we are finally back in manila. boy! am i just so glad i have my feet settled on land. i had recurring visions of titanic while we were on open sea. it was the worst ride i ever had in a ship. it was the pits. we were stuck in the docks for a whole night because of a brewing storm. we sailed out yesterday morning and i thought we would be up for a leisurely trip back to the city. i was dead wrong.
anyway, it's been a hectic first day back in "civilization".ha-ha! we were greeted with the news that keith's brother is now the proud father of a bouncing baby girl. we hurried over to the hospital to see their little bundle of joy. i can't help but feel a little envious. not that i want to have a kid of my own already but i feel envious about them having their own baby and them living together 24/7 and being married and all. i don't know... this must be a "ship-lag" or something...
keith is fussing like crazy over the baby. hmmm... i wonder if he wants to have a baby of his won now...hmmm
back to the city
we went swimming on a white sand beach today. despite the fact that my dad can't come because he had to tend to the little piggery he and my mom have got going and my sister and niece, sam, pulling that little beach drama everybody had fun. most especially keith and i. we rarely get to swim in beaches so this was pure pleasure.nice!
i was happy to see my mom and my sister's brood enjoying themselves. it warms my heart to see them all smiling and happy. i wish it would always be this way for them but that would just not be possible. happiness is treasured and sought after because of its rarity. if it comes our way all too often, we will never appreciate its presence. so i suppose, this is all for the best.
tomorrow, keith and i will leave for manila. a part of me suddenly just don't want to go. we have to leave early in the morning and here i am... typing away in front of the computer. i can't sleep. i want to stay here and look after my parents and my nieces and nephews. my parents are getting older and i feel that they should start taking it a little easy. having my sister and her kids live with them isn't helping. *sigh* i love them all so much, even my trouble-making sister. if it's only possible to take care of them and still live my own life...
tomorrow, keith and i will leave for manila. i'll kiss and tightly hug each of my adorable nieces and nephews. i'll kiss my mom and my dad and hug my sister and her husband. they will wave goodbye at me from the gate along with a piece of my heart...
i was happy to see my mom and my sister's brood enjoying themselves. it warms my heart to see them all smiling and happy. i wish it would always be this way for them but that would just not be possible. happiness is treasured and sought after because of its rarity. if it comes our way all too often, we will never appreciate its presence. so i suppose, this is all for the best.
tomorrow, keith and i will leave for manila. a part of me suddenly just don't want to go. we have to leave early in the morning and here i am... typing away in front of the computer. i can't sleep. i want to stay here and look after my parents and my nieces and nephews. my parents are getting older and i feel that they should start taking it a little easy. having my sister and her kids live with them isn't helping. *sigh* i love them all so much, even my trouble-making sister. if it's only possible to take care of them and still live my own life...
tomorrow, keith and i will leave for manila. i'll kiss and tightly hug each of my adorable nieces and nephews. i'll kiss my mom and my dad and hug my sister and her husband. they will wave goodbye at me from the gate along with a piece of my heart...
we went up a mountain today. it was the mountain that is right in front of my mom's house. you would think that since the mountain is looming in front of us everyday, it would be close and eary enough to climb. wrong!
it took as an hour to get to the top and another hour and a half to get down. it's actually a little easier to climb because there are little steps carved on its sides now. the first time i climbed it, which was what? i guess some 6 or 8 years ago, the men would throw down a rope for the ladies to use. the mountain was steep and slippery. it still is but thanks to well-trodden path by the locals, there was no need for the rope.
ok... since i can't stand to see my mom in tears off we went to her little sister's place. it was a grueling 4 hours travel over rough, dry roads. when we got there, i said hello to everyone and kissed and hugged everyone. i behaved like the good little girl my mom raised me to be. i was a bit surprised when both my biological parents did not recognize me. my mom never failed to show them pictures of me when i was growing up. i even heard that they hung my graduation picture in their living room. that must have been fabrication because my face has not changed much over the years and they can't recognize me? don't they see the family resemblance?
oh well... my mom and her sister who happens to be my biological mom finally cried and hugged each other. they were insisting on us spending a night there but i don't feel like i belong there. i felt that i would only hurt them if i stay there longer. my biological family would only see how different i am from them. so we said our goodbyes and spent another gureling 2 hour ride on a motorbike. yep. keith, my mom, me and my younger brother all on one motorbike driving thru rough terrain on a starless night.
this has been a day that i would as soon likely forget.
