Move to Maryland

About more than a month ago, my family made one of the biggest decision of our lives: moving from Arizona to Maryland for good. You might wonder, why would you transfer from coast to coast? Yes, we could have stayed in Arizona. All is well out there (except for the crazy summer weather) while the cost of living here is over exaggerated (imagine paying around $2k monthly just for a 3-bedroom apartment.) But what really made us move to this new state is the wider range of opportunities. Not to forget, we're now closer to more states. That's a big yay for travelling *cough* about 35 mins. from Washington, DC and 5 hours away from New York! So, if you would like to read more about our road trip chronicles and my ranting about my new exposure to a whole new environment, then stick around.

One option of moving is riding a plane and shipping all your furniture and whatnot to your new home. That's a big load of money though. If you're a big traveler, however, another option is to have a road trip! I must admit, I hate sitting in a car for long periods of time. 8 hours at the most per day. It wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world. Nevertheless, it pays off in the end because you get to stop on each state you pass by. In our case, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, and finally Maryland. You can even have the chance to maybe stop over at your relatives' place if their flat is somewhere along the way. My dad, for example, was able to meet his cousins again after more than 30 years.



Second thing that you need to do is look for a new home or apartment.  If you can't fly before your move to check out the possibilities personally, you need to rely everything over the internet. This was probably the most stressful part of our move. Since my mom's a teacher, we had to look for a place near her school, 10 miles away at the most. We found this apartment with all the facilities complete. One thing though. Only one pet is allowed. That shattered my heart into pieces (we have two dogs, btw.) We were in the brink of choosing which dog to give up. Until the best of me came that I was able to find another apartment wherein they allow 2 pets, a lot bigger than the previous one, and it's nearby town centers. And so, after all the calls we made, our new temporary home was finally settled (you're welcome, mom.)


I may be getting a little too talkative now than my usual length of post, but I swear this is the last.

My new school. Even before our move, I was already scouting for information about my about-to-be school. I was already scared, honestly. I've never been exposed to a big population of African Americans; this was the biggest change actually. Our school district's policies were different than Arizona's. Whichever school you're near to, that's where you must enroll. Thankfully, God was by my side. My school assignment was considered the "best" in our district. On my first day, as usual, I was the lone one. I rarely talked to anybody, except when I introduced myself. Classes averaged to about 30 students. To be frank, it is very rowdy, and the teachers seem to not care anymore. Education-wise, most have been covered in my previous school and most of the time, there is no homework. AP or honors classes are available, but I couldn't be put in there since it's halfway of the year, and I'm new.

I think I've covered most of the major parts. I don't want to bore you any longer. Overall, it may seem bad from my perspective but it's not (don't always trust me.) And by the way, we are most definitely not gone. Forgive us for not providing you posts for the month of March. All of us girls are really trying our best to work out our schedules together in order to write our next monthly article. :)

Welcome to the world, Caileigh!

If you follow Katrina on Twitter or Instagram, you'll know that a week ago she gave birth to a healthy and über beautiful baby girl, and we're head-over-heels thrilled to be a part of this milestone (gave us a bigtime baby fever, too!) Join us in welcoming Kat and CJ's little bundle of joy to the world, baby CAILEIGH KATHRINE SIA!

Ate Kat! First of all, congratulations! One's greatest gift of all time is having a precious baby. I can just imagine how glad you felt as soon as Caileigh was brought to this world. She is beautiful, by the way. And you have no idea how much I am awing right now as I look through her pictures. But anyway, don't worry about having to go back to AWSW very soon(although we can't wait for your posts about her.) Treasure every little second with her! Oh, and the girls and I are surely grateful to be a part of your journey along with Caileigh. God bless Ate Kat and to your family. :) 

— Ariana

You know when you hear someone's pregnant and all you can think of is that "oh my god how is she going to pull that off?" Well, don't worry, that wasn't the case for you. When you told me you were pregnant, I had no doubt at all that you could do it. You're one of those girls who are born to be a great mother. What reaffirmed this was when we chatted before and after baby Caileigh came out, I've never seen you so happy. You were nervous but you handled everything in such poise, which I think is so bad-ass! It warms my heart that you have a little family now. She's so precious and beautiful and blessed to have so many people who loves her, your AWSW family included! Congratulations, love!

