Completed Harvard's Principles of Biochemistry Course

 

I wanted to be productive during the quarantine so I took this Biochemistry class on EdX by Harvard. Clearly, I didn't know what I was signing up for! I spent 4-6 hours a week, watched over 90 video lectures ranging from 8 to 20 minutes each, and took multiple session and unit assessments. It was definitely much work! I go to the office Mondays to Saturdays so I don't have a lot of free time, but I'm glad that I finished it! It feels so fulfilling knowing that I worked hard for it.

Boracay 2020

This is the first time I visited Boracay after the six-month long rehabilitation, and boy, was it amazing! The beach was perfectly clean, no trace of trash anywhere. There's a security personnel stationed every few meters that made me feel absolutely safe to walk at night. And the annoying salespersons who keep pestering you to avail their beach activities? They're gone! They were replaced with licensed ones who are compliant with regulations.

The reason why I came to Boracay in the first place was because Ryan and I was invited to a wedding at The Lind. The wedding was beautiful—nice and intimate, just with close friends and family. We spent four days in Boracay and felt that they weren't enough!  

Japan 2019: Osaka + Kobe

And here we are on the last leg of my Kyoto-Osaka trip! I'm a bit tired writing at this point lol (this is my fourth post today), so I'm just going to list what we did on the last leg of our trip:

- ate ramen at Ichiran

- went to Osaka Castle and rode the Osaka-jo Gozabune boat

- went up the Umeda Sky Building

- had fluffy french toast at Hoshino Coffee

-had yummy unlimited sushi at this random place in Dotonbori 

- took pictures with the Glico man and shopped at Don Quixote

- ate Kobe beef (AMAZING!!- worth a trip to Kobe)

-had lots and lots of Gyudon

- was treated steak because it was my friend's birthday

Now that I think about it, it seemed like we did nothing but eat, eat, and eat! Haha. Until next time!

Japan 2019: Universal Studios

My favorite part in every vacation—a visit to a theme park! I'm still a kid at heart and I love love love going to theme parks. This is quite funny but my theme park tradition is ordering a turkey leg for snack. Every time I go to theme parks, I always have to have a turkey leg. It makes my visit complete. Lol.

In USJ, I especially loved the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I am a Harry Potter fan and I've read all the books immediately after they were published. This place is truly memorable because it was where I got my very first taste of butterbeer! And to add to that, we were lucky that we went on this trip in October, since Halloween was approaching, the park was horror-themed! There were horror houses, and at nighttime, the park staff dressed up as monsters or zombies and they roamed around the park to try and scare you! HARRY POTTER + BUTTER BEER + HORROR HOUSES + TURKEY LEG = HAPPINESS!!

Japan 2019: Himeji Castle

We headed to Himeji Castle on our second day in Kyoto... which was a wrong decision because we would be passing by Osaka on our way there! We stayed during the first half of our trip in Kyoto and the second half in Osaka. Traveling back and forth is so fast and easy so it would've been better if we stayed in Osaka the entire duration of our trip—we could've avoided the hassle of transporting our luggage! 

Himeji Castle was amazing! From the train station, we rented bikes and biked around the castle complex. It was so cool because we got to enter the castle to see the rooms up close. Would you believe that this castle was built more than six centuries ago?

When we felt we have spent enough time at Himeji Castle, we took the train back to Kyoto for a quick visit at Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Unfortunately, when we got there, it was already closed! Disappointed at our poor time management, we just went to the mall where we met up with a Japanese friend, and ordered katsu for dinner!

Japan 2019: Kyoto

It has been a looooong time since I last visited Japan—nine years ago, to be exact. Oh but I did go to Okinawa last year as it was a stopover in a cruise, but that doesn't count lol. Anyway, for my annual trip with my high school friends, we decided on Japan!

We visited Kyoto and Osaka, and I was the only one in group who would be visiting these cities for the first time (I visited only Tokyo before)! We went to Fushimi Inari shrine, and joined a walking tour in Kyoto on our first day, where we explored both Gion (where geisha houses are located) and Higashiyama districts. We decided not to finish the tour because some of my friends were tired from all the walking, so instead of making multiple stops had we continued the tour, we headed directly to Kiyomizudera Temple. We didn't enter though because the building was under construction. Sad, it could've looked so beautiful. We ended our tiring first day with an unlimited yakiniku dinner. Yay!

