I used to dread this day. The day that marks both an end and a beginning. It was often filled with yearning, like a deadline I failed to meet. It's either I felt betrayed by time and circumstance for not giving me enough, for not giving more, or self-loathing for not doing anything about it. Today, I say with relief, it is different.

I'm writing this inside the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, in Indonesia's capital of Jakarta. With plenty of time to spare before our flight to Vietnam – the last stop for the #CDHoneymoonAdventure – I figured I'd sneak in some writing. (You know, to at least lessen the pile that would surely be waiting for me when we get home.)

The day we arrived in Coron, it was drizzly. On our way to our accommodation – Sophia's Garden – the downpour let on, making me even more drowsy. I flew straight from an assignment in Northern Samar (a repeat of what happened during the Agal-agal Festival in Tawi-tawi – more on this later) and I was still exhausted from the previous week exploring its uncharted parts. The cold, rainy Coron weather seemed to be lulling me to sleep.

Storytime is a series of  stories about my most memorable travel experiences. Read more here.

After going on a leisurely trek around the island of Sumilon, we were delighted at the thought of meryenda. So, we let ourselves be herded towards the playground. Only it wasn't a playground anymore. It had been temporarily converted into a tea party venue.

AirAsia has celebrated its inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur to Davao, Philippines. The new route will operate with four times weekly flights between Davao and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I've already been on the road for a week prior to me flying to Coron, but I haven't been to this side of Palawan so I was still quite excited. Additionally, we were flying via Sky Jet. It was my first time to ride one of their 90-seater BAE-146 which is, interestingly, manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace. It only took us 30 minutes to get to Busuanga Coron Airport! It was a comfortable and quick flight! Unfortunately, the insane weather foiled our plans and we ended up spending most of our time staying in. Luckily, Sophia's Garden hosted us.

Named after the owners' granddaughter, Sophia's Garden Resort is a 5,000-square-meter property located about an hour from the Busuanga airport. It follows an "old Spanish" style, and boasts comfortable rooms amidst what is basically a large garden.

I never minded getting dirty and I love me a bit of competition. So, when I got invited to a "Bloggers Camp" by our friends over at Timberland Heights, I did not have any second thoughts.

Up in the hills of San Mateo in Rizal is a quick escape from the urban jungle. Offering various outdoor activities, Adventure Farm is all about good, clean fun for the whole family.

I was able to visit the place the first during Sandugo's Camp Adventure. The second time, it was for the "Bloggers Camp" where my colleagues and I were pitted against people from Timberland Heights in a round of contest across the obstacle course that is the Adventure Playground. Before going into the said contest, we were able to experience what Adventure Farm was all about.

Nothing can compare to holidays in the Philippines – cheerful company, the merry atmosphere, and the ever excellent food. Taking this into account, Bluewater Resorts decided to put the Filipino holiday spirit front and center.

After our foray into Merloquet Falls, we headed back to the city center for lunch. Wanting to try the local fanfare, our friend-cum-guide Errold of iTravel Tourist Lane took us to Bay Tal Mal.

After a week of covering Tawi-tawi's duo of festivals – Agal-agal, and Kamahardikan – Marky, Christine, Ferdz, Potpot, and I still had a whole day to spare in Zamboanga City where our flight back to Manila would be. Determined to make the most of our trip, we contacted iTourist Travel Lane to give us a quick tour of the city.

Breakfast at Zamboanga City is fascinating. Satti – three bits of either beef, pork, or chicken in a skewer, and slathered with red sauce – is the staple morning food. Paired with puso, it makes for a filling meal. Throw in this dishes' etymology and you can't help but be amazed. According to our guide Errold, satti comes from "satay" which makes sense. A little digging, however, told me it is derived from "shaitan" – the devil. Hence, it's "devil food". The delicious red sauce signifying the fires of hell. Nothing like a macabre origin story to wake you up.

We were the first ones to wake. Marky, Christine, Ferdz, and I sat in the dining hall of the hotel, wondering where the others were. It was almost 6AM – our call time – but there were no signs of our other companions. We sent a message to our group chat on Messenger but no one was answering. We decided to go ahead and have our breakfast.

