Home Away From Home

For the longest time, I felt like I was born in the wrong country, that I was meant to be somewhere else, and meant to be with someone who was not where I was. When I met, and then married my husband, it was an unexpected yet somehow fated falling into place.


Now, I live in Canada. Alberta, to be exact. I arrived on December 11, 2012. It's been less than two months, and I'm thousands of miles away from what used to be my home, but being here already feels more like home to me than any place I've lived in. It's not even because the place is beautiful (I know it is but I can barely tell right now because of all the snow covering everything), or that it's glamorous (because it's not really), or that it's easy-breezy to live here (because it's also not), but it just... fits.

I remember when I lived in Japan. I never felt like I truly belonged. I always felt like an outsider, especially because of the color of my skin. Canada doesn't make you feel like that at all. It's very multi-ethnic, and most of the time, I don't even remember that I'm not of the same race as the locals. Canadians are also very polite and humble people, and that makes living in their country even more desirable.

I'm not surprised that I don't miss home at all. I wish I could share this experience with my parents and my close friends, but that is all. There's no pining for my motherland and it's eccentricities just yet, and I don't know if there ever will be. For now, I'm just happy to be with my husband, in this province, in this country. I don't want to be anywhere else.

Read More

One Does Not Simply Fly Into Mordor

Ever since I saw the movies and then read the books, I have loved The Lord of the Rings. In fact, maybe love is not even a strong enough term. I am obsessed with it. I love everything about it. It makes me happy. I've read the books, seen the movies... I even play the online game! I want to visit New Zealand even more, because, well... it's Middle Earth!


And how do you fly to Middle Earth? On Air New Zealand, course! Check out this safety video they just came out with for the new The Hobbit movie (prequel to the LoTR trilogy) coming out next month. It is absolutely brilliant, imho. This is how safety videos should be. I can't get over it, really.

Read More

A Taste of Opulence at the Heritage Hotel

I've wanted to stay at the Heritage Hotel during my visits to Metro Manila, just to see what it's like. The place seems to be an icon, after all. During a quick trip last month, I was finally able to do so.

It was perfect timing. I'd known only two days prior that I had to make the trip, and upon perusing Agoda, found out that the Heritage Hotel was having a last minute sale. I jumped at the opportunity, especially because my destination was the Japanese Embassy, just two buildings away from the Heritage. It was still more expensive than average, but it was 25% less than their regular rate.

My first impression of the hotel was that it's old. The hotel makes me think of a book with frayed edges. I was assigned a twin room, and although it had all the little things I needed (toiletries, slippers, robes, a well-stocked mini bar, etc.), the room was just okay, and my TV was old... it was a CRT! I've definitely been to better and cheaper hotel rooms.

My disappointment did not end there. The hotel does not have a lot of items on their room service menu. Is it because they have a casino, and they'd rather people went there than hang out in their rooms? Food in general at the hotel was okay, but was nothing special. What I found incredulous was the P300 per hour internet connectivity. In this day and age, that just feels to me like an abomination, even in a 5-star hotel!

The one good thing about Heritage Hotel: it's location. Other than that, there's really nothing special about it at all. No wonder it's not that highly rated on Agoda. If you want that real taste of opulence, you might want to look somewhere else.

Read More

New Puter

The last time I owned a desktop computer was in 2006. It's been so long! Ever since then, it's been laptops and netbooks for me, but not that I prefer them! It's good to own one to bring around, but really, your computer at home should be a desktop. They're easier on the eyes, wrists, and even on the budget! So I'm very happy today because I have a new computer. I got tired of peering into my uber tiny netbook. I couldn't handle it anymore! My Android phone and iPod Touch do not help in the size department either.

My new puter isn't exactly high-end, but it's the best I've laid hands on in years. If you can peer into the screenie below, you might be able to make out the specs.

Read More

Custom Cakes and Cupcakes

It was the birthday of one of my closest friends, Daphnie, the other day. I decided to order cupcakes for her (which Lyn also helped me pay) from another friend of ours, Bernice. Bernice makes custom cakes and cupcakes that look absolutely amazing! I've waited forever for an occasion where I could order from her, and I finally had the excuse!

Read More

A Pilgrimage to Simala

After being stagnant for months, I'm finally able to cross out another item on my bucket list: go on a religious pilgrimage.

The Monastery of the Holy Eucharist in sitio Lindogon, barangay Simala, in the town of Sibonga, Cebu was our destination. It is there that the Virgin Mary has been performing miracles since 1998. Over the years, the Birhen sa Simala (Virgin of Simala) has either shed blood or tears, with most of the miracles taking place during her birthday, September 8, which is also the feast day of Simala. Once, while her statue was on procession, the forehead hit an electric wire, which resulted to its bleeding. Because of these miracles, people have started going to Simala in droves, and what started as a small chapel run by the Marian Monks of the Eucharistic Adoration, has veritably become a castle that is starting to look like popular pilgrimage sites in Europe.

