The Tables Have Turned

Today an amazing thing happened.

Usually this is the scenario. I’ve seen it too many times enough to warrant a puking. Typical blushing Chinese girl stumbling over her poor English while attempting to have a conversation with a blonde blue-eyed Western foreigner.

Tonight at the Aussie pub the opposite has happened.

My Chinese friend, Des is speaking rapidly in slang rich English while a blushing blonde blue eyed Western foreigner attempts to catch up and understand what she’s saying.

Here we are attempting to explain what a ‘male package’ meant.

“Package.” She put her hands in a triangle and held it up in front of him.

The Westerner looked perplexed.

“Da Vinci Code” Nerd alert!

He shook his head. I’m European, my English isn’t good, he apologized.

“The sign for male.” She flipped the triangle upside down. “Female.”

The Da Vinci code reference still didn’t switch on any Edison light bulbs. Butt it was still worth it watching the complete role reversal that so rarely happens.

The world never ceases to surprise me.

Fearing for My Life as Political Tension Rises

you will know at the end of the article why this photo is of a pair of cute furry bear slippers. Courtesy of  Squidoo

I’m scared.

As tension escalates between my country, the Philippines and China over the Scarborough Shoal island, I’m getting apprehensive on my situation as a Filipino expat here in my city. The media has just been having a field day with this situation and turning it into a soap opera of sorts (rocks, bananas and games!) and of course, being in the China side – I only see one face of the news (meaning I see photos of my countrymen burning Chinese flags and the Chinese government threatening – be very afraid, we will squash you. All South China is our territory – it is an undisputable fact.) –which is actually a Hasty Generalization fallacy if you took logic because the nationalistic Chinese newscasters seldom back it up with facts. Hasty Generalization is a conclusion drawn based on biased or insufficient evidence. Just that history and records from long ago say so. But which record? Which year? Who wrote it? Is it from a reputable source? Strange, doesn’t say. This is just a few bits of what I gleamed from Xinhua news and CCTV. Whatever happened to objective journalism? Not when you’re in China,Burma or North Korea.

According to a news report I found on Tudou.com (a Chinese video sharing site—like Youtube),China has now suspended all tours to thePhilippines due to growing anti-China sentiment. Others claim it is an economic boycott. Yesterday, in Macau some Filipinos have confirmed to me that Macau has issued travel warning to its residents going to the Philippinesas well. President Aquino is unperturbed stating that ‘we don’t need Chinese tourism’. I don’t know about you Aquino but when we only have a couple of millions of visitors every year, 97,000 Chinese sounds a lot.

Reports from the Filipino expats in Macau stated that they hardly see any photos of protests or of people burning Chinese flags in our Philippine T.V. network and yet these are the photos being continuously flashed and broadcasted on an hourly basis in Chinese sites like CCTV, Tudou and Xinhua.

Compare the two pieces of news:

From China Daily

Hong Lei, spokesman of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said, “HuangyanIslandis an inalienable part of China’s territory. We demand the Philippines refrain from any more actions that will complicate, amplify or internationalize the situation.”

From Yahoo Philippine news which never made its way to the state backed media

Philippine President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, told reporters the government did not have a hand in organising the protest.

“It was a decision taken by private citizens who feel out of patriotism that they have to speak on the issue,” Lacierda said, adding they were exercising their constitutional right to free expression and peaceful assembly.

And now some countries are jumping in the bandwagon

JapanTimes:

China Lays Claim on Sekaku Islands/Diaoyu Islands- Yes, China just wants everything

“I want to reiterate that the DiaoyuIslands have been China‘s inherent territory since ancient times and China holds indisputable sovereignty over them,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a regular news briefing. (Commentary: Haven’t we heard this too many times? See China Daily above. )

Ishihara said in Washingtonon Monday that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is negotiating with the owner of three major islands in the uninhabited chain.

On Tuesday, Ishihara added thatBeijing’s dispatch of fishery patrol boats to their vicinity is “halfway to a declaration of war” againstJapan.

On a note, I do wonder why this never made international headlines? Japan-China war? Both sides could lose a lot. But Philippine-China war? Philippines loses and China hardly breaks a sweat. International coverage to boost China’s image.

The Times of India: 

Admitting Indian concern about the events, the MEA spokesperson said, “Maintenance of peace and security in the region is of vital interest to the international community. India urges both countries to exercise restraint and resolve the issue diplomatically according to principles of international law.”

It is becoming an international drama that can beat any soap.