The next day, we headed to the majestic Himeji Castle! But more on that on my next post.

On the third day, we got up early to have a quick look at Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion). It was a remarkable sight! The place looked so peaceful and relaxing, and the entire walk around the property took only around 20 minutes. After that, we were supposed to meet up with the rest of the group at Nishiki Market but we took the wrong bus and got lost on the way! Lol. It took us a long time but we eventually got there. After grabbing some food at the market, we checked out from the hotel and took the train to Osaka.  

Thailand 2019: Bangkok City Center

The rest of my trip to Bangkok was spent on eating Thai food (pad thai and mango sticky rice, yum!), getting massages, and visiting markets (Chatuchak) and shopping malls (Icon Siam). 

One unique thing we did was try Dialogue in the Dark. It's a one-hour experience where you would be navigating and exploring different places in the dark to give you a glimpe of how it would be like to live without the sense of sight. You would also be given a cane and a blind tour guide to accompany you. At first, it was very difficult to move in the dark since I couldn't see at all--even if you open your eyes, you would only see darkness--but after a while, it somehow became easier. The blind lady who accompanied us was very patient, and even with her disability, she was able to navigate pretty well. After this experience, I got a newfound appreciation for my eyes and realized that I'm blessed to be able to see the things around me. I highly recommend this experience to anyone who's open to try new things!

That's it for my Bangkok trip! Will be posting my Japan trip next!

Thailand 2019: Ayutthaya

Since my first visit to Bangkok last 2018, I have been wanting to visit Ayutthaya because of its historical significance. I booked a day tour and visited Wat Phutthaisawan, Luang Pu Thuat Market (where we had lunch), Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Mahathat, and Wat Phra Ngarm. Most of these sites have Buddha structures, with the one on the tree at Wat Ratchaburana the most popular. We spent an entire day in Ayutthaya, and when we got back in Bangkok, we had a relaxing massage! 

Thailand 2019: Cooking Class

This is the third time I signed up for a cooking class during my travels. The first one was in Ho Chi Minh, the second one was in Bali, and the third one's here in Bangkok! I noticed that I'm slowly enjoying preparing food in the kitchen! 

On my first day in Bangkok, I booked a class at Silom Thai Cooking School. The preparation area was very nice and clean, and the chef very friendly and approachable. I found the class a bit fast paced though—while I was still slicing and chopping the ingredients, the chef was already explaining the next steps! It was perfectly okay though as I was able to catch up easily. The class had to be fast paced because we had to prepare five dishes under three hours! Not an easy feat for a beginner like me! When the session was over, I felt so proud of myself to have prepared these yummy dishes! The dishes I made were: Tom Yum Soup, Pad Thai, Green Curry Chicken, Red Curry Chicken, and Dessert Rubies in Coconut Milk.

Bucket List

Traveling has always been one of my greatest passions. I enjoy discovering new places, and immersing myself in different cultures. And the more I travel, the more I want to see the rest of the world. 

Experiences matter a lot to me, which is why I'm more willing to spend my money on funding my trips, than on material things. This is also the reason I decided to keep this blog. I suck at writing but I wanted to remember everything about my travels as much as I can. I've been to quite a lot of places but my feet are still itching to explore what else the world has to offer. Here, I listed the top things I want to do and I hope I get to do all of them in my lifetime!

27th

I usually don't give a big fuss about my birthday. Every year, there are no parties, no celebrations, nothing-- just a simple dinner with the family. I treat it just like any other day. I mean, what's so special about it anyway? Everybody gives you extra attention, which does nothing except make me feel awkward.  

This year, however, was different. 

I realized that my birthday is an opportunity to celebrate the blessings I received through the years. It's a brilliant excuse to gather all the people I love in one place and to enjoy each other's company. Although my parents were away on a trip, and it was just me and my brother at home, I still felt complete and very much loved. On the eve of my birthday, I celebrated with my close friends at Tacoway, and the following day, there was a simple celebration in the office. There were a lot of surprises that I didn't expect, especially from people who took the extra mile to make me feel special. I've never felt more loved. Of course, the day didn't end without me thanking the Lord for everything He has given me, as I do everyday. 

