Ruby Loves Adventure

Ok, imagine you can only work for four hours a week and the rest of the time, you can do whatever you want. Would you like that type of life?

That is the main reason why I picked up this book in the first place. It was early 2013, and I was hit badly by the travel bug. I had been backpacking for 2 years and really, really wanted to find a way to escape the desk job and find a way to create other income streams so I could travel the world, which is a great passion of mine.

I first bought the book when Fully Booked in Alabang opened. I searched long and hard for it and was thrilled when it was available - it was pricey (in Pesos) but I bought it anyway.

I started reading the book... only, I had to leave a few months later for a new life in America. As the book was quite bulky, I had to leave it at home - only to reunite with it when I borrowed it from the Jacksonville library (YAY).

So, the concept of the book is simple, the New Rich, as the book calls, mostly wants you to look for ways to become more productive by eliminating, automating (or outsourcing), and batching tasks. And for employed workers, to negotiate a remote working agreement so that you can go ahead and live elsewhere while keeping a steady source of income in your pocket.

It also explains the concept of mini-retirements, where you go stay in one place for a while, 3 months, 6 months, however long it takes, before moving on to another place. Every time you move to a new place, a new series of challenges would ensue: how to adapt in the new environment, how to find new friends, and how even the most mundane tasks you do back home are so much different abroad.

Book also provided suggestions on what to do after you have let go of the 9-5 grind, and the main point was continuous learning - which I totally agree with. This is the reason why I keep reading books and travel! Nothing fills up the mind more with ideas of where to go next, and what to do in a certain place (like learn a language and soak up their culture).

The book also warns us that too many options can lead us to become unproductive - as we spend a lot of time mulling over certain decisions, this would mean our attention is somewhere else, and attention is important for us as it consumes our time. It all ties up!

I loved this book - one of the reasons why I have two copies, one of which I'll probably give away to a friend who may need this as well. I have taken a leap - although not the same one as Tim did, but I managed to move to two different countries c/o my company, enabling me to get the best of both worlds (staying employed & living in an entirely different continent from where I used to live in).

Do get a copy of the book and apply some of what's there - I suggest writing down your action points and goals so you could always take a look back at what you've written and see if you did manage to reach your goal.

Rating: 5/5
Published by: Crown
Book borrowed from Jacksonville Public Library.

In my "winter" outfit

Last November 2013, I had a chance to go to South Carolina for a weekend trip. It was a nice, pleasant time to go - and of course, it would tick off one State in my goal of visiting all 50 states in the United States.

In this travel blog, I feature Magnolia Plantation - this used to be a plantation in the old times (yes, where the slaves were, farming for their masters) but has now been opened to the public who want to tour the massive grounds.

Lovely autumn scenery while hiking - look at those leaves!

There's three parts to this plantation: the swamp, the grounds, and the house. There's other areas too but those are the ones I went to so far. We got one free entrance ticket by donating a canned item to the plantation, but the swamp we had to pay an extra for, which was fine.

Even though it was freezing that day, I enjoyed the long walks, the nice colours of autumn, and the natural scenery of the place. For someone who came from a place that does not have four seasons, it is a welcome change indeed.

The Magnolia plantation house

One of the things I loved was the animal watching - there were all sorts of birds around the area. Ture, I'm not really a bird watching enthusiast but since they're there, might as well, right? I've never seen birds like that back home before: pelicans, ospreys, egrets, vultures, even. Back home, the most common birds are little ones called the mayas. In here, the most common ones I see on an almost daily basis are ducks. Also pigeons and some little birds that I don't know the name of.

Seeing a swamp is amazing too - I have never really seen swamps before. Apparently the swamp in the plantation has alligators living there. Unfortunately for me, no gator sightings this time.

And that pretty much concludes my Magnolia Plantation trip. To be honest, I've forgotten how to get to Magnolia Plantation. I think we just googled the directions from the hotel in Charleston and it's roughly around 30 minutes and we're there. Parking is free within the compound.  I've uploaded more photos below that you can peruse while I am out trying to create a new blog post.

Have a nice weekend you guys :)

I've fired up the purple Lenovo netbook because I had to back up some photos from my camera - I have an upcoming trip to Savannah, Georgia in a few days and I definitely need the extra megabytes of space that I could get.

