A snow story

As a child coming from a tropical country, naturally I have always been curious about snow. The wet and dry season we have back at home is nothing compared to the loveliness of autumn. But the fall season has come and gone and although it has had me feeling tingles on the insides, I was equally as giddy to experience a White Christmas month. So you could imagine my disappointment when I flew out of the East Coast without experiencing the slightest hint of snow. Since then I never stopped wearing the necklace with a tiny snowflake pendant my Tita Jan gave me as remembrance, to remind myself that someday luck would be on my side when it comes to witnessing that kind of winter.


It turns out that I didn't have to wait too long for that happen: on my last day in America we made our way to Big Bear City to play with snow!! Since we barely had enough sleep because of our family get-together the night before, the two-hour drive up the mountains gave us a chance to catch up on some shuteye. We woke up to some lovely views of the lake, tall trees, and log cabins; it tells us how far away we are from the jampacked highways we got so used to in SoCal. The place had a totally chill and cozy vibe, I really wished I have the chance to camp out there next time!

Be still my fangirl heart

Just when I needed something to ease my idle state and let me escape from reality for a bit, the comfort and solace found in watching my favorite TV shows has had me lonely as they too decided to take a break from the air. With limited options left, aside from immersing myself in reruns of random series that I chance upon every time I channel-surf (barely), I take myself back to the Friday afternoon my friends and I drove around Los Angeles and neighboring cities, "stalking" shooting locations like it's nobody's business.


We've all had our fair share of fangirl moments; that half-day happened to be the height of mine. Let me tell you this now: obviously there weren't any ongoing shoots nor have I spotted anyone famous on our mini-escapade—I've proven to be quite unlucky in that department. Besides, what was I to expect from a bunch of privately-owned houses and public spaces which were only use for exterior shots anyway? The mere fact, however, of being "there" was enough to throw my heart off the rails.

Stuck in reverse

Sometimes it's just really hard to follow your own advice.

Half a year ago, in between packing, planning, and kissing my cousins goodbye, I devoted my down time scouring the Internet for writing- or publishing-related job openings that I slightly lost track of my remaining days in the US. I traded playtime with browsing Jobstreet and company websites, when I should have prioritized my limited moments with relatives. Eventually my worry for my future turned out to be uncalled for, as I right away snagged a position that suited me.

Fast forward to today, I keep going back to the past year though I pledged to stick with the present. 2013 started out grand but the glory days immediately crippled—I got no choice other than to cling on to what's familiar. It's easier to navigate through memories than to venture into the Great Unknown. It's nothing to be proud of, being scared of trying due to the high risk of failing. However, I'm on that road to recovery; I'm working my way through it. Slow and steady, I'll get to where I'm supposed to be. My heart is filled with so much anticipation despite my guarding every part of it.

I'm once again set to try what's left of my luck in a couple of days. In the meantime, here are the remaining California photos that have been sitting inside my folders, untouched, for too long now. Going through them made me miss my relatives and my American adventure even more. Praying for a repeat!

Golden as we'll ever be

The next day we woke up a little before noon and were surprised to be greeted by glorious sunshine. Sure, pavements still had puddles on them, glass windows were covered by rain droplets, and people carried their umbrellas the way they do handbags—but the morning drizzle had stopped thus sparing us from having a groggy time. I was more than thankful for that. If the lovely weather was any indication of how great the rest of our day would pan out, then I was looking forward to it. Already a step ahead, I had finished packing before I went to bed the night before and got ready as fast as I could the morning of.

Cheerful company, chilly after-hours

That night in San Francisco is mostly a blur now.


Making my way to the Irish pub at the corner of the street, I skipped from one sidewalk to another, trying my best to dodge puddles on the floor and cars passing by. I immediately found our table and gave everyone hugs, besos, and handshakes accordingly. It was nice to see familiar faces again; the last I've seen most of them was the day we threw our "fake" diplomas in the air during graduation last year. After a round or two of drinks and answering questions ranging from the how are yous to what are you doing heres to where are you headed tos, we left the bar, crammed ourselves inside the car, and drove across town in search for a place to eat.

