Gratefulness

I am not a fan of scary movies.

You see, my brain isn't spongy when it comes to remembering things like the periodic table or even, like, what I ate last Wednesday. But when it comes to frightening things, my trusty ol' noggin will soak all that freakiness right up and present it to me in vivid detail at fun times like 4am, or when I close my eyes while washing my face in the shower.

Unfortunately just reading the news lately has felt like a super scary movie, but it's one I can't stop watching. Not even looking at pictures of adorable baby animals makes it better. Well, I mean, not after my eyeballs move away from the animals, anyway.

Here you go. Maybe it'll work for you.

And it's not just what the "bad guys" of the world are up to that has me awake when I really should be snoozing. It's the reactions I've seen that make me toss and turn. I mean, bad guys are always around, and that's why the good guys are supposed to be there to help, right? RIGHT???

Here is a good guy, presumably helping with something. Like they're supposed to freakin' do.

Instead I see people all over the place making excuses to not help fellow humans who are so desperately in need. The funny thing is that I am 100% positive that if those same exact people were put in a horrific situation and needed help, they wouldn't say, "Hey world, I totally understand if you don't wanna help me and everyone I love, because I wouldn't help you, either." Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion that it's those very people who would say, "Me first! Me first! Get me and my family outta here, PRONTO!"

The whole thing has me feeling incredibly sad in a way that not even eating a whole family size pack of Oreos can fix. Here is the evidence that I did, in fact, try.

But I guess that's the thing, right? Most of us just don't understand that kind of scary desperation. For the most part, our daily problems include things like getting stuck in traffic, having slow internet, being so dang busy, or, ahem, being fresh out of Oreos. We enjoy our sweet little first world lives with absolutely no clue what it's like to fear for them on a daily (if not minute by minute) basis. We have no comprehension of what it must be like to be so terrified that we'd choose to leave everything we have and everything that is familiar to us, and put ourselves and our children through dreadfulness with an uncertain outcome because we have the tiniest sliver of hope that Destination: Anywhere Else In The World will be better.

Most of us are simply blissfully unaware.
Jeebus.
We're so lucky.

After all, it really is just luck, isn't it?
The fact that we happen to be Here and not There.
The fact that we happen to be the Haves and not the Have Nots.
The fact that this time around we happen to be the Door Openers (or as many would disappointingly have it, Closers) and not the Door Knockers.

If ever I need help, I hope the door I have to knock on looks this cool. And I hope to gawd that whoever is behind it will happily let me in.

And speaking of luck, it's that time of year again to thank our lucky stars for all our blessings whilst gathered with friends and family 'round giant platters of main course deliciousness and a whole slew of scrumptious sides. The list of things I am grateful for this year is loooong and includes things like finding the perfect drapey tunic at Old Navy that hides all the things I want hidden, and rediscovering that little Chinese massage place next to Californos in Westport. If you go there, ask for Chris. He's the best.

Topping the list is my beautiful, healthy son, and my sweet, loving husby. They are the center of my universe, and I would do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING in my power to make sure they are always safe and happy.

Because I am a normal human being. 
Because everyone wants that for the people they love. 
Because safety and happiness are obviously what every person on this whole earth deserves and should receive from whomever can provide it, and from wherever it may be.

Obviously.

Here you have Mr. Chubby Cheeks and Mr. Thunder Thighs (aka The Center of My Universe). I'll let you guess who is who.

Thanksgiving in the Philippines

Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, Curtis and I spent this past Thanksgiving eating, drinking, singing, and reconnecting with oodles of his friends and family in the Philippines. 

It all started when Curtis found his old family friend, Aunty Luisa, on Facebook. Aunty Luisa and her husband, Uncle Caesar, actually live in Las Vegas, but spend part of each year in Tagaytay (pronounced Tah-GAI-tai), which is a mountain town just outside of Manila. Although Curtis hadn't seen her in over twenty years, she said we were welcome to stay with them if we ever visited the Philippines. 

Here is Curtis with Uncle Caesar, Aunty Luisa, and a delicious pineapple rum cocktail.

