Top 10 moments of 2016

9. Volunteering 

My husband has been an active volunteer for St. Francis hospice. Around 2015, he used to dragged me to go with him to visit patients. He was really connected to Mary, a 90 year old lady who is very responsive and fun to talk to. Probably the only patient in the nursing home who appreciates everything around her. Even if she hasn't been outside for weeks, she smiles and always thankful for her life. In 2016, I became more active to see her. Every Sunday, on my days off it became a regular visits for me and I enjoyed it very much. On Christmas day, I bought her presents wrap up in one box. When I gave it to her,  the look on her face was priceless. She never expected these kinds of acts and she was very happy and move for all the things we do for her. 

8. The desert 

Being able to experience in the desert is always on my bucket list especially one that I  experienced with riding the camel. I was very happy to experience 2 largest desert in the Middle East. The first was a desert safari in Dubai. Aside from beautiful architect buildings and luxurious lifestyle, Desert Safari was one of the most fun things we did in Dubai. Also, the sunset was amazing! The second desert was wadi Rum in Jordan. Wadi Rum was like an endless beauty of landscape. From rock formations, hieroglyphics, sunsets and meeting with Bedouins, the Wadi Rum has a special place in my heart. 

7. Dubai, UAE

Dubai is another city that has always been on my bucket list. It took a lot of convincing and influencing my husband to visit this place. We had booked this trip in Feb. 2016 but end up cancelling it due to the global warning for US citizens not  to travel to the middle eastern countries since the 911 incident. During July of 2016, I was still dreaming of Dubai. I convince my husband again and probably due to my annoyance, he gave in and supported my decision to go. yes! What I learned from this trip and the biggest moment was that sometimes we are so brainwashed with the media about the middle east, muslims and people who are dressed in Islamic Clothing are considered terrorist. Traveling here really change my perspective and realize that sometimes we cannot believe what see on the media all the time. In this generation, I questioned the media if they are telling the truth or making it up to make money off of it. Before you judge the place, do your research, talk to people who has experienced it. We have the resources right in our finger tips. 

6. Five years later.. 

Rance and I turned 5 years of being married. The past 5 years have been a great adventure with him. We support each other's journey in whatever we chooses. Rance supports my hobby as a fashion/travel blogger and celebrates my success at work while doing everything else from fixing our cars, house chores, managing our financials, taking care of our fur babies (5 pets and a fish!), volunteering and networking for medical school.  I support his journey of becoming a medical student and a future doctor by working and earning income for the both of us. Together, we make a great team. This 2016, we decided to re shoot wedding photos wearing my dress on our wedding day. Shot from Sherwin and Antonio from Visionize Media 

5. Floating in the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is the Earth lowest elevation on land. It is 9.6 times as salty as the ocean. The salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals don't exist, hence the name! The Dead Sea has attracted many visitors from around the world. Also one of the world's first health resorts. Now many companies use the salt and minerals from the Dead Sea to create cosmetics and herbal sachets. 

Growing up and learning biblical stories,  the dead Sea has a big moment in my heart. Have you heard of the story Sodom and Gomorrah? It's a city that was destroyed by God due to its sinful people.  The Lord rained down burning sulfur from the heavens, destroying all those living in the city. Read more about it in Genesis 19: 1-29.  NIV version. 

2. Snorkeling between the two continents 

Snorkeling or diving in Silfra in Thingvellir National park, Iceland is the only place in the world where you can do it between the two continents; North American plate and Eurasian Plate. This is one of my top moments because it was a cool and dying experience for me. (lol). First the water was near freezing and although I wore a dry suit and considering I am not use to cold weather, it was a mix emotion of hell and heaven experience. Wearing the dry suit was very uncomfortable and no flexibility. I seriously walked like a penguin in it. The coolest part is that while in the water, there was no swimming needed. I stayed afloat. There was no way I  could sink to the bottom and drown. Half way through, my leg cramped and I freaked out. I tried to turn my head away from the water and facing up while catching a breath but I failed in it. I drank a lot of the water (it was good though!) and tried to swim to the rocks to rest. At that moment, I literally thought, I wasn't going to make it. My heart pounded so fast and anxiety came over me. I heard my husband from the distance yelling, "are you Ok?' then a few minutes the guide dragged me with him until the end of the snorkeling tour.  I'm glad I did this once in a lifetime experience. If it wasn't for my cramped leg, I would do it again. This is one of the most unforgettable moments. 

1. Jordan 

My number one definitely goes out to Jordan. From the city of Amman where I met a lot of the kids that wanted to know my name and took pictures with me, to the Desert in Wadi Rum, Petra, Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea, Jordan has definitely have a  huge place in my heart. Aside from Dubai, this is another place that took a lot of convincing my husband. I really put my selling skills to play and gathered all the facts to show my husband how safe this country is. My family wasn't in favor when I told them that I was going to Jordan especially that the neighboring country "Syria" is in war. Safety was definitely the biggest topic my husband and I talked about the most. Like I mentioned in my Dubai topic, Jordan is another country that most people misinterpreted. Just because it is in the Middle East doesn't mean these countries are bad.  Jordanian people are definitely one of the nicest people we experienced in our travels in 2016. They are welcoming and friendly. Jordan has a lot of historical places from the bible, that's one of the reasons why I wanted to visit this place. Our tour guide Nabil was really great and made sure we had the best time. Three days definitely wasn't enough but hopefully I can come back in near future. 

The kids in Jordan racing to come to us to take a photo of me and my friend Jay-Ar. 

Hope you guys enjoy reading this. 2016 was definitely a blast and I cant wait what this year 2017 has in store for us. First week of the year just past 51 more weeks to go. 

xoxo

Nai

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