“I hope the heart has a way of getting used to it, but that is just not the case.”
- My Mom, on me not being able to go back home for Christmas a few years ago.
This will be the 6th year straight that I am not home to wish my mom a Happy Birthday in person. I wish I could give her one of the things she wants most at this time – that her darling baby Honey would come home for good – and I’m as heartbroken as she probably is that it’s not something I could give her right now, not just yet.
I have always looked up to my mom, regardless of everything that would make her seem less of a person to anyone else’s eyes. As people would say about the people they love, she’s far from being perfect, but she is perfect to me, perfect for me. She is the main reason I am what I am today, and what I have chosen to be tomorrow (and I'd like to think I turned out OK, hehe...). She has played such a defining role in my life that I can’t help but just thank whatever it is in the universe that chose me to be born to her. She has been a good mentor when I was still beginning to learn about life; she has always been a good friend during those times when I am reminded that life is sometimes not what I expected it to be. In short, I can honestly say that despite all the good things in life I could aspire for, that I could strive for, at any given day, she is enough and everything for me.
When I was a kid and still too juvenile to confidently make my own decisions, I did not have any problem surrendering to her all the anxieties that make deciding so hard and all the reasons that make it so easy to be impulsive. And she never failed to guide me in the right direction so I can think clearly for myself – she never imposed her opinions on me nor made the decisions for me. Come to think of it, even now that juvenility has been replaced by immaturity, I still rely on her to set me in the right path.
These and a lot more to be thankful for, but the most important, to which I will be grateful for until forever, is that she kept our family strong and happy and loving. She could have been anything she wanted but she chose to nurture us, to be with us, to just be the core of the love that keeps us together. I remember she told me she had wanted to go to the US with her batch mates to be a nurse right after she graduated from UP. She told me of how successful her friends are now, with mansions in Dasma or elsewhere, a new car every year, and some even have their own private jet! I know she gets envious sometimes, but as she always says, “Who knows how far I could have gone in terms of everything, but sabi ko nga – eh di baka wala naman kayo ngayon.” to which my siblings and I would sometimes reply in jest, “Eh di baka Amerikano kami hehe.”
We don’t have a mansion, we don’t get a new car each year, and I definitely don’t fly back home in my own private jet, but Mama has given us everything we need – her commitment, her love, and a strong loving family. Thank you, Mama for everything! Happy Birthday!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
A Night At The Kamogawa Grand Hotel
(Part 3 of an account of our trip to Kamogawa City, Chiba)
For our Kamogawa trip, Marvin and I decided to stay at the Kamogawa Grand Hotel, one of the better and more expensive hotels in the area. It proved to be worth it, since the night we spent there was a memorable experience in itself.
We checked in at 5 PM and immediately went to our room to check out if the description on their website was accurate or not. And it was! The view of the ocean was splendid and you can even hear the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. The room was also as the website described it – everything was just perfect!
After taking some pictures, we rested up a bit and watched TV for a while. The soft spacious bed and the sound of the ocean was too tempting to resist that I ended up taking a quick nap even though I didn’t plan on doing so. It was funny the way I woke up with a jolt at around 6:55 PM and exclaimed, “Waah yung dinner! Anong oras na?!?” Our dinner was scheduled at 7 PM and I really didn’t want to miss it just because I fell asleep from exhaustion.
We had dinner at the hotel’s western style restaurant – The Gunjo Restaurant. It was designed to look like a beach cottage (come to think of it, technically it is haha!), but instead of it being open air, the walls were of crystal clear glass – too clear that if not for the reflections from the lights, you wouldn’t think there was anything between you and the beach at all. The fixtures and furniture were a deep dark brown, which helped set the mood. It was elegant in the way you would want a classy restaurant to be, but comfy and cozy enough that you wouldn’t feel too self conscious while enjoying your meal.
Since it was sort of a formal setting, there was the usual array of spoons, forks, and knives, and Marvin and I could barely contain our laughter as we tried to remember which utensil was for which food. Fortunately, we remembered to “work our way in” and since the waiters didn’t seem shocked when they took our plates after every dish, we assumed we were doing fine.
