Tokyo Rush

Whew! Three years had gone by since my last post. 

I've always loved jotting down my thoughts, my experiences, my new experiences. But life has taken over that I didn't have time to actually sit down and organize anything. 

One of the things I love to do is travel. It is a shared love with my husband and five year old daughter. We started traveling abroad with her on her fourth birthday. And she has caught on the travel bug. Since then she's gone to Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. 

Third time's the charm. On her fifth birthday, we went to Tokyo for her to appreciate our love for this beautiful country. It's our third time in Japan so we were pretty much confident that we can navigate its complex train network easily. 

We went in November, the tail end of fall season. It was practically raining everyday we were there. So there were days we stayed indoor (malls, mostly) because it's hard to walk around pushing a stroller and getting on-and-off subway stations that do not have elevators. Yes, most subway stations do not have an elevator especially the older lines. 

I am your DIY traveler. I like the challenge of researching and putting together an itinerary with the end in mind: enjoy the city for its culture, food and experiences. But I am not the kind that wants to put everything touristy in one trip. In theory, it can be done. But you will be there to take a photo and then off to your next destination. To me, it's not enough. 

I like to explore and people-watch. That is why I spend on a minimum half-a-day in one destination. In some instances, museum visits are a one day affair. 

Fellow members of DIY Travel on Facebook asked for a sample itinerary.  So I thought about the best way to make it available. 

Tokyo Itinerary

Sharing some photos from this trip. 

Our boutique hotel. Shinjuku Knot Tokyo Hotel

Places of intertest include Mt Fuji, Starbucks Roastery, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Ginza for shopping, Shibuya for the scramble, Hachiko, Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo Tower, TeamLab. Tokyo Disneyland. We didn't go to Disney Sea, might include in our next trip. 

Pro Tip: 

Japan is a beautiful place to travel but it is one of the most expensive cities in the world. So might as well prepare. 

In my experience, it is better to prepare at least a year before the date of travel. Here is the order of my preparation. 

1. Buy ticket (it can be expensive so might as well get it out of the way. In this trip, fare was PHP15K per person). 
2. Start researching your itinerary. See mine below for reference.  If it's your first time the things you can do in Japan is overwhelming. 
3. Research your hotel, hostel, airbnb. On this trip, we stayed at Shinjuku. 
4. Apply for your visa. Gather all your documents. And submit to an accredited agency. In the Philippines, there are only three. And my favorite is Discovery Tour (Salcedo Village, Makati) cos it takes only about 3 days for your visa to be released. And it is the cheapest at PHP850 only. Note: You need to ask for a different form if you want to apply for a multiple-entry visa. 
5. Research how will you travel to your hotel from the airport. There are several options: bus limousine (this is like P2P), airport express train, taxi, and Uber. We took Uber because we arrived midnight. Fare: PHP5K. Bus Limo could be about PHP1k/pax. 
6. Buy your train pass. I like using Pasmo as it gets anywhere and in all train lines unlike the JR Pass. Also, you can use it to pay for taxi, food, even your coffee. 
7. Install Maps or Google Map on your phone. Navigation can be a pain but with a digital map, it'd be easier. 
8. Withdraw money at any ATM terminals. I discovered that I don't lose as much money in the forex when I go straight exchange. Service fee is only 3% or PHP150 per transaction. 

And this I hope is the beginning of my reviving my blog. So many trips I have to share yet. 

Thanks for dropping by. Do let me know in the comments if you want to see more travel itineraries you can reference to, some tips and other things that might be interesting especially for a first-time traveler to a particular country. 

Hiatus

I have been away for a whole nine months! Whew! By now, I should have given birth to a baby. :) 

In a way, I did -- I have re-discovered my love for growing things. I am now a quasi serious container gardener, propagating succulents, growing tomatoes. And even started becoming an entrepreneur. 

Green pepper grown from discarded seeds from my kitchen. 

Can you believe I actually had lemonade from freshly picked fruits right out of my garden?

I had so many things I wanted to write about. Memories and experiences that made my motherhood journey enriching. My darling little rascal Kate is more than a handful. She's now in a stage when anything that fascinates her merit the level of excitement only a child would have. She reminds me to retain that childlike wonder so often gets buried in our jaded adult life. 

She loves airplanes flying over our roof. She'd be giddy with excitement waving at them from our tiny balcony. She loves to "swim" so every weekend we trek to the village pool and she would wade and do jumps with me.

Kate at 22 months! Trying to assert her independence and scaring the wits out of me. 

I also live by those teaching moments when she would remember to say her magic words -- please, thank yous, and sorry. Sometimes it's very tempting to just brush off the offense. She was too cute, anyway. But I hold my ground, most often than not. I make her realize that what she did is wrong. Many times, I get rewarded with a fierce hug and an quite "sorry, mommy."

