This is it

And so we are finally here. It's my last week, my last day in Malaysia. What happens next is still a big blur.

I'm honestly all out of words now. I simply would just like to thank everyone who has been with me on this journey. On shore and offshore, thank you for making this the adventure that this was.

I thank God, most of all, because it was Him who made all these things possible. And it was Him who was and will continue to be with me through it all. "You're the Captain of my soul. You're the Captain of my heart. You see through every end and every start. Like a sailboat, I will follow where Your wind takes me to go." (Little Sailboat by Mari Anjeli)

This is it. Bring on the next adventure.

Jumpa lagi!

Seven Things I Am Looking Forward To

TWO WEEKS. I am leaving Malaysia in TWO WEEKS. Eep. I still don't know if I am prepared enough. I don't suppose we will ever be though. Sometimes, you just have to jump. (Oh shifting voices.)

I still feel a mixture of fear and anxiety, but excitement and the endless sea of possibilities keep me optimistic. With that, though I know there are and will be more of these, here are seven things I am looking forward to, in this journey home:

1. Time with family. A daughter has got to make up for lost time. Now that I've learned how important blood family is, the seven-hour ride home would never be a hassle.

2. Time with Adrian. "Para sa pag-ibig! For love!" Let's see how this short distance relationship will play out.

3. Time with friends and kindred spirits. Friends! Who's up for discussions about life, literature, writing, music, or art??? We'll have plenty of time to meet up!

4. A brand new start, career-wise. Ahhh. Endless possibilities. I am praying for the perfect job to open up.

5. Rest. After a roller coaster ride here in Malaysia, next year will be my seventh year. And on the seventh year, Mari rested. Hence my use of the number seven in these debriefing lists.

6. The opportunity to explore the Philippine Isles. "Tara na, byahe tayo!" Oh time and money, please cooperate with me.

7. A new writing journey. I had thought of parting with this blog once I parted with Malaysia. Since, you know, I would be back in my home shore. But, but, but... noooo. Well, I registered the domain for two years more. Perhaps this will give me the motivation to travel, or even explore Metro Manila? Well, Stories from Distant Shores will remain. And, well, I've been dabbling with poetry this past quarter. I am seeing more poetry projects in the near future. Speaking of which, care to take a peek at my project, In Transit? There'll be more of where that came from.

Seven isn't enough, knowing all the things God has in store for what is up ahead. And I am grateful, knowing there are a lot of good things in store.

Seven Things I Learned About God

Debriefing post #6. Two more to go. Aiks. For this post, I will be sharing seven things I learned about God:

1. God cares for the harvester, not just for the harvest. As Christians, we sometimes deny ourselves, die to ourselves too much, and, though the Jesus and the Bible does tell us to do so (Luke 9:23), Jesus also said He came so that we might have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10b). The bottom line is, life before ministry, and our relationship with God over ministry as well.

2. God's thoughts for us outnumber the grains of sand (Psalm 139:17-18). He cares about us more than we can imagine. He has hemmed us in and out (Psalm 139:5) and it is His delight to be involved in the different parts of our lives. I have seen how He's been working in everything, even in my love story with Adrian. We've had so many moments when we saw God intervening at the speed of thought, especially when things got rocky.

3. Even when we are unfaithful, God remains faithful. He draws the prodigals back to Him. He proves true though we turn into doubting Thomases at times. I gave up so many times, but through it all, God never gave up on me. He never gave up on His work as well.

4. God is a good, good Father, perfect in all of His ways. He may bring us through seasons we can't understand. But when we look back at everything, we realize He has caused things for the good, after all.

5. God does great things through people who say "yes" and are available. Nuff said. Just do it, people. Just do it.

6. God LOVES people. He is not a tyrant king. We must learn to love others as He does, and not be blinded by prejudice and hate.

7. God is always just a prayer, a breath, a song away. Many times, I've forgotten Him, pushing through life without Him, living dependent on myself and on my own strength. But I must remember this. He is my Lord, my Savior, my Father, my Friend, my Everything. And so I must be aware of Him and spend more time with Him, not out of duty, but out of love and pure devotion.

This has actually been one of the harder posts to write. I don't know if some people will throw stones at my theology. But these were the things I've learned through my walk these past years. I know I will learn some more.

Seven Things I Learned About People

It seems other people have been enjoying reading these debriefing posts as much as I have had writing them. I think that's one wonderful thing writing does. You hear (well, read) other people voicing out things you have learned and experienced yourself, and you somehow feel you aren't alone in this often disconnected world. And when readers nod their heads with you, well then you, as a writer, you start to realize there are kindred spirits out there who get you.

