Do you sometimes feel that you’re just living to get by?  Not knowing the reason for your being and that someday this life given to you will just end and yet you were not able to leave a mark behind – something that people will remember you by? Well I didn’t realize I was in that place until I found my passion in life. My passion in life is to travel and share.

It all began when my boyfriend of more than 5 years went to Japan to pursue graduate studies. I realized that it has only been recently that Japan became more open to allowing tourists to enter their home country since the devastating Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that unfortunately claimed 15,881, injured 6,142 and left 2,668 people missing. And based on my travel experiences before, it seems that the people would always have usual questions for me such as where did I stay, where did I go and how much did I spend on a trip. So I thought, why not create and maintain my own blog? Having my own site would not only help me relive my travel journeys but also help fellow eager travellers in their endeavors to further discover other vibrant cultures of this world.

As I know that my three main interests in life are travelling, photography and food, I decided to centralize my entries on these elements. If you have noticed, I also have a great attention to detail and I dislike clutter  so these are influential traits that have and will continue to be incorporated in my entries. As much as possible, I want to be able to share all my experiences, both the good and the bad, when I go travelling, so I can provide a holistic view of that city and/or nation. I am a firm believer of having all the information before being able to reach a sound decision. So my readers can be rest assured that that consistency and pattern be present in my reflections and full documentation.

Since I started writing about my passions in life, I have been overwhelmed by the responses. I am humbled by the fact that friends and readers find my travel escapades useful and inspiring. It warms my heart every time I receive a message asking about a trip I recently had since it only means that they value my recommendations. All the more when someone approaches me with simple yet powerful words of encouragement. As cliche as it may sound, the readers are the reasons that fuel me to keep my blog interesting, updated and organized.

I can stop blogging anytime if it was just for me but that instant fulfillment one feels from having that capability to inspire is priceless. Just priceless.

So when a work colleague of mine, Aileed Adalid of I am Aileen asked me to vote for her in The Blog Exchange, it was a love at first sight. I loved the brilliant idea of swapping home country with a fellow blogger on the other side of the world. That very idea of being able to live a different life even for just 10 days by actually immersing in their culture is exciting. Indeed it is. I couldn’t help but feel ecstatic.  Even in college I really made sure that I would spend one semester abroad because I felt that I needed a life changing experience to widen my perspective in life and I did – I had a wonderful time as an exchange student in Singapore. It forever changed my life and the lessons that I learned from that experience will forever be a part of me and an influential factor of what I wanted in life from then on.

The Big Blog Exchange as explained in their official page,

Run by Hostelling International, The Big Blog Exchange is an exciting, unique and exclusive project that has never before been explored. Sixteen passionate bloggers will swap lives, blogs, cultures and places simultaneously in real life for ten days (7th June to 17th June).

What’s at stake,

The final sixteen lucky selected bloggers will be exchanging places with another blogger from across the world. HI (and the rest of the world) will be following each of the bloggers journeys, as they explore their exchange destination, immersing themselves in local culture. Flights, accommodation and a daily allowance will be provided for the duration of your stay.

What I love further about this is that it gives everyone a somewhat level playing field because 2 of the 16 slots up for grabs, referred to as the wildcards, will be chosen purely on content rather than by popularity (i.e. number of votes).

The two wildcard choices will be chosen to undertake the project based purely on their written content/video content, rather than on votes. This ensures that the project is accessible to all and does not rely purely on popularity.

Just writing about this innovative once in a lifetime experience is giving me chills! I never wanted anything so bad and just to prove it to you I just participated by submitting an entry yesterday and I haven’t stopped sharing my entry because I need all the help that I can get. And I couldn’t have gone from 600th to 14th rank without your help and the support of my friends.

What do you think, do I deserve to go on a 10 day exchange destination with another  blogger from across the world? Please help me represent my fellow eager travellers and the Philippines with three easy clicks,

• Click on my BBE link at http://www.bigblogexchange.org/blog/184007 or simply click on the photo below.
  
• Click on the ‘Vote’ button where you will have to enter a valid email address (1 email address = 1 vote).
• Click the verification link which will be sent to the registered email address.

I hope you find your passion in life. Cheers!

The Big Blog Exchange