The Power of Five

It's been a while since I gave birth to another child.

Let's take a look back to these past... three, four years? I published my first book in 2014, out of my Vietnam trip earlier that year. I went to Hong Kong and Macau in 2015, and my second child came out to this world by the end of the year. My grand journey to Japan led me to another kid, born only several moments after my Philippines book—both in 2016.

I didn't do any big trip in 2016, and was too busy in 2017 so there was this one year time of childless, until this year, 2018, FINALLY, 

My Australian Joey is Here!

Mate, don't get me started on how the process was. Dreadful -well there you go, I voluntarily explained it anyway. No, not the content because God, would I think twice to retell my Aussie trip in a book and relive that crazy amazing journey???

It's really THE, process, that was so... long, and draining.

See, 2017 was a shitty year in terms of my career. I mean, it was good, but hell it was crazy packed. I barely breathe mate, and that's why I only got to travel once -the big one was once, but the small ones were quiet a lot, thank God. Then 2018 came, and it was like a fvckin redemption to me, as even so far, I've been doing like, what, three, four trips??

It's only natural that finishing this book was super slow, and gotta admit, sometimes I lost willingness -and hope- in actually working on it.

But it's so unfair to give up to him.

My fifth kid, the first one out of Asia, the breakthrough after one full year of publishing no books—the power to see him up on the shelves was so high I forgot the fact that I barely have time and energy to wrap him up!

But the power of five don't lie.

He's out now with his brothers and sisters.

God, FIVE!

I still can't believe it, but my kids

Can be Power Rangers!

Around the World

When I was younger,

That phrase, “around the world”

Seemed to be like mere aimless fantasy.

That “world” we’re talking about is a real deal. It’s big. With so many places most of which are even untouched. So I took it for granted, treated it like another popular term I never considered seriously, and lived on believing that it’s just a beautiful proverb too good to be true.

But as I grew up, as my thirst of exploration deepened, and as the trend of traveling bloomed, somehow that so-called proverb seems...

Possible.

It’s been four years since my first ever solo trip abroad. And it hasn’t stopped. I’ve been here and there, slowly crossing places I’ve been dying to visit off of my list. The plans were neat and carefully thought, leading me to bigger journeys and greater places. Making me able to actually start dreaming of traveling around the world—no longer treating it as a fantasy.

It’s a big deal, yes, but I didn’t notice about it,

Until I got in touch with this masterpiece. A book.

“Around the World in 80 Days”

Pic's from here.

You must know about this one. It’s a classic. From around 1800s, talking about a wonderful adventure of this guy around, well, as the title suggests, the world.

Let’s not talk about the book. It needs a separate post because, God, I really loved it. The guy, Phileas Fogg, is basically me. With all his plans, all his calculations of departing from one city and arriving in another to catch trains or steamboats to even further places, yea, that’s what I’d do in each and every single trip of mine.

So following his journey, from London crossing mainland Europe to Greece, sailing the strait to the gulf countries towards India, riding trains and elephants to reach the border of Southeast Asia, entering Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and China to cross over the Pacific Ocean and land in America, only to head back to England it was like, damn—if he could do that, in just 80 days, and it was for God’s sake the year of 1800s where even no one dared to dream about flying, well, how could I not do the same??? It makes much more sense to do it now, to actually live my long lost dream.

But then you can’t call it a dream if you don’t have any obstacles.

I have a life. And responsibilities. Traveling for 80 days is actually possible, but, maybe not now. I did travel for nearly 80 days in Japan two years ago, but it was partly business. While for pure exploration, I don’t know, I should’ve done that in three years back or so, when I was free as a bird. But then I didn’t have the money. Now I have the money, but responsibilities got me caged like a... bird.

Well I’m not that trapped though. As I said, I have travel plans to do. Even now as I’m typing this, I’m currently lying down on my capsule bed in Malaysia, just finished a chapter of that book I’m currently loving, now trying to get some sleep because I have to wake up early and head to Sepang for an F1 race. So yea, I’m not THAT trapped.

And something inside of me is convincing me that, what I’ve achieved since 2013, it deserves a massive recognition.

So I made a deal with myself, right here when I’m on a trip, and with Jules Verne’s travel bible on my hands. A deal to complete my exploration of the world, just like what Mr Fogg did—even wider, but with a twist.

“Around the world, in 80 months.”

These are the witnesses of my oath.

Just because I had to keep my lust to travel always on, yet I had to be realistic.

Let’s do the math. I began all this traveling thingy on January 2013. 80 months from that, and my deadline would be on August 2019. Nice, I still have time.

Now let’s do geography. Mr Fogg’s journey may be damn long, but he didn’t reach Africa and Australia. Yet his book is still called “around the world” anyway. My story, therefore, should be complete for me to be able to call it “around the world”. Well of course by ‘complete’ I didn’t ambitiously vision myself to visit multiple countries in one region.

