Choices have Consequences

The devil wants us to believe that choices have no consequences.  This applies especially to those who are young.  Young people believe they are excused from consequences because of their youth. 

This is the truth that we all need to know.  We are free to choose, but we are not free to choose the consequences of our decisions.  We need to understand that God gave us principles to protect us and bless us.  When we don’t believe in His Word, we are in fact mocking God.

There is nothing wrong with appetite, but it can be distorted by sin.  It blinds us and slowly corrupts us, causing inner decay.  Every time we make a wrong choice, we are changing into somebody else. 

We are to sow eternal seeds to reap eternal life.  It is the Spirit that leads us to do good works as a result of being saved.

Walking by the Spirit is the evidence of Christianity.  Don’t be deceived that a Christian is exempted from consequences.  Forgiveness is different from consequences.  We are forgiven, but the consequence stays.  It may not be immediate, but they will always be there.

The story of Esau and Jacob gives an example that choices have consequences.  In Genesis 25:33, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a bowl of stew because of his hunger.  He was blinded by his appetite and made the wrong decision.  In exchange for a bowl of stew, he gave up his birthright and spiritual heritage.  By the time he realized his mistake, it was already too late.  Jacob, on the other hand, received consequences for his actions too.  For deceiving his father and brother, he was also deceived by his sons and father-in-law later on.  Jacob, however, evolved.  He repented of his sins and realized that real blessings came from God alone (Genesis 32:26).  Jacob eventually surrendered his life to God.

Bad choices result into consequences.  Good choices result into blessings.  We will miss blessings if we make the wrong choices.  Therefore, we must always think hard before making a decision.

Keep doing what is right even if you don’t see anything happening because of it.  As 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 says, “So we make it a goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

Trust that when God makes a promise, He will definitely keep it.  “For without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

What is your bowl of stew that you are willing to give up?

For more on this topic, watch this video ↡

Places to Visit in Canberra

Canberra, which is located southwest of Sydney, is actually the capital of Australia.  It's not as famous as Sydney or Melbourne, and most tourist packages don't include Canberra as a destination.  When we were looking for a place to visit outside of Sydney, my nephew was really against going there, indicating there was nothing much to do and that it was so small.  Apparently, he'd been there numerous times already as that's where they always took their visitors to.  However, since there was nowhere else to go to, we decided to go ahead with the trip.  Sorry, nephew!

It was a three-hour ride from Sydney to Canberra.  Although it was a foggy autumn day, the ride itself was interesting.  The scenery was so nice with all the trees showing off their autumn colors.

Too bad,  I couldn't get any decent photos because the car was moving so fast, and this was the best I could do.

We stopped over at Grandma's at the Farm inside Fedra Olive Grove for some delicious pies

and to see their olive tree farm.

The owner's dog provided the entertainment by playing catch with us.  He was so good at it!

Finally, we reached our destination, Canberra Carotel Motel, which was really nice and clean,

and there were plenty of these birds called Galah outside our accommodation.  They were really noisy in the early morning, but the sound wasn't annoying.

The next day, the first place we visited was the Australian War Memorial.  It has an extensive archive of Australia's participation in World War I and II, and the memorial was built to commemorate the Australians who died in war.

There are several tanks like this outside the building.

This is the first thing you'll see once you get inside.  All the names of the countries which were involved in the war are listed on the walls.

My son especially loved the aircraft collection, which was very well-maintained.

In this art gallery, visitors bought red flowers to honor the soldiers who died in battle.

Next stop was the Parliament House.  There was nothing much to do or see at the Parliament House, but a visit to Canberra wouldn't have been complete without it.  It is where the members of the Parliament of Australia meet to pass legislation.

The top floor offers a nice view

and an opportunity to take a photo with this big flagpole structure.

The Great Hall is, as the name says, just a huge hall for holding special functions.

The green chamber is where the House of Representatives convene, and the red one is for the Senate.

 

Aside from an art gallery of portraits and photographs of famous people who've visited the Parliament House, that's just about it for this tourist attraction.  Still worth a visit for a first-timer like me.

Third stop was the Australian Botanic Gardens.  It was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1985; that would be Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

We went to the Visitor Centre for information regarding free guided tours and for some souvenir items like banksia scent pods, handmade soap, and books.  After following the guide for a tour, we decided to walk around the garden on our own and left the group since the guide was taking his time explaining about each and every plant and our time was simply limited.

On we walked to the Rock Garden, the nearest area to the Visitor Centre,

where we saw these Australian wildflowers called banksia, which looked like corn and were so pretty!

You can guess the name of this tree by its shape - the bottle tree!

There was a rain forest gully which we didn't get to go to because it rained, and our walk was cut short.  We had to seek shelter back at the Visitor Centre.  Guess this wasn't really the day to visit the garden.  So my tip to you is check the weather before going.

As a consolation to my nephew who didn't want to go to Canberra at all, plus my son would love it too, we let them have a spin at Power Kart Raceway.  The frown on their faces was instantly wiped away!  

