Not Your Average 14 Year-old

2014 started with my first trip to Dubai. I had full six days to admire the city and appreciate its magical appeal. It was like Disney's Aladdin, my favorite cartoon of all time came to life right before my very eyes. It was a city with the most audacious projects in terms of infrastructure. Each and every turn you'll see something majestic and grand. They have the Burj Al Arab (World's tallest all-suite hotel), Burj Khalifa (World's tallest tower) and Dubai Mall (World's biggest mall) just to name a few. 

My personal favorite was this view of the Atlantis Resort in Palm Jumeirah. 

And as they say, all good things come to an end.

Coming home little did I know, another twist of fate is about to happen. From a very euphoric state to extreme despair. A very heart broken me. It was a problematic time, I was not performing well, I was not getting along with people and I was not myself. This continued on for several months and I can't figure out what went wrong. I don't like what I'm doing, I don't like what I'm getting and simply don't like to do anything. It seemed like everything that I'm trying to accomplish was failing every single time. I was on the brink of giving up.

Until one afternoon, I was spending time with my 14 year-old niece in her bedroom. She showed me a photo of a grafitti she saw near her school and it says "I love you (my niece's full name)". So asked her what if the person who wrote that was not her type, how would she react. She told me with her exact words "Ok lang yun tita at least may nagka-crush saken" (That's ok at least there's someone out there who likes me). "Be thankful for what you have" she even added.

This girl never fails to amaze me. I then realized I must stop complaining and start moving forward. Stop dwelling in the past and appreciate whatever or whoever is around you even if you may have wanted something else. There is always a reason why some things in our life stay and some go, most of the time you don't fully understand why but sooner or later you'll definitely know, you'll definitely grow.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"- Dr. Seus

CROCO-BOTS

Let’s roll!

I was out for a long, almost 5 days get-away in the beautiful island of Palawan where love of nature grows in you as days pass by. We visited the best tourist spots the place has to offer which includes Honda bay, crocodile farm, baker’s hill and the famous underground river. It is my second time to be there but it sure feels like the first.

In transit to crocodile farm, our tourist guide was psyching up the crowd by telling exciting stories about crocodile farm; what we must see and what to expect. He also mentioned that there are really a lot of crocodiles in Palawan just like in Manila (referring to the corrupt city officials). We all laughed and agreed that there is some truth to what he said. Thinking about it, I came to a conclusion that in reality, no matter where you are in the world there would be some people who are greedy; whether for money or for power. But the bigger question is will you become one of them?

As Gandhi would put it, “be the change you want to see in the world.” In my 5 days stay in Palawan, I have seen that most people living there dare to be the change! Their system is quite impressive when it comes to tourism. Everything is centralized. The rates are standardized. So that, everyone gets a fair chance to make a decent living thru tourism. They have transformed their local tourism into an experience worthy being called “world-class!”

I saw and felt their culture of sharing thru their actions. Our guide even shared his tip from us to the driver even if we directly handed him the money. These few small gestures speak volumes of what the people of Palawan are made of. They are “croco-bots” upholding truth in all their endeavors.

Every day we must all strive to transform to be a better version of ourselves. And I’ve seen this work in them. Through this, it is my hope that we can make our country better; one city, one province or one person at a time. I encourage you to take the path towards a better you.

“Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.”- Optimus Prime