Infatuated

I hadn't even left Ho Chi Minh yet, and already I was daydreaming about my return.

I didn’t expect to fall in love with this city, but I guess love has a way of sneaking up on you like that. (May ganon?) Ho Chi Minh, a.k.a. Saigon, wasn’t even on my list of places to visit—I just booked a flight on a whim, while my brother was still working there (free accommodations + foodie tour guide = why not?). We landed at past midnight, so I didn’t get a good view of the city as we headed to District 2 (very Hunger Games), where my brother is currently staying.

A few hours later, as the sun came up and I still lay in bed, my brother walked in and asked, "Have you looked outside?" I stood up, pulled back the blackout drapes, and looked out of the 13th-floor window: On the highway were hundreds and hundreds of people on motorcycles. "Parang mga langgam!" remarked my tita. Being from Manila, I thought about how hellish it would be to drive amid all those motorbikes, but I've discovered that people here are much more disciplined riders, and I'm told that there's hardly ever an accident. There's a rhythm to the way the motorbikes move here (in fact, when you're crossing the street, you're not supposed to stop, and it's second nature to them to avoid you), and entire families of four pile onto one motorbike, so you have to trust that safety is foremost in their minds.  

We flagged down a cab—something that's remarkably easy to do in Ho Chi Minh—which took us to District 1. We stopped at what looked like an alley lined with knock-off Van Goghs and other paintings, and came upon a decrepit (but clean) building bearing a sign: “L’Usine.”

We made our way upstairs, and found ourselves outside the most charming-cool café—black and white tiles, slate gray walls, sunlight streaming through picture windows. I was smitten; if HCM had little gems like this hidden all around the city, then I was in for a treat.

As the day progressed, I found many other things to delight in: My mom and my tita said that the tree-lined streets and quaint shops reminded them of old Manila. (Never mind that one of these “quaint shops” was actually a Louboutin store.) I didn’t tire of seeing the French colonial architecture, and I appreciated how the chipping paint and worn facades gave buildings so much character. 

And the food! A few days before my trip, a nutritionist told me that carnivore me had to watch my red meat intake as my uric acid was higher than average. Vietnamese food was just what the doctor ordered—fresh spring rolls, steaming bowls of pho, and lots and lots of vegetables.

Even with all these things, I still had a hard time determining why the city seemed to have such a strong pull. After some reflection, I realized it was because it offered the less frenetic pace that I’ve been looking for. Even while in Ho Chi Minh, I was perpetually answering text messages and email from work, and sitting in front of a laptop every chance I got. I’ve been working so much—leaving early, going home just to have dinner with my son and give him a bath, then going back to the office to work til 11 or 1 or 2; working on weekends—that my psychosomatic stress symptoms (hives, for one) have again begun to manifest. My life was (is) just all kinds of crazy, and Manila reflected that—the never-ending to-do list, the demands, the traffic. Being in Saigon reminded me of the kind of life that I crave.

I want a life where I get to eat at cute little restaurants tucked away in old buildings...

...where I get to have an amaretto sour and oysters at sunset, while laughing with family...

  

...where I get to meet interesting new people, and hang out at a bar and just have good conversations...

And I have to stop myself from getting carried away and plotting a move to Saigon, and just appreciate the lesson it’s taught me: I can find these things back home. I just need to make time to do so and bring some balance back into my life. It’s not the city that needs to change—it’s me.

Traveling with Excess Baggage

 Baby on board

At 20 weeks--halfway through my pregnancy--my days of gallivanting are numbered. So I decided to go back (yet again) to Dumaguete before I'm forced to stay put. And while I had all three Roaches jerseys and cheered from the sidelines through scorching heat and torrential rains, I sadly wasn't able to take part in the team's quest for their fifth Shindig victory. 

I was, however, able to spend four days with forty (!) fun people from disc. I even got to party a bit...

...although of course there was no more drinking or staying out til dawn. And I got to eat...

 At Lab-as, where we had Dumaguete Express, tinolang lapu-lapu, grilled spicy squid, and more

 ...and eat...

 At Sansrival Bistro with the Warriors

...and eat...

 At Nevas for pizza, pasta, and (I gotta admit) a pahabol rice meal order

...and eat!

