uGoGirlFriday

I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but the Philippines is in a state of calamity right now due to Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana) which hit the country last September 26, 2009. The country, according to reports, the amount of rainfall in nine hours last Saturday was more than the average monthly rainfall in Metro Manila.

According to more news, as of September 27, Sunday, at least 73 persons were killed and nearly 70,000 families were displaced by massive flooding after tropical storm Ondoy. Based from what I’ve seen in the news both online and offline, a lot of Filipinos have severely damaged houses due to the massive flooding. Some houses were only damaged in the first floors of their house and all they have to do is clean up their furniture, kitchen faucet and floor tiles. However, many houses there are bungalow type, making them now uninhabitable.

Two more typhoons are expected to hit the country within the week as well (Typhoon Parma over the weekend). Let us pray that everyone will be safe and will survive this calamity.

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It’s amazing how often we take something for granted, how much we tend to neglect something, that is, until they’re gone. Why is it that some things have to get lost first before we understand their true value?

Last Friday, I had the misfortune of losing my make-up kit pouch which also holds my Social Security ID, Driver’s License and my car insurance policy inside the office. I was really shocked considering that I have always felt secured inside the office. At first, I thought my pouch was just misplaced or someone took a really mean prank on me. But as the end of the day drew near, it became apparent that I DID lose my pouch. I was fine with losing those high-end make-ups, but the IDs?! That’s just too much. I’d have to file for an affidavit of loss, pay for replacement fees, etc.

Anyhow, this morning, the floor manager informed me that the janitor saw IDs on the trash bin. Lo and behold, he was referring to MY SSS ID and Driver’s license! *whew* After cleaning them with alcohol, I immediately secured them and vowed not to bring them anywhere unless I’m driving or they’re required from some application form of some sort. I guess one can never be too sure and secured, huh?

Just don’t wait for something like that to happen before you realize how important something is. I WAS lucky that the person who took that pouch had the decency to “return” my IDs. But then again, luck is not always on our side. Prevention will ALWAYS better than cure.

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Traveling can be pretty hard, especially if you have a lot of varied items to bring. Good thing there are a lot of handy-dandy luggage bags to help prevent ourselves from carrying a hundred paper bags of some sort when we travel!

I recommend buying a luggage bag with many pockets. That way, you need go through the hassle of fumbling through your traveling bag whenever you need to find something. Rummaging through ones luggage for something as small as a toothbrush can eat up a lot of your time, and you wouldn’t want that to happen. After all, you’re on a travel trip, not a where’s-my-stuff hunt.

So the next time you decide to ditch your current traveling bag and get a new one, choose one with a lot of compartment and pockets to keep you organized.

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Being the type of person who travels a lot and is into tech-stuff at the same time, it is very important for me that all my gizmos and gadgets are packed safely on my suitcases or handbags. After all, they ARE pretty expensive; some of which are even still on installment. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to them especially when I haven’t paid them in full yet. That would be terrible.

Consequently, I am not stingy when it comes to protective covers and cases like a travel case for memory cards. I mean, what’s a few dollars for buying those protective covers compared to the terrors of mishandling your costly but essential gadgets, right?

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A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving. - Lao Tzu

But a great traveler, especially an independent one, is precautious. And one of the best ways to ensure the safety of a traveler is to get a travel insurance.

For those always on the go and does not want to be hampered with the hassle of going to an insurance company and reading all their brochures and pamphlets, you need not worry. There are websites that provide online travel insurance. Some of them cover adventure sports and valuable items such as digital cameras, and even allow their customers to claim online while they are still away.

What’s more is that there’s actually a site that reviews insurance websites based from the current views of five (5) internet industry professionals who have been designing and building online e-businesses for over 10 years - Cheap Travel Insurance. Their criteria includes price, value, ease of use, financial rating, communication, speed, secure e-commerce, customer service, online extensions, and online claims. Oh, and they do not make recommendations as to which product, service or level of cover is better or more suitable for you, just which works best.

With all these valuable online services, you would not be able to come up with a decent excuse for not having any travel insurance the next time a mishap happens to you while you’re on the road.

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For me, one of the most essential things a traveler must constantly have in his/her travel bag is a camcorder. This is because with a camcorder, you can preserve the scene or event in almost its entirety. After all, travel is a way of temporarily escaping from your daily routine and capturing parts of your trip in video can help you freeze those exciting days for future enjoyment. Moreover, with a lot of websites allowing you to post short videos online for others to see, it makes more sense to capture your trip not only in pictures but also in videos.

Do take note that if you’re taking your video camera on a trip, you ought to keep it close to you at all times. That way, you will be ready to videotape anything interesting that might happen, and you’re sure to have it when you arrive at your destination, no matter what happens to your checked bags.

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The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.

- Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854)

Nowadays, you need not worry on whether or not your friend will be able to join you in the next trip. In fact, you don’t have to worry at all about a doomed, melancholic trip if you’re traveling alone. Armed with detailed maps and foreknowledge about your target place by browsing an online travel guide, you’re sure to be all set to an invigorating, it’s-just-me-and-my-backpack getaway.

Yep, that’s all you need – map and foreknowledge of your target place. With foreknowledge, make sure you do well research about the people, the culture, how to get around, how to avoid problems, as well as suggestions for itineraries, accommodations, dining and things to do. That way, you’ll be able to maximize your stay there AND avoid hassle.

So next time you want to go to a certain place, don’t bother calling up people to accompany you. Just go!

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My Kendo batch mate and friend, Miches, recently went to Singapore to work there. I told her how much I would love to visit her one of these days but I’m not sure about the airfare in Singapore airlines. Miches chuckled and said I need not worry about it because I can avail of cheap flights on websites like Lastminute.com.au. With their current promos, I can ”take off” with the best airfares to Europe and Asia. She added that should I decide on a whim to give her a surprise visit, I can also avail of last minute flights without hassle. I just might visit her before the year ends. ^_^

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People who travel normally use transportation such as trains, buses and airplanes. Then again, who says you always have to travel the usual, boring way? Try traveling with class on a Jet Charter.

If you search online, you will see a lot of websites such as Flyprudent.com who specialize in offering the finest executive jets at great pricing! To cap it off, not only do they provide top of the line executive aircraft such as the Challenger, they will also source any and all requests for your in-flight dining pleasure.

Interested? Contact Gordon Gerstein, the director of Prudential Aviation who is experienced in arranging flights for VIPs.

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Named in honor of Sir Thomas Brisbane, who was Governor of New South Wales from 1821-1825, Brisbane is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland. It is around 1 hour north of Sydney, and 2 hours from Melbourne by plane.

Some of the must-see places for visitors before leaving Brisbane are the South Bank Parklands, the Roma Street Parkland, the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, and the Mount Coot-tha state forest (which includes a lookout over the city that offers a view of the curves of the river, the lines of the freeway, and the skyline of the CBD). Oh, and don’t forget to drop by the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary so you get to experience holding a koala and feeding a kangaroo – the two popular animals in Australia.

For those planning to visit Brisbane, the first step is to make sure to find a good Accommodation in Brisbane. Depending on your need, you could book in one of the Hotels in Brisbane that are in prime elevated location, or you could avail of a Brisbane Accommodation that is just a walk away to some of the major city cites of Brisbane and South Bank. The next step of course, is to make sure to visit all the must-see places in Brisbane. Happy Traveling!

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