Half-Year in Malaysia: Six Things I Learned About Love and Life

The past six months are probably the most identity-changing phase in my life. I moved to a new country away from my loved ones and away from the culture I am familiar with and then, the only person that was giving me the courage to move forward in my new endeavor decided to abandon me in the worst way possible. My best drinking buddies are miles away, alcohol is expensive and there are no good beaches near Kuala Lumpur.

I have always thought that I knew a lot of things about love and that I am mature enough when it comes to matters of the heart but this past half-year made me realize things that changed my deep-rooted beliefs. 

I perceived myself as strong and independent but as it turns out, it was just a facade. I have been through a lot since I was a kid and I never expected that a broken heart in a foreign country will bring me down, but it did.  One night I found myself wanting to end everything because nothing makes sense anymore and the pain I felt was just too much. 

But here I am, still alive and still able to write this entry in this blog.

Cameron Highlands: On Reaching Peaks and Hitting Rock Bottom

Tea plantations as far as the eye can see, cool mountain breeze, mossy forests, multitude of land rovers, fresh and sweet strawberries. These are not the things that Cameron Highlands remind me of.

Backpacking Langkawi: 10 Things To Do

Only having 3 days to spend in Langkawi, it is expected that our stay will be filled with different activities but all our plans changed after we checked in at Pantai Cenang (Cenang Beach). Maybe it is due to aging or lack of budget, we decided to drop most of our activities for an afternoon stroll at the beach and evening food comma trip at Pantai Cenang road. 

Backpacking Langkawi: 3 Days Itinerary and Expenses

Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah is an archipelago of 99 islands (an extra 5 temporary islands are revealed at low tide) in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. 

Malaysia: A Month in Review

Tomorrow, Malaysia and I will celebrate our monthsary. The past 30 days are brimming with new experiences but just like any other relationship, we've been through a few rough times.

The Next Big Adventure

"This could be the last solo travel that I will embark in a while." - Paulakwatsera in Cebu, December 2014

Destiny always finds a way to prove me wrong. 

Just when I declared that I will not be traveling alone anytime soon, here comes the greatest solo journey of my life. 

March 20th, what should have been the International Day of Happiness is the day I left my loved ones to work and live in a new country for a few years.

Cebu: The Last Lone Adventure

In a Sukhasana, I face the sunset of Moalboal. Had I done this two years ago, it would have brought me tranquility but I am now a different story.

Cebu: Canyoneering Moalboal

Cebu is my home break in traveling. This is the first inter-island destination I've been to when I was in my tweens but as an adult, I have never been able to return to this place.

If I am going to describe Cebu in one word before this trip it would be elusive. In my previous work, I was never assigned to Cebu even if it is one of the most common destination. November of 2013, I already booked my flight to visit the Queen City of the South but Typhoon Yolanda happened and the trip had to be cancelled. So this year I thought that Cebu would be a great destination in celebration of my birthday solo travel tradition. 

As I mentioned, Cebu is a very popular destination so I thought of something less touristy to do for my week long vacation in this island. The scarcity of a travel guide available about canyoneering in Cebu tells me that it is something I ought to experience. 

Aside from being overshadowed by swimming with the whale sharks as the top activity in Southern Cebu, the hefty price of this activity is probably what makes it less popular to local tourists or so I thought.

Where Do Broken Hearts Go

It is a place where free spirits and wandering souls take refuge, like hers that once found itself in its shores almost a year ago. Wandering and free, a state she should've preserved she thought. But this dopamine-inducing utopia found its way to her mind and eventually her heart and she found herself willingly caught in its zealous trance.

She doesn't know what happened. A couple of months back she was happy and full of love, then one bad decision led to the next and here she is now, ruptured in the in-between.

Broken hearts, shattered dreams, fragmented idealism. A mess beyond repair. 

A Different Road

What do you do when the bug bite wears off?

In as much as I would like to quit my job and travel on a shoestring, I know deep inside my gut that it will not make me happy. Sure it would be nice to be able to update my Facebook timeline and Instagram feed ever so often with a new destination that I just ticked off my bucket list but deep inside, my heart is yearning for something more.