This is the price list for juniors and adults.  Junior is for ages 6 to 12 with a minimum height requirement of 124 cm.  Since it was their first time to go there, we had to get the starter pack for $35 (adult).  It costs $30 for juniors.

There's also a track for the little ones from 4 to 7 years of age which costs $8 for five minutes of driving time.

Here's part of the race track

and the karts.

They would do an orientation first regarding safety measures and procedures before they would let people in the driving area.  There's a variety of helmets with different sizes to choose from.  Remember, if you have eyeglasses on, remove them first.  My son broke his when he tried to put the helmet on with his eyeglasses (yes, he's just a kid).  If you can't see without eyeglasses, better wear contact lenses.

The race is good for 14 laps, and it automatically stops when the person in first place finishes all 14 laps.  It probably ran for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Compared to other raceways, this one is affordable and worthwhile.  The kids had a great time, and the adults had fun watching them too!

And this is it for our Canberra overnight trip.  I would definitely go back again if given the opportunity..

Again, till the next post!  Please don't forget to like my Facebook page .  Thanks!

Tokyo for Families with Teens

Indeed, there are a lot of places to visit in Tokyo and if you only have a few days to visit, it's hard to choose which places to prioritize.  It largely depends on what your interests are and who you'll be traveling with.  For me, age plays an important role - as young people would prefer theme parks, whereas older folks would prefer scenic places.  Since we traveled with older kids, here are the places I would recommend going to.

A lot of people have Tokyo DisneySea in their bucket list since it's the only one in the world.

The ambiance is the same as Disneyland with most of the visitors being locals.  To sum it up, it's divided into seven parts: American Waterfront, Mediterranean Harbor, Mysterious Island, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, Port Discovery, and Lost River Delta.  With only six major attractions, you won't really get to ride all of them because of the long queue ranging from two to three hours of waiting time.  My tip is to choose which one to prioritize and get a fast pass.  Although DisneySea would be enjoyed more by the little ones rather than teenagers, it's still worth going to.

For an educational experience, Sony ExploraScience is a good place to visit.  Guests are ranked by their smiles in the Smile Exhibit and get to "smile fight" with each other in the Smile Fight Challenge.  We especially enjoyed the Marble Market where four players compete with each other to grab as much virtual marbles as they can and the one with the most marbles wins.  Other interactive games include the Motion Capture Puppet, Animal SoundWave, Holowall Table, DataTiles, etc.  You can visit their website for more details.

If your kids are car fanatics like mine, they would really love Mega Web.  It's a free car theme park by Toyota.  It's divided into three parts:  History Garage, Toyota City Showcase, and Ride Studio.  Children ages 3 to 18 can enjoy an indoor driving experience.  Adults can test drive Toyota cars and there are also vintage cars that you can ride on for a fee.  I would recommend making online reservations here to avoid missing out.


It was a shame we didn't have time to visit Joypolis when we were in Odaiba.  It's the biggest indoor amusement park in Japan.  According to their website, they have 3D rides, virtual reality attractions, arcades, and more.  Check their site for more details.

Hinode Pier

Sony ExploraScience, Mega Web, and Joypolis are all located in Odaiba.  You can either ride a bus, train, or water bus to get there.  The water bus is located at Hinode Pier.  It costs around 480 to 780 yen depending on the schedule.  Though it's only a 20-minute ride on the water bus, the view of Rainbow Bridge up close from Tokyo Bay is really awesome.  Online reservations are available here.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons 

For anime fans, Akihabara is the ultimate place to go to.  The largest manga and anime shop in the world (as they claim it to be), Mandarake Complex, is located here.  It's an eight-story building full of cosplay goods, dolls, artwork, manga, comics, video games, PC games, console games, anime, toys, figures, models, and card games.  Maid cafes and manga cafes are also famous tourist spots in Akihabara.  One of them is Gundam Cafe, which serves Gundam-inspired dishes and has a gift shop selling character goods and souvenirs.  Though Akihabara is famous for electronic goods, not all of them are compatible for international use because of voltage incompatibility and language issues.  Better make sure it's compatible with your home country's voltage and that it has English language availability before buying.

With this, I hope you'll have a fun and meaningful trip with your kids!  If you found this post helpful, please share =).  You can also follow me on Facebook or Instagram (@reclusivetraveler).  Thanks!

What to Expect during the U.S. Visa Interview

Getting a U.S. visa can be quite intimidating especially with President Trump's America-first policy and stricter immigration rules.  The online process is rather easy.  It's the interview process that makes it a little complicated.  Expect to stay in the embassy for two to three hours waiting in line even with an appointment.  It's better to have a heavy meal before going and wear comfortable shoes as you will be standing in line a lot.  It is also best to have someone drive you there or commute because it's hard to find a parking space.

