Birthday Month Giveaway!!!

BIRTHDAY MONTH!! YEY! I also consider this as my blog anniversary (hitting 2 birds in one stone). So, to show my appreciation for all your support, I asked some of my favorite brand partners to throw a little giveaway for all of you guys!

Just follow the instructions below to get a chance of winning one of these amazing prizes.

BEACHBORN

1 winner of Sea Salt Spray + Bam Balm (For Philippines and Dubai Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


If the chosen winner (via rafflecopter) isn’t following both @kennethsurat and @beachbornph account on instagram will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.

 

KKDAY

5 winners of 1000 php Trip Voucher from KKDAY (For Philippines only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


If the chosen winner (via rafflecopter) isn’t following both @kennethsurat and @kkdayph account on instagram will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.

 

DEUTER 

1 Winner of Deuter Adventure Belt Bag  (For Philippines only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If the chosen winner (via rafflecopter) isn’t following both @kennethsurat  and @deuter_ph account on instagram will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.

 

NOORD

1 Winner of Noord Personalized Travel Wallet (For Philippines and Dubai Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If the chosen winner (via rafflecopter) isn’t following both @kennethsurat and @noordofficial account on instagram will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.

 

SURAT JOURNAL(For Philippines and Dubai Only)

2 Winners of Surat Journals Artisan Bi-Fold Wallets

a Rafflecopter giveaway


If the chosen winner (via rafflecopter) isn’t following both @kennethsurat and @suratjournals account on instagram will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.

All winners will be announced on the 25^th of February 2018. Good luck guys!

BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAYS!! (updated: Winner Announcement)

A few days ago I started posting birthday giveaways here in the blog. It is a simple way of thanking everyone of you who have been there supporting me all these years.

I am really happy to have these brands to help me out with the giveaways. Cabin Zero, Deuter and Surat Journals, you guys are the best!

I know the giveaway posts are all over the blog now and sometimes it is hard to track down which giveaway to join and how to join them. So I making this blog as a summary:

GIVEAWAY 1

WIN A CABIN ZERO CLASSIC 44L CAMOUFLAGE BAG

open for everyone

click the image below to direct you to the giveaway page

WINNER: MENGFEI XU - Germany

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GIVEAWAY 2

DEUTER ROADWAY BAG

only those who have shipping address from the Philippines or the UAE

click the image below to direct you to the giveaway page

Winner: CHRISTOEFFER JOHN ESTRADA - Philippines

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GIVEAWAY 3

CARD + CARD SLEEVES BY SURAT JOURNALS

only those who have shipping address from the Philippines or the UAE

click the image below to direct you to the giveaway page

Winner: JOYCE TORRES - Philippines

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Once again, thank you very much! Good luck!

 

Surat Journals New Products + Giveaway

Lately, I have been experimenting with some new products for Surat Journals. I got a lot of request to do a cellphone cover, wallet, business card holder...etc etc etc. So the past few days, I have been doing an all nighter to come up with some new leather crafts for you guys (naks).

[caption id="attachment_4845" align="alignnone" width="800"] Our Passport Covers[/caption]

Aside from the leather journals, last year, we have launched our passport covers and the response are amazing (thanks guys).

This time around, I am happy to introduce 2 additional items in our Surat Journal product line.

LEATHER POUCH

[caption id="attachment_4847" align="alignnone" width="800"] Assorted leather pouches[/caption]

It can be for your phone, glasses, passport, pens, brushes....basically anything that can fit pouch. I have been wanting to make one of these for ages, and now that I am becoming more confident with my leather stitching techniques (the trick is, use pliers guys haha), I was able to play around with this idea, and I love the result.



 

CARD + CASH SLEEVE

[caption id="attachment_4846" align="alignnone" width="800"] Assorted Card + Cash Sleeves[/caption]

Originally just a business card holder, but when I was doing a photo for Instagram, I used the bills I have collected from my travels, and surprisingly, they fit perfectly in the sleeves.