It was my first time to go to Simala. My mom and I went with the Diocesan Dumaguete Pilgrims, whom a number of family friends are members. The pilgrims of Dumaguete have been going to Simala for 12 years, and recently, the group has become a very important part of Mama Mary's birthday celebration. The group is now in-charge of feeding 500-1000 police personnel and security guards who maintain peace and order during the three days leading and up to September 8. It is a difficult task, but the group is able to do it through donations.

We were in Simala from September 6 to 9. We attended a lot of masses, a couple of them celebrated by Cardinal Jose Palma, Archbishop of Cebu, and Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, Archbishop emeritus. We were also able to witness a miracle. Yes, Mama Mary cried again during her birthday. It happened during the coronation mass in the afternoon of September 8. I was in front of the church, literally just a couple of feet from her statue when it took place. If you can see from this video I took, the monk has to keep on wiping her tears, and people were crying and sobbing in the background.

Simala has truly become a wondrous miracle site. The hills of Lindogon, once barren and desolate, is now lush and beautiful. Being there gives you a sense of serenity, and the presence of the Virgin Mary makes you feel that you are in heaven. Devotees go there to ask for favors, and of course to give thanksgiving, as evident in the seemingly thousands of testimonials sent by people.

On September 9, the Dumaguete pilgrims were given the chance to get close to the statue of the Virgin that shed tears the day before. Below is her picture. She was no longer crying openly then, but as you can see from the image, her eyes were watery. We were not allowed to touch her face because the monks were still waiting for a bishop to verify the recent miracle. It was a very humbling and touching experience.

Simala is approximately one and a half hours by bus from the city of Cebu, 

and a 20-minute ferry and 2-hour bus ride from the city of Dumaguete (via the port of Sibulan). 

Read More

One Year After the Whirlwind Civil Wedding

I can't believe it's been a year... but it really has been! One year ago today, my husband and I had our civil wedding ceremony--my original big day It was a whirlwind wedding, and it was going to be a proper church wedding, too. But we didn't want to take the risk.

Because of work, my husband can only be in the Philippines for 3 weeks at a time. And based on what people from the local civil registrar and the Catholic church told me, I realized that it was virtually impossible to come up with both government and church wedding requirements in that amount of time. So we decided on a civil wedding first, to be followed by a church wedding later, because the former, traditionally in the Philippines, always entails less effort and resources, and is much easier to do. (And there had to be a church wedding because... well, I live in the Philippines, and, I don't think I would have been happy without one--not to mention my parents!)

My husband arrived in the Philippines on August 21. I met him in Manila because his flight was delayed and he had to stay there overnight. We were scheduled for a seminar on the 23rd at the local civil registrar in Dumaguete, and an appearance at the Canadian consulate in Cebu to acquire his Legal capacity to marry on the 24th. We arrived in Dumaguete on the 22nd, and found out that the seminar was moved to the 24th! Thankfully, we were able to change our appointment at the consulate to the 23rd, so we immediately went to Cebu the next day, retrieved the needed document, and returned to Dumaguete for the seminar. Only after the seminar did we get all the needed requirements to apply for a marriage license, so apply we did on that day, and we were asked to wait 10 days for the mandatory listing of banns.

We finally got our marriage license on the 5th of September. We immediately went to the Hall of Justice in the city to find out if a judge could marry us on our desired wedding date, September 8. But we found out that there needed to be a "raffle" to choose the judge who would marry us, and that said raffle was only going to take place on the 8th. We didn't have time, because we were scheduled to leave for Hong Kong on the 9th on a honeymoon that we'd already planned beforehand.

The staff at the Hall of Justice told us to check the adjacent towns of Sibulan and Bacong and see if we could find a judge there, because no raffle was needed in their single sala courts. So we went to Sibulan, and found a judge... only he was busy the succeeding days, and said: "Why don't I just marry you now? I'll give you one hour to prepare."

So that's what we did! The dress that I was supposed to wear was still at the modiste, and my husband's wedding pants were still wet from the laundry because of Church from the day before... but we got married. I wore an old dress, and my husband wore blue jeans (like a true Albertan?), but we got hitched, with my parents, my husband's mom, a close friend, and the staff at the Sibulan Municipal Trial Court as witnesses. Three days later, on the date we originally wanted for our wedding, September 8, we had a reception with around 50 people in attendance. My husband and I were finally able to wear the wedding clothes we'd prepared.

