the eleven-day vacation

the past eleven days has been one of the memorable ones. i tried to journal each day of my trip in manila, but words just simply escapes me. moments are hard to put into words, you have to be there to fully get the gist of things. either that, or we come home exhausted to our bones that our brains just refuses to function properly. but i'm gonna try and share with you some of the highlights of the trip.

the first day: after breakfast from siningag express delivered in (around $10), horacio and my brother's fix appointment, a light lunch at itallianis and tips 'n toes (while horacio was getting a massage), we headed to apeh's house in magallanes to celebrate his and cherlene's birthday (a small celebration). ally rendered a solo performance of "happy birthday" song in chinese. after the candle melted almost all the way through because the kids can't get enough of blowing the candles, we had a piece of our cake.

the second day: we had lunch at my dad's place in malate. we had shrimps, sinigang na baboy, and crabs (all prepared by auntie fe) and for dessert we all had (except for horacio) an orange twin popsies. since jackie couldn't finish the whole thing (...) she had a bite from each of our twin popsies. then we headed out to mall of asia (the largest mall in the Philippines). on a sunday plus the thre-day sale that they are having, the mall was jampacked. humidity was all we felt. we decided to cool ourselves at coffee bean and tea leaf. after jackie complaints about the chocolate cake not being good, she still kept having it until they were almost none left. then the whole family once again met up for dinner at hai (which apeh co-owns). it was a chaos with the kids running around with each of their nannies on their tail. it was still good, the kids (and adults) quieted down and remained on their seats when the food came. okay, so we really weren't quiet... so what, we're a big family and we communicate with each other and enjoy the company.

third day: did some errands with horacio and had my $12 dollar (teeth) cleaning - pretty cheap right? but it was really good cleaning. had lunch at jollibee and had my fix of two piece chicken joy - no other place can make those chicken and gravy! later that day, we took jackie out in search of her red dress and ended up having it custom made for Php3,000 (which is around $60!), still pretty cheap, but for philippine standards - i don't think so. then with jackie on hand, we went out with benjie and mel for dinner at national's sports bar. he gave me copies of the second season of lost, all of desperate houswives. it was fun hanging out with those who don't have qualms about who's gonna be there and the like. seeing mel again was just like seeing a really old friend. i'm glad that we were able to see each other ever for a couple of hours.

the fourth day: a whirlwind trip to iloilo. as soon as manong junior (our driver who we have known since we were still in grade school) picked us up from the airport, we headed to the supermarket to buy groceries for our grandmother. then we headed out to breakthrough for lunch with the family. lola (grandma) barely remembers me, but as soon as she did, her eyes started to well up once more. i haven't seen my grandma nor been to iloilo for almost ten years. it was nice going back again, seeing my grandma once more. although she isn't what she to be anymore, it's kinda good. she and horacio started conversing in spanish. the questions and statements were told more than ten times. she went home tired yet happy. i don't know if she remembers me being there or not, nonetheless, it was still good seeing her again. after few more chores, and having chicken inasal for dinner, we went to manong paulo's place in mandurriao and crashed for a couple hours, then we left for boracay at around 2 in the morning.

fifth through seventh day: lazy days in boracay. after having a heavy beakfast, shake after shake... i think my tummy gave in. i woke up from a catnap with a really bad tummy ache and couldn't really hold down anything. that didn't stop me though from eating some more and enjoy the sun. we went island hopping and snorkling, had our massage by the beach, played in the water, attempted to build sandcastle, laid down on the sand bar, had couple drinks at night. it was good being able to go on a vacation again with the family, i'm so glad that dad was there with us. it had been a while. as soon as we came back from boracay and picking up jackie's red dress (which was custom made), there was yet another dinner at magallanes, it was sa-ko's birthday. this time all of my dad's sister were there. i haven't seen my three aunts for years.

eighth day: went to starbucks for breakfast and had chowking delivered in for lunch (sweet and sour pork, braised beef, kangkong with shrimp paste and spring rolls just for hoario and i) and for a stayed in for the most part of the day due to exhaustion. later that day, we went to cafe breton had some crepes then headed for tips 'n toes while horacio had another masage. had dinner with achi at cafe meditteranean and tired to look for ding dongs. went to mandarin hotel disappointed and desperate for ding dongs, fell asleep at aroud 9:30pm, whil achi and ahiya did some lasst minute prep for apeh's big celebration the next day (mixed with few dramas that i, once again, missed).