I love how I can play around with leather colors, mix matching them to create 2-slots for your cards and cash.

You can get these items directly from our FB page www.suratjournals.com and from the 10th of February 2017 onwards, The Good Stuff will be selling them in several markets/bazaars across Dubai (they will also sell it online, yipeee).

Also, don't forget, you can get our journals here: click this link

[caption id="attachment_4857" align="alignnone" width="800"] photo by @thatguynamedpatrick[/caption]

Follow our official IG page to get more updates on our products @SuratJournals.

TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY

WIN A CARD + CASH SLEEVE

As part of my birthday giveaways, it is a no brainer that I will give something from my own brand. Just share this blog in Fb and join the rafflecopter below (that easy).

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Due to shipping restrictions, only those who have PH or UAE address can join this giveaway. 



Good luck guys!

Check out some of our other Birthday Giveaways here: 

Deuter Roadway Giveaway

Cabin Zero Vintage 44L Cabin Sized Bag

 

Where Can You Get A Surat Journal?

For those who have been following my Instagram and Facebook (ok, even in Youtube) you already know that I started a hand crafter journal called Surat Journals.

I am so happy to tell everyone that now, instead of getting your orders through our FB page (www.suratjournals.com) you can go directly to our online shop and also a physical shop where you can get our sought after little blank books (both stitched and original blank books).

GET IT ONLINE:

You can get it online through our online shop at http://www.ideyna.com/shop/surat-journals.html. All journal purchased can be shipped wherever you are in the world.

[caption id="attachment_3989" align="alignnone" width="800"] Get it at www.Ideyna.com[/caption]

 

VISIT OUR SHOP (Physical Shop):

If you fancy our camel leather stitched journals and would love to see and feel it first, you can visit the creative shop at the Alserkal Cultural Foundation, Heritage House in the Bastakiya (Al Fahidi) Compound , Burdubai, Dubai, UAE.

Check the location here: MAP

[caption id="attachment_3991" align="alignnone" width="800"] Get it at the Heritage House[/caption]

With these options, we are so happy that our journals can reach more people and getting one is becoming easier. We are developing other collaborations and we will keep you all updated.

Also don't forget to follow us at www.instagram.com/suratjournals and www.instagram.com/thetravelingjournalproject

CONTINUE DREAMING AND CONTINUE WRITING!

 



 

The Traveling Journal Project : The Journey So Far

Most of you already know that we have launched a project before called The Traveling Journal Project where the goal was to send one journal on a mission to travel the world. We are very glad that this project was a success and it inspired a lot of you out there to send us photos of your own Surat Journals during your travels and indeed we almost reached every part of this world.

To update everyone, I was able to map out the journey of The Traveling Journal Project and also all the photos you have sent us.

I greatly appreciate all who contributed and let's continue on EXPLORING, DREAMING AND DISCOVERING. I can't wait to see more of your photos.

If you haven't owned a Surat Journal yet, check out our FB link below to inquire how to order.

 

Birthday Giveaways!

Yey! It is my birthday! A year older, a year wiser (whew!). Thanking God for an amazing year and like the previous years, since I started my craft business, I have been giving away gifts courtesy of Surat Journals and The Traveling Journal Project every 9th of February.

This year I will be giving away 2 prizes and it will run starting today until the 13th of Feb. All you have to do is to earn raffle points by liking FB  pages, following our Instagram accounts or by simply answering a question..eazy breezy.

Our First GIVEAWAY: Little Blank book from Surat Journals! 

We will be giving away 1 little blank book which includes free shipping wherever you are! It means this is open for everyone! Click on the raffle link below to start building your points for the raffle!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Our Second GIVEAWAY: Dinner for 2 in The Californian's Tandoori Night at Dusit Thani Dubai

 

 



If you are already following me on Instagram, you might already know that I love Indian food. I love how every bite seems like a game of discovering different kinds of spices ( which a lot of it I am still clueless).