it took as an hour to get to the top and another hour and a half to get down. it's actually a little easier to climb because there are little steps carved on its sides now. the first time i climbed it, which was what? i guess some 6 or 8 years ago, the men would throw down a rope for the ladies to use. the mountain was steep and slippery. it still is but thanks to well-trodden path by the locals, there was no need for the rope.
ok... since i can't stand to see my mom in tears off we went to her little sister's place. it was a grueling 4 hours travel over rough, dry roads. when we got there, i said hello to everyone and kissed and hugged everyone. i behaved like the good little girl my mom raised me to be. i was a bit surprised when both my biological parents did not recognize me. my mom never failed to show them pictures of me when i was growing up. i even heard that they hung my graduation picture in their living room. that must have been fabrication because my face has not changed much over the years and they can't recognize me? don't they see the family resemblance?
oh well... my mom and her sister who happens to be my biological mom finally cried and hugged each other. they were insisting on us spending a night there but i don't feel like i belong there. i felt that i would only hurt them if i stay there longer. my biological family would only see how different i am from them. so we said our goodbyes and spent another gureling 2 hour ride on a motorbike. yep. keith, my mom, me and my younger brother all on one motorbike driving thru rough terrain on a starless night.
this has been a day that i would as soon likely forget.
my mother finally had the long overdue house blessing. the house looked great. the food was perfect. Both my parents are happy and at peace. i know it sounds weird but this is the first time i ever saw my mom and dad look so "settled in". when they were living in the city, they've always talked about getting away from the all the family bickering and squabbles. now they have finally did got away from it all.
another worry off my list.
another worry off my list.
clean house
my 4th day on leave. my 3rd day here at my parent's semi-grand house.
everybody's all preparing for the big event on wednesday. the long awaited house blessing is finally going to happen. keith and i decided to clean the house and rearrange the furniture. the house badly needed it. since my parents are into hog-raising, they no longer can't be bothered to clean up the place. besides, with 4 kids running around... why bother?
my mother seems to like keith enough. she likes him enough to talk about weddings. and for some reason, keith is only too happy to oblige her. we were folding clothes on the second floor sitting area when she went up and asked if we have enough time to pull this event off. keith assured her that there is enough time to get everything done. my mom, out of the blue, said to me in a tearful voice:" i am happy to see you and keith. i know that if you settle down with him, you will be in good hands. "
oh mom! i just so love you... and you just have no idea how good keith's hands are.*wink*
everybody's all preparing for the big event on wednesday. the long awaited house blessing is finally going to happen. keith and i decided to clean the house and rearrange the furniture. the house badly needed it. since my parents are into hog-raising, they no longer can't be bothered to clean up the place. besides, with 4 kids running around... why bother?
my mother seems to like keith enough. she likes him enough to talk about weddings. and for some reason, keith is only too happy to oblige her. we were folding clothes on the second floor sitting area when she went up and asked if we have enough time to pull this event off. keith assured her that there is enough time to get everything done. my mom, out of the blue, said to me in a tearful voice:" i am happy to see you and keith. i know that if you settle down with him, you will be in good hands. "
oh mom! i just so love you... and you just have no idea how good keith's hands are.*wink*
home sweet home
after a long and winding trip, we finally docked in bacolod. our arrival was a few hours delayed due to a storm and my sister drove me nuts. i wonder if there ever will be a time when we stop rubbing each other the wrong way. *sigh*
to cut a long story short, we got to my mom and dad's little farm. i wish i could also have cut the trip short the same way i did in the re-telling of my great adventure, but sadly, keith and i had to endure 4 hours of travel on smooth, rocky, semi-rocky roads of negros occidental. i was surprised at how big my mom's house was. it used to be a small, humble nipa hut. it is now a 3 bedroom, 2-storey concrete abode. i was also taken aback at how big my nieces and nephews have grown. the youngest, jordan, has gone from chubby to fat. i have a bad feeling the kid is overweight but there is simply nothing my mom could do about that. jordan throws a fit each time they tell him to lessen his food intake. elleine and jessamyn are turning to be 2 pretty sisters. they both have grown tall. jessamyn is almost as tall as i am. and she is only an incoming 6th grader! carlo, i am happy to note, has become more behaved and responsible. oh my darling little babies! they are all growing so fast...
