/**/ January 2014 - Travel + Decor + DIY

The Traveling Journal Project: Mt. Kilimanjaro!!!!

Mt. Kilimanjaro!!!! One of my dream hike trip. When I got an update from our keeper that "#The Traveling Journal Project is now in Mt. Kilimanjaro" I got so excited!


Here’s the note from Ingvild:


"Endelig var det tid for vår største utfordring på denne fantastiske reisen gjennom verden! Denne historien vil ta dere til Afrikas tak og gir dere vår opplevelse av å bestige Kilimanjaro."


"Finally it was time for our biggest challenge on this amazing journey through the world! This story will take you to Africa’s roof and give you our experience of climbing Kilimanjaro.”



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Surat Journals in Mt. Kilimanjaro


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#The Traveling Journal Project getting ready to conquer this mountain!


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Our 2 wonderful keepers with their Surat Journals, Ingvild and Andre


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As I follow the journey of these two travelers, I can say that this one really was an amazing accomplishment. I can only imagine the excitement rushing through their veins as they stepped into Africa’s highest peak!



"Endelig kunne vi juble høyt! Det var ingen tvil om at vi nå befant oss på Uhuru Peak,  5895 m.o.h. Vår drøm om å bestige Afrikas høyeste fjell var nå blitt en virkelighet. Det var en helt spesiell følelse, og vi smilte fra øre til øre da vi tok vårt velfortjente seiersbilde sammen med hele gjengen. På grunn av den tynne luften var det anbefalt å ikke oppholde seg der mer enn 10 minutter. Vi så utover det tørrkledde landskapet som snart skal dekkes av store snømengder når regnsesongen kommer. Mestringsfølelsen var stor, og blide og fornøyde snudde vi etter å ha klart reisens største utfordring.

Endelig var det tid for vår største utfordring på denne fantastiske reisen gjennom verden! Denne historien vil ta dere til Afrikas tak og gir dere vår opplevelse av å bestige Kilimanjaro.”


"Finally we were able to cheer loud! There was no doubt that we now found ourselves at Uhuru Peak, 5895 m Our dream of climbing Africa’s highest mountain was now become a reality. It was a very special feeling and we smiled from ear to ear when we took our well-earned victory picture with the whole gang. Because of the thin air, it was recommended not to stay there more than 10 minutes. We looked beyond the dry-covered landscape that will soon be covered by heavy snowfalls when the rainy season comes. Coping feeling was great, cheerful and happy, we reversed after having managed the journey greatest challenge.

Finally it was time for our biggest challenge on this amazing journey through the world! This story will take you to Africa’s roof and give you our experience of climbing Kilimanjaro.”


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I am planning to go to Africa some time very very soon and for sure this will be part of my upcoming adventures.


More updates on #The Traveling Journal Project coming very very soon…


next stop will be INDIA!!!!


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The Traveling Journal Project: Mt. Kilimanjaro!!!!

Lonely Planet Traveller Feature December 2013

I almost forgot to post this! Last December, one of my New York photos was featured in the Lonely Planet Traveller’s Postcard section.

It was a lovely surprise! 2014 will surely be a year of more travels and adventures!…..exciting!!!

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Bloggers In The City: Our First Bloggers Night!

Growing up, I never thought that I will become a blogger, I hate writing and English, not being my mother tongue made it very challenging. I am not one of those people who are confident with their grammar and word play, but I love to tell stories and my imagination is a bit playful.  During college, amazingly and I must say very controversial, I got good scores with my essays (naks)!


Then I started blogging!…………


I love putting my thoughts into words and I realized then I don’t need to be afraid of it, just narrate it the way I am conversing with a friend (yes you!).  I got fond of blogging, first it was in multiply, then I created a  Tumblr account and in the near future, I am planning to self host a blog which will be www.TheTravelingJournalProject.com (not live yet).


With this new love for blogging that I found, I got a chance to meet amazing people in the blogsphere, and last Saturday I met some amazing bloggers over dinner at Expiatriatewife’s  beautiful house.


