I miss the Philippines already! Seriously though. Where else can I get a bottle of Coke for 8 pesos (keep in mind: $1 equals 43/42 pesos) oh and the best part is all I had to do was cross the street and get it from a neighbor’s sari-sari store. Not to mention, all the fresh mango shakes that were a common sight on most menus I saw in the country.

I actually really enjoyed Makati— I wish I spent more time there. I love cities and for some reason I related to that place the most. We stayed in a hotel right infront of Greenbelt (aka Topshop and other stores). It was nice! Also a nice change because I’ve been staying at my grandma’s in the middle of nowhere (really interesting though, your neighbors are this close — sometimes you can hear their conversations, haha).

I visited Tagaytay and I thought it was beautiful. It is beautiful. My photos won’t show how lovely it is there… you just have to go. We went to this creepy abandoned mansion on the highest point of the city (I guess, it was super foggy there that I couldn’t see anything). We ate bulalo and deep fried spinach. Oh so good.

I’m in love with mais con hielo (filipino traditional drink of shaved iced with sweet corn), Marks & Spencer’s Teacakes (which I discovered on my trip to England— we don’t have M&S in America), and my grandfather’s camera. I never got the chance to meet him so I like to hear as much as I can about him (finding his camera was awesome, taking photos seem to be a thing we had in common).

Besides the camera, I found family treasures like my grandma’s dress that I wanted to alter for myself (but I left it there and didn’t want to take it), a vintage Dior clutch from my mother, and this red dress I wore for my 1st birthday (in perfect condition.. meaning my child will one day wear it).

During the trip I had the best New Years Eve I’ve had in 13 years. It’s because I spent it with my family.

A quiet life in the country. That’s how I would describe my trip this December while I caught up with relatives I hadn’t seen in a decade. I stayed at my grandmother’s house in the country… it was a lifestyle totally different from what I am used to here in California. My days sort of went like this: woke up really early (around 6-7ish), ate breakfast (fresh pandesal with spread from the corner store), read a few pages of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, took a shower, and went to the city (to go shopping, visit other relatives, or run errands). There were some days I didn’t go anywhere too far, I just stayed at my grandma’s or a few streets down at another relative’s house. Sometimes I would go cross the street and get Coca-Cola (they give it to you in either a bottle that you can return or a plastic bag specifically for this purpose with a straw). I tagged along with my mom to go to the bayan (basically the town’s marketplace/center) and we would get there by tricycle (25 pesos per ride, I think that’s about 50 cents in America). People could get anything there… my family went there everyday to get fresh produce from the vendors, basically ingredients for that day’s lunch, merienda, and dinner. That town had basically just one road. Go straight and it will lead you to another town.. and so on.

Here are photos of the little things about my trip: first, flying over the beautiful Magadan, Russia, the marketplace, random parts of my grandmother’s house, stray cats, and religious figures I saw around one of my relatives 100+ year old home. I’m sharing photos of my family preparing food for Christmas, chatting, reminiscing, and looking at old photo albums…