To start off, we were served some kind of avocado-mushroom flan, seafood appetizers, and mushroom soup. The seafood appetizers and soup were delicious, but I didn’t like the avocado-mushroom flan. Maybe it was a bit too elegant for my taste, haha.
After that, we were served 3 kinds of fish, each with a different sauce. It was different from the usual way the Japanese served fish – either uncooked as sushi, or fried and served with radish. It was delicious of course, and I even managed to finish way before Marvin did (a rare feat).
Just when I thought that that was the main dish, the waiter came up to us and asked how we would like our steak. He spoke to us in English so we were caught by surprise and it took us a few seconds to realize he was speaking in English and not in some Japanese we haven’t heard before. After he came back with our steaks, he tried to start a conversation by asking us how our dinner was so far. We of course politely responded that it was delicious – I guess everybody says that regardless of how they really feel. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at the waiter’s next question though – “Where are you from? India?” And at the word India, he turned as if directing the question to Marvin. Bwahaha, sabi na nga ba mapapagkamalan na naman ‘to eh! Joke lang Daddy! Mwah!
After dinner, we went back to the lobby to sample the ice cream made from Kamogawa’s famous fresh milk. I picked strawberry milk and Marvin had the peanut-flavored one, upon the waiter’s suggestion that Chiba is also famous for its peanuts. As expected, it was delicious but a bit too sweet.
Before getting ready for bed, Marvin made me laugh with funny poses while wearing the hotel-issue yukata (literally, bathing clothes). After taking some pictures of goofy Marvin, we finally got ready to end our exhausting but exciting day. Marvin fell asleep immediately after lying down – a chance I took to move to the other bed haha! It was closer to the balcony and to the sound of the ocean after all! In his exhaustion, I don’t think Marvin realized I was gone until he woke up and said “sniffy, hindi ako tinabihan…” in his "tampo ako pero hindi galit kaya makyutan ka sakin" voice. That made my day. (o^_^o)
I was a bit disappointed though that I missed both the sunset and sunrise. Sayang ang view! But the disappointment only lingered for a moment, immediately overtaken by the wonderful feeling of waking up to a view and the sound of the ocean.
We headed home right after breakfast, since there wasn’t really much to do anymore and as predicted, the weather was pretty bad. As I sat on the train bound for Tokyo, I realized how much I enjoyed the trip and how much I would treasure the experience. With that, I also realized how much more the wonder and excitement was magnified just because Marvin was there by my side. It was a perfect anniversary, a perfect 2 days, a perfect trip. Thank you Daddy Flippy for this wonderful anniversary trip. Love you ng maraming maraming marami! (o^_^o)
(More pics of our stay at the Kamogawa Grand here.)
For our Kamogawa trip, Marvin and I decided to stay at the Kamogawa Grand Hotel, one of the better and more expensive hotels in the area. It proved to be worth it, since the night we spent there was a memorable experience in itself.
We checked in at 5 PM and immediately went to our room to check out if the description on their website was accurate or not. And it was! The view of the ocean was splendid and you can even hear the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. The room was also as the website described it – everything was just perfect!
We had dinner at the hotel’s western style restaurant – The Gunjo Restaurant. It was designed to look like a beach cottage (come to think of it, technically it is haha!), but instead of it being open air, the walls were of crystal clear glass – too clear that if not for the reflections from the lights, you wouldn’t think there was anything between you and the beach at all. The fixtures and furniture were a deep dark brown, which helped set the mood. It was elegant in the way you would want a classy restaurant to be, but comfy and cozy enough that you wouldn’t feel too self conscious while enjoying your meal.
Since it was sort of a formal setting, there was the usual array of spoons, forks, and knives, and Marvin and I could barely contain our laughter as we tried to remember which utensil was for which food. Fortunately, we remembered to “work our way in” and since the waiters didn’t seem shocked when they took our plates after every dish, we assumed we were doing fine.