ninth day: the reason for the trip - apeh's 60th birthday celebration at mandarin hotel. i must say, after experiencing a number of this kind of celebration in our family, this is the most organizzed one. there were no additional tables requested at the last minute, the kids behaved in their kiddie table and the people attended the party paid attention to the program that was prepared. eyes welled up with achi pearlie's speech for her dad, ally sang the beauty and the beast theme song - acappela! the photo presentation for apeh, and the neverending picture taking. the party (or should i say, pictorial?) ended at around 4pm, left the hotel at 4:30. went out to dinner with dad at around 7pm.

tenth day: exhaustion kicks in. we forced ourselves out of the door for our 1pm appointment at fix salon. had (buffet) lunch at jollibee wherein we ordered two orders of two piece burger steak, three orders of two piece chicken joy, an order of spaghetti with one piece chicken, another order or spaghetti, crispy pork chops and a large fries - it was just the four of us. after our fix appointment, we went home and rested for a couple of hours then we headed to magallanes to celebrate ally's fourth birthday. after the birthday celebration, achie pearlie dropped us off at max brenner and we had cup of chocolate with achi's firends. it was a hilarious night. the place was almost empty with two other customers inside, we filled up the place with boisterous laughters (actually it was mostly just achi and ria!).

eleventh day: cabs and cab drivers from hell. went to taguig (where the final product of beach walk slippers are), traffic was horrendous - we were stuck at the same place for at least an hour. our cab driver wasn't too happy, neither were we. left the factory with ONE white, wedge flip flops (was hoping for at least three!). dad took us to ongpin (chinatown) for lunch at one of those restaurants that fancy is not part of the dictionary but have really great food. achi had the urge to buy lau hu chi (that's acrhie comics for the chinese people!), by the way, none of us can read chinese but we grew up with this and laughed with it just by looking at the pictures. we took a cab to greenbelt - with the humidity, the cab didn't have the proper aircondition, as soon as we stepped out of the cab, we were all dehydrated. we did some last minute errands - buying all the dried mangoes, ding dongs, lengua de leche, pili nuts, adobo peanuts and chichacorn, cds abnd vcds, and books (had the inclination to read noli me tangere and el filibusterismo!). once again, took a cab home - cab driver was mister grumpy. he was muttering complaints under his breath the whole entire cab ride. oh well. after dropping all of the stuff home, we headed out once again to have dinner (our despedida dinner) with the entire family at dencio's. after dinner, achi pearlie took us to starbucks for some coffee. came home, packed all our stuff in records time.

the vacation as one of a kind. i am so happy that i decided to go to manila and attend apeh's birthday celebration. now that i am back in new york, back to reality. i already miss the entire family, the craziness each time we all have gatherings, the kids running around, spending time with them, seeing relatives once more, the thirty-minute goodbyes before heading home.

"families are like fudge, mostly sweet with some nuts."

The Second Day

Slept in the morning, worke up at around 8:30am.. yeah, that's sleeping in. we all had jollibee for breakfast ($8 total!) delivered into our doorsteps -the joy of delivery. for lunch we all went to my dad's place in malate, auntie fe prepared shrimps and sinigang na baboy. it was so good. filipino food does taste so much different from the ones that we get from new york. the shrimps, no matter how small they are were so sweet, just thinking about the shrimps makes me want some more. then there's the sinigang na baboy (pork sinigang), the sourness of the soup, then the kangkong (swamp cabbage) - delicious. it need not to have the radish and eggplant to make it taste better - in new york even with those, it just doesn't come close. after lunch, we reaided jackie's small fridge for some ice cream, we all chose (except for horacio) the orange twin popsicle.

then we went to mall of asia, it was so humid that i think i burned most of the calories that i took in during breakfast and lunch. we tried to look for a dress for jackie but the mall was so pack due to a 3-day sale. around 7pm all family members met up again for dinner at Hai (which is co-owned by my uncle). si-ko is finally here, after being stranded in singapore for at least 12 hours. haven't seen her for like three years... she's still the same funny and sweet aunt.

