Month: December 2015

Counting the hours at Suvarnabhumi Airport

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31 December 2015 It’s the last day of the year, the last day of our vacation, the last day before my husband goes back to Singapore while the girls and I go back to our home in the Philippines. It’s going to be months again before we get together as a family, and the day’s not turning out well. I was hoping that we could still do some sight seeing, have fun while we wait for our flight, make the most out of the little time that we could still spend together. Guess what, our flight is not until half an hour past midnight later, though my husband’s three hours ahead of ours. Now that means we’re spending about 12 hours doing nothing at this airport. Twelve hours! We’re in a different country, it’s sunny outside, and we’re stuck here! I’m not happy, and I’m venting it all out here. I’m sorry, but you just got to let me. Everybody’s reluctant to go out and I don’t understand why. Am I the only one who wanted …

The Sunday Currently, Vol. 5: The one on our first weekend in Laos

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reading the titles and headlines of local magazines and newspapers in Vientiane, Laos. It’s a good thing many of them are in English (unlike in Bangkok, Thailand). writing key words down to help me remember some of the interesting things I’ve learned while traveling. listening for Filipino words that may be spoken around me. It’s interesting that although the people around me look vaguely Filipino, they speak a foreign language that are not even remotely familiar. thinking about what it’s like to stay here in Vientiane for at least a year or two, or maybe raise the girls here. It’s peaceful and quiet here, after all, and there are so many institutions where I can practice my profession either as an ESL teacher or PR professional. smelling the scent of wood every time I open the closet in our room wishing we’re experiencing the same weather back home, i.e., 19–24º C hoping to find a battery pack for my Nikon D5100 very soon. I have packed the whole thing, complete with charger and an SD …

Not all frat boys are bad

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This morning, I was reminded of the frat boys (and girls) I met when I was a student at a state university, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM). I was still a devout Catholic then, but volunteerism was already part of my lifestyle, even as a student. We were in the middle of preparation for World Youth Day ’95, and I was among the volunteers along with hundreds of Catholic students from all over Metro Manila, when I first met not just one, but a group of men and women who belonged to the most popular and feared, if not respected, fraternity group in the campus, the APO. I was face-to-face with their leaders and I was learning from them! I must admit that I never thought that they would even take part of a religious activity, no matter how huge it may be, let alone volunteer. I think that was the day I changed my mind about fraternities. Although I still abhor their infamous induction rites, I must say that I had started to …