 

 Massacre at the beach: our grilled fish merienda

And my OB would be proud--I was under strict orders to have "tikim lang" (just a taste) of Dumaguete's to-die-for sweets, and I'm pleased to report that I just had one little bite of chocolate silvanas throughout the entire trip. This, despite the fact that I was at Sansrival three times, with their salted caramel cheesecake calling out to me.

I also got to go on a side trip to gorgeous Siquijor, my friends' tik-tik jokes be damned. (Upon a teammate's insistence, I did spend the overnight trip with three chili peppers in my pocket.)

Photo c/o Cali

The little monster even got to (sort of) feel the sea for the first time.

 

And lastly, I got to experience how good people are to you when you're preggers! I can't thank everyone enough for going out of their way to make sure I was comfortable. People carried my bag for me, gave me food, made sure I was hydrated, considered the best place for me to sleep ("Dito na lang para madali kang makapunta sa banyo"), and even defended me against an a-hole Manila driver who had no regard for a pregnant woman crossing the street (thanks, boys!). 

It was a great trip, but the best part, undoubtedly, was feeling all the love from such awesome friends.

Tishie's Travels: Water, Water, Everywhere

Or, "My Near-Death Experience.":s

Lei blogged about our trip to CDO/Bukidnon, which included a four-hour white-water rafting adventure. We don't have the official photos yet, just shots like this one from our friend Ivy's waterproof cam.

Three weird girls

So yeah, I fell (more like flew) out of the raft when we hit a rough patch in some rapids, and I hit my back and my thigh against some huge rocks. (That's what I get for obediently following our guide's instructions to go "Forward!" while everyone else was hanging on for dear life.) It all happened so fast, I was caught off guard. The hardest thing was not knowing when I would resurface from the rushing water and get some air. Thank God I didn't panic. For a second I thought about the possibility of drowning but just put that out of my mind and remembered what we were told during orientation: If you fall in the rapids, just get on your back and wait for someone to give you a hand. So I got on my back and promptly floated to the surface. I held out my arm and started feeling around: rock, rock, water, rock, oar--OAR! I grabbed on and was pulled to safety. I couldn't do much climbing back into the raft though as my body was pretty banged up. Thankfully, it wasn't anything serious. When it looked like I was fine, my teammate made jokes about how I shouldn't pretend like I'm in a live version of Temple Run.

So that was...an experience. I had always wanted to go white water rafting, and now that I've checked that off my list, I'm probably not going to do it a second time. I think I would rather go bungee jumping again!

Tishie's Travels: Dumaguete Redux

A week before the earthquake struck Negros, I was in Dumaguete for the launch of the 50th Cultural Season at Siliman University. I had been to Dumaguete a couple of times before the junket, and it's one of my favorite places--first because it has really good, really cheap food (hullo, Best Silvanas Ever. And P15 breakfasts at the market!); second because it was the site of my epic (informal) bachelorette party; third because, by virtue of my first and second points, I have some very fond, very fun memories of the place.

I knew nothing about this whole cultural season, and was duly enlightened during the trip. I learned that Dumaguete has a culture of culture--it's an artists' haven, and both the show and the documentary I watched demonstrated just how vibrant the arts and culture scene is in this college town. It showed me a whole other side of Dumaguete that I didn't even know existed. It's like discovering that the bad boy I've been crushing on actually has a sensitive side.

Luce Auditorium at Silliman University

I half-expected the launch to be a boring affair, but I enjoyed watching the show. It was tight and well-paced, a great mix of song, dance, and poetry. My favorite part was when one lady told us what life was like for her in Dumaguete during the war: Their house was right beside a Japanese prison, and when she and her sister would play the piano, the Japanese would ask if they could come in and listen. Later on, when the Americans came, the two girls were showered with nickles and pennies as they played for all the Joes. And then, as she finished her story, a young girl came out to play a piece on the piano--something our storyteller must have played as a young girl herself during the war. It was as if a flashback had come alive on stage.

If you get the chance to visit Dumaguete, I highly recommend catching a show. Siliman University's 50th cultural season begins in June and runs until May 2013.

Dreamy Home: SoCal Cool

If ever there was a local house that would be perfect for Architectural Digest, this would be it.