— Zia

Oh my god, I know I'm pretty late and all that BUT OH MY GOD. Ate Kat finally gave birth!!! Congratulations on having a very pretty baby girl which I can just swallow if I am into cannibalism! I'm pretty sure you would be a great mother and baby little baby Caileigh will grow up as a very beautiful and stunning heartbreaker! Haha but really, I am so happy that you got through this! Congratulations and much much love!!! :)

— Liane

I can still recall the first time I saw that photo of a tiny little dot that you posted in Instagram (or was it in Tumblr?) and I was really thrilled knowing that you'll be having a baby. A little Katrina version at that. Congratulations, Huwifey! I am very proud of you. There is no doubt in my heart that you are going to be an amazing Mother — and wife. I am really, really happy for you. And I know for sure that Caileigh will grow up as this beautiful, talented and down-to-earth person like her Mommy! Hope we can do video chat soon. I dearly want to see your little angel...and you! Congratulations again, Huwifey. <3

— Jenny 

Kat, you are very blessed to have a precious little thing in your life right now - baby Caileigh! It's probably one of the most genuine things in life to be a mother to such a beautiful girl, so I wish her to be pretty and brilliant as you when she grows up, and I just wish her all the best things in life the world has to offer her! We, AWSW girls, are so delighted that we have the opportunity to be able to warmly welcome Caileigh into this world and to wish you and your family for this beautiful chapter in your life!

— Aya 

PS. Kat owes us a post about her journey, don't worry.

Happy 16th, Liane!

Happy Sweet 16, Liane!


Here is one little some-some for our sister, Liane, who celebrated her sweet 16 last February 10th! This may be a late one but it’s the thought that counts, yes?

Happy birthday, baby girl! We love you to pieces and hopefully some day soon we girls could all be in one place at the same time *cough Rio 2016 cough* enjoy your last 3 years of being a teen cos before you know it you’ll be paying your own bills! Thanks for being awesome! This site would literally crumble down without you, you know what we mean... lol Kat extends her warmest greetings to you, too!

PS. Taking a photo of Burj Khalifa on a moving car isn't as easy as you think it would be.... say hello to Barclays Bank instead??

Public Transportation: USA

Transportation is always one of the big things you should consider, may it be just traveling or moving to a new place. Oh, especially here in America. Having a car is always a must. Although, you need to consider the gas prices. It has been bipolar lately, but it still depends on what state you're at. Before we moved, the price at AZ was around $3.10 per gallon. Here, it is at the most $3.60. Big difference.

Anyway, back when I was in Arizona, the modes of transportation are very limited. It was very simple. If you don't have a car, the choices you have left is either you take the bus aka Valley Metro or walk. Not to forget, their bus routes are indeed very confusing. Although I haven't exactly experienced it before, based on my mom's stories, it took them about 30 minutes just to reach their destination, including waiting time. And originally, it would have only took them 10 mins max. Buses do not just come constantly or anytime you want. (You know, like in the Philippines, everywhere you look, buses are always on the go?) In Arizona, there are schedules, and they only pass through specific avenues or roads. The good thing, however, is that if you are riding your own bike and out of the blue you decided that you want to ride the bus instead, there's actually a specific area in front of the bus where your bikes could be put at.

School-wise, I'm pretty sure you're aware of those huge yellow school buses you see in the movies (or the Magic School Bus). Well, yes, those are the buses we use. Let me compare our system with Philippines' again. In the Philippines, all the school buses out there have their door-to-door services. By that I mean, picking and dropping you off right from your door. On the other side of the world, America have certain bus stops where you need to wait to be picked up, depending on where you live. Although you are a bus rider, there are some circumstances wherein you still need to walk (typically short distances) to your actual home. Again, there is always a good side. The good side to this is that you don't need to pay to be able to ride the bus from home to school and vice versa. Convenient, right?

Since we moved to Maryland (I will be talking about our big move in a separate article), other types of transportation are added. One is the MARC train, similar to our MRTs and LRTs. From my mother and brother's experience, they shared to me that rarely anyone rides the train. There is a something called park-and-ride. You can bring your car to one of these facilities, park your car for a day there, for a fee of course, and take the transit. Because of this accommodation, some apply for jobs at Washington, D.C. because it isn't a big struggle anymore. Secondly is the water taxi. This is available on Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The thing is, based on my research, it costs $7 for just one-way. Unless you live or always tour around the area, it's not going to be worth paying up to $250.



The normal taxis are available. As a well-know fact, it is most available on New York. It's different around the other states. You won't typically see taxis roaming around the roads, looking for customers. And in addition, they're usually bright-colored like yellow and neon green. It is not the most recommended since a call is needed to call for a cab; only if you need a ride to the airport. You also pay a base fee plus additional for every mile. It could get a little too heavy for the pocket.