So let us go on with debriefing post #5. Seven things I learned about people:

1. People are people - they will hurt you (consciously or unconsciously) but that does not mean you should love them any less. You should actually love them more, because the people who hurt other people are likely to have been hurt greatly, too. And guess what? The ones closest to you are the ones who will hurt you the most. Yeah, we already know that. But this became more real to me here. And by closest, it includes those close in proximity and close in heart-connectivity.

2. Stereotypes are helpful, but I believe we should do away with them for the most part. I once had my hair done by a tattooed, pierced, gangster-type guy with the help of his denim-clad friend (another young man). Take note I wasn't getting spiky green hair. I was retouching my roots and upgrading my locks to a caramel-orange hue.

3. People come and go. As much as we want people to have a permanent place in our lives, their time with us - as with our time with them - is limited. But whether it be a night, three days, a week, a year, two years, six - we should just make sure we make good memories and see to it that we live with love.

4. People have interesting lives and have interesting stories to share. You just need to ask questions and get to know them enough. I've known people where actually ballerinas, heavy metal singers, cooks, and writers wearing corporate attire in disguise.

5. Age is often just a number. You can't gauge a person's maturity by their age. And you can't gauge a person's age by simply looking at them. The other day, we were trying to guess some colleagues' ages. I realized I mostly peg everyone in the workforce to be in their late 20s. And I get surprised when I realize they are either actually much younger or much older.

6. People change. They aren't this memory you can put into a tiny little box. The years will take its toll and you'll realize you aren't all the same people you were before. But that's good. I read from somewhere that the only things that don't go through some sort of transformation are dead things.

7. Nobody is living the perfect life. Social media may say otherwise, but everyone has their own seasons, their own heartaches at times. "Perfect" people can have their petty fights, clogged toilets to take care of, and - you never know, they might be trying their hardest to fight off their own demons, too. So two words of advice (for everyone and for myself): first, do not compare; and second, be kind.

I suppose, as we get older, we'll learn even more about people, and this list could grow from seven to seventy. Well, even though I consider myself an old soul, these seven things are plenty enough for now.

Taken September 2014 at Laman Seni.

P.S. Oh, I have also been processing this journey through poetry. If you like poetry (or if you are trying to force yourself to like poetry), have a look at my little project here. Cheers!

Seven If Onlies

I generally try to live a life with no regrets, a life with no what ifs and no if onlys. (Onlies? Only's?) But, there you go, like that possible lapse in spelling and grammar, uncertainties and mistakes are always bound to happen. So we learn to pick up the pieces, make the most of them, and move forward.

I need to uncover all my regrets in Malaysia so that I can go on to the next chapter with a complete heart. This is debriefing post #4, after all. To be clear, I may have these regrets but I may not necessarily want anything to be changed. But I am getting ahead of myself. So, regrets:

1. If only I had taken a three-year-loan for Caleb instead of a seven-year one. That would have saved me from this headache of trying to sell him off now. But then that would probably mean weeks of me living on mee sedap or indomie. So here I am, still with some debt to pay, still with a faithful Myvi looking for a trustworthy owner.

2. If only I had communicated with my family more. I mentioned in my previous post how I became more grateful for them. But I still feel I didn't communicate enough. No matter. When I go back to Manila, I will make sure to take that commute up to Baguio at least once a month.

3. If only I hadn't isolated myself so much in UKM. Once I started working, I sorta became more outgoing. I had more friends. I had people outside church whom I could confide in. I did have friends back in UKM. But I still wish I had opened up more. Lesson learned: open up your life, open up your heart.

4. If only I hadn't put my relationship with Adrian too high up on a pedestal. We had so much heartaches because of so much pressure and expectations. He is my first boyfriend, I am his first girlfriend, and we both jumped straight into a long distance romance. I wouldn't go as far as saying if only I hadn't said yes to an LDR - though I do keep telling people considering getting into relationships this: DO NOT DO LDR. No, I won't go as far as saying if only he'd found a way here or if only had I never left home or if only we had never fallen in love or if only I had known what I was getting myself into or if only we had waited until I got home - I won't go as far as saying those things. Because these - this long distance friendship, this long distance courtship, this long distance relationship - these are the very things that have made our love story unique. And, hey, we have stood the test of time, distance, and inconsistent Internet connections. Now that we are finally doing short distance, I have no idea how things will work out. But I shall remember this if only. I will not make an idol out of this relationship. Gah, I think I already said too much for item 4.