Anyhoo, while I was looking through some old photos, I figured I might as well start uploading them one by one here in the blog so the miniscule number of people reading my blog can actually enjoy some of the photos I take, and not just it being saved down in a computer, being forgotten somewhere.

Most of these photos were taken during my first month in Jacksonville so these were all new to me.

First photo on the left - my employer, Deutsche Bank. They had recently expanded their operations in Jacksonville, FL and I managed to move from the Manila branch to the US. Yay!


 This photo on the left is the Cumer Museum - don't kill me if my spelling is wrong. Normally you have to pay to get in but the museum has free entrance every Tuesdays from 6pm until it closes at around 9. Great, huh? This photo was taken on a Saturday morning, while I was on my way to the Riverside Arts Market every Saturday under the overpass.

And yes, I did get to go in the museum on a Tuesday. There's a lovely garden area inside - they have an English garden and an Italian garden and it overlooks St John's River. A nice place to just chill out and relax.

Photo on the left is Tinseltown USA - the movie theater on the same street as the office and my apartment. While movies here in America cost a lot ore than Manila, my first time to watch a movie here was two weeks after I arrived. I saw Gravity and also saw a few other films here and there.

Normally I don't go to cinemas because of the cost, but it is good to treat myself every now and again.

So there you have it - a brief tour of Jacksonville for now :)

This is currently the place I love and I'll post blogs every now and again on places I've been and what I've been doing :)

It's a nice and sunny day outside in Jacksonville - and I realize that I have been posting mostly about my book reviews than concentrating on my travels - so, this is one of the first that I'm posting since I moved to America nearly 6 months ago.

Hanging out at the boat deck during the cruise

One nice November weekend, my boyfriend (then friend) asked me if I wanted to do a sunset cruise in Amelia Island - and I said yes, of course. Anything for a new experience right? I do not remember how much it costs but it departs from Amelia and tours you around the nearby river areas - where you can see Fort Clinch, and parts of downtown Fernandina Beach. Mostly it tours you around the Cumberland Island area - where there were wild horses roaming around.

Wild horses, you may think? Oh yes - they're really wild. They don't have an owner, and apparently they have a shorter lifespan than normal horses. Aren't they cool?

The sunset was bloody amazing - if you check on the photo I have uploaded below, you could just imagine yourself being in an African safari - it was just that pretty! Plus the reflection of the sun in the water was just so pleasantly nice.

Wild Horses at Cumberland Island - we were lucky!

On the way back to Fernandina Beach from the cruise of Cumberland Island, it got so bloody freezing - hey, what did I expect? It was November! I thought the weather in Jacksonville would be warm (Florida = warm weather = NOT) but I was proven wrong - it was definitely really cold. Maybe because we were in the water - and that's what made it worse.

Sunset view while on the cruise - amazing!

Getting to the cruise/Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach - I do not remember which tour company we booked the cruise from but just google Amelia Island cruises and you should be able to find one or a few companies offering this service.

Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach is around 40 minutes from Jacksonville and can be reached by I-95 or by A1A. To be honest, the drive down A1A is better and more scenic - you get amazing views of the water as you drive through the coast.

Other things to do - While waiting for your cruise, you could walk around Fernandina Beach, which is a quaint little town. You could eat at some of the local restaurants and shop at some of the boutiques they have. I do like some of their kitschy souvenir shops. They could be quite overpriced but you are supporting some local stores, and not chains! You could also do a short day trip at Fort Clinch - a Florida State Park, where there is a preserved 19th century fort and a nice long boardwalk. You could also walk down the beach while there. It is a nice and tranquil place to just relax and just spend the day pondering.

I had a really wonderful time during this trip - and it was only just the beginning :)

No, no - this is not an April Fool's joke. This is just random musings when I find myself in a room all alone, with nothing much to do but ponder on the wonder of life and anything else under the sun.
I'm currently not in the mood to read, but am definitely in the mood to write.

I was looking at the blog and realized that my peak posting period was in 2009 and 2010. Back when I was looking for outlets to express myself more when the frustration of living more and more in Manila was getting to me. In 2011, I slowed down significantly when I had to live in England for a short term assignment at work.

Then I discovered traveling - and although I love doing it to bits and pieces, I realize that I haven't really been posting much about it. Blame laziness, I know, but I really should. I promised all my friends back home that I would keep in touch by posting places where I've been, and reviews of what I've seen - even pictures.

