What Memories Are Made Of.

Just saw one of my dearest friend post her Saturday Nights album on Facebook, and realized that these are what precious memories are made of:

For an activity (or person) to become treasured, you need:

1. Love - very critical ingredient
2. Habit/ Routine - some kind of established regularity is essential, whether it's Saturday Nights out, or an annual ritual of going to a certain place together, or making sure you say good night to the same person -- wherever he or she may be -- every night before you go to sleep

Snapshots -- like what my friend posted -- are created in your soul with this recipe. This is why my most heartfelt memories of my Crinkle cat, for instance, are those activities we do on a regular basis together. And it's not just visual memories -- I remember the softness of his fur, I hear his purr, I can smell the leather of the chair we're sitting on as I cuddle my cat while watching television. Or clipping his nails. LOL.

Small rituals with my mom are what I remember most about her too -- such as the fact that she cooks the very complicated birthday misua recipe during my birthday, when she has to wake up at four in the morning. Or remembering her in a particular outfit, a habit of hers that have made an impression on me. My sisters and I recently reminisced that my mom paints her nails differently from everyone else, like an upside-down French manicure.

And, need I say, one of the most difficult parts about breaking up with someone also involve letting go of any rituals that you may have had together. It's probably really hard if you had lived together too.

While happenstance, funny moments, and once-in-a-lifetime events are also treasured, it's the things that happen regularly that stay in the mind and heart, like a well-worn foot path that you keep going back to again and again.

Conversely, if you have not established some kind of ritual with someone, you probably will not miss him (or her), no matter how much you love this person. This happens with friendships sometimes, or when circumstances change in a beloved friend or family member's life like when someone gets married, or moves away, or suddenly has a demanding work schedule. To stay with the mind and heart, you have to make sure to re-establish a routine together.

So people, those weekly family dinners that some may find boring, don't skip them. Someday, these memories are all you will have left of them.

Hong Kong Day 4, On My Own

December 28, 2008 Sunday was the only day I really got to go around. I woke up at a reasonable hour (I think about 7:30 am) and had a nice Chinese breakfast (noodles and congee and cheungfan) at a nearby hole in the wall with my family. After that we all went our separate ways.

My papa brought both of my sisters to a doctor a few blocks away to consult on their pregnancy and what Chinese herbs and concoctions can be used to ensure a healthy one. I already knew it was going to take them whole morning and had told them the night before that I would be going shopping by myself.

I was actually supposed to take the hotel shuttle that goes to Causeway Bay but said shuttle left early despite knowing that I'm supposed to be one of the passengers. So I ended up just taking the MTR to Times Square.

I got to the mall at around 9:30 in the morning -- pretty early as most of the stores were still closed. I went around the mall and took photos of my two favorite stores there. What stores? What else? Bookstores of course!

I didn't really buy much except for a couple of books. One was Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler, and the other was Everyday Matters, A Memoir by Danny Gregory. I did buy a 4GB Sony memory stick at the request of my sister Chem though (my gosh, it's really cheap there! About a thousand and two hundred pesos cheaper) and tried to look for a 32 GB flash drive for my sister Dot. I found a 16GB flash drive at a ridiculously low price but no 32 GB. My sisters didn't really get to do any shopping on account of the kids.

Lunch was at the Chinese restaurant again at the hotel, together with my family. Afterwards we checked out at 3pm and waited in the lobby for our ride to the airport.

The coaster arrived at 3:30, half an hour earlier than expected. Here are some photos of us on it. :)

We arrived at the airport VERY early. We had to wait about an hour and it was almost 6 pm before we were all checked in. After that we just hung around and walked and talked. It was a HUUUGE airport. They had some nice, relatively inexpensive, Maidenform lingerie there. :) Our flight was at 8:30 that night so you can imagine how much time we had. Here are some photos of us at the airport.

We were all pretty tired by the time we got to Manila. I took an airport cab and got home at almost 11 pm. It would have been home sweet home if my Crinkle had been home. I missed that cat so much. The following day I fetched him from the vet. THEN it was home sweet home. :-)

I spent that Monday, December 29, sleeping... and sleeping... and sleeping. I learned from my sisters later that they did the same thing. We all agreed though that we would love to go Hong Kong again. Next time, we'll stay at one of the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotels!

Hong Kong Day 3, Ocean Park

At 9:27 am on December 27, 2008, Saturday, we were still in the lobby waiting for everyone else to arrive.

We took a cab to Ocean Park and was there in ten minutes though. :)  I rode up front and enjoyed the curiously disorienting feeling of being in the driver's seat without a steering wheel. Ah, left hand drives... I wonder if I will ever get to drive a car like that someday?  I'd probably get into an accident.

Photo below was taken at 9:44 am.  We were pretty fast I tell ya.

We were inside the park at 10 am and took some pictures before heading for the Headlands via the cable car.  