I got very anxious on how this night will turn out. I can say that I am a very sociable guy but deep inside there is this shy guy who just wants to be alone….and blog my thoughts out.   


We were asked to bring food from our native countries. Along with other Filipino bloggers we chipped-in and brought kare kare, relyenong bangus and leche flan. Others brought some sweets (sago from Malaysia), brownies, cream puffs and some vegetables with dips……oooh I almost forgot the wine and cheese which I think I got a handful of serving.


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Our delish appetizer by Expiatriatewife’s


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Our feast for the night!!!


It was fun to hear stories of every blogger who participated…Most of us have the same struggles and fears (I am talking about computer stuff here), like HTML, CSS Coding, SEO..Adverts..these are things that are (and still) very daunting to most of us. Good thing Mitziemee (aka superwoman) was there to help us understand some of these.


Other stuff we discussed was how  we manage our time when we blog, some issues and ethics when it comes to sponsored blogs…and the most controversial one: “Does your husband/wife support your blog?”…juicy!


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Good laughs and a supportive blogger group. I think I will get use to this. ^^.  I am very much excited on what’s ahead for us in the future. Dubai blogger scene is really getting a lot of attention for the past year, 2014 will be awesome for sure…..PARTY!!!!!!


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(photo from http://mitziemeeblog.com)



Check out these amazing bloggers


The World Accoring to Mitzie Mee (mitziemeeblog.com): Blogger, pilot and soon to be a doctor. She blogs about travel, food..guides and reviews


>Mrsjackofalltradesdaily.blogspot.com: Mrs. Jack has a wardrobe most people would kill for.


> Circles in the sand (dubaiunveiled.com): Quirky reflections on expat life in Dubai.


> Pinay Flying High: Discover the world with this high-flying pinay. One of Dubai’s biggest blogs.


> Ladyandhersweetescapes.com: Another heavyweight within the Dubai blogosphere.


> Stuffbyrhey.wordpress.com: Intelligent, funny and thoughtful posts from my favorite Rachel. 


> ExPIAtriatewife.blogspot.com: A lovely housewife, Pia blogs about her life in Dubai with two kids and a pilot husband.


Blog referencese taken from: http://mitziemeeblog.com


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Bloggers In The City: Our First Bloggers Night!

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty: Sortha Review

“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer,to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”


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I just finished watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and the time that we left the movie house, I told myself that I need to write about it.


The time that it started being shown in Dubai, I was in the Philippines and only Filipino movies are shown there due to the famous film festival. A lot of my friends were sending me watsapp messages saying that I should watch it because I can so relate with it……well apparently yes!


The Secret Life of Walter Mitty revolves around a guy named Walter (Mitty) who was a negative asset manager for LIFE Magazine, but with all the adventures featured in the magazine, Walter’s life is a bit ..hmmm..meh. At times he zones out and becomes a fictional character, someone he thought he could be…and of course there should always be a love interest, Walter’s. driving force to achieve his dream…just watch the movie to know more about the plot (trust me).


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At first, I thought that being a full cast of comedic actors such as Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig (I love her) this movie will be all out funny, but as the film progress, it became very serious yet you’ll feel warm inside and you will find yourself whispering the words “wow”..”ohh I really really like”..”awesome” …and occasionally a deep “sigh”.


This movie is a visual masterpiece. You’ll be surrounded with images that you will be dreaming of experiencing and seeing in person.


As a travel blogger and fan of travel blogs, my bucket list is full of places that I am longing to visit and revisit, to do (not so) daredevil stunts and to experience cultures different from what I have grown up with. At times, I have been dreaming of these while sitting by my office desk facing the sometimes very blinding computer screen.


Occasionally, I zoned out and imagine my life taking that great leap to just leave everything behind and explore the world.


What I like about this movie is that, there was no point on which Walter deliberately told himself that he will be adventurous, that he will become a daredevil or even an explorer, but because he started to make that first step (cue soundtrack) he began to realize that what he is doing is not anymore a product of his imagination but a reality. Everyone can be who he/she wants to be, all we really need is to go (cue soundtrack)!


 Check out the extended trailer of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty below:



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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty: Sortha Review