Blessing In Disguise

The Dalai Lama once said, “ Sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of good luck. “ As human beings, we all have wishes, it can be to earn more money, find the perfect partner, or simply be beautiful. Sometimes they come true but many times they don’t .If they don’t there is no reason to feel defeated, the best things are sure to come. Things not exactly we hoped for, but in the end, the ones that are best for us according to the perfect plan of God. It is not easy to accept “ detour”, it requires faith in the goodness and love of God for us. No matter what happened in the past and the situation now, remember God wills our happiness and success.

Dream Job

Three weeks ago, I wrote my bucket list for 2012. One of the things written on my list is to find a new job. It is not actually a new job. I still like to teach, it is more of finding a new school or university that promotes growth and brings out the best in its employees. Last October, I was offered to teach in a big Catholic college in my province. Although it is not yet my dream school, I accepted the offer since the offer is quite good. The salary is better, the school is reputable with an efficient system that works, and my future bosses seem to be nice people. I want to give this one a chance.

My dream really is to teach at Philippine Normal University. I applied in 2008 but received no word from them. It must be the politics then. As one of the best universities for teacher education, it would be an honor to work there. Imagine, being able to teach future mind builders of this country, no job can be better than that.

My Bucket List ( 2012 )

My 2011 ended not as beautiful as the way 2010 closed. However, I must say that I’m more optimistic of what 2012 may have in stored for me. I have come up with the list of eight things I want to accomplish this year. They are not many but they are all significant to me. I have decided not to travel ( with the exception of Diyana’s wedding in March, which I had planned before I decided not to travel for the next two years ) to save money for my future business. Here is my bucket list for 2012 arranged according to their importance.

1. Get a scholarship grant
2. Find a new workplace
3. Save money
4. 4. Debt-free 2012
5. Write and publish articles
6. Attend GO Negosyo seminars
7. Tiling of our two-storey house
8. Acquire or receive a laptop

BFF ( 2 )

I met up with my best friend Marie and her family last December 23. As I mentioned on my previous entry, Marie, her husband, and their daughter will be migrating to the US before the year ends. It was a lovely meeting for the both of us. That was our first and last get together for 2011. I was supposed to see them in October but my schedule then did not make it possible.

Over dinner, we talked about her preparations and thoughts on the new the life her family will soon be starting. While listening to her, I felt very proud of what she has become. She found a loving husband, and is now a mother to an adorable daughter. Marie is the perfect example of a caring mother who wishes and looks forward to a good life for her loved ones and at the same time, aware that things don’t usually come on a silver platter. She knows the life they will experience in the US is very different from what they had in the Philippines but as I see it, Marie and her husband are both determined to raise the family whenever God puts them to be. That alone is a huge comfort to us who love their family.

BFF

The much anticipated Christmas vacation has come. All in all I have 18 carefree days which I intend to spend with my family and a couple of friends. One of the friends I will be seeing is Marie who together with her husband and daughter will be leaving for the US for good. Marie is one of my best friends. We have known and cared for each other each other for almost two decades that is why knowing she will not be around as she used to gives me a little anxiety. I am just thankful that I have kept friends who are based abroad so I am sure Marie and I will get through a long distance friendship successfully. The thought she is leaving soon made me realize that each of us has respective paths in life that must be walked through. For only by crossing those paths our happiness and fulfillment may be found.

Congratulations Marie! I am solidly behind you. : )

Air Asia, First Time Ko!

I booked an Air Asia flight on November 1, 2011. I have to go to Malaysia in March and at the time of the booking, it was Air Asia that offered a more reasonable price. The Clark-Kuala Lumpur two-way ticket cost me PHP 5,220, half of the price of what Cebu Pacific offered that day. A friend advised me to wait for the Cebu Pacific seat sale but I was convinced that Cebu Pacific would not give me a better deal for two reasons. (1) Among Filipino tourists, Manila/Clark-Kuala Lumpur is not as popular as Manila/Clark-HK or Manila/Clark-Singapore therefore will not likely top go on sale ( 2 ) four months before the actual flight. True indeed, as of my last check on the Cebu Pacific website, airfare to Kuala Lumpur has become more expensive as well as the airfare of Air Asia which now costs PHP 13,000.

Before booking the Air Asia flight, I thought of using an alternative route to Malaysia. In May 2011, from Singapore I went to Malaysia by train. The train ride was good but long, about 8-9 hours. Since this time, I will be traveling in March, I don’t have so much time to spare. I can still go to Malaysia from Singapore by bus, but a six-hour ride will still steal much of my time. Given these conditions, flying direct to Malaysia is the best thing to do. Besides, I want to experience flying on the world’s best budget airline and find out how it conducts business that made it the best.

Reunion

I will be in Malaysia on March 16-21 to celebrate the wedding and birthday of my Malaysian friend, Diyana. In Malaysia, I will be seeing our common friends, Syima, also a Malaysian and Tuitui who will be flying from Laos. I think this trip will be the last personal trip I will be making within the next two years. I had made a decision to refrain from traveling so I can save money. Initially, I thought of including Thailand in this trip, but since March is not a vacation period yet, adding it is not feasible. I haven’t been to all countries of Southeast Asia but how come I decided to stop traveling? Does it mean I am not interested to see the rest? Definitely not. I still love to travel. In fact, I still have several places in mind. It is jut that traveling depletes my savings. And at this point, failure to feed my bank account gives me uneasiness that I don’t like to feel. Looking back to the travels I have made in the past seven years to Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, and Malaysia, it is no longer bad if I stop for a while. : )