Returning to this hearty, coastal city

I have the faintest memory of San Francisco. From our family vacation to California a little over a decade ago, I could vaguely recall staying in the City by the Bay for more than twenty-four hours and what a bummer that had been for the future Charmed and Princess Diaries fanatic in me. Sure I remember passing by gorgeous Victorian houses lined up on one side of the road and the glorious Golden Gate Bridge on another. I owned and overused an Alcatraz shirt, drove through and had a picture taken with "the crookedest road," that section on Lombard Street, and got lost exploring Pier 39 with my siblings.

But aside from these ten-year-old tidbits, I don't have anything else to be able to keep this chilly Californian city etched in my memory for long. Goes without saying that for quite some time now I have been wanting to go back and reintroduce myself to this city I was once lucky enough to step foot on yet unfortunate to be slowly forgetting. And thankfully, on the cusp of Christmas month, return and create new, fond memories is exactly what I did.


At first it was really just about meeting and spending time with relatives and friends in the northern California area. But finding out that San Fo was America's Best City in 2012 really sparked my curiosity, making me want to teleport there right away. Understanding, however, that I don't have the superpowers of my much-adorned Charmed witches—Prue Halliwell's astral projection and Paige Matthews' orbing—and that these things take time and planning, I had to wait it out and weigh my options. Good thing that during my SoCal visit in September, my Tita Lalee invited me to hang out with her in San Jose for a weekend, even offering to tour me around forty-five-minutes-away San Francisco.

Hearts all over the world

Happy Valentine's Day to my lovely readers! How's your heart today? As for me, same old same old. Nothing special, really. Well, except for two things. First, I'm a song away from completing I love love: a 30-day Valentine playlist, a personal project I put up on Tumblr about a month ago to celebrate the season. Although I must admit I got sidetracked for a bit and had trouble choosing the songs to place there, I still found my efforts worth the trouble. Anything for music and for romance!

And second, I learned how to be in good terms with time and timing. What difference can a year make! Without having gone through a complete turn from last February 14th, I wouldn't have discovered one of my greatest passions: to travel. But being able to see the Philippines (and eventually, the world) then write all about those experiences—now that's the perfect gift I could ever receive at this stage in my life.

Forget the flowers, stuffed toys, and chocolates. 2013, you're doing a pretty good job. Keep it up. As for me, I know I've been failing at this blogging thing, but let me make up for all the lost updates by sharing phone photos I gathered since the end of November 2012:

Harbouring waters

It's official: I am in love with the sea. Or any body of water for that matter.

And after three hours of exploring Newport by boat, I knew I have always wanted to live somewhere close to shore. Not only would it be picturesque 24/7, the view it offers is just so serene and soothing, enough to calm anyone—even the soon-to-be workaholic in me. I could already imagine watching sunsets with family and friends over some hot cup of coffee or chocolate and with the cool wind blowing through our hair. That would be tres magnifique!

That sunny afternoon the clan was divided into two groups because Duffy Boats could only accommodate twelve people. The little ones and their parents were assigned to one boat, and the rest of us were placed in another. So while they were busy reciting nursery rhymes and filling in coloring books, we were sipping wine, adoring each house in sight, and singing along to the soundtrack of every musical we loved: Sound of Music, Mamma Mia!, Disney movies, and the whole shebang! We were so loud, perhaps the entire Southern Cali could hear us. Good thing there weren't any water police around, lest we would have been escorted back to the dock right away.

Everybody had the time of their lives, it was certainly a great way to bid California goodbye...for now.


A shoutout: Thank you to my Tito Tan and Tita Shas for making this trip possible, to Tito Ted and Tita Ehleen for fetching me from the airport and welcoming me to their lovely home, to Tita Lalee for Disneyland and California Adventure, to Tito Marc for driving me to the airport for my return flight, and for everyone else for making me fall in love with California even more!

Sun and smiles in Southern California

I keep on thinking about California, and quite fondly at that.


