AFTER THE PARTY

Reunion

And so it's all over. The family reunion was last Sunday and it was crazy! I didn't know any of the other relatives (aside from the immediate family) so the color coded clothes made everything better. We were of course, dressed in green and the other families were in blue, yellow, and white. Since this was the first grand reunion organized, there were a lot of room for improvements beginning with the venue. It was too small, too hot and was just too blah. Also, the sound system was terrible!! The reverberating noise made my head ache. But putting all those aside, everyone had fun. Relatives rich and poor, near and far tried their best to come to the reunion and although some were late (like us!) no one minded. Anyway, I'm still pretty much confused with the whole family tree/dynamics so unless someone actually makes a (huge) family tree and shows me the diagram it's all a mess in my head. One of Ruther's uncles told me that the family is planning to make the reunion a once-every-two-years thing so I guess the next one will be sometime in February 2011. I already told Ruther about it and I suppose we'll have to make an effort to attend it. So now we have two years to save up for that.

Zamboanga

Now that everything has quieted down and some of Ruther's relatives have left the house, I'm now focusing on our upcoming trip to Zamboanga. We have started packing and Ruther has been reminding me not to forget anything (like the chargers, photography books, etc.). Well, I've checked and rechecked the bags and I have yet to pack the rest of the stuff like the laptop, the pasalubongs, and toiletries but other than that I think the bags are ready. My mom and dad are quite excited to see the boys and have been coming with suggestions on extending our stay (the first one was April 24 and the second was May 1) but I was firm in my decision about coming back to Manila on the 18th. As much as I love going home and seeing my parents and friends, there's just so much you can do in a small city like Zamboanga. Well, I AM looking forward to our planned family roadtrip (which is a first for me) so hopefully, that will break the boredom back home and create some pleasant change.

Hair dryer

I know this is a lame post but have to complain. I have to buy another hair dryer. I was drying my hair last Sunday for the reunion and in the middle of the drying and brushing it just suddenly died in my hands. It didn't smell or smoke or anything. It just died. I was pretty bummed about that because I wasn't done with the drying and styling and I don't have another hair dryer here at home. So grrr... Now I need to get another one because I'm not even sure if my mom has a hair dryer in Zamboanga. And what's the use of having short hair for the first time if you can't properly style it?

Grrrr...

JUSTIN

This is Justin. We met this monkey at a beach resort a few weeks ago. Isn't he cute? :)
More news tomorrow! Time for bed...

GETTING WARM

One thing I realized about having short hair is that it's quite difficult checking for any white hairs on my head. One of my favorite pastimes is checking for white hairs and when I had longer hair, I would just grasp a strand and check for a white hair or two without having to crane my neck or roll my eyes all over the sockets to check my scalp. Now that my hair is a whole lot shorter it's not as easy as before. But of course, that's just a little downside to having short hair. I still love my haircut. Besides, I could always ask (read: pester) Ruther to check my head for white hairs. What are husbands for anyway? :)

.....

It's become quite warm lately. We've started using the aircon in the afternoons because the air coming from the fan is just too humid. I don't want the boys getting sick in this weather so an hour of aircon while they nap is all right I suppose. I'm just bummed that it's become hot this early in the year. But then again, with global warming, I should not be surprised anymore.

.....

Last night I finished the murder mystery book I started to read a few days back. So now I'm back to readng my Nihongo books. Sometimes it can be boring. Sigh. Anyway, I might ask my sis if I could borrow a book or two this weekend. She's a reader like me so she has LOTS of books in her room. I'll ask her to get me another murder mystery. I like those kind of stories. :)

FORT SANTIAGO

At Fort Santiago, Intramuros Manila.

WHICH ONE

I am torn between two tops for the reunion. I already had one planned out, a nice flowy green blouse which I'm planning to wear with skinny jeans and white sandals with heels. I even made a bead necklace to go with it. But when I heard that the place was not going to be airconditioned, I'm now wondering if I should rethink my attire. I definitely don't want to be uncomfortable on Sunday and be sweating all day. But at the same time, I hate changing my mind about something, especially when I've already come to a decision (like what I'm going to wear this Sunday). Don't ask me why but I'm weird like that. So now, I have to reaaally think about what I'm going to wear and frankly, this is really giving me a headache.

