Tag: new york

New York, oh New York

Rhiza2 Comments

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I heaved a sign of relief when our plane landed at JFK after 23 looong hours of travel from Manila to New York. Finally! It’s our first time back in NYC in 5 years, first time to go there as a family, first long flight with the twins.

As we unbuckled the girls off their seats and prepared to step out of the plane, one of the girls, Rain, happily exclaimed, “We’re home Mommy, let’s go!”

The truth is, if you told me 5 years ago that I would be calling New York “home” in this lifetime, I would have laughed in your face and dismissed the idea outright. To me, New York has always been a mysterious city, and sure, one of my favorite cities in the world. It held some of my greatest memories, marked important milestones of my life and our story, and hey, I sure would love to keep coming back! But to call it “home” was, at one point, the farthest thing from my mind.

Nope, not New York City.

But something shifted somewhere, and New York has, somehow, become the very thing in my life I never thought it would or could be: home.

Maybe because I found love in this strange city and we all know how love can make anyone feel grounded. Or maybe because I have learned to see “home” in a whole new light.

Maybe the fact that I didn’t really want this to begin with, that makes being in New York feel.. right. After all, I have known God to work exactly this way. He has a knack for changing hearts and orchestrating circumstances that take us right where He wants and needs us to be, even if it means parting oceans with a rod and defeating giants with a sling.

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It’s been over a month since we landed in New York City and now we’re back in Manila. While the twins weren’t exactly as enthusiastic last week when our plane landed at NAIA Terminal 1 as when we landed at JFK (can’t blame them, it was a long trip and the humid Manila weather wasn’t all that welcoming either), we were just happy to have successfully endured another long flight, to have gained new memories, milestones and answers, and to have spent good quality time with our friends and family.

But most of all I’m grateful that home is not confined to a place, that we can bloom where we’re planted, and the grass is greener where the Lord places us.

He never makes mistakes, nope. And when we trust in that truth, we experience not only the realization of our (personal) dreams but also the blessings of being right in the center of His great, massive, Kingdom-building plan.

I’m still trying to process everything, sifting through photographs, unpacking suitcases, catching up on work and blog posts, making mental notes of everything God has taught us in the past two months. In my mind I’ve already written a book, really!

Hmm. It’s good to be back.

* * *

New York 2015, it’s a wrap

I Wish You All Have Seen Allegiance Broadway

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My husband and I happened to have tickets to Allegiance in one of those rare nights Lea Salonga was down with colds and couldn’t make it to the show.

There was a bit of confusion, even disappointment, upon receiving our Playbills and seeing someone else’s name under “Kei Kimura”, the charming and fierce female lead who was supposed to be played by Lea. After all, I’m sure many of us Filipinos went to see Allegiance because of her. I saw many of our kababayans gathered in the lobby of the Longacre Theater before the show, whispering to each other about Lea’s absence.

But the show must go on and the disappointment immediately disappeared soon as Elena Wang, Lea’s understudy, took Kei’s spot on stage with remarkable confidence and grace, nailing it one scene after another. I was curious to see how she would handle “Higher“, a song that was composed especially for Lea, but oh my wow, Elena totally killed it and won me over.

She didn’t just “fill in” for Lea. She totally owned the role, and it made me happy to have witnessed just that.  Continue reading “I Wish You All Have Seen Allegiance Broadway” →

Never too late for “Merry Christmas!”

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I’m pretty sure your Christmas trees are still up and we’re all still enjoying what’s left of the Christmas season (and the leftover sugar cookies). So I’ll just go ahead and finish this Christmas greeting I started drafting the day before Christmas, just before everything went full-on crazy I totally forgot about posting it.

That’s just how merry and special this particularly Christmas had been—two hands full, and no time for anything else other than wrapping gifts, adjusting to New York’s holiday rush, spending quality time with family, and chasing giddy toddlers who’ve had way too much stateside chocolates.

It’s my first Christmas away from our family in Manila and therefore have been missing them a lot, but even in the strangeness of this city it’s impossible to not feel home. Maybe because we’re surrounded by Filipinos who still very much uphold pinoy Christmas traditions. Perhaps because we are surrounded with so much love from our family here who have generously stretched their hearts, homes, budgets and schedules to accommodate us.

