I am back in the city after three days of hibernating in the beautiful island of Puerto Galera. I am back, fatter and darker. Blame everything on the sun and great food.

For those who are not familiar, Puerto Galera is part of the island of Oriental Mindoro. As I have mentioned in my previous post, the Philippines is an archipelago. My country is comprised of  7,107 unique and beautiful islands. Puerto Galera is one the well known tourist and summer destinations here. The place is surrounded by the lush mountains and beautiful beaches.

My workplace is responsible for bringing me to Puerto Galera. I work in an institution where we are given the opportunity to have summer outing once a year. This is off from work and fun time with my workplace friends.

A bus ride to the Port of Batangas and a ferry ride to Calapan Mindoro will take you to the island of Puerto Galera. The trip is quite exhausting but the experience in the island was all worth it.

The challenge and thrill of riding this boat is feeling the frightening waves of the sea. But with God's grace, we were able to arrive at Puerto Galera safe, happy and excited!

Our first stop was Puerto Nirvana, the resort which housed us for three days.



Main Entrance of  Puerto Nirvana







The Infinity Pool is one of my favorite spots at Puerto Nirvana.



The owner of the resort even allowed us to view his private place.

Aside from the fact that he already has a breathtaking place by the beach, the selection of furniture made the owner's place cozy and homey.



The rattan pieces for me are best for rest houses.

Dining Area



The terrace that overlooks the beach is the best part of the owner's place



I love this wooden bed in the terrace. This part of the terrace perfectly defines relaxation and vacation. Lying in bed and enjoying the view of the sea is priceless.

I fell in love with these tables

If I am not mistaken, this table is made of wood and dead sea corals. If you are familiar with mangroves, (trees that grow and are submerged in saline waters) this table was made from the trunk of a tree where corals have grown. 

Glass topped side table with shells, corals and other natural elements from the sea.

I have always dreamed of owning this kind of study or working table.

And now... the main attraction of the resort

 For me, the beach is best experienced during this time.

The scorching heat of the sun is gone and what you can feel is the sound of the breeze and waves of the sea.

This is just day one of our three day stay at Puerto Galera. I will be sharing the other places we have visited on my next posts. For now, I need to rest and sleep because it's back to work tomorrow.

P.S. I am joining Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesday

• April 18, 2011
• Philippines

Summer is spelled as P-U-E-R-T-O G-A-L-E-R-A

I am back in the city after three days of hibernating in the beautiful island of Puerto Galera. I am back, fatter and darker. Blame everything on the sun and great food.

For those who are not familiar, Puerto Galera is part of the island of Oriental Mindoro. As I have mentioned in my previous post, the Philippines is an archipelago. My country is comprised of  7,107 unique and beautiful islands. Puerto Galera is one the well known tourist and summer destinations here. The place is surrounded by the lush mountains and beautiful beaches.

My workplace is responsible for bringing me to Puerto Galera. I work in an institution where we are given the opportunity to have summer outing once a year. This is off from work and fun time with my workplace friends.

A bus ride to the Port of Batangas and a ferry ride to Calapan Mindoro will take you to the island of Puerto Galera. The trip is quite exhausting but the experience in the island was all worth it.

The challenge and thrill of riding this boat is feeling the frightening waves of the sea. But with God's grace, we were able to arrive at Puerto Galera safe, happy and excited!

Our first stop was Puerto Nirvana, the resort which housed us for three days.



Main Entrance of  Puerto Nirvana







The Infinity Pool is one of my favorite spots at Puerto Nirvana.



The owner of the resort even allowed us to view his private place.

Aside from the fact that he already has a breathtaking place by the beach, the selection of furniture made the owner's place cozy and homey.



The rattan pieces for me are best for rest houses.

Dining Area



The terrace that overlooks the beach is the best part of the owner's place



I love this wooden bed in the terrace. This part of the terrace perfectly defines relaxation and vacation. Lying in bed and enjoying the view of the sea is priceless.

I fell in love with these tables

If I am not mistaken, this table is made of wood and dead sea corals. If you are familiar with mangroves, (trees that grow and are submerged in saline waters) this table was made from the trunk of a tree where corals have grown. 

Glass topped side table with shells, corals and other natural elements from the sea.

I have always dreamed of owning this kind of study or working table.

