2013 Year-Ender Special

Hello Blogsphere. I am alive. This blog isn’t. Not very much.

Blogging has become a chore. Look at this post’s title. I can’t even get creative. I just put “special” in it just because. Ho ho ho! What’s so special about this post? I blogged, and published the entry in the same day! Ho ho ho! *Looks at the draft year-ender posts for 2011 and 2012*

Like 2011 and 2012, I filed my leaves for 2013 on the first working day of the year. The flights for my trips were booked in 2012, except for my trip in Malaysia.

January is the busiest month of a tax accountant because of all the necessary permits renewal, tax audits and year-end reports. I’ll stop blabbing about my work here. Read on! I channeled my travel energy to prepare for the Wushu Discovery Friendship Games. I was an athlete *cough cough vomit*

With my Wushu family in Wushu Friendship Games in SM Annex

No trips since my Japan trip. Four months of travel hiatus was a refreshing break. I took a break from all the packing and unpacking, and planning. After my travel break, I was itchy to travel again. Surigao and Siargao opened my 2013 adventures in March. 

 

I touched a jellyfish!

A trip to Binondo with my wushu classmates capped the quarter.

 

With the purple fire truck in Binondo. With the purple camera case.

For the first time in forever, we had an international family trip! Four fun days in Hongkong with my family! Ako ang punong-abala.

Mickey ears in Disneyland

MAY 2013- JUNE 2013. Ah yes, Europe. I visited the following countries/cities:

Czech Republic: Prague

Greece: Athens, Santorini

Spain: Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Seville

Portugal: Lisbon, Sintra

 

John Lennon Wall in Prague

Dancing House, also in Prague. The purple camera case made it to Prague

My Europe II trip lasted 28 days, and cost me around USD 4,000. It is longer and cheaper compared to my 2011 trip because 1) lower forex rate of the EUR and USD vs. PHP; and 2) I visited cheaper cities this time.  DIY mode, no tour groups, no sponsors.

Posing in Parthenon, in Athens, Greece.

This time, I didn't go solo all the way. I went with my friend who I was supposed to travel with in Europe 2011. For three weeks, I had someone to take my photos, we separated our ways and I finished Europe solo style.

With my college batchmate

 

Diyosa-diyosahan mode in Oia, Santorini

I'll probably do my Europe 2013 series... someday. Hahahaha! I will. Eeeeeep! Well, I already blogged about my Schengen Visa Application.

Arc in Barcelona, Spain

 

Alhambra, Granda, Spain

 

Sevilla, Spain

 

Lisbon, Portugal

After four weeks of traipsing around Europe, I came back to reality. 

July: Blah

August: Blah Blah

September: Blah Blah Blah

The third quarter of the year wash BLAH travel-wise. Work was so-so okay-challenging. Wushu classes kept me busy, especially that we got started studying Dao (broadsword), after more than two years of practicing the sport.

 

Still working on it

I only had three days of leaves left, which I planned to spend in October. I cancelled my August trip in Cebu because of... lack of planning, lack of energy. Anyway, I spent the holiday watching the 7^th Asian Wushu Junior Games.

With China's gold medal athlete in Nanquan

An opportunity came to me in October. I applied for a non-profit organization. I passed my resume, got selected for the intereview, did the interview, and waited for the results. While waiting, I traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and conquered the city with my Amigas minus 1.

I got the good news on the last day of October. I got selected for the position! Yay! I would be earning the same, but my commute time would significantly decrease. From 1.5 hours of commuting PER WAY, I’m now down to 20 minutes per way. Farewell MRT woes.  Plus, there’s some sort of contribution to mankind effect feeling because I’m now working for a non-profit org.

It was not the best time to resign. I would be leaving loads of work, in a very busy time. Plus, I already bought plane tickets for 2014, and my leaves were already earmarked. But opportunity is here, and I want it.

That’s five years of good work experience and memories in a very good company. But it is time to move on.

 

Farewell desk. Farewell Makati.

And I’m back in campus. 

A bonus trip: a business trip in Davao! I hit Lachi's and Picobello again! Mmmmmm!

So that was my 2013 travelogue, lacking blog posts. Give me blogging powers please!

I have to get back to the primary purpose why I’m blogging. My primary purpose is to summarize all my expenses and adventures so that when someone asks details about my trip. I have a link as a reply. Snobbish no? But I think I can tell things better by blogging rather than narrating my stories personally.  What a selfish reason. I know. I should get back to finishing my backlogs. Well, not all.

I chose a very time-consuming hobby, albeit being fulfilling, at times. 

I pound on these laptop keys furiously, just to publish this entry on time.

‘Til 2014. :)

This is my entry (I joined again!) to this month's Pinoy Travel Bloggers Carnival with the theme Let the Curtains Close on 2013 hosted by Brenna Bustamante of the The Philippine Travelogue.

Other stories to live by - on previous PTB Blog Carnivals at Langyaw's Blog Carnivals compilation