Day 8: 5 things in my bucket list

My 5 bucket list:

No further explanations needed.  So this isn’t 250-words.

Travel more, particularly:  USA, South America (Brazil, Peru, etc.), Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, etc.

Try extreme sports:  wakeboarding, paragliding, zipline, rappelling, bungee jumping, skydiving.
Learn more DIYs:  crocheting, knitting, sewing, learn how to use power tools, etc.

Learn more languages:  Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, etc.

Teach:  need I say more…

Day 7: Siblings

My siblings

There are only three of us, and I’m the middle child.  I have an older brother and a younger sister.

My brother and I are very close.  We talked about everything.  He’s very generous, very thoughtful, and very caring.  He might come across as a tough guy or uncaring, but he cares, a lot.  He’s always by himself, however.  He’s the silent wanderer.  He’s not very adventurous but he’s open to it.  He’d love it.  He’s very stingy (hahah!).  But he got sick and eventually, succumb to God’s call to be with Him.  I miss him everyday.

My sister and I used to fight, a lot.  I guess, that’s what sisters do.  We are at each other’s throat and we get compared all the time, which maybe the reason behind our sibling rivalry.  We have the same taste in everything.  I can’t wear her clothes, though.  She’s slender, while I’m voluptuous (ouch!).  But when it comes to accessories, shoes, bags and stuff, we always have the similar likes and eventually, borrow each others’ stuff.  Maybe that’s why I like having sisters – hand-me-downs.

I find my sister and I got closer after our brother’s passing.  We only have each other.  So why waste our time with petty fights?  I like that we have similar taste because I tend to buy stuff that we both would like.  Bags, shoes, accessories, you name it, we both like it.  And the good thing about having the same size feet, we could just wear each other’s shoes.

I know it might be very shallow, but that’s how my sister and I bond.  We now talk about everything that’s going on in our lives.  And I like what we have now.

Day 6: Someone who does not live in your country

What can I say about a person who does not live in my country?  I am from the far-east, the Philippines, born and raised.  I currently live and work however in the Middle East.

If I were to describe someone who doesn’t live in the Philippines, they’re probably westerners.  I can’t really describe the visitor’s without knowing them.  So I’ll describe the Philippines and the Middle East instead.

I always describe the Philippines as vast greenery.  Composed mostly of islands, the Philippines is surrounded by pristine beaches, endless rivers, springs, waterfalls, and mountains and croplands.  It is majestic.  I love looking at nature.  The breeze is just relaxing.

You won’t get what I described if you live in Manila, the Philippines’ capital.  I have nothing against Manila.  In fact, I was born there.  Manila is an urban jungle.  Traffic is a nightmare.  The city is full of life, full of people, full of vehicles.  I like Manila because it’s convenient.  And even in the city, there is still a sense of community.

I like that you feel you belong wherever you are in the Philippines.  People are very accommodating.  They are so generous that even when they don’t have enough, they’ll still give.

The Middle East, on the other hand, is more than just oil and desert.  Yes, it is vastly desert.  Yes, it is dry.  Yes, they’re rich in oil.  And it’s sad that there are a lot of bad stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims.  They are actually very friendly.  They have great respect for women - and love their mothers.  They’re generous too, especially with food.

I can’t really describe the goodness of the Arabs and the Muslim, unless you’ve witnessed and experienced it first-hand.  I encourage everyone to visit the Mid-East just to see the beauty of their country, being religious, and how they interact with the world.  They’re not backwards or slow.  They are modernized, smart, and rich.

Sorry, if I keep coming up with topics about traveling or to travel.  Not my intention.  That’s just been on my mind a lot.  In short, keep traveling and keep learning.

Day 5: 3 Things I like about my personality

To answer this, I have actually taken a personality test.  Not that I don’t know how to describe myself but to further understand what constitutes a personality.  I always thought “personality” is how you assert yourself, but it’s actually deeper than that (from what I’ve understood).

My personality test answered that I am a DIPLOMAT (INFJ) type of personality.  I am assertive, yet emphatic.

Three personalities I like about myself:

Emphatic.  Yes, I am.  But there are times when I feel I don’t really care.  For those who are really close to me, I find myself thinking about them at times.  I tend to feel what they feel even when we’re apart and texted them “how are you?” only to find that there really is something going on in their life.  Telepathic? Maybe… emphatic? Absolutely.

Decisive.  I tend to stick what to what I’ve decided even when it hurts or devastating for me.  I don’t get easily swayed to change my belief or conviction.  I don’t like making promises, especially ones I can’t keep.  So “most of the time”, I do as I say.

Observant.  Highly observant.  This must be why I am emphatic.  I observe people first before I jump into any conversations.  I usually hide in the corners and tend to talk to the same group of people.  If I meet people the first time, I don’t talk too much (right?!), I try to listen to what they say, watch their manners – their hand gestures, the way they walk, the way they stand, and most especially, I look in their eyes (creepy, right?)… But that’s just me.  I gauge a person and make an educated guess based on what I have observed from them.

If there are good sides, there are bad sides to being highly observant, extremely decisive, and overly emphatic.  But that’s another discussion