Manila.

Well, I’m off to Manila for a short holiday and to visit my relatives. Haven’t been there for 10 years now and I’m pretty excited about the trip. I leave tomorrow, Thursday, and will be back on the 14th. I don’t really have an itinerary but among the must-do will include shopping, visit at least one tourist-y place, hang out with my cousins and check out the night life. For as long as I can remember, each trip to Manila was mainly visiting a shopping mall and staying cooped up in my grandma’s place, located light years away from the city centre. This time around, I really want to see more of Manila. I mean, it’s embarrassing that my mum’s from there and when people ask me where they should visit when in Manila, I draw a blank. Er…My grandma’s house?

Trip aside, I’m working half-day today. Got stuff to clear up as usual before I go on my holiday. On a more somber note, my brother in law’s been in the hospital for the last three days, compliments of dengue fever. The whole family is understandably worried and we’re all pulling our weight to help my sister out during this rough time. She shuttles back and forth to the hospital several times a day and has three kids at home to worry about on top of it. So my parents have been taking care of my nieces and to put it in a nutshell, everyone looks like zombies due to lack of proper rest. Since my parents are out of the house some 22 hours in a day, I’m in charge of making sure the house doesn’t burn down and there’s some sign of life in the Leong residence. My sister was supposed to join us on our trip to Manila tomorrow but that’s definitely a no-go. Although my parents and I are excited about the trip, I don’t think we’ll really rest easy until my bro in law is truly out of the woods. Get well soon, Nick. Ok friends, time to get back to work. Sorry I’ve been out of the blogging loop for a while but given the circumstances, I hope you understand. More tales of the traveler when I get back next week.

Oh and if you celebrate the commercialism, emotional pressures and misleading romanticsm of Valentine’s Day… Happy Valentine’s Day in advance. Bah, humbug.