......

first thing my mom said as soon as i met up with them at the arrival gate:

mom: (with eyes wide with disbelief)"anak, what did you do to your hair??!??"

me: (runs fingers across newly chopped hair)"um..you likey?"

mom: (squints) "likey? you look like a boy!"

(dad and younger bro started to snicker.)


after a 16 hour flight (inclusive of a stopover to taipei, taiwan) coupled with great conversation and in-flight movies, i finally landed home. in fact, i was so overwhelmed that i even welcomed the humidity...much to my friends and family's amazement.

i think it would be better if i let the pics do the talking:

introducing...

mi familia:

these pics were taken on the day i landed home. we went straight to my grandmother's (dad's side) house (yes, jetlag and all) and had a happy happy reunion...


my mom and dad


my dad


my younger brother, Cholo (but we're changing his nickname to Enzo...he is no longer a baby...)


my cousin lianne, her mom (tita christel), my mom, my grandma and me...


uncle carlo, my tita christel, my mom and dad, trying the mac photo booth feature


my cousin (model, host and businesswoman extrodinaire) jaylyn and me


another goof pic (with mom at her so-called "goofiest")

after a short rest, we went to edsa shangrila hotel and checked ourselves in...we met up with my mom's sister and her family...and had a mini reunion...prelude to the big one tomorrow. yikes.


my mom, tita janet and me (hidden)


this is what they call "goofing around"

see, my mom and tita's definition of goofing around is not by funny faces...but funny faces na may "poise"....i was suppose to be crossed eyed in this pic..but heck, i just decided to go with the flow. hehe.


mom took this pic as i was trying to write this entry.

i haven't had proper sleep yet...jet lag's pretty bad. but so far...i don't really mind the less sleep. i enjoy every waking moment...yes even the humidity.

i am so glad to be back home.

my boss, jong.

ay, i like how it just suddenly rhymed out of the blue. hehe.

and yes, the slighty-chinese-looking-kinda-chubby girlet with him...is me.

this was taken amidst chaos of The Green Room. our little office inside the BIG office. filled to the brim with stuff bought around the world for reference. anak ng pating...kung kailangan mo ng cloth made from india, mayroon kami..or a small trinket from mongolia, a jester hat souvenir from england, or a playgirl magazine from Russia. ahahaha.. the list can go on and on..but it is a fun place to work in, even if the office environment outside is intense and stressful.

jong is also my not-official-yet house mate...well, he and his significant other of 5 years, scary-Batista look-alike-but-very-beary-huggable Alex had taken me under their wings and into their humble abode located in Cerritos, a filipino-dominated well-to-do community. he and alex thought it felt very unsettling for someone like me to live alone in Costa Mesa so they agreed for me to stay with them until i have my papers ready for my sponsorship. i am still juggling in wanting to go back to my little apartment in Costa Mesa, or i should save my money and just stay at jong's place. hm.

but so far, it's been pretty good. we go out to eat, shopping or we have wine by the patio at home...both have a background in interior design, so their place is like living in a treasure box full of exotic trinkets. from their Moroccan inspired furnishings to italian scenery paintings. my bed is a couch that could be converted to a bed and the room is filled with hanging rugs and indian silks. problem is that they collect dusts and i tend to sneeze a lot...so alex had to take away the rugs...

on monday, i would be meeting with a lawyer to discuss my case, then that's when it will cement my decision to stay.

Big News!

jong and i have a car!

actually, it's the company car. but jong and i just had to squee at the mere thought of driving freely without having to depend on other people. finally, we can go to the mall, do our grocery shopping, go to san diego, disneyland....anywhere, anytime.

but of course we have to drive safely, and the freeway may look easy, but trust me, it's trickier than i thought. once you miss your exit, you're screwed...jong once missed our exit and we ended up driving all the way to downtown LA. pero ang saya din, we ended up going to sunset blvd and rodeo...we parked and just let our eyes wander at all the shops, sights and smells...high class na nakakainis...sobrang excessive, sobrang exclusive. from trashy chic to sophisticated sleek, bibilhin ko na sana yun gucci wallet pero si jong ang pumigil, baka mabankrupt ako...ay diyos ko, muntikan na. haha

so anyhoo.

ayun. makakaexplore na kami to the max with a car. dito sa california, it is a must to have a car..but really, i prefer to commute and use public transport...only if i live in New York...that is the ideal place for me to work and live. alex (jong's significant other), once lamented that my energy is tuned in New York. but heck, everybody wants to live in New York, unless you seek beautiful sunshines all the time in sunny cali.

i am glad to be given this chance to explore.