.....

Due to some boredom, I started reading a book again. I know I'm supposed to study my Nihongo and read my photography book but I've just been feeling so lazy these past days. I know, I know, I'm procrastinating again but with our homeschooling lessons and bonding with the relatives, there's just too much to think about and I can't focus that well when it comes to my books (well, except pocketbooks). So I suppose this means I will have to do all my "studying" when I get home to Zamboanga.

.....

Tita Nicki, Tasha and I talked about Twilight the movie the other day. Since Tasha hasn't read the book yet, she can't tell how close the movie is to the story. But she did say that the movie was nice. Tita Nicki agreed. Now I'm excited to see the movie. I missed it because we were in Japan when it was shown here. I do want to watch it with Ruther so I suppose if I can stand it, we'll watch it together when we get to Japan.

ONE

I took this photo while I was in the water. I like how sharp the details of the boat are in contrast to the clouds and water.

THINGS TO PROCESS

I've started doing some research on the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) that we need to start our application for Japan. In the Japanese embassy website, it says that this certificate will be very helpful in our visa processing so we have to get this. I already shared with Ruther (through email) the information I got from the internet. Processing for this COE will take from a month to three months so by April, we hope to get our gears moving...

.....

After thinking about it I realized that staying in Zamboanga til April 18 seems to be too long for me. I would much rather come back to Manila on the 11th but at the same time, I don't want my parents to think that I'm keeping the boys from them, my dad most especially. It's not like the boys won't be pampered there, it's just that activities in my home province are very (very) limited and I don't want to do nothing while we're there. I'm already making plans on meeting my High School friends and catching up with their lives and perhaps enrolling Nikki in an early summer swimming course. Of course, there's that roadtrip that my parents are kind of planning so I hope that pushes through. Anyway, even Ruther is thinking that April 18 is just too long. I mean, with our poor internet connection at home it will make communicating a bit harder especially through videochat. We usually get disconnected or the lapse is just too long. Here in Manila, I just leave the laptop on and Ruther could message me anytime he's free at the office and vice-versa (well, no office for me). Anyway, I hope the days would just fly by once we're home so we could come back soon and then proceed with our much-awaited application.

.....

I learned from Mama the other day that this family reunion we're having is going to be a GRAND reunion. So that means there will be TONS of people at the venue on Sunday. Golly. I thought it was going to be just the regular relatives (you know, the usual people we see during Christmas) but apparently, the brothers and sisters of Mama's mother and father (plus the relatives) are also going to be there so I can only imagine the crowd on the 22nd. Sigh. It's gonna be chaotic, I'm sure. But hopefully fun.

Hopefully.

MY MOM

I took this photo of my mom. Love you mom!

RESTLESS

So, Tita Nicki saw my new hairstyle and you know what she said? She said it looks "sophisticated". That's her word exactly. Hmmm... Maybe I should keep my hairstyle for the next few years? Hahaha! Anyway, it was great seeing them all. I found out that Marissa will be arriving tomorrow at around 5pm. Already, Nikki can't stay away from all the visitors. He did his non-stop chatter the whole time until he pretty much lulled Natasha to sleep. :) Oh well, at least he's not shy anymore.

.....

Since I'm done reading all the Twilight books, I'm feeling pretty restless now. It's not that I'm not doing anything because with the homeschooling and reading my photography book and reviewing my Nihongo, I'm pretty much still "busy" but somehow, after all the cleaning and preparations we did for our visitors these past days I feel as though I'm not doing too much. I know, I'm being silly again but maybe it's also because I've gotten so used to having my schedule around Ruther that it seems like I'm not doing enough. Do I even make sense? Okay, I'll shut up now.

.....

