I was thinking of something special to write about, and I realized I haven’t blogged about my precious nephew yet (also my godson) when I should have in the past seven months! What have I been doing?

His name is Leeland Samuel of House Ang, the first of his name. (Lol, I just had to add that! You’ll get it if you’re a Game of Thrones fan.) Leeland was named after a Christian band/singer. Samuel, because “God has heard.” My brother and his wife had been trying for some time before Leeland was conceived.

Leeland has his mother’s eyes but when he’s asleep or when he frowns he looks so much like my brother. And at certain angles, my mother (freaky!). Right now he’s at this age where he gurgles and giggles a lot, it’s adorable! Don’t you just love babies?

My brother, who’s into photography, takes a LOOOT of creative shots of his son. And almost every time he uploads a new one on Facebook, I feel a sudden longing for Leeland that I immediately change my plans after work so I can go to their house. It’s like an addiction! I would play with him for hours but when he starts to cry, I would hand him back to his dad. HAHA.

Below are his pictures from Month 0 to Month 7:

On the way to Pansol last Saturday with the House Ang, I provoked my sleepy nephew so I can take shots of him crying! Adorbzzz

I am soooo in love with this little boy. He’s getting cuter and more fun everyday but I really wish he doesn’t grow up so fast! Pretty soon he’ll be walking and talking and reading and graduating high school and having a girlfriend. LOL.

But all is well, there are more babies coming into this world! My other sister-in-law is twelve weeks pregnant (yay!), and so is Riz (She’s having twins! TWINS!!). Deej’s sister is also pregnant and is due to give birth in the next few days. See, the world is just a happier place to live in with babies in it. <3

I LOL’d when I read this tweet by the famous Ramon Bautista. As a corporate slave, you work and you work to get through the five working days, 8-9 hours a day. While doing this, you’re looking forward to the weekend so you can enjoy it by lying around the house, going to the mall, watching a movie, traveling, or just spending some quality time with loved ones and friends. Lather, rinse, repeat–it has become a weekly cycle. But of course, life is not just about these. There is so much more to live for. Mr. Bautista’s statement above just makes complete sense sometimes.

For me, one of the reasons I am working my butt off everyday is so I can pay off my mortgage loan. This is the result of the decision I made two years ago to stop renting and get a condo unit near my office. Some days, I regret that decision I made (because paying off a loan is not actually a walk in the park) but most days, I am just glad I have a place where I can stay permanently.

Just last week, the bank and the condo developer called me up to say I can pick up my Condominium Certificate Title which is now under my name. I was beyond thrilled! The condo is finally under my name!

Although, nothing’s changed really. I’m still gonna be setting aside thousands of bucks every payday and queuing at the bank every 7th of the month to pay my dues. I’m still gonna be incapable of building my “savings”, but it does feel good to finally hold another “Evidence of Assets” in my hands that I’ve so worked hard to get.

Fourteen years until I can really call this place “mine.” It’s a long way to go, but #LetsLookAtTheGlassHalfFullShallWe, LOL.

Here are a couple of pictures of my place taken two years ago. So clean and so new! So far from what it is in its current state! I won’t even dare take a photo of it now and post it here. Haha.

Now, that we’ve got the CCT-under-my-name thing out of the way, let’s restore this place to it’s former glory, yes?

One word to describe China in February: FREEZING. And at -20°C, I mean that quite literally.

I met Joni 3 years ago through Jeff’s friend Deej, Joni’s boyfriend. At first, we usually saw each other whenever there were surf trips and I came to know Joni as soft-spoken, intelligent and someone who I can have great conversations with. A photographer and blogger, our trips were well-documented…

Upon reading the last line in the quote above, I felt disappointed in myself. Where did the “photographer” (just a hobbyist, really) and the “blogger” in me go? Whatever happened to the “trips well-documented”?

More importantly, will I ever win my blogging mojo back?

So for the sake of looking back on my 2011 travels that I may share them here as we start the year 2012 –since I don’t really have the energy to go through and document them one by one– let me just give the summary:

Hong Kong

In January, our boss invited Deej and me to join him in a Sqwishland event in Hong Kong. Out of the three times I’ve been to Hong Kong, I consider the trip last year the best one, weather-wise! (I would say December-February is the best time to visit Hong Kong.) And of course, I will never ever get enough of Disneyland Hong Kong. <3

Cebu and Bohol

In February, I planned a trip to Cebu and Bohol for me and some friends from the office—from booking the flights and hotel, to preparing the itinerary. The new thing I did on this trip was to try out the zip line at the Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park. My second time in Bohol and fourth in Cebu, I have once again proven the phrase “the more the merrier!”

