Last Oct6, I met up with my two best friends in high school (btw, I have a lots of best friends way back then). Zen who is a New Yorker and Bhit from Pennsylvania, they were both immigrants here more than a decade ago, unno typical teenagers then who had to leave pinas co'z they were petitioned by their parents. But the distance was never an issue to continue our friendship, often write to each other via postal mail then up to the existence of e-mails. Whenever they go and visit pinas we always hang out. And now it's their turn to tour me in their home...yeah they now call this land their home...probably live the rest of their lives here...ako kaya?hmmm, to early to tell :P

After my first subway train ride, I met with Zen first, co'z Bhit and Raquel (Joey's wife-my friend in pinas too) will meet us later that afternoon. Zen promised me to tour the Statue of Liberty and some places here in Manhattan. Kakahiya I'm more than an hr late?! I forgot to adjust the time zone ng cellphone ko so nde ako nagising ng maaga?! anyway, finally saw Zen na and sorry ako ng sorry hehehe! He's really nice naman at nde naasar sa kin hehehe! so ayun lakad lakad kami sa Times Square, kwentuhan while walking then make a few stops for picture taking. Pinakita nya yung Broadway then have to ride the subway to go to The World Trade Center co'z malayo pag nilakad from Times Square. Dissapointing ang WTC, kse nga wala na sya so all you can see is the contruction going on and they just put a memorial site for tourist to see on what will happen to Ground Zero pag natapos na. After that we walked a few blocks going to the Battery Park, andito kse yung docking area nun ferry going to Liberty Island and Perris Island. Grabeh ang daming tourists?! ang haba ng pila! After Zen, paid the $12 fee pumila kami for more than 1hr to ride the ferry! ang init pa naman nun araw na yun. At least while falling in line dami kmi napagkwentuhan ni Zen and catching up sa mga bali-balita sa pinas and You-Know-Who. Then picture taking with Liberty wanabes statue na kailangan mo palang magbigay ng dollar to pose with them, so nakipose kami, buti na lang generous tong si Zen for shouldering all the expenses :P. Finally ayan na on board na kmi sa Circle Line Ferry, but you have to passby security check again parang sa airport removing your belts and bags for xray check. I can see Liberty now, kumakaway na sya!:P Kala ko super laki sya, I mean parang ang taas taas kse nya sa mga pictures but when you reached the foot of the pillar not that high naman pla mukha syang malaki kse nakapatong pa sya. I did not bother to climb up na co'z same sight din naman makikita mo from there, we just took lots of pix, she as our background then lakad lakad enjoying the sight from this Island seeing Manhattan's skyscrapers and New Jersey on the other side. I can say, you've never been to NY, if you failed to see Liberty :). We had our lunch here burgers lang and fries then I just bought a key chain, ref magnet and liberty snow globe. Hindi na kmi bumaba sa Perris Island, I don't know what to see there pero sabi nila parang museum, I'm not really into museums so sabi ko kay Zen pass na lang maybe visit that some other time.

We return to Manhattan to meet up with Raquel, she's waiting at the Manhattan Mall then we had some snack while waiting for Bhit. Ayun finally complete na kami! Since nasa Empire State Bldg. na kami we decided to check it out. Teritoryo to ni Zen since this is where he's working, so me discount sya. Mahal din ha! $15 each to go to the viewdeck! Zen treated us all bale $9 each na lang co'z of his tenant discount, buti na lang. Dami din tourist, but the view here is really something, though sabi nila mas maganda daw talaga view from the Twin Towers, oh well, since Empire is the tallest bldg now after WTC was gone so no choice. Sandali lang kami, just took some shots and ayun tinuturo nila Zen and Bhit which part is downtown or uptown Manhattan then you can see New Jersey din from this angle, nakita ko na naman ang Central Park, which btw I have been there but just saw a bit of it maybe one of these days lilibutin ko yun esp now its fall season maganda ang colors ng mga trees.

