Beyond Expectation

There’s just so much to enjoy and discover about Hawaii. At first few days, I was so fascinated with the whole exploration and I even considered it a time travel. The coconuts, the flowers, the mountains, the sea… ah, the magnificent views are so similar to the small island where I came from. Not until the last days, I realized there’s so much more in Maui, Hawaii that our island doesn’t have. The stunning sunsets, the evergreen scenery, misty mountains, rainbows, perfect weather, idyllic beaches, mesmerizing music, expressive hula dances and plummeting cliffs. I could on and on. The place is indeed beyond paradise! There is profound peace and majestic contrasts. It’s definitely grand in nature’s gifts.

(Lana-i beach with Manele Bay in background)

I could say that the highlight on our 12-day vacation was whole-day trip to Lanai Island (thanks to Trilogy). We did snorkeling and toured around the small village up in the mountain. The island was owned by James Dole of Dole Food Company in 1922 and developed a large portion of it into the world's largest pineapple plantation. I was even more surprised to know that 70% of the population is Filipinos. Now, I had connected the dots of our family roots. My grandpa’s brother was one of those that were hired for the pineapple plantation back in 1930’s. Suddenly, I felt more connections. Well, cheesy as it may sound but that’s how I felt. The hibiscus flowers, the small houses that remained unlocked, one gas station, few smaller stores, and people speaking Tagalog, kids smiling and waving as they see tourists. It was very mysterious and yet so serene place to live. Although, there’s not much going on in the island, I could tell there are tons of reasons why most people choose to stay. What’s more surprising to me is their weather, it’s really nice up there! Not so hot, not so cold. Presently, the island is owned by Southern California’s David Murdock as a result for his purchase of Castle & Cooke. It must be tough to switch the villagers from pineapple farmers to being in the hospitality jobs. There’s only about 3,000 population though and guess what? They all know each other and perhaps they had to look for husband/wife somewhere as they may all be related, lol! I just can’t believe I was so fascinated with the island’s history!

(the only gas station in the village)

(this place brings back a lot of fun-filled childhood memories)

Anyway, I’m so happy to be back blogging. I’ll share more experiences later.

Just a Quick Note

I would like to apologize to my avid followers. I know there’s still some, hehehe… I have been caught up with work lately. We came back on my birthday. Yeah, I spent my 32nd birthday at the back of the plane, lol! Good thing, it’s from Hawaii. I haven’t had a chance to blow my birthday candle but I did open my surprise present from my husband (of course) which I personally picked a month before. Yes, that’s a lot of surprise for me, lol! I loved my new Cartier watch, very simple yet elegant.

Anyway, our Christmas sales started right after we arrived from vacation. That’s why we took that vacation in the first place (wink). It was a perfect timing for us! We know it’s going to be a hectic weeks ahead of us. Aside from my daily routine at work, I helped A with his paperwork. It’s very tedious since one of our major accounts doesn’t have a distribution center. I worked 3-whole day for that since it has to be shipped right away. I couldn’t complain though, A had been sweating in the warehouse. He had more tough things to do. I’m just happy to assist him. And in a week, three- 40’ container arrived and most of the items will be shipped in 2 weeks. We’re darn full and to solve the problem, we rented two-40’ container and were parked right outside our warehouse. Oh boy… what else can I say? It’s a blessing! Thank God!

Oh, how I missed you all! I definitely will get back to you soon as I get a chance but for now, please accept my apologies! Hugs!!!

Another Day in Paradise

The morning is very uplifting and the plumeria smells are so inspiring. We were enjoying our breakfast that I cooked (bacon and eggs) at the balcony and saw bunch of people having fun at the pool.

Yes, it’s pool time once again but we decided to walk at the beach to the black rock first. We had a little action with the gushing waves. Geee, I wished those waves are not that wild, lol! The neighboring island covered with cotton-candy clouds looked like Camiguin to me.

We had a great time at the pool and guess what? I joined the kids with the slide adventure, lol! It was so much fun!

We drove around town and saw the “pride and joy” of Maui, the Bunyan tree- the biggest in the world. Wow! That tree occupied the whole block! It gives a cozy shade though, very interesting!
We walked through the harbor and saw some submarine adventure signs. We bought tickets and off we went for the underwater quest for the first time. Yeah, that’s very exciting! We rode through a little ferry to where the sub is and as the tour guide counted 1 to 5… and oh, we were so ready with our camera.

The submarine getting ready to surface:D

Oh, there it is! Awesome!

We went down as far as 150 feet. It was very cool!



As we sailed back to the island, there is this familiar smell of the ocean and the sticky feeling from the salt water. Ah, the island life! I remember that (wink, wink).

We went back to the hotel, soaked in the pool. Grab some Italian dinner and shared a glass of MaiTai with the hotel's spectacular view! Yes, another day in paradise!

