I'm always in search for new places where I can just sit back and relax while having either iced coffee or a few bottles of beer. I try to avoid crowded gimmick spots like Eastwood and Timog because of the heavy traffic in these areas. I'm sure people my age have outgrown these hot spots and would rather go to a place where they can sit comfortably and enjoy either the view or the ambiance.

Recently, I saw a new condo rise in one of the busy streets of Cubao. Cubao is known for a few shopping malls and is now developed with many sky  scrappers, both residential and commercial. On the rooftop of one of the newest condominium sits the newest place where you can catch up with friends. Chill Top is located along P. Tuazon in Cubao and just a few meters away from where I lived. Chill Top is a two-storey open bar that is quite big, I'm guessing it can accommodate more or less 200 guests on each floor. The view from the rooftop is breath taking.

Through travel, you learn more about the world, the people around you, and yourself. You get
wiser in your days and richer in more ways than any paycheck can match. You collect sunsets
and sunrises, and you bottle them up in every laughter and conversation you share with every
familiar stranger you meet. And sometimes the best way to relive all these moments is to write it
all down.

The WTN Planner 2017 is not just any ordinary planner. Each month acts like a chapter in a book
with art and narrative based on real life experiences. In between the stories are pages for the
owner to fill with his or her own adventures. Take a peak inside the pages and you will see the
following details:

1. The pages are dateless - You can write incessantly for a month and skip the other. It takes into
account that sometimes life gets too busy that we stop writing down plans. But then when we do,
there are neat lines and clean pages for you to write on.

2. Tick off WTN's travel bucket list - It contains a list of experiences from what to eat, to ride and
what to learn in the Philippines as well as other destinations in Southeast Asia.

3. Plan your vacation leaves - The planner also has a section where you can organize your
vacation dates and it has a template that may help you get your boss to easily approve of your
leaves.

4. Backpacker’s checklist - Most travelers would say that packing is one of the most exhausting
parts of a trip but it also one of the most essential. The planner contains a checklist of personal
items as well as group equipment that will help you prepare for your next expedition.

5. Thoughts from fellow travelers - Each chapter of Lessons on the Road is based on a lifetime
of passion for travel shared by a group of friends. There is also a section where people share their
thoughts on following their passion and finding purpose.

Compared to the previous WTN planners, the 2017 is no longer a collaboration between WTN’s
co-founders Ayen and Rachel. It is a direct product of crossing paths with people who chose to
live a life dedicate to the pursuit of adventure. And it is the authors wish that it will also inspire the
owner to explore this vast and beautiful world, experience as much as they can and create their
own stories.

WTN is an online community of creatives based in the Philippines. WTN stands for Where To Next, a question often asked by people who love to travel. It is also the driving force of the brand as it creates products, curates stories and organizes events that aim to inspire others to travel with passion and purpose. Learn more about WTN: www.wheretonext.ph, @wtn_wheretonext on Instagram and their official FB Page

In this age where cameras have WiFis and snaps disappear after 24 hours, the tools for creativity are much more accessible. But some would argue that since you see what everyone is working on in an instant, it's also harder to find your own niche.

These storytellers are working professionals coming from diverse fields such as finance, marketing, academe and entrepreneurship. As much as they are driven in their chosen career paths, they also devote time and effort to cultivate their passions for adventure and storytelling. Each individual is drawn to different kinds of art from landscape, portrait to drone photography, to motion films and story narratives. And now it's time to learn more about their own story.

1. Angelo Mendoza (@angelomendo) While others remain in bed, Angelo is up at dawn, eager to catch the sunrise. He documents his encounters with light and places, creating magical interpretations when the two elements meet. And in his captions, he shares amusing stories involved in the search for epic light scenes often saying that all it really takes is just a little less sleep.

2. Enzo Cruz @iamenzocruz
On weekends, you will find Enzo looking for inspiration along the trails and in the company of friends. For Enzo, home is not meant to be lived within the four corners of a house nor is it ever in one place. And this feeling of familiarity can be seen in every direction he goes, through the photos and words he shares, as if the viewer was right there, taking it all in with him.

3. Rachel Halili @rachelhalili
If you've seen Coldplay's Up & Up music video, you also got a glimpse of Rachel's creative process.
A graphic designer by profession, Rachel's idea of a break from her work is to play with photoshop, combining two or more places to create fictional travel destinations. She does it so seamlessly that some wouldn't notice that the photo is actually a collage art. And it helps that she climbs and free dives, providing her different perspectives of a place.