And now... the main attraction of the resort

 For me, the beach is best experienced during this time.

The scorching heat of the sun is gone and what you can feel is the sound of the breeze and waves of the sea.

This is just day one of our three day stay at Puerto Galera. I will be sharing the other places we have visited on my next posts. For now, I need to rest and sleep because it's back to work tomorrow.

P.S. I am joining Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesday

Read More

Do you recognize these flowers?

These are my favorite Cherry Blossoms. I love Cherry Blossoms but I never had the chance to see and feel them.  I obtained these pictures from the Internet, but not from Yahoo or Google images. These pictures were captured by my cousin who resides in the land of the rising sun, the country whom I believe would surpass everything; Japan.

My cousin who gave me the permission to post these pictures is my Ate (sister) May. (In the Philippines, we also call our elder females as sister or "Ate" as a way of showing respect.)  Ate May is one of my paternal cousins. We became cousins because our grandmothers (mothers of our fathers) are siblings. I have plenty of cousins from my paternal family. I consider it as a blessing but honestly, this situation sometimes brings disadvantages. I don't have the chance to personally know all of my cousins. My quiet personality even contributes to my failure to reach out to all of them. As a result, I know some of our relatives have misjudged me as weird, snobbish and "different." 

Ate May is one of my few relatives who have gained my respect and admiration. You see, I am a firm believer that respect is earned and not imposed. Otherwise, it isn't respect. I have high respect for Ate May because she persevered in life. She did not take advantage of anyone to reach her place. More importantly, I never heard her criticize other people's faults and misfortunes in life. Her silent personality can never be equated by a conceited, dominating and useless.. whatever ;-) 

A little confession to make, Ate May and I never had the chance to have those intimate talk or closeness before she left the country. But believe it or not, it only took an hour of Yahoo Messenger chat for me to realize that I have a friend, cousin and sister in her. Our chat came so perfect because for some reasons, I feel so sad and depressed at that time. Quarter life crisis perhaps. Thank you Ate May. You just don't know how much I needed that. You saved me. 

Ate May’s good heart and humility gave her the best life she deserves. Ate May is now a fulfilled wife and a mother to a charming little boy.

Meet God’s greatest and cutest gift to Ate May

Kenji at Play

Kenji Prays

Kenji on for Work (school)

Kenji and Mommy: Love, Love, Love!
Happiness is Priceless

Dear Ate May,

Becoming a mother is one of the greatest achievements a woman could ever have. God chose you to become the mother of Kenji because He knows you are perfect for him. I pray that God will keep your family safe and complete. May you have more wedding anniversaries and I wish that Kenji grows equally happy and fulfilled.  

Like the Cherry Blossoms, I know you will bloom and flourish as a mother, wife, daughter, and a woman for others. Enjoy motherhood and thank you for coming in my life.

Diane

• April 13, 2011
• family

Cherry Blossoms

Do you recognize these flowers?

These are my favorite Cherry Blossoms. I love Cherry Blossoms but I never had the chance to see and feel them.  I obtained these pictures from the Internet, but not from Yahoo or Google images. These pictures were captured by my cousin who resides in the land of the rising sun, the country whom I believe would surpass everything; Japan.

My cousin who gave me the permission to post these pictures is my Ate (sister) May. (In the Philippines, we also call our elder females as sister or "Ate" as a way of showing respect.)  Ate May is one of my paternal cousins. We became cousins because our grandmothers (mothers of our fathers) are siblings. I have plenty of cousins from my paternal family. I consider it as a blessing but honestly, this situation sometimes brings disadvantages. I don't have the chance to personally know all of my cousins. My quiet personality even contributes to my failure to reach out to all of them. As a result, I know some of our relatives have misjudged me as weird, snobbish and "different." 

Ate May is one of my few relatives who have gained my respect and admiration. You see, I am a firm believer that respect is earned and not imposed. Otherwise, it isn't respect. I have high respect for Ate May because she persevered in life. She did not take advantage of anyone to reach her place. More importantly, I never heard her criticize other people's faults and misfortunes in life. Her silent personality can never be equated by a conceited, dominating and useless.. whatever ;-) 

A little confession to make, Ate May and I never had the chance to have those intimate talk or closeness before she left the country. But believe it or not, it only took an hour of Yahoo Messenger chat for me to realize that I have a friend, cousin and sister in her. Our chat came so perfect because for some reasons, I feel so sad and depressed at that time. Quarter life crisis perhaps. Thank you Ate May. You just don't know how much I needed that. You saved me. 

