Manillenials

Filipino Millennials' plight and adventures

Rizal Mountains: Mt. Binacayan, Mt. Hapunang Banoi and Mt. Pamitinan

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Let us start the year with an active lifestyle full of adventures. Let me suggest a very fun and exciting activity you will definitely enjoy–mountain climbing!

Living in the metro is so stressful, most especially if you are commuting every day. It’s time for you to take a break and unwind. There are actually a lot of mountains to choose from that is just away from the busy Metro Manila, and these Rizal mountains are just some of them. These mountains are good for first timers (but do not climb these three mountains in one day). You can do it for a chill climb, a twin hike, or even a trilogy climb.

You can climb Mt. Binacayan, Mt. Hapunang Banoi, and Mt. Pamitinan in a day if you are truly seeking for an adventure. Yes, you can do it because these three mountains are just close to one another. But, if you don’t want to do it, you have a choice to just climb one mountain or two. It always depends on you. As per my group, we finished these mountains in a two separate days, one month apart (hehehe) since it rained hard during our first attempt and decided to just complete the trilogy for our next climb.

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Breathtaking Batanes: No Filter Needed

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Batanes has always been my dream destination that I thought I’ll never visit but since it has become more accessible and with the number of seasonal flight fares promo, that dream easily came true before my 30th birthday.

I’m not really into traveling a lot but when I do, I try to have it as big as it can be. With that, Batanes is the best choice to visit because of its breathtaking sceneries, freshest food and air, and adorably slow and simple life of Ivatans.

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Espadang Bato Rock Formation: A Day Hike

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Climbing Espadong Bato rock formation is definitely an experience for those who are seeking for a day of adventure but afraid to go on a gruelling hike.  You can reach the summit in a short period of three hours. Yes, three hours! So you have all the time to take a break while on a trek if you already feel tired. Or take all pictures you want during the hike.

You will first have to take a short trek to a cement road going to the jump off. It’s just 10 minutes away from the Barangay Hall, where you will stop to register and pay for environment fee of PHP 50.

You will find happiness once you reach the jump off because no cement road anymore. This is it! This is the start of the climb. The first part is somewhat flat trail with some ascending areas. You will definitely enjoy the rolling terrain of this mountain. What I like about this destination is that it has different beauties to offer in every hour of your trek. There are also parts of the trail full of bamboos and banana trees. You’ll also pass through a house in the mid of your climb where you can score a fresh coconut!

After the enjoyable trek along the bamboos and banana trees, then start the steep and rocky trail. But don’t be sad, as this is the last leg and you will already reach the summit.

We reached the summit in less than three hours and decided to eat our packed lunch before taking pictures to the amazing Espadang Bato to bring back our energy since we know that we will definitely take as much pictures as we can in this beautiful rock formation. Also, we noticed how difficult it is to climb this rock, so we made sure that we’re fully recovered from the energy that was lost in the earlier trek.

After eating our super early lunch (because it is only 10 in the morning), we then proceeded to climb the rock formation and took pictures one by one. It looks dangerous and it really is. Actually since it is so difficult to climb this rock, the organization of guide in Barangay Mascap established a bamboo ladder for easy access. But still, you have to take extra care. If you have a fear of height, we don’t advise that you take pictures at the top of this rock formation.

Anyway, this is called Espadang Bato because of the obvious reason. This rock formation looks like a big sword.

After Espadong Bato, you have a choice to trek to another beautiful peak, the Mt. Sipit Ulang. Unfortunately, my friend’s shoes already broke her heart and gave up on her, so we decided to descend right away and agreed to visit Mt. Sipit Ulang next time. Thanks to the ever kind Kuya Dexter, the president of their organization, and Kuya Leonido, our guide, for fixing her shoes, so she can go down not in barefoot.

It seemed that we went down much longer than we expected because of the unfortunate event to her shoes. But nevertheless, this was really a very relaxing and enjoyable climb.


Only for those with a brave heart.
This should be the perfect color of the sky, but when I climb the top, the weather changed.
The cement road.
The first leg of the trek.
The bamboo part of the trail.

The banana part of the trail.
Surrounded by rocks.
Look at that beautiful lonely tree.
Poor shoes.
Let’s!?

**Thank you for the photos, Anna Gabo.

5 Financial Considerations to Think About Before Relocating for Work

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girl at the airport

If your company is relocating overseas, and they want you to join on the journey, you may want to ask for a raise or promotion or consider finding a different job. Maybe you just finished your bachelor’s or graduate degree and you found a better job across the ocean, and you’re thinking about job opportunities abroad. The reality is that millennials are relocating more than other generations.

So, how can you evaluate if the pay is high enough to afford a comfortable way of life in your new city? Well, you can use a cost of living calculator, talk with people that currently live there, or you can dive a bit deeper into what to expect before you dive into debt.

You will want to look at the area’s cost of living. Cost of living is the amount of money you need to earn in order to pay for your bills, groceries, housing, health care, and taxes. This number often fluctuates depending on the average income of the area and other factors.

Here are some things to look at beyond just the average cost of living calculation.

Find Out How Much a Few Different Homes will Cost

Rental apartments and homes can dramatically fluctuate in price depending on the neighborhood, amenities, and school districts. If you don’t have kids, this can be a great way to save a little money because it usually costs more to live in an area with top schools.

You can find the average house price of a city on Google, but you will want to more than just that. The price average will give you a good ‘big-picture’ look at how much an apartment may cost, but sometimes these are out-of-date and don’t reflect the real home price in an area.

Search for a cheap apartment and see what your money can afford. Make sure the place you find has the amenities you want and need.

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5 Important Tasks to Consider Before Moving Into Your New Home

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cluttered house

Buying a home is a grueling process all in itself. You go through the process of finding a place that you love and then go through the back and forth of battling with other home buyers for the home you want, only to get outbid by that other home buyer. Once you finally do find the home of your dreams, you encounter a different set of “nail-biting” experiences.

All during the home buying process, you experienced so many emotions. You were serious and excited because you were looking for your forever home but knew there was a good chance that you might not get what you wanted the first go-round. The whole process can be quite daunting. In fact, according to realestate.com, there are 15 emotional stages a homebuyer can go through when buying a home.

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How to Go from a Self-Starting Multi-Tasker to Self-Employed Business Owner

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meeting on business strategy

As millennials, we are known for being tech-savvy, family-centric job-hoppers with an acute determination for achievement. What does this mean in terms of the careers we choose? For one, it means that we like to be nvolved in what we create, and we also don’t enjoy being pinned to a desk chair or tied to a watercooler.

Well, as more and more Millennials hit their careers strides, the more they are changing and dictating the way a workplace functions. Many of us opting to be self-employed. In fact, 62% of us have thought about starting our own businesses and 72% understand how integral startups and entrepreneurship is to the economy.

If you’re one of the 62% that has considered escaping the role of “employee” and taking on the responsibility of “employer,” there are things to consider before taking the plunge.

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