happy steps

My 40-day Finland vacation will soon be over and it’s time to say bye to the cold summer weather, the midnight suns, and so much more. I am grateful for having stayed here in Pori at my big sis’ flat which is located right at the heart of the city, near the Eetunaukio Square which has an open stage where shows and programs are regularly held. On Tuesday afternoons, we can even hear the music of the brass band playing.

My stay here has added more to my travel memories such as having a picnic at the Kirjurinluoto Park and walking by the Kokemäenjoki River, dropping by the Central Pori Church (Keski-Porin kirkko), checking out the Jazz Street during the recently concluded Pori Jazz 43rd Festival, learning about Pori’s history at the Satakunta Museum, enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon at Yyteri Beach and shopping around some of the department stores and shops in the city center.

With niece Az and nephew Rj at the Satakunta Museum

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Who’s in Uganda now? It’s none other than cutie sis’ hubby for work purposes. He will be staying there until first week of August yet, so that means a different work environment for him and… the chance to tour around. :) Anyway he was there last time and was able to visit and see some of the wildlife… so I think it really is an interesting country, yeah? I do hope cutie sis (with baby C) would also be able to join him when he will be assigned to Uganda again.
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One reason for travel is attending trainings, seminars and conferences - from small private meetings to large conferences. For instance, my first travel to Europe was because of a company training. After our classes, my companions and I would tour around the city and shop a bit or visit some tourist attractions. My officemates who were left behind would wish to have their names included in trainings so they can visit other places too. My Mom and brother were also able to visit Goa in India to attend an international business conference.
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This didn’t happen to me but to my parents, cutie sis and her 10-month old baby C. They missed the airport shuttle and consequently their flight from Amsterdam to Prague. Anyway, it all happened because baby C needed to change her diapers (it leaked, ewww!) and as a result they were late. Thankfully there was another airport shuttle just in time and they were accommodated for the next flight. It was such a thrilling and memorable travel experience for them!
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Packing up for travel, sorting out my clothes, accessories, personal effects, toiletries, gifts and stuff can either be a breeze or a tough task depending on my destination and how many days the vacation or affair will be. Of course, my ever reliable HP laptop Pavi is always with me as my handcarry. Coming here in Finland though was a bit of a challenge since I had to bring with me some computer parts as requested by big sis - motherboard, RAM, video card, hard drive, wires, connectors and cables and yes those tiny screws. What I did was to wrap the motherboard, video card and RAM chips in paper and the hard drive in bubble wrap. Then I put them inside my laptop carrying bag with some clothes in between for some shock resistance. ;)
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My body’s circadian rhythm seems to be disrupted. Ugh… a case of ‘jet lag’ as they say when the body clock’s natural patterns (for eating, sleeping, hormone regulation and other functions) are out of sync as one travels to a different time zone. In my case it’s a 5 hours time difference, so it’s quite a lot of getting used to and it proved to be more challenging than I thought especially since I come from the tropics and find myself now in a Nordic country with cold outside temperature even when it’s summer. Brrrr! How I envy those locals wearing their sleeveless shirts and shorts while I wrap myself in sweater under the  sun.
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After spending a week here in Prague, I’ll be off to Finland today to visit my big sis and her family. This time, I won’t be alone to travel since I’ll be with my parents, cutie sis and baby C. My trolley bag is packed already. And yes… I am excited to go on another trip and be in a different place again. Big sis will be meeting us at Helsinki, then we will travel by bus to Pori where they live. My blogging life has been put on hold a bit. I’ve just been busy especially with the travel preparations but I will be posting more updates and photos next time. I’m wishing everyone an exciting week ahead. :)

Over all, my trip from Manila to Prague was just ‘perfect’ and I am thankful for the little things that made it such a breeze.

The night before my flight, I was still busy trying to organize my luggage and bags while chatting with my cutie sis in Prague and finalizing things. With just few hours of sleep, I woke up drowsy and tired, feeling so tense and excited at the same time. After a quick breakfast, securing my techie bro’s condo (tidying up the place and turning off the main power switch) and getting everything ready, my companion and I waited at the lobby for a taxi to pick us up. I was a bit worried that I would be late for the 10:45am flight.
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Hello folks!

No updates from me for few days since I’ve been busy preparing for my Europe trip. I’ll be going to Manila early tomorrow morning, then stay there until my trip to Prague on Saturday. Am I that excited? :) I am thankful to God for making this trip possible especially the granting of my Schengen visa and for providing the financial resources.
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In my previous post, I wrote about some of the usual reasons for travel. But how about going to another place for techie stuff’s sake? My sis’ geeky hubby traveled all the way from Prague to the UK driving his car with a friend just to get these items he purchased online - two Dell servers, minidisc car audio player, minidisc desk player and about 8 hard SCSI drives. LOL, these are yummy items for him! He had the purchased items shipped to his friend in the UK since the seller is also from UK, thus delivery was free. They had to bring a car since the servers were big and heavy.
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These are some of the ‘whys’:

• Holiday, tour or vacation: This is the most common reason for travel bugs, yeah?

