Day dreamer and Believer: Travel

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Heeeyyyy guys! After several attempts of blogging something personal here, I FINALLY DID IT! Waaaahh goosebumps hahaha! This is my first entry this year so you gotta brace yourself because this will be lengthy. I miss you my blog! I missed you, missdream-girl!!! My 17 year old self is very happy!

January 2022 started with very high hopes for me! Board exam theoretical phase finally happened. We thought it's going to be a smooth start until Omicron happened too which resulted to another round of practical phase cancellation. For those of you who didn't know, I took up Dentistry in my college years and after 2 years of delay because of the pandemic I was able to finally take my exam!

Fast forward to February, I was still able to take orders for Valentine's (I bake and started my own home based pastry business last July 2021) in between reviews. I want to continue saving up while still reviewing.

BOARDS JOURNEY

It went by fast then here came March. It was the month of roller coaster of experiences and emotions. I got into an accident 3 days before board exam. It wasn't a smooth journey but all thanks to my friends who helped me get through the toughest days of my practicals.

Btw, let me just tell you how CRAZY & DIFFICULT THAT BOARD EXAM WAS!!! It was so difficult that I always talk to somebody and ask him/her to tell me and assure me na "Please, tell me I'll pass the boards, diba! Diba. you think I will pass naman! Diba you know I did my best! Diba you saw me how hard I pushed myself." Hahaha! My brothers told me that they never entertained any idea of me failing the exam. I didn't cried before nor during the exam days but I cried the day before they posted the results! I was never confident but I knew I had an edge because I studied and I prayed religiously for that license.

Then came March 17, I didn't know it was the day. It was I think 10pm already, I was half asleep when my brothers opened the door and shouted, "CONGRATULATIONS DRA. SHAIRA MANALO!!!" It was the most surreal moment for me! I didn't cried but I shouted happily instead because FINALLYYYYY, IT HAPPENED ALREADY! MY DREAM IS FINALLY A REALITY!

How did my life changed this 2022? Physically, I don't think there has been a lot (I still didn't lose weight though haha) but now that I am a licensed dentist already I gained more self confidence and became more independent. I instantly felt the responsibilities of adulthood the first time I held my first day salary on my hands. Ganon pala ang feeling na officially working ka na! You have the power over your money and you'll decide whether you'll spend it wisely for your needs or spoil yourself with your wants. Bills started to pile up and investments showed up. So far, I can happily say that I'm investing my salary in myself when I started studying Orthodontics and Oral Surgery.

As for my work as a dentist, I work in 3 clinics. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays I work in my tita's clinic. I'm lucky I am able to handle my own patients here and slowly establish my own practice. Most of my patients here are prostho patients. On Tuesdays and Saturdays I work in Top A Dental Clinic. My practice here is Ortho. On Sundays I work in Winning Smile Dental Clinic. I handle general cases here but recently I noticed that I handle more pediatric patients in this clinic. I'm happy with the warm welcome that I have received from these 3 clinics. They're all generous, thoughtful and kind and they let me experience all my firsts in my dental practice. I'm almost 7 months now in practice (not that long though) and I feel really happy and blessed. :)

Update with fam? Well, I guess everyone got busier! My youngest brother is already in his 3rd year college and my eldest brother is already graduating from college. My mom is still busy at work and our Casa Elberta. My mom and I invested in a beach house last year and we named it after her name. We let people rent in on holidays, during the summer or anytime they wish to relax and spend some quiet time with the view of the sea.

When I started working I promised myself to always give part of my salary to my brothers and my mom even if it's not that much. I also promised myself to at least provide my brothers' baon so I can help lessen my mom's monthly expenses. I want to spoil them and give them whatever I receive and work hard for. I can't wait for next year! Hopefully we'll push through with our travel together! (fingers crossed) :)

Love life update? We're still fond of going on food trips on dates. Haha! Kidding aside, we only get a chance to date for 3 hours a week ever since I started working. It only happens every time he fetch me after work on Sundays or sometimes we both take a leave from work. I realized when I started working na there are really times when you can't communicate or talk for a whole day and it's okay. Iba nga pala pag working! Hindi mo na minsan namamalayan ang oras. Our 5th anniversary is getting closer!!! 4 years went by fast but we surely ticked off most of our goals together. Hihi. I can't wait for what's in store in the coming years but I'm most excited for an upcoming trip early next year with him.

Hint: We're going to the City of Gold!! To more adventures together, my love!

Foods and Travels? Well, I get to explore more food corners, cafes and restaurants this year than during the pandemic season. I missed the feeling of going out with friends, family or with Pau to try out food recos. I am also hyped by tiktok to try the ones near our place. Well, my favorite is still Yumi's Kitchen. Super satisfying and the foods are superb!

