Thursday, March 23, 2006
Back from Pinas...
I'm finally back from my 3-month long pampered life vacation in the Philippines. I don't really know where to start with my story but it was definitely a fun interesting trip.
Aden and I arrived on Dec 2 while Trent on the other hand arrived on Dec 9. You may be wondering why we didn't fly together. Well, I don't have an answer for that either but it worked out well. At least I was able to fix our things and make myself comfortable before my husband got there since I was his personal tour guide. I knew I was going to feel a little uneasy for a few days. Hey, I haven't been home since I left 7 years ago and yes, there were a lot of changes.
It's been 3weeks since I got home but I'm still on vacation mode so I'll just briefly tell you our itinerary...
Oh wait! Let me tell you first how busy I am despite the fact that I just got back 3weeks ago. I'm still groggy and haven't really felt like I'm back to reality even if I try to inculcate it in my thick skull that I'm back home. Weather alone is a whole ballgame. It was scorching hot in the Philippines while it is freezing cold here.
Ok, a few days after we got back and thought that we finally beat jetlag, I went to the park with Aden, got on the slide with him and sprained his ankle! Yes, I sat on it! The next thing I knew, I was rushing him to the clinic to get him an x-ray. Good thing he didn't have any broken bones.
The following week, kuya Lance flew in from New Jersey. He was supposed to go for an interview in Stanford but it was postponed for the following week. We drove to Glendale (Los Angeles area) to visit Mark and Anna, and for kuya's interview at UCLA. The following day, kuya flew back to NJ from LAX, while Aden and I stayed 1 more night so I can rest for my 6 1/2hr marathon drive back to Lincoln. We got home around 9pm, Thursday night, March 16.
On March 17, Friday, I stayed home hoping I could relax but I ended up doing loads of laundry and fixing our tax papers.
March 18 - my mother-in-law arrives. We let her rest while Trent, me and Aden rushed to the bay area to file for our taxes. We got home at 12:30am. By then, Trent's friend, Scott, was already sleeping in our house because they had plans on hitting the slopes in Tahoe the following day, Sunday. So I made their lunch when we got home and slept at 1:30am.
The following day, March 19 Sunday, my mother-in-law, Aden and I drove up to Tahoe to follow and pick-up Trent and Scott.
Tuesday that same week, I finally attended Aden's playgroup.
So, my activity is still ongoing. My mother-in-law will be staying with us until April 1. Trent is taking a couple of days off so we can take her around.
We'll see what our next activity would be from April 2 onwards... I know mommy and Magnum and scheduled to visit sometime in April. All I can say is - THE FUN MUST GO ON...
Now, back to my activities in the Philippines...
I didn't have any room for jetlag when I got there. We had parties and get-togethers everyday up until Mark and Anna's wedding (Dec. 10, 2005).
The following week, Trent and I went to Boracay, Cebu and Bohol. I'll post pictures on the web next time. We had so much fun! In Boracay, we went island hopping, scuba diving, snorkeling, got manicure, pedicure and massage everyday while watching the sunset. Drank and partied every night. In Cebu we decided to rest since we were only there for a day. Then off to Bohol where we did a cave tour, island tour and went dolphin watching where we saw at least 50 dolphins! Neat!
When we got back to Manila, I was so excited to see Aden. He's never EVER been away from me specially this long until this time. We continued to play our role as tourists when we got back.
I took Trent to Tagaytay to see the world's smallest volcano. We went to Intramuros, Manila Cathedral, and San Agustin Church which is the country's oldest church. Stopped at Luneta park but we only got off the car to take pictures.
We also went to Loyola Cemetery to pay respect to my grandparents. We visited my ancestral home which is now for sale. We went to my Alma matter, University of the Philippines, Diliman, and then pointed out other memorable places along katipunan and Quezon Avenue specially my all-time favorite National Bookstore.
We also went to Subic Bay and Corregidor Island. This was indeed interesting for Trent. He was in the army as a chief warrant officer for 20years. Those two places gave him a part of the rich history of the United States especially during World War 2.
Other than that, it was a never ending family reunions and get-together with friends and family because of the holiday season. We also kept going back and forth to the mall and the flea market, Greenhills. Everything there was a bargain especially if you're a dollar earner. I went ballistic over everything I saw. I wanted to buy everything!!
But the best day for Trent was New Year's Eve. It was his first time to light really dangerous firecrackers with no restrictions or whatsoever plus we had the whole family together. After the eve, we went to Power Plant. It's a mall/hang out place in Makati. They had a party at the rooftop and drinks were free! It was drink 'til you drop at no cost. We partied all night and got home right before the sun came out.
Day after Trent started packing. He headed back to the States on Jan 2.
After he left, I hung out with my siblings and cousins until by brother Mark and his new wife Anna left for the States on Jan 12.
So here goes, believe it or not, I partied EVERY SINGLE NIGHT from Jan 14 'til March 1. That's a month and a half of partying! Would you believe I was even nervous of getting bored and snubbed before I even started to contact some of my friends? Since it's been so long, I didn't think my "old" friends would still hang out with me specially now that most of us have our own families and we all have our own careers going. Wow! I was with a different group every night. I met new friends too. I had so much fun and I sincerely thank every single one of my them for making my visit extra memorable.
There's more to my visit but I'll just keep going on and on if I give you every detail. I'll just post pictures next time when I'm not as busy. Right now, I'm still trying to catch up with my life here in the States. Every thing is good though. As Benjamin Franklin once said: "Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste."