After Empire State, we just stroll at 5th Ave. to see Macy's, and check out the shops. Bhit is bugging me to shop?! o nga naman we used to do this way back in pinas as our girl bonding thing when we were teens but this time Bhit wants to pay for it, hala ang generous ng mga friends ko ah! Awa siguro sila sa kin for what had happened to me and try to cheer me up by shopping hehehe! We checked out Gap and Banana Rep, one thing I noticed it's hard for me to find my size here?! ang laki ng small and even yung XS! You just have to really search hard, though good thing about these shops and other shops here they have the Petite Section but still not all styles have my size. Well, finally at Gap, Bhit got me this long sleeved orange striped shirt for fall and a maroon long sleeved shirt, buti fit naman hehehe! Thanks soooo much for a welcome gift! So sweet and generous of you Bhit!:)

At dinner time, we're supposed to eat at Olive Garden, kaso grabeh ang waiting time, so instead the group decided to check Applebee's, galit ata sa pera tong si Bhit at nag offer na naman na treat nya!:P oh well, tuwang-tuwa naman si Zen and Raquel. Ang laki ng servings, I had steak naku tataba talaga ako dito sa NY! and their dessert, wow to die for! Just forgot ang name eh pero it's a cake a very moist chocolate cake na mainit pa talaga ung filling ang saraaaaap! the best chocolate cake I've ever tasted! Super busog ako grabeh!:) And tired kalalakad the whole day but I had fun, the sights, the shops, the food and friends who keep me company for my first Manhattan tour. Thank you Bhit, Zen and Raquel for spending this day with mwah!:)

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Today marks my first month in this City...nothing much, just seen a few sights here and there and spend most of my time at home busying myself with a lot of stuffs. Then finally was able to make this blogsite running for you guys to read and update all of you what's been happening to me here. Sorry! still no attempt of being suicidal if that's what you're thinking...it's just not me...totally out of my core...kahit ilang beses pa siguro madurog ang puso ko there's no way I'll do that....but it's hard....I'm having a hard time moving on...I know...I know...I should stick to my stubborn mind na I HAVE TO MOVE ON...eto na nga I took the first step...actually nde nga lang steps eh...I fly away! miles away to move on....hope healing will take place soon...

hayyy! One month away from home....I miss pinas really...the smogs...the traffic...ingay ng tao at sasakyan...it's just too quiet in here, I mean in this neighborhood there are times ako lang mag-isa naglalakad sa daan while I'm walking the dogs. Iba sa pinas, maingay kse siguro sanay lang ako sa maingay na environment. Kaya I love it whenever we go to Manhattan, dun kse normal, dami tao, traffic, dami shops everything you need andun and New Yorkers esp in this part of the city eh stylish sila magdamit, you can really tell they work here though there are some naman na parang nakapambahay lang jogging pants and all :P...I'm taking my time to explore this city since I have five months to go to figure out what's my next move and plan my life whether to stay here for good or be back in manila. Honestly, I'm really scared, scared what's for me here...if there's any what is it? I miss pinas...but there are a lot of things I don't want to see there co'z of the pain...but I miss my family...my friends. Life isn't really fair.

Anyway, on a happy note...wish me a One Monthsary in the Big Apple and here's for more subway trips, bus rides, walking the dogs, reading books and soon busying myself in a workplace...God is always good :)

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My first subway train ride was on Oct 6, when I met up with my friends in Times Square. Ate of course taught me how to ride the bus, the stops and the exact station where will I ride the train goin to Times Sqaure station. Grabeh! nde man lang natakot si Ate na papuntahin ako ng Manhattan mag-isa noh! she just drop me off sa Main Ave. station in Flushing then on my own na. First to do is purchase a MTA card, just like our MTA card pero ito kse refillable. The card machine is touch screen ha cool! I bought yung 6 rides kse free yung isa for $10, the good thing sa MTR card is you can also use this sa bus, swipe system din kse ang bus dito parang free na ang bus ride when you purchase this card. Then after this swipe ko na yung card ko, but I still asked an old american guy if this is the way to 7 train going to Times Square naniguro lang hehehe! mga 21 stations lang naman bago umabot ng Times Square and madali lng kse last stop sya. Naku nakakalito na pagbaba ko ng train co'z dami arrows kung san ka lalabas, I just followed the flow of traffic ng mga kano. You don't need na pla i-swipe ulit yung card upon exit, unlike sa tin swipe mo ulit MTA card to exit dito nde na just pass lang. Since underground station sya mainit! and medyo madumi, dami vandals, luma na din kse sya unlike our MRT pero parang mas worst ang siksikan sa MRT natin! Dito I tried the subway during rush hour pero not as bad sa tin crowded of course pero nde ganun kasiksikan, or siguro lang din I haven't seen the worst yet :P. Anyway, very convenient talaga ang subway and buses dito and the bus stops talagang sinusunod very organized. So far I haven't bumped into rude americans, mahirap kausap dito ang mga nagkalat na chinese and koreans, grabeh talaga they are invading the world! Kahit ata saang sulok ng mundo umuusbong ang lahi nila hahaha!:D Ok next post, Manhattan trip naman :)

