40

Much of adventure and beauty.

With an equal amount of pain. 

The road to my 40.

Was not without rain.

Never to take for granted.

The life I continue to live.

To let go of a life I loved and wanted. 

God had reasons, I believe.

The rainbow on my 40.

The waves and the sea. 

My beautiful little family.

Is all the hope I need to see.

Still blessed.

Happy birthday to me! 

7 Years

Dearest Sherick,

Here's to the years of seven

That feels more than golden

When rainbows have melted

To ashes that bled.

Wishing it was easy to say

Those were our happiest days

But some years were beautiful

And the last ones just awful.

Yet here we are..

With our 3-year-old best friend.

Hoping the next years of seven

Would feel more like heaven.

Happy Anniversary, My Love!

Love,

Jamie

Almost Farewell

Because we always have to count our blessings..

And count them a thousand..

No..

A million times over..

And over..

Because..

This..

Is worth living for.

Thank you Marc and Santa for this thoughtful and beautiful gift.

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Photography by Marc Manalastas

Blessed

There is a horizon ahead of us that will always be a 

mystery..

A past that if we look back.. could cause so much anxiety..

Nevertheless.. whatever we have now is what it is..

Blissful moments that.. one day we may miss..

Or continue to live by..

As our charms would never die.

To the love of my life..

Spring Has Come

As I wait for my boys to come home from a music class..

I browse through pieces.. that girl seems to be in the past..

My hair has started growing 2 weeks ago..

Spring has come.. And that girl you know..

She will never be the same..

Because though she's not done..

She knows she has won!

*Pictures taken in Ribeauville, Alsace Region, France*

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Radiation Starts

Sometimes.. Hairstyle

3 / 4 .. Carpe Diem!

2 down.. 2 To Go!

Hair Shower Party

First Chemotherapy Session

So Long.. Hair..

Beginning 2018..

Counting my blessings over and over..

My reality..

And all I'll ever need :)

*Candid Shot*

*First family picture for 2018, taken only today, as we kept forgetting*

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Last Chemo, Yesterday

Sometimes.. Hairstyle

3 / 4 .. Carpe Diem!

Impromptu Europe - Happy Birthday Bea!

It was a very very wonderful trip!!

-

Met a lot of people..

Met new friends..

Missed the bus..

Missed the bus again..

Slept in a sailboat..

Slept in a hostel..

-

Park Guell, Barcelona

Screamed at Las Ramblas in Barcelona..

Got a tan from the Hop On Hop Off tour bus in Lisbon..

Ate cheap Tapas beside an old woman who drank 5 glasses of Beer for breakfast in Salamanca..
Salamanca? Salamanca. Salamanca?! Salamanca!

Stranded.. Knocked at a sleeping Hostel late at night in Santander..

Ate the best Tapas and Churros Con Chocolate in Bilbao!!

Lazed at a Chinese Restaurant for a whole day in Girona..

Swam in the nice and cold beaches in Cagliari..

Ate ice cream while sitting at the fortress in Alghero..

Belem Tower, Lisbon

-

Great friends.. Lots of food.. Funny adventures.. Funnier misadventures.. Cool weather..

Less our very heavy handcarried bags..

Perfect! :)

-

While sitting at the fortress in Alghero..

"I wish everyday life was like this.. Eating Ice Cream.."

"Hahahahaha.. just eating ice cream??"

"No!! I'm not finished with my sentence!!" :))

Happy Birthday, Bea!!
Next time, we will have babies in tow! :)

Summer in Lake Tahoe, California

Dear Family,

I am sharing these memories..

Of one beautiful summer day in Lake Tahoe, California..

To daydream.. and reminisce..

The times we had together! :)

Years have passed..

Our babies have grown..

Don't you think these photographs need to be updated? :)

Really hoping to see you all soon!

The Rain

Can't believe I wrote this in 2007.. 10 years ago --


People always blame the rain... yeah it is raining hard...

But I would say...

The best way to know who your real friends are...

Is to see who turns up for the dinner you've cooked when it is pouring...

Is to see who prioritizes your meeting when there is a better shelter next door...

Is to see who comes and shivers with you when the city is in thunders...

Is to see who sails with you when your pillows are in floods...

And there are just a few of them... very few...

Because everybody prefers the sunshine... everybody just wants to lay down on your beach blanket... and everybody just wants to sunbathe with you...

So thanks to the rain... for doing the filtering for me..

4 Years

Dear Sherick,

I am writing this while I have a few minutes to spare..

Pregnant in Lencois Maranhenses, Brazil

Our life used to be so easy..

