As soon as she found her seat, she hauled her small suitcase on the overhead compartment, buckled her seatbelt and started to relax.

“Excuse me. That is my seat.”

She looked up and saw this Indian guy glowering at her.

But he didn’t know who he was dealing with.

“No, it is MY seat.”

“It is mine. The other aisle seat is your seat. You should move.”

Miss tough lady wouldn’t budge. “Why don’t you take that aisle seat. My luggage is already up there,” she said pointing above her.

Defeated, the Indian guy called the flight attendant.

Soon enough, Ms Tough Lady transferred to her side of the aisle.

“My luggage is there, please can you bring it down for me?” she asked Mr. Indian guy. “I will just hand it over when we get off the plane,” he said in disbelief at this woman’s condescending tone.

As the plane taxied on the runway of Changi airport on its way to India, the man and the woman, separated by a vacant seat, started talking. And they talked and talked. As the plane landed in India, they exchanged phone numbers.

She was there to meet her colleagues in Hyderabad. He was there to talk wedding plans.

He tried calling her a week after but couldn’t reach her somehow. It was only two months later, when she was back in Singapore that he finally got hold of her. He was, after all, working there as well. Not surprisingly, he called off the wedding. And yes, Miss Tough Lady’s heart, softened towards him.

It was no surprise that they fell in love. It was a relationship well on its way to a happy ending.

**
The first time she heard him say them, she wasn’t bothered. “Let us go to India then, to your village, so we can convince them that our relationship is for real,” she suggested to him confidently. He was unsure. His family was adamant that he marries A, the woman he had originally intended to marry. She lives in the same village where he grew up. His destiny was set with A.

The next time she heard the words, weeks later .. “My family will not agree to our union. It will be tough, impossible even.”

She threw in the towel. “What then, are we doing? If this going nowhere, we are wasting time. I need to be free.”

With much pain, she decided to end the relationship. It was her first relationship, a relationship she had hoped would be her lasting one. But she felt betrayed. And though it hurt so much, even though she wanted the relationship to work, she let him go, she ignored his pleas.

“Let us go to India, let us convince them then. Let us work it out please,” he tells where when he managed to call her over the phone.

But Miss woman in love, was after all, Ms tough lady.

“I don’t need this. I want the blessing of the people we love. I don’t understand why you tell me they will never approve of us but still want to be with me. What kind of future will we have? What if some other guy that was really meant for me is just out there, waiting for me to be free of you?”

He promised that it will work out.

“No,” she was firm. “You work out with your family. If God wants us to be together, He will work things out. I need not intervene. He will work out the circumstances. He will touch hardened hearts. I don’t need to do anything but stay still and pray.”

My eyes widened as my friend shared her story with me without shedding a tear.

“He broke my heart on Nov 21. Your wedding day,” she tells me. “I cried buckets of tears.”

I was speechless.

She continues, “ I didn’t speak to him for a month, but in December before Christmas, I decided to make peace with him.”

“He wants me back but I said I can only give him friendship. He told me I had a heart of stone. I said no I don’t. I just decided to let God work in my heart. He gave me peace.”

I had to tell her. “You have always been a strong lady.”

“Yes I am because God has given me hope and peace. I believe, truly believe that God loves me too much to let me stay in a situation where I will be shortchanged. I want so much to be in love and be married, but I am letting God handle everything.”

What else can I say? “I am really proud of how you handled the situation. May God reward your faith.”

“Yes He will.” she smiles back.

I have been thinking of blogging about this but kept putting it off because it is totally out of topic, I mean with the pictures and all. But who can stop me from talking yet again about my favorite songs of the moment?!

With that intro, let me just say .. i love Sleeping with a broken heart by Alicia Keys! I loved it even more when I saw her sing it during the American Music Awards. She has such a powerful voice but I know that already with her earlier hits. Sure, I am far from broken hearted but that doesn’t make me not appreciate it. I love that it is jazzy. I love the sound, the beat, the melody and the emotion.

And then I heard Alicia sing with JayZ also during the Americal Music Awards. Ahh loved the song too. If you hear Empire State of Mind, I am sure you’d agree.. well if you are into rap/hiphop/r&b-ish. And if you love The City like me.

If there is one person who knows the songs I am currently raving about, it would have to be Mr. C because he would hear me sing those songs again and again and again and again – in the car, in the kitchen, in the laundry area, the bathroom, the bedroom, ad nauseum.

Even when everythign is quiet, he will hear me hum.. He hears me sing these two songs so nauseatingly often that he knows parts of the song already.

How does he feel about my broken record mode?

Well, while I was singing one evening, he smiles, looks at the ceiling and says dramatically –

“When will she stop singing them?!”

(now you know why I posted his wedding vows!)

Dearest Regina,

It was once upon a time when I dreamed and prayed for a wife who was beautiful, intelligent, funny, charming, enchanting and a joy to be with.

Now, my dreams have come true.