End of First Day

after getting haircuts, nails and massages (the basics) done, we went to magllanes (apeh's place) to celebrate the birthday of apeh and charlene's birthday. most of the family were present, as usual with our birthday celebrations and weekly family gatherings. for dinner, we had king prawns (they were really gigantic, haven't seen it that big), pansit (for long life), pork barbecue (with the typical filipino prk fat at the end of the stick), and sisig (pork ears and tongue). it was a pretty good dinner, with the usual chaos considering how big the family is getting.

then we had two cake candle blowing by the kiddies - pao-pao, philip and ally. i think they blew the candles for like a good five to seven times. ally sang the happy birthday in chinese - she was absolutely adorable.

i miss being around these kids. i would carry pao-pao and he'd tell me "bigat ako, di mo ako kaya" (i'm heavy, you can't carry me). then there is philip who we'd go to his eye level so that he could take a proper picture of us. ally was just full of energy and antics. jackie, well, she warmed up a bit - after her mom telling us that as soon as they got home last night my dad and her mom told her off. benilyn, has grown so much, i remember her being a baby and me taking care of her - feeding her, putting her to bed, giving her a bath.

i just wish i could always have these little kids in new york. a house is really different if there are no kids running around, i know it could get annoying and tiring at times, but that's always a part of it. for me, hearing a kid's laughter is a more than a delight.

First Few Hours In Manila

been in manila for like 9 hours now, our flight came in at around 11:30pm and we came out of the airport around 12 midnight. jackie's first words, or shall i say - word is "eeeeehhhh...." yup! constant whining since she apparently wasn't expecting horacio to come with us. she is right now in a investiture ceremony which i was supposedly invited to but she took it back upon seing horacio right behind me. whatever...

as soon as we settled in my sister's apartment and taking things out from the luggages and sorting out which ones to give, lights were out by 2am. i don't know if slept, i think i did since i had this recurring dream about my elementary and highschool teachers - weird, i dread going back to my alma mater.

to start our day, we already had our $8 breakfast (total!) - i had lucban longganisa with half of a salted egg and tomato and tocilog (cured pork with garlic rice and sunnyside), horacio had the tapsilog (cured beef with gralic rice and sunnyside) and longsilog (longganisa with gralic rice and sunnyside) and my brother had cornsilog (corn beef with gralic rice and sunnyside) and tapsilog as well. what a great way to start our day... all these for $8.00!!!

i better get going, my brother and horacio have a 10am appointment to get their haircuts and then off to lunch then pedicure and manicure for us!!! :) this is gonna be a good two weeks.

a good night out

few friends from school and i came out to dinner. haven't seen each other in a while, we planned to have dinner at Mama Mexico at 102nd street and broadway. horacio and i were there once, but we got too full with their guacamole (which is so yummy, second to MY guacamole, or maybe third to horacio's aunt's guac.. tough decision) that we had to take our food to go after a bite or two.

marleni made the reservations for 7:30, and we were complete and ready to start our evening at aorund 8pm (mehak is back to school, trying for med school). we had our guacs, marleni brought us something from DR which was really, really wrapped, packed, taped very securely with newspaper. nancy started her orientation with staten island. it was a nice evening, it was able to take my mind off things, and enjoy the company of friends.

we started to dig into our guacamole and salsa. things got more interesting when marleni dared to order the same dish as horacio had (chicken with mole) and turns out that it wasn't that so great. we had our laughters at her reaction as the food touched her mouth, we all didn't blame her for it though. it was rather, interesting taste (never order that food!). then came dessert, there is always room for dessert. we agreed (nancy, marleni and i) to chocolate cake with poached pear and a flan. horacio and mehak had their coffee, and i had my tea. when the desserts came, a tres leches cake came instead of the flan, we complained yet we all still devoured the tres leches and the flan (which came in few minutes after we complained that we didn't order the tres leches). it turned out, the tres leches was the most popular one among the three although, i still favored the chocolate cake.

we decided to plan another dinner when horacio and i come back from manila, and marleni and eman comes back from aruba. next place - max brenner. (need to say more?)

i don't know which hurts more knowing that someone you care is stuck in a most depressing, hurting place with no one to help you or no one to talk to or that he/she can to talk to someone and he/she could get help but chooses not to?

The Sick Baked

I woke up today feeling not my tiptop shape - again. I decided to stay at home, do some studying and rest.

