56. what busan taught me

1. there is always a better way of doing things. you do not have to settle for what you were taught or are used to.
2. sometimes you just have to be away from everything. geographically speaking.
3. a life untraveled is a life unlived. traveling is nothing more than a way of seeing and nothing less than a way of thinking.
4. there is no graceful way to run when being paged by airport authorities for last-minute boarding.
5. the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. think fast, think funky.
6. be brave or you won't get anywhere. (or be brave. nobody here knows who you are.)
7. having a good command of english still pales beside creative handwaving.
8. raise a family where you can breathe, walk, and play safely with your kids.
9. a child's head-to-toe appraisal can be downright chilly.
10. whale + dolphin = porpoise.
11. accidental backpacking is fun. give it a chance and you just might get that upper deck you fear (but know you must face), an unlimited supply of organic eggs, and a stunning view of the beach.
12. a coke a day is all the energy you need.
13. filipinos are the most guarded people around. it's just how we are raised. plus we look like indonesians -- the noisy kind.
14. opportunity strikes fast. be ready for that instant pic or they will leave you behind.  
15. want to look slimmer than you are? a panorama shot will do it, at the cost of missing arms and cheeks.
16. beat-up cars must feel so out of place here. i feel for them, in my borrowed pajama get-up of loose shirt and liga shorts. 
17. missing your subway stop is not the end of the world. not if you have an all-day pass.
18. that's a guy, not a girl. yes, you can now feel insecure.
19. when they say summer, they really mean baguio weather.
20. i could be a millionaire in korea if i don't spend on food and impulse buys.
21. all the cuteness in the world does not make clean toilets.
22. chasing pigeons is deadly. ask my left foot.
23. octopus is just like squid. plus 100x the icky sucker factor.
24. there are just too many seafood metaphors out there for the human anatomy. tahong, anyone?
25. to be the best driver in the world, you'd need a sprinkling of tagalog, a healthy dose of impatience, a stash of mint candy, instant availability, and desperate enough passengers.
26. pretty dresses and chuck taylors make a casual-glam statement. do this more often.
27. giggling girlfriends synchronize laughter. and have alter-ego names.
28. your friends make the best company in the world. 
29. mary kate and ashley olsen are penguins. albeit very well-dressed in orange. 
30. a mere three hours away from here, a whole other world is being lived. and that makes all the difference.: )