Our adventures used to consist of climbing mountains and crossing sand dunes.

What happened to us?

Pregnant in Machu Picchu, Peru

Our life is not so easy anymore..

Our adventures now consist of dancing and singing during sleeping time and doing circus acts and comedy shows during feeding time.

Our life has become.. simpler yet more challenging.

Here we are.. Home on a Sunday afternoon..

Taking turns in taking care of the gift we have given to each other.

Seeing you being a wonderful daddy has made me fall in love with you even more.

Our life has become more beautiful..

Happy anniversary my love! :)

Love,

Mimi

Friday Life

It's a Friday, and we're out on a holiday!

Lake Matheson, Franz Josef, New Zealand

Just kidding.. And just wishing!

I'm just home.. Trying to make my baby sleep :)

What Keeps Me Going

10 months ago, I started sharing my travels after my friends who believed in me, kept pushing me to do so.

4 months ago, I started working and juggling gym, nights out, house chores, wife duties, and blog posts. It has been hectic, and the blog posts get sacrificed.

2 months ago, I received a message from my friend that she painted one of my pictures from Cruising in Malta. She said she was inspired. 

But you know.. I was even more inspired! :)

"Your painting is beautiful, Cindy! 

Thank you :)

Keep painting, and I will keep writing. 

Love, Jamie"

St. Julien's, Malta by Cindy Hernandez

Check out the original picture here: Cruising in Malta

Flamingos and Llamas

Forgive me if I have been lagging in my blog updates as I am currently working on a travel magazine article..

For now.. And by now, you would have already noticed how much I love animals.. :)

Here are my favourite animal moments from the Uyuni Tour in Bolivia!

Watching the pink and white Flamingos at the Laguna Hedionda (in English, Stinking Lake).. and loving the fact that they are Wild and in their natural habitat..

Wishing I walked faster to see this herd.. that Llama just gave birth a few seconds before I arrived at this spot.. and look closely, that's the baby Llama beside its mama :)

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And click here for a baby Alpaca ;)

My 2014 Travel Treasures

If I could share only 1 picture to sum up my amazing year, it would be this :)

Boracay, Philippines

My 2014 was full of unexpected life events and beautiful experiences..

And I would like to share with you the 70% of what made it one of the best years of my life! :)

In February, after days of riding reindeer and husky dog sleds in Finland..

Our dream came true when we stayed in a glass igloo, and the northern lights showed up!

"The Times we had."

We also had the chance to visit the medieval old town of Tallinn, Estonia..

And no, i didn't edit that. That was really on the wall :)

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In April, I quit my job :D 

And that made all the difference!

In May, I danced every night for 4 nights with my ex-colleagues in this paradise called Cebu, Philippines!

In June, my sister and I bonded in Osaka and Kyoto, Japan..

..and a baby elephant and I bonded in Phuket, Thailand ;)

In July, I finally succumbed to my friends' constant persuasion for me to update my old blog and share my travels..

I am loving the outcome of my revamped travel diary.. and it is now my treasure!

So before I continue, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you guys! You know who you are because your picture is there! Haha! :D

And to everyone who has been supporting me in this journey, also, thank you! :D

In August, my articles on Shark Cage Diving in South Africa and Northern Lights in Finland were published in the Travel Now Magazine, Bucket List Issue!

In September, a whirlwind street art hunt in Penang, Malaysia happened with these girls..

In November, my husband had to consume all his vacation leaves, and my wish of stepping foot on South America was granted..

We were mesmerised by the beauty of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil despite all the danger warnings.. and I never thought I could say yes to hang gliding! :D

The Uyuni Salt Flats of Bolivia was finally crossed off our bucket list..

And I eventually loved the country for all the experiences it gave us.. the high altitude, the 4WD vehicle breakdowns, the sunsets, the lagoons, the baby alpacas, the slums, the cable cars, and all the friends we gained..

Aside from seeing Isla del Sol, which was on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca..

We were also able to ride this totora reed boat and explore the manmade floating islands of Uros, Peru..

Then after a torturous journey of more than 40 hours from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo to Barcelona to Singapore to Kalibo to Boracay..

Jet lagged and exhausted.. we still had a wonderful time at the wedding of our friend in Boracay, Philippines :)

In December, we celebrated our wedding anniversary and my birthday at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore.. 

And I spent christmas with my family in Cebu, Philippines :)

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I am very grateful for all these beautiful memories of 2014. 

Facing my reality this 2015, I am starting my new job next week ;)

Have an awesome new year everyone!!