50 Amazing Places I've Visited

To commemorate my 50 years on this earth, here's a list of 50 memorable places I have visited (but of course, there could be more.) #GoldenGirl

1.     Camiguin’s volcanoes

2.     Camiguin’s cold and hot springs

3.     Bolinao’s waterfalls

4.     Bolinao’s Caves/Underground Pools

5.     Luna Pebble Beach

6.     Sta. Ana’s white sand beaches

7.     Cape Bojeador lighthouse in Palaui Island, Sta.Ana

8.     Cagayan Valley’s famous Callao Caves

9.     San Pablo Church Ruins in Isabela

10.  Loon’s Spanish Stone steps (Inang-angan)

11.  Carcar’s Puericulture Center and Dispensary

12.  Tuburan’s Giant Century-old Tree

13.  Lake Danao in Ormoc

14.  White Sandbar in Bais

15.  Dolphin-watching in Bais

16.  Coron’s Kanyangan Lake

17.  Coron Twin Lakes

18.  Lake Sebu’s 7 Falls Zipline view

19.  Beijing’s Forbidden City

20.  Great Wall of China

21.  Beijing’s old Hutongs (courtyards)

22.  Kathmandu’s Thamel Market for gems

23.  New Delhi’s Dilli Haat for pashminas

24.  Hoi An Heritage Village

25.  Da Nang’s Quonset army huts

26.  Hong Kong Disneyland

27.  Hong Kong Ocean Park

28.  Bogor Safari

29.  Ubud in Bali

30.  Kuta Beach in Bali

31.  Surabaya Zoo

32.  Singapore’s Fort Siloso on Sentosa

33.  Singapore’s Underwater World, Sentosa Island

34.  Singapore’s Night Safari

35.  Melbourne Aquarium

36.  Melbourne’s Victoria Botanical Garden

37.  Amsterdam’s Red Light District

38.  Amsterdam Canal Cruise

39.  Lake Geneva Jet D’Eau

40.  Mont Blanc via cable car in Geneva

41.  Chiang Mai’s Night Market

42.  Genuine Thai massage in Bangkok

43.  Chang Mai’s Doi Suthep Buddist temple

44.  Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River Cruise

45.  House of Sampoerna Museum in Surabaya

46.  Camotes Island in Cebu

47.  Sipaway Island Mangroves in Negros

48.  Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos

49.  Fort Santiago and Intramuros

50.  Palawan Crocodile Farm

50 Things to Know About Me

To commemorate my turning golden this year, here are some fun facts abt me...

1.     I am a Speed-Reader

2.     I have ridden the then-longest Philippine zipline in Dahilayan, Bukidnon

3.     I am a bonafide bookworm/bibliophile

4.     I have tried the then-highest zipline in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato

5.     I can actually dance

6.     I have a Green Thumb

7.     I belong to 2 sororities in UP

8.     I got tattooed while in Bali, Indonesia

9.     I love singing karaoke

10.  I used to be a dead-shot with a slingshot

11.  I can play the piano

12.  My ears are pierced to wear earrings

13.  I spent childhood summers up North with Ilocano relatives shuttling between Baguio, the beaches of La Union and my Mom’s hometown of Vigan