Phew!

Now, it's been a year... and although my husband and I are still not physically together (darn that visa that's taking so long to arrive), I'm extremely grateful to God for my husband and the beautiful year we've had together. I pray for more beautiful years to come.

Read More

The Pork Chop and the Staple Wire

My close friends and I always go out for dinner every week. It started out as a "Thursday habit" that was then moved to Friday and subsequently became "TGIF." This week, my friend Lyn, who is the executive secretary of Silliman University's Founder's Week Committee (the festivities are ongoing, by the way) said that Friday night would be too busy for her. So we decided on a Thursday dinner again. Last night, basically. We chose to dine at Cafe Antonio.

The process of choosing a restaurant for our weekly gastronomic excursion is actually quite serious. The gang and I have a Facebook group, and it's there that we have a weekly poll on where we are to eat. There are always three choices of restaurants that we have not visited recently, and then we take our pick. 

I start the poll, because I have become the "bored" one who has all the time in the world to put up polls on Facebook. This week, the choices were Cafe Antonio, Gabby's Bistro and Hayahay Treehouse Bar and View Deck. Cafe Antonio came out as the unanimous winner, I guess because we have never been there together. 

Cafe Antonio is known for good food, great coffee, and awesome live music. When we got there, however, it was really warm (only one air conditioner was on). The tables were small, and the chairs too big. But we got past that. We are not divas after all. We are fairly easy to please, and we tip well--but that is beside the point. We settled in and started eating only after a short while, because in fairness, the food arrived very quickly.

We were almost done. I was chewing daintily on my food when all of a sudden I felt something hard between my teeth. I tried chewing again, trying to feel it, and when I was finally able to spit it out, it was a staple wire! A freakin' staple wire in my sizzling pork chop! I was horrified. I didn't even want to dwell on what might have happened if I had swallowed the thing. Thank God I didn't. Thank God!

We told the waiters what happened and they said they would replace the food. But I didn't want to eat anymore. I was really quite shook up. I no longer had to pay for the pork chop, but heck, that did not erase the fact that there was a staple wire my food! The experience was really quite distressing. We hightailed it out of there, and needless to say, this gang will never be going back to that place again.

Now friends, there is a moral lesson to this: always chew your food properly. Especially when you're at a restaurant! After all, you don't know what unwanted things lurk in that plate of seemingly tantalizing food.

The culprit.

Read More

Wedding Invitations

Coming up with the perfect invitation for your wedding can be quite stressful. Since it's the first thing your guests will see, it has to make an impact. It needs to have personality! So when my wedding planner told me that no one does embossed printing and there were limitations on what could be done in my hometown of Dumaguete, I immediately went online to check my options.

Fortunately, there are a number of print shops in Manila that allow you to order invitations online. Upon perusing their websites, I decided on Cardprints because they had this design that I just kept going back to. What made me decide? The uncommon, long, vertical layout and the unique lock!

I ordered a sample of their work and then customized the design to fit our colors of light pink and matte gold. After payment (which can be done through credit card or bank transfer), I told them about the layout I wanted and sent all the details that needed to be on the invites. All of our communication was done through email. After a production period of two weeks, the result was something that I was truly happy with!

Aside from Cardprints, here are other print shops that specialize in amazing invitations for your big day:

• Written in Ink
• Printsonalities
• Print Divas

So to all future brides out there, don't fret! There are a lot of great print shops online, and your perfect invitation is just an email away!

Read More

Like Books? Go Kindle!

Ever since the Amazon Kindle came out, I've always wanted it. This was before the time of smartphones and tablets. But since it's basically just an e-reader, I never really made an effort to get one. Until a few weeks ago, when a friend of mine offered to sell his fairly-new Kindle Touch to me.

I love the device! Before I got my hands on this Kindle Touch, I'd already downloaded the Kindle app for my Android phone and my iPod Touch. And it was all great! The Kindle Store offers a wide array of books, and even if you do not wish to purchase anything, you do not have to worry. A lot of books can be downloaded for free.

While Kindle is great as an app on tablets and smartphones, you have to consider the battery life. These devices do not last very long, and most of the time, you won't be able to finish a book before your battery runs out. This is where the real Kindle device really comes in handy. After reading for days on end, the battery life will not disappoint. And although you cannot read in the dark because it doesn't have a back light, the advantage is, it doesn't hurt your eyes so much. Kindle's e-ink technology assures you that reading from it will feel like reading from an actual book--only better, because you can increase the font size!

If you are an avid reader, a Kindle is the way to go in this day and age. I can no longer imagine having heaps of books collecting dust around me in my house. I have my Kindle, and all my books are easily accessible with just the tap of a finger.

Read More