5. If only I had saved up earlier! What on earth did I do to my money??? I had some debt, yes. I traveled a bit, yes. But I still wish I had more pesos in my Philippine account. Mission once I get a job next year: save, save, save!

6. If only I had been more sensitive to people. If only I had loved more, listened more. To have someone close to me disappear so suddenly and to have her go through so much heartache right under my nose - would I have been able to change anything? And yet, looking at where we all are now, would I have wanted things to be changed? I honestly don't know. In that parallel universe wherein she had stayed, wherein she still had constant communication - I have no idea how that world would have turned out like, and if we would all be happy in that world. I would like to believe so. But this is the world we have now.

7. If only I had no if onlies. I'm having trouble thinking up of a 7th one. But what if I never did have any regrets in my stay here? That would be such a perfect world. But I realize that I do have regrets. And now that those are all out in the open, it's now time to move on.

I want to leave being in good terms with Malaysia and my memories here. It's time to move forward, time to move on.

No more regrets.

Seven Things that Changed in Me

Debriefing post #3. What were seven things that changed in me?

1. I began to look at the world with a bigger set of eyes. Things are not always in black and white. Things are not always what they seem. The world is so much bigger than UPLB and my academics. Working in an international setting with people having different backgrounds and backstories has been real eye opener.

2. I began to let go of a lot of mindsets about faith and religion and learned to embrace love all the more. At home I was used to a predominantly Roman Catholic setting. Here, I made friends with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Tribesmen, Christians, and Unreligious people. You gain nothing by arguing with people. Love wins every time.

3. I became more adventurous, taking leaps instead of just talking about things. Hello, open mics, solo trips, literary experiments and all that jazz!

4. Physically, I got fatter then slimmer, got inked, got my hair colored a couple of times, got braces again, will get the braces taken out again by December... basically "Nene" no more.

5. I  began valuing my biological family more. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, noh? And though spiritual families are of great importance, I realized blood is thicker than anything. Come what may, your family will always be your family and the ties you have with them are deep, deep, deep.

6. I became more independent, having had to stand on my own more than a couple of times.

7. I discovered my capacities as a leader. For so long, I forgot I had it in me all along.

I kept saying I was so sweet and naive 6.5 years ago. I think I have grown rougher, tougher, much like the black coffee I drink. But, unlike my regular joe, with a huge dose of sugar, though. Basically, I came to Malaysia as Vanilla Milk. And now, I emerge as Black Coffee with seven spoonfuls of sugar.

I would like to say I changed for the better. I believe change is a necessary constant in all our seasons in life.

Through the years. Guess the year.

Seven Trying Times

And now it's onto the sour. Here are the seven trying times in my history in Malaysia:

1. 2012. The world almost ended. But not in the way the Ancient Mayans predicted. This was the year a dear friend of mine left. Abruptly. For reasons too complicated to analyze or elaborate. The repercussions? Weight gain, Big Bang Theory marathons, and a battle with something which very much felt like depression at the time.

2. H1N1. I survived H1N1. At first, I actually thought I was going to die. That's how dramatic I am. Read more about the ordeal - err, adventure - here.

3. Waiting for wood companies. IE the respondents for my thesis. Not having any respondents would mean graduating at a later date and nobody really wants that.

4. Waiting for a job. After I passed my thesis defense, I started looking for work. And then I waited. And waited. And waited some more for work to open up. Everything fell into place eventually.

5. LDR blues. Long distance relationships are not, I repeat, are not for the fainthearted. We had our rocky moments, the rockiest perhaps was at the beginning of this year. The second half of 2015 was a close contender, too.

6. Team conflicts. I guess the closer iron gets to another, the sharper they drive themselves to become. Not that I was directly involved in any of the conflicts. But, hey, I was affected, nonetheless.

7. Homesickness. Especially those first few months. Apparently, I combated it through writing letters. When the letter writing season was over, I continued to turn to words for therapy.

Well, God has a way of turning things around and using everything for His glory. I look at these moments and see how everything brought me closer to Him. Not only that, these moments pushed me to creativity. I wrote songs, stories, even a bit of poetry. And speaking of poetry... I have an announcement which I shall be sharing in the Facebook page, soon.

I think we all desire a life without any sour moments. But it's those moments which let us appreciate the sweet moments all the more. :)

2012: On the road to healing.
Photo by Ate Mrose, I think.

Seven Highlights

Welcome to my first "attempt-at-debriefing" post. I'm writing this to bring closure to my almost-seven-year-stay in Malaysia.