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On my first few days here in NY, got a chance to meet up with my Uncle's family whom I have never seen for years and some of whom I just met in person. Got a chance to hang out with my cousins Mich, Jeff and Libby at their place, they have all grown up! To think I'm way way older than them and the last time I saw Mich was in the late 90s and Jeff in 2004 when they visited pinas. Libby hasn't been to pinas though. The setback in bonding with NYC relatives, they keep on asking about You-Know-Who?! I guess we don't have much to talk about so they just keep on asking how's him, where is he, when is he gonna follow here etc.....I've been so consistent with my alibi about him...I'm just not ready for my whole family to know what happened to us...why I'm here....in time...I will and maybe start revealing this to Uncle first, since he's the one who keeps on asking about him every chance he gets...talk about a nosy Uncle!:P


Of course, sooo thankful Ate and Sam are so accomodating to let me stay in their place. I have my own room which btw I so love it with a queen size bed! my own bathroom but it's in the basement though but still I have privacy to use the bathroom as long as I want to and stash my stuffs there without messing their things :P. I can use the wifi internet all day at Ate's study room just beside my bedroom. Hmmm, maybe someday I'll have a laptop of my own to store my files, laptops here are pretty cheaper than back home, have to write that on my list once I get a job here that will pay much hehehe!:P About my bro-in-law Sam, he's really nice, a very transparent person, what you see is what you get, he's a sucker for the internet and his business, you will usually see him tinkering on his website and try to figure out how to customize it on his own :P He will usually ask my opinion if the website is pretty good or crammed up since he knows I'm into customizing my blogs as well (btw, they don't know this site ok, so I can literally gossip about him here hahaha!). I get to practice my english whenever he's around, co'z Ate and I have to speak the universal language so he won't be wondering what we are talking about. It's just that sometimes, I ran out of words to say to him or there are times I totally forgets the english term of some freakin words!:P I know I worked in a call center environment but we don't talk in english all the time, so this is a little different living in an english speaking household. Nah! I'll get used to this I know :) so on my next post tagalog naman ha :) hehehe!

