December 2009

You know you’re in the Philippines when….

December 19, 2009

The crazy traffic and pollution is no longer charming like it is in other 3rd world tourist hubs.  It makes you want to pull your hair out. When you walk around in the mall, you're a whole foot taller than everyone else.    Elementary school Christmas parties consist of sing and dance routine presentations by […]






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Back to the beginning: A Family Christmas in the Philippines

December 18, 2009

I’m a banana. Yellow on the outside, white on the inside. This is what friends have always said to me growing up. Philippine born, Canadian raised, Euro/American adult. I’m a bit of an in-between. My brother and I have spent most of our memorable lives in Canada. We left the Philippines when I was 5 […]






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With the Gamboa-side girl cousins

December 17, 2009






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And, because we all forgot yesterday

December 17, 2009

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY BROTHER DJ!!!  =) He’s still the 4 year old I’ve always known – NOT the 24 year old he claims to be.  =) Unfortunately, I don’t have a collection of pictures of DJ when he was 4 to 12.  He had lovely thick glasses, braces, a mushroom haircut and […]






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The cocoon of family

December 17, 2009

We made it.  All four of us.  An accumulated 50+ hours of transit and multiple and varied city stopovers and we’re finally all here.  We’re in San Fernando Pampanga, in a small town just a few hours outside of the chaos that is Manila.  It is hot, humid and tropical.  There are palm trees on […]






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Adventures in pooping

December 16, 2009

Bathrooms are always an adventure when on the road, especially in places like Africa and Asia.  They’re like a box of chocolates – you just never know what you’re going to get! We North Americans take our mundane bathroom experiences for granted. Having an actual seat to plant your butt on is a real luxury […]






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On lifelong learning in Buenos Aires

December 15, 2009

Being in Argentina for so long gave me the opportunity to get to know some pretty great people. Culturally, it was such an enriching experience to spend proper time doing normal things, like grocery shopping, going on walks, hanging out at the park, working. I met people from all walks of life: businessmen, young parents, […]






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Made it to Osaka

December 15, 2009

It's 6pm and I haven't slept in over 18 hours.  I don't have the energy to explore and the complete random newness of the place just exhausts me tonight.  I need food but can't be asked to go find anything to eat.  This is the problem with one-night layovers – there is no point exploring, […]






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