i'm crashing like a tidal wave that drags me out to sea.

hi again my readers and friends! wow, i could never stop can i? it's the beginning of 2009 and here i am again, back into another would be misadventures, back into blogging and sharing pictures and places i will be going to. looking back at 2008, it was a whirlwind. even i did not expect the turn of events, it was difficult to describe it, it was fun, wild, adventurous, action, comedy and drama drama drama drama but it was also sad and tragic mixed together in a year, that i almost lost my sanity.

travbuddy changed my life dramatically, it was amazing, it changed my life 360°.  i was a member of travbuddy since 2007, but only last year i attended meet ups and became really active, that i even offered to show people who became friends my adopted hometown in germany. then attending these fabulous, amazing - actually no words can describe it, the travbuddy meet ups, for which it brings along people from different parts of the world, to unite in one cause, no borders, no boundaries, no discrimination - for celebrating unity in diversity, for celebrating being the citizens of this world.

i just want to thank the people i have met here, if i want to thank everyone, this can go on and on and on. but YOU made me special, you made me believe that i can be my best, you've put confidence in me when i was so down, you supported me eventhough you barely knew me, you believed in the words i say, you became my bestfriends and the most important thing is that YOU made ME believe that no man is an island.

and even to the travbuddies that i have never even met before, just communicating through chat, it was amazing, as we haven't seen each other, but YOU and me seems to have a connection. if it would not be in the past, definately we would connect in the future.

merci.

2008 was paradoxical, i lived my greatest dream but yet at the expense of the person who gave life to me. as i said for a while, i would stop travelling or if not, it would just be a bonus for me. but i remember, when i was a kid, if my father was at home, me, mama and tatay (tagalog word for father because he wants me to call him that) would travel in our little battered jeep that had seen better days to day trips outside of manila, i was young, but curious, always asking questions, always wondering why, why was always the first word that would come out of my mouth if i see something new. then 2009 came, i just came back from the philippines, with all the misadventures anyone can dream of, behind my back. but still i found myself in disbelief - about to travel AGAIN.

i will be doing another adventure, for the months of march, april and may. i am planning on heading to austria (vienna), hungary (budapest), czech republic (mikulov) and slovakia (bratislava) in europe then maybe to work in the netherlands for one week then off to the philippines with a long double layover in qatar.

this blog will cover all the anals of my journey for this period. which is amazingly, from where i stand at this point, everything will be centered going to the east. east holds a magical reputation in the ancient times, for it is where the sun would rise from the heavens, a hope filled journey. this is very weird of me, as i always consider tori amos and new age music as my inspirational songs whenever i travel, but i had to let them go this time, as it is too painful in the heart, this time i will make inspirations from cheesy music and others, because for this time, i will fly away, run like the wind as i chase the sun.

i could never stop, i cant stop and i will not stop. only heaven would know because it holds a sense of wonder. i was born on the year of the earth horse, a neverending thirst and quest to see the world, a neverending hunger of being free and taste freedom in it's lips, wherever and whenever my legs would carry and hold me. whatever adventures and misadventures will bring again, may it be the tempest of the tempests, from the highest to the lows - bring them on! i am ready to face the challenges once more, i will hang on to travel for travelling is not within me, nor inside me, it is ME.

like a tidal wave that keeps dragging me out to sea.