4. Javi Cang (@javycang)
Among his friends, Javi is known as the boy who loves mountains. Point to any mountain on the road and Javi could probably tell you the height, trail difficulty and other interesting facts about it.

When he's not busy crunching numbers, Javi spends most of his free time in the outdoors—be it hiking up a peak, rock climbing, or exploring an island. His photos pay homage to the vastness of Mother Nature, a constant reminder for us to take a step back and be fully alive in the present

5. Benj Ramos (@benjstagram92)
When not handling the hostel chain he works for and part-owns, Benj looks for quick get-aways from the city or plans his next expedition with his friends. His style revolves around natural elements perfectly grounded by a human subject. He believes that in this way, he is able to provide more depth and dimension to the photograph in the same way character driven stories do.

6. Nella Lomotan (@nellal)
Nella started climbing mountains 3 years ago. It wasn't intentional. She was just looking for something new to pour her energy into and so she said yes to an invitation the night before the actual hike.

That yes lead to new friendships and majestic views. Nella discovered another passion - photography - as a way to document her experiences and share her love for the outdoors. She also uses her Instagram and photo site as space to promote sustainable tourism eventually leading to a project with Masungi Georeserve and National Geographic.


7. Ayen dela Torre (@ayenonlife)
Others say life consists of milestones, too big for you not to notice. But for Ayen, the moments she remembers in detail started with minute decisions. Just like Nella, this includes saying yes to 3 am hikes, trading the comforts of her bed for long bus rides and starting conversations with strangers. She is drawn to portraits and long form captions that serve as chapters in her continuous essay on life.
 
 

8. Paolo Cuarteron @paocua
Pao used to suffer from severe asthma as a kid and as he pushes himself every time he goes on an adventure, he keeps in mind that with all the panting and struggles along the way, he is sure to bring home lessons and photographs. When he's not busy managing his own restaurant, he enjoys taking landscape photographs as well as creating short travel films.

9. Sab Bengzon (@lovewesay)
Sab has always been drawn to the sea, and when she tried surfing for the first time in 2008, she fell in love.

Two years ago she pretty much left everything to find ways to live near surf spots and bring other interests into it, like surf photography, as a way for her to explore another dimension of the sport. She now lives in a van and shares stories in the hopes to show others that there are ways to live a little differently.


10. Aya Cabautan (@_positivity)
Aya is a 17-year-old self-taught photographer. Her passion for photography began as a hobby back in her 1st year of highschool. She enjoys creating fairytale-like portraits and her imagination is evident in the way she captures people and places.


11. Patrick Martin (@patrckmartin)
A social entrepreneur who loves to explore, Patrick sees to it that he has time for both of his passions. You'd be surprised that most of Patrick's adventure films are taken using his mobile phone. He is fearless with his drone shots (often risking equipment for the chance of a good story) and often has a song in mind as he puts the story together one frame at a time.



12. Carmen del Prado (@carmendelprado)
A visual storyteller raised in the islands of Negros, her film portfolio cuts across different genres from fashion to animation to travel documentary. Her photos also have a film-like quality to them. Her love for plants is evident in both her videos and images, Carmen even made a series out of it called #NaturalSpecies.

WTN is an online community of creatives based in the Philippines. WTN stands for Where To Next, a question often asked by people who love to travel. It is also the driving force of the brand as it creates products, curates stories and organizes events that aim to inspire others to travel with passion and purpose. Learn more about WTN: www.wheretonext.ph, @wtn_wheretonext on Instagram, and their official FB Page

They say a passion project is something that you work on for no other reason than the fact that it
makes you happy. But what others fail to mention is that it's difficult to start and even much
harder to continue. When you are surrounded by deadlines, you often drop the things that you
feel could wait.

Ayen and Rachel knew they both loved taking photographs and exploring places. Back in college,
they would go on photo walks together and dream of publishing adventure books. But then they
had to look for jobs and set aside their creative pursuits for 'adulthood'.

Two years ago, Ayen thought it might be nice to make her own Christmas gifts and so she
messaged the one person she knew could help her. Rachel said yes and they created a travel
planner in the span of 10 days. It was imperfect but they thought of sharing it online to see if other
people might like it.

