Call us late bloomers, but we actually are!
It was only recently when hubby and I decided to change our ways of collecting souvenir shirts from places we have been to (or visited) as a couple or as a family, to guess what? Yes, you guessed it right! To ref magnets!
It was impractical to keep on buying shirts as keepsakes from our travels as it tends to shrink! (talagang shrink no, not us getting bigger? hehehe ok, ok, I admit, we have outgrown the shirts we have purchased before and these shirts (mostly our travels to the Philippine provinces) have been taking so much space in our cabinets we decided to donate or give them away -- which we later regretted).
I tried snow globes. Good luck! It ended up as dust accumulators!
And so, when we got our own home here, we decided to start collecting ref magnets! They may accumulate dust, yes, but at least they are usueful and it does not take too much space in our cabinets! It's still there even if we gain weight or lose weight. They are not very expensive. With the ref magnets though, I prefer the rubberized one as it does not break even if it accidentally falls off the ref.
Here is a photo of our very small collection.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlvwJSPO5S1PmWo4uJTS_etcwDokbGVYVTrHxRZeKykHBJLD_NjI1zuz9hWBk2tVp8MUIqwjkReG8c1s7BHE1eWo2pWm4eoDGL2nyjWxFXteRkmkKSu_CBlqFzyLzmb2Mgy11I2hKUOk/s320/ref+magnet+-+all.jpg)
We have 4 ref magnets from our out-of-town trips here in Australia -- Canberra (for the Floriade), Port Macquarie, Kiama, and Port Stephens (Nelson Bay). Too bad the other towns we have been to do not have their localized ref magnets. Most of them just offer the generic Australia magnets. This collection could have been a lot more.
We also have 4 ref magnets from the tourist destinations Sydney has to offer: Featherdale Wildlife, Taronga Zoo, Museum of Fire (Penrith) and Luna Park. Again, there are a couple of places that did not offer ref magnets :(
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYmTxqgP-6g6g2qNuaCqPWaNXQ2HqJstEY16PBXr2Te3bH9WfQA_qCBfb2Le2HmJych2pAVaoB7jfW5dXLwNPjmZqq_aF657qcaNShpUrjaraG4VW24PfL4hMGoa8pZdmpkFMJj_iXcM/s320/ref+magnet+tourist.jpg)
And of course, we have ref magnets to other countries we have been to (as a couple). Guess how many? Hehehe. Two. Makes me think that we should add more soon! :) We have Singapore and of course, the Philippines! (+Cebu on the side ;))
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJUJWjiFe3BIBc6WFOBNby80kOf1W0cWIJ-rOXN7-m_URwvrD24SqjWymZSfD60wvcehxt8f5pd_rZAABSLsJ6DJNEegsAZlUab1aegzkhMWr8AWZ94Z2EuFejQn35K8wzEwlM7_XpKI/s320/ref+magnet+country.jpg)
So there. Hopefully, with our travel plans for this year and the years to follow, we would be able to collect more and relive the thrill and excitement of every travel experience we have had as a family :)