So my version of "around the world", is to complete my continent visit. The number of countries won’t matter, it’s the continent that I’m counting. I’ve been around Asia many times. America once, to The US, and Australia just this year, visiting three states. I’m traveling to Europe for Christmas New Year so, right, there I am! I only need to land my ass in Africa!

God I'm so excited about this project!

Excited because I never realized I'd actually make a phrase I took for granted 15 years ago to actually come true. Excited because all the jealousy I felt towards all the characters inside Jules Verne's book will soon pay off.

Excited because I'm on the verge of telling the world

That there's no such thing as "Impossible", to travel

Around the world

四代目 — Fourth

In the world of Naruto, there were four respected forefathers.

Heroes of the ninja village, honored even before the anime started.

The first one was the pioneer. Powerful, admired, someone everybody look up to. The second one was dependable. Quiet yet impactful, supporting what was lacking from its predecessor. The third one, was full of potentials. Determined, and timeless. And the fourth one, was the most dynamic, and the star of the village.

Ahh, the fourth one. My favorite.

Everybody deared the fourth one, for his high quality.

And that's exactly what I wish to have, in my fourth baby.

"Cheating Central Japan"

Don't ask me how I did it, because I barely believe myself. To have a fourth book while my third one was still fresh from the oven, it was beyond expectation.

And this one is about my best trip so far. The trip I had always been dying to have. To a country I had always been dying to visit. Doing lots of things I had always been dying to experience. All those stuff I did, now is in a form of a book.

Well I'm not going to tell how I did the book, and how I showed them to my family in our favorite surprise-I-am-having-another-book-now corner -it all happened just the same with previous ones. I'm actually here to state how I wish this baby can bring me to a new level of, being an author.

Because it's Japan.
Everybody loves Japan.

And having this one can provide me to a wider range of readers. They who are seeking to have the same experience I had, they who are longing to enjoy the wonder I felt—and I'm sure there are literally millions of them. No wonder why my publisher didn't think twice accepting my script.

And having more readers can allow me to unlock more doors in me. With their encouragement, their criticisms and suggestions, their supports, and of course, their money. Until eventually, all will lead me to more and more places on the globe I can visit, and more and more babies I can give birth to.

So, am I done?
Of course not.

I'll be having the fifth, the sixth,
And it'll be going on and on even after
Naruto loses its counts

Three's A Party

The last two months have been a skyrocketing time of life.

Between works, friends and family, passion and interest,

All juggled in balance, and I'm starting to get a hang of it.

Sounds like something to celebrate eh?

Yeah, and for that, enter my third book.

Cheating Philippines in a form of "Let's Go to Philippines"

This one underwent a crazy long journey.

Finished right after I gave birth to my first book, only a couple of months after I arrived from Philippines. Sounds easy? No, because although I have the script done so quick, the search of the publisher wasn't of that easy. But yea, all the struggle was worth celebrating.

And the process wasn't so bad, though. The writing part relived my journey. Then after my first rejection, I found another publisher in which bringing me new air, new hope, and... New task, too! Why, they wanted me to make the script their way so, I had to revamp it all the way. But who cares, because this meant that I had to get in my Filipino Party once again! It eventually led to a second rejection, though, but hey, it was all fine. Until finally, after my second book was released, I found the one that I've been looking for: THE, publisher for this book.

Two total major revisions.

Two years of editing and waiting.

But again, all the struggle was worth celebrating.

Because all my sacrifices finally paid off. And rereading, retouching, also reworking my script made me not only once, twice, but four times doing my Philippines pistas over and over again.

Moreover, this book celebrates so many aspects in my life. About how productive I am—and my family couldn't be prouder to see me striking three books in three consecutive years -oh and yes, of course, I brought them to a surprise bookshelf visit thing, just what I did last year and two years ago. About how cool I am—and My friends applauded me for this superb achievement. And about how I am now more and more connected to the world of writing and publishing—the publisher, being so different and so supportive from the previous ones, kept in touch with me and my precious work through social media.

Can't say much about this.

I'm truly proud of myself. I so am.

Beyond grateful of what I've achieved, too.

Because I now have three (plus one) babies.

And I feel like there are more to come.

So yeah.

One's a company,

Two's a crowd and

Three's a hearty

Second Child

Second child is something.

I looked up to my aunts from mom and dad. Both are the second child of their own sibling lines. Aunt from mom, she's a fighter. From what I see now, and from what mom told me about her, she is, was, and I'm pretty sure she'll always be damn tough. Then my aunt from dad, she's the central of my big family's attention. A determined lady I've ever known in my life.

But they're just a glimpse of what I know about second child. My complete belief, of course, comes from my own little brother. A nerve-wrecking guy. Independent as fvck. A kind of guy we can rely on.