And work life that I juggled (and continue to juggle) while not missing out on the milestones of my kid. In the months that have passed however, living the experiences took center stage. I enjoyed the sleepless nights, the early mornings, frantic work deliverables and the little everyday nothings that filled my day. 

Every now and then, though, I would think about going back to this personal space. By nature, I love to share. And perhaps, anyone who would happen to drop by will pick-up something even if it's just a hint of a smile on the things that make to the pages of this journal. 

I went through a long hiatus. Makes me nostalgic and dreamy. And hopeful of the many wonderful things I claim to unfold. 

I promised myself to share more. Sit down more. Write more. 

Xx

Cheers, 2016!

I have not written in a long time. Sad. The desire to write again seems so daunting now. And difficult.  So, here I am trying to organize my thoughts. Perhaps, I will begin with a story. 

Incredible things happened the last year. Work-wise, I dove into another world. It was exhilirating. I learned an entirely different skill set which strengthened my resolve to continue to explore and never be boxed in. 

On the personal front, we celebrated a milestone for my little darling rascal Kate. She turned a year old towards the end of the year. It was a simple gathering of good friends sharing a sumptous meal and fun entertainment. 

On one hand, 2015 also saw me losing some. I tend to keep a small circle of friends. And the friendships that I have kept over the years have spanned decades. I can only the count the rare few that have drifted away. Yet, last year saw me falling out with an entire group. Just like any relationship gone sour, this one didn't have closure (on my part, at least). 

Initially, I was oblivious to it. Seemed like I went through the seven stages of grief. Ha ha ha. Disbelief, denial, guilt... all the way to acceptance. A wise friend once told me that in this life, "you win some, you lose some."

What have I realized? Superficial friendships do not survive even the slightest tremor. Real friendships do not withstood time by just counting off the months and years that roll by. The ones who are true stand by you at your weakest and most trying times. Mature friendships do not sneak around and abandon you. 

Life happens though. The rainbow after my little storm is the winnowing of the chaff. The gems most often than not get buried way too deep. Experiences like it unearthed the ones worth keeping, and the ones you have to discard. 

Life is too precious to be filled with toxicity and negativity. Onward to a life carefully cultivated and nurtured. 

Now that 2016 has rolled by, I made a commitment to myself to integrate work as well as my life outside of it. 

I commit to invest more time with my little one. Savor each moment as she's literally growing before my eyes. Each day, she's increasingly becoming independent. I hope to keep her within my grasp, needing me. 

I commit to take vacations and dates with my husband. Work and home life can be exhausting and consuming. But we have to take time -- to renew, to reconnect, to realign our hopes and dreams. A little romance now and then to keep the fire burning. 

I commit to build a home that encourages learning and loving unconditionally. I hope to create an environment where love is best shown in the gestures and expressions to the people around us. 

I commit to nurture my container garden. Build with my hands. Grow my own pocket of greenery in our tiny balcony. Learn to grow tomatoes, pepper and herbs. I don't have to be the barefoot contessa to whip up a meal straight from my mini-garden, right? 

I commit to read books to keep the mind sharp and fertile. Never stop learning and growing. 

I commit to save more. Spend less. Be mindful of habits. Stay within budget. 

I commit to be a better person, friend, daughter, mother and wife. 

Here's to 2016 with its bright promises and amazing things to unfold. 

Cheers!

Xx

Sheng

Johnnie Walker and Romi Garduce

Last Friday, September 18, we saw ourselves braving the drizzle to attend the Johnnie Walker launch of it's newest campaign, Joy Will Take You Further. I usually don't get invited to this kind of events. But hey, we got a VIP invite from the man of the hour -- Romi Garduce. 

Romi happens to be one of the eight or so global ambassadors for Johnnie Walker. He's in league with Jude Law. Ha ha ha. Now, did I mention that Romi's penchant for going after his dream to see the world did not just end with his being able to successfully climbed Mt Everest? Yes, he has seen the world from all the seven summits of the world! Few people can ever claim that.

Friday night was the launch of its new TV ad and campaign. It's exciting. It's exhilirating. Just like Johnnie Walker. 

Watch out for timeline 00:22. Makes you proud a Filipino made it to the roster of these elite group of achievers. 

Am not a whiskey fan. But I tremendously enjoyed my cocktails that night. It's smooth and suave. Even the one with just ice on it. Whatever you call it. 

Mixed with joy. 

What I particularly liked about this night is that I saw some friends. And met new acquaintances who shared their perspective in life, much different than mine. Oh, how interesting. 

So, yeah, next time I get invited, I'd probably not think twice anymore. 

Get your own taste of Johnnie Walker with its wide-array of labels-- red, blue, black, gold, double black. Name it. 

Cheers! Keep Walking. 

Xx

Sheng