Category: Dreams & Inspiration


Something happened to me when I was in Sipalay, Philippines which I thought was profound.   I went swimming in the beach and I decided to walk out in the middle of the sea.  I’m kind of paranoid of moving creatures or rocks I could step on especially since my cousin Karen had stepped on a sea urchin the day before.  The sand was brown so the clarity of the things below water were not visible.

I was really far from the shore but the water only reached my waist.  Then as I walked further I saw something bright white under water like a piece of paper.  So I stopped to take a closer look and stop the waves from moving around me.  The water is clear and I thought it was money.  I didn’t want to swim down for I was wearing my contacts and didn’t want to open my eyes in salt water.  So I called the girl with the ‘googles’, as she would pronounce it, to dive down to pick it up.  As she came up from under the water, she held a 100 pesos in her hand.  I was shocked for I thought it was impossible to find money in the middle of the sea.  She handed it over to me and I yelled over to the people on shore,

“I found 100 pesos in the water!”

In disbelief I swam to shore to show my findings to validate that it was real and it was.

This incident made me think, that anything is possible and  sometimes we just have to keep our eyes open for an opportunity can be waiting right in front of you.  In my case, I found money.  Maybe it is sign of fortune to come (crosses fingers) but whatever comes your way, expect the unexpected.

Now I carry the bill with me and it will remind me of the lesson I learned plus it smells like the sea.

- Liza Mae

It is my last day in my birth place, Bacolod City, and I am not anxious to leave at all. I feel my time here has just begun and now it is ending … for now. Many people back in Toronto believe that I’ve been away a long time but 3 months isn’t very long when you are having fun. The adventure has to start somewhere and this is just the beginning of the journey.

Liza Mae

- Sipalay, Negros Occidental

When I first arrived I did not know what to expect nor did I know what I was going to do. So whenever any one had asked ‘when’ or ‘where’ I was headed, I had no answers for them because all I knew is that I go back to Toronto, Canada on June 20th, 2010 from Shanghai, China. I booked my flight to Manila the night before and the same for Bacolod City. Now I have booked my flight for Manila yesterday and will be leaving tonight at 8:25pm. It seems things have been moving faster than I anticipated but I learned to let the wind blow and let my heart follow.

The first few weeks I was here I thought things moved so slowly here but I realized I was so used to things moving so quickly that I didn’t know how to keep my mind still. Sometimes when life is fast-paced you don’t really have time to think or appreciate your days. Consumed in my 9 to 5 or more like 7 to 6 Mondays to Friday, I never really had time for myself and being in a place where things are slower I have become more aware of my surroundings and realized how beautiful life is. I used to dread waking up in the morning but now I wake up refreshed at 6am because there is so much beauty to experience that I just don’t want to miss out on living.

As I gaze through my friends photos on Facebook of their 1 week vacations costing thousands of dollars and compare my 3 month mini-retirement which probably cost about the same, I would always choose the latter. I don’t believe going away for a week is an actual vacation for when you get back to work, your workload just piles up and once again you become stressed out and overworked. With companies limiting the number of employees, most likely the amount of time you were away equates to the amount of work you have missed therefore your ‘vacation’ is just a distant memory which you want to relive. I say why make it a distant memory when you can decide to live that life daily. That is our current goal – to live life to the fullest!

Though this chapter is ending, a brighter chapter is ahead.

Rainbow

- Rainbow in Sipalay, Negros Occidental

For more pictures you can view them in my FaceBook Album.

- Liza Mae

Simplicity of Life

I have climbed mountains, jumped islands, and swam in fresh water. I’ve never quite experienced the world like this and it is simply amazing.

Mambukal Falls

A few months ago I was drowning in numbers at my cubicle, counting minutes until 5pm, and worked myself to exhaustion.

Who would have thought my life would change so drastically?

I was drinking coffee from Timmies costing $1.50, now I am drinking fresh coconut juice or even better mango shakes for less than $0.50. Who wouldn’t want to trade their life for this life I am currently savoring?

Many seem to delude themselves into believing that they need millions to enjoy life but what I’ve been experiencing is that a dollar can stretch a long way. It is not about how much money you make, but how far you can make your money work for you.

What is the point of making so much money when you don’t know what you are going to use it for? Our societies need for more is deceptive and dubious. We already have everything we need, we just WANT more but ask yourself, why is there that need?

A simple life goes a long way. Try living it.

Liza Mae

Relationships Unravelled

I’ve been away from Toronto for a month now and I’m not really missing it. I thought I had many friends but through this process I realize I have many more acquaintances. I made everyone aware that I was going away and only a few have actually tried to keep in contact with me. So you ask why I didn’t keep in contact with them? I only kept in contact with those who responded to my mass emails or have written me through different IMs. It sound selfish of me but I have been quite selfless for so long and put a lot of time into those relationships that I subconsciously said, now it is your turn to give back in this relationship. I mean, someone can only give as much as they can until they break. I am broken.

It is not even that I am unreachable because if someone really wants to contact me, I have left so many means of communication open. I can’t really accept apologies at this point because it is what it is. Someone is only as busy as they perceive, you can always make time. It is just the matter of if you WANT to make the time. I was very surprised that one of my ex-coworkers still included me in her forwards list. Even though that is silly, she still had me in her mind when creating the email.

I am glad I had the opportunity to do what I am doing and do not have any doubts about my decision. There is more to life than what I was living. Now that I look back I realize I was not truly living, I was amongst the living dead.

Tomorrow morning I am heading to a farm that has cute little puppies and of course fruits and vegetables.

My adventure continues …

- Liza Mae

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