See? Celebrating my birthday isn't so bad after all. In fact, it was awesome! Next year, please come sooner!

La Union 2019: Day 2

We woke up bright and early the next day, excited for brunch at Choka (this was mostly just me, lol). We had a wonderful view of the sea while enjoying the dishes we ordered, which was my primary consideration when I chose this place. And have I mentioned that it was insanely hot in La Union? We couldn't bear the heat that we desperately looked for a place with air conditioning. There was only one place we could think of-- Coffee Project. When we arrived, the place was full! We had to wait for around 30 minutes before we got to be seated. Unfortunately for us, it was still scorching hot even with the air conditioning on!

The entire afternoon, we just lounged in our hotel and swam a little. And for dinner, we had ribs at Mommy Lu's-- the best ribs I've tried in my life! The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce was amazing. Really, our experience would've been awesome if not for the smell of a dead rat that lingered during our meal. Lol. Still, the ribs at Mommy Lu's are the best! We then had a few cocktails at Surf Shack before calling it a night. Note to self: order a pitcher of Pink Eye next time!    

On our last day, we decided to stop by Baguio on our way back to Manila. We had a nice, sumptuous lunch at Hill Station, and ordered some hot chocolate at Chocolate de Batirol so we have something to drink during the long drive back. When we checked Waze, we were surprised to see that it would take us over 6 hours to get to Manila when it was supposed to be only 3 hours! Apparently, Kennon road was closed so we had to drive all the way back to La Union and take an alternative route to get to Manila. Lol. The trip was short but sweet. And I'm glad to spend time with these people who I've known for more than two decades.

I'm traveling to Japan with the same group of friends this September, so stay tuned!

La Union 2019: Day 1

Summer was the perfect time to go on a beach holiday, and I went with none other than my high school friends! Compared to our other trips, this one was not planned in advance. In fact, we only decided that we were going to La Union less than a month before we leave. Lol. On the day itself, I took a 12-hour land trip from my hometown (Legazpi) to Manila, and spent another 5 hours from Manila to La Union. Whew! 

We were starving when we arrived in La Union so we stopped by Grumpy Joe's for lunch. We didn't know that their serving size was enormous so we ended up ordering too much. Lol. For dessert, we drove to Halo-halo de Iloko for some (yes, you guessed it!) halo-halo. The queue outside the restaurant was very long so we just decided to have the halo-halo to go, and ended up eating them in the car. We were tired from the long drive, so we checked in at our hotel and rested a bit. Just before sunset, we went to the beach at San Juan for some surfing. Unfortunately, the waves were too small-- we decided it wasn't worth it. We walked around the beach to pass the time, and had an early dinner at Baybay Seafood. Our seafood boodle dinner was amazing, and very affordable! I'm not a fan of boodle fights, but this one was one-of-a-kind. The seafood was so fresh and the sauce tasted great. Naturally, I ate a ton! We ended the night early but still managed to squeeze in a bonding session in our room before going to bed.

Australia 2019: Sydney CBD

My aunt offered to take us around the city on our second day. She taught us how the transportation system works, and which trains or buses to take to get around the city. We visited the Sydney Opera House, and the Harbor Bridge, and strolled along the streets of The Rocks. Thankfully, there weren't a lot of tourists walking around, probably because it had been raining on and off. After walking for some time, we stopped to eat lunch at this pub called The Glenmore, and also to rest our feet. We then took a train to Parramatta and spent the rest of the day souvenir and grocery shopping.

Cebu 2019

I had an amazing weekend in Cebu last March that I couldn't wait to write all about it! I attended two weddings, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday. It was such a big coincidence that the two out-of-town weddings I had to attend happened to be on the same weekend!

Upon arriving at the airport, I met up with my sister, who was currently studying in Cebu that time. We had a yummy dinner consisting of roti, curry, and char kway teow at OSG, and I stayed at her place for the night. The next day, I took a Grab to Shangri-la Mactan, where I would be staying for the next three days. This was also where the dinner reception of the first wedding was held. I had an enjoyable time at the resort, the staff were super nice, and they even gave us a bottle of wine, and fruits upon check in!