Netizens from China will be surprised to learn that some of the Filipinos I talked to bear no animosity towards this whole thing but rather want it to be resolved as quickly and peacefully as possible. They shouldn’t worry as Filipinos are also focused on voting for America Idol Jessica Sanchez. That said Chinese netizens only believe what the one sided media brainwashes them to believe. We should view the news on both sides and other objective sources. Look, all we want to do is to continue to earn money so we can send money home to put food on the tables of our families, to build a roof over their heads and send our kids to school. How can we do that if war (Heaven forbid) was declared and there is nobody to receive money? Or for that matter there is no money to be sent because mothers and fathers have disappeared into the depths of a Chinese black jail?

This is a worst case scenario but a government with its volumes of bad human rights records like Chinacan do whatever it wants. Even if the UN intervenes, it might be too late for some. When the Tibet  and Xinjiang riots  and the Jasmine revolution happened, it was a blackout of information inChina. These were the reasons Facebook and Youtube were blocked- because they were telling a side the government doesn’t want people to see. There was little access to news for a while. Rumors abound that the Chinese government promised rewards to people during the Tibetan riots to betray their leaders otherwise people would start disappearing one by one. Some Han Chinese were foaming venom in their mouths against the Dalai Lama, ‘that he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ and that the whole world was against China. People were taken away, disappeared. There was a disturbing ghostly hush of silence that settled over the whole region. And then slowly life returned to normal.

A conspiracy theory that’s circulating around is that China is using and hyping this territorial dispute to hide behind the growing negative press it’s been receiving on it’s — you guess it – human rights record. Here are the following tales that naturally never made its way to Mainland waters of media but once was all over the international community news. Thanks to Philippines-China dispute, they have been eclipsed (You’re probably so happy aren’t you, Chinese government?)

• Blind Chinese Activist Chen Guancheng  seeks asylum in US Consulate
• Prisoners in Chinaforced to do slave labour in reform camps for factories- May 2012.  Slave Trade is still alive and kicking. Yes, the product you’re holding –the one that’s made in China- it’s made by real slaves. Watch the moving documentary in this link—where there are indeed factories in China that publicly declare they use prisoners to produce goods shipped to the US and into major commercial hubs like 20^th Century Fox. In the end you’ll no doubt reflect on how we throw away our morals in the name of cheap goods – for the glory that is consumerism.

Homer Simpson Made by Prisoners. Doh!

Photo by Squidoo. And yes, these novelty  slippers made by slaves are still in the market. Now you’ve also solved the mystery of the cute bear slippers photo

• China expels Journalist for being part of a news network that told the truth about its slave trade
• Chinese politician Bo Xilai’s wife is said to have killed British national in UK
• The Dalai Lama meeting with Canadian Prime Minister. Urging of continued trade towards Chinabut not sacrificing one’s principles.

According to People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese government ‘never tolerate any unreasonable embarrassment with blind patience, not to mention that the issue matters for China‘s territorial integrity, national dignity, and even social stability. 

Hence in keeping up with not ‘tolerating any unreasonable embarrassment’ and not to destabilize ‘China’s national dignity and social stability’ i.e. lose major face, it’s been very aggressive with the island dispute and kept threatening war like a big bully who knows to regain the face it had lost and also to distract the international community from its recent blunders. (Damien Grammaticas of BBC, 2012)

Wise move, Chinese government. Wise move.

After watching the China Slave Trade documentary I was very disturbed that prisoners were forced to create the products we were using. How can we have a future world superpower that is a cruel dictator for its own citizens? We are increasingly seeing leaders bowing to the growing despotic reign and turning a blind eye to how badly it treats its very own. It’s like receiving food knowing it was made with blood, sweat and tears of a mother in chains. It’s like receiving a million dollars knowing you approved murdering a baby for that. How can one have that in his conscience?

That said, I have a growing admiration to the activists in China. It’s no Burma VJ (ironically, available for download in Tudou) nor you’d see monks parading with bowls upside down any time soon but the activists are there. They’re risking their lives just to report abuse done to their families, to seek justice, to tell the truth. Dissidents in China! Don’t give up! Continue the fight! Soon we will see a China that is a protector of human rights. I know it’s a long way off but it doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

Tension continues but I’m thankful I was able to exit Mainland China and enter it again without animosity. I’m thankful Filipinos in Mainland and Macau are okay, for now. I have not heard of other violent accounts. But if this worsens, who knows what will happen?

We can only pray for peace and diplomacy from both sides. And I’m praying.