But then I've been posting more book blogs instead. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course - as this blog got a few hits here and there because of the book blog - and maybe some of my random musings here and there.

These book blogs do not really encompass my life and what I'm currently feeling though. Ever since I left Manila I have been trying to travel every single weekend - exploring new places here and there around Florida, just trying to check for festivals, or some other new thing I could do, in my own backyard.

Maybe I'm just rambling - but I feel like I've gotten my life back. This is exactly what I wanted to do.
I want to be able to have time in the evening to just stare at a blank blogger page and just ponder some thoughts. I love that I can walk home from work and not waste 4+ hours every single day trying to commute form my house to the office, as compared to my old house.

Not that there's anything wrong with my old house, of course - I just hated the stresses and the traffic that that place had.

So, there you go. Everything you may need to know. I'm very happy where I am right now, and yes, my life is back to normal - and I feel like I have so much more time and opportunities now (which I plan to utilise fully, thank you very much) that I am so content. So full. So happy. :)

And yes, you do have to step out of your comfort zone to know what you really like.. and what you want.. and discover more about you in general.

Here's to all of you having a happier life :)

There has been a lot of buzz about Rainbow Rowell's books so I decided to jump in the bandwagon and borrowed one of her books from the library. Seeing that Fangirl is the newest book out, I decided to borrow it (and partly because the waiting list for this book was shorter than Eleanor & Park).

Fangirl revolves around Cath, who grew up with her twin and has to go to Uni. But then her twin, Wren, has told her that she doesn't want her to be her roommate and pretty much have her own college experience.

Cath was devastated and keeps to herself most of the time and create her Simon Snow fanfics (Simon Snow being their equivalent of Harry Potter - a series of books and movies and they're huge) - until Levi comes along..

So that pretty much is my own version of the book summary - seeing as I can't log in to Goodreads to get a summary using this PC I'm typing the blog in at the moment.

This book has been.... disappointing. At first I was really intrigued because of all the praise for Rainbow Rowell's books, but then I started reading and realized what a loser Cath was... and I was really turned off by her personality (ie she has none) in the first 100+ pages of the book until Raegan and Levi came along to at least help develop her.
Given her twin sister's limited appearance in the book, I find myself rooting for Wren sometimes as Cath is just too bland for my liking - I mean how can you like someone who just wants to stay in their own room and who doesn't even want to make friends? Give me a break! (I know, I know - to each their own, I'm just saying I can't relate with the main character. It took me ages to convince myself to pick the book up and give it another chance, read it until the end!)

In page 180+, the book FINALLY picks up with Levi and Cath's cute scene in Cath's dorm (FINALLY, Cath seems to have more of a personality now!)

And then it went downhill again. After finishing the book, I was still highly disappointed - I was thinking - "This was one of the greatest books for 2013? Bummer" To each their own, I guess.

For me:
1) Cath didn't really grow as a person in the book - sure, she had Levi but her resolutions about not going much out of the house/dorm and not being friendly enough to other people, and getting over Simon Snow and the obsession about the fandom wasn't really addressed at the end of the book
2) What about the other characters? What about Wren, Raegan, Levi, her dad? What happened next to them? For me they were just cameo appearances to the book but they were quite essential to Cath as a person as a whole.
3) Simon Snow - it was confusing trying to follow the mini stories within the book. I know it's fictional, and I know that it is sort of based on the Harry Potter series but how does it end? Any closures in the story?
4)  400+ pages of a story that went nowhere for me. Gaah..

Good thing I just borrowed this book from the Jacksonville Public Library - at least I did not pay any money to buy this book.

Overall Rating: 2/5.

So, another day of freebies again today :)

A couple of weeks ago, I signed up for a Bath and Body Works offer - you refer a friend's email address and both of you get a free soap from BBW.
Of course, I referred the bf's email address.

So I got Aloha Orchid for myself. At the time we claimed this offer, the bf did not get the email yet. He only got it a few hours after.

Then, when I checked my mail today, I got a few things, most of them I am very happy with.

April 2014 issue of Marie Claire - free 1 year subscription c/o mercury magazines. This is my 4th issue so far.
March 2014 issue of Vogue - free 1 year subscription - points redeened from rewardsurvey.com. This is my 1st issue so far.

