When we were young...

Well, my three-week family getaway already feels like it happened in another lifetime. Oh how I miss you all who're over there, oceans away!

Whenever I'm back "home", one of my favourite things to do is to go through all our family albums. Doesn't matter how many times I've seen them, it's a ritual I treasure: perusing those black and white pictures of my parents' dates, their wedding, our family trips...or the precious pictures of my brother and me - me always playing tricks on him, with our many cousins now scattered in every continent. I wish I could remember ALL those wonderful moments...

We had a happy childhood, we were happy kids, still are...We always had cheeky grins and were up to some mischief. But there was something simpler back in the day...we were content with playing marbles, "titine" (tiny cloth bags packed with rice) or in my case, playing soccer with the guys and being deliberately smashed all over. Yes, I was always the goalie. Until I proved I could dribble and shoot penalties. Ha!

There's something special about growing up alongside your cousins. You get to have more siblings than you truly do. And the bonds that you create in your childhood, neither the years nor the distance can break.

It's a pity all our kids (one day for some maybe hehe) won't grow up together like we do...but they'll hopefully listen to our stories and learn something from it, something like...family matters. A lot.

LCPL sisterhood

During my transit in London on my way home last weekend, I met up with an old friend from high school, whom I haven't seen in almost 10 years.

We spent half a day together, catching up and hanging out around London (I've fallen in love with London a 3rd time!). However long it may have been since we last met, we were completely in tune and catching up was so smooth it made me realize that there definitely is something special about being an ex-Loreto Convent girl. Nothing like some good old Loreto spirit to make you feel welcome anytime.

Many of us, LCPL girls, have managed to keep in touch over the years (and especially since Facebook has entered the scene) and it's comforting to see that no matter where we are, who we are, and who we've become, the LCPL sisterhood is really like this big family shelter where we can reminisce and summon our old carefree selves.

It's good to be home.