To start off, we were served some kind of avocado-mushroom flan, seafood appetizers, and mushroom soup. The seafood appetizers and soup were delicious, but I didn’t like the avocado-mushroom flan. Maybe it was a bit too elegant for my taste, haha.
After that, we were served 3 kinds of fish, each with a different sauce. It was different from the usual way the Japanese served fish – either uncooked as sushi, or fried and served with radish. It was delicious of course, and I even managed to finish way before Marvin did (a rare feat).
Just when I thought that that was the main dish, the waiter came up to us and asked how we would like our steak. He spoke to us in English so we were caught by surprise and it took us a few seconds to realize he was speaking in English and not in some Japanese we haven’t heard before. After he came back with our steaks, he tried to start a conversation by asking us how our dinner was so far. We of course politely responded that it was delicious – I guess everybody says that regardless of how they really feel. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at the waiter’s next question though – “Where are you from? India?” And at the word India, he turned as if directing the question to Marvin. Bwahaha, sabi na nga ba mapapagkamalan na naman ‘to eh! Joke lang Daddy! Mwah!
After dinner, we went back to the lobby to sample the ice cream made from Kamogawa’s famous fresh milk. I picked strawberry milk and Marvin had the peanut-flavored one, upon the waiter’s suggestion that Chiba is also famous for its peanuts. As expected, it was delicious but a bit too sweet.
Before getting ready for bed, Marvin made me laugh with funny poses while wearing the hotel-issue yukata (literally, bathing clothes). After taking some pictures of goofy Marvin, we finally got ready to end our exhausting but exciting day. Marvin fell asleep immediately after lying down – a chance I took to move to the other bed haha! It was closer to the balcony and to the sound of the ocean after all! In his exhaustion, I don’t think Marvin realized I was gone until he woke up and said “sniffy, hindi ako tinabihan…” in his "tampo ako pero hindi galit kaya makyutan ka sakin" voice. That made my day. (o^_^o)
I was a bit disappointed though that I missed both the sunset and sunrise. Sayang ang view! But the disappointment only lingered for a moment, immediately overtaken by the wonderful feeling of waking up to a view and the sound of the ocean.
We headed home right after breakfast, since there wasn’t really much to do anymore and as predicted, the weather was pretty bad. As I sat on the train bound for Tokyo, I realized how much I enjoyed the trip and how much I would treasure the experience. With that, I also realized how much more the wonder and excitement was magnified just because Marvin was there by my side. It was a perfect anniversary, a perfect 2 days, a perfect trip. Thank you Daddy Flippy for this wonderful anniversary trip. Love you ng maraming maraming marami! (o^_^o)
(More pics of our stay at the Kamogawa Grand here.)
Our First Kiss
…with killer whales, that is!
(Part 2 of an account of our trip to Kamogawa City, Chiba)
We arrived in Awa-Kamogawa station at about 11AM, right on schedule. We immediately took a cab to the Kamogawa Grand Hotel to leave our bags and get our Sea World tickets. From there, it was a 10-minute walk to Kamogawa Sea World. In my excitement, I kept on prodding Marvin to walk faster, as if getting there a few minutes earlier would make much difference. Good thing Marvin’s already used to my many childish antics that he was amused instead of annoyed. But if he was, he did a good job of hiding it! Haha!
It was a clear sunny day, perfect for walking along the beach and certainly perfect for watching dolphins and killer whales! Marvin’s decision to go that day instead of Saturday proved to be a good decision. And my constant prodding for us to walk faster proved to be not just a mere annoyance since the tickets for whale kisses and pictures were almost sold out when we got there. We bought tickets to have our picture taken with a sea lion, a killer whale, and of course while being kissed by a killer whale.
The photo session was not until 1:30 and 3:30 PM and the next show was scheduled at 12:30, so we decided to have some lunch first at the Ocean Stadium restaurant. It was built around the killer whale tank, so we were able to watch them swimming while enjoying our all-you-can-eat lunch. I was so excited that I wasn’t able to eat much though; I haven't felt that giddy in a long while.
