Welcome to the Bright Side!

Life... such an amazing journey. Sure there have been ups and downs. One thing is for sure though, as long as there's life, there will always be hope. That's what keeps me going. Knowing that life doesn't end when we die. That we actually have something so wonderful and unexpected to look forward. That life can be fun!

I've always loved travelling. Living in such a beautiful country like the Philippines, I should have been island hopping my life away. Yes, it's kind of sad that I'm speaking in the past tense. You see, I'm not sure how comfortable I will be if I travel once again, especially on my own. I am so used to travelling with my "pack" -- my backpack and a bunch of friends -- that I have mixed feelings about travelling alone. And then I met Doi. This was really a chance encounter. We rode together on a V-hire and we got to talking about music and then blogging. Check out her awesome travel blog and be part of her many adventures.

She really got me thinking with her questions. Like "why can't you travel alone?" and 'What's stopping you?" These two questions alone got me scouring for answers because the only honest answer I could give was "I don't have any money." lol. I mean seriously! She said my work is perfect for travelling because I can literally write anywhere. This is so awesome, it actually rocked my world. Well, it shook me to the core at first. Got my temper flaring when I went home. But then now that it has passed, I am seriously thinking about booking that flight to CDO. Check out Doi's adventure in CDO here.

Being 35 and not having gone to any part of Mindanao is pretty embarrassing. The least I could do is visit my friend in Dipolog and maybe go to Camiguin with that discount that she promised us a couple of years ago.I would love to travel the world but for now I would love to visit Palawan. Never been there. And I am so missing Manila. I would love to explore a few more islands on my own. Aaah such bliss that would be.

But first, I need to set some things straight. And then, off I go! I'd love to visit those dolphins in Negros and stay there for Christmas. I do hope my cousin is free. If not, I hear there are some hostels that are affordable. Maybe when my best friend visits I can visit her in Butuan. We'll see. This day has definitely been a series of revelations. Who knew that perfect strangers could share so much? This is so amazing! Very excited! Woohoo! Road trip anyone? :)

Kisses from My Papa and Mama

When I started this blog, it was on a whim, which turned out to be destiny, I think. I was just playing with words as I love to do and I thought if I was going to write a travel blog, the title should be Italian, just in case the plane takes me to Italy after all these years. So I guess travelling to the future involves some dreaming, a lot of hard work, and a whole lot of fun! So let's get started!

Last night I called my Papa, who lives in Italy and one word really touched me in my heart -- kisses. He kept saying kisses and all I could say at the end (after so many "kisses" exchanged on the phone) was flying! Sheesh! I felt so foolish after.

Okay, I'm going to backpedal a bit. I have two Papas. One is my grandfather and one is my birth father who I met when I was 25. My grandfather is Filipino while my birth father is Italian. Confusing no? Well, it was for me too, for a while. Until one day I realized how blessed I truly am. I have two fathers -- with different accents when saying Papa.

The thing that really amazes me is they are not that different in spite of the cultural differences.

They are both very hardworking. And I am very proud of both of them. They are also both very diligent. They studied hard even when the odds were stacked against them. I just realized I have two Papas who are both rich in spirit. And they are both very wise. They have taught me what it means to love in different ways.

My Grandpa Teo was my first Papa. The one who took care of me since I was little and fought my battles for me when I needed him. I was blessed to have him in my life and even now that he's gone I am still being blessed. My Grandma Maria is still with me and she tells me funny stories about Grandpa Teo when I'm not taking over the conversation, as I'm wont to do. Yep, I'm talkative. But this isn't about me.

My Papa -- his name is PierFrancesco -- is a kind man. I met him when I was 25, as I mentioned earlier but the thing is I have not seen him since his first visit and I miss him so much. Yes, I cry in church when I pray to God to bring back my Papa. I'm not embarrassed about those tears anymore because I know they are healing me.

Losing my Mama Macring at 27 was a horrible experience. I know most people would say some people have gone through worse but I bet you can't find anyone who doesn't miss their mama no matter what age they lost them. It's difficult talking about her these days because I realize that I should really let go and let God. It's been 7 years since we lost her and I still hesitate to speak about her with my Papa Peter.

I realize that after all these years, I have been selfish. I never really asked about Papa from Mama. I don't know why. Maybe I was too embarrassed or maybe I was just too comfortable with my life to ask about him and their life together.

Mama and I used to go to Manila and travel all over Luzon, just to have fun or sometimes she was selling some land and I would tag along. How I loved those travels. I so enjoyed those vacations from work and going to places that  I've only ever heard of... like Taal Volcano and Tagaytay. Papa tells me I was conceived there. Hihihi. I remember Mama telling me that story but she never told me where. They swam to a small island and Papa left his camera on the other side and someone stole it. I thought that was just a random story but when Papa told me about that I put 2 and 2 together and well, if you know me well enough, you'll know why I giggled.