In front of God, our family and friends, I profess my undying love for you now and for all time.
I may not be a knight in shining armor but I will always save and protect you as my damsel in distress.
I don’t think I can build a gingerbread house but I promise to build a Godly and loving home where we can grow old together; where I can rejoice in your joys and comfort you in your sorrows.
Seven dwarves may be too much, but if God blesses us with children, I will nurture, support and love them as much as I love you.
We may never be lost in an enchanted forest but I promise to direct and guide you and our family in the way of the Lord.
I will never leave you in our life journey together.
As you capture blissful thoughts in your life, know that Mr. C will always be there to share them with you.
This may not be a fairy tale wedding but it is the culmination of our relationship grounded in friendship, love for each other and love for the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
I look forward to our happily ever after.
I love you.

Jeffrey

Eric and Lucille are newly weds who opened their lovely home to us. They also brought us to three Cs.. COSTCO, CABRILLO AND CORONADO. (Dont forget we also a stopover at CARLSBAD).

Hotel del CORONADO is, according to Eric, like our own Manila Hotel. It was constructed over 100 years ago so much like my fascination for the old feel of Union Station, I liked the wood works at Hotel del. (that is how fondly call it).

Voila!

We also had fun in front of this oval mirror at the hotel lobby. See!! After several attempts, we finally found the right shot. We had a nice time goofing in front of the mirror.

Did i like going to COSTCO? That is a no brainer!! When you are surrounded by rows upon rows of “purchase options”, wouldn’t you have an adrenalin rush? (Mr. C and I took this chance to buy Christmas gifts for our families and friends at home. Gotta admit, we have been buying and looking for Christmas gifts as early as Day 2 in New York. Our office in Broadway is beside Century 21, a bargain mecca in an otherwise pricey city.

Want to know the place that we liked the most during our stay in San Diego? Before I tell you, let me show you.

The CABRILLO National Monument not only became an important port during the World War 2, it also had an awesome natural landscape. To me, that is how any tourist destination should be.

Eric brought us there during low tide so we had the chance to go down the rocky path where we saw the breathtaking creation of God up close. Oh man. It was so lovely that you can’t help but think of God.

Lucille is a great photographer and I chose to post most of the shots that she took. Here is one happy shot c/o Lucille.

I copy and pasted this short description of the inter-tidal zone that we had the most fun.

On the western side of Point Loma lies the rocky inter-tidal zone, a window into the ocean ecosystem that lies along of San Diego’s coast. During low tide’s pools form along this shore in rocky depressions. In them you may see flowery anemones, elusive octopai, spongy deadman’s fingers, and a myriad of other creatures. The tidepools are a wonderful discovery zone, but be careful if you visit. Few animals in this ecosystem can harm humans, but many animals are sensitive, and can even be killed, when handled or just touched by humans. Ask a ranger or volunteer how you can best explore the tidepools without harming them.

This next shot is our favorite shot c/o Lucille again.

Perhaps Mr. C would upload some other pics of our happy two-week honeymoon in his facebook account. But this blog has just posted its last honeymoon/travel pic.

On to the next trip… maybe next year…

After a week in the east coast, Mr. C and I flew to Anaheim and stayed at the Residence Inn which is along Disney Way. We planned to visit Disneyland on Day2 so on day 1, we just walked around and took more pics!

Garden Way @ Anaheim

It was quite early and Garden way was still closed. We had time to take pictures!

Quick pose on our early morning stroll.

On day3, we went to downtown LA to meet with Ethel, had lunch at a Mexican resto which I totally enjoyed. As I am sure almost everyone knows how the Walk of Fame and Universal Studios look like so I’d rather not post any pics we had there .

The Historic Union Station

What I like to share is our pic taken at the Union Station. I liked the old feel of the station, happy that they kept the original look of this historic station. Loved the benches!!

Ethel drove us back home to Anaheim, quite a looong drive so that was when we stopped by this Peruvian resto which I also totally enjoyed!!
But you know what I enjoyed the most while in downtown LA? It was the catching up, the story telling, the reminiscing, the laughter, the punchlines that is the trademark of Ethel.

The next day, we waited for Lucille to pick us up at the hotel. This lady, barely a few months in San Diego, braved the freeway and drove 88 miles to Anaheim! We could have taken the Amtrak which would have been fine.. a little inconvenient but Mr C and I would be totally cool with it. But thank God for lovely, lovely generous friends! Thanks Eric for letting Lucille drive for almost two hours just to pick us up. It was also a treat for Mr. C to ride a cool Prius for the first time!!

It was a fun drive along Interstate 5 but Lucille made sure that we made a quick .. err.. not so quick stop at Carlsbad outlet store. HAHAHAHA!

