Traveling is my drug,

One of the things I love the most when I am free is to travel to new places I haven't been to or revisiting old places. I don't get bored going to the same places all over again like in Tagaytay, Philippines because of the nice weather and good food.

The other day I was chatting with my friends about the nice places to go to here in the Philippines. Honestly, I haven't been to a lot of really nice tourist spots here. I've only been to some and mostly to provinces that can be reached by car. Yes, I haven't been to most places here but we have been enjoying exploring other countries.

So now the question is, why haven't I gone to the most talked about places here in our country? Well, I really don't know. Hmm... maybe because I'm not that fond of going to the beaches (and yes, there's a couple of nice beaches around here), well, don't get me wrong, I love going to the beach and play around but I don't really enjoy swimming in one. I still prefer to swim at the pool.

But yes, I am still looking forward to explore our country in the future and see the nice places we have.

Oh, I need a vacation soon.

Languages.

Learning a third language is a great advantage. I have always wanted to learn another language besides English and Tagalog (Filipino). I think this has a connection with my love for traveling. I love traveling since I was a kid. Our family would love to go on a vacation as much as we could.

Sometimes, it’s hard to communicate with other people who might not know much of the language you do know. I remember the time we went to Japan for a vacation years ago, when we were at the hotel, my mom asked some thing from the staff but she kept on giving us the wrong product. My mom was even acting out what she needs but the staff didn’t understand what she really wanted. Luckily, there was another staff who understood English and my mom’s acting that eventually she gave us the product my mom needs. Haha.

I have considered learning some languages like Korean, Chinese, and French. My love for Korean and Chinese language may be because of I am fond of watching Asian Dramas. Sometimes, I even search the net for basic words I can learn on my own. But I think that it might be useless because I won’t be able to know the correct pronunciation of the words. For French language, well, I think it’s because it sounds really nice and romantic. Hahaha.

One of the most popular questions I get from people when I meet them for the first time is that they ask me if I am Chinese, and they follow it up with another question… Do you know how to speak in Chinese? Well, the answer for both is no. Yes, I look Chinese. Some of my Chinese friends think I look more Chinese than they are. Haha. Well I guess, learning Chinese would be perfect for me.

Are you sure you're 22?

"Hey, you look so young. You're 22; I thought you're just 16." "Hey, you're just 16; I thought you're already 22."

Have you ever heard any of these lines before? I have actually had. Always. Well, only the first line though. I think no one has ever heard the second line, or have you?

People either look older or younger their age. And I do fall under the one who looks younger than my age category.

Compliment or no compliment? It is a compliment. Of course, you would want to look younger than your age. Who would want to look older? Well, people who fall into the same category with me, would sometimes want to look older. No, actually, just right for our age. Not looking older or younger than our age. Just right.

Some people who have been getting this "you look younger" compliment get tired of hearing it too. Hey, some want to just look like their actual age. Some of my friends and I get this compliment more often than usual. It's either we just let go of the tired feeling and agree on it but oftentimes, we're just tired of hearing them over and over again.

Getting this kind of compliment has pros and cons. There was one time in Canada, my sister, nephew, niece, mom and I went to this indoor mini theme park (or something like that). At the exit, kids were given loot bags and adults were given books / magazines. So I accompanied my nephew and niece to get their loot bags. And when we went to meet up my sister and mom, they laughed so hard because I got a loot bag too!

Cons.. Hmm.. I have experienced in some situations where people would even ask for any valid ID stating my age.

One of the best experiences so far (with getting the compliment) was when I was traveling alone. No, actually I was going home alone. This happened about 2 years ago; after exploring the east coast with my sister and friend. Our friend drove us to the airport and my sister and I parted ways. My flight was from Florida to New York, New York to Hong Kong, and Hong Kong to Manila.

I rode the Cathay Pacific airplane and it was great. When I checked in (NY airport), the guy from the booth made sure I would go to the right gate and even suggested to bring me there. He also gave me a pin which I have to wear the whole time and some paper that I need to give to the attendant when we land in Hong Kong.

When I got to Hong Kong, there was a girl and a guy attendant who were waiting for me at the gate and brought me to their lounge area. When it was time for boarding, another attendant brought me to my gate and even inside the plane. And I thought that was it.

When we arrived in Manila, I saw a poster with my name on it. Another attendant. He got my luggage and waited for the person who will pick me up. When the person who picked me up arrived, they even asked for his name, number and ID before letting me go... And it's all because they thought I was a child! Hahahaha!

Nice experience!