For travels naman, I probably have a beach entry every month ever since I passed the boards. I haven't been to somewhere farther, no plane rides yet ever since 2020 (Supposedly I have one early next month for my birthday but it got cancelled due to personal reasons even if I have purchased my ticket already) but I'm crossing my fingers that next year would be the start of my international travel diaries. I can wait for it naman. It's just a few months away!

I'm happy to be back in blogging and give an update here! I hope I can do more in the next posts. Let's stay connected!

Leave your blogs below so I can have a good read too in my spare time ;)

xoxo,

The entertainment quotient of Dubai is no less than the much-talked-about luxury. Its grandeur, architectural excellence, beautiful skyline, breathtaking adventures, mammoth amusement parks and world-class cuisine will have you spoiled by choices. People arrive in millions every year to witness the marvels of the city up close and personal. Moreover, it is fascinating to see how the city balances its modern lifestyle and ancient Arabian culture.

Here we have handpicked the best tourist places in the city:

• Burj Khalifa

Dominating the skyline of Dubai, Burj Khalifa is not just the tallest building in the country, but the entire world. Soaring at a height of 828 metres, the building is home to two observation decks, lounges with view, restaurants, residences and more. Visit the 148th floor and you will witness the staggering bird-eye view of the city, like never before. Book the deck during the sunset, catch the spectacular panorama, and sip tea in the fancy lounge.

• Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall will keep you on your toes with its heap of activities in and around the premise. Give your arms a workout carrying those shopping bags through sections of fashion, electronics, furnishing, beauty and a lot more. The mall is the epicentre of entertainment which has VR Park, Dubai Ice Rink, horror room, multiplex, hundreds of restaurants and cafes. You can casually hang out, read a boor or do window shopping.

• Dubai Frame

World's largest picture frame, Dubai Frame stands tall at 150 metres. From Old Dubai in the North to the modern Dubai in the South, the Dubai Frame offers a 36o-degree view from the 93-meter-long viewing bridge. It is one of the eye-catching projects where you will enter the neon vortex tunnel and find an interactive exhibition on both the history and future of the city. You can pre-book such tours once you get your Dubai Visa.

• Dubai Fountain

Located on the 12 hectares of manmade Burj Lake, Dubai Fountain is one of the largest choreographed fountain systems. It sprouts water at over 900 ft height and throws 1000 water expressions on the best music, including Michael Jackson's Thriller, Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's Time to Say Goodbye, and Power by Korean pop band. The visual spectrum could be seen from the nearby Boardwalk and podiums. If you want to revel in the splash of the fountain, choose the Burj boat ride.

• Ski Dubai

Highly rated tourist attraction, Ski Dubai is the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East. Beat the heat in this snow wonderland, which is nestled inside the Mall of the Emirates. It features a snow park and slope where you can ski and learn to ski on the five runs of varying difficulty and length from 60 to 400 metres. There is a variety of polar activities, such as snowboarding, chair lift, snow bullet, zip line and toboggan runs. Kids will enjoy the endearing moments with the snow penguins.

• Desert Safari Dubai

Beyond the glitzy skyscrapers, the golden desert in Dubai harks back to the days of nomads. It is a huge playground for adventure enthusiasts and a perfect site for campers. Right from the spine-chilling dune bashing in a monstrous SUV to enjoying a Tanoura show in the campsite by the bonfire, desert safari Dubai is a complete package. Ride the camels, surf the sand, fly in a hot air balloon ride, get your hands designed and savour a mouth-watering buffet.

• Jumeirah Mosque

Be captivated by the Islamic culture, tradition and rituals in the 75-minute guided tour to Jumeirah Mosque. Built in 1979, it is a public mosque that invites visitors of all faiths. It is one of the Instragrammable mosques that is inspired by the Fatimid style. The mosque sits as an example of a spellbinding architectural style with elegant minarets, a giant dome, and a white stone facade. In such a welcoming environment, you can even try traditional Arabic snacks including coffee, dates and other varieties of food

• Dubai Museum

Enhance your understanding of Arabs with a visit to the Dubai Museum. Placed in the oldest fort, the museum houses exemplary artefacts, life-size dioramas, and multi-themed exhibits. You can uncover the rich history and get a sneak peek of everyday life before the discovery of oil. On the way to the Museum, you can hop on the Abra and witness the landmarks of Old Dubai.

• Dubai Miracle Garden

An irresistible garden made out of 150 million flowers, Dubai Miracle Garden is a fairytale. From the Guinness World Record winner Emirates A380 to the most photographed heart passage, the colourful blooms are arranged in jaw-dropping arches, patterns and forms. Open from mid-November to mid-May, it is a celebration of love, peace and joy. Explore Lake Park, Sunflower Field, live shows, and great food.