my mom has gotten thin. the same goes for dad. they have aged a lot since the last time i saw them. well, with my sister living with them that is no surprise. but i sensed that despite the day-to-day problems and obstacles, they are happy. when all is said and done, the have the peace of mind here that they do not have in our place in manila. my grandfather, mom's dad, is still strong and goes about his daily routine without missing a beat. he is now 87 and counting...
i took in a deep breath of the sweet-smelling air. it feels great to be home.
to cut a long story short, we got to my mom and dad's little farm. i wish i could also have cut the trip short the same way i did in the re-telling of my great adventure, but sadly, keith and i had to endure 4 hours of travel on smooth, rocky, semi-rocky roads of negros occidental. i was surprised at how big my mom's house was. it used to be a small, humble nipa hut. it is now a 3 bedroom, 2-storey concrete abode. i was also taken aback at how big my nieces and nephews have grown. the youngest, jordan, has gone from chubby to fat. i have a bad feeling the kid is overweight but there is simply nothing my mom could do about that. jordan throws a fit each time they tell him to lessen his food intake. elleine and jessamyn are turning to be 2 pretty sisters. they both have grown tall. jessamyn is almost as tall as i am. and she is only an incoming 6th grader! carlo, i am happy to note, has become more behaved and responsible. oh my darling little babies! they are all growing so fast...
my mom has gotten thin. the same goes for dad. they have aged a lot since the last time i saw them. well, with my sister living with them that is no surprise. but i sensed that despite the day-to-day problems and obstacles, they are happy. when all is said and done, the have the peace of mind here that they do not have in our place in manila. my grandfather, mom's dad, is still strong and goes about his daily routine without missing a beat. he is now 87 and counting...
i took in a deep breath of the sweet-smelling air. it feels great to be home.
sailing away
day two of my so-called vacation leave and i am still soooooooo stressed out. i already had a facial, shopped, and saw Van Helsing with keith last night. but still, i am all tense and jittery. i am thinking of just calling the whole thing off and stay at home for the whole week or so.
i got out of the office early morning yesterday and immediately went hunting for the stuff my mom told me to bring. i was so tired running around, getting this and that for my family that i promptly fell asleep when i got home at noon. keith then came over and we went to the mall. i had my much-needed facial(my face was plain breaking out!!). then we saw the special effects-ridden movie Van Helsing. it was good, yeah. but forgettable. i was entertained. uh-huh. but there is this hole in the plot and too many fantastic scenes that without a doubt, van helsing existed only in a person's imagination.
so we went home after the late movie. i checked and made sure i had everything i need for the trip. We left for the pier at 7am in the morning. i went all over the house, making sure everything is unplugged. i made sure the door is locked twice. talk about paranoia. we got to the pier and sat for about an hour and a half when the ship started boarding. there was chaos all around us. people got up and all headed towards the boarding area as if the ship is going to sail away without them. the man seated behind us got up and bent over to get his suitcase. keith and i could hardly care but man was wearing this huge knapsack on his back. he hit keith on the head when he bent over to get his suitcase. keith let out a loud expletive and turned to give the guy a good glare. this cracked me up. while the two of them were busy thinking about having a fight there and then, i was laughing my head off.
this trip may prove to be the most tressful i have ever had, but it sure is gonna be one hell of a ride...
i got out of the office early morning yesterday and immediately went hunting for the stuff my mom told me to bring. i was so tired running around, getting this and that for my family that i promptly fell asleep when i got home at noon. keith then came over and we went to the mall. i had my much-needed facial(my face was plain breaking out!!). then we saw the special effects-ridden movie Van Helsing. it was good, yeah. but forgettable. i was entertained. uh-huh. but there is this hole in the plot and too many fantastic scenes that without a doubt, van helsing existed only in a person's imagination.
so we went home after the late movie. i checked and made sure i had everything i need for the trip. We left for the pier at 7am in the morning. i went all over the house, making sure everything is unplugged. i made sure the door is locked twice. talk about paranoia. we got to the pier and sat for about an hour and a half when the ship started boarding. there was chaos all around us. people got up and all headed towards the boarding area as if the ship is going to sail away without them. the man seated behind us got up and bent over to get his suitcase. keith and i could hardly care but man was wearing this huge knapsack on his back. he hit keith on the head when he bent over to get his suitcase. keith let out a loud expletive and turned to give the guy a good glare. this cracked me up. while the two of them were busy thinking about having a fight there and then, i was laughing my head off.
this trip may prove to be the most tressful i have ever had, but it sure is gonna be one hell of a ride...
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