Life is full of ups and downs. Of moments both sweet and sour. I shall write about both (and all the things in between). But for this entry, I shall be focusing on the sweet.

With that, here are the seven highlights of my Malaysian adventure:

1. Leading worship. I "led" worship during intercession and dawn prayer meetings back in elbi. Also once during a Women's Encounter. But I mainly sang backup in the worship team (altos and contaltos unite!). My stay in Malaysia brought me to a journey of guitars, ukuleles, and blistered fingertips. During the HC launching in 2010, I couldn't believe one of my dreams was coming to life - I was leading worship in front of nations, in the nations.

2. Writing songs. I wrote songs every now and then during and after college. But none that I was especially proud of. Yet these past years in Malaysia have been so emotionally charged that I couldn't help but pour out my heart through music. I wrote love songs, worship songs, and feel good songs. I even sang a couple of them on open mics up on stage. I became somewhat braver here in Malaysia. I hope I can bring that bravery back to the Philippines.

3. Writing prose and poetry. Hence this blog. And this. And this, too.  So many moments of solitude made me rediscover my love for words.

4. Learning to love (part 1). It was during my stay here that I graduated from my NBSB status. But then I jumped right into the LDR club. It has been a sweet, yet difficult, journey. It's time to close the gap.

5. Learning to love (part 2). It has been a journey of loving God more. Of loving my family more. And loving people who are not my family more and more. In the end, this whole thing is all about love, love, love.

6. Driving through a rainbow. I have a Malaysian driver's license, not an International nor a Filipino one. I took lessons here. I drove for 3.5 years here. I accomplished my first long drive (six hours) here. And I bought a car here. Which I must sell. Immediately. Huhu. Bye, Caleb.

7. Seeing lives changed. God loves His children so much. I witnessed that in ways and measures different from how I saw it in the Philippines. I saw people from different nations coming to know the Lord. I saw my own people being sweetly broken before Him. I saw Him moving in such unexpected ways. I know God has touched so many lives through the family I have here. I know He will continue to touch so much more.

God is a good, good Father. And He is perfect in all of His ways. Hence my use of the number seven for this list and the lists to follow. I think seven is also significant because, on the seventh day, God rested. And so it shall be with me, on my seventh year.

Shalom.

A dream fulfilled.

Closing a Chapter

So I am now going home this December. For good, for the better. We all knew this day would come eventually. I had said I would stay in Malaysia for a minimum of three years. I've now been here for six and a half.

It's time to close this chapter. But how? I chatted with a friend one time and she said we should meet up when I got home to "debrief".

That word. Debrief. It sounds so formal and intimidating. And the other day, I received a lovely gift - a book about "reentry". There's another terrifying word.

Truth be told, I've been allergic to jargons like those. I'd rather not have them thrown in with thoughts of going home. But after reading the reentry book, I found myself relating greatly all through Chapters One to Four (I'm still bookmarked in Chapter 5). "Ahh, all the fears and qualms I've been having these past few months are valid! There were other people who experienced it, too! I'm not overreacting!"

Knowing I have the tendency to feel too much, I believe now that it is best to be prepared. I'm not saying I will be a wreck when I go home. But I can take steps so that the leaving and the homecoming won't take so much of a toll on the emotions.

It's sweet how God himself has also been bringing me full circle. Adrian wrote in one of our exchanges (I will quote you, love):

"I think the Lord wants to show you how things have changed already. All the answers to your prayers. Or the prayers that are yet to be answered pa. The breakthroughs. Or even the breakdowns. He knows how to end a season talaga. And how to start a new one."

And so, as I end this one, I'll be doing a lot of it through this blog. The next two months will mostly be writing therapy for me. But I hope you will still be able to pick up a thing or two from this blog.

Cheers. :)

I will miss this place.

Jump

This has been a year of taking action. Of saying "yes" and jumping into the unknown.

So many things happened this year that might not have happened the way they did if I (we) had spent so much time analyzing each situation. Take for example The Midnight LG. The CrossOvers and the water baptisms. The big move(s), the sudden trips, the ticking of things off the bucket list. Things would have been so different this year if I (we) stayed safely hidden in our little corner.

Well, of course there are seasons. God knows very much how I have spent the previous years in hiding, I wondered if there was any hope for light. But those years led up to this one. Now, I am breaking out of every box, just living and jumping.

Not to say I have never calculated risks, pros and cons, and the like. I am a planner. I live by those kinds of lists. But now I won't let those things hold me back.

You see, passion and well-meaning intentions are all amazing. But what will set you apart is this: if you actually jump and take action.