The first step is to fall in line outside the embassy according to your time of appointment.  Next, your bags will go through an X-ray machine and you'll go through a metal detector just like in the airport.  Do take note that electronic devices including mobile phones are not allowed inside.  You will then be directed to a queue with seats.  Here you'll be allowed to buy food or eat any food you have with you.  They will direct people to go in the building row by row according to the appointment time.  Once inside the building, they will check your bags and you'll have to pass through a metal detector again.  This time, food is not allowed to be brought in.  There are three steps inside the building.  The first is pre-screening where you need to present your current passport and one 2x2 picture showing the entire face including ears and forehead.  The second step is fingerprint scanning.  The last step is the interview.  This is where you will take a long time standing in line.  There is no room to go into for an interview.  It's simply standing in line to wait for your turn to talk to the visa adjudicator behind a clear glass window.  For this reason, other people in queue can hear what you and the adjudicator are saying.

Common questions include:

• How many times you've been to the U.S.?
• Where else have you traveled so far?
• What do you do for a living?
• How many children do you have?
• Where in the U.S. do you plan to go?
• Do you have any relatives in the U.S.?
• Who is going to pay for your travel?

There's no need to bring any documents.  They just ask you questions and then decide if you're approved or denied right there and then.  If you are approved, they will retain your passport and have it delivered to you after a week.  What's important is your honesty and that you show your intent to come back home because all applicants are considered wanting to immigrate to the U.S. unless proven otherwise.

Good luck on your interview!

Where Not to Go in the Greater Tokyo Area

There are a lot of guides on where to go and what to do in the Greater Tokyo area, but nobody really says what places are not worth going to.  I learned that not just because a place is a famous tourist spot, it should be included in one's itinerary.  It would only be a waste of time, money, and "foot power" if you're commuting.


There are some places that should only be visited in certain times of the year.  If you are traveling during winter, it's better to skip going to gardens and parks since all you're going to see are bald trees.  The best time to visit these places is during spring (the sakura season), typically during mid-April.




Everybody has the Imperial Palace on their bucket list when visiting Tokyo.  Quite frankly, it's a bit of a hype because there is nothing much to see there.  The main part of the palace is generally closed off to visitors and you really won't be seeing the palace.  This place is for people who like strolling through parks and that's it.

Another tourist spot that we found was not worth the trip and entrance fee was the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum.

I don't know why it is called a "museum" when it doesn't really look like it.  Once you get inside, there's a souvenir shop with facts about the history of ramen.  You can buy different kinds of instant ramen and you can make your own ramen combination to take home. Downstairs are small vintage-looking ramen shops with very long lines of people waiting to eat. This place is only recommended if you're truly a die-hard ramen fanatic and won't mind spending to have a look and wait in line at the ramen shops.  As for me, I learned that bringing teenage boys here was a drag for them.

Yokohama Chinatown boasts of having more than 600 shops and is the biggest Chinatown in Japan.

The biggest establishment there is Yokohama Daisekai, an eight-story shopping complex which also houses a trick art museum with an entrance fee that is more expensive than the trick art museum in Landmark Plaza.

Maybe it was because we got there at night already, but the majority of what we saw were lots of Chinese restaurants.  They were so many that we had a hard time picking where to eat.  They also overshadowed the retail shops and fortune tellers.

Yokohama Chinatown is not entirely a place to avoid going to.  Visit it if you want to shop for Chinese goods and souvenirs, if you want to eat at Chinese restaurants, and if you want to have your fortune told.  I wouldn't recommend bringing kids of any age here as they would find it really boring and tiresome walking.

I hope in some way this helps in planning your itinerary.  Alternatively, I'll be posting a list of places to visit with teenage kids soon.  Follow me through Instagram @reclusivetraveler and Facebook for updates.  Till next time!

What to Pack for Tokyo in Winter

Visiting Tokyo during winter is really cold especially if you don't have a car.  Commuting involves walking through the cold and rain.  Coming from a tropical country, we were really unprepared for the weather even if we went at the tail-end of winter.






Here's what to pack for winter:




1) Waterproof shoes or boots
I made the mistake of wearing sneakers which had air holes and fabric parts on it.  When it rained, my feet were soaked through inside my shoes and I had no choice but to continue walking in them.

2) Waterproof jacket with hood
As it's not always convenient to lug an umbrella around especially in crowded places, it's better to wear hoodies when it's drizzling.


3) Leather touch-screen gloves
Knitted gloves really didn't help much to keep the cold out of our hands and it was a hassle having to remove them to use our phones.  Touch-screen gloves are a must if you use your phone a lot on the go.

4) Thermal shirts and pants

5) Scarf
Not only will a scarf keep your neck warm but your face as well.  If there's one thing that's difficult to cover and keep warm, it's the face.  I didn't want to wear a ski mask that made me look like a burglar.  Plus, that wouldn't look nice in photographs.  A scarf is the nicer option.  Watch this video on how to wear it over your face.

These are just some of the essential things to pack for winter.  When choosing what to bring, always keep in mind: the lighter, the better.  Enjoy your vacation!