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Aden and I arrived on Dec 2 while Trent on the other hand arrived on Dec 9. You may be wondering why we didn't fly together. Well, I don't have an answer for that either but it worked out well. At least I was able to fix our things and make myself comfortable before my husband got there since I was his personal tour guide. I knew I was going to feel a little uneasy for a few days. Hey, I haven't been home since I left 7 years ago and yes, there were a lot of changes.
It's been 3weeks since I got home but I'm still on vacation mode so I'll just briefly tell you our itinerary...
Oh wait! Let me tell you first how busy I am despite the fact that I just got back 3weeks ago. I'm still groggy and haven't really felt like I'm back to reality even if I try to inculcate it in my thick skull that I'm back home. Weather alone is a whole ballgame. It was scorching hot in the Philippines while it is freezing cold here.
Ok, a few days after we got back and thought that we finally beat jetlag, I went to the park with Aden, got on the slide with him and sprained his ankle! Yes, I sat on it! The next thing I knew, I was rushing him to the clinic to get him an x-ray. Good thing he didn't have any broken bones.
The following week, kuya Lance flew in from New Jersey. He was supposed to go for an interview in Stanford but it was postponed for the following week. We drove to Glendale (Los Angeles area) to visit Mark and Anna, and for kuya's interview at UCLA. The following day, kuya flew back to NJ from LAX, while Aden and I stayed 1 more night so I can rest for my 6 1/2hr marathon drive back to Lincoln. We got home around 9pm, Thursday night, March 16.
On March 17, Friday, I stayed home hoping I could relax but I ended up doing loads of laundry and fixing our tax papers.
March 18 - my mother-in-law arrives. We let her rest while Trent, me and Aden rushed to the bay area to file for our taxes. We got home at 12:30am. By then, Trent's friend, Scott, was already sleeping in our house because they had plans on hitting the slopes in Tahoe the following day, Sunday. So I made their lunch when we got home and slept at 1:30am.
The following day, March 19 Sunday, my mother-in-law, Aden and I drove up to Tahoe to follow and pick-up Trent and Scott.
Tuesday that same week, I finally attended Aden's playgroup.
So, my activity is still ongoing. My mother-in-law will be staying with us until April 1. Trent is taking a couple of days off so we can take her around.
We'll see what our next activity would be from April 2 onwards... I know mommy and Magnum and scheduled to visit sometime in April. All I can say is - THE FUN MUST GO ON...
Now, back to my activities in the Philippines...
I didn't have any room for jetlag when I got there. We had parties and get-togethers everyday up until Mark and Anna's wedding (Dec. 10, 2005).
The following week, Trent and I went to Boracay, Cebu and Bohol. I'll post pictures on the web next time. We had so much fun! In Boracay, we went island hopping, scuba diving, snorkeling, got manicure, pedicure and massage everyday while watching the sunset. Drank and partied every night. In Cebu we decided to rest since we were only there for a day. Then off to Bohol where we did a cave tour, island tour and went dolphin watching where we saw at least 50 dolphins! Neat!
When we got back to Manila, I was so excited to see Aden. He's never EVER been away from me specially this long until this time. We continued to play our role as tourists when we got back.
I took Trent to Tagaytay to see the world's smallest volcano. We went to Intramuros, Manila Cathedral, and San Agustin Church which is the country's oldest church. Stopped at Luneta park but we only got off the car to take pictures.
We also went to Loyola Cemetery to pay respect to my grandparents. We visited my ancestral home which is now for sale. We went to my Alma matter, University of the Philippines, Diliman, and then pointed out other memorable places along katipunan and Quezon Avenue specially my all-time favorite National Bookstore.
We also went to Subic Bay and Corregidor Island. This was indeed interesting for Trent. He was in the army as a chief warrant officer for 20years. Those two places gave him a part of the rich history of the United States especially during World War 2.
Other than that, it was a never ending family reunions and get-together with friends and family because of the holiday season. We also kept going back and forth to the mall and the flea market, Greenhills. Everything there was a bargain especially if you're a dollar earner. I went ballistic over everything I saw. I wanted to buy everything!!
But the best day for Trent was New Year's Eve. It was his first time to light really dangerous firecrackers with no restrictions or whatsoever plus we had the whole family together. After the eve, we went to Power Plant. It's a mall/hang out place in Makati. They had a party at the rooftop and drinks were free! It was drink 'til you drop at no cost. We partied all night and got home right before the sun came out.
Day after Trent started packing. He headed back to the States on Jan 2.
After he left, I hung out with my siblings and cousins until by brother Mark and his new wife Anna left for the States on Jan 12.
So here goes, believe it or not, I partied EVERY SINGLE NIGHT from Jan 14 'til March 1. That's a month and a half of partying! Would you believe I was even nervous of getting bored and snubbed before I even started to contact some of my friends? Since it's been so long, I didn't think my "old" friends would still hang out with me specially now that most of us have our own families and we all have our own careers going. Wow! I was with a different group every night. I met new friends too. I had so much fun and I sincerely thank every single one of my them for making my visit extra memorable.
There's more to my visit but I'll just keep going on and on if I give you every detail. I'll just post pictures next time when I'm not as busy. Right now, I'm still trying to catch up with my life here in the States. Every thing is good though. As Benjamin Franklin once said: "Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste."
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