What are those things you've been meaning, wanting to do, but can't seem to get to because of all the risks involved?

I will tell you one thing:

Jump.

This year's first big jump.

Full Circle

I've gone full circle. I'm back to the place where I started this journey out. Who knew I would be back here? Who knew I would pass by my old school again, those old roundabouts, those old (and some new) traffic lights, too?

Perhaps I am in that place of remembrance. So I can give thanks to God for what he has done through these 76 months that have passed.

I'm in my new room now as I type this out. It has the same setup as the room I had when I started working. Different colors though. The walls of this one are painted purple. The other's was... I can't really say for sure.

Things now are different but are in a way, the same. I think the sameness gives a bit of security.

Well, I think this is soul practice for the even bigger changes coming up ahead.

These Days Count

I'm counting down for something big, aside from Christmas, this December. Let's just say there are a whole lot of drastic changes up ahead. Like, it's going to be a brand new adventure.

I can't begin to wrap my head around whatever is coming. I'm terrified, I'm excited, I'm somewhat anxious, I go through several emotional roller coaster rides all day, all week. My mantra is to take it one day at a time. One step at a time.

Writing keeps me sane. I'm keeping a journal again. It has been a long time since I had done that. My diary-keeping habit is of the on-again-off-again-on-again sort. But I think I'm starting to become faithful with it. I'm also reviving this blog. Two months of silence, huh?

This blog, this blog. These stories from distant shores. Will I have to change its page name or let go of it soon? Ooops. Spoiler much.

Allow me to take a deep breath. *BREATHES* There.

There is a huge temptation to just skip through this whole thing and land on the date I'm counting down to. Oh wait, have I written something like this before? Anyway. Yeah, part of me wishes to just breeze through everything - all these preparations, all these emotions - and you know, just get it over with. But today matters. This entire process is important and shouldn't be taken lightly.

I've written a whole list of things I am looking forward to. To calm my nerves a bit. To give me more things to be excited about. I think it's good to do that. To keep in mind that everything I am going through right now will be worth it in the end. Counting down helps, too.

But then, while I am counting the days, I will also make these days count. I kinda wrote a song about that, one time. Listen to These Days Count in Soundcloud?

I know this post sounds a bit like a frenzied, caffeine-filled rant. It sort of is. Perhaps I will be able to write more sane, levelheaded articles next time. But today is not that time.

I will leave you with that one-liner though, as a sticky statement. These days count, my friend.

These days count.

Artwork by Stephanie Baxter. From a little book called "Think happy, be happy."

The Physics of Ice Skating

Another item from TMBL was to go ice skating. I had wanted to go ice skating ever since a good friend suggested we do that for Christmas 2012. We didn't because it was a holiday and we had no funds and we wanted to sleep in and we wanted to just eat and eat and we had a whole lot of other reasons, too. But upon writing down TMBL, I thought to myself, "Why not tsoknut?" I've only ice skated once - way back in 2007. It would be fun pretending to be an Olympic figure skater again.

We went there on my birthday. And we went a second time on 12 June, my country's independence day.

There is one thing I've learned and have proven to be true during those two ice skating sessions. One: I'm no Olympic figure skater. Okay, just joking. But really, I'm not. But seriously, here's what I've learned:

Whenever you think you're in for an icy wipe out, lean forward, not back. When you lean forward, you'll just keep moving forward, but when you lean backward, you'll land on your bum. The physics is true. I stuck with this trick and not once did I fall - face down or otherwise.

I think the same is true with life. If you think you're going to fall, just lean forward. I mean, keep moving on. If you land splat on your face, it will hurt, but chances are you'll just slide, slide, slide a couple of inches further from where you were previously. That's a whole lot better than remaining stuck in the same spot forever, right?

Let's follow the physics of ice skating and lean forward instead of flailing back.

Boom.

And oh. As a post script, today marks my sixth year in Malaysia. Entering year seven. Hurray!

MUD: Musical Review

One item from The Malaysian Bucket List (let me call it, TMBL from this point on) was to watch a musical. A live one, in a theater. We watched an Easter play once in one of the big churches near my house. But the last time I watched a musical-as-in-musical (i.e. one where the actors and actresses do the song and dance numbers for a living) was... never. And so I scoured cyberspace for shows around KL and found MUD in Timeout KL's list of things to do for the week.

At RM60 for a 50-minute show, it's quite pricey, but I bought the ticket anyway. Stingy introvert mode was on - I couldn't belanja anyone at that point and I wasn't too sure if I wanted to invite anyone to watch with me because I didn't know if the show was actually that good. The bottomline is I watched the musical alone. Well, I watched it with three other people in the theater, actually.