14.  I am allergic to alcoholic beverages

15.  I sketch and draw to decompress and relax.

16.  I can’t eat seafood, particularly crustaceans like shrimp, crab, lobster and squid.

17.  I love Japanese food, particularly sushi and sashimi.

18.  The Southernmost country I have visited is Australia.

19.  My favorite dish from Southern Philippines is Sinuglaw – sinugba pork and kinilaw fish.

20.  The highest place I have visited is Kathmandu, Nepal.

21.  I have been to the Great Wall of China

22.  I have visited the Surabaya Zoo and got to see a live Komodo Dragon

23.  I tasted crocodile meat in Palawan

24.  I was able to try frogmeat when I was a kid

25.  I once kept a menagerie of pets that included dogs, cats, pigeons, white mice, hamsters, and tropical fish

26.  I was a Girl Scout with numerous merit badges in my youth.

27.  I keep a special notebook for dreams, thoughts, poems, or diary entries.

28.  I believe in keeping yearly desk calendars and diaries for appointments 

29.  I love pasta with any kind of sauce except seafood

30.  My one vice is Coca-Cola

31.  My comfort food is grilled meat dishes

32.  My wisdom teeth never came out.

33.  I am not a very good swimmer

34.  I know a bit of karate

35.  I play billiards but my wifey is a better player

36.  I dress for comfort and convenience

37.  I snore when I sleep

38.  I have a small bladder so I frequently urinate

39.  I developed a mild ulcer in law school

40.  I tried smoking in college and developed asthma

41.  I have been to Geneva and spoken at the United Nations Human Rights Council

42.  I have spoken before European Union (EU) members in Amsterdam

43.  I represented the Philippines at an ASEAN +3 Ageing Conference

44.  I have small feet and wear size 5 shoes

45.  I once wore retainers for my lower teeth

46.  I have been wearing eyeglasses since high school, and wear grade 750 for my left eye and 550 for my right eye

47.  My parenting style is fun, instructive and disciplined

48.  I am not ticklish; no funny bone at all.

49.  I have an old knee cartilage injury from my youth

50.  I am great in bed J

50 Things to Do for your 50th BDAY

Things You can do, if you haven't Done them Yet. #50th #Milestone #Golden

1.     Learn to Scuba Dive

2.     Learn to Ride a MotorBike

3.     Try skydiving

4.     Go Kayaking

5.     Try bungee-jumping

6.     Get a tattoo

7.     Plant a tree

8.     Learn to drive an Automatic car

9.     Drive a golfcart

10.  Ride a hot air balloon

11.  Go Paddle-boarding

12.  Play billiards/pool

13.  Try Wind-surfing

14.  Write a Book

15.  Try a Banana-Boat ride

16.  Go PaintBall shooting

17.  Do Yoga

18.  Try pole-dancing

19.  Do Meditation

20.  Go bowling

21.  Do target-shooting

22.  Gamble at a casino

23.  Ride a Roller-Coaster

24.  Try archery

25.  Do an Octopus carnival ride

26.  Ride a Ferris Wheel

27.  watch the Sunrise

28.  See the Sunset on the beach

29.   Swim with a whaleshark

30.  Watch the dolphins

31.  Smoke a cigar

32.  Dive a shipwreck

33.  Rear a child

34.  Rescue a stray animal

35.  Grow your own food

36.  See a Full Moon on a mountain

37.  Eat fresh sea urchin

38.  Taste jellyfish salad

39.  Sample wild boar

40.  Eat deer meat

41.  Try eating snake

42.  Plant rice on a paddy field

43.  Keep a Diary

44.  Get published as a writer

45.  Sing on-stage

46.  Get an outrageous haircut

47.  Do a media interview

48.  Do volunteer work

49.  Support an advocacy

50.  Ride a Zipline

 

10 Times I was a Proud Pinoy Abroad

1.    Music is the Universal Language - Once I was attending a Legal Pluralism Conference in Depok, Indonesia and attendees were enjoined to participate in the Cultural Night/Fellowship; Everyone scrambled to have a presentation and they all quipped, “Oh, you guys will sing…All Filipinos can sing!” Yup, we do love karaoke.

2.      English as the mark of Civility - I have been attending one conference after another, presenting at different panels, and I started to wonder why they always choose the Filipino to be speaker or rapporteur. I soon realized it was because of our ability to speak clear, coherent English. An Indian barrister once told me in Indonesia, “I loved your presentation because your English was amazing and I could understand everything, unlike the Chinese guy’s. Did you study abroad?” Of course, I didn’t so I proceeded to explain that English was the medium of instruction in Philippine schools.

3.      We Are Everywhere - I arrived in Geneva on a weekend and so few people were out and about; I was having difficulty finding my way to my hotel when I heard a familiar dialect being spoken on the tram. I smiled at the 2 women and asked for directions. They asked, “Ah, kararating mo lang?” Trust that only Filipinos on their way to their 2^nd or 3^rd jobs to be walking about on Sundays.

4.      Pinoy Frugality - Again, having arrived on a snowy weekend in Amsterdam, I discovered that most food establishments were closed and only a few corner groceries were open for business. The friendly Asian cashier was expectedly Filipino who not only punched my goods, but actually advised me which items were the tasty and affordable ones.  “Ma’am, yung isa ang kunin mo – mas mura at mas masarap.” Filipino frugality at its best!

5.      Kabayan means Friend, not just Countryman - I was once stuck in Hong Kong with 2 friends enroute from attending a Labor Migration conference in New Delhi, India and we had already consumed our last dollars. We happened upon an Overseas Filipino Worker on his way home for Christmas and struck a conversation with him. He was so happy to be going home he offered to treat us for coffee at Starbucks. Afterwards, we parted at our respective Departure Gates, and he cheerfully shouted out, “Salamat, Kabayan! Maligayang Pasko!”

6.      Hospitality is in the Heart - One of our best Filipino travelling traits is ensuring we have a relative or friend we can meet up with abroad. These contacts are sometimes not only expected to arrange for our accommodations, but more importantly, someone who will be showing you around the usual tourist sites. As such, our meet-ups are happy mini grand reunions. Filipino hospitality goes beyond Philippine shores after all.

7.      The Ubiquitous Pasalubong - Another aspect of Filipino travelling is the duty to bring with you pasalubongs or padala – token packages for the friends and relatives abroad who are sorely missing some native delicacies. It is a great burden on your baggage limit, but don’t worry because the souvenirs and pasalubongs on your return trip will also be worth it. Non-Filipinos can never understand that Pasalubong goes beyond the unique concept of gift-giving; it is an expression of high regard and affection that involves the sacrifice of being Over-Baggaged.

8.      A Talent for Haggling - Because Filipinos love their pasalubong and souvenir shopping, we are also known to be the best hagglers and bargain-hunters. We smile, we charm and befriend the sellers to give us the best price for our choice item, feigning disinterest and pretending to leave, before acquiescing to the agreed price. Our tour guide in Macau once told a vendor, “These are Filipinos - you have to let them bargain and negotiate for the price of your goods!” That being said, we got the green jade bracelet I coveted for a fair price.

9.      Truly Cosmopolitan -  I was in Beijing, China for a Regional Training along with about a dozen other nationalities. Our host put us up in a grand hotel which served a variety of cuisine from Asian to Western. One of the restaurants served food with only chopsticks as utensils. Our Indian friend struggled with her food, while she marveled at how easily we Filipinos managed to eat with them. She asked if that was how we ate in the Philippines; we replied that we actually use spoon and fork, but we learned to use chopsticks nonetheless. Later that day, dinner was steak a la carte and we were just as comfortable using a knife and fork.

10.   Pinoy Courage - I was touring the sites with my nephew and his wife in Geneva after a human rights training, when some overly-friendly Arab-looking men offered to take our photo with our camera. They were all touchy-feely although we refused their assistance and soon we discovered why – they had snatched my wallet! I was so incensed because it had my ID cards and remaining stipend in dollars and once we saw them rifling through my money a few yards away, I gave chase and shouted for the police from the top of my lungs. They were so shocked that a short but feisty Filipina was actually coming after them that they returned my wallet along with my money. When we reported the same at the police station and they asked me what my wallet looked like, I showed them and they were so surprised that I got it back along with my cash. Don’t mess with a Filipino abroad because she brings with her all her Pinoy qualities.