Summer Somewhere

We're bidding June adieu in a couple of days and the holiday will be over in few hours. omg. When you start to notice that time flies swiftly, it gets even faster. Crazy right? Nevertheless, I had the time of my life! Yes why. Nothing could be better than how i just spent the holiday. Four days in total you'd expect i've done so much. But before i tell you, my memory goes back to 2015 when I also had a chance to enjoy a 4-day break from work. Together with some friends we travelled from Iloilo to Cebu City, stayed the night at a cheap hotel and tried the scary edge coaster ride and skywalk. On day 2, we took a fast craft from Cebu going to Siquijor. We stayed at a Japanese inspired cottage in Villa Marmarin Resort, stuffed ourselves with their delicious meals, and toured the popular tourist spots such as Cambugahay Falls and Salagdoong Beach Resort. On day 3 we travelled to Dumaguete City straight to it's famous Sans Rival Bistro, and the last leg of our trip was Bacolod City.

Okay so that was just a short recap. Just want to emphasize that during that holiday, i spent most of the time outdoors.

Now back to the present story.

Typically, people spend holidays with their family at the malls, at the beach, or out of the country. In my case, this time I stayed indoors mostly ♥♥♥. It was special in it's own way. Let me share with you some highlights. Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

It officially started last warm Friday night.Together with siblings Ate Mira and Pia, we went grocery shopping first. One thing i really enjoy in such activity is: Sampling free food! like noodle, cookies, yougurt. Hahaha. I remember Pia introduced it to me here in KSA. For me it's special because i've never experienced it in the Philippines. So that's one highlight. Hahaha. Anyway we bought stuff needed for the next four days and then we went straight to Ate's place. Finally i'm back to this sweet home ♥

Photos just around the flat. The colors really feel like summer.

So what happened next...I can't remember exactly considering that was 4 days ago and i'm writing this blog only today kkkkkkkkk.

I can only recall we had coffee at dawn, and we ate canned corn (well i don't eat canned corn really but at that time i had quite a lot); thanks to Pia i had stomach upset hahaha. We also watched movies (good thing there's international channel)! And we slept late as usual...in a freezing room! I woke up from time to time feeling my hair dead cold i swear i was never gonna sleep there again hehehehe.

We got up late feeling lazy but fresh kkkkkk. We just had a quick lunch and drifted off to sleep again (you know it's like a default activity kkkkk). The next thing i remember was, by 7:00, we were off out headed to 'kamsa kamsa'. If i'm not mistaken it's like a variety store? where you can buy, if not all, most items for 5 Riyals only. Yes you can buy clothes, toys, household goods, school items, etc...for 5 Riyals each. I bought a comb by the way.

Back home we enjoyed a delicious dinner. Thanks to the kitchen masters Ate Mira and Ate Heidi, eating became my favorite part of the holiday : ).

After dinner we freshened up and faced the screen- time again for a movie marathon! We watched 3 or 4 movies in a row til we fell asleep in the living room.

We all woke up to a warm Sunday afternoon, past lunch time, feeling rested and no plans. What i love the most about such time (generally speaking) is when you spend the day without nature forcing you to do anything. You just get up and prepare yourself a cup of coffee, sit on your comfortable spot, scan some books, surf the internet, chat with your family or friends, stare outside the window and watch the vehicles passing by, and just let your mind wander. It's like what people say "go with the flow".

Okay so before your imagination brings you to the other dimension, let's go back to my story.

We we're expecting some visitors the next day : ). Yes, our friends from takh villa were coming. We were going to have a Bible study, volleyball match (hahaha), and something else. So Ate Heidi and Ate Mira made spaghetti and maja blanca. I wasn't of any help at all since i don't know a thing about cooking ㅠㅠㅠ.

After dinner, I went to bed earlier than usual. Pia just woke me up to watch The Conjuring, then I tried to get myself to sleep again at 4:00 a.m. At 10:00 o'clock, the friends finally came! We just had a quick chat and helped ourselves to a great lunch!

It's a protocol to take pictures before meals :D

While eating, the house was filled with laughter and meaningful exchanges. Just good time, good conversation ^ ^

To ready ourselves for the next activity (which was the most important part of our holiday), we rested for a couple of hours. By 5:00, we gathered again around the living room. Time for the spiritual food! We started the Bible study with a prayer. And we reflected on the book of 1Corinthians.

Studying the Bible is one thing i've grown to love over the past months here. I first studied the scriptures way back when i was in highschool. I studied regularly with a bible teacher, I've come to know the real God, and my heart and mind had a burning desire to learn and to share. I was a bit of a dedicated student at that time. But sadly after some time, maybe when i finished university, I suddenly just stopped...i mean it wasn't something i decided but i just fell out of the habit...which greatly affected me in many ways. And now i'm given another chance. It's like starting all over again but i really appreciate it and want to learn more. It sustains me in many ways and it's something i look forward to every week.

So by the time  we finished it was almost 8:00. It's time again to refuel. Who can resist salad, fish and meat, desserts, cool beverages. Food is life. And when we felt like our system had finally digested our intake, we readied ourselves to break a sweat.

Volleyball time! We played like a pro!!! and so we got bruises here and there. hahahahaha! Tho my team mates were good, we didn't win. Yet we were cracking up the whole game. It was so much fun and so funny!!! It's been a while since most of us last played sports and it felt so good.

Back to the flat, we sat in the living room and had some snacks. We finished 3 bowls of potato fries, some chips, juice, macaroni salad, and cakes (calories burnt in vain kkkkkkk) The scene was like an indoor picnic. We watched 3 movies in a row before going to bed. We had a lovely night.

Day 4:
Coffee and good food again. That's how we spent the last day in Suwaidi. I was feeling a bit sentimental since i've become very comfortable with the place. The separation anxiety was in its full force. But i was very very grateful to everyone- to Ivee, Ate Charlene, April, Vivian, Pia, and especially to Ate Mira for the memories, the happy times, the great experience. ♥♥♥

Glory to God for making things possible.


P.S. Till next time!