Where did the year go?

I can't believe it took one year since I last posted here. Last year was a very busy and stressful year for me at work. I taught a new course that demanded so much of my time that I had to put a lot of other stuff in the back burner. Hopefully I will have more time to update this blog, if not go ahead and check my profile on www.friendster.com/odetojoy or on facebook.

Let's see, where should I begin. I think the two main events in the Turingan household were Erin's leaving for college and Ralph's father's passing away. Erin is now attending the University of Florida in Gainesville. Yes, my Seminole baby is now a Gator convert (tears running down my face). Early this year (2008) Ralph's father passed away just a few days shy of his mom's first year death anniversary.

Megan excelled in 5th grade this past year and I achieved National Board certification! We helped establish a new Filipino organization called, Sanlahi and became very active in cultural events here in Melbourne.

Yesterday, Ralph and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary and treated ourselves to a 90 minute full body massage at a local spa. It was heaven. In keeping with our goal to go green we replaced fancy department store gifts with plants. He chose 2 coconut palms, and I chose an orchid and a fragrant rose.

Early this summer, we went to Puerto Rico for a 9-day vacation. It was our first trip back in 15 years. It was great to be back as we consider PR our second homeland. The beauty of the Caribbean is breathtaking. We toured the entire island from coast to coast. We did some kayaking, night swimming in the Phosphorescent bay, partying in the street in La Parguera, beach hopping and simply eating delicious and sumptuous Puerto Rican food.

Till next issue then. Have a wonderful year ahead and God bless. Let's go green!

Our 20th wedding anniversary

On July 26, 2007 Ralph and I celebrated a milestone - our 20th wedding anniversary. A couple of days earlier, we celebrated 24 years since we started dating. We treated the kids to dinner at the Continental Flambe in Melbourne and stayed overnight at the Melbourne Hilton. The kids joined us for breakfast the following day. That evening, we flew to Vegas to spend a few days in Sin City. The day after we arrived in Vegas, I got a call from one of my lost friends who is now in San Diego so we decided to take a side trip down to visit her. This was one happy and fun-filled trip. I have been to Vegas three times in the past but never with Ralph. This time it was a lot of fun spending hours on end at the casinos, nightclubs and lounges, shopping, and even karaoke singing. For the first time, we left the kids alone and not felt guilty about doing so.

We arrived in Las Vegas at 9:35 pm, took a shuttle to Treasure Island and got changed. Oh but before we even left Orlando, I realized that I had forgotten my makeup kit at home. Talk about the most sobering feeling when you know that not only will this cost money but that I will be spending hours naked of face paint! As soon as we got our stuff in the hotel, we decided to check out if there was a Sephora that was close by and, of course, still open. We missed the one at the Venetian across the street so we looked for a Walgreens. We walked for about a couple of miles to one and I bought some stuff just to tide me over during our stay.

We then got changed and decided to go downstairs to Pho Tan. This is one awesome Vietnamese restaurant. Thank goodness there was something still open at the hotel. This resto is open 24 hours. I ordered the noodle soup with raw meat and Ralph grilled pork chops. I have to say that at this time (11:00 pm Vegas time and 1 am Melbourne time) the soup was so soothing to the stomach. It was so tasty. Ralph and I shared both dishes and this filled us up enough to stay down in the casinos until 4 am! That's 7 am in Melbourne. We really weren't sleepy though but my legs were killing me already. We went up to sleep and woke up again by 9 am. We took our time changing and decided that we will go to the Wynn for breakfast - really brunch by the time we got out of our hotel.

So long, 2006; hello, 2007!

I want to wish all my friends and family a happy new year! Last year was a year that I definitely wished would fly by fast. It started really well since we rung in the new year in the Philippines. This was the first time we spent the holidays in pinas with our families in Leyte and Tuguegarao. The year was going well until May when my father passed on very unexpectedly (read about it in another post). I had to make a second trip back to the home to attend the funeral. A few days earlier, Ralph had left for the Philippines to fulfill his responsibilities as a Fulbright scholar. He was gone for half of the year, returning stateside in mid November. The summer was fun for the most part. We missed Ralph being with us for our trip to the west coast. Thank God there were no hurricanes that hit Florida.

Our summer vacation

In June, Erin, Megan and I spent 10 days visiting with family and friends in Northern California and Las Vegas. We went shopping and site seeing in San Francisco and neighboring sites and cities like the Muir Woods with the giant sequioas and the quaint village of Sausalito. The giant redwoods are something to behold and Sausalito is a cute city with the perfect vantage view of the famous San Francisco skyline. We visited Peter Wainwright and his family in Davis, and Erin went on a campus tour of UC Davis. I liked Davis; it is one city that the giant store chains have not been able to infiltrate thus has been able to maintain that small city feel. It was great to see the Wainwrights again after 6 years. We also toured the campus of UC Berkeley and Erin and I just loved the campus. The programs were good as well but the cost of education is a little steep.

