i just miss my funny, free-spirited and talented one and only sister.
i could use some of her energy in the house right now.
***
adrian and i loved it when she was here.
she just fitted in, like she lived here for ages. in the country, and in our home.
i cant wait to have her again in 2012.
by then, id be energised to do alot of the beautiful things i was surrounded by when she was here: make-up, photography, theatre, dressing-up, museum trawling, bookstore hopping, stationary smooching, and food feasting.
im so excited with the thought of surrounding myself with those girly luxuries when she's here.
*praying to heavens*
***
{photo: thats her, Ana, just outside our favourite Fortnum and Mason store..after that,we had Knickerbocker glory ice cream in their parlour and a mini shop of a book she found (which she left here by the way)...its nice to have a sister who's such an individual and so different from you, yet so much the same as well}
on my last day before we fly,im supposed to be packing and arranging the last minute stuff. but here i am answering phone calls and emails from my university. they have emailed me regarding my essay (remember the dining table saga?), well i got really good feedback (and grade! woohoo!!) from that, and im absolutely ecstatic.
also, a phone call asking me if im interested in working in Learning Disabilities for Adults. DUh! would i just! absolutely, i am! Jobs like these comes once in a blue moon, and the learning opportunities are massive=) i spoke with the Clinical Lead and she told me the benefits and the responsibilutities,but i was too excited to concentrate. besides, the lady said, she thinks its tailor-made for me, *happy*.
the catch? i had to submit my application ASAP, as the deadline is the week after (and im in India). so the moment we ended the phone call, i had to submit my CV and the tedious process of filling up forms online.
talk about BUSY, i am really not exaggerating.
The good thing too, that means, i will have more time to entertain Kharla when she's here in September while waiting for the things to get finalized! (WOohoo again!)! September, roll on in=)
Technically, i dont have THE job thats being offered yet (as the powers that be has to go through red tape) , but its not a worry, as i currently am still working (well semi working as im in university too),and if i get the job, i will just slide into the new one from the old one. Praying it will be given to me too, as one of their requirement was flexibility working in the weekends (if needed, but swapped with weekday off), which can be a tough case, but lets see.
So, in between, answering emails, sending job applications,tidying up, blogging,haha and banking transactions, life is hectic..yet, life is good.
***
Flying to India in a few hours...
Excited for the possibilities that await me.
***
Things im looking forward to in this trip:
-a whole body massage at an Ayurvedic centre in one of the lodges we will be staying at
-Elephant safari
-the Keralan backwaters (which i heard is an out-of-this world experience)
-the safari lodge where we are booked to stay at
-the Tea plantation in one of India's peaks
-the authentic Indian food we will be served from our hosts
-the weddings im attending (and capturing,be still my heart, and Lord, please help me rise to the challenge)
-the Riverboat lodge cruising through the backwaters, where we are also billeted for two nights
-the castles and museums that were booked to see
-Ashrams were planning to visit and meditate at
-the Kathakali cultural show-- a highly costumed stage play reenacting the triumph of Good over Bad (the make up and costumes, i am so looking forward to see)
-the backstreets of a very rural Indian town
-the culture that im about to sample and witness (disclaimer: but obviously thru a visitors eyes)
-although i am sad, i wont be able to see jaipur and the pink city and the Taj Mahal, but i hope there will be a next time to visit it. for the meantime, i will be concentrating on the Southern part of India (the not so often featured part of India and apparently has the best seafood) specifically Kerala and Tamil Nadu, its food,its colours, its smells (Aileen, i will bring the pinchers as promised,haha),and its taste..
I am grateful for all the good things i am given, i just wish i can take you all with me=)
**
Thank you heavens, for always for knowing what i need before i do.
Thank you family and friends, for always being there.
x
Eat,Pray, Love (ok, copyright to Ms.Gilbert,haha).
The Rage x
***
this is a sample of a video i saw for Kerala--often called as God's Own Country
one of the things i always plan for my guests when they come here is to visit the Westend and watch a stage play.
lat year, when my family visited me, watching a stage play was one of the main plans.
we had so many options, but because Mama is not your stageplay kind of gal, we decided to book something that she would surely enjoy, as we thought "Wicked" was something too theatrical, and "Chicago" would be too girly/cabaret for Roi..we didnt worry about Ana as she is a theatre nut,LOL.
Plus it was the only stage play Adrian and i havent seen of all the things we wanted to see.(weve seen Fame, Lion King, Chicago, Wicked, Les Miserables, Billy Elliott, The Woman in Black.. there's one we hope to see: Phantom of the Opera-everytime we book it, we dont get the seat we want. we don't want to be far from the stage because i get disappointed not getting a good view..poor eyesight).
And we made the right choice..
Some photos of the night.
