I Like It Like That
Hello, I’m alive! Things have been pretty crazy lately and I’ve been in a funk most of all, but back in August, I went on a lovely holiday to the United States. The main reason I do this is to use up my 10-year visa — lest Immigrations thinks I’m not using it (passport problems — they’re real!)
But on the funner side of things, I get to visit my siblings who live on both coasts and finally meet the newest nephew I have who’s up in Oregon. I realise I should probably venture out of the coasts but I don’t have an international driver’s license and the US tends to be a place that needs driving. Perhaps next time.
California
My brothers, Pio and Pietro have been in San Bernardino since maybe 5 years ago (for Pietro at least) and it’s my first time to see the neighbourhood they live in and how they spend their days. So despite the crazy ass long drive from the airport — it was traffic (100KM from the airport, or double the length of Singapore), it was really nice to see how the brothers have been adulting it up in California.
I literally told them I wanted to do whatever they did on a usual weekend and true enough we ate the best burritos, watched a movie and hung out with some of their friends. It’s always weird seeing how your siblings live their lives as adults. I always considered the siblings in the US as the younger set but clearly they’re all grown up.
Also, California is a dessert or at least this part is and I’ve come to realise this more and more as we drove through wide open roads and blue skies. Damn, that was really hot.
Oregon
It’s my third time in Oregon but only my second time as an adult that kind of understands what’s going on. My cousin Paul and his wife Cathy were the reasons I went to visit last time (they got married three years ago) and it was such a lovely trip that I knew I had to drop by now that they have a little baby.
And babies are tough, but I have to give it to them for keeping this child on a crazy amazing schedule. I wish I had as much discipline as this kid. I’m also definitely resigning myself to being the best aunt ever. I could literally spend all day with this baby who is just all sorts of delightful.
It was also nice to just chill in their gorgeous house. One day, if I ever get an actual house house (and not an apartment), it would be great to have one like theirs. I could just chill there all day — and I pretty much did. Good times.
New York
I haven’t been back to New York since 2013 so it was a bit long overdue and now that my little sister lives there — how crazy is it to be 22 years old and living and working in New York (I’m very jealous and very happy for her). So it was so nice to be reunited as sisters (our technical sisters trip since 2012 in Seoul) and just enjoy the city.
Unfortunately, i was on the tail end of my trip (and Pay was only beginning hers) so our energy levels were definitely not the same. I was feeling sick most of it and my feet were literally blistered from all the walking but I tried my best to keep the bitchiness down and just enjoy the time with the sisters.
It was also nice to hang out with my Uncles in Brooklyn. I love how they lived in Brooklyn before it was cool and still continue to exist there. Also, celebrity spotting alert — I can’t believe I actually saw Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys and their kid as I battled jet lag still and woke up early enough to jog around the neighbourhood. I never see celebrities so this was fun — even from afar.
There is so much more the US I want to visit and perhaps next time I can go to Austin and New Orleans and even Las Vegas — my siblings seemed a bit game to meet up elsewhere so that should be interesting. If only the flights weren’t so freaking long. I feel it so much more now. Aging, it’s real.
