DESTINED-nation

Everyday, as I read through my copy of The Standard, updating myself with the current news and events, I always look forward to getting to the pages toward the end: the travel section under the business directory.

Eventhough it's the same old places that gets shown there everyday with the usual unbelievablely low fares, I love looking at and reading each destination (Bali, Koh Samui, Guilin, Phnom Penh, Milan, Paris, Nice, Athens...) and daydream.

I've always loved the idea of travelling and it will always be a dream of mine to travel the world. I love the whole experience of visiting some place new, unfamiliar and different. I love trying to absorb and learn about a particular place's culture, history and what makes it unique, etc. In the few places I've been to, I try not just to see what's out there but take in the smells and sounds as well, as if to fully live in the whole experience. There's always the negatives and the positives. And it's all part of the whole experience. The opportunity of being able to photograph whatever sights I see is something I am already grateful for and that gives me one of those simple "highs".

I love watching out for airline promos and don't mind budget airlines one bit. A few years ago, since I started working, I quietly told myself that I should make it a point to visit one new place every year. I wish it was more but you know the pains of budget constraints. So far, I've been able to accomplish just that: Singapore in 2006, Shanghai in 2007, Sydney and Brisbane in 2008, Cebu, Corregidor, Bataan and Bangkok in 2009. Though I have been blessed for being able to go on awesome beach trips in the Philippines ( Cebu again, Subic and Batangas) this year, so far, I haven't been able to visit my new place. But I'm not too worried, for I've got an even greater adventure awaiting me. And I see it as just another step to reaching all the new destinations that I've only been dreaming of so far.

Patience, dear. Patience.