An audience of four. A Filipina, a German backpacker, and a Korean couple. Perhaps it was because it was a Saturday afternoon (maybe more people watch the evening shows?) but the truth was the Panggung Bandaraya looked desolate with only a handful of us congregated inside.

The show, however, was anything but desolate. It was still as lively as any performance done in front of a full house. Not only that, there was a personal touch (I won't give any spoilers here) which made me thankful that there were only a few of us there. After their performance, I had an epiphany: It's easy to put on a good show in front of a full house, but it takes another kind of showmanship to pull off the same thing in front of an audience of four. If I were in their shoes, would I have been able to do the same thing?

Back to the show. MUD was actually about the history of Kuala Lumpur (literally from the words muddy river - "kuala" is river and "lumpur" is muddy) told in a lively, dramatic way. It follows the journey of a 1Malaysia band of friends - how they overcame obstacles and how they rose up from all of the mud. It gave me a deeper appreciation of Kuala Lumpur, making the KL experience richer because now I know it isn't simply about snapping photos at the Petronas Twin Towers. For tourists who have an hour and RM60 to spare, it's a show I would recommend if they want to appreciate the city they are touring even more.

I probably sound like I'm being paid to do this (trust me, I'm not), but show times are 3pm and 8:30pm daily at the Panggung Bandaraya (next to Merdeka Square). It's quite short ("bitin" in my language), but time flies when you're having fun.

Hmmm. I wonder. Which musical should I watch next?

The cast.

I'm there!

My First Chinese Wedding

I promised I would blog about this. And so blog about this, I will.

Forgive me for the elementary level title. Alternatives? Yum Seng, Maybe? No? Okay, "My First Chinese Wedding" it is then.

Last March, I went to my first Chinese wedding. My supervisor at the time was finally getting hitched! I'm so happy we were invited to celebrate with him and his wife on their big day.

I had no idea what to expect. Well, we were invited for the reception, so I assumed there would be lots of food. And so there was lots of food. Several courses. The party ended when you finished them all. Or did you finish them all when the party ended? At any case, our bellies were full by the end of the night.

Some differences from the Filipino weddings I have attended:

1. The Same-Day Video Edit. It started off sentimentally enough - the groom putting on his tux. The bride and her breathtaking gown. But fast forward to what I later found out was called "The Wedding Gate Crash" - I think my mouth was hanging open throughout the "fun and games" portion. For the Chinese, the groom has to go to the bride's house and perform tasks (Amazing Race/Fear Factor-type things) before he could finally see the bride. For Filipinos, old fashioned folks have what we call as panliligaw (courtship - fetching buckets of water from the well during the olden days, etc) but this happens ages before the wedding day. Well, no wonder I saw the groom tagged in a post with the words "let the games begin..." - Games preluded his and the bride's exchange of vows!

2. Exchange of Vows. Guess what? The exchange of vows happens when the guy passes all the tests and manages to get inside the girl's bedchambers. So different from our usual church or civil weddings!

3. Tea Ceremony with Parents. This is the part that made us go teary-eyed. The SDVE showed a portion where the newlyweds poured tea into their parents' cups and drank with them. The honor shown and represented there made even the guy at our table tear up. We don't have that in Filipino weddings. We do have speeches during the reception. And mano pos during the ceremony. And, of course, traditionally, the father (or sometimes both parents) gives the bride away.

4. Yum Seng and Alcohol Galore. Back to the reception. Aside from overflowing food, they also had alcohol galore. You just raise your hand and someone will bring you beer, wine, or gin. I had water. And coke. But I couldn't escape the spirits during Yum Seng - the toast with the bride and groom. So apparently, instead of going around each table to take photos with the guests, for the Chinese, they go around each table to share a toast coupled by loud exclamations of "Yum Seng" - which Google tells me means "drink to success" or "cheers". So fun, right? Good luck to the designated drivers.

Those were a couple of things I noticed. No bouquet and garter toss. No releasing of doves. No throwing of rice. But lots of fun, fun, fun.

I wouldn't mind going to a Chinese wedding again, next time.

Xie Xie, Pete, for the invite. Yum seng!!!!

Our table.

We took a picture so that I could post it in my blog. Lol.

An Epilogue of Sorts

And so ends our storytelling for The Adventure - Part 1 and The Adventure - Part 2. If I have the time, I might - just might - compile the stories into a mini memoir (a memoirette?).

