Hoot!

During our trip, my mom found this owl that you connect to your computer. It moves or blinks whenever you type or use the mouse. When my mom showed it to me I was so excited to get it and connect it to my computer. I'm not obsessed with owls, I just find this one pretty cute. I also have a few owl necklaces, and a bookmark from Karen, but I think the fact that I have those is what causes me to think I want a certain owl themed item I find in a store. The whole thing is psychological. They aren't my favorite kind of animal. I don't no if I can pick a favorite animal. All I know is, I'm not going to get any owl slippers.

New Hobby

I just learned a new song to play in the guitar. I still need to work on it though. Here Comes the Sun isn't actually the easiest song to play, and I've only been playing the guitar for three months. Im really enjoying it. My dad and I play the guitar together everyday. Well, at least when our schedules fit. He helped me learn how to play tears in heaven, which a pretty sad song by the way. It's nice find another thing my dad and I can do together. Every time we get home from a trip, I head straight to the guitar or piano. I don't know why I haven't thought of bringing it with me. I think I might next time.

Home

I realized I spent nine years of my life living here. And only four years in Manila. I might not have been born here but it feels like home, and I know it is. The only relatives we have here are my sister and her family. My mom and dad didn't know anyone when they decided to move here. They really loved the place and the fact that there were less traffic jams. It was a crazy decision to move here. It wasn't that big a deal to me back then since I didn't find a best friend yet. But I did when I got here. I was really happy, and I knew we were never going to regret moving. I'm glad we did.

Back to the City of Golden Friendship

School is starting in about two hours, and I've got a few exams to take. I can't wait to finish them. That heavy weight will finally get lighter. I'm still glad to be home though. I missed my friends, my room, the dogs, and plain rice. The only rice I've eaten during the trip was chicken rice. It doesn't taste bad, I guess I just miss Filipino food. A few years ago my mom would bring me with her when she went to work during the summer. Then we would go with my dad to Cecil's and have lunch. They would always have Adobo and rice. The cool thing was, when I got to school today they were serving Adobo for lunch. The timing couldn't be better.

Epic Fail

We just arrived in Manila, and I'm already missing my brother. I can't wait to see him again. I never got a chance to "bow" him. I wonder if he would get it, but I'm pretty sure my sister would laugh really hard. I don't really know why, but she always does when she does it to me. Isabel keeps trying to do it to me and Maria. The first time she tried it on Maria, she wouldn't believe her so Isabel gave Maria a slight push on the head to face the floor and yelled "BOW!". I guess she needs a little more practice. But not with the rest of the tricks. Every time Maria and I try to scare her, she always ends up scaring us. When Maria was three and I was nine years old, my brother and sister tricked us into thinking we were part of a family of Vampires. They even got almost everyone in one it. We only found out it wasn't true a few months later. Maria and I remembered what happened while we were talking a few weeks ago, so we decided to do it to Isabel. After we told her our whole made up story, she gave a really sarcastic remark and walked away. Maria and I looked at each other and said she isn't going to believe it if it came from us. I guess Izzy is really growing up.

Hunting for Clodhoppers

Before the dinner of my mom's birthday, my sister and I went around Singapore looking for a snack called Clodhoppers. We didn't actually go everywhere. We just went to one supermarket and three malls. But we had other reasons too. She wanted sushi, and I wanted to try Phish Food by Ben & Jerry's. We never actually found the Clodhoppers. Apparently, hardly anyone new about it. The last time we bought it was about two years ago, and there were only a few packs on the shelf. I remember bringing one to school so my friends could try it. I'm not sure if they still remember it though. Oh well, I guess I should just keep them in mind when I leave this October.

Happy Birthday!

It's my mom's birthday today, and also Denise's. Too bad I can't be at two places at once. I hope Denise is having a good birthday. I also hope my mom is. She hardly asks for anything, but this year she decided to tell us what she wanted for her birthday. She wanted everyone to be together, and she wanted to go to the Botanic Garden in Singapore. Maria and Isabel fed the ducks and we all took a walk around the place. Mom was smiling the whole time, especially during dinner. It was a really funny dinner. We kept laughing, but I don't even remember why. But of course there was a little disappointment, because we were leaving the next day. Which meant we won't be seeing my brother for a while. But other than that, it was a really great day.

