Because I can't stay within the 140-character limi See, I can't even complete this sentence.

A trite and sappy saying, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” reverberates in my head every time I remember last year. Unfortunately, I hear it as a voiceover for one of John Lloyd Cruz’ Star Cinema movie so it sounds more dramatic and tacky that it should. Nonetheless, maybe the fact that I turned 30, or have gotten sick of waiting around that I decided to just do it (now I sound like a Nike ad). 

A year of firsts, I must say. Never thought I would ride a propeller plane but I did. Even though I did not sleep the night before due to anxiety, it was pretty spectacular riding over the plains of Luzon and stopping over Vigan for lunch.

I finally took the plunge with my tattoo. I’ve always told myself that once I decided on a design, I have to sit on it for at least 6 months before I actually stamp it permanently on my body. I’ve tried everything - water sign, phoenix, feather, my initials - nothing panned out. Then I remembered that I’ve always loved drawing flowers because they’re so feminine and delicate. And in commemoration of my mom who loved red roses, I got down to business, LA Ink style. Yup, complete with the tearjerker background story. 

Nothing topped my travel for 2012. Considering that my travel took a sabbatical during the last decade, I more than made up for it last year with nine countries in my list. And best of all, I’ve finally gotten out of Asia and hit Europe with my best friends. Nothing like getting drunk with three bottles of wine on a Barcelona beach, partying with protesters in Sevilla or getting harassed by random teenagers at The Hague. 

But really, decide you’ll do it and everything will follow. Plan and it will happen. Forget restrictions, don’t analyze and just do. Everything time you put up a barrier or think of a reason why it can’t happen, then it won’t. If you automatically shut down or question an idea, then it will not happen. You have to remember thoughts and plans are in your head - there is no physical investment involve so you can go as wild as you want and taper it down over time. Anyway, at the end of the day, if the plan doesn’t pan out at all, then that’s when you put it down for a later time. But don’t cut the process - just because the first hurdle shows up doesn’t mean it will not happen in the end.

And this is what amazes me most of all - no matter how impossible it seems, as long as you want it enough, it will happen. No, I’m not spewing The Secret. But for some reason, no matter how impossible it seems in the beginning, the universe never fails to deliver. 

Living last year has been phenomenal. I say it with full gratitude of my heart and thank the Lord, my family and everyone around me for it. But most of all, I thank myself. Yes, humility is not my strongest quality but it has been my decision to take the necessary steps that allowed me open myself up to a whirlwind of experience. 

Toast to you 2012 - for the lessons, laughter and love.

I’m catching up with Covert Affairs and I just saw Sagrada de Familia, Parc Guell, Jardin du Luxembourg and Sacre Coeur Steps all over again.

I love the giddy feeling I get when the places I’ve been to gets featured in a TV show or film. Pointing out in my head the names of the places and feeling like a kid again. It transports me back.

Turning 30 didn’t really affect me as much as I thought it would, save for getting a tattoo, flying off to Europe, etc. You know, the usual. But every now and then, a realization stuns me to a point of paralysis. What is it? Some of my moms friends turned 30 when we were in Indonesia. And safe to say, as housewives of expats with kids, they are far, far, far different from where I am right now.

The horrors. What a generation makes.

No wonder Stanley Ho is worth billions. 

Array of fancy lights jutting out of the Casino buildings, constant dings from multiple slot machines and non-stop chatter of people as they hover over the velvet tables, hoping their luck would change of the night. Sin City of Asia, as they called it, will have you gaping at the sheer number of extravagance this piece of island has to offer. It could get mesmerizing, as people willingly fork over their cash, whether for a pile of chips or ridiculously-priced boutiques spread all over the city (or in our case, the mall). In the middle of the day. 

Ironic, really, considering this tiny island colony was once occupied by the Portuguese, whose influence is marked from the time you land. True, it is a modern, contemporary glass and steel building but it’s adorable to see Portuguese words alongside Chinese characters. But the true evidence of this heritage are found in downtown Macau. Quaint rows of preserved buildings serve as the structure for the shops and the go-to shopping destination (Senado Square). As you walk through the pebble stone sidewalks, block, after block, it reminds you of an old-world charm that almost makes you forget that another one of Ho’s structure stands looming in the corner. 

“Once a year, go to a place you’ve never been to.”

This quote greeted me as my Facebook feed popped up earlier today. I say AMEN. Our spirit of adventure and curiosity should spread beyond the aluminum encased gadgets we click away our lives to every day. Be bold, seek new things. Make travel budgets part of your savings, like how you set aside funds for rent and food. It will be worth it. 

Every now and then, I get this overwhelming feeling to clean and organize. Mostly files that has been set aside because of the lack of effort to put it in its proper place. I tend to start in my dad’s bedroom, where all our personal and important documents are located. Over the years, I’ve never added to that pile, save for the occasional appliance manual or registration receipt. But in the past 5 years that I’ve been cleaning it, it never fails to amaze me how much junk I manage to throw out. This time around, it’s a box full of trash. My mom used to maintain these papers and as a natural born obsessive-compulsive, she keeps EVERY SINGLE RECORD. Before, there were deposit slips dating back to our days in Jakarta (ABN AMRO, I see you). This time, I saw the ones that were from the 70s! Ancient is an understatement. 

Interesting finds of the day. 

1. Mom’s ID from the 70s.

2. Dad’s resignation letter from Nestle dating 1991.

3. Old letter from my lolas and my lola. Loved the one from my Lola Ana (dad’s mom) in the early 90s. Everyone makes fun of her and her self-pity. She said in the letter “please buy me a necklace because I am old, and we don’t know where God will take me soon.” That was 20 years ago. To this date, she still uses the same line. 

4. This one is a winner. Love letters from my dads old girlfriend during his teenage years - as in 1968. It was cheesy, complete with song lyrics. Good Lord. I keep on saying “Seriously???” in my head. Why did my mom keep it? I don’t know. Maybe to laugh when she’s bored. 

I did note how eloquent they were with English back then. To think they grew up in some barrio in the province, not in an exclusive school in Manila. 

5. Best find of the day. Old drawings and craft letter projects addressed to my parents. I think I was about 4-5 (I’m not going to admit I was any older, because I spelt Valentines as Valentmes :-D) and my mom still kept it. It was really touching and was teary eyed as I went through it. 

So, thats my day. How was yours? 

This 40-ish guy asked me about my gas consumption vs mileage in the casa earlier. I said I didn’t know and he said I should check the gauge in my dashboard cos it’s supposed to automatically detect it at any given time.

I said I didn’t know how to use it and he looked at me like I was stupid and said I should read the manual. 

I said I don’t even know how to fold the back seats. He said the manual would tell me that too. 

I said I would just get the mechanic to teach me. Then he shook his head. 

Then he said, “So, you just drive it huh, not knowing how to do things.”

My reply, “Um. Yeah.”

PS I’m not that dumb, apparently. His Montero is equipped with that detector device because he bought a high-end 3.2 Model. Ours is only the 2.5 Manual. So, there. 

THAT was certainly not in the manual.