Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Missing home

When my husband and I say "back home," we are actually (still) referring to the Philippines. That is true even though we pretty much have our lives set, made here -- we have our house here, our careers, our kids will grow up here, and they might even send us to old people's homes when we're in our 70s... But inspite of everything, home is still the Philippines and I kinda like that actually. Reminds me of a Gary V song where he says "babalik ka rin."


Tati will be celebrating the holidays in the Philippines and she's made a list of the things she will be doing. It really made me think about life in the Philippines and I suddenly found myself missing home. Badly. So I decided to make my own list of what makes the Philippines home - and hopefully when we get the chance to go back, we get to visit these places, eat our most favorite foods, and celebrate the joy and comfort of being with the people we love - our family and friends.


> Spend time with loved ones: Most of my family and friends are still there. The only thing that would make a Philippine vacation even better is if my parents can make it back home too.
> Buy a box or two of Go Nuts Donuts: strawberry, peanut butter
> Stuff my face with Lapid's chicharon (you can tell I like junk food)
> McChicken and Chicken Joy (I choose both!)
> Ken Afford sisig (they have the best sisig. Get the one with egg.)
> Binuro on the side ng dahon ng mustasa, fried tilapia, hito, steamed okra, talong, dahon ng kamote (my favorite lutong Cagayan - must eat ng pakamay! - closest thing to healthy eating para sa'kin)
> Yakult (fake kasi yung mga lacto-bacili-blah-blah drinks dito)
> Luyong's pancit canton
> Sonya's garden (okay, so maybe closer ito sa healthy eating pero if you pig out naman - which I guarantee you will do - then wala rin)
> Il Ponticelo (yay for eggplant pizza and chicken wings!)
> Boracay
> Manila bay (for the jologs in you)
> Pagsanjan falls (I really like yung inihaw na manok doon sa turo-turo malapit sa falls)
> Places north and south na hindi ko pa napuntahan before
> Splurge at Kamiseta, Bayo, Maldita and Marikina shoes
> Shop, dine and watch movies at my favorite malls: Greenbelt 3 & 4, Glorietta, The Podium, Sta. Lucia! and SM Mall of Asia (never been there and wanna see what the hype is all about)


I know, I know, the list is kinda long... And I already held back on a lot of things sa lagay na yan. Seriously, I can make the list much longer without even trying but that would kinda defeat the purpose of having one -- I need something attainable para pag-bakasyon namin sa Pinas I have a realistic set naman of must-do's. Yes, I'm really looking forward to a trip back home. Very much so.

this coffee break @ 10:11 AM