transposable element

batanes beckoning

ruth — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:06:46 +0000

inspired by the philippine tourism campaign “it’s more fun in the philippines”, i’ve been looking up places all over the archipelago i haven’t been to, and man, forget about the list of that 1001 places book; i think i could come up with a list of 1,001 places in the philippines alone that i would love to set foot on before i die!

the sad part is that i know that i probably won’t make it, though. living abroad kinda limits the opportunities to pack up and explore. and a lot of the places are not easy to get to. or too expensive to get to. or not suitable for the kids. etc, etc.

i know i sound like i’m making excuses, but i guess it’s time to admit that i’ve lost the wanderlust spirit since i’ve had kids. finding it too tedious/cumbersome to travel with kids, we’ve been opting for easy holiday options: beach, hotel/villa, 3 hour flight max.

but batanes beckons. rolling hills, rustic furniture, windswept landscapes, rugged cliffs, peace and quiet.

soon.

happy new year!

ruth — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:40:01 +0000

this may be my first post of the year, but ain’t too late. after all, in this country, the lunar new year is more important than that dictated by the gregorian calendar. not that i’m a convert (lo hei isn’t enough of a converter), but after 5 chinese new years in this country, you already kinda get the drift.

well, whichever calendar you follow, here’s to a bountiful, successful, memorable year ahead!

christmas sale

ruth — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:24:25 +0000

christmas may be over, but the shops are still out to squeeze the last dollar from people’s pockets. now they’re offering further reductions to everything, from clothes, food, books to electronic gadgets and lcd tvs on sale. unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, most people have yet to receive their annual bonuses, typically given (if at all) in the first quarter of the year. this little red dot is a haven for shopaholics!

santa duties

ruth — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:25:25 +0000

i thought we’d be done with christmas shopping early this year. the kids’ wishlists are very straightforward, and they were very consistent, no matter how many times we asked them. they knew what they wanted, and luckily they were easy wishes to fulfill. no need to go to extremeterrain for jeep parts or some such requests.

but there’s 9 days to go til christmas, just one weekend left, and there are still a few things to cross off the list. looks like i underestimated our santa duties, arrrgh!

year end frenzy

ruth — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:24:04 +0000

and so i’m back. just as i thought everything was honky dory, i couldnt login to my blog for the longest time. just when there were things i so wanted to write, murphy’s law strikes yet again and i was locked out. oh well.

it’s already the second advent! yet another year almost over. but before that, a shopping fenzy awaits! actually, we’ve already done a small spree of sorts for this year’s advent calendar for the kids, running around town and searching for small items that could fit into the pouches i had sewn… by hand! we’ve also got a few items from this year’s wishlists ticked off although we’ve still a way to go before we’ve got everyone covered.

am also contemplating whether i should attempt (!) to write a family newsletter this year. i skipped writing one last year, as christmas came early whe we flew to europe on the 2nd week of december last year. this year, i’ve no alibi, except that life is just hectic. it’s crazy at work, and there’s no sign of letting up in the last weeks of the year, so am not really sure if i can manage to write one. it’s probably more realistic to get personalised postcard printing done, though: a photo, a few lines and it’s good to go. but then, am not sure if we actually have one decent family photo. hm, we’ll see…