I wish we had more time

If you were to say that to someone now, who would you say it to? 

Will you say that to the person who walked you home? 

Will you say that to the person you went to the movies with?

Will you say that to that one person who made you feel like it's okay to feel happy again but then had to leave?

Or.. 

Will you say it to someone random like that cute person you met in the bus stop today?

Have you ever had that moment in your life wherein you wish you had more time with someone just.. because? 

Have you ever felt like if only God gave you more time to spend together then things could've been different?

If I were to answer the questions then I would be upfront and honest to say, yes, I have had those moments in my life wherein one minute could've made a difference. One minute would've been enough for me to say "Thank you for being there." It could've been more than enough for me to smile and hug them to let them know how important they are to me.

Have the courage to say what your heart feels. Tell your grandma you love her, tell you parents and your brothers that you love them. Whisper to that special person's ear that you are thankful for having them and for being able to share a moment with them because sometimes you get caught up in the happy moments that you forget that it would've been happier if words have been said and hearts have spoken.

I don't really know how to end this blog. Haha! but it's almost 1am here and I need to go to sleep now since I'm planning to go run 7k at the gym tomorrow morning (if I wake up) and after that I have service hosting duty at church so tomorrow's going to be exciting since Maricris will be joining me again at church! Thank God for friends. I am back to my happy self now. Goodnight guys! This blogpost has been... so EMO and I feel like its another side of me writing. Haha! 
Proverbs 4:23
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

xoxo, Gennin

What happens when a 5 foot 7 lady jumps off a plane 15,000ft from the ground- Aileen goes Skydiving 2017

If you are in the loop of my recent social media posts (Wow, artistahin. Hahaha!), You might have already been aware that 5 days ago, something spectacular has happened. I. jumped. off. a. plane. Haha!! But let me introduce you to the person who forced *cough cough* encouraged me to do it. Aileen G***** T***. I have to blur out her name for security purposes. Haha! Kidding! 

AILEEN GRACE TAN

There you go. That's much better. All in capital letters so that everyone who gets the chance to read this would know and remember what you did. Haha! Aileen is one of my bestest friends in Uni back in the Philippines or college as we all know it there. We are a part of a group called"Boks" and if you wanna know why we're named that way, comment below. Haha!

One year ago, Ai hit me up on Facebook and told me that she plans to come and visit me!! I was so stoked on the idea that I can finally see one of my friends again and even more stoked on the fact that I can speak "Hiligaynon" (Our 'native' dialect) during the whole time that she's going to be here!! Fast forward to the 9th of June 2017. Aileen has arrived to the land of the long white cloud, Aotearoa!!!

And the first thing on her list, Skydiving. Can you believe it? She is one of the few people I know who gets excited in jumping off a cliff, riding roller coasters and getting flipped in the air or do whatever extreme it is that you can think of! And me on the other hand, is the exact opposite. Those butterflies in your stomach thing, that's so real to me. Haha!

On her 3rd day at Queenstown, which is her Skydiving activity day, Mr. New Zealand weather didn't cooperate. The rain was pouring, the roads were slippery, the snow was falling and winter was beginning to unfold. It (forgive my language dun dun dun) sucks when you're all so excited about something and then you don't actually get to do it and you have all these high expectations and voila! Nothing.

Look at her happy face? Why weather why?

Whoops not that... Tada!!!

Imagine her devastation (to be more dramatic) when she did't get the chance to jump after getting all geared up and writing #yolo plus smiley on her hand! (Wait, more smilies on the other hand!) 

*cue in dramatic music*

Aileen with Kiwi accent: "Gin, call thim and and ask if thiy can rischedule the dive to this afternoon. I rilly wanna do it."

***Me typing the number on my phone. (Talked talked talked) Turned around and faced Aileen and said: They might be able to do it at 2pm but it all depends on the weather. (Upside down smiley face)

Hours passed, we tried but the weather wasn't in our odds that day. So instead of jumping off a plane, that lady right there decided that she was going to go bungy jumping and so she did!!! 

#YOLO!!!! WOOT WOOT!

And you think she's going to give up what she actually came for? Nah-uh. This time she learned her lesson babeh! (Ew, so.. )

We were at Wellington airport waiting for our turn to board. There she was scrolling through her phone, checking Yahoo weather and Google maps. A few minutes later, she found out that Saturday is going to be sunny and when the sun is up... well, it's up. Haha!!

We revised our random but not so random itinerary and at 6:30am our friend Maricris was driving early in the morning beating the speed limits just so we can make it on time for Taupo!!! Aileen had to choose from 12,000ft or 15,000ft. and can you guess what she chose? You got it. 15,000ft babeh!! (Haha. This is so annoying).