Zambales

The only summer beach trip I went to in March last year was to Nagsasa Cove with girlfriends. I extremely enjoyed basking in the beauty of nature and bonding with friends, but I can’t say the same for our camping site which was frog-invested! Eek.

Bauan

In September, Sarj and I mustered enough courage to cross out one item from our Bucket List: becoming a certified scuba diver! Our checkout dives at Dive & Trek in Bauan, Batangas almost caused me to develop thalassophobia (I had to look up the exact term for Fear of Open Water, LOL). However, when we moved on to our “fun dives”, I realized how enjoyable and relaxing diving really is! The last 3 dives we did was, for lack of a better term, nakakakilig. It’s too bad my dive buddy is not here in the Philippines. I can’t just go on a diving trip by myself anytime I want.

Singapore

They say a trip has to be spontaneous if you want it to push through… and I couldn’t agree more! During one of our Skype chats last year, Bheng and I spontaneously booked return tickets to Singapore for October. We realized it’s been a while since the three of us spent some quality time together that we took Sarj’s invitation for us to come visit her too seriously. And of course, CebuPacific’s 50% Seat Sale only but hastened our decision.

Thoroughly enjoyed my third time in Singapore with these lovely ladies!

Korea

No doubt the best place I’ve been to last year is Seoul! Saw it in its lovely autumn state in November and felt the coldest weather I have yet to experience. Thanks to Jep and Vanny’s dedication to come up with a comprehensive itinerary, the Korea trip was a complete success. How apt would it have been if I was also into Koreanovelas or K-Pop! But the place itself is enough to make a tourist like me fall in love with it.

They say it’s lovelier there in Spring – I must go back.

Well I must give myself a pat in the back for successfully writing and finishing this post… after such a long, long time! *Crossing my fingers* that I may keep up this blogging thing. For trips this 2012, let’s see if I can get them well-documented.

Happy New Year!

Meanwhile, read my 140-char (or less) updates on Twitter!

Summer has finally arrived in the Philippines! Even if it is summer almost all year round in the country, many Filipino tourists and foreign tourists flock the best travel destinations during the official summer season of this know Pearl of Orient.

In such a country full of beautiful landscapes and natural wonders, professional and amateur photographers ensure not to miss the opportunity to take photos whether using a digital SLR, a point-and-shoot digital camera or even a polaroid instant camera.

Instax cameras are fast becoming a hit among people here in Manila, Cebu, Davao, and the rest of the Philippines. With its cute designs, affordable polaroid films, and easy point-and-shoot capability, Filipinos are likely to enjoy using such a polaroid camera. Polaroid Philippines offer a wide selection of instax mini cameras, Instax films, and other Instax accessories that will definitely make your polaroid experience a delightful one. Don’t worry about saving your polaroid instant film since there are discount polaroid film surely available now because of the increase in recognition of Instax Philippines.

Being the jumping (almost everyone has a jump shot of themselves these days, right?) “camwhores” we Filipinos are, instant cameras will definitely suit your “jumping needs” since it can takes pictures immediately at the push of a button aside from the instant developing it is capable of. We Filipinos are also smiling “camwhores” so the Close-up Lens + Self-Shoot Mirror for Instax Mini 7S is something that would really be helpful when taking self-shots and up-close shots. A small built-in mirror is attached to the macro mode lens to help you capture a better angle of yourself.

Finally, an Instax camera bag will definitely accompany you well in your wanderlusts. There are a whole variety of bags available! Varying in colors, designs, and styles, you might go crazy in choosing one or a few to fit your style and taste!

With many planes, hotels, and resorts currently booked, summer is definitely here! So get your gear ready, your smiles on, and adventurous spirits up as a fun summer 2011 embraces the country! Don’t forget your digital cameras or instant cameras and take pictures. It will last longer.

Dear friends, hope you support my online business!

They toured me around Brisbane and made the one big thing I wanted to do before I conclude my Australian trip: to see the kangaroos and koalas. And what a great time we had together!

Today I received a heartwarming message from Ng Ercelle (the mother) via Facebook. This made my day despite my not feeling well today.

Hi Joni,

Si Manang mo ni.

I just want to share with you the latest with our 2 kids. You have been part of their lives and I hope you’ll be blessed with their lives as well as they have been with yours.

We have been trying to teach these two the importance of prayer thus when they ask for toys or anything that we need to buy, we always tell them to pray about it. It might take days or weeks or months for us to buy whichever they have asked for (kay ga pray man kmi tagaan kmi ni Lord pang buy! LOL). [translation: we're also praying that God will gift us the capacity to buy.]