To Ayen and Rachel's surprise, tons of people bought WTN planners and brought it with them as
they climbed summits and watched sunsets at the beach. They posted photos. The word spread.
They kept their day jobs but they also committed to making time to cultivate their other passions.
After more than a year of 'making it work' with two planners and a new one launched recently for
2017, we asked Ayen and Rachel for some advice on how to start (and follow through) with your
passion projects. Here are three key lessons they picked up:

1. Explore what you're curious about
Rachel: We often hear the words “Follow your passion”, “find out what you love” and it all sounds
nice but it can also be stressful if you don’t have an obvious answer. A friend once told us about
an alternative solution from the author Elizabeth Gilbert. If you're one of those people who don't
know yet what their 'life purpose' is, Elizabeth asks you to forget about it. Don't think about your
passion. Follow your curiosity instead.

Ayen: One of the interesting things about success is that we think we know what it means. But our
definitions are influenced heavily by forces like the media, advertising and successes of others.
It's good to research on what others have done but make sure you define what success means to
you.

Rachel: There was a time when WTN's sales and followers were growing but we were unhappy.
We compared ourselves to big brands and felt like what we achieved was insignificant. But
whenever Ayen and I have those low moments we try to remember why we started WTN in the
first place. Our big WHY is to inspire other people to travel with passion and purpose. And if what
we do motivate people to take a few steps forward then that would mean we were succeeding.

Ayen: Curiosity is your desire to learn. It is accessible to anyone at anytime. Where To Next exists
because Rachel and I finally made time to pursue something we've always been interested
about. If you are curious about something, go ahead and try it. Who knows, it might eventually
lead to your passion.

2. Define your own success
3. Find your tribe

Rachel: The reason why we continue doing what we do is because we have an awesome
community that supports our crazy ideas. A community is not meant to protect your ego or
shower you with praises, it's about finding friends who challenge you and who can point out your
mistakes.

Ayen: Instead of keeping stuff just between Rach and I, we often go to our friends to ask them
which design they like the most. They help us make captions and plan itineraries. We're both
grateful to have people who constantly push us to be better but also pat our backs when we
stumble. So if you're going to start a path that's winding and uncertain, make sure to have good
people around to make the ride worthwhile.
WTN is an online community of creatives based in the Philippines. WTN stands for Where To Next, a question often asked by people who love to travel. It is also the driving force of the brand as it creates products, curates stories and organizes events that aim to inspire others to travel with passion and purpose. Learn more about WTN: www.wheretonext.ph and @wtn_wheretonext on Instagram and their official FB Page.

The Philippines is well-endowed with many beautiful tourist attractions, yet many Filipinos as well as foreign tourists have not yet discovered the beauty of Metro Manila. Zoomanity Group with an aim to promote education and environmental conservation of Pasig River launches Zooper Cruise, a zooper unique cruise experience under Zoomanity Foundation.
  
Started last August 25, 2016, Zooper Cruise will be a specially arranged tour in Pasig River every first Saturday of the month. For as slow as P699 to P1, 999, you will get a chance to rediscover the beauty of historical places in Manila like Intramuros and Fort Santiago, highlighting also the World’s 1st and biggest China Town. The tour is complete with good ambiance and music, snacks and drinks, photo souvenir and a lot more.

Zooper Cruise is the newest project under Zoomanity Foundation which is part of our company social responsibility. It caters the 4 pillars of our mission and vision which are Education, Entertainment, Environmental Conservation and Exhibit. 

Briefly, Zoomanity Group is one of the leading companies in the theme park industry in the Philippines under the Yupangco Group of Companies. We have more than 30 years of experience in the field and at present, we have eight operating local and international parks namely Zoobic Safari in Subic, Zoocobia Fun Zoo in Clark, Clarkzilla in Clark, Residence Inn in Tagaytay, Paradizoo in Mendez, Cavite, Zoocolate Thrills in Bohol, Zootopia in Nagano, Japan and Animal Research and Development Park in Victoria Australia. 

Rediscover the splendor of Manila historical landmarks. To know more about this Zooper Cruise experience, contact us at 899-9819/ 899-9824/0917-9521371 or visit www.zoomanity.com.ph.

TAG media and public relations is the marketing, branding and public relation company of Zoomanity Group. For our events and services, send inquiry to grace@tagmedia.asia or call 09166299381.