Pages

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Are You Ready for Valentine's

I just received an invitation from Max's to attend a Valentine's event they have for bloggers. I'm not sure if I'd be able to make it since I'll likely be busy running around Manila on Tuesday (we'll see). The invite triggered a funny memory though.

This time five years ago my now-ninang Janette gave me and Stephanie a public challenge. We had to find a date for Valentine's. Stephanie and I had a bet. The person who won't be able to find a date would have to treat the other to a trip to Boracay. We were both so busy back then (so what's new?), so we eventually both lost. But I think technically Honey owes me a trip to Boracay! Haha.

I mentioned though in my blog post on "Why I Didn't Have a Valentine" that I did have merienda with someone on Valentine's day. We both only realized it was Valentine's when Max's served us a small cake with a tiny heart on it. The person who I had an unofficial date with was... Sweetie! We were just friends back then and it never occurred to us that we'd eventually marry.

And, wow, it's been five years since that challenge to find a Valentine! I had given up on finding the right one a few months after that, but Sweetie came along just before my deadline. Had he not come along I'd probably have a doctorate by now. Haha. It's been a long journey for me, but the best thing I did was to just leave things to God's hands. well I did plead to Him on the way home from the US that my deadline was just 2 days away and I was giving up already. Sweetie proposed a few hours after I got home. Looking back I was pretty jetlagged back then, but that's another story.

More kakiligan...

When God Writes Your Love Story (part 1)
When God Writes Your Love Story (part 2)
The Perfect Proposal
The Wedding Day



Thursday, February 2, 2012

Surviving -6°C

Zurich, Switzerland


The first thing I did when I found out that I was going to Zurich was check the weather forecast. I was mollified when I found out that temperatures go below zero and this week was supposed to go as low as -3°. I sought the advise of my sister and friends who's had winter experience. I didn't have any winter clothing so it was a great excuse to go shopping! My brother-in-law said, "Layer as much as you can."

My cold weather experience is quite limited -- US, Japan and Hongkong and it was cold. I remember when I was a kid I kept complaining to my Mom about how cold it was in Chicago. I hate feeling cold and this is oftentimes something that Sweetie and I struggle on (aircon temp can't go below 23°C). Anyway, my housemate just came from London and she said that it wasn't so bad. Just make sure to bundle up.

When I arrived in Zurich last Monday the temperature was 0°C. It wasn't so bad. I even enjoyed the walk to the office. In the evening though I was surprised to find out that it was snowing outside! Tiny snow flakes were falling fast like a gentle rainshower. It clung to my coat but it didn't feel cold. I even got to taste it! It was sweet, haha. It felt like it was Christmas!

The next day the air was colder (-3°C) and there was snow everywhere. My colleagues said that it hadn't been snowing in the past few weeks so this was a surprise. They warned though that it was going to get colder and today I got to experience -6°C (I'm hoping it won't go any further down!). I must say that it was truly a struggle for me to get to work. I was just really thankful that I managed to fling myself inside our building just before I could turn into a popsicle!

This week has so far been a new experience for me. Acclimating to this kind of weather is pretty hard for someone who grew up in a tropical country. Whatever Siberian wind I got to experience back home is nothing compared to the Siberian wind blowing towards Zurich. I wouldn't dare go out without proper winter clothing. I'm pretty sure I would turn into a popsicle if I do.

I still have about 36 hours left in this lovely city. I hope I get to see more of it before I leave. I hope the sun would come out though tomorrow! (And I need to eat RICE!!!).