Wasn't expecting much of turning twenty-five yesterday, and after a sudden unfortunate change of events, I was even more down and not in any way looking forward to anything. Add to that my limited list of food I could eat because of a sudden attack allergies. Phooey, right?
Woke up early in the morning to get ready, my mom and Josh drove me up to the mountains to meet up with friends for a couple of friends' wedding. Beautiful weather, amazing time. Took a little stop at Starbucks for some coffee and sandwiches, then had a lovely ride down with Rainy. Surprised when he brought me to Lugang, knowing I have been wanting to have good 小龙包 for a long time already--really good food, but more than the food, it was the thought he put into it. He held back on the food, ordering the good stuff but making sure those didn't contain any allergy-triggering ingredients; Rain wanted to get me cake too, but knew I couldn't. And knowing me best, we got tea to go, knowing it would cap off the great day we had perfectly :)
Thanks for spending my birthday with me, I know it's not easy to make time sometimes, but I loved it :)
Got home in the afternoon to a poor, sick sister :( played with my baby cousin and hung with the sister
and Skyped in the evening :)
Real laid-back day, but it was incredible <3
I am blessed, very happy, content :) this is the perfect way to begin the next twenty-five years of life :)
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When you love someone, you want to give the best to that person--the best of yourself, the best of everything. Therefore love, in its very essence, is giving. So how can you say "I LOVE chocolate cake" when you are planning to consume it?!
-Francis Kong (he a very wise man haha)
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Twenty-five years ago today, a baby boy was born. So he probably had pale white skin (which women of today envy and spend tons of money on products that would make them even the teeniest bit nearly as white as him) and adorable, crinkly Chinese eyes. I'm sure he cried and made a fuss a lot ;)
Twenty-five years later, still the same silly face with the same cute eyes :) and I can attest to the fact that he still fusses around like a girl too haha
When people ask how long I've known him, I never really know what to say; technically, I've known him since we were little kids in Sunday school--back then, we did not like each other at all. I thought he was loud and obnoxious and such a typical immature boy, he saw me as a quiet, uptight snob. We saw each other a lot, too much then, to appreciate it. Guess it was partly due to that adolescent phase when girls think, "Boys, ugh," and boys think, "Girls, yuck!" Lost touch when we hit high school, I think, but reconnected when we were both abroad in Beijing for post-uni studies. Honestly I was surprised he remembered me, cause like I said, we near-detested each other's guts back then (right? Right??). But this was different. I found him to have changed, he seemed to have matured, while I was in the process of changing as well. What especially drew me to him was how the goodness of his heart shone without him trying, how he seemed to have such a heart for other people :)
VERY long story made short, we became friends, very good friends, best friends, who've been through pretty much anything and everything together. So many firsts. Silly stuff, serious stuff, fun stuff, heartbreaking stuff. Bike races through Beijing streets, pigging out on meat-all-you-can hotpot lunches just us two, cheap street food dinners, studying at Bridge, ridiculous pillow fights, staying in for the weekend just watching TV series and ordering delivery, going out for midnight snacks in the dead of Beijing winter, existing in the city we love, milk tea dates back home, being yoga buddies, acting as my chauffeur, just chill weekend partners, and so so much more. Through it all, there's only been two things, learning and living, together. It's the most amazing thing to have someone who gets you, who nudges you to be better, to be able to sit in comfortable silence with someone and not have to worry about saying something wrong, to be able to be at your silliest and craziest with him without being judged, to be able to tell him everything and know that he's there and not going anywhere.
I remember a year ago, I wrote him a long birthday email, and ended up making us both cry. Of course, things were different then. He was in Beijing and I was stuck here. Not the ideal way to celebrate someone important's birthday apart. Which is why I'm thankful for this year, I got to spend it with him, even if it was in advance. And even then, when the day was supposed to be special and about him, HIS day, he turned the tables on me and made it about me too. That's just how good he is. Deep down, it's there, even if he shows a manly, tough exterior sometimes :)
So much has happened--time, distance, drama, issues. But we've gotten through them. At least most of them ;) we're works in progress, but I believe He who began this good work in us will be faithful to complete it :)
Thanks, Rainy, for everything. Thank you for teaching me, bearing with me, standing by me and loving me. You know what I'm talkin about :) and you know I've always got your back, no matter what, where, when, how, how long. If you're sad, I cry with you, and when you're happy, I'm even happier for you. Even if it is just me, at least you've got me :) you are superduper loved <3
xoxo
Paupau
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I usually look forward to the holidays, not because of all the food and parties and gifts, but cause of the year-end clan vacations we take. It's always been in the country, cause the parents don't like traveling in airports with the mad Christmas rush, lugging around a lot of luggage and a lot more kids. We used to do beaches, but for the past I-forgot-how-many-years already, the mountains of Baguio have been a vacation favorite for the cold weather, pine trees and Christmasy atmosphere in general, seeing as how we do not normally have the abovementioned three in the tropical metropolis.
It's mostly about a lot of sleeping in, eating, more sleeping and eating, running (for us big kids who wanna keep in shape despite the season's refusal to let us stay thin), driving, taking photos, fooling around, playing (bowling, pool, biking, etc), eating and sleeping. Lazy cold days. This year's was different in the fact that we were missing one family--totally not complete or the same without the Gatchalian-Tee's :(
So here's where we stayed this year:
Nice log-cabin-style homes, if it wasn't for the icky bedbugs some of the beds had. Hate them!
We did the usual deal--sip hot chocolate/coffee/tea, build a fire,
the cliche Starbucks' run, hang at the country club, have lunch at Uncle Pat's quaint organic garden home,
sleep in, shop at Camp John Hay,
go for random drives in the middle of the freezing night. And since we didn't have an Internet connection where we were staying, it forced us to make do with what we had: each other.
It was fun really. Although it was inevitable that whenever we got to the country club, you'd see us scampering for wi-fi signal and everyone on their phones and iPads :)
Christmas up in the mountains is always fun, especially with family (we missed you guys big time though, Nate and Neil and fam!). A lot of quality and needed down time, yeah. Although it made us fat, like this:
Still, holiday vacation + family = <3
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