“Find something you would die for, and live for it.”—Peter Diamandis, MD

Discover the excitement of life and all its possibilities. As I continue my journey into finding my ikigai, or state of being, I found yet another resource person to guide me to the right direction. Life coach Jill Ang (tel. 0917-723-2624) helped me navigate my ideas and refocus them into significant priorities.

To add meaningful and lasting impact to our goals, we need not only find our passion but also find and sustain our emotional energy.

Patricia Demesa, Daina Bersales, Liza Bautista, Marj Ramos, Mukund Narayanamurti, Christopher Lim, Ruth Navarra-Mayo, Meya Cortez, chef Wade Watson, Ambassador Steven J. Robinson AO, Sea Princess, Paul Perez, Carol Ramoran Malasig, Norma Chikiamco, Danyl Geneciran, Steph Sison, Kenneth del Rosario, Patricia Villarica, Julian Cirineo, Tristan Zinampan

One of the key points I learned from Jill is identifying my deeply unifying purpose and having strong motivation to pursue it. It’s called massive transformative purpose, or MTP. Setting out to solve big problems brings purpose and meaning to work—it gives us a compelling reason to get out of bed in the morning and face another day.

When creating and living our desired future, we need key elements like purpose and vision. We need to invest in the transformation of the goal with detailed practices and routine actions. There should always be room for mental and emotional growth. One of my top strengths is being a learner, as I am always interested to discover new ways to heal and grow.

Australia Ambassador Steven J. Robinson AO, Sea Princess

Easter vacation

Zeroing in on my MTP will be my homework as I travel to Australia for our family Easter vacation. With extreme excitement, I look forward to flying to the Gold Coast as we have during Holy Week for many years now.

The Gold Coast is truly a paradise for tourists. Visitors are able to go surfing on the beautiful beaches or whale watching in Runaway Bay. They can see firsthand the wildlife in the primary forests, or participate in adventure games in Dreamworld. In addition, all could have a great experience watching the sea from the hot air balloon.

The Gold Coast is also one of the most livable cities in Australia and in the world. This city is neither too hustle-and-bustle like Sydney or Melbourne, nor too pristine like Perth and crowded like Brisbane, but gentle and peaceful with a vast expanse of land, picturesque scenery with numerous white sand beaches, and clear blue water.

Mukund Narayanamurti, Austrade general manager, Asean

Like Miami in the United States, this is an ideal place for those who love life and want to have fun and entertainment on beautiful beaches. With countless restaurants, hotels, bars, cafés and some of Australia’s biggest casinos, Gold Coast is like a magnet that attracts visitors from central Australia and many countries in the region and around the world.

The Australian prime minister announced that Australia’s international borders is now open to all fully vaccinated visa holders, including tourists, business travelers and other visitors (homeaffairs.gov.au/COVID19).

Christopher Lim, Austrade Manila senior trade and investment commissioner

Australian flavors

I could not control my excitement when I was invited to “Taste of Australia” (TasteOfAustralia.ph) at the Australian Embassy (Australia in the Philippines on Facebook; @ausambph on Twitter; @ausembph on Instagram), to witness the showcase of the increasing presence of Australian food brands in the Philippines.

Hosted by Australia Ambassador Steven J. Robinson AO, the showcase featured iconic brands, including leading food retailers Coles and Woolworths. The Australian companies have partnered with Philippine retail giants SM Market, Robinsons Retail and Landers Superstore to bring premium, quality and safe Australian products to Filipino homes.

“Australia is delighted that its reputation for quality and safe products is recognized and trusted by Philippine businesses, that are bringing in brands we Aussies love and that Filipinos can now enjoy,” Ambassador Robinson said.

Among the new items that are now available in the Philippine market are vegan and gluten-free stock Massel, high-protein breakfast cereal Weetbix, baked crisps from Ricci’s Bikkies and dairy products from brands like Siggi’s and Binda Valley.

Anton San Diego, Sea Princess, Apples Aberin, Miles Roces, Tim Yap, Javi Martinez

Established brands like Beerenberg, Paul’s and Vittoria as well as well known Australian wines Hardy’s, Woomera and Deakin Estate continue to be favorites among Filipinos.

Austrade’s Asean general manager Mukund Narayanamurti visited Manila to introduce the fresh brands to the market. “This is my first visit to the Philippines and I am impressed by how well Australian brands are represented in the Philippine market, both offline and online. You can be confident that our growers and exporters will continue to offer the best of Australia.”

Cris and Bela Albert, Athena Valdes, Sea Princess

With the exponential growth of e-commerce following the lockdown, Austrade Manila’s senior trade and investment commissioner Christopher Lim emphasized the importance of strengthening the online presence of Australian brands to benefit online shoppers in the Philippines.

World-class

Kenneth del Rosario, Sea Princess, Carol Ramoran Malasig

Aside from premium packaged goods, Australia produces world-class fresh fruits such as table grapes, safe and clean seafood and high-quality beef and lamb.

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) also took part in the showcase. “Now that most restrictions have been lifted especially in restaurants and hotels, we can better highlight Australia as one of the most trusted sources of quality red meat,” MLA country manager Paul Perez said.

Consumers have a large variety to choose from, from grass-fed or grain-fed black Angus beef to premium Wagyu, he added.

Over lunch, I asked Ambassador Robinson about his favorite spots in the Philippines. Among the 50+ places he has visited, he enjoyed Ilocos and Bicol a lot. We also shared our top Australian spots and we both agreed on our favorite, the Gold Coast.