It's not the most beautiful place, I admit. After staying in Maryland and venturing into the northern states of the East Coast for three months, I half-expected the rest of America and especially California to also be full of wonderful landscapes: vast open fields on this side and trees of various kind and size on another. Instead, I was welcomed with jam-packed highways and tall palm trees at least fifty meters away from each other. I guess I should have done more research...


But the food and the shopping made up for it. I tasted my first In-N-Out cheeseburger complete with animal-style fries and chocolate shake, and altogether it was divine! Besides that, the rest of our meals were home-cooked. We had our chef uncle who flew in from Chicago to celebrate with us and prepared a feast for everyone at least twice during our short vacation. And as for the party, the family hired a Filipino caterer who served all things heavenly. I may have gained more than five pounds after my trip, but it was with no regrets.


Now the shopping was a different story. How lucky were we to be staying at our uncle's place which was right across a huge mall?! For sure our wallets weren't spared. On Thursday Melissa and I stayed there for four hours, going through all the stores that looked promising and ended up bringing home three plastic bags filled with loot. Before the party, I accompanied my aunts and uncles to look for summer attires and other stuff needed at the house. And finally the day before my flight back to Baltimore I crossed the street again—this time by myself—to scavenge through the sale racks. Though Asians rule the populace in this side of the country hence limiting the good choices of clothing and increasing the scarcity of XS/S/M-sized apparel, I believe this was all part of the experience and I was happy with the things I bought.


And did I mention the people? Aside from the theme parks, I always want to come back to the Golden State because of the growing number of my relatives around. While some of them lived in the Philippines for the first half of their lifetime and/or visited home once a year back in the day, there were some who were born in America and never got the chance to fly to Iloilo. I saw to it that I meet each and every one of them during my entire stay in the country. At this rate, I'm doing a very good job.


We had a lot of reasons to celebrate and arrange a get-together that weekend—Tito Marc's birthday, Tito Ted and Tita Ehleen's new home, EJ and Melissa's new life in the US, and among others—but the main cause why everyone flew in/drove down to Huntington Beach was Shiloh's baptism and first birthday. She's the second youngest grandchild of my lola and lolo and possibly the cutest and prettiest one around!


Come lunch that Saturday we all had our luau on, minus the leis which were unfortunately tucked in a box, hidden in the messy garage. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about the garland, which wasn't much of a big deal judging from our wide array of clothing choices. From beach dresses to tropical wear to laid-back and simple summer attire to outfits with wild, bright, and colorful prints...you name it, we had them all!


Being reunited and spending some time with my aunt Jessica (22) and cousin Malyssa (19), whom I've shared a couple of memorable summers and Dinagyangs about five to ten years ago with, had to be the one of the greatest highlights of my trip. I remember Ica and I getting sick at eight and ten, when the clan was bound for Boracay the following day. We both had to stay at our aunt's home the entire weekend while everyone else were enjoying the white-sand beach and then-clear waters of the paradise which was six hours away. We spent our afternoons taking naps, reading storybooks, and, the evil little kids that we were, praying that it would rain in the island. That way, it would be fair that we were down with the bug and stuck in the comforts of the house.


Meanwhile, Mal claims that though it has been five years since, Sana Maulit Muli is still unforgettable. And why shouldn't it be, when you have twin cousins who talked you into watching the weekend marathon from start to finish and translated every Filipino line into English so that you would understand what was going on? The best part of the telenovela was obviously the ending, when the bigger picture was revealed. It was already three in the morning and all fourteen-year-old Malyssa could say was, "Wow, I really liked it!" And to be honest, I enjoyed all the English-speaking we did.


The evening of the party, my high school classmate and friend who lived nearby picked me up so we could have dinner. Keith moved to America a few months into senior year and though she has returned to the Philippines for short trips twice ever since, we haven't had the chance to meet up. We shared a serving of squid balls, beef basil spaghetti, and a velvet by night toast box over a glass of milk tea (finally!!!) and never-ending stories at Cha2O Restaurant & Dessert Lounge in Cerritos. I was even lucky enough to meet her boyfriend, Sanz.


