My #Wonderful World

In a world filled with so much negativity and bad news lately, it's so easy to feel depressed and discouraged, like there isn't anything good to look forward to anymore. The beauty of life though is that, as long as you wake up to a new day, the bad things and the bad days are as good as gone. Bad things and bad thoughts only continue to come if you let them, but if you let good thoughts come in, you'll find that there can be soooo much more to be thankful and happy about. It may be hard to look for the good in a thing especially when you feel bad, but try! In fact, why don't you just have a go-to list of things that will instantly give you good vibes? A list that no matter what funk you're in will make you realize how good and blessed you are. I'm doing just that so here are a few things that make my world #Wonderful.

1. Davao City

Davao City is my hometown. I grew up here and lived here my whole life. When I was away for college, I always kept looking for it (and looking forward to visits back home) until eventually, I decided to finish my studies here. Davao's official slogan is "Life is here", and indeed it is. The mountains and the seas are about a half hour drive away if you want to escape. There is an amazing mix of greens and concrete, manufacturing plants and normal (living) plants and the bustle of city life and the peace of a provincial life. Davao has a low cost, high standard of living. Both food and water are fresh, abundant and cheap. People feel secure and can walk the streets at night with no qualms. Taxi drivers are honest. Policemen are visible and actually do their jobs by enforcing the numerous ordinances. I can think of more to write but I haven't got all day.

With all these in mind, how can you not feel wonderful just thinking about living in a city like this? Plus, my family and friends are also here. I don't think it could get any more wonderful than that! :)

2. Books

I've loved books ever since my mom introduced me to them when I was a baby. In fact, I loved them so much I learned how to read at 3! When I entered school, I devoured my school books. I read them ahead of time, even when we weren't required to. In my free time, I discovered pocket books in the library and read those as well. My dad had a friend who owned a used book shop and I remember during the summer, we'd borrow books from him. I'd get about 10 at a time and finish them in 3 days! I listed down all the books I've read over the summer and my record said I finished about 150 books in one summer.

I'm not able to read as much now as I used to but it doesn't mean my love for books has waned. I just love books. I love the old world romance of the printed word. I love the smell of new ones and I love thinking about what the owners were like when I get old ones. I love how you can learn so much from it. I love how it transports you to different perspectives, situations and places, especially when you're on a budget! :)



3. Travelling

I fell in love with travelling on my first trip abroad in 2012. We went to Hong Kong and it was a wonderful experience for me. I will never forget the time my family and I were at the airport lining up for immigration, and kahit dun pa lang, I saw so many different nationalities which made me realize how big and diverse this whole world is. Sobrang probinsyana (small town girl) kasi eh. :)

Prior to that, I've been to other places within the Philippines but that trip changed the way I look at new places forever. I got bitten by the travelling bug and I don't want to heal. Since I'm still a student, I've been looking for ways I can get to see places while only spending a few. If I can get it for free, then why not? Other than Hong Kong, the other place I've been to is Japan so far, for the JENESYS program. It's been a year ago but until now--and unless I look at the photos--I can't get my head around the fact that I've been to Japan.

The thought of travelling is one of my driving forces and motivation to work hard and save up when I get a job. I still have a loooot of places I've only seen in books and photos that I want to go to. My toes are itching for my next trip (it would be so timely since I'll be graduating next year!) and I hope it would be somewhere (near the) Down Under perhaps? ;)

Philippine Airlines flies to Auckland, New Zealand starting December 2015. Book now at www.philippineairlines.com]