#Fishbump: Days 1 and 2

I'm back! Yes I am! Let us all rejoice for I have missed Spaceship to Infinity as much as you guys did!

Like I said in my previous post, I really miss blogging, and I disappoint myself every time laziness hits me. But anyway, here I am typing away as I write about the ultimate highlight of my summer: Marine Camp at Danjugan Island, Negros Occidental!

Originally, I was planning to go to CISV Mini Camp as usual. But after hearing about this, I was torn between the two. I then decided to go to Danjugan considering that it would be a new experience and I'd learn something different. (Plus, you'll be on an island for 5 days. How could you say no to that?!)

So on April 22-26, I was whisked off to an island with my sister, and my good friends Nicole and Enzo. But hold on, let's take each day into some detail. For now, I'll be telling you about our arrival at Bacolod and our first day at Marine Camp! (I'll be dividing these into different posts since there was so much to tell, especially about Marine Camp!)

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It was an early start for us as my family met up with my friends, Nicole and Enzo at the airport. (We like saying that we have temporarily adopted them into the Guevara family.) You can imagine the giddyness and the complete excitement at the airport. We felt like a CISV delegation off to a new place! This was the first time going to Bacolod for each of us and we really couldn't wait!

Arriving there, we were picked up by my Ninong Rey (ninong is the term we use to call our godfathers here in the Philippines) and Kuya Carlo. Our families have been friends for as long as I can remember! Hooray for family friends! Anyway, we got our taste of real Bacolod chicken inasal and other grilled chicken dishes that really satisfied our hunger.

We settled in at the Sian's house, played Halli Galli for a little while, and then heard mass together. After, we had dinner at a restaurant called Bob's. I had a bowl of Mongolian food all to myself. Spell happy? A R I E L L E. We then went home to get a good night's rest, for we were going to need all our energy for the first day of camp the next day!

Wanderlust

I've always loved travelling.  I may not have been to every country in the world, but I love going to new places and learning new things.  Thus, wanderlust (a strong desire to travel) has been one of my favorite words.

Whilst scrolling through some posts on Tumblr, I came across this GIF which I instantly reblogged:

If you could pack up right now and leave, where would you go?  This question just intrigued me.  Where in the world would I go?  What countries would I want to visit?  Oh dear,  there would be just too many.  Why don't I just pick my top 5 countries I'd gladly "leave on a jetplane" to visit?

#1 - London, England

My love for England first blossomed when I watched the first Narnia film when I was around 7-years-old.  This love for England grew even more when I started reading Harry Potter and listening to Adele & One Direction.  In History class, my favorite lessons were about the rulers of England.  (My favorites were Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I)  I also love the gothic architecture of some of the famous landmarks of England such as the Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. I'd definitely love to spend a day in the lovely city of London, in a cafe, drinking a cup of tea with my nose stuck in a book.

#2 - Paris, France

"Ah, Paris, France.  Home of the finest restaurants and the greatest chefs in the world..." Excuse my little Ratatouille moment there, but that is exactly the reason why I'd love to travel to this beautiful city with my younger sister one day.  My sister wants to become a chef, you see.  So when we're older, we're going to travel to Paris together, eat the finest food and feel like Julia Child for a day.  I would also love to visit the Musée du Louvre and have a glimpse of the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. (Not to mention, visit Disneyland Paris!  It's my goal to visit all the Disney parks in the world)

#3 - Florence, Italy

Florence, the city where a lot of the great Renaissance artists had their start.  I loved learning about the Medicis who influenced the city in so many ways. To go to the art museums in Florence are a must in my 'Art Bucketlist'.  I'd also love to ride a gondola through Florence.

#4 - Tokyo, Japan

I absolutely cannot wait until the day when I can go to Tokyo, Japan!  I loooooove eating Japanese food. (I started eating sashimi & sushi when I was pretty young)  I  am a sucker for cute Japanese stationery products.  I'd love to go to the Studio Ghibli museum and go nutz over Hayao Miyazaki's fantastic characters. (Chihiro/Sen from Spirited Away is my absolute favorite!) I'd also love to go gadget shopping here. Teehee!  My inner geek will definitely show here.

#5 - New York City, USA

What wouldn't I give to go to New York City?!  It has always been my dream to watch a Broadway musical and even perform in one!  I'd love to take my camera and just take photos of the incredible skyscrapers and all the lights.  Let's hear it for New York!

So those are my top 5 countries I'd love to visit one day!  How about you?  If you could pack up right now and leave, where would you go?

[images via WeHeartIt]

The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World

As you all know, I am a huge bookworm, and it is one of my constant delights to visit bookstores and breathe the wonderful scent of paper in the air.  It's amazing how something simple like a book can bring so much joy.

My mom happened to come across this link while she was surfing the net.  She showed it to me and I was completely awestruck. Behold, the 20 most beautiful bookstores in the world!  Okay, something new to add to my bucket list!  Visit all these bookstores!  I especially love these among the 20: 

• The Selexyz Bookstore in Maastricht, Holland.  It used to be an old Dominican church now converted to a beautiful haven of reading!

 

• The Bookàbar Bookshop in Rome, Italy.  Its modern design is lovely!

• The Plural Bookshop in Rome, Italy.

• Popular Kids' Republic in Beijing, China.  Is there a better way to spell awesomeness?!

•  Cook & Book in Brussels, Belgium.

 [ all images from Flavorwire.com ]