Located in Negros, this house is built in a style that's evocative of Arizona or Mexico--so unlike anything else in the Philippines, where Mediterranean and Tropical Moderne styles are king. So I had to ask the owner what inspired him to come up with this design. He replied that he had studied in Southern California and the landscape there--dry, with lots of red and brown--was very similar to the Negros property in the summer. He just took off from there.

The furniture is ever-evolving, since the owner is a furniture designer. He and his wife are such gracious hosts--this is a couple (and a house) that is used to entertaining. Well, yeah, if I lived there, I'd have people over all the time.

And I haven't even shown you the best part yet.

It is one of the most amazing houses I've ever seen, and after years of shooting beautiful homes all over the country for Real Living, that's saying something! I never thought I would be attracted to this style (for years, I adored Arthur Casas' Iporanga project), but this house kind of altered my idea of a dream home.

I had to restrain myself from going into complete RL mode and asking a million questions about the house. I think the only other thing I asked him was how he found this dreamy place, a cliff overlooking sea and mountains. "I just chanced upon the property," he replied.

If only we could all be so lucky.

Kiss #9: Surigao

This is what my first Groupon purchase got me:

A spacious villa...

We stayed here

...with a view that can't be beat...

An encounter with a jellyfish...

Jellyfish Lagoon

Some exercise...

Sohoton Cave

And the chance to jump off a cliff again...

The most awesome deck, where we ate breakfast and read...

...sat and soaked up our breathtaking surroundings...

...and just enjoyed talking from sunset til late in the evening, wine in hand, watching fireflies and stars come out...

Our ninth kiss--our first time in Mindanao together. But more than that, it marks a time when I was truly happy and at peace.

My Christmas Wish List

It's December, y'all! Can you believe it? I haven't even done my Christmas shopping yet! Ack!

Ze huzband has been asking me about what I want, so it got me thinking about my own Christmas wish list. Presenting, the top 10 things on my list (although I may have missed a few things), in no particular order...

1. A new wardrobe. I have a lot of clothes already, but I really want to have a well-rounded wardrobe that stays true to my style (which I've determined is "classic with an edge"--except when I'm on the field!).

All from Zara. What can I say? I love neutrals.

2. Laptop. Because my old netbook isn't working like it's supposed to. And I also want to replace our clunky home desktop PC with a sleek notebook.

Isn't it purty? From here.

3. Hand vacuum. Yes, yes, this is the unsexiest thing I have on my list. But I'm convinced that I would vacuum more if only I didn't have to assemble-disassemble-store every single time I have to vacuum the couch.

From here.

4. Sheets. I really want to add to our sheet wardrobe! There's nothing like lying in a bed with fresh, crisp sheets.

And if you want to throw in a fluffy white comforter, that would be awesome. From here.

5. A good chef's knife. I think it takes longer for me to cook because I don't have a proper knife. I had a chef's knife a couple of years ago, but it has since gotten dull, and I wouldn't know how to begin sharpening it. P.S. Did you know that more kitchen accidents are caused by dull knives than sharp ones?

Hamil and I saw this on the Home TV Shopping Network and were so amazed! Haha

6. Design*Sponge at Home. I've been wanting this book for months.

From here.

7. And while we're at it, a book shopping spree. Because even though my brother said he would give me his Kindle, I still one day want to have this...

From here.

8. My signature scent. I love love love L'Occitane Recolte Bleu. It was given to me by my good friend Marie a few years ago, and it's been my scent ever since. It smells like lavender--so fresh, clean, relaxing. But I just recently ran out of it.:(

From here.

9. Butterbeer cupcakes. My "sister" Priti found a recipe for Butterbeer cupcakes. We've been meaning to whip up a batch but a few ingredients aren't available locally. Sigh.

Photo from the same site.

10. To travel. I really really really miss my family in New York. It's been a year.:( And I really really really want to go back to Europe, with Hamil this time.

I did throw a coin into the Fountain of Trevi on my last visit, so I have high hopes that I'll be going back!

I'm not asking for too much, am I?:) When people ask me what I want, I normally say "nothing," because really, I do have everything to give me a comfortable life. These big-ticket items are just fanciful bonuses. As it is--with everything (and everyone) I have in my life--I have more than enough to be thankful for.

What's on your list?