march madness.
march has got to be one of my favorite months, simply because it’s my birth month. and after all the happenings from this month, my love for this month just went a notch higher. so before march comes to a close, let me give you a quick run-down of my blog-worthy march moments.
» OH HAPPY DAY!
a lot of people my age have started dreading their birthdays. for many, the thought of aging is a bitter pill to swallow. in my opinion, it’s just a matter of perspective. even though i become a year older, i still look forward to my birthdays — maybe not as much as when i was a kid, but i still do. for me, it’s a time to be thankful for the year that passed, and a time to be hopeful for an equally good, if not better, new year. though my birthday this year was ten times simpler than how i’ve celebrated it for the past three years in LA, it was just as special since i finally got to spend it with my family again (minus my desert family, the sys). my mom prepared dinner at home and cooked beef caldereta, a filipino dish i’ve missed and have been craving for since i moved back. we had a second celebration the weekend after my birthday at alba in westgate alabang, where we fell in love with spanish food all over again.
here are a few snapshots from my 29th birthday:
(1), (2) springtime in a box: philippe surprised me by having a bouquet of flowers delivered to me — all these years, that’s the first he’s ever given me
(3) sweet escape: dairy queen ice cream cake from monty, millie, alyssa & javi
(4) happiness: celebrating my birthday with the manila-based gremlins (nephew javi & niece alyssa)
(5) skype chat with my desert family: blowing out my virtual birthday cake from pinky, keith, luigi, rafa & marga
» PREPPING FOR BEIJING.
march also was a busy month for me. in between job-hunting and helping my dad with some ‘back office’ jobs for the house construction, i also had to prepare for my trip to beijing. philippe gifted me with a trip to beijing — he invited me to spend a week with him before his mandarin courses started. though i got the green light from my parents (read: family approval was a process) almost a month before my planned departure, securing all the documents for my tourist visa application still took so much time. i was a bit unlucky because the chinese government laid down stricter rules in issuing visas to first-time applicants. time was, all you had to present was the application form and your passport. this time around, they asked for a bunch of other stuff — from bank certification to police clearance for travel. (mind you, i queued up for six hours to get that police clearance…that’s determination right there!) they even asked for employment certificate which i obviously don’t have yet. i was even being cautioned by travel agents i approached that there was a chance my application would be rejected simply because i am “currently unemployed”. boo, way to kill my buzz! i literally had one week to file my application, and was THIS close to not leaving. with fingers (and toes) crossed, i got my visa stamped on my passport on my birthday and had it released just days before my departure date. talk about photo finish!
» BEIJING RENDEZVOUS.
i intend to do a blow-by-blow account of my recent travel, so for now, let’s settle for some teaser pics. ciao!
