Loooong Weekend

Upon hearing the good news yesterday, we excitedly searched for candidate destinations and talked about them over lunch. Sure, Quezon City Day falling on a weekend was a downer but God indeed has better plans for us. Hello, 4-day weekend! Obviously, we didn't want to pass up this chance to go on vacation without having to file vacation leaves. But with a tight budget in mind (because of our South Korea trip in November), it was quite challenging to plan our little getaway.

Amazing Thailand: Songkran 2012

I have always wanted to experience different festivals here and abroad.  My parents both grew up in Aklan where the famous Ati-Atihan is held every 3rd week of January but I have only experienced it once in my 25 years of existence.  Pathetic, right?  You see, it's difficult to plan trips that fall on festival dates.  Not to mention, cheap flights are hard to come by since festivals usually happen during peak season.  So when the chance to visit Thailand in time for Songkran arrived, we took it.  No questions asked even if that means having to file 4 VLs for my first trip this year.

Ever since our Vietnam trip, I've grown more interested and appreciative of other cultures.  Sure, I have always loved the Japanese culture but I realized there was more to SEA than Japan.  I easily get fascinated by rich cultures and I just want to immerse myself in it.  What better way to get to know a culture than to celebrate a festival with the locals, right?  It's an amazing feeling to be given a chance to be part of their culture at least for a day or so.

Songkran 2012

The Songkran festival is the traditional New Year's Day celebration in Thailand held every April 13-15 which also happens to be the hottest days of the year.  It's that time of the year when Thais and tourists alike walk around the streets armed with water guns and splash each other while screaming "Sawadee pi mai (ka)!" (Happy New Year), "Happy Songkran Day!" or "Enjoy the holidays!"  Sidewalks and street corners are lined up with people waiting with water drums, water guns, water hoses, water buckets and whatnot ready to splash whoever is brave enough to pass by.  Best part of the festival?  You get to splash anyone* with water and it's perfectly okay!

화이팅!*

Mr. Charm Lee's Beginner Korean Class!

After our bestie date over the weekend, my excitement for our upcoming South Korea trip went overboard!  I realized I only have four months to learn Korean if I were to keep my promise** last year.  I know I'm way behind but it's never too late to start.  So yesterday, I finally tried to learn how to read and write in Hangeul (한글) with the help of Mr. Charm Lee.  As seen above, the tutorial promises to teach you to read the Korean alphabet in just 30 minutes (or less if you're a fast learner)!