i haven't written for a while.

so please excuse my babble.

i am close to the month when i will again depart for the other side of the world. it is not easy peasy, having to reassess everything again and pocketing memories for me to keep. leaving everyone behind, having to endure winter..having to be dependent on other people to get around town. no more long walks or spur of the moment gimmiks. no more saguijo..again.

damn.

after everything that happened in just a few months, i feel that if i stayed...it might not be good for me anymore. so the universe is just kind enough to shake me out of my manila amore mode and get myself back on track in regaining my original purpose of coming home and coming back.

my auntie's perfume smells like my apartment back in Orange County..no doubt about it...it's a sign.

i write in calmness. the first since i stopped moving at a fast pace.

......

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.

Back in Manila.

I felt a tad bit heavier when the plane touched down. I suddenly realized that being in Boracay/Iloilo made me gain at least 3 pounds from all the food my auntie stuffed me.

Never a day passed when she would insist that we should grab a bite to eat, even when it is not the scheduled time to do so. Everywhere we went, it was (my stomach turned over as I recall):

-buffet lunches (when we meet up with some of my uncle and auntie's friends and aquiantances)

-ala carte dinners (they wanted to make sure that I taste every single resto in the area)

-stop over snacks (when visiting a district/province somewhere, we would always have a stop over munch)

-marathon breakfasts (I tried skipping, but to no avail...)

-after-swimming munchies (The beach, after swimming...can work up a hefty appetite.)

-dessert tripping (Blue Jay Coffee's [Iloilo's local Starbucks] Petite Au Chocolat, Emilion's Banana Langka Turon topped with Vanilla Ice Cream, Green Tea Gulaman!)

-drinking breaks (Boracay Pier 1...nuff said. didn't get drunk. i couldn't...they (the relatives) watch me over like a hawk..)


**My Auntie and Uncle's kids are marathon eaters by nature. So they often insist that I should have the same portion as everyone else. So much Carbs and calories all in one....I didn't even believe in myself when I managed to wolf down 10 scallops, 5 servings of rice, half a chicken inasal, endless lechon, sinagang...ay diyos mio...i am making myself hungry and sick at the same time.

**partly the reason for my weight gain is I don't do my usual walk after breakfast/lunch/dinner, the Iloilo/Bora heat can get to you and will entice to slumber. I often fell asleep right after a hefty heavy meal...

yikes....

but nevertheless it was...fuuunnn.