My Greatest Adventure

I love being a parent.  Some call it an adventure, or punishment or their personal ball-and-chain.  For me though, being a parent even just for one kid has changed my outlook on life immensely.

First time I learned I was pregnant was exciting and scary at the same time.  9 months from that time, would mean I can't go out with friends up to the wee hours in the morning...I can't sleep in on weekends...I can't do things on a whim anymore...or buy things on a whim...and what is this pregnancy going to do to my body?  Don't even get me started on the financial burden this is going to be to raise a child because I had no idea how we're going to go through with that as well.  Life will definitely change as I knew it.

 

Pedicure Treat

Today I went to have a pedicure treat for myself. I am due for one since my last one was a month ago and my new nails are showing halfway up to my toes. Besides, I'm heading to Arizona for a business trip next week. Toes need to be exposed on a 120f weather. Exposed toes need to be pretty. :-)

My Shoe Fetish

Like most women, shoes are my weakness. And this is not the need to buy shoes on an impulse ala Imelda Marcos and leave it in a box or corner collecting dust.  My affinity for shoes is much related to knowing exactly what I want and need and going through odds and ends to have it.

My process in looking for the shoe I have in mind is very similar to how I look for a boyfriend.  I know exactly how I want my perfect shoe to be -- it has to be cute, looks good, works well with my outfits, works well with my lifestyle, dependable, comfortable, is in it for the long haul, comes in my exact size, comes in the color you like...and did I mention cute? LOL

I go through great pains in finding the pair of shoe I want.  Hang in there with me, because there is a method to this madness.  It could start from a fashion inspiration or a need to align with my existing wardrobe.  Then I would get a picture in my head. 

this was what I had in mind except it didn't have my size :(

Weekend Climb

Summer is a special time in New England.  It's just a 3 months in a year where we don't have to wear jackets.  It's not like in Asia where we have the sun all year long and ignore it's presence.  Around here, it is precious commodity and people tend to bask in it for as long as they can.  They take most vacations and half days off during the summer.

Also, unlike Asia, we don't go to the mall during summer to get air-conditioning (AC) to cool ourselves off.  The idea is to go out and have do something.  Vermont is one of the outdoors-ier type of places mostly because of the beautiful scenery all year long.  Every season is special, and there's no better time to be in Vermont than during the summer.  That's also the time when I don't go out of state unless I'm going to the beach.

After the much revered Friday night dinner, what better way to burn it off than by going hiking.  We've been in Vermont for quite a while but we've never hiked before because mainly of the fear of having to bring a kid.  Now she's a little bigger, so we chose to go up the nearest and easiest place to climb -- Mount Philo.

climbing up the trail

Friday Night Dinner

Nomads like us tend to be adaptive to the environment we live in.  We embrace differences in culture and try stuff out, as we don't want to miss out on the experience.  The idea is to try things at least once.  We do this particularly with food.  Some people cringe at the sight of blood soup, balut, sashimi or steak tartare.  But nomads are more open and, without any judgement, seizes the moment.

Outside of the carpe diem matra, though, they are people just missing the environment they are accustomed to.  There are times when we wanted to bask on our comfort zone and not have to tiptoe around other cultures.  I am particularly lucky because I have my fellow Filipino family with me.   When I come home, I can relax, stop trying to adapt, become comfortable speaking my own language and be who I really am. 

It is a different story though for my friend, Pat who is married to an American.  Her struggle to remain true to herself is far more difficult because she has to culturally adjust even at the comfort of her own home.  She therefore cannot just cook a meal like she did from back home if her husband does not like it.  Some Filipino food could admittedly be an acquired taste.  

Sports Nation

When we first got here, I have been wondering about the immense (almost fanatical) fascination about sports in this country.  Their fascination on sports is so great, it is almost comparable to my country's fascination of musical variety shows and telenovelas. :-)  It's a subject in watercooler stations, meeting ice-breakers and lunch break off-work discussion, whether to discuss the game or to have a friendly (and non-so-friendly) bantering.  It was part of the American culture that was so alien to me.

The only sport I have eagerly anticipated on my entire life is basketball.  In my country, despite the lack of appropriate height generally basketball is the official national sport.  It is the only sport I played and understood enough to watch. 

So I decided that if I wanted to contribute to any kind of discussion, I would have to join the sports bandwagon. I'd start off by looking at the NBA.  Because of  regional loyalties, that would mean I'd be cheering for the Boston Celtics.  It was no coincidence also that I'm rooting for a championship contender ever since the Big3 got together.

The Boston Celtics Big 3

Summer Lovin'

We're right smack in the middle of summer and the major heatwave just passed last week.  We're going downhill from here all the way to Freezerville once again in a few months.

sun-drenched during a weekend at the lake

The Modern Day Nomad

I have been a nomad for the past few years, seemingly lost in an unfamiliar territory. I hauled my family from one place to another trying to follow the end of the rainbow in hopes of finding the pot of gold. Although with the digital age, the world has become smaller and somehow being a nomad is not as unusual as it was before.

Along with these changes, the family concept has changed as well since the mid-century. I am not your typical Stepford wife. I am in a sub-modern family unit where the father and the mother both goes to work and are in equal footing on their roles in bringing home the bacon and domestic responsibilities. I struggle to raise my kid in an environment very different from what I was raised in. So everyday I juggle between trying to keep her true to her ethnicity and make her blend well in the culture that she has grown accustomed to. 

So many thoughts run through my head on trying to understand human nature in general. But the fact that I have been transported to practically uncharted waters and the realization of the differences in cultures in the world is something of an adventure in itself.

I think that those thoughts, and my love for writing in general is worth writing a blog about. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the read.