Photo by shutterstock

Other References

Ardaiolo, Michael. China and Philippines Square Off over Huangyan Island. The Shanghaiist.

Balanza, Robert M. RP China Tension Cooling Down. The Durian Post Online

Michael Jackson Is Still Alive and Kicking in China

I have had no internet for the past week due to a malfunction of my modem. It’s been hilarious just trying to get a hold of a tech person here in China — 2 translators, 3 phone numbers which would otherwise just take one phone call in my country (the perks of being an expat). But because of that, I’ve been very productive and finished all my work (no distractions) and now that internet is here again, I can go back to blogging and procrastinating- guilt free.

Last night, my college held a concert tribute to the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. The students spent major bucks on costumes, lighting, stage and promotion– all for two hours of glory.With the stage lights blazing against their faces, fog enveloping them and the roar of the crowds ringing in their ears- they get the chance to know just for one unforgettable night what it feels like to be a star, what it feels like to be Michael Jackson.

I, for one was ecstatic that they decided to lip sync versus singing live. The first act where one Michael Jackson wannabe sang screeched was quite painful for my eardrums to endure. The only good part was the last scene where we could hear him panting profusely over his headpiece and then raised his hand in Hitler-like salute and eerily propaganda-like glorified MJ like he was God (Move over Mao Tse-tung). “This is all for him, for he brought something so precious in this world, for he shook the nation and brought us music that touches our soul. This is the concert that could’ve happened but it didn’t so we decided to bring you his concert –our tribute to the King of Pop.–

“This is it.”

 

 

 

 

Students posing

 

 

 

 

 

 

photo from Fanpop

We Are Not Our Government

I’m reviving my old writing blog and just wrote a new entry in it after two years.

I have not written for two years.

Guilty as charged.

There is only one reason bloggers just stop writing and seemed to disappear from the face of the earth.

REAL LIFE

In my case it was a cocktail mix of lack of life management, social gatherings of red wine, conferences, mountains of marking papers, one miserable relationship and …. [continue]

to get the full article, click here. It’ll take you to my writing blog.

This week I felt a little bit paranoid towards my students as Philippine-China relations tensed due to an incident where a Chinese fishing boat got stranded near islands being disputed to be owned by either China, the Philippines and many other Asian countries in the South China Sea.

The Mainland Chinese are a fiercely proud race yet I worry that their tunnel vision tendencies would result in becoming hostile towards me just because our government’s’ relationships are on rocky waters, so to speak. I’m relieved though that so far my students have still acted normal towards me and have not displayed any animosity. This is part of a life of an Expat, where there may be incidents that would occur between the governments of your country of birth and the country you’re temporarily residing in.

On  that note, I do wish that many could separate government and citizens. We are not the same as our government. Many countries have the worst brutal governments but its people are some of the nicest and friendliest in the world. Take Burma, for example, its government has one of the world’s most brutal human rights records. Does that mean its people are a bunch of murderers? Of course not. Likewise, not all North Koreans are like Kim Jung-il.

Sadly, still some people think government and people are alike. Upon meeting my American travel buddy Dbau, a Burmese exclaimed, “You know I used to so hate fucking Bush. But your country is okay now. I love Obama.”

When You See Naked Monks in Burma

Of nude holy men, holes and Nazis

The thing about stories is that they lead you to places which is why Dbau and I found ourselves on a bumpy road, our bus kicking up clouds of dust and cutting through thick foliage of jungle and monasteries of Northern Burma last spring. Stories lured us here, whispered promises of a “country unlike any other”, “frozen in time,” “remote and isolated”, “What Thailand and Cambodia were like twenty years ago”. The blogs and experiences I heard often spoke well of Myanmar and I wonder why. We were about to find out.

This is my story about Burma.

First stop:Yangon

I thumbed through the pages of the backpacker’s bible- The Lonely Planet. It was January 2012. I had bought the latest edition of Dec 2011 and already some of its info was wrong.

According to LP, airports and banks give the worst exchange rate, 7 kyat to 1 US Dollar while in the black market,, it’s supposed to be 700 kyat to 1 USD. But as of 19^th January 2012, theYangon airport and the banks give the best rate – 823 kyat to the dollar! Also, we had initially read Facebook and Youtube were blocked, buses were shit and bicycles were illegal inYangon. But when we came here, we could access those sites – no problem- bicycles were everywhere and the buses were one of the most comfortable ones we had in Asia complete with reclining seats, toothbrush, bottled water, pillows and flat screen T.V.s that played Burmese soaps and karaoke.