I had fun chronicling those adventures. It's nice to look back and know that my time in Malaysia was well spent. I lived. I loved. I learned so many things. If I had to go back to my country in one week's time, I will have no regrets because I know I already gave my 100% and perhaps even more. Though I do have several things left to tick off my Malaysian Bucket List. Aiks.

So what happens next? For me and for this blog? Well, for this blog, I've got several posts for Oh Best Beloved lined up. I want to write about our treasure hunt in Penang, my solo Jogjakarta trip, going to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, walking into fairy tale and movie land in Singapore... I think I'll even write about my being a tourist in my hometown. And I promised to write about Peter's wedding. I think that's going to be my next entry.

As for me, life has taken a different turn this season. You may have noticed I've been writing less and less. And no, Once Upon a Time doesn't have anything to do with it this time. In four words, the whole "It's-getting-harder-to-find-time-to-write" has got something to do with Transition and New Responsibilities. But writing is my first love. I will find time to do this, no matter what.

So thanks for tuning into "The Adventure, So Far". Drop by again next time for a cup of teh tarik while I tell you more stories from these distant shores. :)

Until the next post!

Seasons

We tend to associate life with seasons. Temperate countries write about the summer of life, about autumn, about winter, about spring. Life is at its peak during summer. Life changes during autumn. Death comes during winter. Revival comes during spring. Well, what about tropical countries? All we get is heat and rain, heat and rain, heat and rain.

Well, Malaysia has haze. There's the super hot season, the mildly hot season, the one-hour-rain-per-day season, and the hazy season. And the season when it's cool enough to wear a jacket at night but not cold enough to be called an actual cold season because the noon sun is as hot as it is any time of the year.

My life in Malaysia can almost be associated with the weather patterns here. Some days (I hope most) I am burning with fire - passion for the Lord, for what I'm doing, and all that. 

Some days I feel hazy. There was a particular season I felt very hazy. I don't take depression lightly. Yet there was a particular year when all I did was cry at night. I'll never really know if I was actually depressed, but those were dark days. Those were even darker nights. I'm past that season, thankfully. I got my life back together. I started my mission to be happy, when I began my quest to enjoy life.

Some days I feel the rain falling down on my heart. I don't think you'll ever get past being homesick. Six years in Malaysia and I still miss home every now and again.

But Malaysia won't leave you cold for long. The heat is on again. And though the rain comes (one blasted hour per day) I'm in that place where I'm nice and warm, all revved up to get things done.

I'm glad I'm in this season. But I won't belittle the others. Each season - the happy ones, the painful ones - they all brought me closer to God.

I think that is what truly matters.

Haze, haze, baby.

In a Parallel Universe

When I tell people about my family, I get a kick out of seeing how their eyes widen with surprise with every quirky detail shared:

"Well, my parents are both college professors. They've been teaching in the university five minutes from my house for over twenty years." (Polite nods)

"My brother is teaching, too. He's teaching in the same university." (Eyes wide as teacups)

"He shares the same office with my parents." (Eyes wide as saucers)

"His name is Quantum. Do you know what he teaches? Physics! So yeah, he's my little brother. And, yeah, he's taking up his PhD." (Eyes wide as dinner plates, followed by laments like "What am I doing with my life???")

"Well, their life is fun and awesome. They see each other at work. They see each other at home. I'm kinda like the deviant, noh? Ever since university, I've been away from home." (Eyes shrinking back to their normal size)

That's their life right now. It makes an interesting icebreaker. It makes me wonder a bit though. What if I was right at home with them? What if I stayed in La Trinidad forever?

Or, in a parallel universe, what if they were living in Malaysia with me all this time?

The two make interesting scenarios. I had a taste of the latter when they visited me post-Christmas 2012. They stayed until after New Year. It was different, hearing their familiar voices and shuffles through the walls of my Malaysian apartment. It was as if we were never separated. It felt like... home.

Minus the warm fluffy blankets and the chill, unstuffy weather.

There was an abundance of food in the refrigerator. They bought lots of fruits and cold cuts. They amused themselves walking all around (and I mean walking all around) Kuala Lumpur while I went to the office to report for work. We spent New Year's Eve counting down at the Petronas Twin Towers and they video chatted with Ades (who postponed the chat just so that he could shower for the occasion - lol!). I drove us over to Penang. And then after a few short days... they were gone.

And the parallel world gave way to the real one.

I miss them. As you can see, living in a distant shore isn't all fun and games. Though I turn 16 whenever I go home or whenever we find each other in the same space again, it doesn't hurt being a teen again, sometimes.

