minamimusings

Ragnarok Online was the one of the first MMORPGs that opened up the world of online gaming for Filipinos including me. You could say RO "baptized" the gamer-that-I-didn't-know-I-had in its fun, colorful waters, and if not for real life I would have completely jumped in and never come out. But, well, things happen and have to be prioritized. The game was a big part of my life in so many ways,  so I  am proud to be among the many ex-gamers who bid it a fond farewell as it closes its doors in the Philippines permanently on March 31 . Fortunately, I was able to save my screenshots on a CD before I stopped playing and let go of an old PC. Here I am rummaging through those screenies for pRO memories. Placing under a cut because it's gonna get image-heavy...

Happy New Year! It's the first month of 2015, and if you're Pinoy and planning a trip to the Land of the Rising Sun this year, well, there's no better time to start than now. Trip planning always starts with a little research, and here I am joining the number of blogs that have shared their insight on which airline to take and which room to get. Flights There are a number of airlines that fly direct to Japan from Manila, and here's what I think of the most popular ones. Cebu Pacific is the budget airline famous for its piso fares that have made it possible for the average Pinoy to travel. They run out quickly, but if you're fast and extremely lucky, your round-trip will only amount to four whole numbers, which gives you room to book extra baggage for the trip back. Even if you don't get the cheapest fare, anything below 30,000php (which is the usual price for a Japan trip) already saves you money, although personally, Cebu Pacific is only a steal if I p...

For us wee Asian muggles who missed our letters from Hogwarts and despaired of ever setting foot in anything Harry Potter-related, the news of Universal Studios Japan building its own Wizarding World theme park came as an answer to a prayer. Finally! We can fulfill our Hogsmeade dreams of drinking butterbeer! Notwithstanding the obvious language barrier, WWHP in USJ is... in a very cliched term, several kinds of awesome. Several different kinds of awesome. It's like unicorns and rainbows and chocolate and winning the lottery all at the same time. (On second thought, maybe not so much winning the lottery... but it's close!) Here are some hopefully helpful tips for first-timers on their way to demand their much-sought-after letters from Japanese Dumbledore.

Here's a random thing I thought of sharing: I have a love for cute things, so when I saw these bags at Rustan's, I was immediately drawn to them. They were bright and colorful and they starred chibi-wildlife! The brand is called Okiedog , and these animal-themed luggages are from their Wildpack line. It looks like the bags are made of rubber to make them lightweight and easier for children to carry when traveling. They're so pretty, and I couldn't stop gushing over them, that the husband bought one for me. (We "argued" a little over it because, like most things in Rustan's, they're a tad expensive.) I'm going to eventually let the Munch use it for a trip, but until then, it's going to double as a mini-carry-on for me. LOL. Inside the bags.

Honestly, I wasn't prepared for Europe. I thought I was, I thought I had read everything I could to prepare, but the continent threw me for a loop that left the pompous, arrogant, thoroughly pampered Asian traveler in me reeling. So, basically this is a LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES blog post for you who might stumble onto my humble site looking for a few more tips from recent travelers. Apologizing beforehand for the messiness of it all. ----- Don't bring a super-large or heavy suitcase unless you're sure you're going to be on one of those escorted coach tours with its own bus and baggage handlers tipped and paid for. Basically if you're doing-it-yourself, but still not qualified as a backpacker, a small-sized suitcase will do. Prepare to do laundry. Bring a foldable bag you can use for souvenirs when they won't fit in your suitcase anymore. Take note: There's a " tourist tax " for being in Europe, depending on which country or city you...

Here's a delayed hotel post about the place we stayed at in Jakarta. Because the trip to Jakarta was more of a business trip than anything, the choice of hotel was already predetermined by my husband's company. The Rasuna Icon is a quaint little boutique hotel (only 6 floors!) located in the middle of Jakarta. I would say it's near the business district, except there doesn't seem to be exact boundaries on where certain districts are, and so everything looked like the business district to me. It was also partly residential, when I think about it. I can say for sure that it's not near any of the major tourist spots. Also, going there is a bit of a pain because the taxis don't seem to know where it is even if you give them the complete address and a mini-map. And even though the place is at the end of a very long, narrow, two-car, two-way street, I noticed that the drivers like to take the long route and enter it from the opposite end, but I chalk this up to the...