After a satisfying lunch, we proceeded to the Surf Stadium to watch the 12:30 dolphin show. The dolphins were very lively and they seem to be well trained. They completed a lot of nice high jumps and some hoop and ball tricks but the overall performance wasn’t that creative. I also felt a little sorry for the dolphins since the tank was no wider than a gym pool and there were at least 8 dolphins there. As for taking pictures, it was a bit difficult since the narrator wasn’t that good and unless you’ve watched the show a couple of times before, you wouldn’t know what the dolphins would be doing next or from where they would be jumping out of the water.
We watched the killer whale performance next in the Ocean Stadium. Same as with the dolphins, the 3 killer whales were kept in a tank no wider than a gym pool. Also, the 2 young killer whales are still in training, it seems, and they weren’t able to execute the tricks and even the simple jumps well. As for the 3rd older whale, he seemed to be too tired and old to perform and wasn’t able to execute the tricks that well either. Overall, it was a fairly lousy performance, just enough to draw the viewer’s attention but not enough to hold it. It was also difficult to take photos since again, the narrator wasn’t very good and combined with the lousy performance, there weren’t many chances to take good photos.
After the 2 shows, we lined up in Rocky Stadium to get our photos taken with a sea lion. Since I’ve seen sea lions up close so many times, I didn’t think I would get excited over this one, but surprisingly, I still did.
While we waited for our photo session with the killer whales, we walked around a bit and looked at some of the other aquariums. The aquariums weren’t that much different with those we have in Tokyo. I guess the aquariums were not one of the park’s main selling points.
By that time my excitement was slowly turning into impatience, so we hurried to the Ocean Stadium and spent the last 20 minutes of our wait watching the whales’ somewhat lackluster performance again. After the show, we were asked to line up beside the tank and wait for our turn. It was a bit scary standing that near the edge of the tank and images of what might happen should I fall in kept me busy while waiting for my turn.
Finally, it’s time for the kisses! I was a bit disappointed that I got assigned to the younger, still in training whale, since he wasn’t able to jump out of the water that long and that high for Marvin to get a decent photo. I still felt the kiss however, and aside from a disappointing photo, it was a very thrilling and exciting experience!
After the photos have been taken, we bought some squid balls and hotdogs to eat while we enjoy the view of the ocean. After we finished our snacks and took some pictures, we headed to the Marine Theater to see the beluga whales’ last performance for the day. The tricks were interesting – from the whales singing to distinguishing between metal and plastic. There was an explanation after most of the tricks which helped the viewers understand how the beluga whales could be capable of such tricks. Among the three performances we saw that day, this was the best.
Finally, it was time to go home. I was a bit surprised that we managed to do all that we wanted to in just half a day. The weather was perfect, we as a couple were perfect, and aside from some minor disappointments, it was a wonderful, one of a kind experience. I didn’t think that at28 27 (oops, hehe) years old, I’d feel the way I felt that day – the excitement compares to a kid’s first Christmas Eve, the thrill, to a first roller coaster ride.
(Part 2 of an account of our trip to Kamogawa City, Chiba)
We arrived in Awa-Kamogawa station at about 11AM, right on schedule. We immediately took a cab to the Kamogawa Grand Hotel to leave our bags and get our Sea World tickets. From there, it was a 10-minute walk to Kamogawa Sea World. In my excitement, I kept on prodding Marvin to walk faster, as if getting there a few minutes earlier would make much difference. Good thing Marvin’s already used to my many childish antics that he was amused instead of annoyed. But if he was, he did a good job of hiding it! Haha!
It was a clear sunny day, perfect for walking along the beach and certainly perfect for watching dolphins and killer whales! Marvin’s decision to go that day instead of Saturday proved to be a good decision. And my constant prodding for us to walk faster proved to be not just a mere annoyance since the tickets for whale kisses and pictures were almost sold out when we got there. We bought tickets to have our picture taken with a sea lion, a killer whale, and of course while being kissed by a killer whale.
