BFF ( 2 )

I met up with my best friend Marie and her family last December 23. As I mentioned on my previous entry, Marie, her husband, and their daughter will be migrating to the US before the year ends. It was a lovely meeting for the both of us. That was our first and last get together for 2011. I was supposed to see them in October but my schedule then did not make it possible.

Over dinner, we talked about her preparations and thoughts on the new the life her family will soon be starting. While listening to her, I felt very proud of what she has become. She found a loving husband, and is now a mother to an adorable daughter. Marie is the perfect example of a caring mother who wishes and looks forward to a good life for her loved ones and at the same time, aware that things don’t usually come on a silver platter. She knows the life they will experience in the US is very different from what they had in the Philippines but as I see it, Marie and her husband are both determined to raise the family whenever God puts them to be. That alone is a huge comfort to us who love their family.

BFF

The much anticipated Christmas vacation has come. All in all I have 18 carefree days which I intend to spend with my family and a couple of friends. One of the friends I will be seeing is Marie who together with her husband and daughter will be leaving for the US for good. Marie is one of my best friends. We have known and cared for each other each other for almost two decades that is why knowing she will not be around as she used to gives me a little anxiety. I am just thankful that I have kept friends who are based abroad so I am sure Marie and I will get through a long distance friendship successfully. The thought she is leaving soon made me realize that each of us has respective paths in life that must be walked through. For only by crossing those paths our happiness and fulfillment may be found.

Congratulations Marie! I am solidly behind you. : )

Reunion

I will be in Malaysia on March 16-21 to celebrate the wedding and birthday of my Malaysian friend, Diyana. In Malaysia, I will be seeing our common friends, Syima, also a Malaysian and Tuitui who will be flying from Laos. I think this trip will be the last personal trip I will be making within the next two years. I had made a decision to refrain from traveling so I can save money. Initially, I thought of including Thailand in this trip, but since March is not a vacation period yet, adding it is not feasible. I haven’t been to all countries of Southeast Asia but how come I decided to stop traveling? Does it mean I am not interested to see the rest? Definitely not. I still love to travel. In fact, I still have several places in mind. It is jut that traveling depletes my savings. And at this point, failure to feed my bank account gives me uneasiness that I don’t like to feel. Looking back to the travels I have made in the past seven years to Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, and Malaysia, it is no longer bad if I stop for a while. : )