Ate May’s good heart and humility gave her the best life she deserves. Ate May is now a fulfilled wife and a mother to a charming little boy.

Meet God’s greatest and cutest gift to Ate May

Kenji at Play

Kenji Prays

Kenji on for Work (school)

Kenji and Mommy: Love, Love, Love!
Happiness is Priceless

Dear Ate May,

Becoming a mother is one of the greatest achievements a woman could ever have. God chose you to become the mother of Kenji because He knows you are perfect for him. I pray that God will keep your family safe and complete. May you have more wedding anniversaries and I wish that Kenji grows equally happy and fulfilled.  

Like the Cherry Blossoms, I know you will bloom and flourish as a mother, wife, daughter, and a woman for others. Enjoy motherhood and thank you for coming in my life.

Diane

Read More

I bought my own DVD copy of Dear John last month and it was only last night when I was able to finally watch it. I also bought a copy of the book last year, but I haven't finished reading it. That's how lazy I have become these days. I don't know what's wrong with me but I always feel sleepy and as soon as I hit the bed, zzzzzzzzzzzzz. Similar to my experience with My Sassy Girl, I have to make several attempts of watching the film. I always have to battle the urge to sleep.

source

My friend, Anne, told me that Dear John has a sad ending, typical and expected of Nicholas Sparks' works. In the book, Savannah and John did not end up with each other. With the movie? Let us just say that the ending was not consistent with the book.

The movie gave me tears, but not because of John and Savannah. It's the lone scene of John and his dying father that made me cry. Here is an edited clip of the scene

and the exact content of John's letter to his father

Dear Dad,

There’s something I wanna tell you. After I got shot, you wanna know the very first thing that entered my mind before I blacked out? Coins… I’m eight years old again on a tour to the US Mint. I’m listening to a guy explaining how coins are made. How they’re punched out of sheet metal. How they’re rimmed and beveled. How they are stamped and cleaned. And how each and every batch of coins are personally examined, just in case any had slipped through a slightest imperfection. That’s what popped into my head.

I was a coin in the United States Army. I was minted in the year 1980.  I’ve been punched from sheet metal. I’ve been stamped and cleaned. My ridges have been rimmed and beveled. But now I have two small holes in me. I’m no longer in perfect condition. So there’s something else I wanna tell you. Right before everything went black, you wanna know the very last thing that entered my mind? YOU.

The words used in the letter were so simple. But each word felt so pure and true. The letter was overflowing with love, that was supressed and never expressed for the longest time.

The reason why I became affected of this scene is because John and his father depict the kind of relationship I have with my own Dad. Like John, I don't express my gratitude and appreciation to my Dad. I once tried to be affectionate to my father. I prepared a birthday card and a thank you letter for him several times. But I always end up seeing those cards and letters in the trash bin. I was hurt at first. I cried and felt unloved. But over time, I learned to accept that God gave me a different father. I was given a father who do not seek for words of love and appreciation. I should rather be thankful because the father I have is contented with seeing me finish my studies and become a respectful, humble and decent person. Showing to him that I live a good life is more than enough to honor and appreciate all his hardships.

If my father happens to read this, you know how I feel. Just the thought of losing you already brings me tears. I love you and thank you for everything.  

• April 11, 2011
• Inspirational Monday

Dear John made me cry

I bought my own DVD copy of Dear John last month and it was only last night when I was able to finally watch it. I also bought a copy of the book last year, but I haven't finished reading it. That's how lazy I have become these days. I don't know what's wrong with me but I always feel sleepy and as soon as I hit the bed, zzzzzzzzzzzzz. Similar to my experience with My Sassy Girl, I have to make several attempts of watching the film. I always have to battle the urge to sleep.

source

My friend, Anne, told me that Dear John has a sad ending, typical and expected of Nicholas Sparks' works. In the book, Savannah and John did not end up with each other. With the movie? Let us just say that the ending was not consistent with the book.