Then a couple of weeks ago, me and the bf had signed up to get free magicbands from Walt Disney World. They are offering this to annual passholders. Since we plan to renew our passes every year to WDW (We live 2 1/2 hrs away from Orlando so it us not a biggie to drive there and just spend an entire day there and go back home), we thought this would be an excellent deal.

I love the level of detail the package has. And also that you can customize your magicband. As you can see, my name is printed in the box.. and embossed in the magicband. The boyfriend's name is printed and embossed on his. He just had to pick the colour blue.

So, there you go. Another day of freebies. Out of pocket: $0

Maybe next week I'll post what I borrowed from the library :)

Where else can you find a place that has amazing deals?
This is one of the reasons why i love living in America.

Out of pocket:
$1.87 for hand sanitizers (x4)
$3 for L'Occitane hand cream fans edition

Freebies:
4 fragrance mists from BBW - full size.
3 travel sized lotion/shower gel

How to get it:
Liked L'Occitane and claimed an offer they had for cheap hand cream (L'Occitane is an expensive brand. The mere fact that I could get 3 hand creams for $3 was an excellent steal)

Claimed 2 separate offers last Thursday and Friday for BBW. Free fragrance mist with any purchase as a celebration of the fragrance day. Decided to just buy pocketbac as it was the cheapestthing they had in the store that i would definitely use (I did consider getting the pocketbac holder for $.50 but I don't really use it as much)

Redeemed a coupon for free travel sized signature collection, no purchase necessary. This coupon was mailed to my bf's parents house, and his mum gave it to me cos she knows how much Iove BBW.

Redeemed an offer to get a travel sized lotion from the new Hawaii collection.

Note: my bf claims deals and offers with me so we gave 2 of everything.

So, this book was in my to-read list for the longest time - as a big follower of nomadicmatt.com, I figured this would be a good way to get more travel-related information and how to save while traveling long term.

I was gravely disappointed.

I thought it was going to be full of new information that you wouldn't have read before from his (or other) travel blogs, but some of these tips are common sense, or would be known for people who have backpacked - even for some time.

Case and point - I think every chapter says - "ask your hotel/hostel for recommendations". I was thinking "Uhm I read this book to get your opinion on tips and recommendations, I don't really need you to tell me to ask the hotel/hostel people."

Also, I find that to really only travel the world on $50, it would entail a lot of eating in & cooking. While I do that sometimes when I travel, it is also fun to just walk around and eat in local food places and try new stuff.
The $50 budget would also mean trying to cut back on a lot of activities. Now why would I want to travel the world without checking out the sites or doing something new for the first time? Just not feasible for me.

This book would be perfect for a first time traveler who is not quite sure how much to save up for their first trip abroad, however for people who have managed to backpack around and survive, you'll probably just get bored reading this book.

Book was borrowed from Jacksonville Public Library.

On another note - I am wearing the shawl I bought from Cambodia and I swear to god, it still smells like Cambodia!! I miss Cambodia and backpacking now!!!

Summary from Goodreads:


Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.
In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.
The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.
Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again?
Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

This is a cute, cute book. I never expected to pick it up when I was back home - well, because I have a rule back home that if it isn't available at a second hand book shop, I won't buy it. Since I've moved to America and knowing that the nearest district library is just two blocks away, and my boyfriend's apartment building is beside the main library, I decided to track down a copy and borrow it.

This was originally recommended by a good friend of mine, who has read it a few years back and said it was a good read - she was correct. From the summary, Ginny receives a package from her dead aunt, who tells her to travel to different places and do several tasks - all expenses paid, of course. Now who wouldn't want to do that, right? I sure would love that. Travel for free? Hey, I'm in!

Ginny goes to London, Edinburgh, Paris, Greece, and Denmark (did I miss any countries) while following the letters - although she did not stay long in many of the places, which bummed me a bit. I mean, why spend all that money just going from one place to another, right? But oh well, every person's travel itinerary is different, and that's hers.

So, what do I think about the book? It's wonderfully written, and I also love anything that involves travel (not sure I mentioned that above too). I also love how realistic it is about the hostel senarios and meeting other people on the road. Oh, and also losing your stuff - did I mention that I lost my camera when I was backpacking? Oh well. I did also get my fair share of horrible hostels that I stayed in, ahh those were the days.

So, overall, I would say - PICK UP THIS BOOK!

Book was borrowed from my local library (Jacksonville, FL - Main branch).

125th street subway station.
New York!