No Regrets

It was a really warm day today, but I still enjoyed it. The whole family went to Universal Studios Singapore. We all rode a pretty small roller coaster but only four of us road it again. My older brother and I road a bigger one called The Mummy, which isn't that scary. We were both scared to ride it, but my mom just pushed into the entrance. I'm not the type of person who likes going on roller coasters, but I had a lot of fun. I guess sometimes I analyze things too much. There are times that it does come in handy though. But there are also times when it's the reason why I hesitate to do some things.

When I get home, I should really go thank my friends since they're one of the reasons why I don't miss all the fun. I should also thank my mom and dad. I remember one morning, they woke me up at about 5:30 and told me we were leaving in thirty minutes to go river rafting. They actually did that to me three times. At least I never regretted it.

Another Day

Today was really fun. We went to the science center again. The last time I went there everything seemed bigger, but this time, they aren't that huge. I started to appreciate more of the things they had during this visit, because it's what I've been learning in school. I didn't actually get to go around the whole science center, because my mom and I got pretty tired. We left after we had lunch at McDonalds, speaking of which, doesn't serve rice here. It's not that big a deal though. After we, left we headed for the mall to buy a few things. We eventually got really tired and decided to just go back to the hotel. The whole day went by fast. I woner what tomorrow is going to be like.

Things are Pretty Different

Singapore is so clean! The only thing you see on the ground of the sidewalks are leaves, or the feet of other people who are passing by. It's really nice to walk around, especially because more cars respect the pedestrian lane. Everyone is driving on the left side of the road, and I keep forgetting that the driver is on the right side of the car. While typing this, I just realized that chewing gum isn't allowed here. I'm not really a gum person, but I know Evee can't live here. You really can't find any gum here. I think the best alternative would be the really chewy candy that they sell here.

The trip is off to a good start. I just hope that it will keep getting better since my mom will be celebrating her birthday during the trip.

SURPRISE!

We all finally arrived in Singapore. The plane rides from Cagayan de Oro to Singapore were surprisingly very tiring. We had to wake up at two in the morning, go through immigration, and sit through a four hour flight. You would think that the plane ride was the perfect time to take a nap, but for some reason a few of us just couldn't fall asleep. But it all payed off when we walked outside the airport, because we finally saw my older brother Francis. The whole family actually planned to surprise him by going along with my mom and dad, but he didn't seem that shocked. I guess it's because we surprised him a few times before. The last time my sister came, she brought me. And the last time my dad came, he brought my mom and my sister. When my older sister complained and said he wasn't excited, he just said he knew we were capable of giving him another surprise. Maybe next time we should bring all of our cousins.

Time is Precious

There are so much things to do! Sometimes there is that feeling where you think you absolutely have no time left. Every single minute is worth an hour to you, and your schedule seems to just keep growing. But then a few days later, when you finally got everything done, you just think "Wow. I actually did it." All it took was better time management and a really organized schedule. It's funny how it always starts out the same. I guess a part of it is really psychological. The more you believe that you can do it, the easier it starts to look. But of course it takes a lot more effort than just thinking.

Cinnamon, Peanut Butter & Raisins

My mom bought one of these a few days ago. When she told me about it I thought it sounded pretty odd and wouldn't taste that good. Turns out, it was one of those things that just prove you wrong.

Sometimes completely different things are just not good together, or sometimes they somehow just work. It reminds me of how friends or spouses can be. Some of them have the smallest things in common, but have a whole lot of differences that just keep them together. It might not some that amazing, but it probably is.

Iv'e Got a Question

"If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it still have a sound?"

Answer the question first.

If you honestly tell me you believe the tree will still have a sound, I will applaud you. Why? Because to believe that the tree will make a sound, that it won't let you down, and you won't ever have any virtual proof of that, is a pretty good accomplishment.