My mom text messaged me the other day asking me when we were planning to come back to Manila. And with that message she hinted, "April 25?" I was like, "WHAAAT?" That's so late! I thought we were going to be in Zamboanga for only a month or so but I didn't we think were gonna be there that long! So I was like, "No, schedule us for the 18th". That's a week earlier. I figured a month and a half wouldn't be so bad as long as we keep ourselves busy there. Plus, I felt a teensy bit guilty about not visiting them last year. So I told Ruther we would be there from March 2 til April 18. Then after that, we'll begin our application for Japan. So for now I'll think about that and just make that my focus for the next few weeks...

SWEETHEARTS

I miss my sweetie today...

This photo was taken a day before Ruther left for Japan. It was sort of an early birthday get-together for us. We went to Calamba for some swimming and family bonding. We had a lot of fun but now it just makes me miss him a lot more.

HAPPY HEARTS DAY

Before anything else, a Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends. I hope that whether single or hitched, you are all happy and loved in your own little worlds. Love you all!

.....

Ruther greeted me last night. I really miss him. It's so much harder for me to be away from him right now for so many reasons. I really wish we didn't have to be apart right now. I just feel utterly alone. Sigh.

Sorry for being so emotional and sappy right now...

.....

Ruther's relatives from Australia will be arriving tonight. I'm sure it'll be another fun reunion for everyone. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of them. I remember blogging about Tita Nicki last year when she was here in the Philippines for a teaching stint. I really love talking to her. She is so smart and very insightful. She is open-minded and never judges people even if their opinions differ from hers. She is Australian but she has come to love the Filipino way of life as well. Tito Leo (Mama's brother) is such a fun guy. He reminds me of my dad who is fun-loving, happy and cheerful all the time. Natasha (or Tasha) is so sweet and loves books a lot. She loves to write as well. Her older sis Marissa will be arriving later on since she will be flying from New York. Marissa is a singer and has played Gabriella in Disney's High School Musical in Australia. I am quite proud of her. She has also several albums to her name. She is so talented. Anyway, I can't wait to see all of them. It's just too bad that Ruther isn't here right now to join the reunion.

SHORT

Well, here's a photo of me with my short hair. I know it's not a close-up shot but at least you have an idea on the length. Again, short is relative. What may be short for some may not be for others. This is short for me. Anyway, I promise once I get a photo with my hair all nice and fixed I'll post another pic. :)

VAMPIRES AND MORE

I seem to be saturating myself in vampire tales these days. Aside from doing a Buffy marathon (Ruther got me the complete collection for Christmas) for the past weeks, I have been following the story of Bella and Edward and if you have no idea who they are then maybe you're just not into books or the supernatural. Anyway, I'm almost done with the Buffy episodes. I'm in Season 7 now (the final season) and I want to know how things end for Buffy and the Scooby gang. I have to admit, when I followed this series on tv I was not able to catch all the episodes so it's better doing the marathon, at least this way, I could connect all the stories and subplots I missed in the past. It's actually nice getting to watch the entire story unfold in the proper order. I might be done with the final season by next week if nothing hectic comes my way in the next few days.

I just finished reading Breaking Dawn and I must say, once you get over the first book (Twilight), the rest of the books just get better and better. My favorite is the last book because of revelations, resolutions and well, everything coming together I must say. After reading the entire story, I'm now thinking of getting the second, third and fourth book for my collection. My sis gave me the first book last year. I like the writing style and tone of Stephanie Meyer. It's easy to read, the emotions are real and she has a very creative imagination. Hopefully, she will be writing more books in the future, vampire or no vampire.

.....

I read in the newspapers the other day that short hair is the in thing this year. Well, at least I'm keeping up with the latest fad. My hair is starting to feel a bit longer though. I'm thinking of getting a trim in the next 2 weeks to keep my hair as short as it is. I still don't know when I'm going to start growing it long but for the moment, I'm happy to keep it this short. And oh yeah, I forgot about posting my photo. Again. Will do that after I post this...

.....