Conclusion

Dubai will sweep you off your feet with its range of attractions, from land to air and sea to sand. In a treasure trove of experiences, tick off these trending places and you will have the innumerable moments to share back home.

** Don't forget to subscribe to these two youtube channels. I will link it down below.

Simply Mamang // Shaira Manalo

See you in my next post! Beach house tour next!! :)

xoxo,

Hey guys! It's already been 2 months since the start of lock down and here I am reminiscing a past beach trip a few years back. I was surprised to see this in my draft box and I think this is the perfect time to share with you the pictures that never get posted (but was prepared a long time ago) on my blog together with my thoughts about this quarantine period.

It was never easy for all of us to be in this season of pandemic and be quarantined for several months. A lot of people lost their jobs, millions of people were infected around the world, everyone feels anxious about their lives, you name it! Our 2020 plans got cancelled and we have many thoughts and made up problems in our mind right now on how are we going to continue to live a life like this. We're never going back to normal and we have to set certain standards on how are we going to live the "new normal". I have to admit that when this outbreak started I feared for my life- I feared that I might get infected because of my low immune system or that any members of the family will; I feared that I might not accomplish my personal and career goals this year; I feared that I might not be able to travel anymore; I feared that we're not going to experience the life that we have before. I had so much thoughts and I tend to overthink at times but as I get used to all of these things, I was able to slowly overcame it with a different outlook and mindset. Being busy also helped me cope up with my anxiety and I want to share you some of the things that keeps me sane and moving while on lockdown.

Binge watch on netflix. I remember the last time that I went out to have a grocery during the last week of March I went back home really scared and anxious. I regret that I went outside, made up symptoms on my mind and I just can't get over with the thought that I might have encountered someone infected. What I did was I binge watch in netflix to cope up with my anxiety and keep my mind busy. It's when my love for kdrama started!I started watching Crash Landing On You and finished it in 2 days. After that I felt fangirling over kdramas and watched more of it for the whole month.

Workout. It's really hard to start working out especially if you've been idle for so long and got used to your usual routine of eat-sleep-repeat. I'm guilty but I realized that if I won't be able to accomplish my other goals this year, might as well have a Plan B and start working on it. Every single move, single walk, single burn, and a progressing diet, when added together really means a lot. I may not make myself slimmer and sexier like the ones here on this post but I'm working on achieving a healthier and more toned body this quarantine.

Strengthen your support system. One of the things that's keeping me away from my worries is through reconnecting with my family and friends. Be active on group chats and group calls, ask how they are, send memes in between covid topic to break off the tension, update them on what you're doing. Just basically be there for them in this time of crisis.

Blog. Having a good read is an essential to keep you away from anything that bothers you. Reading other blogs and knowing what others are up to gives me ideas on how to stay busy and productive this quarantine. Cooking is one of the many things that bloggers are busy at this period and I joined the bandwagon by trying out easy recipes and dishes that I saw online. I made a post about it here. I'm happy that I was able to discover something that turned into passion.

Pray. Do not underestimate the power of prayer. I know my prayers saves me every single day. The moment I wake up and before I sleep I always say a prayer to calm my mind and cast my worries away. I know He's the only one who's in control and it is on His hands where all of us will be saved. Don't forget to say a prayer every day. :)

That's it! I hope you're all doing good at this period. I hope you're all safe and healthy!

xoxo,

I want to make the most out of the quarantine days that I have (because I'm literally bored afff) so I decided to make myself active in blogging again. I actually have so much ideas for my blog (and vlog!) but some of it were still in the process of making (blogs about product reviews that I'm still trying and waiting for the results and vlogs that I still haven't finished editing yet). While waiting for those posts to be published I thought of sharing a worth reading content on the blog. Since I already miss travelling and I will never be able to make it this year again (or maybe until next year because of this covid anxiety) I thought of sharing a few itineraries, best places to visit, budget and all related travel tips on the previous trips that I went to for the past years.

My first out of the country travel and first plane ride was bound to Hong Kong. Hong kong experiences 4 seasons. It doesn't snow in winter (December to February) but the lowest can get 10 degrees and below in early January. Spring (March to May) has an average temperature of 16-23 degrees Celsius and is the most ideal month for me to travel as it is never hot and can get a little bit cold at night. We went there on the last week of March. Summer (June to September) is very humid and hot and it is when frequent typhoons visit the country. Autumn (late September to November) is cool and dry with plenty of sunshine and the most ideal for most travelers.

