Celine's Life Adventure

Summary Last January 26, GDG Halsema  had their first meet-up . Jomar and I went up to Bontoc to be their speakers. Jomar talked about GDG and GDG Philippines while I discussed and had a demo of Google Apps particularly with an emphasis on how teachers and students could maximize it. But before the meet-up, Jomar and I rode a 12-hour bus ride going to Bontoc through Cable Tours. Some tips, buy or reserve your tickets ahead of time. I purchased our tickets the day before our trip, and we were already seated at the back. Come Friday, some people wanted to buy more tickets but they couldn't. I tried reserving tickets through phone but they didn't reply, so I decided to go to the terminal located inside a compound. To go there, you have to walk inside the compound between Shakey's and the Trinity University of Asia along E. Rodriguez Avenue. The bus left 9:00 PM, and we had three to four stopovers.

When I was in grade school, I remember my parents bringing us to Makati City. As a kid, the tall buildings look taller, and everything is just so big and amazing. Fast forward to now, Makati is a place I go to work every day for the past two years with hundreds even thousands of other Filipinos. Yesterday, Jomar and I had our first Saturdate for the year. We decided that we would be like tourists in Makati. Here is a list of places of interest that we had or are going to visit: Places of Worship Nuestra Senora de Gracia Parish Church - Who would have thought that in a neighbourhood known to be full of informal settlers, there would be a gem? One of the oldest Church in Makati City is near Guadalupe behind the Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary. A lot of couple from all over Metro Manila decide to get married here. Also, according to a Foursquare tip, a lot of local TV shows and movies are shot here. To get here, go down from Guadalupe Station and walk along Bernadino Street.

I love to travel. But most of the time it sucks when I don't have enough resources (money) and time to visit places. Instead of being depressed and sulking in my room, I realize that I don't need to go far when in fact I could be a tourist in my city. With that, Jomar and I made the SeeQC App  - See Quezon City (alpha). Screenshot of SeeQC (http://seeqc.tigcal.com) The app is straightforward. It displays all the touristy places according to the Quezon City Website . We also decided to group sites by category like museums, gardens, monuments, etc. This app is in progress, so your feedback is very much welcome.

God blessed me with so many travel opportunities this past year. From vacation to business travels, I've been to new places and revisited some sites I've been to before. I was thrilled to be on a plane excited to meet new people, try different food, and see places. Even if there are some stressful moments, drama, among another negative juju, causing moments, I would say that 2012 allowed me to grow because of experience gained from travelling.

Ever since I started working (that was roughly two years ago), I would prefer to ride the bus on my way home. From Ayala near Paseo loading station, I would ride the bus that goes to SM Fairview. Most of the time it's chaotic. People would push each other (just like in the MRT) to get inside the bus. Others would prefer to wait for a more spacious looking bus in the hopes of getting a seat, afraid that they have to stand-up most of their ride in the traffic along EDSA. I don't mind standing cause I am pretty sure lots of people go down at Buendia, Estrella, Guadalupe, Pioneer, and Shaw. But every time I stand on the bus, I always wonder how we could improve our bus system just like in other countries.