So, what happens when a 5 foot 7 lady jumps off a plane 15,000ft from the ground?

Hands go up in the air! Face becomes distorted! and.. Pout happens? Haha! :D

Also...#Smile #Yolo #Bananashapebodaaay

(Skydiving 101: Legs behind you and pretend you're a banana! Not kidding.)

Man: Stay steady I need to take your photo!!!

Aileen: (Doesn't care) Shouts* Wohoooo!!!

Man: Yeaaa, that's better! Lemme do a selfie!!! Hahaha!!

I feel so giddy while typing this now. This just happened a few days ago and looking back at it now it was a really precious moment for me to see one of my best friends tick one thing off her bucket list!(and I'm gonna go all out and dramatic in the next few lines so prepare yourself)

You see, in certain phases of your life, you really need that one friend to push you, encourage you and make you feel like once in your life, just jump off that freakin' plane and live for a moment! Aileen was indeed right. I was going to thank her after she made me jump off that plane. So let me take this opportunity to say... 

"Yeah yeah yeah. Thank you girl!! Hahaha!"

I never felt home since she got here. Aileen is the type of person who is a real life princess but never made you feel like your a pauper when you're with her. She would eat kwekwek, isaw, lomi, batchoy, and any other street food with you. She is your not so typical princess, I tell you. You're one lucky guy if you're going to win this lady's heart! Please note that before you even dare, you must be able to do the following.

1. Wrap both of your legs with a towel, wear a harness and jump off a bridge!

2. Go inside a small plane and jump 15,000ft from the ground!

If you're able to do all that then comment below with your name and number and I'll let Aileen know! Hahaha!!!

Cheers to a really good adventure Ai!! You did it! Until next time!!

"Proverbs 27:17 An iron sharpens an iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."

xoxo, Gennin

Skydiving at Taupo

It's been 2 days since I jumped off a plane 12,000 feet above the ground and it still feels so unreal to me! I'm not the type of person who does death defying stunts that often since first of all I am terrified of heights but since I lived in New Zealand, nothing became impossible anymore!! (Thank you Jesus. :)

On the 13th of June 2017, two of my friends were supposed to go Skydiving at Queenstown. I wanted to do it too but the whole package was so expensive that I decided not to give it a go. My friends went to Queenstown two days before I did and when I finally caught up with them, the weather was terrible. It was raining in the airport and the roads were wet and slippery. So, I immediately texted them to find out whether or not they're able to go Skydiving. I was praying that the weather would get better and it did but the company didn't want to risk it and decided not to go through with their Skydiving activity for that day! I felt bad since my friend went all the way from the Philippines to do just that! We ended up taking photos and binge eating and called it a night when we went to Onsen pools. (I will do a separate blog post about that).

On that same night, little did I know that my friend already booked another Skydiving activity and this time, in Taupo, and for 3 people!!!!!! 

My friend Aileen was telling me that she booked for 3 people and even showed me the proof of her booking. I didn't believe her since I was certain that I was only going to be a spectator that day. We woke up early and Maricris (who didn't sleep much the night before haha!) drove for 2-3 hours to Taupo and when we got there, this man handed me an iPad and asked me to put my details on there. I was like "No, thank you. I'm not going to jump today". Aileen was like, "No, I booked for 3 and you're going to jump. Trust me you're going to thank me after this." 

Few minutes later, there I was watching the safety procedures and selecting the songs for my video! Haha!! At first I didn't feel anything at all. All I know is at that time my mom is still fast asleep (It was about 10:30am when we got to the place) and when she wakes up it'll be all over so Why not? Hahaha!! (Peace Ma :D )

After two trips to the toilet, we proceeded to the changing area, put our gears on, met with our Skydive tandem person and did some interviews since it was part of the package. Then we went on a bus to the place where all the plane was and off we go!! I felt a hint of fear when the small plane was taking off. My fear increased when I learned that I was going to be the first one to jump off!!! My Skydive partner whispered, "I'll look after you" and then opened the door and I can feel the strong wind blowing my feet and I didn't even had the chance to count from one to three and the next minute I was in the air!!

It was an amazing feeling and my fear went away that quick! Trust me when I say this, the moment we jumped off that plane, my fear disappeared! Then I remembered what they told us from the beginning, DO NOT LOOK DOWN, JUST LOOK STRAIGHT, and that's exactly what I did! 

I saw the clouds up close and I've never been so happy! Hahaha!! I have this thing for clouds, moon and stars and being that close to one of them just brought so much joy in my heart. I also saw two lovely mountains with snowcaps on them and if only my eyes can take videos I'd be sharing that with you guys now but nothing beats what the eyes can see!!! 