Macau Tower on December 4 hosted the seventh annual Crazy Jump Day, powered by the world’s best low-cost airline AirAsia and organised by the world’s top adventure tourism company AJ Hackett.

After taking part in Tawi-tawi's much celebrated Agal-Agal Festival held in the town of Languyan, my companions and I forged through torrential rains towards the province's capital: the island of Bongao.

Dawdling Drabbles is a collection of 100-word (or less) attempts at remembering every moment in my travels, but they really are just ramblings, to be honest. Here's more of them.

To go to Tawi-tawi was a dream I never thought would come true so soon. But it did. And it came with gifts. To reach it, I got into a ship with the Coast Guards at the helm. The trip was long and eventful – a middle-of-the-sea raid that turned out to be a false alarm and a feast where instant noodles were the only thing I ate. It didn't matter though, same as the shaky legs and the roiling stomach. In the end, it was a voyage. An adventure that turned strangers into friends and the sea into home.

Every November since 2001, the people of Morong, Bataan has been holding the Pawikan Festival – an event celebrating the conservation efforts directed towards sea turtles. This year, the festival drew in quite a crowd. Here are some of the happiest, "smiliest" photos from the celebration:

1. The celebration involved a dance competition

2. Everyone was giving their best...

3. From this girl...

Please take note of the Leave No Trace Principles before proceeding:
For quite some time, Dennis had been wanting to go to Mt. Pinatubo. When a group of travel blogger friends started making plans for a trip here, we were naturally interested. But after a series of Facebook Messenger conversations, the number of individuals who wanted to come dwindled. In the end, it was just me, Dennis, Potpot of Travel Trilogy, and Marcos of Detourista.

Our weekend gastronomic staycation did not end at Tagaytay. After coursing through the slightly lighter traffic of Manila, we found ourselves in Maginhawa, in a gem of a cafe called The Wander Space.

Remember when I said we were able to go on a run when we had our gastronomic staycation over at Taal Vista Hotel? Well, it's true. Marky of Nomadic Experiences, Mujee of Eats In The Philippines, and I went on a 30-minute jog from the hotel almost to the popular Starbucks Tagaytay.

Anyway, along the way, we noticed this food park just across the Sky Ranch so when our other companions wanted to go outside, we suggested going here.

'Tis often true that the best is saved for last. It was no different during our gastronomic staycation over at Taal Vista Hotel where we got to try the delectable fanfares of its trio of restaurants.

Before we head home, we were treated to brunch over at Taza: Fresh Table. And, oh boy, were we in for a treat.

Ask all bloggers and they'll tell you one thing: blogging is hard.

During our weekend stay at the Taal Vista Hotel, we were able to sample its trio of in-house restaurants. We were all in full eating gears, and Cafe Veranda took the brunt of our attack head on and held its ground quite impressively.

AirAsia has launched AirAsia Loves ASEAN a series of initiatives focused on education, talent development, and the economy to celebrate the golden jubilee of ASEAN.

The initiatives comprise the AirAsia ASEAN University Partnership, ASEAN Entrepreneurs Day, ASEAN Journalists Camp, and Allstars Exchange Program.

From peaceful sojourns with nature to rugged mountainous trails, Canada is a real haven for hikers. Some of these are said to offer the finest walks on the planet, fit for all levels of abilities.

While some may be more challenging than the others, they all share one thing in common, their breathtaking view. So whether you are a first timer or a professional hiker, here are some hiking trails in Canada which will fuel your dreams and make you fall in love with the country.

Oh, and while you are at it, book yourself one of the cozy cabins in Canada and hike to your heart’s extend in its lovely valleys and mountains.

The first volley on what eventually would be known as a gastronomic staycation (Gonzales, 2017) was our uber-late dinner over at the Lobby Lounge. As previously mentioned here, eight of my favorite people and I braved the atrocious (to the point it was laughable) weekend traffic with nothing but a few bags of chips and two dozens of donuts.

