HOPEy Easter!

Last year, our Easter was spent in Highstreet. Mom was still with us. It was a beautiful Sunday. Mom was playing with Dad, throwing paper over his head and having fun with Gavin. I could remember her telling me to straighten my back and fix my posture, us taking pictures, and her smiling. It's been a year since that wonderful moment.

This Easter, we decided to stay home. We all painted eggs in funny ways. I also hid the eggs in the garden, which Gavin earned Php60.00 for finding all five. I'm not sure  how that  amount was divided per egg found, but he earned it anyways and placed 3 of each 20 Peso bill in his red gas tank bank. We stayed home because we were tired from being in Subic the day before. We stayed home because it saved us time and money. We stayed home because I wanted something new and sweet for Gavin, a good memory, just like what mom left us.

Below are our painted eggs. It's actually fun! Easter Sunday 2012 went good. Hope was in the air.

Meet the Easter Homemade Eggs (Counterclockwise): 

1. Angry the crackhead (This one really got cracked, thus the angry face)-Paint by Gavin, Face by VR. 2. Gavin's Marbled Egg. 

3. Aliens & Boobies- a collaboration between Gavin and I. 

4. The boring typical Easter egg by Chal.

 5. And the winner is...WATERMELON EGG by VR. 

Life after Death

Death is the last thing I would ever know to handle. Who does anyways? Ever since I've experienced it, life has never been the same. I could still damn remember how I was loudly whispering in the ER, "I believe in miracles", saying it one million times, expecting that the lifeline would change and a cough or jerk would happen. My heart still jumps out of my chest whenever I remember that moment.

3 months and not a day goes by without me yearning for her. She was so damn beautiful. Always have been, always will. I saw greatness and lived with it everyday. And guess what? There is no greatness without a hint of insanity. You would need to be partly insane to make great things happen. She always drove me nuts, but it  always came with jaw dropping brilliance as well. Beauty & Brains are the deadliest weapons of all time.

I hate heroes dying, but they do. Even Jesus did. The question would always be, what happens to life after death? Her life, and ours. That crappy word called "cope", wow! It is what it is. She would always tell me "Life is fair. We all have 24 hours in a day. It is up to us to use it". Well, I've been coping with my hours. My 24 fair hours have been traded to tweeeentyfoooourhooours stretched to its maximum potential. Every word she spoke, every smile she gave, and every memory she lent me, I damn love. I did not get anywhere with this, and I probably won't. One thing's for sure though, you'll go through it too. Other's and your's. You'll find yourself talking to yourself and trying to make sense while coming up with plenty of non-sense. Ay! There's the rub ika nga.

BAKLING

So this Bakling thing, I've been doing it for years. I have an excuse. 

It's the Taiwanese & Japanese in me.

The Bakling being done by me

Even she does it.

Me again. 

The Backlings

Kamsahamnida

I keep saying it and I'll keep saying it! I love airplanes! Every ride is a joy! Being up amidst clouds, served by a smiling stewardess, and just literally away from earthly concerns for a few hours, is a little piece of heaven for me. I savor every plane ride I get. If only I could have ridden more flights with my father as the captain. Regardless, every plane ride is a joy. The occasional turbulence that wakes your senses and makes you feel more human the stronger it gets. The system that goes behind the precise service of what seemingly looks easy. The magic that each Pilot does every take off and landing. Ahhh... truly a mini piece of heaven in a jumbo jet!

Now, i'm no jet-setter, only a jet-lover. With the times that I get to travel, whether for work or for experience, I make it sure to plan my plane ride by stocking it with books, magazines, my journal, and a pen. Not to mention allotted time for in-flight movies, documentaries, and a little bit of milk tea sipping. When the stewardess asks "Coffee? Tea?", I'm the one that says "Yes. Tea please, with extra cream and sugar" . In-flight Milk Tea.


For this ride, I got to do all that is stated above including watching a dramatic Hollywood movie (One Night) and a wonderful Picasso documentary. I enjoyed my KE flight, although I'm really a China Airlines and Eva Air baby.
                                         

         

    No, not the screen. The tiny button-like coat/cardigan/whaterver you want to hang hanger.

Yummy Bibimbap with instructions. I'm also an airplane food lover.

Handy-dandy practical airplane stickers.


Now where's Korea in all of this? Here... :D



- C

JERON TRAVEL

A thought is a powerful one. You can either think forever or make that thought count and happen.Today, a project comes to life. Not perfect, but yes, it is born. Online ticket booking & purchasing at www.jerontravel.com I will grow this baby.

Now a few more thoughts to grow and my family will be complete. Baby steps. I believe in "Family Planning".

Northern Escape

Our Northern Escape was cancelled twice. First, due to technicality reasons, and second, due to a tsunami warning. When it finally pulled through with a date worth working on, there was no looking back as we headed up. It turned out to be more than an adventure tour. The food offerings were just too great to pass on as well. From the halo halo vendor to the wonderful Pinakbet pizza, we were sold. Of course the main highlight was just what we expected. Sand-boarding rush! Add to that our wonderful 4x4 driver that spun us around the dunes making sure that  it was a joy/scream fest/messy ride for us!

Paoay, Laoag, Vigan, and Pagudpud were worth the trip. Be sure to pack some patience and be prepared to ( literally ) eat dust . Patience, for the long ride to make it the roadtrip it truly was, and a bit of guts to eat, tour, surf the sand, and swim in cold waves as well. We had a 2yr old and a 4yr old with us who had both of that! It was then I came to realize what Vich really was about. It's not a business, neither is it a creed. Vich Addventures was exactly what I could not find myself. There's no need to expound on this. Just try it! Live an ultimate weekend and you'll know what I mean!

                   Arriving around 8am and touring Vigan

The Vich-es for Ilocos

                           Ang Ganda ng Pilipinas!

                                   Lovable adventure couple

                              I love my All-Terrain Slippers!

                                                     Beautiful!

Mother and Daughter Rockstar pair no. 1

                                    Blowing Windmills

                                       Comfort Soup!

                              Mother and Daughter Rockstar pair no.2

                                         Pinakbet Pizza

                                          Our NewFoundFriends for the day

                                     Windy Pagudpud

                                             Carl surfing on sand

 This was the position my son chose for our 12hr ride back to MNL

'til our next adventure, Live your ultimate life!


-Chal

One Hot Sunny Sunday

I've been wanting to find time to paint & today was perfect. Mainit daw, so I decided to paint waves and and an electric fan. I only had a canvas and a watercolor set. I found a broken glass frame and used it as my paint palette and an old make up brush to use for painting. It's not done though. I still plan to put torn pieces of a map and my dad's drawings (He sketched some stuff on the paper placemat at Chef's Table and I kept it) on the side to give it texture. I'm no surfer, but those waves are pretty cool don't you think? I was inspired by a Japanese artist. Hindi sa mahangin ako, but I'm pretty stoked with what I did for just an hour :D Sunday well spent!