I Confess: Twelve Pounds

For those of you who didn't grow up in the islands of Micronesia or the Philippines, you might be crinkling your noses and cringing at the sight of this photo.

Manang Nina, Bohol

Because no where in these modern, sophisticated, "cultured" cities will you have your neighbor bring you the choicest catch of the day, and then proceed to butcher it on your lawn.

And I start with this photo to make a point about health and the waistline.

Waistline?! you gawk.

Watch and learn, Grasshopper...

One of the best things about Truk and Bohol/Cebu is the fresh food from the ocean. As I've mentioned before, whenever I go home I eat fish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Except, of course, when we can't help but eat out...

 Sunburst Restaurant, Cebu

Mmmmm, the kare-kare is my bain!

 Max's Restaurant, Manila

The most popular place to be, akin to Costco, they have the same pizza!

S&R Wholesale, Cebu

In which case, Yours Truly doesn't eat the most desired crunchy chicken skin, she sticks to the veggies in the pot of kare-kare, and she eats only a half a slice of pizza and forego the chewy crust.

For the most part, this is breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With water.

Home cooked lunch, Cebu

It's hard at first, what, with everyone else's heaping plates, and the constant meriendas day by day, by day, by day.

Another good thing about being on vacation at home is that you don't have a schedule. No deadlines (except the airline check-in when you finally leave for reality). So you have all day to exercise, whenever you want. Yours Truly chose dawn, the coolest, quietest time of the day when the aroma of dinner on the stove is not distracting. Then again, the stench of frying buwad is like crack to an addict.

Truk

And when you gather up a posse to run a road race with you, you can't help but set the example by preparing for the event.

2012 Alphonsian Run, 15km later.

15km = 9.3miles

But it doesn't end when you leave the islands. The McDonald's in the Narita airport in Japan serves a burger that is unlike any Big Mac you'll ever have in the USA. I'd like to think that it's because their cows are raised with strict standards (Kobe? I don't know...) But instead of diving into a fat juicy burger the minute she steps into a foreign country, she opts for the local fare.

Narita International Airport, Japan

So what that the formerly snug fitting pants now hang off her tush like a sack of potatoes.

Guam

The point I was trying to make, Grasshopper, is that this is what it would look like under all that cloth. I'm not saying that that is Yours Truly, but that THAT is what could be under the potato sack excuse of a pair of pants, twelve pounds lighter.

This, on the other hand, is definitely Yours Truly, back to the ways of the good ol' US of A!

Plus 12...

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Chad

I might have been six or seven years old when I met Chad. He moved to Truk with his mom and "Manoy" (a Filipino term of endearment that means "big brother") to be with his dad, who had been there a while before.

L-R: Auntie Dinky, Iris, Auntie Susan (Chad's mom), Lolo, Chad, Yours Truly (the tomboy in the red shirt and rolled up jeans- it must have been raining...) Uncle Nanding (Chad's dad), Ronnie (Chad's Manoy), and Uncle Boy (Auntie Dinky's husband, Iris's dad).


Chad was two years my junior. But after our families getting together quite often, we warmed up to each other as if we'd been friends since the day he was born.

 

Again, me being the older, I always had the upper hand. I got to ride Chad's rockin' hot rod bicycle, while Chad was relegated to my smaller bicycle with the girlie basket and light-up horn. And he never complained. (Lucky me!)

We eventually went our separate ways. Chad to the island of Guam, and I to this grey, wet, blustery part of the northwest Pacific region of the U.S. Mainland. Until now, we hadn't seen each other in decades! So of course we'd jump at the opportunity to see each other when I was passing through Guam.

Our families got together. We talked of old days and current events. And before we knew it, we'd warmed up to each other again, as if we hadn't lost any time away from each other. The difference between then and now though, is the assortment of "new" foods to choose from. No longer is it the days of sliced bread and Tang supplemented with a a cupful of sugar. Now we have frozen yogurt and colorful toppings.

One thing remains the same. We all burp and pick our teeth with toothpicks after any meal.

Oh, and Chad? Well, let's just say I've relinquished my the upper hand to him.

L-R: Chad, Yours Truly, Manoy Ronnie

Even though his warm, loving, comic attitude has not changed one bit.

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On the Hill

Miko started his freshman year at Xavier High School, fondly dubbed "The Hill" by the students. It's a co-ed school, but a boarding school for the boys only. As a freshman, the boys have a probationary period where they are required to stay on The Hill every night for the first two months of school. After that, if their grades make the cut and they've been on good behavior, they are allowed to stay with their families or sponsors on weekends. As school had started only a month ago, Miko hadn't been seen off the hill since his first night there. So it was up to us to go see him.

The drive is a challenge, especially if you don't have four-wheeled drive. It's not dubbed "The Hill" because of gently rolling mounds. It's an aggressive climb through water cut ravines, slippery rock, and silty mud. Okay, okay, so there aren't ravines. But if you had a sedan they might as well be crevasses!

I remember being in high school. The last thing I wanted was my parents, my aunts, and little cousins around me when I was trying to make a "cool" impression on my new friends.

Not so with Miko. I'd like to think that he enjoyed having his fan base visit him every week. We brought ice cream, rice, and bacon. And this time, his mama finally brought him a cell phone! You'd think he'd be gushing all over the adults for all the presents. No; he sought out his cousin MJ...

Afterall, they'd been close since MJ first came to Truk. Hot dog! It's amazing how time flies.

They used to fight over Legos and Tonka trucks, then they had some serious boy talks about being boys, and now, who knows what they discuss. Adults are no longer privy to their private conversations. They'll acknowledge you only when you yell, and yell, and yell at them to look at you for the shot.

We got to meet Miko's extended "cousins". This handsome young man is Tujay. Tujay calls PaB "Uncle B", and MaK "Auntie K", therefore he and Miko are cousins.

This is Tujay's younger brother. What's his name? Oh my, the name escapes me. What is his name! At any rate, this is "Cousin" What's His Name, who also calls PaB "Uncle B", and MaK "Auntie K".

And Miko's new dog. Well, he's the school's dog. Her name is Amairu, which means "to surprise" or "startle" in Trukese.

At the end of our visit Miko walks off to his dormitory. We watch him walk away, thinking "my oh my, the little boy is becoming a young man. He lends his shirts to his boarding mates, he rallies with them when they work on chores, and he shares the water with them from the same cup. But one thing his mother told him never, ever do is to share his toothbrush. "NEH-VUR, EH-VUR share your toothbrush!" she reiterates.

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September Labor Day Birthday Party

I know several people whose birthdays are in September. Recently I've decided that September is a good birth month for several reasons:

1. It's a good excuse for a party to end the summer. 
2. It's still warm enough (if you live in the Pacific Northwest) to have a summer party. 
3. If it falls around Labor Day weekend, then you have an extra day to celebrate. Or recover, depending on how you party. Now, now! I don't mean from a hangover; I meant from the post-party clean up, what with all the barbecuing and all... Oh, what's the difference between "cleaning up" and a hangover! Fine! 
4. The dress code would be very comfortable shorts and tank tops.

 I know one woman who throws a very entertaining and  interactive party, and if you're not related to this woman, you might think her choice of party props to be a tad "out of season". This woman happens to be married to a kind and loving man who offered his abode for a September Labor Day birthday party.

Easter candles in September. As I said, "out of season."

Those Guamanians sure know how to throw a September Labor Day birthday party!


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