London, the privileged

Everybody will have this kind of friend, the one born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She's the one who goes to all the operas, watches all the plays, wears the finest clothes, eats at luxurious restaurants and has money that is so loaded, you measure them in pounds. London will always have a special role to play in a group, it's main personality is that it is acceptable to have all the finest things in life, but be ready to play the price. Besides, anything that has value indeed comes with a price.

Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.

-Henry David Throreau

Independent/Arrogant enough to separate herself from its neighboring European countries, it only goes to show that London will always has its way to cut herself above the rest. Lived in homes only fit for a queen, London definitely knows how to live the good life.

True to form, London travels efficiently. Having one of the most extensive train system in the world, you feel like everything is very much within reach. Her underground system, known as the Tube, is one of world's first underground railway system, a pioneer in its class.

It is human nature to be interested to things that are royal and grand. London remains to be one of the most visited cities in Europe. In fact, the Heathrow International airport remains to be one of the busiest airports in terms of international passengers. Because of this the city becomes a melting pot of diverse culture all over the world, adding more substance to its already colorful aura.

Being regal doesn't mean that it has forgotten how it is to be simple. London will always be associated with her favorite food - Fish and Chips. It was interesting though how she eats it - Not with tartar sauce but with vinegar.

"Wealth is not a material gain, but a state of mind."

- Jerry Gillies

The irony of the city is that you would think even though London has it all it will always display a sunny and bright disposition, but it's quite the contrary. It's always gloomy and very unpredictable. Seriously, the moment you see a gleam of light from its skies, everybody rejoices. It's a very rare occurrence. A lesson that we could all learn from, sometimes you can have it all on the outside but it may never enough. That's the trouble with isolation, it could indeed be lonely as hell. Probably it is really just lonely at the top.

For me though, the true wealth of London comes from it's very rich culture, it's vast knowledge of the arts and even its centuries old cinematic architectures. Being wealthy does not necessarily mean having lots of material things, sometimes it could be as simple as knowing things that others do not know, being able to see opportunities that others fail to see.

"When you realize that prosperity is your divine heritage,

you should persist in claiming it."

- Catherine Ponder

Manila, the old friend

What a better way to start but with my oldest and most trusted friend, Manila. Being the place I grew up in, there's always an added value to innate familiarity. Manila, for me, is that person who knew you growing up. The one who you probably feel most at ease with. Old friends are like old shoes, they are the ones that feel most comfortable.

The most beautiful discovery true friends make

is that they can grow separately

without growing apart

- Elisabeth Foley

Manila is that person who knew me when I was nothing. You never forget the people who knew you when you were nothing. Most likely, these are the exact same people who will stick around even when you amount to nothing. Because these are the people who knew you from the inside, how your virtues and values were formed. Your oldest friends would understand your struggles, your points of view, your strengths, your weaknesses. You being you.

Amidst its mess and how much hassle it takes just to go from one place to the other, the intense heat, the discomfort of the humidity and admittedly a relatively bland character, being with Manila gives me a sense of belongingness. Making it all worth it. Somehow, the sun sets and rises better when it is in the bay of your own home.

One good thing that you will appreciate with Manila is that everything is quite affordable. Honestly, it is very easy to please. A 3$ value meal (upgrade for 4$) and you are good to go. Not underestimating it's ability to be at par with it's foreign counterparts, Manila's colonial mentality has greatly affected it's sense of being. But i can't blame Manila, being under ruling by several foreign countries, it will be very hard to establish your own sense of self. On the upper hand though, because of this, it's resilience and adaptability is very much exemplary.

The Philippines, is one of the contributors of major global diaspora, and it's capital city has a good number of people that opted to find greener pasteurs overseas. But still, somehow, they always seem to find their way back home - hence the song, I keep coming back to Manila. And honestly, I have a feeling that Manila is very much aware of that characteristic. You just somehow get drawn to it. An inner magnet that it will install to you which will still effect no matter how far you go.

Being away most of the time, one good thing to keep one's sanity is to do or find things that will always remind me of home. May it be eating in your favorite fast food chain, wearing your favorite PJ's going to sleep or eating your home grown dishes. Whatever it is, these little reminders that things that we are familiar with, we normally get comfort from.

I initially started plainly just to escape, remember?!

When you try to ask most people what they want out of life the answer is simple, to be happy.

So we try to find happiness in places. In our journey we get caught up and will ourselves in state of bliss. Then the more we force ourselves to search for contentment the more confused we get - to the point we already forget who we really are.

Until it eventually hits us, it's been there all along.

It's not in our perceived perfect world or our hopes but in the known, the comfortable, the familiar. As cliche as it may sound, indeed there is no place like home.

This is for friends I know

who are away.

Waiting for sweet return

to the place they call home

Prelude

The World is a book, and those who do not travel only read a page

- St. Augustine.

I was 22.

Last quarter of the year. Crunchtime. Sales quotas I have to meet, deals I have to close. It was starting to become a painful routine - and a change of pace will do me good. Few flights booked online last minute, a definite hefty credit card bill for next month, and an absence of a definite itinerary, I was all set. That's how it all started.

We travel for different reasons - to be with a love one, to see a love one, to be around good company, to enjoy your hard earned salary, to forget, to heal, to regain focus, to see the bigger picture, to experience something out of the ordinary.

Initially, for me, it was just to escape.

Little did I know that this little impulse decision of mine (if you know me too well, you know I have plenty of them) will lead to a start of a new habit that has become a big part of who I am today.

A rolling stone gathers no moss

- Old Proverb

Turns out, I am in my most calm state of mind every time I am in motion. The magic of movement is that, if going in the right direction, you can always be in the light of day.

The slower we move the faster we die.

Make no mistake, moving is living.

- Ryan Bingham,

Up in the Air 2009

One of my all time favorite movies

What I enjoy the most is the rush of being pushed out of your comfort zone. It gives you the opportunity to think quick off your feet. Travelling helps you break pattern of the familiar. Living out of the suitcase forces you to prioritize the essentials, let go of the excess baggages and make most out of every moment. With each trip as an added perspective in a seemingly infinite spectrum of culture, travelling bridges the barriers of language, culture and distance.

This blog has been long overdue. Please don't fail me now oh frail memory. I am about to start something different. Not your regular wikitravel, lonelyplanet and tripadvisor that map out your itinerary and help decide where to book your hotel and tells you where the best burger in NY is. This is already something we can all easily find.

I want to describe each city that I've been to as if it were a person. An advertising strategy I learned from my class - Personifying your target market. Each city indeed has a different personality. A different kind of attitude and approach to life.

What is his daily activity?

What does she normally wear?

How does he eat?

What does she eat?

How will he go to work?

What does she do on a weekend?

Probably the best way for us to appreciate a particular destination is to understand it's personality. Somewhat like what to expect from a friend or from a stranger. Adding the fun surprises that comes in between and of not knowing, I guess we're all in for a great ride.