Afternoons in my room is absolutely wonderful. After the noon sun has gone down a bit, the wind coming through the window is really refreshing. I usually leave the windows open at this time so the breeze could come through unhindered by the wire screen. The boys usually nap in my room (because of the cool breeze and to save electricity - we would be using 2 fans if we were in separate rooms) and I usually like the quiet and the wind while I'm in bed reading a book or listening to some music on the laptop. I just love the breeze, the calm, the relaxing tropical atmosphere. Now, if only Ruther were here, this would be perfect.

REFLECTION

Another sunset photo. I just love the reflection of the clouds on the water.

DEJA VU

So for the second night in a row I'm up at 3am. How weird is that? Something must be playing with my body clock or I would still be really sleepy right now.

But then again, there is something really peaceful with the hushed atmosphere at this hour. I could hear all my thoughts, I could focus on what I have to do today, and I could do whatever I want at this time (like blog) without the boys interrupting me every few minutes. So yeah, this seems like a blessing in disguise.

Now, if you look at it at a more creepy level, maybe a ghost is waking me up for 2 nights now. Maybe something sinister in the shadows tapped into my subconscious and dragged me from peaceful slumber to keep it company until the wee hours of the morning. Possible? Naaaaah.

Anyway, if you look at it at a more romantic level, perhaps Ruther is dreaming of me (and still is at this time) and the intensity of his dreams affected my subconscious mind and rocked me awake. Isn't that sweet? Well, I wish. He's most probably snoring away right now without a care in the world. But I'll still ask him if he dreamed of me. As if he'd remember come morning.

Okay, I know I'm just rambling but this waking up thing at 3am is starting to bug me. I'm sure it's gonna ruin my internal clock and then it'll get my system out of whack and I'm pretty sure by noon today I'll be all sleepy again. Sigh.

Maybe I miss Ruther.

MY FOOTPRINT

Took this photo at Hundred Islands. Yup, that's my footprint. I just love the detail in this photo. You could even see all my 5 toes! Didn't think it would turn out this way but I just love this. :)

3AM

I don't know why I'm up at this time. I woke up at around 3am and tried to go back to sleep but obviously can't. I don't know why I'm so restless. I think there was a dream involved. I just can't remember if it was good or bad. Stupid subconscious. Anyway, after several minutes of tossing and turning and risking waking Ethan up (the boys sleep with me while Ruther is away), I gave up and got up. Who am I kidding? I'm SO awake right now. And since I've nothing better to do right now, I might as well blog. Maybe I'll read my book after this.

.....

So, did you catch the lunar eclipse last night? We tried to. We were on the roof at 845pm waiting for the change but the cloudy night just ruined the whole experience. We did take some photos of the full moon but around 915pm, it was all clouds so we went back in the house. After that we pretty much called it a night. So much for that.

.....

Due to parental pressure, I was guilt-tripped into bringing the boys home to Zamboanga next month to visit my mom and dad. My mom was text messaging me like, "So, you should get your promo tickets now because you might not have a chance to get early reservations." See how she phrased that? A subtle command. Not "So, when are you visiting?" or "Are you coming with the boys for a vacation?" Trust my mom to know exactly what to say. Anyway, it's not like I could just say no. We did not go home at all last year and my dad really misses the boys. Plus, my parents slyly told me that all I had to do was shoulder the fare going there and they would handle our return tickets. If that's not a bribe then I don't know what is. :) But I'm sure they are so excited to have the boys there. Especially my dad who had them for only a fraction last year when we went to Baguio. So yeah, I'm sure they will be ecstatic to have the boys noisy up the house in Zamboanga and maybe drive them a little crazy now and then. Anyway, we're leaving on March 2, a Monday. We can't leave earlier than that because there's a family reunion scheduled at the end of the month (Ruther's side of the family) and we have to attend. Also, some of Ruther's relatives from Cebu and Australia will be flying in for the occasion so we have to be here for all the bonding that's going to happen for sure. So the next few days might be pretty hectic for us. Gotta be prepared.

For now I think it's time I get some coffee. Good morning!

