can’t forget

i really can’t forget my first travel abroad. i was very, very excited to travel to singapore – super excited to experience the culture and fun with my partner and our close family. at last, my passport would have a stamped international travel – i am now a certified international traveler. i never stopped smiling from mactan international airport in cebu to changi airport in singapore – you are greeted by this modern and spacious architecture of the airport with their great customer service from their immigration officers. you really can feel that you are being welcomed and taken cared-of. this country has just a lot to offer to tourists like me. not to mention the most famous universal studios, sentosa island parks, singapore flyer, marina bay sands, singapore river, shopping malls and a whole lot more.

singapore is a multi-racial country. it has a diverse culture despite its small size. the largest group are the chinese with about 75% of the population. the malays, comprised of descendants of singapore’s original inhabitants as well as the migrants from present day malaysia, indonesia and brunei, is 14% while the indians on the other hand form about 9% of the population. the remainder is a mix of many other cultures, most notably the eurasians who are of mixed european and asian descent, and also a handful of filipinos, burmese, japanese, thais and many others.

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we stayed at carlton hotel in bras basah road, singapore for 3 days & 2 nights. i was not able to explore so much with the hotel because we were out the whole day. but the room is good and our location is just stunning – amazing view of the metropolis especially during the night.

the double decker was also a great highlight of our activity. i thought that its only available in europe but it was just infront of me. we rode the double deckers thru duck tours while touring around the city.

sentosa island was another admirable place. i wish we had one in cebu where mactan island is. but anyways, we went to “underwater world singapore” where you can see a live museum of marine life plus and interactive ocean adventure with the dolphins and seals in another location. i also experienced riding the skyline luge in siloso. then, the highlight was the “songs of the sea” show featuring pyrotechnics, water jets and laser synchronized with lively music and cast.

and who would never forget “universal studios.” this is the place to be when you are in singapore. the adventure never stops. riding the carousel with the “madagascar” movie themed ride transported me back to my childhood. then off to a slight adventurous roller coaster in the “far far away land” where i got to meet the ogre and princess fiona in person. they were just an awesome couple. afterwards was the exciting 4d movie in the castle. that was not enough. we rode the jurassic park themed water adventure ride where we get to see the dinosaurs before civilization. i got wet. good thing, i wore my board shorts. we crossed to the ancient egypt themed adventure with “the mummy returns” indoor roller coaster. this was a very good ride. fresh from the turning and pushing the coaster, we went to a high risk adventure in sci-fi city. they actually have two kinds of roller coaster. the first one, your feet is grounded to the floor while the other one is hanged. i just don’t know what to expect from this ride. i know this is different but i tried the one on the floor first. i rode it twice and moved to a more extreme ride which keeps your foot hanging while your body is securely attached. it was an awesome ride. imagine being inverted for how many times in approximately 3 minutes. it was once in a lifetime. i just love death defying adventures.

now, to cool down, we went to a studio and met my idol, charlie chaplin. I was overwhelmed to see him there. he looked exactly the same with the black and white film artist. we also watched a mini-concert in an 80’s themed bar along the rode. glad to see filipino artist strutting their talents on stage. and of course the infamous “betty boop” who was all the way smiling when we had our picture with her.

three days was not enough to cover the interesting places in singapore. riding the singapore flyer, i observed how industrialized this country is, able to balance advanced technology with modern lifestyle and tradition.

thank you very much doc mimi and doc doyet and of course to my beloved partner, you all made this trip possible. i love you all.

its written

last week, i was invited by a group of engineers to be part of the creation of a business case for their invention to an entrepreneurial challenge in our company. we actually won and the rest was history.

i still could not believe i became part of the success of the champion besting other 20 plus entries that started a week ago. it was actually an accident that i was part of this project. i mean this was never planned at all. i registered as a participant but later on changed into an audience instead because the I did not see the purpose or my place in this competition. the guidelines were a bit unclear especially for an outsider who is not part of the research and development team. i am actually a member of the shared services department in the sales and marketing operations. but I just said yes to the invitation when the inventor called me over the phone to join the team and focus on sales and marketing.

the night before that, i met my partner’s college batchmate in medical school who was on his last day of vacation before leaving for dubai. he is currently working as the second in line of the human resource department for dubai world trade center. he is actually a medical technologist by profession when he was still here in the philippines. quite far being a decision maker for human resource from a medtech. to make this story short, it came as a surprise for him when he got an opportunity to train in different functions for a 5 star hotel. he just loved to be working with people, supporting and addressing their needs in the organization. he opened up himself to different possibilities and became very successful now. his story inspired me that morning when i spoke with the engineer to open up myself to opportunities. as the saying goes, “its all written in the stars.” it will have the right moment when you yourself are ready to accept the gift. i really felt good when i said “yes” to the invitation. and so much more when our group was declared the champion. the joy of victory is different. its been a long time since i felt that. until now, i still can’t believe that we won. other than the price, my colleagues, my friends, family and loved one felt so happy and proud that i made it to the top that created more value for me. i am sharing this win with them.

thank you very much to my family and friends who supported me. to my ever supportive teammates in the marketing communications division (sicily Santos, christine villarin-jarina, jeanette, bobit, verne, bisoy, zeila, mae, barbar), product specialists (geramae pandan-gellegani and tuzca), to the marketing research team – nean saguid guzman –salamat sa mga data and intellectual discourse all the time sa office and iris & cherry for the data as well), finance measurements (marcial), proposals (arah) and mps team (kia lyndel roble). to my close friends/classmates in the up mba program, special mention to earlie edelwise uy with partner ‘ed michael monares, thank you for helping me out with the financial aspect. to my mentors in the up mba program, i owe you a lot especially to the chairperson, dr. chaves. and to the person i love the most especially, for the past 7 years, thank you for always being there even if I went crazy for this 6 day project.

lastly, my goal is just to become the change i wanted to be in this world. i quote gandhi for that. that kept me moving even if i am misunderstood most of the time when i express my comments. i just wanted to help change or transform life better.

till the next challenge…

happy shadows…

my best friend, my inspiration, the love of my life. you made a significant difference. you bring out the best in me, each and every day.

thank you for creating your world with me…

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forever feet…

i thank you for bringing me to places I have never been, to restaurants i have never dined, to people i have never met. i thank you for allowing me to speak my mind, trying different adventures. i am living my life to the fullest.

curious, discover…

i am very curious by nature. i always believe that there is something new to discover and learn every single moment. i crave for more information.

my blog talks about my daily adventures, travels, gastronomic trips, shoes, people, technology, politics and a lot more.

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