Thank you 2012!

Happy new year! My 2012 wasn't as travel-crazy as the previous years but I am not complaining because I know that I'm not getting any younger and bigger priorities have to be attended to. Somehow, in between my crazy schedule as full time employee, freelancer, and student, I've managed to sneak in a few trips and even save some moolah to pay for these trips. I just feel so blessed to have been able to juggle work, school, and some travels here and there. So I'm raising my glass for the fun, spontaneous little adventures that I've had in the past year.

I started January with a quick trip to Cebu to visit two of my close friends. Reunions have been a challenge for our group so we jumped into an early morning flight for a beach weekend get-together.

On the first long weekend after my birthday, Gil and I went to Boracay. Our birthdays are two days apart so it was a double celebration and just right in time to welcome the summer.

Speaking of summer, my summer won't be summer if I don't hit the beach. All the long weekends throughout the months of March, April, and May are dedicated to my sun and beach fix. So for holy week, I went home to Tacloban and didn't mind traveling 3 more hours to spend a night in the quiet Kuting Reef.

What are a gay friends for? I know for one that they're the best beach buddies so I made sure to plan another beach trip back to Boracay. Come another long weekend in May, I tagged along Gil to La Union, exactly one weekend before heading to Batangas with my colleagues. Goodbye summer!

October is my favorite out-of-the-country travel month because promo fares are plenty during this time and fall is just starting in some countries. So I went to Korea. I enjoyed the neon lights and markets in Seoul; met a lot of strangers in Busan, and even crashed on my bike in Nami island.

Another long weekend came so I tagged along my guy friends to experience the north. We complained about the 18-hour bus ride to Pagudpud but enjoyed every bit of the trip when we got to our destination. We ran like kids along the shores of Saud and wracked our nerves when we tried sand surfing in Laoag.

The trip to Vigan was a side trip, just before heading to La Union for the Surf & Music Festival. December was a happy month. My girl friends and I went to Hong Kong for a quick shopping weekend.

While in Hong Kong, we didn't mind waiting for 2 hours just to get three seats at Tim Ho Wan. It was a long wait worth doing again because we l-o-v-e-d the pork barbecue buns and everything that we ordered. And did I mention, it was my first Michelin restaurant experience? A few weeks before Christmas, my colleagues headed to a nearby resort in Batangas for a quick beach visit then on the day after Christmas, I went kayaking in Leyte with my cousins.

Aside from my travels, 2012 was also a year of firsts. I went back to school to pursue MBA and also started to practice yoga. It was my first time to own a dog. I used to hate dogs but last year, I became a dog owner. Two of them died but right now, I am happy to come home to my crazy puppy lab, Markus. It was also last year when I started writing for travel magazines and websites.

There is just so much to thank Him for! And I know there'd be more in 2013. I am claiming it! Happy happy joy joy new year to all of us!