It was the year 2009, I just arrived in Japan for my doctoral education. At the same time, Zynga developed FarmVille as a game on Facebook. Living in a cold countryside, I was so bored whenever I am back in my dormitory. I even finished the whole “Death Note” anime series in less than a week. Then I discovered FarmVille. I started playing until it became part of my daily routine. I was so hooked with FarmVille that I can still hear their background music playing inside my head until now.
Category: Self-Thoughts
#Followthewhitewabbit
Why did Alice follow the White Rabbit?
Well, definitely it was her unthinking decision to follow the White Rabbit that leads her to her adventure. But have you ever wondered why she really followed him? Because the White Rabbit was talking? Or because he was wearing clothes? Or maybe because of his fancy pocket watch? I think it’s because Alice love adventures. Curiosity might lead her to fall down the rabbit hole, but the whole adventure was worth it.
Hello 2016!
It’s again the start of a new year, a great time to plan our goals for this year and reflect on what we have achieved in the last year.
Hiatus In Wanderland
It has been 2 months since my last entry here in my blog. I may have stopped writing for a while, but I didn’t stop wandering.
Happy 6th Year, Japan!
It was the night of September 28th, 2009. I arrived at the Tokachi-Obihiro airport still clueless of what this city looks like. I was expecting of a very urbanized city with beautiful lights and skyscrapers. I was expecting that Obihiro is a city similar to Tokyo. After getting my luggages, I was picked up by my tutor-labmate. As we travel, I was so surprised of what I was seeing. Trees, lots and lots of trees… and total darkness.
The Drawbacks Of Being A “Rush Packer”
As a “rush packer”, there are already two instances that I forgot something and I just noticed it when I’m already at the airport. Although I have somehow solved these problems, it is really advisable not to forget these things. I ended up wasting my money and disturbing other people.
The Schengen Experience
Having a Filipino passport comes with certain disadvantages. Being discriminated in those countries with Filipino domestic helpers (which I have experienced in Singapore) is one. And another is the necessity to apply for visa to enter another country. The latter is really a major drawback for Filipino wanderers like me. So far, the Philippine passport ranked 68th in the world based on the Visa Restriction Index. Philippine passport holders can enter 62 countries and territories visa-free or with visa upon arrival.
TripIt Good!
For me, I highly recommend the TripIt app. This was developed by Concur Technologies, an American travel management software company, and was released in January 2011. I started using TripIt in August 2013 with my trip to UK. And since then, it has become my steady travel companion.
The Wanderer In Me
During my nearly 6 years stay here in Japan, I gained a doctoral degree, scientific papers, international friends and a lot of stamps in my passport. I am a researcher by choice, wanderer by chance.
Amoj In Wanderland 