Hands to Heaven

Top of Cebu When it comes to tourist spots in the Philippines, nothing is as diverse as Cebu , also known as the Queen City of the South, situated in the western Pacific Ocean and surrounded by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan. Due to its central location in the middle of Visayas and its importance in the country, its almost inevitable that you’ll pass through Cebu at some point. Cebu would only take an hour flight from Manila. While in Cebu I always stayed either in Crown Regency Cebu or Parklane Hotel Cebu , but when I am alone, I even tried basic hotels like the Red Planet Hotel in Cebu (which is conveniently 1 15-minute walk away from some department stores and terminals. Come and take a look all my travel experiences in one of the oldest cities in the country. I’ve been to Cebu many times because of work, travel, work, travel and of course WORK and TRAVEL. 😄 I am grateful that I got to see Cebu again this year, it seemed that every year I’ve been visiting t...

Photo Credit Philstar Heavy ash from Taal continues to fall on nearby municipalities and a total of 212 volcanic earthquakes have taken place so far up until last week. Taal is a tiny volcano, but it has been deadly before according to one of the tour guides during our trip. It is located about 50 kilo meters  (31 mi) south of Manila. The main crater of Taal Volcano originally had a lake until the explosive happened last week. Flash back two months ago before this very dangerous state, I even visited this baby volcano together with my friends. I never thought that it was already not in good status when we came last November 2019, since no warning signs or any news shared to the public.  The plan going to Taal Crater just came up while we are in the car heading to Tagaytay, Batangas. The original plan was only going for a road trip, plus food trip around Tagaytay, but since the weather was beautiful that day and the planner  in 'me' wake sudd...

Fluffy view -shot by yours truly It has the temperature rising to just 25˚C on a typical summer day. If you want to enjoy outdoor activities in the Philippines during the summer season without the sweltering heat, then Baguio is the place for you. Baguio is known as the "City of Pines" and is famous for its green park spaces, and of course, hillsides teeming with gigantic pine trees. Even back in the day, the city has always been filled with greeneries.  Ethnic Group Ifugao Tourist spots in Baguio grew in number over the years, and several of its parks started offering other activities. Nowadays, you can chill out in one of these parks and spend a whole day just trying out everything that it has to offer.  We tend not to bring a car because they said that cab is cheaper in Baguio compare to Manila. Moreover, you can appreciate the view with a wonderful  landscape flourishing  with roses, orchids and different flowers, vast spaces around in a mo...

Sunset Sky The bible tells that our heart is the wellspring of life. It is the seat of our inmost being, where our real identity lies. In counseling, it is my goal to go beyond words, actions, and feelings. I must find out why and how a person reacts on a certain way, merely not on a shallow basis. It is my task to go as deep as to where my counselee needs and invite me to be. On the other hand, God completely knows what heart is set on. No need for questions nor counseling, His eyes has a capacity to look directly at it. He knows every beat, every will, every pound, every yield, he knows the last reason of its cry, and how it was denied. He knows the reason of every why, and the very time of this little heart to freeze and die.             Addison Leitch said, “When the will of God crosses to the will of man somebody has to die.” Life requires countless of “little” deaths- it is where a person has to utter- no to sel...

Acts 8:26-40  credit to MJ young cartoons I love how Philip obeyed & hear the Holy Spirit. In verse 26 the instruction from the Holy Spirit is very precise and how I wish that whenever I hear from him, I will be able to catch every detailed instruction.  Philip saw the Ethiopian Official reading the scripture while on transit. Then Philip went close to him as he was told by the Spirit. He asked, “ do you understand what you are reading?” My realization here is that  sometimes when we read there are passages that is hard to understand. Hence, these are the moments we can ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom for us to understand. The official answered, “ How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” So, Philip explained the passage in Isaiah and intentionally share the Word. Then when he saw body of water down the road the official asked Philip to baptize him. And after he got up from the water, the spirit of the Lord took away Philip. The o...

Samal Island If it is that time when you begin to yearn for your feet in the sand, remember Davao City is just an hour and a half travel by plane from Manila. You can pack a bag for a day or two and come enjoy its eye-catching beaches. The City will make it worth your while with their water activities. It is also called the city of Durian - the notorious fruit. It's smell could be far different on it's taste. Some might disagree, but I personally like Durian Shake! How to Get to Samal Island There’s no direct flight going to Samal Island. Hence, it is accessible via  Francisco Bangoy International Airport  also known as Davao Int’l Airport. 1 hr & 30 mins travel time if you are coming from Manila, and 1 hr & 55 mins from Clark airport. From Davao Int’l. airport, you have two options on how to go to Sasa Ferry Wharf: one (1) ride a cab which is available in the departure area, or two (2) walk your way out of the airport and look for public vehicles (jeep...

Doha Gold Shop Eight hours flight from  Dallas/Forth Worth to Doha Qatar, then  another eight hours stopover in Doha, plus six hours going Manila!  What are we going to do with our golden time with having so many privilege to maximize this trip. One of our officemates has a family who is based in Qatar.  He had a plan to go out to spend those few hours with his family there, but then because he do not want to leave his team behind 💗 he invited those of us who's with him on that flight. We paid almost if I'm not mistaken more or less 52 QAR so roughly round P600-700 for the exit fee in Doha. From the airport, a van that pick us up from the arrivals and the we're all surprised because the relative of our officemate even prepared a printed itinerary for us!  Souq Waqif We started our evening with a delightful dinner at a Persian restaurant nestled within the charming lanes of Souq Waqif—though, unfortunately, I can’t recall t...