The photo session was not until 1:30 and 3:30 PM and the next show was scheduled at 12:30, so we decided to have some lunch first at the Ocean Stadium restaurant. It was built around the killer whale tank, so we were able to watch them swimming while enjoying our all-you-can-eat lunch. I was so excited that I wasn’t able to eat much though; I haven't felt that giddy in a long while.
After a satisfying lunch, we proceeded to the Surf Stadium to watch the 12:30 dolphin show. The dolphins were very lively and they seem to be well trained. They completed a lot of nice high jumps and some hoop and ball tricks but the overall performance wasn’t that creative. I also felt a little sorry for the dolphins since the tank was no wider than a gym pool and there were at least 8 dolphins there. As for taking pictures, it was a bit difficult since the narrator wasn’t that good and unless you’ve watched the show a couple of times before, you wouldn’t know what the dolphins would be doing next or from where they would be jumping out of the water.
After the 2 shows, we lined up in Rocky Stadium to get our photos taken with a sea lion. Since I’ve seen sea lions up close so many times, I didn’t think I would get excited over this one, but surprisingly, I still did.
While we waited for our photo session with the killer whales, we walked around a bit and looked at some of the other aquariums. The aquariums weren’t that much different with those we have in Tokyo. I guess the aquariums were not one of the park’s main selling points.
By that time my excitement was slowly turning into impatience, so we hurried to the Ocean Stadium and spent the last 20 minutes of our wait watching the whales’ somewhat lackluster performance again. After the show, we were asked to line up beside the tank and wait for our turn. It was a bit scary standing that near the edge of the tank and images of what might happen should I fall in kept me busy while waiting for my turn.
Finally, it’s time for the kisses! I was a bit disappointed that I got assigned to the younger, still in training whale, since he wasn’t able to jump out of the water that long and that high for Marvin to get a decent photo. I still felt the kiss however, and aside from a disappointing photo, it was a very thrilling and exciting experience!
After the photos have been taken, we bought some squid balls and hotdogs to eat while we enjoy the view of the ocean. After we finished our snacks and took some pictures, we headed to the Marine Theater to see the beluga whales’ last performance for the day. The tricks were interesting – from the whales singing to distinguishing between metal and plastic. There was an explanation after most of the tricks which helped the viewers understand how the beluga whales could be capable of such tricks. Among the three performances we saw that day, this was the best.
Finally, it was time to go home. I was a bit surprised that we managed to do all that we wanted to in just half a day. The weather was perfect, we as a couple were perfect, and aside from some minor disappointments, it was a wonderful, one of a kind experience. I didn’t think that at
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Road to Kamogawa
(Part 1 of an account of our trip to Kamogawa City, Chiba)
Last Friday, Marvin and I went to Kamogawa in Chiba Prefecture to get kissed by the killer whales in Kamogawa Sea World and enjoy a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean from our room in the Kamogawa Grand Hotel. Aside from a few hiccups and near misses, the trip was perfect – even for just 2 days we were able to forget about the worries at work, the burden of our personal problems, and the troubles of a busy and hectic life in Tokyo.
Our Wakashio Limited Express train for Kamogawa was scheduled to leave Tokyo at 9AM, so we woke up at the same time I do when I have work. Since Marvin works the graveyard shift, we are not used to sharing the bath and washroom for our morning rituals. In short, we left a few minutes later than expected and got to Tokyo station at around 8:40. One would think that that would be enough time to find the platform of the Wakashio train, but not in Tokyo. There was an obvious lack of signage and of course, most of the station staff was as clueless as we were. After walking around for 10 minutes (yep, Tokyo station is that big), someone was finally able to tell us where the damned platform is. He said it was on the other side so we would have to walk down this almost 800m pathway to reach the Wakashio platform. I glanced at my watch and realized there was no way we would be able to make it. It was already 8:53 and I don’t think we could weave through 800m of morning rush hour, human traffic in 7 minutes while carrying 2 overnight bags and a tripod. The amazing thing is we did! I was about to collapse from exhaustion when Marvin gave me a hug and said, “よく頑張ったね！ (Yoku gambatta ne!, Great job!)”. Awww…(o^_^o)
When we got to our car and seats, we saw that someone else was sitting in my seat! We politely told him that according to our ticket, we were supposed to be sitting there, to which he politely apologized and found another seat. A few seconds later, 3 girls also found their seats taken by someone else, so there was a lot of apologies and changing of seats. It’s surprising that the supposedly well behaved Japanese try to sneak in to the 指定席 (shitei seki, reserved seats) section from the 自由席 (jiyuu seki, non-reserved seats) section.
