Keep your dream alive
Dreaming is still how the strong survive
Once upon a time in New York City
-Oliver and Company

march 28
i woke up at 1am, prepped, and got the last of my act together. miggy hadnt slept yet, and he saw us off. dad hadnt slept either, and he was taking us to the airport. lola was sleeping in the guestroom, and we could hear her snoring. i whispered a goodbye through her window then jumped into the car.

sop called me on my cell. that was a nice treat.

we got to the airport. i was psyching myself up for a trying trip. we checked in our bags. security has gotten to the point where we have to take of our shoes! we finally got to board the plane. take-off. the food they served was... edible. thats the most i can say about it. it was a 3 and 1/2 hour flight to nagoya, then 11 and 1/2 hr ride to detroit, then a 1 and 1/2 hr trip to newark. it was mostly waiting, in-flight movies, and sleeping for me.

we staying with tita lala (my mom's friend from highschool) in her house in new jersey. she met us at the baggage claim section. haha, she's as sweet as ever. mom and i were surprised to see tita dino (my parents' friend from when we lived in new york) with her. tita dino looked great! and i mean it. she's still slim, and the way she dresses is, well, a lot to my taste, hehehe. black leather jackets, rockin' the house! they led us out to the parking lot. i stepped out of the airport and an icy cold gush of wind greeted me. i could see my breath. i'd missed that. 11 years is a long time. hehehe, i was going to enjoy this vacation. tita dino was driving, i sat in the passenger seat, mom and tita lala chitchatted in the back. its the tail-end of winter, and spring has just begun. most of the trees are still bare, however some are already flush with green. we got to tita lala's place. its nice and cozy. from the time we stepped out of our own door, to the time we arrived at tita lala's house, we had spent 27 hours on the go. however, it was still march 28. hehe, time-travel!

tita lala prepared dinner. tito pietro (her husband) came down, and we sat at the table catching up on old times. after that, tita lala showed us our rooms. i had my own, with a tv (that had 900 channels!), and a nice comfy bed with six huge pillows. we turned in early, coz we had plans for the next day. we were going to vermont!

march 29
morning. tita lala and tito pietro brought us into manhattan, then we walked the rest of the way to tita rosa's (my ninang, wife my mom's old boss from unicef brazil) apartment. they have a house in ludlow, and they were gonna take us there. i crashed on her sofa. she mentioned that more than a decade ago, i had done the same thing, and i had barely occupied two cushions. now i covered more than four. hahaha. then tito john (tita rosa's husband) arrived, and we were ready to go. off to the train station! it was a 2 and 1/2 hour ride to albany. we bought sandwiches for lunch, got on the train, and enjoyed the scenic trip. the tracks ran along the river in the valley. we reached albany, picked up their car, and drove for another 2 and 1/2 hours to ludlow, vermont. i had my window open, and the further up north we went, the colder it got. soon, we saw lakes and ponds that were still iced over. there was snow on the hills. that got my spirits going. i wanted to jump out of the car and frolic! but i'd have to wait. we got to their house and settled in nicely. they rang their son (john jr), and we went out for dinner. chinese dine-in: the only restaurant open that night.

after i had my fill, i told mom i wanted to get some air. she just nodded, and i went out. i leaned against the front of the car and turned my gaze to the sky. the moon was out. i couldnt help but smile. i stayed there, just looking up at it, until the others came out. mom asked me if i was ok. i realized then that i was kind of shivering. but i'd be fine.

this time mom and i shared a room. i picked the side of the bed closer to the window. as i looked up through the blinds, i could see the moon again.
i'm watching you too.

march 30
the air was crisp, the sun was out, the sky was clear. perfect day for... SNOWBOARDING! john jr was an instructor up on the mountain, and he was gonna teach me to ride the ice. they fixed me up in the proper gear, and we were ready to go. we started off at the bottom of the hill, john showing me the ropes. after about an hour, i flopped onto the snow exhausted. and high. god, was i high. i was laughing my head off. too much fun. hahaha. ...and then i fainted. damn anemia!

after dragging me home, stuffing lunch into me, and pumping some sugar into my veins, i was left to sleep the rest of the day off. which i did.

march 31
we were up early to catch the train from rutland (which is 20 mins away from ludlow) to go back to new york. at the station, we bid our goodbyes and boarded the train. 5 and a 1/2 hour trip. we reached new york by lunch time. our stomachs were churning. solution: McDonald's!

after devouring our double cheeseburgers, we headed down to the new amstedam theater. we had tickets to the lion king, the musical. damn good show! the direction, lighting, music, choreograohy, costumes, and (most of) the acting was awesome. work of geniuses...
into the water...
into the truth...
in your reflection...
he lives in you
after the show, tita lala me us from work, and we took the bus into their neighborhood. tito peitro picked us up at the corner bus-stop and brought us home. tita lala and mom prepared our meal, while i unpacked and resettled into my room. then we ate, again, while laughing non-stop. after dinner, tito pietro took me down to the basement, and he showed me his weapon collection, starting with his bow. it was a monster! a compound 55 pounder! and his arrows were even scarier. razor sharp, heads that could pierce bone, and yet light as a feathers for speed.
archery 101: never raise the bow, strung or unstrung, at anyone
archery 102: never walk in front of the archer
archery 103: never use the bow for a violin
archery 104: NEVER get on tito pietro's bad side *sweatdrops*
he's a champ at guns too. he showed some to me, and made me pose with them for the camera. tita lala and mom found it hilarious.

10pm. i'm lying in my bed. my room is so dark. i put my hand in front of my face, and i cant see it.

12:00am. i finally fall asleep.

april 1
1:30am. i wake up.

3:00am. i get out of bed and head down to the computer in the basement.