**Edited to cross out a few more items. I've already updated the timestamp of this entry, so I guess there's no point in keeping a revision history for this. :-p
Got this from INQ.NET. Not sure if this is THE list, but it wouldn't hurt to try out things listed here.
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1. Go white water rafting in Cagayan de Oro.
2. Visit Batanes.
3. See Mt. Mayon up close.
4. Swim with the whale sharks in Donsol.
5. Climb Mt. Pulag and be awed by its sea of clouds.
6. Dive, swim and explore Palawan’s underground river.
7. Hike and let the view of Mt. Pinatubo crater take your breath away.
8. Party in your bikini in Boracay.
9. Surf’s up! Choose your wave—La Union, Zambales or Real, Quezon.
10. Missed out on the pristine beauty of Boracay 15 years ago? Visit Malapascua, Cebu.
It's already April 2012, and I haven't done my traditional year-end meme for 2011. Talk about procrastinating.
1. What did you do in 2011 that you've never done before? - Backpacked across Europe. Alone, for that matter. Oh, and surfed through itty-bitty waves in La Union. That, too.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? - From last year: I forgot all about my new years' resolution for 2010. For 2011, maybe I should set some goals before making resolutions.
... I think I'll stick to that statement as well.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? - Well last year my brother had a son. He wasn't the one who gave birth, but I'm pretty close to my brother, I guess.
4. Did anyone close to you die? - Steve Jobs? Haha feeling close ba.
5. What country did you visit? - Ehem, countries, you mean? South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Poland, France, Italy, Norway, and Hong Kong. And I guess, the Netherlands and Germany, too, if you consider the stop-overs as well. Yes, 2011 has been good to my passport.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? - Quality time. Emphasis on QUALITY.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? - September 11, 2011. That was my flight to my onsite assignment in Warsaw. 9/11, how fitting.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? - That I was able to see the Aurora Borealis in Norway. That was my highlight of my Europe trip.
9. What was your biggest failure? - Thinking back, I can't recall of any, but I'm sure that during that time the long-distance relationship has been taking a toll on me, moreso than the past years.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? - For 2011, none I guess.
It all started when I was browsing over a coffee table book, while at a friend's house, as I was looking for interesting places to go to while in Europe. One of the countries that were featured in that book was Norway, where I came across a page showing the majestic Aurora Borealis in the Norwegian night sky.
WHAT IS THE AURORA BOREALIS
THIS is the Aurora Borealis. Source: Google Images
The Aurora is a natural-occurring phenomenon which happens whenever particles of the solar wind coming from the Sun come in contact with the Earth's atmosphere. There's a more technical explanation, but this is as layman as I can get. Borealis is because this phenomenon happens in the northern hemisphere, usually above the Arctic Circle. If the Aurora occurs in the southern hemisphere, it is called Aurora Australis.
Why the North?
Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, are more commonly witnessed because there are more inhabited islands in the north than in the south. Countries that usually experience this phenomenon include Alaska, Canada, and the Scandinavian countries of Finland, Sweden and Norway. Moreover, since the earth tilts at an angle on its axis, there are certain countries that experience the lights more often than the rest.