Interesting.

Burma’s gonna be fun.

Yangon is no Tokyo,Bangkok or Shanghai. But it’s a city wrapped in romantic nostalgia– narrow alleys lined with street foods, ancient bookshops and stands (Burmese are huge readers), a mix of Burmese, Chinese and Indians are all jostling in their traditional longjis going about their own business that hasn’t changed much in centuries. Coming here gives you an experience of going back through time—very few cities are like this anymore. Now and then the street clatter would be pierced by sounds of prayer from the monasteries, mosques, synagogues and churches.

Due to poor infrastructure, Yangon is littered with man size holes. On one of the many frequent blackouts, I almost fell into one the city. During my whole trip, these holes would haunt me and would soon catch up with me. But more about that later…

BAGAN

Bagan is an ancient capital of 2,600 temple.s. It rivals Cambodia’s Angkor Wat because one can see all the temples in a sweeping panoramic landscape lending a feel of being Lara Croft or Indiana Jones. Spin around, point your finger anywhere, chances are it will always land on a temple.

Here in Bagan, we met another attraction. Audrey is this spunky woman who was going back to backpack her way to Istanbul,Turkey (where she is right now looking for work). She told us this story of meeting this Burmese guy up in Mandalay who upon meeting her just fell in love in three days and decided to tattoo her name on his arm.

I can understand a year but geez, three days? What if it doesn’t work out?

Inle Lake

Our boat cut through the swathes of wet marsh, the mist parted and we saw floating villages and gardens, farmers, rural houses on stilts, animals and school children. Here we swam in a pool ofhot springswith smiling Burmese women. Pretty soon we were all laughing –God knows why. It’s one of those magical moments where you don’t need a reason to laugh, when you share something unspoken that breaks through the language barrier, where two different cultures share a bond of womanhood.

When you see naked Monks -Monk Shower time

All I had wanted was to donate money, seriously. But walking into the monastery in Nwaung Shwe at Inle Lake, Dbau and I had no inkling on what I awaited us. A glorified vision of a dozen monks in their full bronzed nudity scrubbing themselves and pouring buckets of water over their heads. We immediately ran outside, giggling and hoping we had just not committed some cardinal sin.

Holes in Burma

So back to the holes. As I had mentioned, Burma was just littered with them like someone decided to drop mini bombs on the road for fun. One night there was a blackout. I literally jumped and grabbed Dbau’s hand, fearing that I’d dropped into a hole and it would just be reassuring if I could  a) have someone to hold on to or b) at least drag someone along with me. Most of all, I just wanted the comforting thought that my friend wouldn’t walk back into our hostel whistling a merry tune not knowing that she had left me behind to sleep in a man size hole for the night.

That and I wouldn’t have rats as my bed buddies.

The next few times I was wary of these booby traps. I made sure I kept my headlights with me and we were often careful to be back in our hostel before the sun went down. The irony was that one fateful day I would unknowingly step into a hole in broad daylight.

We were about to leave Inle Lake. Waiting for our bus, we were about to enter a teahouse when my foot slipped into one unsteady plank that covered a pit. Before I knew it, I was in hip deep in a hole. An American we met, Dan helped me up and felt sorry for me covered in dirt. Then was deeply puzzled at the sight of me and Dbau laughing our asses off because it finally happened- I fell into a hole.

Later when we got back toYangon, I committed the most horrifying faux pas ever. We had our last dinner- Dbau, me, Dan and his friend, Anna. I was recounting a sight I had seen during our overnight bus ride from Inle to Yangon- that of a huge Buddha with his hand stretched upwards like the Hitler salute when I remembered two things that –

1)      Dan’s a Jew

2)      Anna is a German

I tell you my arm whipped back into its socket so fast like it was a bullet ricocheting backwards. What remained of my attempt to show Buddha’s gesture was a pitiful endeavor at waving my elbow back and forth. It ended up looking like Buddha lost an arm and had a brand new stump instead.

Good thing I didn’t mention the ‘reversed’ Nazi insignia on his forehead.

Ah, Dan why did you pick a German?

An Overview

All in all, it was one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever had. It wouldn’t be as unforgettable if I wasn’t traveling with my best friend Dbau who shares my spatially challenged skills. We just had so many laughs and misadventures. Also, she puts up with my poor stab in Burmese rap song writing.