• Participate in a meeting, seminar or convention: I’ve recently chatted with an elderly lady while waiting for my turn at the Czech Embassy. She told me she regularly travels to Prague to attend their medical association’s convention which is always hosted in this city. My mom also traveled all the way to Goa in India for a business convention.

• Visit a relative or friend: This would be my reason in going to Prague (and of course to visit some tourist attractions too!).

• Attend reunion: We had a grand family reunion years ago which got us to Boracay! Sigh… I miss the white sand and cool blue waters.

• Attend burial: This is usually an urgent trip and a sad one too.
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It’s been nine months already for happysteps.net and I am happy that this blog has been a venue for my ideas and musings about travel. Though I am not always going on a vacation or tour to some of the world’s famous travel destinations, I consider my trips away from home as something worth sharing in this blog.

Anyway, I am thankful for the nine months that has been and am looking forward to this blog’s first anniversary and the rest of the years to come. As I was musing about this, the idea of changing my blog’s template came up again. Actually it has been on my mind for a long time now. I really wish I could have more time to give my blog a new look or even do some tweaking on the sidebar and add some widgets.
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With a major change in my Prague travel plans (my original flight date was changed to almost one month after), I am a bit sad but nevertheless I’m positive there will be better things coming up. Anyway, travel preparations are still on the way such as changing the insurance validity dates, verifying visa fee and other related matters.
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A friend once told me how travel has been a big motivation for her to increase her savings. “I love to travel. I save (part of my earnings) to travel.” She also told me that one of her reasons for having studied on a scholarship grant in the UK is because of her love for travel. As a well-traveled person, I bet my friend would want to visit other countries if given the chance (plus of course the financial resources). Who wouldn’t?

With my trip to Prague scheduled next month, the more I realized that I needed to increase my savings and cut back on unnecessary spending these days. As my big sis told me, “It’s no fun going on a trip when you lack extra funds and have limited pocket money.” I couldn’t agree more. Travel entails a lot of expenses, and especially if there are unexpected hitches as what happened to me recently having to change my schedule and thus affecting all other requirements and their corresponding costs.
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These days, I’m caught up in a dilemma regarding my travel plans. Due to some misinformation, I applied for a passport renewal at the Iloilo DFA when it shouldn’t be renewed yet since it is still valid within the dates of our upcoming travel. The result was that my visa application will be delayed, and I will be flying alone to Prague on a much later date. huhuhu…
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While having our lunch at a fast-food joint, we saw a child bawling while walking on the aisles. He looked about 5 years old and was looking for his mom. Uh oh. The waiters were trying to pacify him and we suggested that they better go to the mall’s information center to page the mother. This scene is not unusual especially in crowded places. I remember when we were at the Royal Flora festival in Thailand, the children were given bracelets with their names and additional information so they can be easily identified should they get lost.
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It was a spur of the moment decision for Mom and I. Whatever reasons we had in mind, business or vacation or a mix of both, we decided to head on to Baguio from Manila after talking to an old friend who resides there. She instructed me to just take one of the late night bus trips in Cubao and she’ll meet us at the terminal upon arrival. So we slept the night away in the bus and arrived in Baguio early the next day. After finding a room for us and having breakfast, off we went around the city. First we stopped by the Baguio Cathedral and then to Session Road (my favorite area) where many shops, banks, hotels and restaurants are lined up.
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Friday is here again! In contrast to the past months of being always on the go, I’m pretty much content with staying at home for now.

Weekends are my favorite times for getting that much needed rest and doing an audit of my personal goals. With an upcoming major trip just less than a month ahead, it is best to spend my time preparing for the travel requirements and planning in advance.

With our passports expiring this year, cutie sis and I went to the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) office in Iloilo for the renewal. We chose Iloilo since going there from Bacolod takes just about an hour via fast ferries compared to Cebu where another DFA office is located. We took the early morning trip via SeaJet and arrived before 8AM at the DFA. At the pier gates, you can see a line of trisikads (bicycle-driven carriage) asking if you want to go to the DFA. I guess they assume that most of the passengers arriving in Iloilo are going to the DFA. :) For Php10 per person, cutie sis and I rode one and got to our destination within 15 minutes.
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I met a friend in Austria who gave me this treasure of a book:

A Photographic Guide to Prague

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With our trip to Prague scheduled next month, we’re getting ready for a lot of travel requirements – visa, insurance, passport and all. Not that I am getting excited but I also told my cutie sis yesterday that we have to plan out our trip itinerary by now to make the most of our stay. It won’t be that difficult since we have a very able guide! *winks*
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Whenever I’m on a trip, I tend to observe things I find interesting – from building designs, roadside vegetation to the current fashion worn in the streets (especially the accessories) or food displayed in stalls - particularly if the place is new to me. While they merit being captured by a camera, I am usually not keen on taking some shots. Maybe I am more content with just committing what I see to my memory bank, huh? Anyway, with more trips set out for me this year, I promise to myself that I would be more attentive in taking pictures. And why not? I enjoy watching photos taken from my travels. The nice thing about digital cameras is that you can take as much pictures as you can without worrying about wasting film. Ahhh… the wonders of technology, yeah?
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Continued from The Punta Bulata experience: Sky, sea and sand

“There are times when we experience great achievements and inspiring moments just before being beset with misery or pain. Like the sunset, our life’s glorious moments strengthen us to what lies ahead. We know the darkness won’t last long, and we will always have another beautiful sunset to look forward to.”
The Irony of Sunsets by ideasnpink

I’m always fascinated with sunsets when the sky plays a blend of different hues in varying shades as the day ends. How often do we take for granted this natural yet stunning phenomenon which happens daily, but there at Punta Bulata beach resort, away from my hectic schedule and piled up tasks, I have witnessed again the different colors of the sky at dusk.

It was like seeing the sky being painted in colors that change as the minutes passed - from light yellow to brownish orange to deep red - until darkness shrouded the earth.

Sunsets have their way of telling me not to dwell so much on life’s miseries but to look forward to the many possibilities that lie ahead.

Finally I bought myself a ticket to one of my dream destinations in a continent far far away. It’s a place of charming architecture, cool and subdued dreamy-like ambiance. Soon I will be eagerly stepping on its ground, ready to explore its many attractions.

Aha…where in the world could this be? Oh well, I’d rather keep it a secret for now. *winks*

Photo credits: rainydazeee.com

It’s simply fascinating to gaze up at a tall building or structure, just like seeing a high mountain from below. One can feel a sense of achievement after conquering its height by climbing up and finally standing on its peak. With high buildings such as the CN Tower in Toronto, a trip in the elevator is all it takes.
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With our recent trip from Manila, Mom and I brought along with us some fragile items – few small appliances and a big-sized hot and cold water dispenser which she won in a raffle draw at the recent SM Sucat 3-day sale. Good thing, the guys at the condo helped us with packing up the appliance items properly in a box. At the Cebu Pacific check-in counter, we informed the staff that there were fragile items inside so it would be properly labeled. I’m glad they were not damaged during the flight and arrived here safe and sound.
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Ever since I’ve started this blog on my own domain, I’ve spent considerable amount of time browsing over the net for a Wordpress theme that would fit the concept of my blog. So far, this template is great, though it would be tempting sometimes when I go through some websites offering free WordPress themes and there I go, thinking if I would have a new template again or not.
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I was sorting out my old files when a dusty computer printout took my attention. It was a hardcopy of an email from my professor in Leeds. Aside from the techie stuff, he also gave a bit of an idea about how his family was doing and a little info about the place where he is. Every time he replies to some of my technical queries (he was my adviser on my research study), I would always imagine him to be doing lectures and getting busy with teaching. Having an email from faraway Leeds in the UK made me wish that time that I could travel someday to my professor’s place.
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Happysteps.net is almost 7 months now. I can just remember when I first thought of having a travel blog and thinking of a domain name that suggests fun and adventure. Thanks to Techxplore for helping out in the techie stuff such as domain registration, installing WordPress and changing the blog theme.

Being a newbie in the blogosphere is a challenge, and when it comes to having your own domain, it’s best to consult the experts and do some research such as reading some web hosting faq where you gain more ideas and learn more about web hosting basics on topics such as domain registration, bandwidth, disk space, site maintenance, and more. It also helps to hop on to other blogs and hearing from what others had to say. Truly, knowledge becomes more useful when shared with others.

A summer evening; I walk past the window,
Baby’s crying; someone’s cooking dinner;
There’s laughter on the TV
Someone’s learning the violin.
How at home, it heals
At times like this, I feel that…
I would like to live like anybody else
In one place
And I could be happy and fulfilled
In one place…

One Place
Everything But The Girl

There are lots of songs about home and ‘One Place’ is one of my favorites from EBTG (Everything But The Girl). It has a cool beat and wistful melody and the pensive lyrics are so apt for those who travel a lot and missing their homes while on the road.

While I always appreciate the different sights and experiences when going to other places, these trips also make me value more the place where I come from, and that’s home.