Wow. Two year. I can’t believe I let a blog last for two years. I’ve been keeping an online journal for almost ten years, and when the mood strikes, I just delete the entire thing. Not just the entries, but I delete the entire journal. Then after a couple of months, I’ll be “normal” again and I’ll start working on a new journal.

Just Wandering is my first “public” blog. It’s a convenient coincidence that April 27 was the day after the fourth iBlog summit. You see, it was during iBlog2 that I got thinking into starting my own travel blog. I was engrossed in all things travel then. That’s why my blog before had more travel news and promos than personal experiences.

This year, I’m changing the balance. Seeing as I’m traveling more now (or at least trying to), Just Wandering will be more about MY travels. No more news about tourist walking naked, but I will be posting URLs of interesting travel news on Twitter. If you don’t have twitter, follow my mindless blather through my Twitter widget on the right sidebar. There’s going to be very limited updates on airline promos, though I will still be following the Airbus A380 deliveries and possibly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The Evil Martian Network

2008 is the year of the blog for me. Apart from Just Wandering, I am now working on a couple more blogs about things that are near and dear to me.

• My Internet Lifestyle - This is basically my general blog, where I post things that doesn’t really fit in my other blogs. This is mostly about thing that I find online. It’s also a vain attempt at resurrecting nina.hey.nu, my url since 1999.
• Kainpinoy.com - The latest addition to the Evil Martian Network. I realized that I have way too many food photos and I don’t even use it. Might as well make the most out of each dining experience. Kainpinoy.com is actually a group blog, though right now, it’s just me and Ryan posting. *looks at the other kainpinoy.com blogger* You know who you are
• Life on Pinky Street - My Pinky blog. It has updates on Pinky St. releases, photos of dolls in my collection, and shamless promotion of my eBay auctions.
• Something Evil This Way Comes - The repository of stupidity, a.k.a. Nina’s personal blog. I should think of a better title.

Now go visit!

And the winner is…

Angeli

Congratulations, Angeli! E-mail, IM, flickr mail or PM me your mailing address where I can send your prize. Or if you also want to claim that dark chocolate I owe you, join the Spot.ph food tour at Serendra tomorrow.

Thanks for everyone who joined the contest, and for all the tips you shared. I’ll have to start practising those too

Popularity: 13% [?]

If I counted my days right, April 9th would be the 100th day of 2008. My, has it been one hundred days already? Summer is already in full swing, and soon, the rains will come and it’d be Christmas again. The year has been pretty good so far. I didn’t get to travel as much as I hoped, mainly due to schedule and budget constraints, but I do know that I had fun the past 99 days.

Unlike last year, I ushered in the new year in Manila. I made it my goal to see more of the Philippines this year, and I like to think that I have made some progress. I’ve also made plans to see a couple more places in the coming months.

Something I never thought I would ever do in 2008: go clubbing. And get drunk.

 
2008 Travel Goals
I listed six places in my travel goals for 2008: Donsol, Legaspi; Tagaytay; Bauan, Batangas; Corregidor, Bataan; Camarines Sur, and; Palawan, Dumaguete or Davao. I pushed through with my Donsol butanding watching trip last February despite the heavy rains, flash floods and landslides that scared off my other travel companions. It was a good thing I still went because I was able to swim with the whale shark.

I was also able to finally go to Tagaytay last February, though I never got around to blogging about it yet. We went to the Tagaytay Picnic Grove, then did the touristy thing and went to the Taal volcano. We finished off with an awesome bowl of bulalo at Leslie’s overlooking the Taal Lake.

With Tanja and Owen at the Amor Farm Beach Resort restaurant in Donsol

 
I’ve yet to go to Bauan, Batangas, but thanks to Columbia Sportswear, I ended up going up Mt. Daguldol in San Juan, Batangas. I’ve been wanting to go to Laiya beach, since I keep on reading about it over at the Girltalk forums. Well, I’ve been there, and I doubt if I’ll go back to that beach.

Four months into 2008 and I am feeling a bit tired about traveling. I don’t know why but I seem to be lacking the passion I felt when I was researching about the trips I made in 2006. I still get excited about the prospect of a new adventure, but I am sort of missing the fervor I had studying each information I can get about the places I plan on visiting. I guess I’m more relaxed about traveling now? Maybe, maybe.

Dimsum lunch with CouchSurfing Manila members Florian, Zara, Rebi and CS Manila Ambassador Ronnie at Chinatown

 
Highlights of 2008 so far
The definite highlights of 2008 are the people I met. I am really quite anti-social, and I’m surprised that I am making an effort to connect with people. If 2006 was about traveling solo, this year it’s about traveling with a group. I went with my family to Tagaytay. Owen organized the Donsol trip where I made friends with Tanja from Germany, Patrick from France, Barry and Luisa from the Netherlands. Then there was the Angono tour courtesy of Havila, where I was able to spend the day with Eric, Arpee and Noreen, Markku, Ivan, and the Our Awesome Planet family, Anton, Rache and Aidan. Then there’s my most recent trip with AJ, Ferdz, Phoebe, Jayvee and Dino.