SNOW

Thanks Becky for mentioning our family photo and reminding me that I forgot to post our photos from our trip to Gala Yuzawa, a ski resort in Niigata, Japan. We were there last December 28 and we had a lot of fun! It was our (the boys and my) first time to see snow that much so it was quite an experience. It was also our first ride on the shinkansen, the bullet train. We are hoping for another repeat this year (keeping fingers crossed) so we're going to save up for that. Meanwhile, here are some photos. :)




bullet train behind us












just arrived














fun fun fun!













watch out Mommy!



















snow angels


















family photo
















going down the mountain

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I haven't been reading or watching the news lately. And when I say "lately" I mean, for months and months. I don't know. The day to day news always depresses me. I mean, if there were more good news than bad then I guess that would be better but then again, that would not be the real world, right? I'm not sure if psychologists would say that I'm putting on horse blinders to stay in a happy place and ignore the bad things that's happening around me but well, being someone easily affected by her surroundings, I suppose it's my call to evade those depressing news entirely. Sigh. I wish there was a happy pill for all the bad guys in the world then maybe all these nonsense would stop.

And uh no, I'm not talking about Prozac.

.....

Now that we're back in Manila I get to eat the food I missed munching on in Japan. Of course, I have to eat in moderation or I just know I would get unbelievably fat (again). Right now, I am enjoying the mangoes. I love those ripe yellow mangoes. They are my favorite fruit! If I wasn't so scared of getting diabetes I would probably be eating them everyday. They are still a bit expensive right now at P65-60 a kilo but I know that when summer is here it'll be a whole lot cheaper. Looking forward to all those yummy mango shakes. Mmmmmm...

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I am just about to begin reading Breaking Dawn, the 4th book of the Twilight series. The second and third books were okay. I mean, at least they kept me on my toes and left me wondering about what would happen next. I like stories like that, when every chapter would have me begging for more. Anyway, it would be interesting to find out how Bella and Edward resolve the "being together forever" issue. Also, I read in another friend's blog that Dakota Fanning might play Jane in the movie. I think that would be great!! I would rather she play Alice (because Jane's evil and Alice isn't) but well, I'm just glad she'll be in the movie because I'm a huge Dakota fan. So yay! Looking forward to watching the flicks. Already missed the Twilight movie so I gotta watch that first.

THE BIRTHDAY BOY

Happy Birthday sweetie! We miss and love you! Mwah!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUTHER!

It's my sweetie's birthday today. We're apart and it's sad and what else can I do but try to be happy and positive? I know I'm whiny but I can't help it. I hate being apart from Ruther. It sucks big time. And I'm the type of person who really appreciates special family occasions. I just hate it when we spend them apart. And I'm not even talking about parties or celebrations. Just being together makes all the difference even if we're all stuck in our small apartment in Japan. Sigh.

Anyway, I still hope that Ruther spends his day well and that he's happy today. He already got my birthday present yesterday so that's a relief. I spoke to him this morning and greeted him again (already did last night) but we will be chatting again tonight for sure. Miss you baby! Happy birthday!

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I can't believe how expensive kids' clothes are these days. We went to the mall yesterday because I had to look for green polo shirts for the boys for an upcoming family reunion. I spied a nice green one and when I checked the tag, it was around P450!! Atrocious! Not even my shirts and blouses cost that much! And for goodness' sake, the boys will be wearing the shirt for a few months and outgrow them so why should I spend so much on a shirt that's not gonna last forever right? Sigh. Do I sound stingy? Well, it's just that I can't believe a small piece of clothing would cost more than MY clothes! It's just absurd! Now, if I were a millionaire then spending for those polo shirts would be no problem at all but well, in my present situation, just even considering buying those shirts is already a pain. Oh well, I suppose I have to do more searching in the next few days because I presently still feel disgruntled about the price of those shirts.

.....

Now that I have short hair I finally get to experience having a "bed head". Having long hair almost all my life spared me from such an experience but now that my hair lies above my shoulders, it's so interesting to see what hairstyle I sport the moment I get out of bed. The other day I thought the top of my hair could not get any higher and this morning it looked like I slept on my left side the entire night. It was pretty funny. I'm thinking of taking a photo of my "bed head" look every morning but knowing how terrible I'll look, I guess it's just as well that I skip it and just leave those wacky hairstyles photographed in my head.