Hong kong is one of those places where people (especially Filipinos) experience their first out of the country travel because it's one of the nearest travel destination from the Philippines. Several airlines travel from Manila to Hong kong including Cebu Pacific, Air Asia, Philippine Airlines and Cathay Pacific. We flew via Cebu Pacific. Our tour and hotel were booked separately through a Batangas-based travel agency. I will make a breakdown of the travel expenses that we had for our HK-Shenzhen trip on the last part of the blog.

Since we were booked through an agency and there was a whole itinerary planned already the choice of the hotel was made by them. Our hotel was Rambler Garden Oasis Hotel and it was situated in the different island away from the city. I can rate this hotel with 3 out of 5 stars mainly because I don't find it accessible in the city. If I will go back to Hong kong in the next years I would find a hotel situated in the city center where the malls and night life can be enjoyed.

Situated underground of the hotel is Cafe de Coral where we had our breakfasts. 3 out of 5 would be the rating since they don't cater continental meals. Most of it were Chinese and Hong kong foods that we were not familiar with.

Day 1 (4:00 pm-7:00 pm). Our first tour was Peak Tram and Sky Terrace Tour. It was actually not included in our itinerary because our first day was a free day. While we were in the airport a tour guide came to us and offered this package tour. This is probably one of the many activities that I loved in Hong kong. We were able to ride the oldest train transportation in HK, went to the highest peak with the most beautiful view and had the time of our lives taking pictures with the wax figures in Madame Tussauds. I highly recommend this tour if you haven't tried it yet.

Day 1 (8:00 pm-11:00 pm) Our last stop was in Mong kok night market.We spent the rest of the night shopping for pasalubongs. I remember buying my first ever boots there! Haha! Our trip to Mong kok was not included in our tour anymore so we rode the taxi in going back to the hotel. It was expensive because it was far from the city.

Day 2 (8:00 am). Our morning tour for that day started at the famous Avenue of the Stars and Victoria Harbour. There's nothing really much to see but appreciate the beauty of Hong kong harbour. It would have been better if we went there on the evening because of the Symphony of Lights show.

Day 2 (10:00 am) Next to Victoria Harbour is the Aberdeen Fishing Village. We opted to ride the Sampan boat (which lasted for 20 minutes) and had a tour on the traditional fishing port of Hong kong. There were sights of the Floating Restaurant and numerous luxury yachts.
Day 2 (11:00 am)- Luxury jewelry shops tour

Day 2 (12:30 pm- 10:00 pm) Hong Kong Disneyland. This is the best tour recommendation for first timers in the country. Don't go home without experiencing Disneyland from the parade in the afternoon till the fireworks in the late night!

Day 3 (6:00 am) Our Day 3 & 4 were spent in the city of Shenzhen, China. We left at 6 am via train and it took us almost 2 hours to reach Shenzhen. We went first to our hotel named "Green Tree Inn" and I highly recommend this one because of its location in the city center. I also felt more at home here than in our hotel in Hong kong. I didn't know that Shenzhen is way colder than Hong kong and one of my mistake was I brought shorts and t-shirts instead of sweater and pants.

Day 3 (10:00 am) Shenzhen Central Park. There's nothing much to do but enjoy the sightseeing, cold weather and watch the cherry blossoms bloom.

Day 3 (11:00 am) Chinese Art and Craft Centre. The highlight of this tour is actually the silk shop where we went to. I got a scarf made of silk and I really like how it can be styled in different ways.

Day 3 (1:00 pm- 5:00 pm) Window of the World. That afternoon was actually a free time for us but since we want to maximize the time that we have in Shenzhen we availed this tour on the spot. This is actually one of the best tour that we had in Shenzhen so if you happen to be in the country for a vacation, consider going to Window of the World. It's a theme park that houses the replicas of the world's iconic spots. The place is instagram worthy and worth every penny.

Day 4 (8:00 am) COCO Park. For our last day we went on pasalubong and personal shopping. There were so many cheap items here!

Day 4 (12: 00 pm) Left Shenzhen via train bound to Hong Kong
(4:00 pm) Checked-in and passed the immigration
(6:00 pm) Flight back to the Philippines

Breakdown of Travel Expenses
- Batangas-based Travel Agency HK-Shenzhen package (Airfare via Cebu Pacific, Hotel transfers, HK Hotel with breakfast, HK City tour, Disneyland tour, Shenzhen train fare back and forth, Shenzhen hotel with breakfast, Shenzhen City tour- Php 16,000)
- Peak Tram, Sky Terrace & Madame Tussauds- Php 1,700
- Sampan Boat Tour- Php 300
- Window of the World- Php 1,600
Total: Php 19,600

*Note that personal pocket money is still not included in the computation. It's up to you on how much you'll spend on your 4-days stay! :)

I hope that this HK-Shenzhen itinerary will help you in your next travel trip! For the mean time, keep safe and stay healthy guys!

xoxo,

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