A day after the wedding, I had to rush to Cebu City for the second wedding. This time, it was at the Grand Convention Center. Right below the venue, on the ground floor, was Seafood City, the restaurant I've been dying to try in Cebu. You had to get a cart, "shop" for the seafoods, and choose how you'd like them to be cooked. We had our lunch there the next day, right before going to the airport to catch our flight back to Legazpi.

US 2019: Orange County

On my last day in the States, I took my time packing my things, and getting ready. I even got to squeeze in some episodes of The Blacklist. My uncle had to go to work so he couldn't show me around the city during the day. To pass the time, I walked to Target and grabbed some stuff for my family back home. After work, my uncle picked me up and we had dinner at the newly opened branch of Porto's at Buena Park, then drove to Anaheim for a quick stroll at Downtown Disney. While walking around, I saw this place called The Void, and they currently offer Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire (according to their website, they also have a Ghostbusters themed one). I read about it when I was in LA. Basically, It's a fully immersive VR experience-- you can see, feel, and smell things. We were given a mission, and we had to complete it by disguising as Storm Troopers. It felt so real, like I was in the Star Wars universe! Seriously, after the experience, I could not stop talking about it. It was truly the perfect way to end my US trip!

I feel like I was able to do so many things and visit so many places in just two weeks. To sum it up, my trip started in Las Vegas, then we went to Page, Arizona, then LA, then I flew to San Francisco, then flew back to LA, then drove to San Diego, and last stop was Orange County.

US 2019: San Diego

LA used to be one of my favorite places in the world because of its laid back vibe and very open culture, but I think I'm now leaning towards San Diego. San Diego has the same feel as that of LA, but it looks better aesthetically and is far less crowded. I'm not into surfing but I heard that San Diego also has better surfing spots. 

From Mission Viejo in Orange County, we drove to San Diego for a change of scenery. We first visited the USS Midway Museum. The USS Midway was an aircraft carrier of the US Navy, but is now decommissioned and was turned into a museum. Then, we went to Mostra Coffee, a coffee shop owned by some of my relatives. I ordered creme brulee latte, which was amazing! Then, we had dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill. It always feels nice to reconnect with family!

US 2019: Laguna Beach

After flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles, I took a Lyft to Mission Viejo where I'll be staying the next few days. On my first night here, we ate at The Cliff in Laguna Beach. Aside from offering a great view of the ocean, they serve the best calamari! I would love to come back here during daytime—I'm sure the view would be just as great, or even better.

US 2019: San Francisco Day 3

It's my last day in San Francisco and the only free day I have to visit tourist attractions. In my previous trip to the US almost four years ago, I visited Lombard St., Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Sausalito, Monterey Bay, and Napa Valley. So this time, I wanted to see Alcatraz, Palace of Fine Arts, and Mission District. We had an authentic Italian lunch at Little Italy and had drinks at a rooftop bar called El Techo. The guacamole cheese dip that came with the nachos at El Techo were unbelievably good! And so is their Paloma cocktail. My cousin also brought me to The View, a bar at the top floor of the Mariott Marquis building, which offers a panoramic view of the city.

Since we were already spending so much (food in San Francisco is crazy expensive!), we decided to have a simple kebab dinner. I was obsessed with strawberry crepe I had yesterday, so I ordered another one during my last night here. Lol.

US 2019: San Francisco Day 2

I was looking forward to this day because I signed up for an information session and a class visit at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. I took the Caltrain to Palo Alto station and a Margueritte Shuttle and got off right in front of Stanford GSB. I haven't had breakfast yet because I didn't want to be late. Since the train and the shuttle ride was on time and efficient, I had an hour to enjoy my breakfast. I ordered an egg burrito with bacon and cheese at Arbuckle Dining Pavilion. 

After the info session, there was a short campus tour where current MBA students showed us around the GSB campus. Then, I attended a class about Pricing to have a glimpse on how the classes are like. When all these were done, I met up with my friend Lance who showed me around the entire university. Time flew by so quickly! When it was time to go, I took the Caltrain back to Downtown San Francisco. We ate at a sushi bar called Nara for dinner, and had crepes for dessert.