the real, the now

i spent the day making tour packages until i was cross-eyed from staring at the numbers.

the mundane reality of running this business was--well, not exactly unexpected--maybe overlooked in the rush and excitement of setting the whole thing up.

i often catch myself just sitting or standing still, arms suspended, eyes darting about, unsure of the next task...even sometimes forgetting what i was doing at that very moment. the same goes for malou and we have to laugh at ourselves.

but i chose to do this. it's not what i expected, but it is what keeps me going these days.

and when i earn that first million...i'm going to keep going for the second. hehehe.

e-passports

today is a defining moment in philippine history. introducing...the machine readable passport (MRP)!

we've been spreading the word since a memo went out a month ago that starting november 15, all new & renewal applications will be processed as MRPs.

what's an MRP, anyway?

according to wikipedia, it's "a passport where the data on the identity page is encoded in optical character recognition format."


the philippines is actually the only ASEAN member left that has not been using a machine-readable passport. talk about slow!

and the advantages of using an MRP?

it means faster processing through immigration, more security since data encoded on your passport is not easily alterable (though opposers have been trying to disprove this. read.), and we finally meet international standards.

anyhoo, we are now accepting new and renewal applications for MRPs.

basically, the requirements are the same except that photo backgrounds are now royal blue instead of white, and personal appearance is a MUST due to fingerprint scanning, even for renewals. for the same fee, our DFA-accredited liaison officer will assist you through the process and will pick up the passport for you after the 20-23 day regular processing.

call 082-221 2255 for more details.

happy traveling!

what is sweetness?

sweetness is....

...jakob cuddling next to me while watching star wars.
...jakob pretending to be a droid and talking to me in a robotic manner.
...jakob hugging my legs while i hammer his picture frames on the wall and telling me he loves me.
...jakob shamelessly announcing to the whole wide world, "auntie tessa loves me very much!".

family time

earlier today, we traveled to digos to gather with the rest of the clan at the cemetery where my grandparents were buried.

my family will use any excuse to fiesta. death is merely a reason to commune and eat and laugh! yep, we have the strangest lamays.

we came ready with long tables and chairs and lots and lots of food. after a short service led by the eldest daughter, tita fele, we dug in! and after we've indulged our taste buds, tongues start a-wagging. we talked about the good ol' days when lolo and lola were alive. we talked about the family members who weren't able to join the get-together (good-natured libak gud oi). and we talked about the grandkids.

apo no longer applies to me and my cousins, but to the growing number of little boys and girls, the so-called next generation. every smile, every pout, every smart-alecky comment is discussed fondly by the proud lolos and lolas and titos and titas. this could take us hours, dissecting each kid and patting ourselves on the back and claiming a hand for their brilliance. i hope my nieces and nephews will grow up realizing how blessed and loved they are.

finally someone took notice of the time and we had to halt the chikahan. but packing up is equally fun with everybody scrambling to take home leftovers. with cheeks aching from constant grinning, we headed home.