Malaysia has taught me to not take family for granted. It has taught me to appreciate my biological family all the more. It's funny how distance does that. Well, if you are living with your family now, or if they are just a few bus-hours away, don't take them for granted. Love them. And don't forget to tell them that.

Pa, Ma, Quantum - this entry goes out to you. I love you! 

We're so happy! 2013. Taken at my old house. We're not that tan in real life.

Enjoy Life Part 3: Bucket Lists Galore

I'm not staying in Malaysia forever. There, I said it. I am not a PR. I am under a working permit. When your passport is issued by a foreign country, when your visa says you can only stay up to a certain date, you have to accept the fact that you have a point of expiry. Sure, you can always renew whatever visa you're holding. But you have to be aware that life can and will happen.

Quoting something I wrote somewhere else:

Visas, passes, contracts will end or get rejected. Boyfriends will propose, weddings will be celebrated, babies will get birthed out. You’ll have to plan and decide whether your kids will be home schooled, whether they will go to public school, or whether you will spend truckloads of cash to send them to an international school. Loved ones will get sick, loved ones will ask you to come back home, loved ones will ask you to stay there but in the end it is your heart that will realize it can’t spend another 12 months of separation.

You'll kick the bucket eventually. You'll go home or move somewhere else.

Thus my friends and I decided to write down our "Malaysian Bucket Lists" while eating at a burger joint in Petaling Jaya. We're solemn, like that. We each wrote down 20 items. Wait, was it 20 or 15? Anyway, my final list now contains 20.

Our items ranged from crazy to ordinary. One included "join a fashion show" on her list. I wrote cook 10 Filipino dishes (not in one go, but ugh, I haven't started this one yet). We simply wrote down everything we wanted to do in Malaysia while we were here, before we each went home or moved on to our next nations.

I've crossed three items out. Perform original songs onstage - check. Catch a live concert of a well known international artist - check-Ed-Sheeran-check! Go to a Chinese open house - well, I went to a Chinese Wedding (yes, I will write about this Peter, soon, when this series is over), so I'll say check to this one.

I've even managed to do something I never in a million years thought to even include in the list: get permanently inked. It wasn't something I had always wanted to do. It was something I did out of thoughtful, careful spontaneity (oxymoron, I know). I wanted to prove several things to myself and several things to others, too. One: I don't fit in a box. Two: Faith, hope, and love - especially love - should last forever, as in forever. Three: Too many times we're stuck with words and we never actually jump. I wanted to go from saying "Let's do it!" to actually doing it.

With that, I still have a lot of things left to do on my list. I've several lined up: join fun run, watch Hillsong live (not included in original list, must add it there ASAP), and cook one more Malaysian dish (I cooked two, but I used ready made mixes, lol). And then there are the 15 others (I know I'm messing up with your math).

Life's too short. We should seize the moments and make the days count. I'm determined to complete my list before my time in Malaysia runs out.

Let's enjoy life!

Post Ed Sheeran Concert. And, yes, I went on my own.

Enjoy Life Part 2: Sing It!

I wanted to be a recording artist back when I was in high school. It was a phase. I went through the "I want to be a doctor" and the "I want to be an accountant" ones, so don't judge me. But, like the "I want to be a writer" stage, I never really grew out of it.

A good thing, though. I now write songs to express myself. When, you know, words stop being enough. Sometimes, you need a little melody,  a little harmony, a little guitar or ukulele to back all the emotions up.

I sing in church. But you won't really sing cheesy songs about boys and love (well, this kind of love) during a worship service. Well, thank God for soundcloud! And thank God for Moonshine's Feedback Open Mic, too!

Feedback Open Mic's tagline is this: "Giving everyone the chance to sing outside their bathrooms." It runs during the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, at The Bee in Jaya One and Publika, respectively. Sign up begins at 7:00PM and performances start at 8:00PM. Only the first fifteen names get to perform. I've experienced being one of the first and also being one of the last. Performing early and performing late both have their advantages and disadvantages. Well, either way, you get to perform alongside other talented artists in the KL indie music scene!

I first found out about the open mic from a former colleague. Shout outs to her! (You should come back to the open mic again.) After an initial scouting night, I've mustered enough courage to perform covers as well as some original songs the months afterward.

The performances were not perfect. I forgot lyrics every now and again (the lights have that crazy effect, I tell you). I've even hit super wrong chords with the guitar. But every open mic is a chance to get better and every open mic is a chance to share my music with the world. Or KL, or Malaysia, at least.

Drop by The Bee or follow Moonshine Productions if you'd like to do some singing, too. ;)