The City of Angels!

Greetings from Los Angeles!

I am now on the second leg of my US tour (naks, parang rock star!) and have been enjoying LA for the past 4 days. Arrived here last Saturday with Carrie and Rese and was welcomed warmly by relatives whom I haven't seen in years! I can't begin to describe how nice it was to finally see Kuya and Ate Maylyn after 5 years! Aside from gaining a few (ok, sige, a LOT) of pounds, di pa din nagbabago si Kuya. Makulit pa din and super kuya ang asta. I was just telling Carrie how I always feel 10 years younger when I am with him. Parang he always worries for me. Hay naku, he is sooo like my dad who will always look at me as that little girl who is in constant need of guidance. No complaints, though. I like being pampered and for a few more days, I get to bask in the attention of my overzealous of a brother. I just worry about him. Baka atakihin sa puso sa kakaisip kung san ako pupunta dito at kung sino makakasama ko hahahaha.

Honestly, I didn't know how much I missed that until I got here. Sarap talaga ng may Kuya. But don't tell him I said so. I will never hear the end of it.

Anyways, about LA. So far, Carrie and I have been to Hollywood and the Walk of Fame. Nice!! We had our pics taken on the footprints and handprints of (get this!!!) George Clooney and Matt Damon!! Wooohooo! Handprint pa lang kinikilig na ko, pano pa kaya if I see them in person???

Sunday was spent with Ninang Nancy and family while Carrie spent the day with her friend. They went to Getty and the beach. Inggit! Pero ok lang, at the end of the day, Ninang Nancy treated us to a Japanese buffet at Todai. Sarap! Although, according to Bam, mas masarap pa din ang Saisaki sa pinas. That, coming from an American citizen. Iba talaga ang Pinas!

Yesterday, we toured Beverly Hills! We walked along Rodeo Drive. Carrie tried on Jimmy Choo shoes which cost just as much as our entire allowance for our Chicago trip. Grabe! Sa sobrang init (can you believe how hot it is in LA?? It hit 96F yesterday!!), we tried Jamba Juice --supposedly the fave drink of Britney Spears-- and spent about $4 for a 16 ounce cup. Ok naman, masarap pero as useless, di ko naubos. It was just too much to take in, literally and figuratively.

Then we went to the Grove and Century City. Wala lang, ikot ikot lang. This trip has been such fun. Although, i seriously miss my little boy and my family back home. I realized that despite all the comforts and luxury I experienced on this part of the world, I still miss home and can't wait to go home to mo cuishle. I miss him sooo much. And I can't wait to tell him how much his relatives (Nongnong, Ninang Nicole and Maylyn, Lolo Bob, Lola Peachie, Lolo Peps) would love to see him here.

6 days and counting

Ok, quick run down of what we have done so far in Chicago (aside ofcourse from being holed up in the "War Room" where brainstorming is draining the life out of me):

1. Basked under the sun at Millenium Park and some photo ops
2. Magnificent Mile! The oasis of shopping in this part of the world. They have everything --- even a Mac store where Carrie had to be physically removed from.
3. Lunch at the Italian Village
4. River/Lake Architectural tour (details to follow)
5. Team dinner at the Signature Room over at John Hancock. 96 floors above Chicago, the view was just AMAZING!

We have about a day and a half to go before flying to LA. This is a beautiful city -and I just love it. More stories to come. Still need to wrap up my Antitrust/Competition draft. Argh!

Hope you liked the pics below.

Pics in the windy city

And we're off to the US!

Barely 2 days after getting our Visas, we were told that we are REALLY going to Chicago. Talk about planning a trip on short notice!
Ok, just a quick update on our team's US trip:

1. Tickets has been booked (finally!) last night. We are taking the Manila-HK-LA-Chicago and back route. Roughly about 16 hours of flying. Yes, it's more than half a freaking day up in the air but hey, what can you do right?

2. Hotel has been booked. In Chicago, we will be staying at the Swissotel -- about 3 or 4 blocks from the office.

3. Travel insurance form completed and submitted to our admin.

4. Shopping for travel essentials partly done. Packing them, well, that's another challenge. I will get to that on Friday.

So. We are leaving Manila on April 19 at 6:30am and then arrive in HK around 830am. We are expected to arrive in Chicago on April 19 somewhere between 8 and 830pm. Whew. It will be a really long flight. I am just sooo glad Carrie and Rese will be travelling with me. I will not want for intelligent conversation. Hehehe.

Ok. So, once in Chicago, the team has decided to make the most of the following Sunday to do some serious sight-seeing (ooohhh, Badj will love the alliteration on that sentence!) before plunging into work on Monday, the 21st. For five days, we will be immersed in finding ways to communicate the Firm's new brand messages and ofcourse, in coming up with new materials for the global practice groups. But, I don't want to go into that. It's boring stuff really except for the part when I get to see my cousin, Patrick. I hope we can do some catching up while I'm there.

What I am really looking forward too is the trip to LA!

Yey! After 5 long years (has it been really five??), I will get to see my brother and my sister in law! Yahoo! I have about a week to spend with them as well as other relatives in LA whom I miss dearly as well. This being my first time to travel in the US, I will savor the sights, the sounds and the taste of America. Wow, first world! Can you imagine that? I will be escaping the scorching heat of summer in Manila for two weeks!

I know there is so much to look forward to but I still can't help but feel a little anxious about leaving the little boy. I know he will be in very good hands and will not want for love and attention while I am away. Still. This will be the longest time ever I have spent apart from Anton. I will miss his little body sleeping warmly and peacefully beside mine. Those cute little thumbsucking sound. Argh. I have to stop. Otherwise, I won't have the nerve to make that trip to the airport!