Now what is this second child thingy all about?

Well, it's because I want those qualities from my closest second-child relatives, to be inside my very own second child:

"Cheating Hong Kong and Macau"

Don't ask me how,

I could barely believe myself.

Right after my trip to Hong Kong and Macau, I didn't waste even one second and started working on this book right away. Then I sent it to the same publisher I did my first book with, and the next thing I knew, we were doing the book process all over again.

By that time I got a job already. Several jobs, actually. So the editing process was somehow pretty packed. But still, I enjoyed it like, hey, I'm doing this again, which means that I will have another book displayed on the book store!

So I made it through everything, and did the same scheme I conducted last year. Bringing my family to lunch, forced them to the bookstore, and entered the book right before their faces. It took us another 30 minutes photo session just by the bookshelf, but hey, who cares.

What I cared is to see this spark of pride on their eyes.

This sense of trust about my bright bright future.

Oh this is a good sign.

My second child will be the point where my family begins to let me go. To let me do whatever I want to do. To let me off to the world. Which I actually am doing now, as this second I'm currently in Japan for the pursuit of my travel writing career.

Japan? But how--when--why--

Soon, okay, soon I'll tell you all.

Right now is about my book

And how to wish him the best

For what he's doing in Jakarta.

While I'm doing my best here

In Tokyo

Who's Getting a Book Now

Hey blog, what's up?

HAA hahaha yeess I'm talking to you again now. Wow--what?? Are you accusing me of been hiding something from you again and this post is the part when I'm confessing?? How could you do that to--okay, yes, I'm here to confess something again.

Sorry I been concealing this for so long but,

I actually been working on my own traveling book.

And since it's out in the bookstore now, there's no harm telling.

Well, in my defense, I kept sending you signals that I planned to make a book out of my Vietnam trip ya!? Let's take a break and look back to my posts about Vietnam. See? See? See!? I said, "Well I'm sorry I can't tell much about it. I have plans of where to spill more things about Vietnam." didn't you get what it means?

Okay whoa sorry I'm here to confess and apologize now, not to make a scene.
And maybe to briefly tell you how this magical thing could actually happen to me.

Trip to Vietnam was too affecting for me. It was crazy unforgettable, with all stuff I did alone, all people I met along the way, God, I can't just waste it, I talked to myself. So I had this idea to record everything in a form of a book. Because I know, a blog couldn't -and wouldn't- hold all details anyway.

Spent the whole February and half of March working on everything from A to Z, before I finally sent it to a publisher. At first I didn't expect them to want to publish the script I proposed because, they're like the top publisher in here. But then, God really loved me because it was reaching my birthday when they mailed me back, telling me that they were interested to work on the script. I was trembling all week long.

Since after that, the times of struggling kept coming. Worked on the revisions, checked and edited the proof, I did so many editorial stuff I never even learned before. Those were actually fun because, it was what I like! What's not fun was, the waiting process. When I couldn't do anything about it, but to wait and to keep myself in the loop about the on going stages.

Until last week, my editor said that the book was going to be out on Monday, August 25th. It drove me crazy. I don't know why, I mean, I knew it'd eventually be released, it was not a shocking-unexpected news. But then, ya, I was totally energized. But the climax happened on Friday, August 22nd.

I was passing by the bookstore, and slowing down near the traveling section, when I saw a blue book I knew I was so familiar with. Because I've been too many times exposed to that cover. Because I was the one approving that cover. Because that was the cover of my book.

I went out of control. Flashed straight to the nearest praying room and cried in joy. All the waitings, finally paid off. But still I have to wait for the best time to show this book to my family. And then to everybody, right after my family. Because of course, I'd want to show that first to my family.

So last Sunday I brought them to the bookstore. It was a really weird invitation because at first my brother didn't really want to come -he's not a really big fan of books- but I somehow insisted all four of them to join me to the bookstore. They gave in tho, maybe because I started to be all nerdy and freaky. Then I walked them to the traveling section. Stopped near my book, turned around and face everybody before saying,

"Guys, all these times, I wasn't unemployed
for nothing. I made this."

Then entered my book. Right to their faces. Their stunned faces. Seeing my name written on the cover. Dad was speechless, mom cried. My brothers started shaking my hands awkwardly. We spent like almost half an hour taking photos of the book. And me.

Crazy day. I've been dreaming about that scene since, wow, I don't know when. I always pictured it before I slept, when I was doing nothing, basically, almost all the time. And it went the way I wanted it to go.

That day, and that August 22nd,
And that day when I got the emails from my editor,

God, will forever be in me.

"Cheating Southern Vietnam"

Never thought I could go through everything. Alone.
Well, not that alone because I always have a place to lean on.

So thank you, Allah Almighty.