The houses looked really tiny from the top just like how you would see it when you're inside a plane but it's different when you're gliding in the air! When they said that "Aotearoa" is the land of the long white cloud, they are definitely correct!!!

I tried pulling off a heart sign but the wind was so strong that the only sign that I can do at that time was the thumbs up sign! Haha!

Before I end this post, let me just go through the things that you should remember when you're on your way to go Skydiving:

1. When the guide taps your hand, open wide and let go!!! 

2. Put your legs up high and make your body shape like a banana!

3. Then you're all set and good to go! Don't forget to open your eyes and enjoy the view!!

P.S. That other guy is our videographer/photographer!

P.S. When I woke up that morning, the title of my devotional was "Yes, You can do it!" and had the verse "I will strengthen and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand". - Isaiah 4`:10

God's approval of my spontaneous Skydiving experience! Hahaha!!!

Now that I've ticked another one off my 2017 Bucketlist which you can view by clicking on this link --> Bucketlist 2017 I now plan on ticking another one off by joining a marathon! I was supposed to do one last year but it rained on that day and I felt ill, thus I wasn't able to do it. I gained so much weight after that past 8 days of going on a holiday and training for a marathon will help me lose it and reach my bucket list as well so that will be next on my list, so help me God! :)

If you like this post, please don't forget to share! :)

For information about the place and the prices:

Skydive Taupo

Website:http://www.skydivetaupo.co.nz

My Skydive Partner's name is: Ryan

5 things I love about New Zealand

I've been out of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat for almost a month now and I feel like I've done quite a lot lately. I was able to clean my room (I can hear my mom say, "Wow, what a miracle!" Haha! She always say that to me every time I do some cleaning. Haha! #annoying), I was able to enjoy a friends' birthday without my phone since I was able to actually talk, I was able to find time to do other stuff rather than looking at the screen of my phone! Hurray! Haha! I did this a few months ago and it was hard but awesome. Anyways, while I was running at the Basin earlier with my workmate, I got the chance to see the beautiful colours of the sky before it went dark. It made me thank God so much for He has brought me to this really amazing country. God knows me better than I know myself and let me tell you why below. :)

1. NATURE (Trees, mountains, rivers, and oh... cows.)

I never realised how much I find cows cute until I saw them here. Haha! It always makes me smile whenever I see a group of cows together and I don't know why. Something must be wrong with me. Haha! God knows how much I love the simple life. I would prefer living somewhere far in the city (Don't get me wrong, as of today, I miss the city life so bad since you can't go walking outside alone at night in the suburbs. Haha!) wherein I would wake up to a beautiful sunrise and watch the sunset in the afternoon and plant roses on my backyard. Ahh, what a dream. Haha! :)

2. TOILETS EVERYWHERE.

Trust me. They have portable toilets on every event that you go to. Most of them have tissues as well. Hahaha! Uh-mazing! :D

3. GOOD COFFEE.

I heard that Australia has good coffee too (from my barista class. hihi) but since I haven't been there to try it out yet, I would just have to be content and happy on what this beautiful country has to offer!

4. FREE PLACES TO GO TO.

Back home, most places would require you to pay a little bit of of money to go to a certain park (we don't have that many parks so I'm just exaggerating here. Haha!) but here you can just hop on a bus that'll take you to a park and you can go and stay there all day, read a book or just chill and watch the ducks! The best part is, you get to enjoy fresh air. :) P.S. You can also enjoy an outdoor run as long as it's bright an sunny outside!

5. THE PEOPLE.

I have experienced some racist comments but overall, the people here are really friendly and helpful. They would smile at you and just makes you feel like you belong even if you're still not a resident. (Peeps, you get me. Haha!) It's nice that most migrants got to adapt to that culture and practice it as well. I have met a lot of great people here from my classmates, churchmates, workmates and strangers on the streets. :)

 Isaiah 12:4-5
And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. "Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth."

5 not so boring things couples/friends can do

Yes, I know, Valentine's day is over. I'm not even supposed to blog about something related to the love month (because I'm bitter like that and I admit it. Haha! Kidding. :P) but the old couple that we met over halfway through our 11.5km hike today inspired me so much that I've decided to not think about being cheesy and blog about this. Haha! So bear with my cheesy-ness and read on!