The people in Burma are so kind, friendly and they can converse with you in English (sometimes sounding it came from a 19^th century George Orwell novel. As one Burmese tea keeper told us, “Once you’ve had a taste of my tea, your appetite shall therefore be insatiable!”). It is the people that makes Burma worthwhile going. And since Aung San Suu Kyi got elected into parliament, all the more reason it is to go before tourism inevitably changes it into another Thailand. Go before it becomes too commercial.

GREAT FRIEND + AMAZING PLACE + KIND PEOPLE = A TRIP FULL OF AWESOMENESS

And dare I mention the sunsets?

You might like to read:

• Lessons I Learned from Travel (and Pics!)
• How To Make an Easy Travel Itinerary
• Sample Travel Itinerary 
• The Real Travel Itinerary- What Really Happened
• Kidnapped in Indonesia
• Spirit Possession in Cambodia
• Banned in the Mainland

Lessons I Learned From Travel (and Pics!)

I had not written in this blog for two years. Let me explain why there was a long period of not writing. Besides getting in and out of a relationship, I suddenly had an explosion of traveling to many different places. It was more of experiencing so many things and not taking the time to sit down and write about them.

And that is a shame. So below is a summary, an attempt to encapsulate what I had seen these past 2 years and hoping, here’s hoping it inspires you.

1. Travel is not just a dream. It can be reality.

There is no excuse for you to just continue sitting on your couch and moaning how boring life is. We live in an awesome world. Think how many things you could be experiencing right now if you just go out and get it.

I have a Philippine passport. That restricts me to traveling to a 100 or so countries. I need a visa to travel to most of Europe, US, Australia, Korea, Japan, New Zealand and other places. I need to do a lot of paperwork and they make it difficult for us to apply for a visa to travel to those places. I also don’t have a very high monthly income.  Did that stop me?

Nope.

I’ve now been to those countries except for Europe and New Zealand (coming soon!). What drives me to visit as many places as I can is seeing my grandparents unable to climb the Great Wall of China because of their age. Sure you can save money and finally get to visit your dream place when you retire – that is the safest option and that’s what everyone tells you- and it might happen. But what is inevitable is that you won’t be able to enjoy it fully with your 70 year old bones. Heck, my 40 year old office mate keeps complaining about climbing the stairs to our office—and yes, she did skip the Great Wall in China and bungee jumping in New Zealand.

Achieving my dream of seeing Taj Mahal, India

Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan. This is where I got the best sushi ever!

2. Travel can open up your mind. You think you know the world? Think again.

A Hindu community lives in this chilly part of Bromo, Indonesia. 

I took a photo of these lovely kids in Xinjiang Province, China. They look Central Asian but no, they’re Chinese.

Cowboy culture in Moron, Mongolia. One of the last and few places that totally captures the free spirit of the Wild Wild West.

Strolling aimlessly by the road, I found this Che Guevara establishment in where else but in Yangon, Burma.

Seeing and touching snow for the first time in Minnesota, USA. I had no idea it would look like shaved ice. 

3. Experience over buying things. Iphones come and go, computer models go obsolete but memories? They last forever. Would you rather stay in your house and watch your brand new plasma T.V. and play your Xbox or would you rather –

-  scuba dive the world’s largest coral reef system a.k.a.  Great Barrier Reef of Australia?

-         paraglide amidst the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal? (My guide and I took this photo of my friend Shirley while we were riding the air currents from above.  Terrifying!)

-   go on a camel ride on the sand dunes of Mongolia? (here’s my friend David with the prettiest camel of the bunch).

-   catch a beautiful sunrise amidst 2,600 temples in Burma?

4. It’s about meeting new friends and spending time with the old. It’s about forming memories and friendships that would last a lifetime.

my best friend, Dbau and I in one of our best trips in Burma

This is our tour group shivering in front of our Russian van in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Spending all those days in the desert without mobile phones, T.V. or internet gave us more chances to talk about our lives and spend time with each other. 

5.  And finally, just live life.  We live in a beautiful world.

Whitsundays in Australia

Swim with the biggest fish in the world- the whale shark in the Philippines (photo from Lovely Adventures)

Marvel in the glitziest area in the world- Times Square, New York City. 

Be awestruck in one of the most beautiful monuments in the world- Hagia Sofia in Turkey (Bucket list!).  Photo from Istanbul Tours

Skydive in New Zealand (photo courtesy of  Scoop)

See the glaciers in the Roof the World, Tibet

See the world’s largest mirror in the Salt Marsh of Bolivia (photo from Beautiful Places).  I so badly want to see this. 