Kalye Pinky members having too much fun with a Polaroid

 
Though not a trip out of town, one of the memorable interactions I had this year was that lunch at Market! Market! with Eric, Fritz, Jeff, Benj, Karlo and Juned, where Fritz, Eric and I wallowed in shared misery and indignation over our very bitter defeat. There’s also that Chinatown food trip, my first CouchSurfing Manila meet up with Ronnie, Zara, Rebi and Florian. Not to forget my fabulous doll friends: Rotch, Khursten, Yue, Kaoko, Cla, Chris and Joey. Then there’s that very salty party at Ming’s place when Paul came to visit on Chinese New Year with Mela, Anna D, Amanda, Argee, Peter, Ryan, Max and Jason. And all those Puri Kura moments…

Puri Kura is love

 
What’s to come
So what’s to look forward to in JustWandering? I might do one more post on the hiking trip, then move on to the Angono series, which I skipped. I would also be writing about our Taal Volcano experience. Then a couple of guest posts, which will take us out of Asia and into Africa.

As for my life offline, I’m going to keep on exploring Metro Manila. Maybe I should do what AJ did and ride around without any definite destination. Hmmmmmm… I’m also making sure I get to visit at least ONE place I listed in my poll. Boracay, Palawan or Basilan? Maybe all three? We’ll see

Popularity: 24% [?]

Say you have enough money for a weekend trip within the country. Where would you go: Boracay, Palawan or Basilan?

Boracay
One of the most beautiful beaches in the world, there’s a reason why people want to go to Boracay. Those who haven’t been there wants to go at least once, and those who have wants to go back. Apart from the fine white sand and crystal blue waters, Boracay has plenty of activities to keep everybody occupied. It has a distinct party vibe, yet it’s laid back enough for people who just want to relax. Why wouldn’t you want to go to Boracay?

Palawan
Said to be the last frontier, Palawan is nature at its finest. Proclaimed as a national reserve, the whole island is virtually unspoilt nature. It may not be as lively as Boracay, but the magnificence of its limestone rocks, subterranean river, coral reefs and their flora and fauna greatly surpasses that little island off Aklan. Do you go to Coron with its spectacular underwater treasures? To Puerto Princessa with its underground river? Or perhaps to El Nido for some much needed quiet time beside the sea?

Basilan
A tiny island in Mindanao, the mere mention of Basilan brings to mind the group Abu Sayyaf whose infamous acts included the kidnapping and beheading of foreign tourists from Palawan and known for its supposed ties with the Al Quaeda. Their location, local economy and previous warfare in the area made Basilan a destination off the beaten path. However, its proximity to Malaysia and Indonesia gave Basilan a unique cultural blend. Beyond the stilt houses and the underdevelopment you’d glimpse upon a slice of paradise: beaches as white as Boracay and Palawan minus the tourist. But is it worth the trek and the possible threat to your safety (or your parent’s sanity)?

Where would you go? You can log your votes through the poll at my blog’s sidebar. Feel free to state the reason for your choice in the comments area

Popularity: 26% [?]

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21)

The Bottom Line
Upcoming travel should not force you to live in the future — live in the moment.

In Detail
If you are about to go on a trip or long overdue vacation, your excitement is growing to a fever pitch. Today, it will hit such heights that it might be difficult for you to get any real work done. Upcoming travel should not force you to live in the future, however. There are things you need to deal with in the here and now. So try to snap out of the clouds today. Plow through the work and stay focused, You’ll be free to explore and relax soon enough!

But I like daydreaming and floating in the clouds!

I guess I will be receiving my bills today. I hate Mondays.

Or maybe I should just stop checking Friendster at 2 in the morning. Or stop checking Friendster altogether.

Popularity: 20% [?]

I love my Gorillapod. When people see me using it, they all look at it in amazement and it always end up with them asking me where I bought it and for how much. I bought my Gorillapod locally, at the 5th Avenue store for Php1,400. I always say that it’s a great value for a great product. Honestly, I didn’t mind shelling out 1,400 for it.

Not surprisingly, it pains me to see this inside Cebu Pacific’s latest Smile, their inflight magazine on my flight back to Manila yesterday:

What the hell?

 
Labeled as the CEB Camera Flexi Tripod in Pouch, this technically isn’t THE Gorillapod, but looks surprisingly close to one.

I wonder how it would compare to the original though. Is it as sturdy? As flexible? As stable? Does it grip as well as the original Gorillapod? I made the huge mistake of being cheap and not buying it so I can compare the two. Anybody have Cebu Pacific’s version of the Gorillapod? I would love to hear your reviews about it!

Popularity: 33% [?]