I am so happy the Dusit Thani Dubai offered this prize for my birthday giveaway. It is a no brainier that the winner should already be here in the UAE (whether as a resident or visiting --as long as you can actually go to Dusit Thani Dubai and claim the prize).  

The prize is valid for 3 months upon announcement and prior booking is required.

Are you a fan of Indian food like me? Click on the raffle link below and start building your raffle points!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Good luck! I will be announcing the winners on the 13th of February on our social media pages:

Surat Journals

The Traveling Journal Project!  

 

Surat Journals In Things Yule Like 2 @Ductac Mall Of The Emirates

We have another market this weekend ... and yheap you guessed it right, it will be a Christmas Market! We will be in @DUCTAC's Things Yule Like Market this coming 13th of December. We hope to see you all.

Travel Blog: The Digital Age of Travel (Why Everything Became So Complicated)

Living in the digital world, I can’t help to think why preparing for an upcoming travel became so complicated.

A few months back, thinking about  my soon-to-be adventure made me pushed all the stress I have been feeling at work away. Suddenly, everything was sweet and the world is perfect.



Now that my trip will be in a week time, I started to feel the stress (well, I think part of it started already when I was applying for my visa)…but that’s not the point of this blog. ^^

In today’s world, documenting one’s trip became a ‘must’ in every adventure that one is embarking. With the presence of different social media platforms, we feel responsible to share our experiences to the world—-and at time we over share (I am guilty of this!!)….I miss the time that all you need is a good book to accompany you (sort of).



Last week, I bought a Go Pro Hero 3+ thinking that I ‘need’ this in order to capture good videos, better than the ones I took using my camera phone. When I was assembling it, I felt like an old man. I was having a hard time figuring out what goes with what. To add to my ‘dumb moment list’ I even watched a youtube clip on how to open the box——Oh My!!

The sight of all the items inside a go pro box laid on my table was scary. Instead of being excited (as most of you for sure), I must admit that I panicked .



Now that I was able to figure out how it works, everything became cool and now I am back on being excited haha.

Ok, to go back to my point. The world truly changed in terms of traveling.  I remember the time that we only needed is one instamatic camera (we have a kodak back then) to capture great travel/family moments. Now, for my trip, I will be bringing an HD digital camera (canon G16), a Go Pro, my Samsung Note 8 tablet and my camera phone. With this list, I think I made progress because I will not bring any DSLR.

Aside from this, I went to an electronic shop and bought a 32 gb and 64 gb memory cards —oh I cant believe that they are very expensive, whew. Why do we need memory cards..why ..why …why!!

Well, I shouldn’t be ranting about this because by the end of the day, it is our choice if we’ll get zap into the digital travel world or we’ll just enjoy the view and keep it in our built-in human memory bank.





The beauty of living in the digital world it that, it is now very easy to share our experiences.With a click of a button people will be able to see what you are seeing, marvel at God’s creation and appreciate the beauty of the world we are living in.

As for me, I think we should find the balance of enjoying every place that we are visiting, capturing it in our hearts and share it to the people we love. This  for me the true essence of traveling.

What are the things that you always bring to your travel? Even on a short weekend getaway? Here’s mine!

1. A small satchel (to carry everything)

2. My Canon G16 Cam

3. My Travel Journal (Surat Journals — of course)

4. Other things that I usually carry are: a light scarf (pashmina), a good book, and my Samsung Note 8.

What’s yours?

Travel Blog: My Travel Must Haves! What are yours

When we say Orlando Florida, the first thing that comes in everyone’s mind is ….PLAYGROUND! Yes! This is the world’s biggest playground. You can find most of thefamous theme parks here.

To be honest, I am not a theme park kind of guy, riding a roller coaster is not really my kind of thing. My hands became so sweaty just the thought of riding one, but once I am there, I am not really afraid of it.