We left Carlsbad two hours later carrying happy smiles and two “paper bags” of “wise” purchases. (wink wink)

Lucille and her firefighter/surfer husband, Eric have a nice place in Ocean Beach. Nice is an understatement!! It was gorgeous!!! How about the ocean view as your wallpaper? Ocean Beach is a lovely neighborhood, a mere walking distance to the beach and to Hodads!!!!!! Hodads is a famous hang out of surfers and tourists. The burger was yummy, the fries and onion rings were perfect and the drumroll please.. the chocolate malt was .. unforgettable. To die for YUMMY. yum yum yum. The walls at Hodads were covered with all sorts of vehicles plates and funny messages.

A peek at Hodads' wall

We thought the Hodads paper cup was original so here’s a pic:

I KNEW IT! In between, ahh.. tons of work ( I think that is shortest and most appropriate phrase to use) and ahh.. a looong list of stuff to buy to make our new apartment more comfortable and our kitchen more functional, the busy weekends, weeknights meeting friends and family.. and adjusting to my new routine as a Mrs….

Blogging, let alone reading blogs was way way way down there in my to do list.

We finally had the DSL set up at home which should give me more time for leisurely surfing.. (I can only hope).

So maybe I should pick up where I left off – post pictures! (and tell more stories …)

Our friend Anjou was hyped up when we reached 30 Rock…We were told by the tourist guide — (yes we took the red tourist bus where a guide holds a microphone as he gives us a priceless stories about the history of Manhattan – which I totally enjoyed!!) —– As I was saying, we were told by the tourist guide that the better place to be than atop the Empire State Building, is to be on the Top of the Rock. Why? Because you can see the Empire State building!

Last year in October, Anjou was sweet enough to shell out an extra $19 bucks for me so I can to up the Empire State. Mr C. was gracious enough to say “Sure let us go to the Rockefeller Center instead..”

When we reached Top of Rock, we still a bit of a sun – correction, the sun was setting. And so our view was spectacular!

Here’s Anjou’s shot of the Empire State before the sun decides to hide.

A few minutes later, the sun was out and the famous city lights came to life! Lo and behold, the Empire State!

See that long beautiful streak of orange light running across the Manhattan skyline with the Empire State Building as the centerpiece.

The sun's rays leaving a gorgeous orange streak across the skyline

The sun was out but we’re just starting to warm up on our picture taking. Never mind that it was FREEZING!!!

Currently at the KAL lounge for a hearty breakfast, borrowing Mr. C’s laptop yet again to steal moments for more updates. Flight from LAX to Seoul is way soo much better than my trip home last year! Last year, I took the plane out from JFK to Detroit then to Nagoya before reaching Manila. Boy was i beyond tired! That was the same route i took coming in the US — Nagoya and the US port of entry was Detroit and then JFK. Crazy. I was carrying two luggages then and a laptop.

Bottomline, this trip was more enjoyable. Factor in that I had a tall guy with me that I only need to hold on to.. Haha. No thinking required. No stress. This trip, we had a straight flight to JFK from Narita! (May i also say that the Narita Lounge serves better food what I recall last year at Nagoya..Anywaysss..

Babble babble .. I babble.

So how was my Disneyland experience? My ex officemate Ethel, who lives in LA asked me that when we met her. SHe asked me if i enjoyed it still.. going to Disneyland I mean. It was after all, a place for kids.

My answer was YES. From the unofficial guide book that my nerdy husband read and strictly followed, the best time to go to theme parks was the week AFTER thanksgiving. Our timing was perfect! Sure there were lot of people but I am quite sure the crowd does not compare to the week prior. We were falling in line around 915 am while we wait for the gates to open at 10am and by twelve noon we already had four rides! These rides showcase the stuff that Walt Disney is made of — pure imagination, incredible creativity and passion for detail.

We had the Finding Nemo adventure, the Peter Pan’s flight, Buzz Lightyear.. oh and the Hunted Mansion was amazing .. okay, kid stuff huh, just right for a ten year old. Mr C even bought me magazines as I wait for him because i was determined not to join him as he takes the Major Attraction rides — ergo, the scarier ones. But he took advantage of my poor sense of direction and complete dependence on him as we enter rides after the other.. so YES.. I was tricked and trapped and forced into taking the famous Space Mountain. My last roller coaster ride in Ocean Park HK was supposedly my LAST. BUt Mr C says that my Disneyland trip will not be complete without taking that dreaded ride.

Thanks to Mr. C, I had a scary 60 minute roller coaster ride inside Space Mountain. The ride took 2 minutes actually so… oookay.. the last 60 minutes was a thrill already.. almost. So let it be known world.. I TOOK THE SPACE MOUNTAIN.

After that, we took the Indiana Jones Adventure ride which was scary too but more fun to me than Space Mountain.

We stayed until 9pm– waited for the parade and of course the fireworks. An added bonus was the “snow” that fell from the err.. trees after the fireworks. SO imagine a park full of people, watching amazing fireworks that served as the backdrop of Sleeping Beauty’s castle — and then snow…. it was very romantic.

————-

My battery is running low and we are soon to board so I will try to post a few pics when we return .. ahh that would be tough because of the errands we need to do at home and the year end stuff we need to do at work.