This is not a post on German vocabulary words. I don't speak German, after all. I do, however, speak a bit of Mandarin and Korean. But that's neither here nor there. I just really wanted to talk about how much I want to travel. Again. And I know I had just written about wanderlust a few months back and have been to Seoul since then, so it feels kind of redundant using wanderlust as a title to yet another blog entry... So I searched for another word with the same meaning. Hence, fernweh.



I was rummaging through my stuff just now and found several old boarding passes wedged inside the sleeve of my passport holder. This made me realize that I've kept so much random souvenirs from trips both domestic and international - from plane tickets to city maps, postcards to receipts printed out in Chinese characters, ad flyers to airport guides... I should probably start scrapbooking.


I've only really been to 3 other countries. I'm no extensive traveler. Up until I graduated from university, I've never even ridden a plane. All my airplane experiences happened post-graduation - self-funded or work-related. I've only been to Thailand once, Hong Kong once, South Korea twice. I have, however, been to most corners of the Philippines.


In Luzon, I've been as far north as Pagudpud and in the south, as far as Bicol. I've been to Isabela and Tuguegarao, Gapan and Zambales, Cavite and Batangas, and almost everywhere in between. I am from Luzon, after all.

In Visayas, I've been to Bacolod and Cadiz, Cebu and Aklan. In Mindanao, I've been to Butuan and Dipolog, Cagayan de Oro and Davao, Zamboanga and Iligan... having ridden buses from province to province. Alone. With just my bags to keep me company.


That was how my life was for a good 3 years when I used to work as a business trainer for a local corporation and they would send me off to different provinces almost every other week. From being that girl who has never been on a plane her entire life, I was suddenly most comfortable in airports. I kept wandering in cities whose people spoke a tongue other than my own and this became the norm. Damn, I miss it.


My next flight isn't until November when my sisters, our mom, and I head to Vietnam for a short vacation. That would be country number 4 and I am beyond excited. It's still 4 months away but every now and then I would randomly google hotels and restaurants in Ho Chi Minh. I've already looked up places we might want to put on our itinerary. I have also, at one point, mentally packed my bags for the trip. Call me crazy. I know I am. Or maybe I just have fernweh. Either way, November can't get here soon enough to calm me down.

In which I was tagged by Yumi to answer a few summer-related questions by way of photos...

Summer is officially over but the heat never strays that far away from the Philippines, so these questions are still relevant. Sort of. In any case, I'll be answering them by reminiscing past summers. Here we go!

1. What is your favorite summer treat?



2. What is your favorite non-alcoholic summer beverage?


3. What is your favorite alcoholic summer beverage?


4. What is your favorite piece of summer clothing?


5. What is your favorite summer accessory?



6. What is your favorite summer vacation spot?


7. What is your favorite show to watch during the summer?


8. What is your favorite game to play during the summer?

Seriously though... What exactly are summer games? Games played outdoors? My family, we don't really do outdoor games. We play charades. Marco Polo. The Game of Life. Just Dance. Taboo. I mean... one time we all went to the pool and played charades. Water charades. That totally counts as a summer game!

9. What is your favorite activity to do during the summer?


10. What music do you listen to during the summer?


11. Bonus Question: What is the least favorite thing you have to do this summer?

Another year older... still none the wiser.

It scares me to think that I turn 30 a year from now and I still have nothing to show for the life I've lived. I frustrates me that I've been in a quarter life crisis funk for the past 6 years. This is no way to live through my 20's. Seriously. It's agitating and panic-inducing.

Can we have time stop for a while? I need to think things through. I need to sort out my priorities. I have to find out what I want to do with my life. I feel like I'm on some deadline and that due date is fast approaching and I have done nothing to prepare for the test I'm about to face.

Stop the world. I want to get off.

Long time no see, dear blog. It's not that I've been too busy living life to jot down a few insights or whatnot. More like, I've been trudging through my days with nothing significant ever happening to me that there's really not much relevant material to write about.

Who cares, really, that I've been transferred to another job post if it's still within the same company?

Who cares that I'm infinitely poorer now because we've been paying off our monthly amortization?

Who cares that I've been spending way too much time on tumblr?

Who cares that the only thing I'm looking forward to is our upcoming trip to Korea this December?

I guess, at the moment, I've learned that not a lot of people care about the mundane. And my life is just that. Aside from the chaos that surrounds me, my life has been one gigantic humdrum of restlessness. I need to get out of here.

Since moving into the new house, I've slowly been filling up my room with random knick knacks.

It's all set and I am excited! Aia and I are heading to Hong Kong tomorrow evening and it's gonna be so much fun. Hopefully I have enough money for shopping. But without a doubt, I'm looking forward to Disneyland the most. And maybe also the food.

Cat has also promised to meet us at Langham place on Sunday for lunch. She said, and I will hold her to it, that she's treating us to some dimsum. I can't wait. I freaking love dimsum.

Oh! Also, due to Cebu Pacific's piso-fares, my family was able to book flights to Seoul for the end of the year. I know we have like 10 more months to go, but I am beyond thrilled over this. Except, it's gonna be winter. And I don't think I was made for frigidly cold weather.

And lastly, by the end of the month, we can finally move into our new house. It's just about done and I can't wait to start buying stuff for my room. The entire house is pretty much compact and functional, but it's still pretty. Can't wait!