***
at home, prepping our looks, waiting for Adrian to start the car.
isnt she beautiful? i wish she wears make up more often to emphasize her strong features..
the brother looking more kitted for London weather
and the sis..urban goth chic chick.
***
(some more pics from the Canon G10)--
more of the sis=)
souvenir shot 1
souvenir shot 2
the Aldwych was quite small. so we were nearer to the stage than we expected
we were excited..
phototaking isn't allowed,hehe (Canon G10 without a flash--the best)
then some aftershow dinner and drinks..we went to a french restaurant near the Aldwhych
amazed at the conversation with adrian
looka looka heree
we were still talking about the show..how wonderful it was
and of course, the mr. and missus
mama exhilirated by her new experience
souvenir book/programme from the show
appetizer (i had assortment of bread and pate)
roi had the same
i think everyone had different stuff ordered but i was too busy eating, i didnt finish taking photos..
on our way home, we had a little joyride around london town to see the magical lights adorning the city at night..
one memorable night for me. i hope it was memorable for them too.
this, after just having been here for a month last november, 2009.
she still has a few months left on her visa, i thought, might as well have her here.
i could use some inspirational company.
by the time she leaves, a few months on, my cousin Karla will be coming too (pending the visa application, because as from experience, visa for tourists can be very tricky).
im excited to have Ana here, because spring will be at its best by then, and flowers would start to blossom. and the sun will be out to play. it would at least be different to the gray skies they had when they were here in November.
that means, i will have a photography buddy with me and someone who could be my companion when adrian's busy with business.
im sure you can imagine my excitement from where you're reading this..
***
Mama has no time left on her visa because all the months that she was given was spent on waiting for Ana and Roi to receive theirs.
Roi, like Ana, still has a few months left, but is enrolled in a chef-ing course, so he wont be able to come.
Ana is the perfect visitor. By the time she goes back to Cebu in May, its enrollment for her university studies.
***
some funny moments i had with my sister..and she is my favourite.
she and her love for granny glasses
she and ruby were staying at the guest room in our house when i was in cebu in december. and her in her london clothes which she might need to dig up again..LOL
my barkadas from long way back still call her "baby ana" because she used to be so young when she used to come with us on our night-about-town..around 9 years old? LOL..i know, im a bad influence of an ate=)
and this is ruby(my cousin who is like my sister too)...my second high school graduate (soon)..she will be graduating in march
***
my siblings has such great news but that will be on the next entry..
its at an unholy hour in the morning yet im wide awake.
the only thing that makes this scenery im in less tragic is the absence of a bottle of alcohol and used cigarettes.
tragic.
i am tired, and sad, and already missing my home.
my bags are still unpacked, my mind bursting with emotions waiting to be written and memories needed putting into paper (or the net, in my case, these days,LOL).
today, i had a very full day. [wait! the last three and a half weeks, i had very full days, (none that includes sleeping in the list of activities), but i am not complaining.]
my stomach could say the same. my stay in cebu was a never-ending gastronomic adventure. and because my neurons seem to connect to my stomach lining's cells (avatar lingo,LOL), i have had so much adventure the past weeks.
tomorrow night, i leave with a heavy heart, not-so-heavy luggage, but memory chest full of treasures. and its bound to carry your faces in it.
***
last memories etched in my heart:
goodbye dinner at Grand Convention's buffet and coffee afters at Coffee Bean..
dinner with the family and close relatives ..missing tony and joan who had a (grand ) wedding at Imperial Palace. Sean was there to represent Joan..
my lola visiting from Butuan...with my aunties: Teresa and Josephine..my lola Anita and Mama
Coffee Bean, Adrian's choice of coffee
my adopted brother Rey took time to say goodbye to me...he's so sweet
i always knew that she'd be there when im in need.
but its really different when she's physically here (to be there for me).
***
today, mama, and i did our first 'tandem' invitation to our guests John and Bing.
and for all the times i invited people over to the house for a meal, today was the very first time, i was running late with food preps. i was relying too much on her time management, while she was relying on me to be the 'leader' of time-keeping for today's preps.
we had a laugh when we suddenly realized time was catching up and we were lagging behind.
but the guests were late, so we weren't that late at all.
because of all the excitement of lunch and the wonderful storytelling and laughter over the table, i wasn't able to take photos...
i didn't mind.
were having more soon the next few weeks,LOL.
***
photos of my mama, looking so lovestruck.
thats how she looks like watching videos of her 'apo' Mika.
its so nice to finally change my wallpaper.
it used to carry a photo of a mug that said "cebu".
there are stories behind silences, pregnant pauses and thwarted thoughts.
what goes behind the curtains, is written.
this is evidence of a life lived, thoughts evoked and emotions stoked, when the time comes for goodbyes.