The movie gave me tears, but not because of John and Savannah. It's the lone scene of John and his dying father that made me cry. Here is an edited clip of the scene

and the exact content of John's letter to his father

Dear Dad,

There’s something I wanna tell you. After I got shot, you wanna know the very first thing that entered my mind before I blacked out? Coins… I’m eight years old again on a tour to the US Mint. I’m listening to a guy explaining how coins are made. How they’re punched out of sheet metal. How they’re rimmed and beveled. How they are stamped and cleaned. And how each and every batch of coins are personally examined, just in case any had slipped through a slightest imperfection. That’s what popped into my head.

I was a coin in the United States Army. I was minted in the year 1980.  I’ve been punched from sheet metal. I’ve been stamped and cleaned. My ridges have been rimmed and beveled. But now I have two small holes in me. I’m no longer in perfect condition. So there’s something else I wanna tell you. Right before everything went black, you wanna know the very last thing that entered my mind? YOU.

The words used in the letter were so simple. But each word felt so pure and true. The letter was overflowing with love, that was supressed and never expressed for the longest time.

The reason why I became affected of this scene is because John and his father depict the kind of relationship I have with my own Dad. Like John, I don't express my gratitude and appreciation to my Dad. I once tried to be affectionate to my father. I prepared a birthday card and a thank you letter for him several times. But I always end up seeing those cards and letters in the trash bin. I was hurt at first. I cried and felt unloved. But over time, I learned to accept that God gave me a different father. I was given a father who do not seek for words of love and appreciation. I should rather be thankful because the father I have is contented with seeing me finish my studies and become a respectful, humble and decent person. Showing to him that I live a good life is more than enough to honor and appreciate all his hardships.

If my father happens to read this, you know how I feel. Just the thought of losing you already brings me tears. I love you and thank you for everything.  

Read More

I am proud to say that I was born and raised in the Philippines. Unlike other countries, the Philippines is an archipelago. My country is particularly comprised of 7,107 islands. Each island is so unique and has something special to offer. One thing I can be proud of my country is the presence of beautiful beaches in almost every region. How I wish I could visit all of the breathtaking places in my country and share the scenic views with you. For now what I can promise is to capture pictures of every beautiful place I will reach and blog about it. 

If I will be asked which place in the Philippines is closest to my heart, I will not have second thoughts in saying Marikina City, my only hometown.  

Marikina City is one of the urbanized areas in the Philippines. However, the lesser population in Marikina differentiates it from other advanced cities. The government also does it share of providing good roads and infrastructures. Hence, despite being industrialized, Marikina remains to be a livable city. 

I was born and raised in Marikina City. My ancestors all lived here and most of my cousins still chose to start their family here. My hometown has been a witness to my childhood experiences and other memorable experiences in life. 

Marikina will always have a special place in my heart and blogging it once will never be enough. This blog will always have posts about my hometown. For now, I will be showing you some of my favorite places. 

Remember my post about the burgers served in a time machine?

My favorite burgers are served in this vintage inspired coffee house. This is Mama Chit's Coffee House situated in San Roque, Marikina City.


How about this place?

One of the best and inexpensive pizza and pasta dishes are served here at Cafe Lidia. You can learn more about Cafe Lidia on my previous post here.


Aside from food related places, allow me to share with you other places in my hometown.

A shoe store? Why is there a huge shoe here? My hometown is known as the Shoe Capital of the Philippines. The best shoes in my country are mostly produced in my hometown. Most of the local small to large scale shoe manufacturing companies are found in Marikina. If you happen to visit my hometown, you'll see more of this.

Marikina is a walkable community. If you consider jogging, biking or having long walks as a form of recreation or fitness activity, then my hometown is perfect for you.

This is one the areas of the famous Riverbanks Center in Marikina.

The river is not anymore ideal for swimming. But the government made efforts to clean and at the very least, make it as an ideal place for outdoor activities.

Among the pictures I have captured, this one is my favorite. The picture combines a piece of the city and nature. The tall buildings are not anymore a part of Marikina. The buildings belong to the business district of Eastwood in Quezon City.


The newest mall in Marikina is walking distance from the Riverbanks. So if you're tired of the greenery and can't wait to grab your Starbucks, then walk your way to the mall. 

Can you see the black and the lone white carabaos?