It's like reliving that moment with Mama, except there was no more pain. It's just fun!

It's funny cuz I never really bonded with my Papa when he was here. But without me know it, my Mama was taking me to the places where they used to live and stay when they were together. I learned so much from my Mama and Papa although for the life of me I can't find a picture of the three of us together. I'm still hoping we'll meet in heaven. They say it's the place where true happiness and dreams come true. And I am so looking forward to that moment. But for now I am loving learning about life from my Papa, even if it's just over the phone. Good thing my Grandma is here to confirm the stories. It's true, my Grandpa approved of Papa and even told him that he will accept him as his son-in-law. And my Papa calls Grandma Mama Maria. It's so cool! :)

Anyway, I would love to go back to Luzon one day and visit those places again... Tagaytay, San Fernando, Clark Air Base, Subic, Manila and see some new places too like Ocean Park. It keeps popping into my brain and I've gotten into the habit of calling Coffee Bean > Ocean Park. Don't ask me why. Hihihi.

And I would love to see the mall of Asia and go back to Enchanted Kingdom and visit my Mommy Carmen in Cavite (one of my godmothers). Mostly, I just want to visit the places where Mama and I used to go. Maybe someday next year my Papa will come back and he can show me where they lived in San Fernando and where they used to go out dancing. They love to dance, my Mama and Papa. And so do I. We all love music. Mama loves Latin music. My Papa likes some of the music that I listen to. I need to ask him what his favorite is. I love R&B and Hip Hop and some Pop Rock but I also like all sorts of music. I'm not a good dancer but I love to sing and dance anyway although I am shy.

I'm just amazed at how this journey called life is getting interesting by the minute. Sure I've had my ups and downs but doing my thing with the people I love just standing by and supporting me silently with their love makes life so awesome. My family and friends are awesome and we all love to travel. I just got waylaid for a while but now I'm raring to go zoooooooom! Must be the reason why I'm racing around. I'd love to fly one day soon. Off to Manila perhaps? I sure would love to travel with my Papa all over the Philippines. That's for sure! And it would be amazing if we could travel together to Italy. Again, wishful thinking but who knows?

Right now I love my life. There's very little pressure and my work is slowly falling into place. It's like a shower of flowers that are falling right into my lap and I never even realized that all I really had to do was wait a little. Our business is still small, we're starting to get a few more clients and that's awesome. I like working freelance. But that's another story. I guess all that's missing now is a family of my own. But then, I think this is the time to wait.

And so as another week begins, I hope that the hugs and kisses never stop flowing. I'm sure we'll never run out of them anyway! I thank God for my family and friends each day and I pray that we will all be blessed with such amazing people in our lives. :)

On Bus Rides & Our Journey

I don't know why but I've recently developed this inexplicable fascination with buses. Every time I see one, my head turns and then I start wishing I was on it. One time, I almost got on one near Gaisano Mactan because it was right there in front of me, opening to let in some Korean tourists. But alas, it was not meant to be so I crossed the road and rode a V-hire instead.

I really love bus rides. I enjoyed riding our school bus from USJ-R main to our Basak campus in college. I would choose the seat the the back and sleep or talk along the way. Then recently, we started taking the bus to Talisay. Since then, I've always wanted to jump into a bus every single time I see one. In fact, I did just that. The bad part was that I left my aunt and sisters in a very hot van just to get on that bus. Yes, the ride was fun but the worry was worse. Anyway, I've been riding buses so many times in school. Off to La Salle in Toledo, then Kawasan falls, then off to Dumaguete last December 2007. Loved every trip.

I also remember going with my family on bus rides to the north. Mostly with my Lola to visit the Bogo church where she made a promise to their patron saint that she would visit every feast day because that was where she asked for a special prayer after losing her firstborn son -- that her next children would live. Because God honored that promise through the intercession of San Vicente Ferrer, Lola always goes there to thank him and light a candle. I just asked her a minute ago and this was a bit of a surprise -- the next child that was born was no other than Mama. Wow! I hope I can go there in lieu of Lola and surprise San Vincente next year, May 27 and 28 and thank him for his intercession.

But first, we can expect lots of pilgrims for our city fiesta next month. I'm really looking forward to that and to our future trip to Simala which I am hoping will be a bus ride too. Yes, I am fascinated with buses and I associate them with beautiful memories. Maybe it's because my first few trips to Baguio were in buses from Manila to Baguio. At least that's what my memory and our family pictures tell me. I love buses and I can't wait to ride trains next time, hopefully with my Papa in Rome. Here would be good too. Thank God for my beloved family and friends who have been riding on this journey with me. More trips to go! :)