I’ve been in the Philippines about a month now. November 1st was ‘All Saint’s Day’, a big holiday in the Philippines. Relatives go to the cemetery to visit their relatives that have passed. And put flowers on the graves and light candles. It’s a big celebration though. Relatives will get up at dawn and spend the entire day at the cemetery. They set up tents or umbrellas around their loved ones graves and spend the day with family.

F.B. & I woke up around 5:30am and left around 7am to go meet up with his family who was already at the cemetery. It was a pretty cloudy and rainy day though. Lot’s of traffic and detours on the roads. Tons of people were at the cemetery, almost like a festival, they were selling stuff, there were food stands. F.B. & I met up with his family and made an appearance. It was still raining so we hung out in the car for most of the time. Then I had to use the restroom, which was flooded. Ewww.

Around 10:30am F.B. & I headed off to the mall. First we stopped at Starbucks since we were both sleepy. Then we went to Sta. Lucia mall so F.B. could look for a game. Then we headed to Market Market so I could get a pink Coca Cola t-shirt I saw there last time. I got another Pepsi t-shirt too in black. The last one I got was red. I already have 2 soda t-shirts from the USA. A Dr Pepper one and another Pepsi one, so I added to my collection.

We had lunch at Tokyo Tokyo, (the place we had our first date.) They have Japanese fast food. We both had chicken teriyaki and we ordered California Maki sushi. In the USA they put avocado in California Roll, in the Philippines they put mango and it tastes 10x’s better. Philippines Mango’s are amazing! We headed to Mega Mall for church around 5pm. They have a chapel right in the mall. It’s a big church too. Then we headed home around 7pm because we were exhausted from the long day.

Friday we went out to see 'City of Ember' at SM Marikina Mall. The girl that plays Briony in 'Atonement' is also in this movie. It was okay. I had a cold though and my throat was pretty swollen so when we ate out at KFC I just had mushroom soup and mashed potatoes, hehe.

Here are some silly photos we took the other day. F.B. & I posing with my pretty umbrella I got at Watson’s drugstore in Mall of Asia. (I know… its bad luck to open an umbrella indoors! Haha!)
















And here is F.B. in the parking garage at Market Market. We parked next to pole F3, but F.B. covered the 3 to look like a B. It’s his own personalized pole. Heehee!













And some of us being silly with Miss Daga (rat) the stuffed animal F.B. gave me.

















































This weekend we are heading to Tagaytay for the day. We’ll take pictures of Taal Volcano and later in the day go to the amusement park ‘Enchanted Kingdom’. Should be fun! I think later this month we are also taking a day trip with F.B.’s parents to Baguio for F.B.’s father’s birthday.

Today F.B. & I went to Market Market so I could check out the Converse store there. I liked a pair of sneakers at the Converse store near his house but they didn’t have my size so we went to the other Converse store at Market Market in Bonifacio Global City. I got pink and black Converse sneakers for P2600… about $54 USD. Pretty much what I’d pay in the U.S. They match my tattoo! Think I will change the laces to black when I get home though!






























Saw this place at Market Market… the name just seems unusual to me… haha! (Get a high and your munchies fix at the same time? Hmm...)











F.B. and I went to church later that evening and afterwards headed to the new SM Marikina mall to have dinner at Gerry’s Grill, one of our favorite places. I thought the spaghetti meals on the menu were interesting. Spring rolls and spaghetti? Barbecue pork and spaghetti? I see spaghetti on a lot of menus here. You can go to KFC, Wendy’s, Burger King and get spaghetti. Heehee! You can’t do that in the U.S. so much. I guess Americans don’t like spaghetti quite as much.















After dinner we went to Starbucks; (we’re addicted!) I usually get my white chocolate mocha, (hot, iced or frapp.) and F.B. likes to get caramel mocha frappucinos. I did a lot of shopping today. Besides the Converse sneakers, I got a cute Victoria’s Secret t-shirt at a surplus store in SM Marikina and I got a Pepsi t-shirt at Market Market.

Ooooh I almost forgot! I LOVE the supermarket at Market Market! I think I ranted before about not being able to find pretzels in the Philippines and only seeing Rold Gold pretzels… well I found my most favorite pretzels at Market Market! Whoo Hoo! Snyder’s peanut butter & cheese sandwich pretzels! Got one of each! Yay! We also got some other snack foods… looks like we’re having a party, huh? F.B. loves his ruffles and we like these new chips called Tempura. Yummy! Tastes like shrimp tempura. And I got regular peanut butter because I want F.B. to try bananas with peanut butter. Heehee.













We always drive past this goat place when we are around F.B.’s neighborhood. I have a thing for goats… I like them. I’d like to buy one live though… not as meat. I tasted goat before though here in the Philippines. It tastes like beef. Poor Goat…




























Here are some pictures of us with Miss Daga. (“Rat” in Tagalog.) F.B. gave her to me the night I arrived.











































I injured F.B. the other night. I was having one of my weird nightmares where I’m half asleep and half awake. I remember dreaming I didn’t know where I was and F.B. said I was saying, “Where am I?” I accidentally elbowed him really hard above his right eyebrow during my “nightmare”. He has the bruise to prove it… oops… sorry…. I’m dangerous when I’m sleeping.

F.B. & I went to the Manila Zoo today. It cost about 40 peso’s each. (Less than a dollar). It’s a small zoo and was just okay. F.B. said for the price, you get what you pay for.

Here are some of the pictures I took today:

(NOTE: Please click on the pictures to enlarge them.)