encountered several people who were on their "gap year." (A gap year, according to Wikipedia, means taking time out to travel in between life stages. It is also known as sabbatical, time off and time out that refers to a period of time. They take this time to travel, engage in volunteer work overseas or undertake a working holiday abroad.) I think such a thing hardly exist in the Philippines.


Here are my own "buts"...
I envy those who can take a sabbatical or gap year with reckless abandon. Most of them have let go of their excuses. "If not now, when?" someone told me. Good for them! For my part, I still can't get over my concerns:

But what about my budget...? Taking a time off to travel for long period means you need a lot of cash. LOTS OF IT. (How does one break a bank?!) It's not easy saving up for the big haul given my current Philippine monthly income (I learned from a backpacking talk before that a Round-the-World (RTW) trip costs around US$ 25,000!) and if I were able to gather already, I'd probably be not-so-young anymore.

But what about the bills I have to pay and other personal matters? Monthly bills are always there and I also have personal family obligations that would be hard to leave for a long time. I'm not sure if I would understood. You see in the Philippines, young ones stick with their family up until before they get married. I know that's odd for other cultures, but that's how we honor our parents and family relations.

But what about my next job...? So let's say I did it, who would take me in once I get back? I'm in a good company now, would I be able to get the same kind of job in a prestigious company when I return? It would be a huge risk for me.

In the meantime...
Though I have these what you may call "excuses," my dream to travel the world hasn't been buried in the deepest of my heart; it still remains afloat. But I figured I'll only remain dreaming if I don't do something about it.

Meanwhile, I'm still going to travel. Occasionally take a vacation leave. (Maybe not for a year yet or RTW). Do travel photography and blogging. I'll continue to save up. Start looking for other things where I can invest in and grow my income. Research. Talk to people who have done so. Prepare like it's really going to be done.

There is no “I can’t” anymore. I'm in charge. The only thing holding me back is me.

"A journey to a thousand miles starts with a single step." 

--Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu, 

Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)

Manila to Hanoi is back! Hello, Halong Bay?

Good news from Cebu Pacific Air! They're bringing back the direct flight to Hanoi, Vietnam starting March 17, 2012! This is terrific since this was one of our options for the On-The-Spot shoot (OTS) of our camera club this year. Since there weren't any direct flights then, we also weren't able to include Hanoi in our last backpacking trip and it really would've cost us a lot.

Manila to Hanoi (without direct flight)
From one of my friends in the camera club, he said that these would be the rates (without direct connection):

1) TG (Thai Airways) US$ 595.00 (valid until Sept 2011):
Manila - Bangkok - Hanoi - Bangkok - Manila

2) CX (Cathay Pacific) US$ 700.00 (valid until Dec 2011 for June ticketing):
Manila - HK - Hanoi - HK - Manila

3) Vietnam Air US$ 530.00 (valid until March 2012):
Manila - Saigon - Hanoi - Saigon - Manila

Food and hotel accommodation in Vietnam are fairly reasonable. However, with this itinerary, airfare budget with connecting flights is a concern. Should you opt to do a cheaper travel, you would have to travel by land from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in the south, to Hanoi located at the north of Vietnam. You can buy a ticket for the Open Tour aircon bus that can get you from HCMC to Hanoi, and travel at your own pace (at US$ 35). You can actually hop on and off the bus at any city along the way without holding you to any schedule. (You can hop off first in Nha Trang (beaches), Hoi An (World Heritage Ancient town), Hue, etc. before arriving to Hanoi). You can buy this everywhere especially in traveller cafes, local agencies, or any backpacker haunts.

That's generally the idea if you have the luxury of time (and budget) crawling through Vietnam.

Manila to Hanoi (with direct flight)
And now? It's around US$ 20 one way from Manila (or PHP 888) through a Cebu Pacific promo. Uncomplicated!

Aside from slurping a fine pho (beef noodle soup) in the morning, staying at the bustling Old Quarter and strolling around the Hoan Kiem Lake, what I'm looking forward to is making my way to the northeast--in Halong Bay where the surreal happens. Imagine 3,000 or more incredible limestone islands erecting towards the sky from the emerald waters of Gulf of Tonkin. This Unesco Heritage Site paints a breathtaking picture in the horizon. I just have to board a Chinese style junk, lie on top of the boat, enjoy the scenery and slowly cruise around the scenic landscape.

Images from New 7 Wonders image gallery

Blogging about this excites me and I'm crossing my fingers that I could go back to Vietnam next year. Let's see how it goes. ;)