All fueled up, with gratitude

Still high on life and looking forward to the bigger and better adventures 2013 brings, I found myself saying yes to the freshest of experiences I have been craving for a very long time. In over a month and a half, I saw things in a new light and gathered a tremendous amount of inspiration from the world around me. It's only unfortunate that I left a lot of good moments unspoken here on my blog. As my writing habits gradually turn into a conglomeration of #throwbackthursdays and #flashbackfridays or a memory game wherein I match a photo to a feeling and a feeling to a story and so on, January and February have come and gone without a trace in my little online space. Now as another new year slowly creeps in, I'll try harder to wring my brains out and share those worthwhile tales before it's too late (or before my hair turns so gray and blogging about these tidbits will be the last thing on my mind).

Holidates

We're halfway into the Ber months already and coming from the Philippines, that only means one thing: other than the dreadful monsoon season we've been experiencing (and a few other catastrophes, both manmade and natural, that has left the country at a standstill), of course—Christmas is right around the corner. By now families are almost done with redecorating their living rooms with the Christmas tree once again the center of attention, the dancing Christmas lights officially doubles the electricity bill, the Christmas playlist is on repeat all day (Michael Buble's album is my ultimate fave!), and gift-shopping has become a weekly habit.

For me, however, Christmas is beyond the presents and the decors. It's about reunions and being with loved ones I barely get to see and spend time with either because I've decided to make schoolwork the boss of me and/or the special folks were really just thousands of miles away. To wrap up my amazing 2012, I got to catch up with the happiest people on earth and to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. Their happiness is infectious and I hope the joyous celebration carries on in years to come.

At the top of the world

Knock, knock...is anybody there? Just checking in to get rid of the dust bunnies and cobwebs collected on my little space in the Internet. I'm sorry I haven't been around lately; I know nothing can beat last year's adventure and blogging spree. Suffice to say, I moved on and have kept my mind and my hands busy typing away...for business matters this time.

Of course I can't deny that I miss every second of my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual journey that is 2012. No doubt, the letting go process ironically involved sleepless nights spent going through photos and videos and reading every journal entry for the nth time. However, grow up I must...but that doesn't mean I can't have my fair share of throwbacks and flashbacks be it Thursday or Friday or any other day of the week!

On the morning of December 10th, I bid Los Angeles and the relatives goodbye and hopped on my Manila-bound plane. Little did I know that that twenty-hour (more or less) flight home had with it pleasant surprises enough to be swooned over and make me fall in love with life all the more. Basically, here are the three reasons why the ride has been memorable:

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.