It’s my first time to run in autumn. Crisp red-orange fallen leaves lie under my feet; my legs won’t stop moving; church bells ring nearby; all is music that pulls me closer and closer to where the sun shines, gently, complementing the cool breeze, all of nature that makes autumn autumn. I run on fallen […]
What a fine day to be out. The sun is up, almost winking, teasing the earth that it’s been hiding from almost this entire winter. This is the sky over Holland, blue, similar to the sky in Manila, blue, but not this type of blue. And the clouds, their bubbly waves, sun peeking through as […]
As if taunting me that my days here are numbered, I find myself alone on the train today, for the first time since I got to Holland last year. My sister never lets me “go astray” at any time during my stay here, maybe trying to be the mother bear that she is. This entire […]
We went to a wedding today. It’s my first time to attend a wedding outside the Philippines. It’s the wedding of friends of my sister’s, whose love story is very not-so-love-at-first-sight. They were colleagues in Manila (at SGV, to be exact), became friends, each moved to the Netherlands, became really good friends, then a couple, then […]
My now 11-month old nephew is so cute I call him several names–Kung Fu Panda, Garfield, any Japanese-looking cartoon character, Mr. Shooli, Gangnam…. One time, I called him a piggy bank. I know these are nasty comments but he’s just too adorable to let pass the chance for my mind to think of who else looks […]
My aunt, my mum’s youngest sister, and other yaya of my nephew‘s (as you know, I hold the first Yaya title), arrived today. She’s one aunt who’s fun to have around. We probably hit it off because we’re both the youngest, but I can never be sure. All I know is that my heart goes […]
Sinterklaas is real! Legend has it that a man named Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands each year in mid-November by steamboat from Spain, moving from town to town, delivering candies to nice children. Much like our Santa Claus, which, wiki says, is derived from Sinterklaas. Today, coming out of the bathroom, I saw two boxes […]
Last night I already turned off the light and was ready to sleep And then, just when you think your eyes are tired enough, your mind isn’t I reminisced and reflected on what had just happened And those conversations at that birthday dinner kept playing in my head And it was about the mum (who’s […]
The years are shorter when we’re older. So I heard from a birthday celebrator today who’s a friend of my sister’s. Her husband was the Elvis fan. Both are Filipinos. But their kids are Dutch or at least raised as such by the environment they were born in. Now I remember my parents back in […]
It’s holiday in Manila, but I am in Stadscafe van Kinsbergen for my first business meeting here since I arrived in the Netherlands on Nov 4. I haven’t really been successful in my pursuits to organize business sessions where I can pitch my company and my country, the Philippines, to potential investors from this country. […]
PenVille 