One time, your manong and the kids went out and naturally they end up in the toy section. Ethan found a toy he really liked. He asked his papi for it. It was a little bit expensive than what your manong was ready to spare. So he told Ethan that he should pray and ask Jesus about it. Ethan kept on holding the toy. So his papi had to ask him to put back the toy in the shelf and just to pray about it. He kept on holding on the toy. Your manong was ready to tell him the 2nd time to put it back. He then replied, just wait papi, I’ll pray. Then he closed his eyes and was still for a moment. Then he returned the toy back in the shelf and said, I’m done papi. Let’s go.

The incident made my eyes water and felt so proud of him and grateful to God. If I felt that much love towards my son, how much more loved are we by the Father above?

Erryl loves reading. Your Manong and I decided we will buy her her own devotional appropriate for her age. Since we bought her the devotional, she spends time reading it and telling me about what she had learned. At times, she asks her Lola about things she didn’t understand. One time, she brought me a list. She said, mom, these are the things I was praying for. I thought, as a kid, toys or things she wanted to have would be the first things she would have written. To my surprise, she wrote there: people without food and home, children, better schools, Mrs. Chye’s baby (this is her pregnant teacher) and other things. Not one was about her or her wants or needs. As a mother, this brought me to my knees. In this cruel and selfish world, I prayed that my kids will be equipped enough not just to survive but to shine for the Lord. I have learned so much from my kids what God is like. I hope you did, too.

We all miss you.

Blessings,
Manang

The kids she’s talking about are these two adorable ones with me on the next picture. Ethan is four, Erryl is seven.

Their family is such an inspiration to me. They live a simple life in Australia yet they’re so close, and happy, and loving toward each other. The kids are disciplined and very obedient. They are very makulit but one stern look from their mother or father and they behave instantly, haha. I must have asked Nang Ercelle and Nong Tisoy a hundred times how exactly are they bringing up their kids, I want to know their secret! Lol. I am so in love with this family. Given the chance, I would go back and visit them again.

This is what I ask God to give me someday — a loving, Christ-centered family. Granted this, I won’t ask for anything else. Yes, at 26, it’s normal for me to think this way.

Below is the entry I wrote for Palace Adventures which is really just a summary of our “ocular visit.” Just thought I’d share it in here, too. If you’re a close friend of mine, you know that there’s more to this entry than its positive, upbeat tone. LOL.

Read on!

I knew that my first time in Australia (and my first trip outside Asia!) was going to be special, but I didn’t expect it was going to be an adventure. And what an adventure it was! Australia is a very beautiful country that has a lot of surprises in store for its first-time visitors. You think the central business district is lovely? Wait ’til you see the beaches.

I was given a chance by Palace Adventures to visit the exciting places outside Brisbane. First stop: Hervey Bay.

I particularly loved how peaceful it was in Hervey Bay, a place often visited by backpackers from all over the world. We stayed at the cozy Palace Adventures dorm where we had access to pretty much whatever we needed.

A visit to Hervey Bay is incomplete without seeing the whales. And that’s what we made sure we didn’t miss: a whole afternoon spent watching and waiting for the humpback whales! These amazing marine mammals didn’t disappoint us. They kept going around our boat, bobbing up and down the water, and just strutting their stuff. Apparently, they love to do people-watching the same way we do whale-watching. It was like watching the Discovery Channel live!

Dolphins also came out to play that day (more like, steal the show).

Next stop: Fraser Island!

Outdoor camping is something I do once in a while, but my experience on Fraser Island was totally different. It was all new to me: meeting backpackers all the way from the other side of the globe, having a tour of the island aboard a 4wd, encountering a dingo, seeing bodies of water of different shapes and sizes, witnessing an actual shipwreck, and being on top of a cliff watching dolphins and whales play in the water below. And only on Fraser Island did I see stars that clear and bright!

Here are some of the tourist spots on Fraser Island we went to see:

Basin Lake

Lake Birrabeen

Champagne Pools

Eli Creek

Maheno Shipwreck

Lake Mackenzie

Now I understand why backpackers are raving about Fraser Island tours. Fraser Island backpacking is definitely an experience you won’t soon forget.

Last and final stop: The Whitsundays!

From the Brisbane domestic airport, we flew all the way to Proserpine to get to Airlie Beach. Just like Hervey Bay, Airlie Beach is also a well-known tourist destination where everything is quiet and simple. It is the place to have a relaxing vacation. Walking up and down the Main Street, having a cup of joe and freshly-baked sausage rolls at Brumby’s, enjoying free wifi at McDonald’s, bird-watching at the man-made Airlie Beach Lagoon, and strolling around town via the Bicentennial Walkway are just some of the carefree things we did. The weather is just perfect even at winter: not too hot, not too cold. After spending two days in Whitsundays, I can definitely say that it has become one of my favorite places.