After doing alot of studying in the morning and sick of staying in bed, I decided to make the Fresh Fruit Tart, since the fruits are about to go bad anyways - which would be a really waste. So, I got up, gathered all the ingredients and started put together the fruit tart. This was my first fruit tart, I know there is such thing as tart pan, but Hoarcio and I have been looking for one but to no avail. So, we decided to just use the regular pie pan. This is the result of first attempt to make a tart.

The Final Product!

After making the pie, I had a nap. When I woke up, Horacio told me that Nancy called and was in the city and thought of meeting up with us. I called Nancy back and convinced her to come over for some fruit tart. She agreed, and I decided to make some butter cookies as well. Yep, I was in pastry chef mode today, I don't know why. As Nurse Nancy said "You're sick, you're supposed to be resting not baking!" Anyways, I made butter cookies, from scratch for the very first time!! It came out to be yummy!!!

The cookie in progress.. unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the final product before Horacio took most of it away with him to share it to his family in Long Island. It was fun making them, Nancy helped out in making them into balls with a very greasy hands. It was another success nonetheless.

When I cook I don't like washing the dishes, well, I don't like washing dishes period.

The next best reason why I cook. He helps me prepare the food and most of the time, clean up after my mess.

I guess, if nursing career isn't that successful for me, I (and maybe nancy) could always enter the cooking land. :)

It was nice having Nancy over. It made me miss her dorm room even more... we used to spend time in her room just talking about anything that we could think of, or taking a nap in between classes. It's also the place where Horacio would hang out when I am in meetings, and we would all meet up in her room or leave our things in her room whenever we plan to go out for a bite to eat or play in the gameroom. I also spent a lot of sleepovers at Nancy's room, and stay up either studying or talking.

I miss those days...

Bubbles's Bath Time

It took me almost an hour to give Bubbles a bath and blow dry her into a really cuddly dog. As soon as the door of the bathroom opened announcing that she could run free and show off her soft fur... no one was home to boost her self-esteem (especially after her last grooming at the dog parlor which until now she doesn't wanna be reminded of). She ran to the living room, to my brother's room and back to the living room.

These are her picture after she realized that my aunt, brother or Horacio was not home...

"where are they?"

"can't believe no one is here after the watter and blow-dryer battle..."

"i'm just gonna stay here.. until then..."

Chocolate By The Bald Man

What a great way to end a gloomy, (quite) depressing week - good food, company and CHOCOLATES.

Amidst the review about Max Brenner on menupages.com we still decided to have dinner and dessert there. Upon reading the description on Late Night Sausage (a giant sausage in warm roll, home fries, mustard, cornichorns and chili mayonnaise) I knew, and so did Horacio, that that was just for me, Tito Vic had the same thing too, but I actually finished mine. The plating was nice, I enjoyed the little vials and the little, baby, pickle look alike that Horacio and my brother got with their food.

There's always room for dessert, and what more can we ask for? chocolate, chocolate, chocolate and coffee. My brother and Horacio had the Intense Double Chocolate Fudge Cake - which true to its name is doubly chocolaty fudgy cake. I on the other hand had the Melting Chocolate Heart Cake - really heart melting! Tito Vic got their coffee, if they are not kidding about their chocolates, they weren't playing around with their coffee. Tito Vic will be up all night, to say the least.

Another nice, enjoyable dinner...

another month

another month has passed... the past two months has been a tough one, not for me personally, but to most people that i know and are close to me. from health problems to rocky relationships.

sometimes it's weird how i get the urge to send someone a text message saying hi to a friend whom i haven't spoken to in a while, only to find out a few minutes later that he is going through a break-up. then there was this time when i logged into my aol messanger after how many months, and seeing another friend whom i haven't spoke to since graduation and to find out she's going through a really difficutl time with her relationship. it's also weird how i read a passage in the bible that horacio was reading, then receiving an e-mail from a friend saying that she's going through a difficult time in her life and me passing the scripture to her, hoping that God's words would help her through.

all i have to say to those hurting and struggling... God is always with you. you got us, your family, friends to be there for you. it really doesn't matter whether we haven't spoken in months or years, just as you know that i am (we are) always here for you, ready to listen when you just wanna be heard or a shoulder to lean and cry on. hard as it may seem right now, but things are going to be just fine.