Hello! I am sure you were wondering where I went, what happened to me and why I was gone for so long. I was not able to update this blog and upload videos for a month because my half-sister, Karen, went here to the Philippines to spend time with me. She is from the USA but she is currently residing in Japan. And since she is closer to me now, we grabbed the opportunity to get to know each other more since we were not sure if we'd be able to once she goes back to the USA in 2017.
I also felt guilty every time we would go out but at the back of my mind, I know that I have pile of blog posts to do and videos to edit. But I couldn't help but just sigh and hope that you guys would still be here once I get back.
Anyway, I just wanted to share about what me and my sister did for almost a month. Enjoy reading! :)
My sister got here on October 26, 2015. My step-dad, Tito Alex, and I picked her up at the airport. My dad asked our uncle if we could use his condo unit in Eastwood while my sister is here. Glad that my uncle allowed us to. So when we picked her up, Tito Alex dropped us off at the condo. I was excited to see her but I was also excited to get my "pasalubong"! hehe
The next morning, I prepared simple breakfast for her. We did not have a lot of kitchen utensils and food supply so I had to be creative in preparing meal for her. Crap, I even forgot the honey back in my home!
Nonetheless, my pancakes were still delicious!
That afternoon, we went swimming at the condo's pool. The place is nice but I hate how it is so windy! It is located on a roof top and is at the center of tall buildings. So every time the wind would blow, it wold go straight to the pool area therefore making swimming chilly and cold! I love swimming and I could last hours in the water but every time I would go swimming here, the most I would last in the water is 20 minutes. It's just so chilly!
Wind didn't stop me from taking some photos for my Instagram, though! Are you following me yet? It's @RealAsianBeauty!
We also went to the The Walking Dead Breakout At Trinoma! I have been wanting to try it since I've been a Walking Dead fan sine Season 1 aired. It's my family's bonding time every Monday! (PST)
But since my sister was too scared, I had to brush away the urge of wanting to see walkers and having to escape the room before my brain gets eaten by them! :(
At least we got to take photos! Next time, I promise I will be back for you, Walkers!
The next morning, I prepared breakfast for her again. Hehe Corned beef with no garlic nor onions.
Then we went to Star City with my parents and with her cousin. Good thing we still had some tickets left from my Star City ticket giveaway.
The next day, we went to Tarlac. It was a bitter-sweet visit as a lot of things happened. It was also my last visit to the place which made my emotions even more intense. Oh well, at least I learned a lot of things.
On All Saints Day, we went to the church first thing in the morning. If you recall, my Grandfather and my Grandmother both passed away last August. We went to the church to pray for their souls and also to pray to God.
This is the St. Rose Catholic Church in Tarlac. I have a lot of memories here. This is the church where my Grandmother used to go to and she would always take me with her. This is also the church where my Dad married my half-sister's Mom.
Later that night, we went to the cemetery! OMG, have you guys tried going to cemetery int he province in All Saint's Day?? It was such a fun experience for me and for my sister! The place was crowded but we liked it the way it was! We also loved how the candle lights illuminated the place!
The cemetery visit is definitely one of the highlights of our vacation!
We also went to Isdaan restaurant in Gerona, Tarlac. It's funny because it was also my first time going there even though I pass by it every single time I visited my grandparents.
We enjoyed the place and the food! What I appreciate about my Sister is that she never complains, she's low maintenance and she's so easy to get along with. She rides my jokes and my childishness!
OMG, I finally tried the famous Tacsiyapo! I will be doing a separate blog post featuring Isdaan Restaurant so please stay tuned for that. You will love the place, too, I promise!
Most of the time we were in Tarlac, we spent watching the kids play. There were also times when we actually played with them. Most people I know don't understand why I love hanging out with kids. But there is just so much love and sincerity in them! When you are with adults, you talk about problems, love life, financial instability, dramas in life... sometimes, even gossips! But when you are with kids, they just laugh and hug you and tell you how much fun their game was! If you were us, which crowd would you want to hang out with, honestly? Plus it's a vacation. People are supposed to have fun on vacation, right?
Karen was supposed to go back to Japan on the 16th of November. But because of APEC, her flight was moved to November 22. We were disappointed at first but later we realized it was rather a blessing since we'd be able to bond even more! We spent a week in Manila. She went to her Mother's side to spend time with her Aunt's and Cousins. While I fan-girled over Sunggyu at the Infinite Effect concert! I also attended some blogger's events. Blog post on those will also be up very, very SOON!
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Our Father was kind enough to sponsor us a trip to Baguio. hehe He sent us money for the van rental fee, food and for everything else that we would need to spend on. Thanks, Daddy!
It was probably my 6th or 7th visit to Baguio. But it was my sister's first time. We did everything, including horse back riding and strawberry picking. Though there weren't any strawberries in the field when we went, but my point is we went all the way to the Strawberry Farm! hehe
Uber cute horses! They stink, though. hehehe
When we got back to Tarlac, one of the things in our itinerary was to watch sunset. I always tell you guys how sunsets in Tarlac are always so pretty! I wanted her to experience it as well.
We also had a "Meet and Greet" with the pigs! I am kidding you not but the phrase "meet and greet with the pigs" was seriously on our list!
We celebrated our Lola's birthday on November 17. She would have turned 88 if she was still here. After preparing my Sister's Adobo and my Buko Pandan Salad, we went to the cemetery to visit her and greet her. She was not there physically and I don't believe either that spirits are still here with us once people die. But it was sort of self-gratification, I guess, to have to say the words "Happy Birthday" and "I miss you" right where she was buried.
As our last bonding activity in Tarlac, we went to the KCT (Kart City Tarlac) for some thrill! It was our first time to ride it and it was so fun! Though, we wished the Php250 lasted longer than 5 minutes! You pay Php250 for only 5 minutes which would take around 3 to 4 laps!
Yes, I totally drove a kart in skirt and sandals. hehe
When we got back to Manila, my parents took us to Greenhills Shopping Center. She wanted to go there for the Rita's ice cream but it was passed 9 PM when we got there so the store was already closed. Anyway, I wanted her to see the Christmas Display (live Belen) so it was still a good idea to go.
The next morning, my parents and I took her to the airport. Don't you think it's funny how all her bags were wrapped in plastic? We do, honestly. But I told her she'd rather look silly to people she doesn't know that be forced to pay Php 30,000 or Php 40,000 because of the "Laglag Bala" scam.
So that's why I was gone for soooo long. I hope this blog post somehow makes up for all the time that you guys didn't hear from me.
OMG, now that I think about it, I have a lot of work that I need to get done. Here are some posts that you should expect in the next few days : Infinite Effect Concert Blog, Isdaan Restaurant Blog, Beauty MNL Review, Pink Sugar Lipsticks Review, Whisper Skin Love Blog Posts plus a lot more! I already feel tired just thinking about all the things I need to do. hehe
It's December 1 soon! Are you guys excited? Thank you for reading today! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, @RealAsianBeauty, for behind-the-scenes of my life.
♥
Kristine
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