After three hours of hiking, I feel like I'm about to doze off while I'm typing this one down now! We were supposed to go to Rotorua but the bus fare was so expensive so my housemate just decided to find something to do nearby without us having to spend anything! She stumbled upon Hunua falls and the trail and she knows how much I would love to go hiking and she is keen on a hike herself thus we went to Hunua Falls straight after our late breakfast! I packed a peanut butter and almond butter sandwich for both of us since I was scared of not being able to eat and go hungry in the middle of the mountain with no food and starve to death. Haha! Kidding. I was just in the mood to pack and make sandwiches that's all. Haha! :P

After an hour of walking, we came across a lookout and saw and old couple drinking wine and eating cheese. At first, at the back of my head I was like, "How in the world were they able to bring a glass of wine up a mountain?" but then I thought, "Aww, how sweet of them to still go on dates even if they're old." I find it lovely that couples get to enjoy outdoor activities together rather than strolling around malls and eating in fancy restaurants. I mean, it's nice to do that once in a while but if you do that often, it gets kinda boring. (Please note that this I my blog and I do not mean to offend anybody and this is just my personal opinion. Thank you for not being offended. :)

GO ON A HIKE

It's fun way to get to know each other more and test each other's patience. Haha!

FIND A NEW CAFE.

I love cafes and I don't know why. I've been looking for a unique one around the city but couldn't find any. Today, while my housemate was driving, we saw this cute little Italian cafe near Papakura area and I fell in love instantly. Haha! For couples/friends who love coffee, this one here is for you! :)

FIND A NEARBY FALLS. 

If you love nature and water-related stuffs then visiting a falls is a trip that you shouldn't miss out! :) Hitting two birds in one stone. Hihi

PICNIC AT THE NEAREST PARK.

I have this strong belief on the saying, the best things in life are free thus having a picnic is one of the most relaxing thing that you can do as a couple or with your friends. The process of packing food is also exciting! Haha! Make sure your phones don't get in the way and you forget to talk! 

CROSS A RIVER?

Haha! I have nothing more to write guys. My brain is fogging up and I badly need some zzzs. I'll edit this as soon as my brain starts to work again tomorrow. Haha! :)

xoxo, Gennin

1 Corinthians 13:4-7New International Version (NIV)

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

How to renew your NBI clearance from New Zealand

I think my blog has become so random that I feel like I have to post this today. Haha! I am a random person thus my random blog posts so bear with me as I walk you through the process of renewing your NBI clearance if you're from the Philippines and currently residing in the land of the long white cloud!!

Here you are panicking since you've heard from one friend that you need to renew your NBI clearance before applying for a visa extension. STOP right there. Inhale. Exhale. It's not the end of the world. Here's what you need to know before you do the things that you need to do.

What: PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL

Location: The Theatre Royal

                 486 New North Road, Kingsland Auckland 1021

                (Just across Al's Deli area)

Phone: 09-600 6100

Website: www.philembassy.org.nz

Before you go, make sure you visit the website or you call in to check the exact time and date that they will be open. Also, if you know someone from that area, ask them to check whether or not the Consulate has posted a notice on their door. They might not update their website that often so don't be a dumdum like me and stay informed! :)

What to bring: 

A.  1 passport sized photo or 2x2 sized photo with WHITE background

B. Old NBI clearance

C. $37.50 in CASH--- THEY HAVE NO EFTPOS.

D. Ballpen

E. Passport and Visa

Steps:

1. Ask the personnel for an NBI Fingerprint Form Card 

***Blue card that looks similar to your Old NBI Clearance***

2. Give your Passport to the personnel on duty and he/she will photocopy it for you.

They will hold on to the photocopy of the passport at this stage.

3. Fill the card up and make sure you write at the back as well!!

Please write the purpose of your clearance at the back portion.

There's a glue on the centre table for you to use to stick your photo on the form.

4. Wait. Wait. Wait. Don't fret. It doesn't take them long to finish.

Make sure you pay attention since the lady will call your name accordingly!

5. Prepare your cash. It's recommended that you bring the exact amount. Saves a little bit of time. (Steps 5 and 6 may be switched depending on the person on duty)

6. The lady will guide you through the fingerprinting process.

There's a sink at the back where you can rinse off after!

7. You will then be handed your NBI Form, the photocopy of the passport and the receipt amounting to $37.50. Check if they've written down your names correctly and if it's duly signed. Once done, you may now exit the area.

Here's what to do if you don't have cash.

A. The nearest ATM machine is located just across the Phil. Consulate.

It's a WESTPAC ATM machine but other cardholders can withdraw as well but will be charged a certain bank fee.

Here's what to do if you don't have a photo.

A. I read somewhere that the pharmacy just beside the ATM machine is able to take your photo so don't be afraid to ask! :)

Hope this will help you. Comment below if there are other things that seems unclear to you. :) If I missed out on something, please let me know as well!

xoxo, Gennin