Here are some photos taken by my sister Chem while in the car.  I may as well confess I kept my eyes shut during the entire ride.  I DO NOT like riding cable cars this high up.  It's terrifying!  My sister Dot actually told me that the cable cars in a certain place in Singapore (I forgot where) had see-through floors!  That's absolutely scary!

We were seated at the Ocean Theatre and waiting for the dolphin and seal show waaaay before anyone else arrived.  I think there was still a good half hour or more before the show started.  My dad, my brother-in-law Erwin, and myself went off on our separate ways to walk for a bit before returning to watch the show.  I had a map so I got back in time.  My dad and Erwin got lost though and had missed over ten minutes of the show by the time they got back. And nope, they didn't have maps.  Men! ;-)

After the show, we walked over to the Atoll Reef and watched hundreds of fish in this giant aquarium that goes down four stories.  Really nice.

We ate at Cafe Ocean.  It was already almost past 1 pm at that time and some folks were getting sleepy already...

After lunch, we were already beat.  We watched Erwin ride a roller coaster and then decided that we'd rather go home, but not after taking some photos beside the ride. ;)

Here's my nephew Gab NOT being scared of heights on the way back to the lowlands.  Sigh.

We got back to the hotel around 3pm, and everyone went back to their rooms for a rest.  I got out and walked around the neighborhood.  I took just a few photos and window shopped a bit, but went back after about an hour.

Dinner was a happy and boisterous affair at the Chinese restaurant inside the hotel we were staying.  We retired to our respective rooms pretty early that night.

Hong Kong Day 2, Disneyland

Woke up at around 7 in the morning and was out for breakfast at nearby McDonald's by 7:45.

We took the MTR to Disneyland at almost 9 am.  Fortress Hill's our stop.

Here's the wondrous Swarovski walk in between MTR stations.

Finally, Disneyland entrance by 10:00 am! :)

We decided on a counter clockwise trip around the park, so first up was Tomorrowland. I headed straight for the Buzz Lightyear ride, where I also dragged my dad, my sister Dot, her husband Vern, and their daughter Faith.  My other sis and her family had to stay outside because little Gab was sleepy.  Faith was a little scared at first but enjoyed the ride at the end. Who wouldn't?  Blasting space aliens and all...

After that, it was me and Papa at the Autopia. Everyone else begged off because the line was so long, and because there was a sign on the map that cautioned against pregnant women riding.  I think the queue took up about twenty minutes, but it was good fun.  Here's my dad and a couple of Sony (not Kodak) moments. :)

Then it was lunch at Comet Cafe.  I know some people cannot seem to reconcile Chinese food with a Disneyland theme park, but for me the combination is perfect.  We had noodles and spareribs and roast duck... yum! :)

The afternoon passed a bit more lazily, as the kids were sleepy so the parents decided to just sit around at the park while Papa and I made the rounds.  

I bought a Mickey Mouse watch, a couple of Mickey Mouse earrings, and a Mickey Mouse pendant.  I love Mickey. :)  I caught Mickey's PhilHarMagic -- one of my favorite attractions in the park, and tried to persuade my sisters to watch it, alas, in vain.  You cannot really get Disney magic without experiencing Mickey's PhilHarMagic!

Finally, the kids woke up and we trooped to the It's a Small World ride.  The queue was once again, very long, and there were a couple of old Chinese ladies who tried to sneak past everyone.  They got past us (we didn't feel like confronting them, though we gave them lots of dirty looks) but couldn't get past the group a step or two in front of us.  Hehehe.  The two kids LOVED the ride, and Faith could sing along to the ditty.

Here I am; taken by my sister Chem's cam; I had to lighten it a bit because it was very dark.

And some shots of the ride...

Here is the Pinoy section in the ride (they were singing in Tagalog!), and the sign at the exit... :)

After the ride, we mosied on over to the Main Street to wait for the parade.  Our comment?  Bakit parang puro Pinoy... considering we were in Hong Kong!  If anyone's wondering about the weird angle, it's because I was sitting down on the ground.

And here we are once more, just hanging around the park.

I love this photo of my sis and her family.  Hehehe.  I took it.

We ventured over to Adventureland when it was dark already, and got on the Jungle Cruise with Chem, Erwin, Gab, and my dad.  I honestly think my sister got on it to humor me since I went to so few rides.

Here's my dad playing the giant drums at night. Hahahaha!

We waited for the lights to come up but didn't really stay for the fireworks, as we didn't want to get caught in the rush back to the trains. Dinner was at the Riverview Cafe (Chinese food again, in case anyone's wondering) with seven courses - meat, fish, chicken, rice, soup, veggies, and... I forgot the other dish. I think we left about a quarter to nine in the evening.

And here's the Disney MTR train.  Notice the Mickey Mouse windows.  For some reason, the seats in our side of the train (towards the back) were more plush and luxurious than the ones nearer the front. Wish I had taken more pictures of the seats up front though.

Got home at almost 10 in the evening.  Watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (the movie was playing in a local channel) for a bit, then nodded off.