Taal Volcano and Lake, Batangas, Philippines
Right in the middle of Lake Taal is the world’s smallest active volcano. Located in Batangas City, a few kilometers South of the Manila. Photo taken after a short trip in Tagaytay City, Cavite.
Archive | January, 2011
My Three-Year Plan (Sort Of)
12 Jan
I guess every start of the year brings out the optimist in most of us…so here I am with a plan!
I am not really the sort of person who formulate plans or even write them down (I normally only take mental note of things I want to do, hence I easily forget). Looking back, however, I feel that I have not done much the past three months of travel. Hence, 10 days into the new year, I started mapping my three-year plan (quite a big step from not having any!!!).
Got the idea to do my own digital vision board after reading a blog post by the Sole Sisters. I actually did a three-year plan using the free mind map software, and you can view it here if you like. It is a bit more comprehensive, with more details about countries I want to travel in the next few years, and things I want to do for my own personal development. I had fun doing it, seeing what I wanted to do in words and pictures is quite encouraging. There are so many things I want to do and 3 years might not be enough to do them all!
While the collage above shows a few places I would like to see, it also highlights certain things I would really love to do:
Focus
This is mainly work-related. Lately I have observed that my mind tends to wander a lot and I am easily distracted. I wonder if this is brought about by too much multitasking? I find that it is now quite a challenge for me to finish a task without doing something different at the same time. I want to do something about it, as it gets frustrating when things to-do pile up, and I can’t seem to have enough time to do everything! We’ll see if I can…
Yoga
While I am sure yoga has a lot of health benefits, I must admit that I am really only gunning for increased flexibility. Mainly because I plan to learn Latin dances and I want to be able to do the leg lifting, splits (Haha) and all that half-body bending!
Latin Dances
Dancing is one of the things I absolutely love doing and my ultimate dream is to actually learn Latin dances in Central/South America!
Swim/Tread
For a girl who grew up in an archipelago, it may come as a surprise to most people to know that I cannot swim (I did manage to enroll myself in a five-day swim class last year, but unfortunately, I did not learn much). I do know how to float and do a few laps, but I get scared when I am out in the ocean or when the water becomes too deep. I did make an attempt last year, so hopefully this year, I’d be successful! 
Scuba Dive
After snorkeling in beautiful Palawan a year and a half ago (I was the only one who had a life jacket on, everyone knew how to swim!), I really want to see more of the ocean. Hopefully, I get to do this after I learn to tread in water!
El Nido, Palawan
Running
One of my closest friends started joining marathons last year and has repeatedly encouraged me to join (we used to jog a few times in the University together). While I would always tell her yes, I never really got around to doing it (surprise, surprise!!!). I hope I can do it this year, but if not, I should really stick to my regular jogging schedule. It is about time to get my lazy ass moving!
And as I try to do all of these, I plan to explore a few countries as well (didn’t I just say I am a multitasker?) This year, I plan to spend more time in Thailand, maybe stay a few weeks in Bali, Indonesia; Vietnam and China. Also probably stay a month in India (especially now that Philippine passport holders can get a 30-day visa-on-arrival, yey!). I’d love to go to Turkey, too!
I definitely want to learn Spanish and Italian, so Spain and Italy are on the list. So are the South American/Central American countries (I need to identify which countries, though). I want to go biking in Denmark. I plan to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
And finally, I will be in Brazil by 2014 to fulfill another ultimate dream: to watch the World Cup in a football-crazy country!
So, that is my three-year plan. Hopefully I get to do most of the things on my list, if not all.
What about you, what’s your plan?
Snapshot Weekly: Snake Island, El Nido, Palawan
4 Jan
Snake Island, El Nido, Palawan
I used part of the photo as a header but I wanted to show the whole picture as the scene is quite lovely.
Visible only during low tide, this S-shaped sandbar (hence the name “Snake Island) connects Vigan Island to another island in El Nido, Palawan. (There are actually two places named “Snake Island” in Palawan; the other one is located at Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa).
Hello 2011!
1 JanMabuhay! Happy New Year!
I am starting the year right by creating a blog where I will document my experiences while traveling solo.
As a gift to myself, I got my own domain, thinking it might be able to motivate me into writing more. What I was not expecting is how complicated blog-related stuff are!!! I do not get how everything works!!! Since this is all new to me, I am excited to figure things out and to know EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I’m sure there’s a rule somewhere saying it’s not nice to use many exclamation points? I have no intention to offend, I just have to convey how excited I am so I had to use THAT many.)
As I am learning how to put tags, change the theme, put widgets and all that jazz, I too am discovering what traveling is all about. I do not have my itinerary set in stone, nor do I have a timetable for everything, but I’m sure that I want to stay in one place long enough to learn a few things and establish ties–strong enough to have me teary-eyed as I bid goodbye.
I plan to do a lot of fascinating things this year. This is the first.
Connect with me thru Facebook! :)
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My Three-Year Plan (Sort Of)
I guess every start of the year brings out the optimist in most of us…so here I am with a plan! I am not really the sort of person who formulate plans or even write them down (I normally only take mental note of things I want to do, hence I easily forget). Looking back, […]
