Greetings to what's left of my readers. Hello. Konichiwa. Aloha.

In case you failed to notice, Valentine's Day is just right around the corner. 4 days, to be specific. There are 2 types of people on this day of love. One, the type that celebrates a romantic evening with their better half and two, the type that spends the night at home alone watching a marathon of romance movies compiled by HBO while shoving handfuls of junk food into their mouths and wishing they had someone special to spend a good evening with; sort of like what I usually do every year-- and for good reasons: they're, like, awesome movies that don't make you feel bad at all after watching. Okay, that's not completely true.

Anyway, a long, long time ago (3 months), I asked people at Yahoo! Ask on what they thought love is. I thought I'd share their answers seeing that Valentine's is drawing near:

"Love is a gift ..sometimes we hold it in our hands and dont even understand it..love is what comes from heart ..love is when u r ready to give everything for that person even ur life..love is even when yrs pass and that person is not in ur life anymore and suddenly needs u ,u run to help them..love is when u look at that person in the eyes and see their eyes screaming I LOVE U..n love is when u cant imagine a single minute without that person like u breath for them."



"For most people, self delusion."


"Unconditional devotion to one another."


"Something people search for desperately so much so that they blind themselves from the one that they truly love."


"Can't explain it, it's just "that" feeling."




This proves that everybody has a different thing to say about love. That or, they were just trying to mess with me.

I'm no love expert, but I hear it's good for you. It's been proven that love stimulates the release of endorphins into the blood system. I'm not really sure what endorphins are but they're like tiny elves, that run through your veins and arteries, and tell your brain a joke and make you happy. So, I suggest we all get our doses of love.

You'll get it anywhere; family, friends, and even enemies. Hey, you HAVE to love thy enemies-- nothing annoys them more.

Valentine's Day isn't a day just for couples. Don't let cliché movies misguide you. Valentine's Day is a day of love, or for love; whichever you prefer.

All we need is love.


Lots of love,
Mar

Hello, Brunei :)

My aunt and uncle just got back from the states and they got me a poster, of a mountain lion, from Wyoming so that I can paste it in my room. It's a nice touch, isn't it? I mean, not everyone gets to wake up and see a hungry, hunting mountain lion first thing in the moring. They don't eat humans, right?

Anyway, my aunt showed us some pictures of their road trips across the states. They live in LA, California, so Universal Studios and Disneyland are, like, a 30-minute drive. Those aren't the only places they've been to; San Diego, Grand Canyon West, Lake Taho, the Hover Dam (where Megatron was kept hidden in Transformers 1), Reno, NYC, Yellow Stone and Alaska. Alaska (I just love saying that).

Alaska. They've been to Alaska and experienced 24 hours of daylight during the winter solstice in June. Her stories were very interesting and I wish I had seen what they had, until we were at the 120th photo out of 220. Every picture told a different story. I love my aunt, she's family, but 100 pictures more? I just nod and smiled away, as if I were high. She has my mom to talk to anyway.

For a moment there, I did doze off a little. By then they were talking about the Aurora Borealis. And then for some reason they started talking about brown rice. And then nothing. Usually this is the part where Barney Stinson would get up and say, "Awkward silence! Whuddup!" I'd say something but it's not like I've visited places such as Alaska. So I asked what I usually ask people from the other side of the globe: "What time do you think it is in Alaska?"

My recent skill in starting up a conversation is like my past skill in starting up a conversation: absolute crap xD I don't elaborate; I simple "yes" or "no" is all I got.

I miss you SO SO much, Brunei. I haven't made any new friends here yet. My first friend here is my dog, Ondoy. He's named after Typhoon Ondoy because he was born that time. His fur is a caramel colour. His paws are white, except for his front left paw. He has a patch of white fur on his forehead and throughout his abdomen. He's very playful and I just found out that he likes socks xD He's still afraid of cats and he does not like cold water. He hates taking a bath and he likes chewing on plastic slippers.

Take care, Brunei

Lots of hugs and kisses,
Mar

This is to all of you at dear--maria.blogspot.com:

I honestly have no idea what to say. It's terrible that I have nothing and you all have so much to say. All I have is a genuine thank you.

Thank you for the kind words, thank you for reminding me memories I thought I forgot, like that unfortunate 'HOT' incident with Joel. And thank you for helping me see myself through your eyes. Wow, cheesy, I know.

You're all probably sick of my' thank you's. I just want you all to know how eternally grateful I am for everything you all have done for me. I'm lucky to have you as my friends.

Okay, so, let's get past this. It's not like I'm six feet under or anything. I am very much breathing and kicking. Probably not kicking since I gained a few pounds and am too lazy to move a muscle. Okay, no; a lot of pounds. Did I mention I got darker? It's all this walking under the blazing sun.

I'll update to you soon, Brunei. I miss you

Lots of love,
Mar

Hello, Brunei. I miss you.

I've been dreaming about Brunei almost every night since I moved to the Philippines. Philippines is definitely a lot more different than Brunei.

The malls here are always overcrowded. Brunei has only one recognized mall, The Mall, and Philippines has a lot more than the number of its islands. Okay, I'm exaggerating. Traffic here increases your blood pressure. Most drivers are douches. Some public transportation vehicles have naked women painted on their sides. The fees are less than B$0.50. A meal for 3 people costs, like, B$2.00.

The roads here are dusty, and if you step out of your house and into the streets with just slippers on, within 3 minutes your feet will get dark and dusty. For some reason, your fingernails get dirty all the time, even if you've been holding a bar of soap. I find the toilet bowls here extremely small. Yes, I have a ginormous bottom. The tap water here is white. Yes, you read that right; white, not transparent. My dad says it's because of the vitamins.

My neighbour's rooster wakes up at 3 in the morning and starts his cackle-doodle-doo speech. I get motion sickness here because travelling takes at least 5 hours due to traffic. My parents still get confused where the driver's seat is. Since, we're in Philippines now, the driver's seat is on the left.

Of all the hot guys my parents talk about, I haven't seen any. Hehe. And all the shirtless men here have bellies the size of basketballs. AND my dad smokes twice as much as he did in Brunei.

This is Philippines. It may be corrupt, overpopulated, and polluted, but it's going to be home for the next coming years. I have to accept the fact that, this is where I live now. New chapters.

I live near the mountains. It's a mountain range, actually. The Sierra Madre familiar to you? It's the longest mountain range in the Philippines and she's gorgeous. I'm doing fine here; still adapting to the filipino lifestyle. I miss you, Brunei.

Lots of love,
Maria

Dear Brunei,

I'm leaving on the 15th.. for good. 4 days left.. I was thinking about everything and everyone the other night, while looking at old pictures.

Imagine, all of us, all grown up heading to college.

Imagine, all of us, married, with kids and jobs.

I wonder how we'll look like when we're all older, comparing pictures from high school. Gosh, that'll be hilarious. Will I get any taller? I feel a combination of sadness and bliss whenever I think about all of this. I just hope I'll be there to see everyone age. Haha..

And invite me to your graduations, weddings, christening ceremonies, birthdays.. Don't forget to remember me.

Please, please, Brunei, promise me a reunion..