Vacation at Last!

So, we got our ticket upgraded to first class. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed for 2 hours. I was playing Bookworm on my iPhone the whole time, draining its battery. Finally, we boarded and the flight was not bad at all. The seats are pretty reasonable size that I curled myself and covered with the blanket all throughout the flight. I drink my husband’s cocktail accidentally. I thought that was just juice and sure enough that knocked me.

Hawaii definitely reminded me of Philippines- humid and warm. We rented a yellow Jeep and off we went to our destination villa. It’s a very neat Ocean Resort (timeshare) and such a great deal for a 12D/13N stay. The kitchen is fully furnished with washer & dryer. I just love the kitchen!
Hurriedly, we changed to our beach clothes and swam a little bit on the sea. The water is very refreshing! Then, we soaked in the pool for few minutes. Got some dinner at Hula Grill. The foods are superb! We did some groceries at Safeway and I’m very excited that I still can cook. That surely saved us some money instead of eating out everyday. Suddenly, I felt like home!
Yeah, finally- we’re on a vacation! Cheers!

I Said a Prayer For You Today

I said a prayer for you today
And know God must have heard
I felt the answer in my heart
Although He spoke not a word.

I didn't ask for wealth or fame
I knew you wouldn't mind.

I asked for priceless treasures rare
Of a more lasting kind.

I prayed that He'd be near you
At the start of each new day
To grant you health and blessings fair,
And friends to share your way.

I asked for happiness for you
In all things great and small
But that you'd know His loving care
I prayed the most of all.

Excitements, Award and Escapades

Wow, how time flies. I can’t believe it’s about time to remove my conditional status here in the US. I asked both A&B to write a sworn affidavit for me and they’re both saying the same thing: “Oh I thought you’ve been here longer than that”. My husband and I both thought so too. It’s only been 29 months. I couldn’t say I blend in right away though. But for most part, adjustments weren’t that bad. Probably because I have worked in another country for years prior to coming here.

Life is good and I’m grateful for all the opportunities they gave me. I got a job right away and working for my husband is the best thing. Our marriage is not perfect but certainly, we are very happy and still in love (wink, wink). Couldn’t ask for more!

Anyway, I would like to thank Jackie for this great award. She’s always a modest, sincere blogger who’s not scared to speak her minds. I love her blog and it’s really worth stopping by everyday. It offers a lot of beautiful pictures in their area and some amusing tidbits of her daily life. Thanks, Jackie!

And oh, did I tell you that I'm now counting the days for our 12-day Hawaii escapade? Yay! We're soooo looking forward to that! Yes, 2 more days and Aloha, here we come, lol!

In the Depth of Toils

When in pain, one commonly be apt to gravitate towards people who have been there, done that. There is this feeling that if you bond with people who went through the pain themselves and recovered, we feel revived. This is what happened with Jim’s old friend. His buddy in high school unfortunately met an accident on his early 30’s and was bedridden for 3 years. He’s got a lot of stories, some unusual stories that are very heart-breaking. One time, his step son almost killed him with the telephone chord when he was in bed and can’t move at all. His wife sold his favorite Corvette for 1500 and some other stuff he owned. The most touching part was when he mentioned the story of his friend who’s paralyzed from neck down. His parents totally abandoned him. They left him in bed for 2 days with his legs crossed. One morning, he called his friend and he told him he doesn’t feel good. There are some strange things that keep jumping on his legs. He can’t move at all. And so, he called another friend to check on him. When they arrived at his house, there were rats eating his legs. They rushed him to the hospital and he died the next day of internal infection. I mean, how sick is that? On the lighter side, he spends a lot of times with friends who have the same problem. Sometimes they go to the lake on their wheel chairs and drink some beers. They find ways to make the most of what they’ve got. Still, he has not completely accepted it.

Oh, my heart goes to those people who are going through such rough times. Some people wasted their lives on drugs while some people never gave up despite their health limitations. How ironic that is?

Rants and Sighs

Certainly, times have changed and so has insights. What was once considered inappropriate and disgusting is now widely accepted or became a part of deluded culture. Lifestyles, relationships have been redefined. Or at least, that’s what media have been trying to press on in their daily shows. Ladies dancing like worms and almost naked on a noontime show. As what my husband used to comment, “It’s not so very Filipino”. Yes, watching this noon time show on TFC make me sick sometimes.

Things just went way overboard, ridiculous and uncontrollable since the explosion of cell phones. I remembered being shocked when I came back from Taiwan and found these young kids so busy texting while walking on the mall. I felt like a stranger and so left behind. It’s even more surprising to me when I found out that those kids that used to play on the streets; now on their early teens became Moms. Geeee! What scary news! It’s very sad to realize that the young generations never learned from the past. They’ve been trapped on the same cycle (sigh).