And then of course, home is wherever I’m with my crew.

This past week is filled with countless of moments where I just stop and marvel at God’s goodness and faithfulness that cushioned us on all sides, amidst the cold weather, the chaos that comes with living in suitcases all month, and the backlog of work I know I have to deal with later. ;) (Sorry for the unanswered emails, you guys.)  Continue reading “Never too late for “Merry Christmas!”” →

Rockefeller Christmas Tree at Midnight

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A few nights after the Rockefeller Christmas Tree was lit, and on one of the coldest nights in my life (heads up: I’m from the tropics so what’s cold for me may just be a normal cold to you), David and I, with his whole family, had a late night road trip to the city to see the most visited and photographed Christmas tree in Manhattan.

Nothing here but a bunch of photos, really.

Merry Christmas!

Bikeathon at Central Park

Rhiza4 Comments

It’s my third week here in NY. I wish there’s a way I could make time slow down a bit!

David and I have been to just a few places so far. As much as we want to spend more time outdoors during the day, he has to be at work and so do I, so we only get to date out in the evenings and over the weekends. But that’s okay, I’ll have more time to get to know New York next time.

The leaves have started falling off, the temperature has dropped close to 30F these past couple of days, everyone’s been layering up. Thank God for Black Friday, I managed to score some discounted layers at an outlet store over the weekend.

But how can I complain? New York is just as I remember it—mysterious in so many ways, and there’s always ALWAYS something to do. Staten Island, on the other hand, is everything I never expected it to be (in a good way)—a lot more laid back than Manhattan, with a commute system that’s good enough to take you wherever you need to be.

On my second Saturday here, David took me to my first ever Central Park bike ride. As for my most favorite New York moments, this one has definitely climbed the charts (sorry for the tacky Serendipity reference). What a contrast to my “ordinary” Central Park experience in 2008!

If you’re my Facebook friend I’m pretty sure you’ve come across this album already, but blogger duties, here are some of the photos from that Central Park trip. :)

We rented out these bikes at $14 per hour from CP Bike Tours and Rentals, impulsively if I may add, at West 58th street near the corner of 7th avenue.

I wasn’t sure I still knew how to bike, I can’t remember the last time I rode one of those and was a bit apprehensive at first, but I took the challenge and I’m just sooo glad I did! :)

I can’t get over these photographs David took from that day. He was actually taking these shots! With his heavy Nikon D90!! With one hand!!! From his moving bike!!! How awesome is my fiance? <3

We stopped by the Bethesda Fountain to take photos.

..and by this lake, just because I had a photo of that building in the background last time I was here and I thought it was really pretty.

And then we stopped over to take photos by the trees and the leaves.

I could swim in a sea of golden leaves all day!

We took turns taking photos.

My friends think David looks like he’s from some Korean telenovela. I concur! Lol.

We found this bench and I sighed in awe. I don’t think I’ve ever found a more romantic place than New York. <3

I’ve always wanted to do an Elizabeth Gilbert, you know, go some place where I can marvel at something. And well, here I am. I’ve been marveling at everything since I landed, and there’s always something new to look forward to each day. <3

I can never enumerate in my hands all the things God has provided us with that made this trip possible, and everything we’ve gone through to get us to this day. I’m in constant awe at how good God has been to us, a lifetime thanking Him will never be enough.

Tuesdate at Downtown Manhattan

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Reposting from FB, November 16. Date backtracked. Photo Dump!

When I went here in 2008, taking the Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty was a special event. Now, it’s a way of life. It’s the fastest commute to Manhattan from Staten Island after all. I could really get used to this, you know? :)

It was my first week here, and David took me to Oh! Taisho, a Japanese restaurant in the East Village.

We were playing with David’s 50mm Nikkor lens on his D90. Love it!

What I was wearing that night: Jeans from Folded and Hung; Scarf and Boots from Babo; Ridiculously expensive coat from Zara; and gloves from a sidewalk vendor somewhere along East Village ;)

It was drizzling on the way back home. We were somewhere in the business district downtown, and the wet pavement and the pretty city lights made it a perfect night to take photos. If only we have a real photographer following us around, it would have been another prenup opportunity! :)