This is not a perfect close shot, but don't be deceived. They are fake carabaos! ;-) They are statues designed to give the place the perfect effect of nature. 


Few walks away from the riverbank is a small park.

 

A Japanese inspired scenery situated below the train's railway.

The other side of the park. 

You can spend the sunny day under the shade of the trees. The Philippines is a tropical country so expect this view most of the year. 

For the kids and kids at heart too ;-)!

I hope you enjoyed my pictures. I will be sharing more about my hometown in my next posts. I wish everyone a great weekend.

• April 08, 2011
• Marikina City

A special place in my heart

I am proud to say that I was born and raised in the Philippines. Unlike other countries, the Philippines is an archipelago. My country is particularly comprised of 7,107 islands. Each island is so unique and has something special to offer. One thing I can be proud of my country is the presence of beautiful beaches in almost every region. How I wish I could visit all of the breathtaking places in my country and share the scenic views with you. For now what I can promise is to capture pictures of every beautiful place I will reach and blog about it. 

If I will be asked which place in the Philippines is closest to my heart, I will not have second thoughts in saying Marikina City, my only hometown.  

Marikina City is one of the urbanized areas in the Philippines. However, the lesser population in Marikina differentiates it from other advanced cities. The government also does it share of providing good roads and infrastructures. Hence, despite being industrialized, Marikina remains to be a livable city. 

I was born and raised in Marikina City. My ancestors all lived here and most of my cousins still chose to start their family here. My hometown has been a witness to my childhood experiences and other memorable experiences in life. 

Marikina will always have a special place in my heart and blogging it once will never be enough. This blog will always have posts about my hometown. For now, I will be showing you some of my favorite places. 

Remember my post about the burgers served in a time machine?

My favorite burgers are served in this vintage inspired coffee house. This is Mama Chit's Coffee House situated in San Roque, Marikina City.


How about this place?

One of the best and inexpensive pizza and pasta dishes are served here at Cafe Lidia. You can learn more about Cafe Lidia on my previous post here.


Aside from food related places, allow me to share with you other places in my hometown.

A shoe store? Why is there a huge shoe here? My hometown is known as the Shoe Capital of the Philippines. The best shoes in my country are mostly produced in my hometown. Most of the local small to large scale shoe manufacturing companies are found in Marikina. If you happen to visit my hometown, you'll see more of this.

Marikina is a walkable community. If you consider jogging, biking or having long walks as a form of recreation or fitness activity, then my hometown is perfect for you.

This is one the areas of the famous Riverbanks Center in Marikina.

The river is not anymore ideal for swimming. But the government made efforts to clean and at the very least, make it as an ideal place for outdoor activities.

Among the pictures I have captured, this one is my favorite. The picture combines a piece of the city and nature. The tall buildings are not anymore a part of Marikina. The buildings belong to the business district of Eastwood in Quezon City.


The newest mall in Marikina is walking distance from the Riverbanks. So if you're tired of the greenery and can't wait to grab your Starbucks, then walk your way to the mall. 

Can you see the black and the lone white carabaos?

This is not a perfect close shot, but don't be deceived. They are fake carabaos! ;-) They are statues designed to give the place the perfect effect of nature. 


Few walks away from the riverbank is a small park.

 

A Japanese inspired scenery situated below the train's railway.

The other side of the park. 

You can spend the sunny day under the shade of the trees. The Philippines is a tropical country so expect this view most of the year. 

For the kids and kids at heart too ;-)!

I hope you enjoyed my pictures. I will be sharing more about my hometown in my next posts. I wish everyone a great weekend.

Read More

As promised, here is my post for Getting Inspired on Mondays. I will be featuring two special people today.

I hope you could take time to watch this video.

This is not fiction. This is real life. This is true inspiration.

The great person in the video is Nick Vujicic of Australia. He was born with no arms and legs in 1982. Like a typical disabled person, he admitted that he had his own share of depressions. He experienced bullying, self-esteem issues, self pity and loneliness. Nick may have a physical disability. But what sets him special is his acceptance of what he have rather than what he don't have, determination and positive outlook in life. Unfortunately, these traits are rarely observed among us who are complete and able.  