For a tourist like me, it’s a must to go sailing in Whitsunday Islands, the Abel Point marina being the departure point. This is to see first-hand the lovely scenery of Australia’s Queensland coast bordered by the Great Barrier Reef. It is admirable how the natural beauty of the beaches are being preserved making the group of Whitsunday Islands a national park.

We went sailing on the beautiful sailboat called “Waltzing Matilda” and I gotta say, the Waltzing Matilda has the friendliest crew! They made our stay in the boat very comfortable. And the food prepared for us was just exquisite, I’d love to go back just to enjoy it again. We sailed from one point to another to go snorkeling or just chill out on the beach — it was great time to kick back and relax.

Spectacular view of the Whitehaven Beach

Hill Inlet

The course we took: Abel Point → Dumbell Island → Esk Island → Tongue Bay → Airlie Beach

The Whitsunday Islands tour has made me a happy tourist!

Thank you, Palace Adventures, for the tour of a lifetime!

The endangered Tarsier found in Bohol, Philippines

Squirmy Squirt in Tanjung Benoa, Bali

Ack! I almost died. 0_0

Pagasa's long-lost cousin

Monkey business in Uluwatu, Bali

Shark attack at the Siam Ocean World in Bangkok

Aboard elephant named "Tombun" in Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Tigers in Thailand make great pets!

Kangaroos in Brisbane, Australia

And... my fave picture with a koala at the Koala Sanctuary

I hope I’d have the chance to see more not-so-common animals around the world to add to my Matanglawin Chronicles.

So I saw Inception two nights ago, and just like the rest of Leonardo diCaprio’s movies, this too blew my mind away. I read an interview article wherein Leo mentioned that he was fortunate to have the opportunity to choose the movies he does. And judging by the movies he has made in the last few years, we can definitely say that he’s got taste. The Departed, Blood Diamond, Shutter Island are among the best I’ve seen recently. And his latest movie, Inception, is just as mind-boggling and exciting.

I found the movie intriguing because I, myself, am a big dreamer – literally. I dream almost every night. Most times they’re vivid enough that I can tell people the details of what I dreamed about; and sometimes they’re not that it causes me to spend a few moments each morning “digging deep into the recesses of my mind” to remember what my dream was about (srsly! it stresses me out, lol.). And as for “Inception”, I think I’ve done it to myself once.

Believe it or not, I mastered driving in my dreams before I did in my conscious state. When I was maybe 14 or 15 years old, I got obsessed with driving. For a time, it’s all I could think about — that I must learn how to drive. My dad and my brothers taught me the basics, and they did make me practice from time to time, but I get too scared when I’m on the road, especially a busy one. Once while practicing, I halted and froze in an intersection! The cars behind me were honking loudly while there I was, panicking behind the wheel, not knowing what to do next. Good thing someone was there to remind me to calm down. I got out of there alive, but barely. Lol.

Even though fear took over me, my desire to learn was more intense that I had to do some improvisation. So I learned how to drive in my thoughts. And because I’ve been thinking about it too much, my subconscious of course joined in the fun. And so, for weeks, I practiced driving in my dreams. Yes, while I was asleep! In my dreams, I usually wasn’t driving an ordinary car, but a monster truck complete with those huge wheels! (Go figure.) I would take out the truck from the garage, drive around the city, and when I was done cruising in it, I would drive it back home. The details of my dreams felt real — from turning the keys in the ignition, to shifting gears, balancing the pedals, turning corners, driving in reverse, and parking! My mind was responding accurately to what I was seeing in my dream: the other cars and jeepneys on the road, the pedestrians crossing the street, the sidewalk, and other obstacles.

After some serious practicing (in my thoughts and in my dreams), the fear I had when I’m driving went away. It’s like I suddenly got used to the chaos in the streets that it didn’t bother anymore. I was able to remain calm and do my thing to get from Point A to Point B. Then one day, I was able to drive on my own, for real this time, without supervision. And it was the greatest feeling in the world! At that age, at least.

Cobb: “The seed that we planted in this man’s mind, may change everything.”

How silly of me trying to relate my story to the movie Inception, HAHA!! The way I learned how to drive is of course not like what happened in the movie, but I just found a slight connection in there somewhere and used it as an excuse to tell this story. LOLLL.

Obviously, the movie is just fiction, but it does prove something that is real and true: that the mind is so powerful that it can enslave us in so many ways.

I’m mentally tagging Inception as one of my favorite movies. It’s a visionary masterpiece! Looking forward to Leonardo diCaprio’s upcoming films. And Ellen Page’s, too. Good job, June-bug!