And who would have known, we had matching outfits: stripes, blues, and seafoam flats! Sanz and Keith gave me a rather quick (all thanks to the endless traffic) tour of the area and of Long Beach the rest of the night. We went to Signal Hill to get a breathtaking view of the city and later drove by Downtown Long Beach so I would be acquainted with the area in case I come back (and I most definitely will!). Keith and I were supposed to have a sort-of exploration of shooting locations in Los Angeles and nearby towns that Friday but due to conflict of schedule (I'm looking at you, Disneyland and California Adventure), we had to cancel. Nonetheless that wouldn't stop us from attempting to start with it, and with Erin Silver's house no less!

I'm looking forward to resume our "stalking" when I return on December (This is the last rebooking, I promise!). That, and see more of California and meeting up with relatives and friends. Meanwhile, I am trying to catch up with long overdue entries and some poetry class work. Wish me luck and thanks for reading!

Life could be a dream

From my recollection, California Adventure was not made for the nine-year-old easily-scared me. They have amazing and intricate walkthroughs too, but unlike in Disneyland, most of their attractions are geared towards teens and grown-ups. And as I mentioned before, I'm all for the sightseeing and was never the type to be fond of roller coasters and amusement park rides, especially those wild ones that make you doubt whether you'd get through the entire thing alive. But at twenty and aiming to overcome such a fear, I wanted to try my luck and see to it that I survive them despite the high possibility of me fainting or getting mini-heart attacks in the process.

Once again, here's a 2012 map of California Adventure for your convenience.


We first ventured into Hollywood Land and was welcomed by this beautiful backdrop that was long etched in my memory. And to our right was a pleasant surprise: the costumes and props from one of my favorite shows (of all time!), Once Upon A Time, were on display in Off the Page. My heart almost couldn't take it! However, I got a tad bit disappointed that they didn't have Rumpelstiltskin's. But I guess they're just afraid some crazy, diehard fanatic might break the window, steal it, and either, the lunatic that she is, make a shrine out of it or simply wear it for Halloween. *cough, cough*

The group took at least five minutes of the afternoon convincing me to join them on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This was the elevator-ride-gone-wrong Tito Ted has been raving about ever since he found out that we were Disney-bound, and at that time the idea of sitting down on this machine that raises and drops you at least five storeys at a time and without your knowing didn't sound so bad. And well, it really wasn't...had you closed your eyes eighty percent of the ride like me (something I love doing whenever I watch horror movies, fyi). Luckily, I got my eyes open on that photo they snapped midway. I, however, wish I kept them close; anything would be better than looking half-confused and half-constipated. Let's just say it wasn't my best take.


And then there was Cars Land. I'm not gonna lie: perhaps the main reason why I got so delighted with our park hopper tickets was that I would be able to check out the recently-opened Radiator Springs. I also admit that I'm not the biggest Cars fan; I only watched the first movie from start to finish a few months ago and though I haven't seen the sequel in its entirety I already know that even when it was set around the globe it wasn't as great as the first. Still, I ought to cruise through Cars Land. It's not everyday that I get to be in a place that was built from and because of a movie!


Because it was new (and awesome!), the line at the Radiator Springs Racers was disheartening and we heard the wait was terrible (more than an hour and a half?!). We grabbed some fastpasses (like what we did in Disneyland) so that we were accommodated upon entrance and unlike the others, didn't have to wait that long. Meanwhile, we killed time by passing through Paradise Pier, watching part of the Pixar Play Parade, taking a trip under the sea with Ariel, and learning how to fly at Goofy's Sky School.


Soon after what felt like forever on that long and winding queue, we fastened our seatbelts for a bumpy yet worthwhile drive. If you liked the movie, you'll surely appreciate Cars Land and especially that ride. It's like seeing and meeting the characters in person...err car. (Get it, get it?) The town stayed true to the film, down to the sight of bright neon lights and the sound of Sh-Boom at night. It was certainly beyond magical. We capped the night off with my obvious favorite since my first and only visit at the park, Soarin' Over California, leaving me yearning for more time in my favorite state. Oh well, until we meet again!

P.S. And I couldn't emphasize this enough: a huge thank you to my Tito Tan, Tita Lalee, and Tita Shas for making one of my childhood dreams come true! Love you!