"It's a lie to think that you are not good enough. If I fail 100 times, I try again and again. It's not the end. What matters is how you're gonna finish. Will you finish strong? And will you find that strength to get back up"

Thank you for being a strong and determined person Nick! Thank you for showing us that being alive is more than enough reason to love the life we have.

Photo source here

Her name is Anika. Like any daughter, Anika is so special in the eyes of her parents. Her parents will do whatever it takes to give Anika the best that life could offer. Life was almost perfect for Anika's family, not until they discovered that Anika has a broken heart.

Photo Source here

She was diagnosed with congenital heart defects called Single Ventricle, Dextrocardia, Pulmonary Atresia, Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). 

Anika continues to battle for her life. She would turn 4 on April 17. I am appealing to all those people who are reading this post to make Anika's birthday special. Let us offer silent prayers for her and her family. 

If you want to know more about Anika and how we could further help, please visit this site. 

• April 04, 2011
• Inspirational Monday

I love living life, I am happy!

As promised, here is my post for Getting Inspired on Mondays. I will be featuring two special people today.

I hope you could take time to watch this video.

This is not fiction. This is real life. This is true inspiration.

The great person in the video is Nick Vujicic of Australia. He was born with no arms and legs in 1982. Like a typical disabled person, he admitted that he had his own share of depressions. He experienced bullying, self-esteem issues, self pity and loneliness. Nick may have a physical disability. But what sets him special is his acceptance of what he have rather than what he don't have, determination and positive outlook in life. Unfortunately, these traits are rarely observed among us who are complete and able.  

"It's a lie to think that you are not good enough. If I fail 100 times, I try again and again. It's not the end. What matters is how you're gonna finish. Will you finish strong? And will you find that strength to get back up"

Thank you for being a strong and determined person Nick! Thank you for showing us that being alive is more than enough reason to love the life we have.

Photo source here

Her name is Anika. Like any daughter, Anika is so special in the eyes of her parents. Her parents will do whatever it takes to give Anika the best that life could offer. Life was almost perfect for Anika's family, not until they discovered that Anika has a broken heart.

Photo Source here

She was diagnosed with congenital heart defects called Single Ventricle, Dextrocardia, Pulmonary Atresia, Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). 

Anika continues to battle for her life. She would turn 4 on April 17. I am appealing to all those people who are reading this post to make Anika's birthday special. Let us offer silent prayers for her and her family. 

If you want to know more about Anika and how we could further help, please visit this site. 

Read More

I have mentioned in my previous post that my penfriends was one of the reasons that contributed to the expansion of my stamp collections. So for today I thought of sharing with you of how I managed to gain friends through letter writing.

It started everything with International Youth Service (IYS), a Finland based company. The company maintains a database of students from different countries. If you want to have a penfriend at your age from a particular country, IYS could help you for a minimal fee. IYS's process starts through this form

IYS Form

You have to provide some information about yourself and your penfriend preference. IYS charges $1.10 for one penfriend requested. After some months you will be given the name and address of a possible penfriend.

What I appreciate about IYS is their service guarantee. They replace names of penfriends who do not respond.   

Unfortunately today, IYS is no longer existing. The company was forced to stop its operations due to the low number of clientele. It appears that only a few students are becoming interested to letter writing. The presence of social networking sites and all those advanced technologies provided alternatives to students to meet different people. Another reason perhaps is because students today are after all no longer interested in letter writing.

I learned of IYS' closure last year. It turns out that they stopped operations back in 2008. I felt sad because IYS has a special place in my growing up years. I was very shy and quiet as a kid. My life back then was school and home. IYS was one of the few things that brought happiness and excitement in my quiet and simple childhood.

I gained letter writing buddies turned friends from Thailand, Brunei, Korea, Brazil, Germany, and Turkey. Some managed to send me once, twice letters from Tanzania, Mauritius and Kazahkstan.

 Some of the letters that I have been keeping.

These letters are from Azlina of Brunei. Things I will never forget about her, we both love Backstreet Boys, she uses almost the same envelopes, she's a Muslim but she sends me Christmas cards and she never forgets my birthday, and when I asked for her picture she told that she has a policy. Strict? She told me that I should not show her picture to anyone. hahaha! Unfortunately, I can't remember when did we stop sending letters to each other. If you are reading this my friend, I hope we could reconnect again.