…because we were in Orlando, we really made sure that we’ll visit some of these parks and our first stop —-> DISNEY WORLD.

As mentioned in my previous blog, (Event and Travel Blog: #GO! EN2013 World Conference) I am already staying in Disney world, so it not that difficult to maneuver around the whole park. 

We have an option of taking the bus (which we did) or take a ferry. It took us about 30min to arrive in the Magic Kingdom and once loosed, we became like a kid again.

This is the 2nd Disney Theme Park that I have visited, the first was Disney Paris and I really enjoyed it. I was there on their 20th year anniversary, it was superb (I Left My Heart In Paris (BackPacking Blog).

This time, although I was not really expecting that much, I was still looking forward to be blown away and feed my inner kid cravings.

The Florida sun was scorching hot but we endured it to watch the Mickey and Friends show welcoming us in front of Cinderella’s Castle.

Sipping our ice cold Starbucks frappe, I told myself that one day I will be bringing my nieces and nephew here.

I am confessing (right now) that I am a Disney fan. I have watched almost all Disney classic animations and memorized by heart those classic songs. My favorite is Beauty and the Beast (i know..shameful), but when I arrived in Belle’s village, I can’t hide the smile on my face. I was in the opening scene of the movie…singing the movie’s opening song…and the design of Gaston’s Tavern was awesome. 

Before going to the theme park, I planned already to ambush every Disney princesses that I will see and have them taken a photo with a Surat Journal for #MyTravelingJournalProject (#TheTravelingJournalProject) promotions. I thought that I will have a hard time, but it was very easy.

It is like shooting birds in one stone…plus they are very friendly (annoyingly friendly actually).

As the saying goes, our day was indeed a roller coaster ride (I will not put it into details), it was too warm, then it rained..then we thought that the parade was a bit anti climactic and there are too much people to really enjoy the fireworks and castle light show, but, just to be there and see characters you have grown to, made it still very special. I think this is where the magic comes in.

Yes, as an adult, we tend to change the things that we enjoyed but there is always that kid inside each and everyone of us, wishing on a star and dreaming of a happy ending (hahaha…every stretchy final words).

Next stop! ….UNIVERSAL STUDIOS—-yey for Harry Potter World rooaaar!!!.

Travel Blog: Walt Disney World Orlando Florida- Let The Magic Begin

With the success of The Traveling Journal Project we are coming up with something exciting for all of our globetrotter friends!

Watch out for it…coming very very soon in 2014!

#TheTravelingJournalProject: Watch out for something new coming up!

The Traveling Journal Project: Watch out for something new coming up!

Continuing with its African adventure, The Traveling Journal Project experience the wildlife in the Ngorogoro Crater.

This is the note from its current keeper:

"Vår siste dag på safari dykket vi ned i det enorme Ngorogoro-krateret som er hjemmet til flere tusen ville dyr. Solen snek seg gjennom skyene og kaste et lys over savannen. Vi startet jakten på dagens viktigste dyr – neshornet!"

(Our last day on safari we dive into the vast Ngorongoro Crater which is home to thousands of wild animals. The sun crept through the clouds and cast a light on the savanna. We started the search for the most important animals - rhino!)

"Ngorogoro-krateret hadde flere overraskelser. Vi fant tre løvinner som spiste på en gnu de hadde felt i morgentimene. De var allerede gode og mette, men en av dem hadde fremdeles nok apetitt til å gi oss noen gode bilder."

(Ngorongoro Crater had more surprises. We found three lionesses who ate at a wildebeest they caught in the morning hours. They were already good and satisfied, but one of them still had enough appetite to give us some good pictures.)

And…as part of every adventure, things do happen unexpectedly…but that is the beauty of it, more stories to tell and to pass on (unless there are lions around the corner).

#TheTravelingJournalProject: The Ngorogoro Crater Adventure

The Traveling Journal Project: The Ngorogoro Crater Adventure

Ngorogoro Crater, Tanzania, South Africa Trip