Now, Curtis was thrilled about this because he has been DETERMINED to visit the Philippines since we arrived on this side of the planet. He lived there for a couple of years when he was a kid, and he really wanted to reconnect with all the family who he hadn't seen in decades. Plus, I think he wanted to know if he remembered any Tagalog. He kinda sorta did in the "Hey-- that one word means UNDER!" kind of way. 

A couple pics from his time in the Philippines. Although Curtis and his brother Chris are only a year apart in age, Curtis was (and still is) about half Chris's size.

You know what really made things intriguing, though? A little message from Aunty Luisa inviting us to come for Thanksgiving and adding, "We are getting a fresh, live turkey!" Did she just mean "not frozen?" Surely she couldn't possibly mean...

Yup! That's what she meant! This guy arrived a couple days before Thanksgiving. This was the first and probably last time I will ever actually meet my Thanksgiving turkey. As far as turkeys go, he seemed nice.

Once we landed in Manila, it felt like the party never stopped. We were immediately taken to Curtis's cousin's home where we were warmly welcomed by his cousin's big family and treated to a delicious Filipino dinner.

Note the family resemblance between Curtis and his cousin Alan in the top right photo! Hairline twinsies! It was fun to learn more about Curtis's family history, and about his great-great grandfather who immigrated to the Philippines from China. It was also fun to have Curtis's model/actor relative, Albie Casiño, recreate his magazine-spread pose.

After that, we drove 1.5 hours to Tagaytay where we settled in, did some exploring, and of course, lots of eating.

Tagaytay has great restaurants and beautiful views of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano.

I cannot tell you how many other relatives and friends were also staying with Aunty Luisa and Uncle Caesar during the five days we were there. Judging by the number of towels hanging on the second floor balcony, I would say a whole heckuva lot.

Our favorite fellow house guests were Luisa and Caesar's son Alex, his wife Pau, and their 2.5 month old baby Lily, who made the trip all the way from Las Vegas! Check out the head of hair on that little cutie!

Every single night, a big group would hang out outside. Some of Curtis's relatives traveled a long way to say hello. Eventually they busted out the karaoke machine, and I ended up trying to fall asleep upstairs while listening to my husband singing "Hey, Jude" after having a few (too many) of those pineapple rum cocktails. 

Pictured on the left is Curtis with his Aunty Chelle and Aunty Cling Cling. Curtis was especially excited to see his Aunty Cling Cling since she helped raise him when he lived in the Philippines. He was also happy to meet some of her six children (top right).

Just for funzies, we spent one night in an area of Manila called Makati. It's known to be a cleaner, safer part of the city. Still, it was hard to ignore the armed guards everywhere, and the bag checks and metal detectors at every entrance to everything. I've often heard Manila has a teensy problem with kidnappings and murders. I distracted myself from thinking about that too much by simply eating everything in sight.

I loved the public transportation in the city-- "tricycles" were little carts that seemed to easily weave around the insane traffic (bottom middle), and "jeepneys" were elaborately decorated buses with open backs that people could jump in and out of (bottom left and right).

On Thanksgiving Day, all of the Philippines descended upon Aunty Luisa's house. The food was endless and delicious, because in addition to bringing in that live turkey (on a bus!), relatives and friends also brought a goat (A GOAT!), and freshly caught crab, shrimp, squid, fish, and all kinds of other treats.

I don't think I had ever had goat stew before, but it was tender and delicious. So were the fried scallops, marinated shrimp, and grilled squid. The sticky rice dipped in sugar was oh-so-tasty. Oh, and the extra fresh turkey? Ridiculously good.

Unfamiliar-yet-friendly faces arrived all day and night, and Curtis got to hear a lot of stories about his family. He also got to hear lots of people tell him that he's really thinned out from being a fat little kid. Is "thank you" a good response to that? We're still not sure.

Curtis with just a few of his friends and family.

The slogan of the Philippines is, "It's More Fun in the Philippines!" and I can definitely see why. Of the Asian countries I've visited (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand), I can say that the people of the Philippines are the most extroverted of them all. The Spanish influence here is very evident in the language, food, culture, and physical features of the people. They love to laugh loudly. And eat enthusiastically. And sing soulfully. And thankfully for us, they love to show their visitors a really good time.