HUNDRED ISLANDS

We went to Hundred Islands a few days ago with my family, mom, brother-in-law Ron and my cousin and grandma who both came from Canada for a vacation. We decided to tag-along since Ruther hasn't seen the place yet (the boys and I already did last year). It was a wonderful time and we spent most of it taking photos. Here's a bit of info about Hundred Islands and of course, some of our pics. :)

About Hundred Islands:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/25669/text.html

Hundred Islands National Park

by Jenny Exconde

The Hundred Islands is Pangasinan's best-known attraction. A cluster of small uninhabited islets located a short boat ride from Lucap pier, five km north of Alaminos, Pangasinan. These eroded rocky outcrops have a few small sandy beaches that can get crowded on holidays.

Because of its special characteristics, scientific importance, uniqueness and high scenic value, the national committee on geograpical sciences declared the hundred islands of Pangasinan as a national geological monument last Sept. 2001.

The hundred islands of Pangasinan were shaped from uplifted coral deposits by the erosional action of rainwater and groundwater. These islands clustered in the lingayen gulf northeast of Alaminos consists of 123 hills of different sizes.

To get there, take a bus from Manila to Alaminos, Pangasinan, 254 kms about five hours. From Alaminos take a tricycle ride to Barangay Lucap, fare about Php 20-30 (around USD 0.60), check the current rate in nearby store before boarding and have the right change, pay when you arrive, go to PTA tourist office and they will help you to get a cheaper banca ride to explore the islands or rent a guest house.

SORRY...AGAIN

It's like a cycle, isn't it?

I'm sorry for disappearing again. Aside from being quite depressed from leaving Japan weeks ago, the boys and I had to spend time/bond with Ruther before he left again (for Japan of course) last Saturday. He was only in Manila for 2 weeks so you can only imagine the schedule we had those past few days. Anyway, I'm back and I'm blogging and I'm sorry I disappeared for so long. Hopefully next time, it won't take me weeks to blog and to catch up with all your wonderful stories.

.....

First things first. I got a haircut. A short one. Well, "short" is relative I suppose but having had long hair since childhood, my current haircut is indeed short. Nope, it's not the haircut I had last New Year. I got an improved cut. I was kind of worried how it would turn out because I've always had issues with my round face and chubbiness but in the end, I kind of like it. It somehow makes my face a bit less chubby. And any haircut that does that is fine in my book. So yeah, glad to get the haircut and now I feel like 2009 is starting out swell (aside from Ruther leaving, of course). And now, I can cross out "get short haircut" from my ___ Things to Do Before I Die list. Will post a photo of my new haircut soon. Just remind me in case I forget. Again.

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Ever since Ruther left I've been cleaning like crazy! Since our room was uninhabited for 6 months, I had to make sure I got rid off all dustballs and cobwebs. It took some time actually. What really irked me though were ants. A lot of ants in our room. Whenever I would spray some insecticide on their trail, after a few days they would make another. Argh! Infuriating. Kinda made me miss Japan all the more since we never had any pest problem. At all! Anyway, I just finished cleaning and fixing things up yesterday (not to mention all the unpacking I had to do as well) so now I could breathe again. And now I could blog again. Hurrah!

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I have some sort-of good news. Ruther and I talked a few weeks ago and we're considering getting a dependent's visa for the boys and me the next time we go to Japan (which Ruther wants to be soon). This is good news because this means, we won't be limited to a 6-month stay in Japan. This means, we could stay in Japan for as long as Ruther will be working there. Isn't that wonderful? So now, we're trying to review all the things we need to do to accomplish this. I'm hoping that everything will turn out all right and that my family will be reunited soon. I can't wait for this to happen. It's like my dream of finally living permanently together as a family is coming true. I know I'm being all gooey and anticipatory but I'm just really excited. Of course we have to save and plan and all that but I just know that we could handle anything as long as we're together and as long as God is present in our plans. So yeah, I'm feeling positive about 2009. Ruther said it's going to be OUR year and I hope in my heart he's right.