Anyway, aside from barely making it to our train and almost losing our seats, another hiccup was the weather. When we called the hotel just minutes before we left to reconfirm our reservation, the staff informed us that it might be better to go to Kamogawa Seaworld that day instead of Saturday, as we had originally planned, since according to the weather report, it was supposed to rain then. I was a bit hesitant to even consider changing our plans especially since if we went that day, we would just have half a day to enjoy Sea World. But Marvin convinced me that it would be better to go while the weather was perfect instead of risking it. Plus, he promised that we could go back on Saturday if half a day really wasn't enough (at an additional cost of Y6000 of course), to which I finally agreed.
After all hiccups have been settled and dealt with, we were finally able to go back to our excited out of our minds, wide eyed turista mode. (^_^)
Last Friday, Marvin and I went to Kamogawa in Chiba Prefecture to get kissed by the killer whales in Kamogawa Sea World and enjoy a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean from our room in the Kamogawa Grand Hotel. Aside from a few hiccups and near misses, the trip was perfect – even for just 2 days we were able to forget about the worries at work, the burden of our personal problems, and the troubles of a busy and hectic life in Tokyo.
Our Wakashio Limited Express train for Kamogawa was scheduled to leave Tokyo at 9AM, so we woke up at the same time I do when I have work. Since Marvin works the graveyard shift, we are not used to sharing the bath and washroom for our morning rituals. In short, we left a few minutes later than expected and got to Tokyo station at around 8:40. One would think that that would be enough time to find the platform of the Wakashio train, but not in Tokyo. There was an obvious lack of signage and of course, most of the station staff was as clueless as we were. After walking around for 10 minutes (yep, Tokyo station is that big), someone was finally able to tell us where the damned platform is. He said it was on the other side so we would have to walk down this almost 800m pathway to reach the Wakashio platform. I glanced at my watch and realized there was no way we would be able to make it. It was already 8:53 and I don’t think we could weave through 800m of morning rush hour, human traffic in 7 minutes while carrying 2 overnight bags and a tripod. The amazing thing is we did! I was about to collapse from exhaustion when Marvin gave me a hug and said, “よく頑張ったね！ (Yoku gambatta ne!, Great job!)”. Awww…(o^_^o)
When we got to our car and seats, we saw that someone else was sitting in my seat! We politely told him that according to our ticket, we were supposed to be sitting there, to which he politely apologized and found another seat. A few seconds later, 3 girls also found their seats taken by someone else, so there was a lot of apologies and changing of seats. It’s surprising that the supposedly well behaved Japanese try to sneak in to the 指定席 (shitei seki, reserved seats) section from the 自由席 (jiyuu seki, non-reserved seats) section.
Anyway, aside from barely making it to our train and almost losing our seats, another hiccup was the weather. When we called the hotel just minutes before we left to reconfirm our reservation, the staff informed us that it might be better to go to Kamogawa Seaworld that day instead of Saturday, as we had originally planned, since according to the weather report, it was supposed to rain then. I was a bit hesitant to even consider changing our plans especially since if we went that day, we would just have half a day to enjoy Sea World. But Marvin convinced me that it would be better to go while the weather was perfect instead of risking it. Plus, he promised that we could go back on Saturday if half a day really wasn't enough (at an additional cost of Y6000 of course), to which I finally agreed.
After all hiccups have been settled and dealt with, we were finally able to go back to our excited out of our minds, wide eyed turista mode. (^_^)
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