Saying goodbye to Papa

In the midst of preparing for the kids' birthdays and the end of the school year, I received the most sobering news that my father passed away. He had a massive heart attack and with the inadequacy of our medical equipment in the provinces, he did not have a chance to survive this first one. Ralph had just left for the Philippines 4 days before for a 6 months stint to teach at UPV in Iloilo so the decision for me to go home was not easy because the kids still had school, finals in particular for Erin. In the end, we decided that I go home alone and leave the kids at home with a friend to stay with them. Zan, Ralph's graduate student, was nice enough to agree to stay with them in the house until Lorena and her family came for a visit a few days later. I flew on a Monday and came back the following Tuesday. It was that short a trip but plenty of time to be with family at the this most difficult time of our lives for us.

I can safely say that we are now orphans. It's a weird feeling and something that I have to get used to. When Mama died almost 6 years ago, I mourned her passing but somehow with Papa still around, I didn't feel this sense of being alone. Even though I'm now 40 years old, have my own family and have for the most part done well living away from home, I feel like a small child who have just lost both parents. It is a weird feeling that even if I have been independent from my parents for a long time, that bond that we have was still there and I still felt connected to them somehow and it made me feel good knowing that they are there. With their passing, I feel such a disconnectedness right now; loneliness I guess is how one can call it.

I miss Papa. To think that we really didn't spend a lot of time together while I was growing up nor did we even talk over the phone that much when I immigrated here, I still miss him now. Even without much contact, I knew he was there and would be there when I went home to visit. This just shows that a parent is a parent. No matter what kind of relationship you have with one, there is always a bond that will bind a child with his/her parent and you still feel that absence.

I love Papa. He was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I loved him. Unfortunately I did not say it enough but I hope I showed it on those occasions when we would be together.

Japan to Manila to Manila Peninsula Hotel

Airports are never meant to be hotels but this is where NW left us to spend the night. With over 400 passengers stuck in the predeparture area, each one of us managed to claim a part of the airport and try to catch a wink. With the time difference though (daytime in the US), the kids were all wired up so no one could really fall asleep with them running around trying to entertain themselves. NW provided us with a pillow and a blanket and chocolate bars and soda to eat and drink. They gave water only to those who needed it for their prescription medication. There was really no point in complaining - we were exhausted at this point. We were kept in limbo as to what time we were leaving that morning. Later we were told that they couldn't tell us this information until they woke up the crew after 6:00 am. Apparenty the crew are not to be woken up before then. Anyway, long story short, we boarded the plane bound for Manila at 7:30 am and were on our way at 8:15. We arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at a little after1 pm. When we got off the neventful and the food was decent. We were just glad to be finally on a plane plane, on our way to gather our luggages, we were met by a throng of reporters and cameramen. Wow, we didn't realize that being delayed for over 14 hours and stranded in Tokyo is now big news in Manila. It turned out that we had a real celebrity with us - an ex-Congressman who served a prison sentence in the US for graft and corruption for 5 years.

Remember we had 7 boxes, a large suitcase, 4 carry on luggages and an electric cello. Getting them out of the terminal through Customs was an art. We had to use 4 carts (thank God they were free). It also cost us $20 placed inside our passport as we went through Customs. This ensured that we didn't have to open our boxes and be inspected. Come to think of it, there was really no place where they would open the luggages because they didn't need it. As long as you have money in the passport, you're good to go. The customs people even "requests" a certain amount. Oh well, nothing will change. Even if it's against your better judgment to bribe these people, you are forced to do so just so you get through as quickly as possible.

Ralph's sisters met us at the airport and all our luggage went in one car and we went in a taxi to our hotel, the Manila Peninsula. We were caught during the rush hour by the airport (well, we thought it was rush hour, but it was really normal for any time during the day!). He decided to take a short cut through the sidestreets of Pasay. Erin's induction into Manila traffic has just begun. Two lane streets became 4-lanes, the shrill sound of car horns fills the air and the smoke was thick. Erin asked, "where are the lanes?" We told her to just close her eyes and not to worry - we'll get to the hotel just fine. The detour that we took had us going through a very filthy river (I can't even call it a river, I don't think) - it was just black and stagnant. It was full of trash along it's embankment and the houses along it's side were in bad need of repair adorned with laundry hung to dry. Only one car could go through the streets that was apparently a two-way lane (but one car goes at a time!). In not time though, we were in Makati and what a difference in ambiance. It was just like we were back in the states. Makati is the business district of the Philippines and where a lot of high rises are and is the "Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive" of the country.