AirAsia on November 9 revealed the grand winner of its first-ever social media reality contest called #AirAsiaCreateCamp: The Search for the Next AirAsia Storyteller. Paolo Garrido – the Afro Wanderer of Mapua – bested four other finalists from Baguio, Cebu, and Iloilo and has been officially named member of AirAsia's community of storytellers.

We left Cubao on a Friday night – that sounds like the title of a horror movie. Well, with Metro Manila's dreadful traffic, you could say that it was indeed horrifying. But I was with some of my favorite people so the crawl to Tagaytay wasn't half as bad.

Baguio is a sure fire way to have a great time either with your family or your barkada. If you're planning to head up the City of Pines, here are some places you should consider visiting.

1. Mines View Park

Sure it's a "touristy" place but being a tourist once in a while is still fun. Enjoy the great view here and scour the many souvenir stalls for some pasalubong.

Mines View Observation Deck, Mines View, Baguio, Benguet

Mondays to Sundays -  5AM to 8PM

The shocking rays of the midmorning sun made the white buildings shine like burnished marble. In between the structures and on the margins of the dirtless streets, bevies of pine trees stuck out. The veil of mist was dissolving now, but the air remained chilly and pleasant. We were in the compound of the Philippine Military Academy. Established on December 21, 1936 by virtue of the National Defense Act, it is the breeding ground for future soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

All places evoke a specific emotion. Some inspire joy. Others outright wound. I have filed Tam-awan Village into the second category. The last time I was here, I was with someone who, at that time, made the visit special, but then it all went downhill from there. And so, I was apprehensive to return.

Perhaps the best way to forget about the past is to live the present. There's no sense, after all, to dwell in them. Write over the bitterness with sweet, new memories that'll fill you up with joy. Make it with people who make you feel good.

Varicolored threads crisscrossed the frames; the thwack, thwack of the wooden boards resounding. The room was bright with the stark glare of fluorescent bulbs and looms were crowded next to each other. Huddled over some of these contraptions were middle-aged women. They were fixated on the job at hand, focused on the operose process of weaving.

There is something about handwork. Something cathartic, almost like sacrifice. Every curl of the fingers is like an act of selflessness, unspooling not only thread but the soul. Looping it. Braiding it, so that strands of itself are entwined, too, with the work.

Dawdling Drabbles is a collection of 100-word (or less) attempts at remembering every moment in my travels, but they really are just ramblings, to be honest. Here's more of them.

Kennon Road – heard about it, seen it in photos, never been.

I was curious. What was in here? Well, the view of course.

The roadside viewdeck looks out into a layered vista. On the foreground is a huddle of homes with pied roofs. Beyond, the mountains emerged. The peaks fanned out until the eye reached the horizon, superposing everything with emerald hues. A shroud of mist hung from the brows of the range like a veil hovering over the face of a young bride. I get it now, what draws people here. This view, it's worth stopping over at.

Dawdling Drabbles is a collection of 100-word (or less) attempts at remembering every moment in my travels, but they really are just ramblings, to be honest. Here's more of them.

The heaviest burden to carry is the burden of negativity. It plagues the mind, weakening the soul, but why do most of us refuse to let it go?

Perhaps we need somewhere to leave it all behind. An actual place to bury, albeit figuratively, the crippling emotions, maybe?

The folks at Camp John Hay thought the same thing and now we have the Cemetery of Negativism. "Graves" inscribed with amusing puns depicting an often frowned-upon trait and/or emotion populate the tract of pine-strewn land. Reading the "names" of the buried actually made me smile. Some I even identified with.

Dawdling Drabbles is a collection of 100-word (or less) attempts at remembering every moment in my travels, but they really are just ramblings, to be honest. Here's more of them.

I have been to Baguio several times now, but never to the popular Botanical Garden. Until recently, that is.

I avoid places frequented by tourists, and I thought the garden would be one of those sites swarming with people. I don't remember what day it was, but I was both surprised and pleased that there wasn't a rowdy crowd when we visited. Just a few people meandered across the garden. We were surrounded by the color green. Trees and shrubs and bushes. Multicolored blossoms, too. It was peaceful here, surprisingly. I wasn't expecting to like it.

But I did.