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Ok eto na po ang pinakahihintay nyong kwento about my stay here in NY…the Big Apple…the city that never sleeps as they say. Arrived here on a pretty good sunny sunday of Sep30. But before arriving syempre ma-drama ang alis….hayyyy, had a chance to see my friends T & M before going to NAIA and bid my goodbyes, hugs and kisses to them, mamimiss ko sila sobra and the rest of our barkada. On the way to the airport, I’m feeling sooooo sad! had to conceal it co’z I’m with Tatay, my sister, 2 aunts and a cousin and had to really hide the pain. Before I went inside the airport I hugged them one by one and the last of which is Tita C, I know she felt my sadness co’z she hugged me so tight and whispered that I have to be strong and that she will continue to pray for me…I got teary eyed but made a quick change of expression and had to turn away and proceeded inside the airport. Hayyy that scene ang bigat! Pati ang hand carry ko ang bigat?! grabeh next time remind me not to put my PT reviewer or any big book inside a hand carry bag…parusa! sabay sumiksik pa si Harry Potter, oh well makapal sya eh and had to really put it inside my bag co’z this book and nagaraya nuts kept me company during my whole flight from Mla to NY :P. Ayan na this is it, I’m flying away via Korean Air bound to Seoul,Korea for a stopover before reaching NY. So I also had a chance to take a peek on this country. Sus! not much to see coz sa airport lang stopover lang kse, which btw ang ganda ng airport nila and malaki had to walk a bit far to reach Terminal22 where I will wait for my JFK flight and all I did was sleep at the terminal area while waiting for almost 5hrs to transfer to a new plane. Naku me bloopers pa nga, I forgot 1 hr advance nga pala ang time ng Korea sa Pinas so I thought I’m still an hr early at hindi ako nakikipila sa mga pa-depart ng passengers na kasabay kong tumambay din ng ilang oras dun….ang beauty ko naiwan nakaupo sa terminal and when one guy attendant from Korean Air called my name and seems to be looking for me…naku kinabahan talaga ako yun pala yun na ung flight ko going to JFK Airport, NY?! Buti na lang I’m not the last passenger, me hinihintay pa sila :)….ok so I went inside the plane and look for my window seat…hmmm, hoping gwapong guy katabi ko at nde koreano?! oh well, my bubble burst agad co’z I’m seated with a korean girl who seems to be nice naman so pede na din at least she doesn’t smell bad or anything :P. This plane is much nicer than the previous plane, co’z every seat has its own video monitor to watch videos, listen to music, check the plane’s flight status and it’s all touchscreen cool!:) I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Ocean’s Thirteen then some tinkering with the music selections then if bored na tulog or read my latest Harry book. The Korean Air food ok lang, kse you only have one choice co’z the other dish is Korean na though the flight attendants are really nice and friendly. Masakit lang talaga sa butt ang tagal ng byahe! Imagine almost 24hrs din ako bumiyahe co’z me lay away pa kse ng 5hrs sa Korea.

Finally, the captain announced we’re in New York! check agad ang window to see the plane’s view…hmmm, parang puro fields ah wala ako makitang sign of the city…ah most likely nsa countryside pa kmi….after a few moments ayun na I can see some buildings and took some shots. Hayyyy, I really can’t believe I’m landing na in the land of milk and honey sabi nila. One final stop is the immigration…the line to the immigration medyo nakakakaba co’z they said it’s like being interviewed at the US Embassy in Manila…hmmm, mukha nga but I see naman the officers are friendly and smiling…at the back of my mind I’m hoping dun ako sa guy mapunta co’z he seems to be nice…hehehe! God is soooo good dun nga nya ko pinatayo sa guy that I’m hoping…he smiled and ask for my passport then ask a few questions where will I stay, who I’m gonna stay with and til when will I gonna stay here. When I told him I’ll probably stay til the holidays he gets excited and told me to visit Rockefeller and see the big xmas tree and after a while he stamped 6mos stay on my passport, my heart made a big smile then he told me enjoy my stay here in the US That was a breeze! Then wait ko na lang luggage ko then called Ate to pick me up. Me nakachikahan pa kong filipina din going to New Jersey naman sya and we chatted while waiting sa mga sundo namin. We exchange numbers and all and nauna syang sinundo then it took me a couple more minutes bago dumating sila Ate. The moment ate went out of the car she gave me a teddy bear bearing “Someone from Whitestone Loves You” then hugged me tight and cried so hard telling me I’m sooo skinny. Oh! I’m getting used to this scene, teary eyed na lang ako I guess pagod na din ako umiyak esp in front of my family and friends. I’m tired, just damn tired of the trip…the things that happened in Manila….the emotional roller coaster ride I went through….just felt good I’m here in New York…I know it will take time…God will allow me to heal…He has a special plan for me….and I’m excited to discover that in due time….

Ok so wait for my next post about exploring New York and its nearby states!

Tina here reporting from New York!:)

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I have been trying to post eversince the “twister” came but hasn’t had the strength to think and compose. Then have to leave home to search for myself and regain my spirit and senses. Now, I’m here in NY trying to adjust to a whole new me in a new place far away from home…with just by myself…without you know who “the-one-that-should-not-be-named”(hehehe! blame it on Harry Potter :P) .

So bear with me as I start blogging again and sharing my life with you as I explore a new world, new experiences, new people and how I strengthen my faith in God…on my own…:)

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