Ok. Keeping my eyes on the ball now. And the opportunity that lies ahead. Oooh. And most especially the experience of being in another country for a couple of days. Definitely worth looking forward to.

Guess who's holding a US VISA?

Yep, you guessed right. It's moi! Can you believe it? Neither can I. And what's amazing about this whole thing is the fact that they gave me a 10 year, MULTIPLE entry to the US. Talk about lady luck smiling widely at me.

Here's the full story: About three weeks ago, our team got the shock of our lives when we were told that a writing workshop is in the works for all regional marketers of the Firm in light of the Branding Project. As part of the Global Writing Desk, we were expected to help in the preparation and facilitation of the workshop to be held in Chicago. So, to make the long story short, a colleague and I had to renew our passports (which entailed waking up in the wee hours of the morning and queing at 4am at the DFA so that we would be included in the 450-applicant cut-off for the day) and get a US visa real quick.

Since our company is enlisted in the Priority Interview Program of the US embassy, our team was immediately scheduled for the visa interview. My interview was scheduled last April 9 at 9am and after four hours of wait, I finally faced the consul. She looked at my papers (which the company had prepared for me) and then asked me a few questions.

Consul: What is the purpose of your visit to the US?
Me: (Thinking disneyland but answering...) Basically for business. Our team has been invited to attend the Global Marketing Summit of the Firm. So...
Consul: Who's paying for your trip?
Me: (Thinking ofcourse hindi ako!) The company.
Consul: How long have you been with the company?
Me: Almost a year.
Consul: How much do you get in a month?
Me: (thinking, not much really) Ofcourse I gave a number but I won't put it in this entry hehehe.

The interview took less than 3 minutes. When I held that yellow slip of paper in my clammy hands, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. So now I am an official holder of a ten year multiple entry visa to the US. I still am not sure if that will affect my life or my career plans but one thing is for sure. After 31 years in this planet, going to Disneyland is now one plane ride away.

Movie love

I've always been a movie buff -- that is until I had a baby. the weekly movie nights has become a series of DVD sessions, often interrupted by daily chores. But I am not complaining. I have had my heydey of movie-watching and I wouldn't give up one minute with Anton for one movie.

Anyways, thoughts of good 'ol movie-watching days got me listing some of my favortie love movies. Some of which I like because of their "kilig" factor, some of them I like because of their witty dialogues, some I like because..well, just because. Here are some of my pinaka favorite movies yet.

1. The American President

Aside from the endearing, albeit almost fairy tale-like story, i especially like this movie for the witty banter between characters. I particularly like Michael Douglas' speech before the US congress where he talks about what the Bill of Rights entails:

"You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the land of the free."

Galing di ba? Oh, another thing I love about this flick is that it combines two of the things which I think makes the world go round. Nope it ain't money. It's love and...politics.

2. While you were sleeping

This film is one of those rare movies that captured the essence of a close-knit American family. What drew me to this movie is that the love concept went beyond the usual romantic sort. It just wasn't about the love that Lucy found with Jack --but rather, it is about Lucy, an orphan, falling in love with Jack's family and vice versa.

"The truth was that I fell in love with you. Yes, all of you. I went from being all alone to being a fiancee, a daughter, a grandaughter, a sister, and a friend. I may have saved your life that day, but you really saved mine. You let me be a part of your family. I haven't had that in a really long time."

3. My bestfriend's wedding

I guess most women can relate to the big concept of this movie: falling in love with your bestfriend. But for me, what made this movie stand out was the face that it it boldly opted for a different kind of "happy ending".

Some people say they were quite disappointed with the film because Julia Roberts did not end up with Dermot Mulroney but as she says in her wedding speech, "I see that the world is just as it should be.For my best friend has won the best woman."

Aww..sweet.

(This is just a partial list -- ranked in no particular order. I will complete the list depending on my work load. That means give or take a few years.)

Mo cuishle

Just in case you were wondering, the title is an Irish Gaelic translation of "my darling, my blood". Its literal meaning is "my pulse". This line was used by Clint Eastwood in the movie "Million Dollar Baby" when referring to the character of Hillary Swank. If you will recall, the movie is about a down-and-out boxing trainer who develops a stronger-than-blood bond with a female amateur who to prove her worth by becoming a successful boxer.

But this is not about the movie nor Clint Eastwood. This entry is about mo cuishle -- Anton.

Nearly 15 months have passed since Anton came into my life. While I admit that being pregnant with him was unplanned, it was still something I welcomed with open arms. From the moment I saw the two pink strips appear on the pregnancy test kit, I knew that my life will be richer, fuller and much happier because of his presence.

Seeing him grow up has become our household's favorite past time. My dad, for instance, has gone loco just being with his favorite apo (by default, i think kasi Anton is the only one right now). My mom, despit e her occassional vertigo attacks, can't keep her hands off the little one. By his mere presence, mo cuishle has made our family life richer and closer. All of a sudden, weekends are spent at home --doing groceries, playing in the park, and watching videos of Barney and Spongebob. Anyone who knew me 4 or 5 years ago would affirm how different my life is now from what I had then. From a social butterfly, I have transformed into a pretty much domesticated mom.

While I admit that there are certain aspects of my former life that I miss, I still wouldn't trade what I have now with what I had then. Despite the added responsibilities, the life I have now is more peaceful. More serene. And I have mo cuishle -- Anton -- to thank for that.