and the world keeps spinning

palawan with the family & coen

lazy sunday afternoon. here now sipping a nice cup of mocha at the favorite neighborhood cafe—trying once again to get myself grounded to life here in new york. funny how last i was here was round 3 months ago, doing this readjustment ritual after a trip to spain and holland. now, the outside tables are gone and christmas decor abounds as jacket-clad hipsters get their caffeine fix in this wintry weather. and i in turn get my own dose of wake-me-up as i try to get reacquainted here from an almost dreamlike 3-week trip to the philippines and hong kong with good friend coen from amsterdam.



let's try this again. thursday afternoon now. here now sipping an after-lunch cup of joe in the office—trying to finally finish this entry and perhaps put a nice bit of closure on that 3 week holiday back home. been a week and a half back actually but i must admit that between the jetlag and sudden titanic drop in temperature, it's been quite disorienting. for 3 weeks, it was great roaming the roads again with the flying dutchman and being with friends and family in the philippines once more. and so, with the return here to independence, it's taken some bit of readjusting.



indeed, quite a different world back there. and a different world back here. it's a little bit odd walking in the freezing cold all of a sudden when just yesterday i was sweating in my t-shirt. seeing all the concrete grey and brick brown buildings when yesterday i was immersed in clear blue seas, green forests and white sand. getting places by subway and foot when driving in traffic or being driven in traffic through jeeps, buses and tricycles were the only options back then. coming home to an absolutely quiet apartment when yesterday coming home meant the gate opened by the security guard and the greeting of 7 barking house dogs and eventually the voices of nephews and neices. cooking my own meals and the occasional dinner out with a friend or two when those 3 weeks were filled with shared meals with the family and friends (and almost all included rice). here, greeted back by officemates happy that ive come back. there, greeted by family and friends happy too that id come back.



it was a great adventure and coming home. having coen (whose first time it was in asia) on the trip meant an extra added incentive of covering as many places. and so we hit the busy streets of hong kong, the many malls of manila, the manmade falls of escudero, the picturesque views of tagaytay, the chocolate hills of bohol, the corals and fishes of palawan. heck, we even walked through a depressed area in san juan and greeted by everyone with their best kodak smiles. unfortunately, there's no replay button that allows one to relive each and every moment. there are however thousands snapshots that somehow capture each and every moment. perhaps sparking a million sidestories (do i hear another book coming? an adcenter execs joint project maybe. what do you think il cone?).

sundown in palawan

with the 13 hour difference, the sun sets in manila as the sun starts rising here in new york. it's a bit hard to imagine that it's actually the same sun shining on the 2 places i consider home. perhaps a bit of reminder that home is really not that far away. because home is where you already are. if that makes any sense at all, that is.

thanks hong kong. thanks manila. thanks philippines. we shall meet again soon. well, maybe i'll skip the hong kong part next time. hopefully the flying dutchman comes along for the ride again. any good sleeping on the plane tips anyone? unfortunately long flights and our dutch friend dont make for a great combo.