For “the World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine

Free your wanderlust. Happy Travels!

Except for pictures I provided a link to, all photos are from my album.  Please kindly link to this site if you want to use them. Thanks!

You might like to read:

How to Make an Easy Travel Itinerary

Sample Travel Itinerary 

The Quick Pack List

How to Prepare for your Trip the Lazy Way

How To Create a Timetable and Get Rid of Procrastination

Perhaps you’re familiar with the overused phrases, “I have plenty of time.” or “I can do it tomorrow.” As I’m chronos- challenged, I often believe I have that invisible superman power to be able to do all my to-do lists in one single sweep. Five humongous tasks in one hour? No problem.

Not really.

This has unfortunately lead me to rushing my personal tasks year after year. The ubiquitous last minute syndrome. Packing for China an hour before heading to the airport. Packing my belongings into boxes and move to a new apartment two days before rushing to catch my plane to Australia for a 2 month backpacking trip. Thinking I could get a job in another country two weeks before my contract runs out. No wonder I couldn’t accomplish my yearly goals for four years.

This year I decided to change that.

One trick I learned from my teaching field and organizing conferences is the use of a timetable. In one semester, there is so much material to teach that you want to organize and stay on track so you could comply with your syllabus objectives and learning outcomes. See sample below.

WEEK	TOPIC(S)	ACTIVITY
1 6/02	Introductions, Course outline; Formal v Informal	Written paragraph for homework
2 13/02	Paraphrase & Parts of the book	Library Visit?
3 20/02	Paraphrasing Skimming & Annotating	Library Visit?

Likewise, in a conference you cannot afford to stay behind schedule with so many components (budget, accommodations, logistics, guest speakers, sponsors, etc) that a timetable calendar is a must to stay up to date and make sure you’re on top of your game. There is more at stake because you don’t want the event to fuck up- or you for the matter.

Now why can’t they do this for your personal development? We need a syllabus to our life (objectives- purpose) and a calendar with deadlines to make sure we’re on track. Like a conference, there is a lot at stake (our goals) and there will be a lot of changes along the way (flexible calendar needed) but in the end you can see where you’re at and soon will get to the finish line where champagne heaven awaits.  Below is a sample of my timetable with 80/20 prioritization.

WEEK	80%	20%
1 6/02	research Australia
2 13/02	publish 3 blog entries Sleep at 11pm 5x a week Notary- Macau & apply for new Phil. passport on Thursday? Create checklist for OZ requirements	Learn Spanish commands and questions and basic expressions
3 20/02 (slump week- downtime)	Contact schools for copies of Transcript of Records Fill in OZ education assessment application	Return Process Essay

I found using a timetable to be more effective than using David Allen’s GTD 90 Day-Monthly -Weekly system. It takes me less time and more importantly, I can see how much time I have left before my deadline. Also, how each step contributes to the next one tells me how important it is to do them on that week. This helps me stop procrastinating.

Here are the steps to create a timetable

1^st STEP: Break your yearly goals into projects. For example, one of my goals is to try to apply for a migration visa to Australia. The simple steps could be broken down to research, gathering paperwork and apply. More steps could be added as soon as you have gathered more information.

2^nd STEP: Make sure to be realistic and create a plan B and its steps for your goals. A timetable helps me create back-up plans. Should migrating to Australia fail, I’ll try to apply to Canada and New Zealand. If that does not work either, then I’ll try volunteering or study exchange programs. I like to create a Plan C, D, E, F to my Plan B and sometimes none of those happen and something completely surprising will be thrown at you. But you should always keep in mind that whatever plan you take it should be in line with your purpose in life. Mine is to travel, experience and inspire and be inspired by life.

3^rd STEP: Now that you have your steps and back-up plans in place, it’s time to fill in your calendar. You can use Google Calendar or create your own template in a word document. I aim for a 6 month plan which will leave plenty of flexibility for the other half of the year. Make sure to put deadlines to your goals and stick to them. Making the calendar at first would be a bit taxing but it would save you much time and stress in the end. It did for me.

With a timetable, you could also observe which weeks you’d be the most productive and schedule your most important tasks there. Likewise, you’d see which dates you’d likely be in a slump and pencil in some down time. Remember to carry your timetable with you wherever you go to be reminded of your tasks. Lastly, be flexible. There are many things that could happen in life but always make sure you keep the big picture in mind.

Happy Planning!

Photo from 2nd Green Revolution