These are from Atcharee of Thailand. She was my first penfriend and we exchanged letters for the longest time. We still wrote letters before I graduated from college. I wanted to reconnect with her again so I read her letters and found her email address. Thanks to Facebook! I found her! What I remember about Atcharee, she also sends me Christmas cards though she is a Buddhist, she loves Lion King, she loves to draw, she never forgets my birthday and she makes her own cards.

 

 I gained some friends from Korea too. We managed to exchange a few letters only.

 

I had two penfriends from Germany. One of them is Kathrin from Lehrberg. Though we exchanged only a few letters, I hope she still remembers me. I told Kathrin that I study in a school exclusive for girls and this was Kathrin's reply

I hope you can still read the letter. Please particularly read the second paragraph. Kathrin said "Is your school without boys boring? I can't imagine that." You made me laugh Kathrin.

My other penfriend from Germany named Christina made the same remark

If I related my story to my friend Duni of Germany, will she have the same reaction too? hehehe

Letter writing is fun. Gaining friends by mere exchange of letters doubles the fun. I hope some kids today will still find interest in this activity. But with the advent of email and other forms of technology, there's a small chance for kids to appreciate letter writing, as much as I did.  

• April 02, 2011
• friends

I have friends from all over the world

I have mentioned in my previous post that my penfriends was one of the reasons that contributed to the expansion of my stamp collections. So for today I thought of sharing with you of how I managed to gain friends through letter writing.

It started everything with International Youth Service (IYS), a Finland based company. The company maintains a database of students from different countries. If you want to have a penfriend at your age from a particular country, IYS could help you for a minimal fee. IYS's process starts through this form

IYS Form

You have to provide some information about yourself and your penfriend preference. IYS charges $1.10 for one penfriend requested. After some months you will be given the name and address of a possible penfriend.

What I appreciate about IYS is their service guarantee. They replace names of penfriends who do not respond.   

Unfortunately today, IYS is no longer existing. The company was forced to stop its operations due to the low number of clientele. It appears that only a few students are becoming interested to letter writing. The presence of social networking sites and all those advanced technologies provided alternatives to students to meet different people. Another reason perhaps is because students today are after all no longer interested in letter writing.

I learned of IYS' closure last year. It turns out that they stopped operations back in 2008. I felt sad because IYS has a special place in my growing up years. I was very shy and quiet as a kid. My life back then was school and home. IYS was one of the few things that brought happiness and excitement in my quiet and simple childhood.

I gained letter writing buddies turned friends from Thailand, Brunei, Korea, Brazil, Germany, and Turkey. Some managed to send me once, twice letters from Tanzania, Mauritius and Kazahkstan.

 Some of the letters that I have been keeping.

These letters are from Azlina of Brunei. Things I will never forget about her, we both love Backstreet Boys, she uses almost the same envelopes, she's a Muslim but she sends me Christmas cards and she never forgets my birthday, and when I asked for her picture she told that she has a policy. Strict? She told me that I should not show her picture to anyone. hahaha! Unfortunately, I can't remember when did we stop sending letters to each other. If you are reading this my friend, I hope we could reconnect again.

These are from Atcharee of Thailand. She was my first penfriend and we exchanged letters for the longest time. We still wrote letters before I graduated from college. I wanted to reconnect with her again so I read her letters and found her email address. Thanks to Facebook! I found her! What I remember about Atcharee, she also sends me Christmas cards though she is a Buddhist, she loves Lion King, she loves to draw, she never forgets my birthday and she makes her own cards.

 

 I gained some friends from Korea too. We managed to exchange a few letters only.

 

I had two penfriends from Germany. One of them is Kathrin from Lehrberg. Though we exchanged only a few letters, I hope she still remembers me. I told Kathrin that I study in a school exclusive for girls and this was Kathrin's reply

I hope you can still read the letter. Please particularly read the second paragraph. Kathrin said "Is your school without boys boring? I can't imagine that." You made me laugh Kathrin.

My other penfriend from Germany named Christina made the same remark

If I related my story to my friend Duni of Germany, will she have the same reaction too? hehehe

Letter writing is fun. Gaining friends by mere exchange of letters doubles the fun. I hope some kids today will still find interest in this activity. But with the advent of email and other forms of technology, there's a small chance for kids to appreciate letter writing, as much as I did.  

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