We arrive at the hotel and was met by a couple of security officers manning the bottom of the landing up to the hotel. The taxi driver had to stop, open the hood and was inspected. A pole with a mirror attached to it was used to look under the taxi before we were allowed to actually park and get off. Talk about tough security. Before we could go into the hotel itself, we each have to open our bags for inspection. Manila Pen is one grand hotel. The lobby was decked with Christmas decor with a 50 ft high christmas tree in the middle of the lobby. The door was opened by a doorman, at every turn, you are greeted with a very warm smile and was asked if they could help you carry your stuff. It was weird actually, in a good way. We finally managed to get up to our room and freshen up before going to our first appointment - a trip to the University of the Philippines.

Let me add this about the hotel, everyday, they would give us a mango, a couple of bananas served on a basket lined with banana leaf and a single orchid. Megan was ecstatic - she would wake up very early and start eating the mango. She said that was the best part of the hotel stay.

The anatomy of our trip to the Philippines - Part A. Orlando to Japan

Check out our family album at http://turinganfamily.shutterfly.com

After at least five years of absence, except for Ralph, we decided to go home this past December and celebrate the holidays with our families. This would have been the girls' first time to spend Christmas in the Philippines and the first time since 1990 for Joy and 1984 for Ralph. It was also Ralph's and Joy's respective high school reunions.

Any filipino, I think, is never prepared for all the shopping which translates to packing of boxes of pasalubong that it entails. This trip was no different, especially that it was the gift-giving holiday. We managed to fit into 7 large U-haul boxes all the shoes, chocolates, clothes, and anything that was not bolted down in our garage that we were bringing home. It is no wonder that Northwest has specifically excempted travel to the Philippines from their 50-lb limit and keep the usual 70 lb limit. I guess they know that a small colored tv alone weighs close to 50 lbs already! What is even more amazing is how we were able to transport 7 boxes, 1 large suitcase, 4 carry on luggages and an electric cello to the airport. We had to rent a second vehicle and disturb a friend to drive us to the airport. The attendants at the NW counters did not even weigh our boxes anymore. They just tagged it "Heavy". You should have seen the looks on the TSA personnel who had to carry the boxes into the xray machines. I'm sure they were cursing us under their breath!

Our flight to Detroit, where we would change planes, went smoothly. Ralph was so far gone before we even taxied for take off. He packed straight through the time that we left for the airport at 4 in the morning of December 16. Megan and Erin were very excited being on a plane that they didn't sleep at all, especially that Erin was trying to document everything with her digital camera. Joy was just quietly considering taking a Xanax pill to help her sleep. Excitement eventually won out and she managed to travel, straight to the Philippines, without popping one.

We thought the stars were aligned and the trip would be smooth. Little did we know that "delayed" or "canceled" became the catch word of the day. It all began in Detroit. We boarded the 747 on Gate 56 on time at 12:45 pm for a departure time of 1:30 pm to our next stop, Nagoya, Japan. We got to our seats, the 65th row of 67 rows!!!! Hey, we didn't even mind this at all, at least we all sat together. It didn't also bother us so much that as the plane took off, it shook sideways and felt like the entire half of the plane was going to come off! This is why Joy has a fear of flying! Anyway, getting back to having boarded the plane and seat belts fastened. We then hear the first ominous signs of an impending delay. "Folks, this is your purser and everybody is on board. In just a few mnutes we will be closing the hatch and will be on our way to Nagoya". Well, about 10 minutes later, he came on again letting us know that they (whoever they were) were working on the lavatory. This was followed by "we are told that the toilet is not draining and they should have the problem corrected in 15 minutes". Well, this became a half hour and finally, after having been inside the plane for an hour, they announced that we had to deplane and transfer to another plane. I think we were not so concerned about this turn of events because, really, who would want to be in an eleven and a half hour flight without a functional lavatory!

I thought that this was going to be a quick endeavor but it took another 3 hours. Well, first, we all had to gather all our carry on luggage - remember, we had an electric cello with us and carrying it over the heads of the passengers is a health hazard (for you and the irate passengers whose heads we sometimes hit), and all 443 passengers and crew had to deplane. After leaving the plane, we all immediately lined up at the next gate expecting to board immediately. The counter clerk then gave us the sobering news that this process will not only take a few minutes. They have to remove all our checked baggage (use your math; at least 400 passengers x 2 luggages each = this is where I let my math skills fail me) and move them all to the new plane. It will also be catered again, etc., etc. The bottom line is they all spelled "delay". We finally boarded the plane, now 4 hours later than we were supposed to have left. Well, since the plane was at the gate for so long and snow had started falling (what did we expect, this was Michigan after all) that they have to de-ice again! Five hours later, we finally took off and quietly prayed that we have a safe flight.

Part B. Japan to Manila