Rekindling My Passion

 

During one of those moments of picking up some pieces after a recent heartbreak, I found myself browsing thru my life and travel blog site. I have just realized that it has been 6 years since my last blog post.

For the past 6 years, I have been busy traveling to places, building up my career and discovering new passions. I have a long list of travel blogs to write, but time has gone by so quickly and they kept on piling up until I lost my enthusiasm.  I couldn't remember exactly when and how I lost my passion for writing. Maybe, photography has taken over it as it was more convenient to take travel photos, edit and post them on social media than to write a travel blog.  Photography is one of my ways to convey my thoughts and emotions. But now that I am experiencing some emotional setbacks, there is no better way than to express it in writing. And now I found myself rekindling my old passion. It has been a long hiatus. But it is never too late to start all over again.

On my succeeding blog posts, I want to cover the following (but I may change some titles):

• 2022: "Almost" is the Most Painful Word 
• 2016:  Revisiting Bohol on My Birthday Week 
• 2017:  I Left My Heart in El Nido, Palawan
• 2017:  Puerto Princesa, Palawan
• 2017:  Negros Oriental and Siquijor Island
• 2017:  Traversing from Coron to El Nido
• 2018:  Work-Life Balance, Finally
• 2018:  Bohol for the Third Time
• 2018:  El Nido and Its Postcard Perfect Sceneries
• 2018:  Japan Workation Week
• 2019:  Fourth Time in Bohol 
• 2019:  Serenity in Port Barton, Palawan
• 2019:  Rediscovering Bantayan Island
• 2019:  Malapascua Island
• 2019:  Sipalay City
• 2019:  Danjugan Island 
• 2019:  Siargao Island
• 2019:  Guimaras Island
• 2020:  Balabac Group of Islands
• 2021:  The Pain of Losing A Loved One
• 2021:  Surviving Covid-19

Rekindling my passion with the long list!

Change: As Seen From One Side of the Coin

Resistance is our normal reaction to CHANGE. Even if the reason is logical enough, even if we have already seen it coming like a weather forecast, we are consumed by close-mindedness. We are in the process of denial, thinking and wishing it won't happen [to us], only to realize in an instant that it has finally come. We start to falter. We over-think with so many whys and what ifs. We are clouded with uncertainties, at the same time, trying hard to understand, to internalize.

Why do we initially resist change?

We don't want to leave our comfort zones.

Places. Circle of friends. Family. Everyday routines. Normal pacing. This and that. We don't want to be detached from what we have chosen to love and from those that we have learned to love - from anything familiar.  

We are not prepared to embrace change.

Since we are so accustomed with our comfort zones, we begin to be complacent. We fail to see the gradual changes that are happening. We forget to make backup plans. We are shocked. We don't learn how to be flexible. We refuse to be. We are afraid to try something new.

We think we can reach our desired destinations faster without some detours.

We are too focused on how to get there, without even thinking if the straight path we are taking is the right one for us.

After some arguments with ourselves and with the help of those who make us see the bigger picture, we begin to realize that change is essential to growth. At some point, it is essential to survival. Yes, everything is uncertain. We must be open to changes and embrace it. We cannot control everything according to our plan. Acceptance is the key. Sometimes, we have to take some detours to see the opportunities that may come along the way. We have to believe that all changes are good. If it is not good as of the moment, then we have to believe that everything happens for a reason and all will be good in the end.

  

    

Canigao Island: Beautiful in its Own Way

It has been weeks of not so normal scenarios of firefighting activities at work and all I needed was a stress-relieving activity. I have tried sleeping too much on weekends just to cope up, movie marathon, treated myself with a massage and had a few bottles of beer with friends but none of them seemed to have an effect on my system. My last resort was an out of town getaway - a sweet escape from reality even just for a day or two. It was just in time that my previous manager in a company where I used to work, invited me to join with my ex-colleagues in their early summer outing. 

The destination is Canigao Island in the municipality of Matalom, Leyte. There are many ways to get there (check out the internet for details) but for convenience on our side, we boarded on a ferry boat bound for Hilongos - our manager's hometown in Leyte. It's a five-hour trip from Cebu.  We arrived in Hilongos port at around 5:00pm and waited for a few minutes for our manager to pick-up his family and their vehicle which would take us to Matalom in less than an hour. We dropped by the wet market of Bato, a municipality between Hilongos and Matalom, to buy some food for dinner. It was my first time to set foot in Leyte and my observation in Bato is that it has a very organized market and Leytehanons, though Bisaya, are soft-spoken. 

Three Decades of Roller Coaster Ride

The inevitable day has finally come! Today marks my 30th birthday. Reaching the "big thirty" and still single means that I'm nearing off the calendar.  Being an only child, I guess my parents are already freaking out! hahaha.. If anyone would ask me now if I'm starting to panic that I reached 30, my answer would be both yes and no for two different reasons. Contrary to what others may feel, I'm not pressured that I'm still single at 30. Yes, I've been hurt deeply by my past relationships but I'm not bitter. I have moved on. I've just learned not to rush love at all and just wait for God's gift to come along, in His own time. It is one of the uncontrollable aspects of life and I just want to let things happen, if it's meant to happen. On the other hand, I do feel anxious about the future that at my age, I have nothing.  I have nothing in terms of investment and financial security.  It should have been attainable if I have set my goal, if I had the will and the self-discipline.  I should have made this thing happen.

Amara : More Than Just Seaside Living

Everybody has a dream place to live. For some, a city living would be ideal considering the job opportunities and the convenience a city can offer. Others would prefer living close to nature, either up in the highlands or near the sea.  For me who grew up in two cities where life is so laid-back and still close to nature, but currently living in a highly urbanized city, I would certainly love to go back to the former upon retiring from work.

When our HR manager informed us that we would be having our engineering team building at Amara in Liloan, I immediately searched for the details of the place, and I have learned that it isn't just a resort as what I thought it is when I've heard about it a few times as a good venue for wedding receptions.