So, when you are planning a trip to the United States, always check first what kinds of transportation are available in that state. If in case everything is a bit scheduled and you're in a tight itinerary, I would just recommend renting a car. And, never forget to bring a GPS. It's very easy to get lost around here.

Public Transportation: UAE

I think one of the biggest thing to consider when you’re traveling is the modes of transportation of the country you’re visiting. So many issues to consider: is it safe? is it cheap? is it clean? Not unless you plan on walking around the whole time you’re on vacation... If you're planning on visiting my beloved home-country-at-the-moment-until-I-move-to-France, lemme give you some tips. UAE is a very organized country, in my opinion. Everything here seems part of a huge plan where every corner has it’s use and that everything has to go smoothly or else the whole system collapses. Well... not really like that but I’d like to think so. There are different kinds of public transportation in UAE. But I apologize if I’ll only elaborate more in Sharjah (where I live) and Dubai (where I work). There are taxis, buses, trains and boats. All of these are owned by the government so I guess that's a good thing.

TAXIS here have a different system than the ones I’m used to in PH. In PH we have the flat rate, let’s say 40Php. Once you ride, the meter starts at 40 and it just adds up as you go. Here in UAE, the minimum is 10AED.. It starts at 4AED and even tho you’ve arrived at your destination at 6AED, for example, you’ll still have to pay 10AED instead of 6AED. But if it goes more than 10, then you’ll pay the exact price on the meter. That’s just around one emirate. If you go out, like what we do when we come from Dubai Mall to our flat in Sharjah, it’s still the same system but it just adds up 20AED.

Pros: the taxi drivers I’ve encountered are nice. Prolly just 5% of them were crabby; there are tons of taxis everywhere, the taxi queue on malls may be long but they never run out of taxis; the cabs itself aren't old, they change it every few years, I guess they don't allow old cars to run around the city?

Cons: if you’re new here, the smell is the definite con. Another one is some of the drivers can’t speak English very well so you have to be patient in giving them directions.

I like the BUSES here in UAE. They’re clean and they follow a strict system. Half of the bus is for women and children and the other half are for men. Even if there are long queues on the bus, if you’re a woman, you’re the priority. For the double-decker buses, the top deck is open for everyone, not just for men. But men and women are discouraged to sit together, not unless you know each other. For the fare, it is cheap. There are these re-loadable Nol cards for buses and trains so you just swipe it in when you get up the bus and you’re set. But buses that go out of the emirate doesn't use Nol cards, just tickets.

Pros: whether it’s full or not, it leaves on time; there is another bus right away; it only stops at bus stops so it’s not annoying when it stops like every corner.

Cons: traffic, they have to follow a fixed route so traffic or no traffic, they have to.

My favorite of all, the TRAINS. The driver-less trains. It’s fast, it’s clean and cheap. There are 3 parts of the trains here, one is the gold class and the other one is silver. The silver is divided into 2, for men and women. The silver is basically the regular one, and the gold is twice the price. I always, always prefer the gold class. It’s quiet, it’s not crowded. You’ll get an 80% chance to sit down when you’re in gold. I tried to ride on silver 2 weeks ago and it just left me so crabby even tho I got a seat, there were tons of people, I couldn't read my book. So I swore I will never ride on silver ever again.

Pros:rules are rules, if your card is silver, you stay in silver. There are random check ups on random stations, they’ll let you swipe your card and you could get fined if you’re caught in the wrong class; the next train arrives no later than 5 minutes.

Cons: peak hours. It’s too crowded.

Then there are these WATER TAXIS, WATER BUSES and FERRIES. I haven’t been in one of those so I can’t say what the experience will be like. I shall get back to you on this one. But all I know is that it’s fast and there’s no traffic? Lol. Seriously, I will try to ride one of those soon and I’ll definitely share my thoughts.

All bus stops and train stations are air conditioned because it gets uber hot in the summer. One thing you can count on is that they are all well-maintained so I dare say you really have to follow the rules or else you'll get in trouble.

If you're traveling, it's always better to explore the city on foot, but then again it would be awful to walk on your whole trip. Plus, I don't think Dubai is one of those cities where you could just walk. It's kinda like New York, I guess, it's too busy and everyone's on the go. Plus, no matter which country you go to, it will always be dangerous at night. You just have to use your head sometimes so as not to be scammed. And just like what Jenny said, have a friend to take you around!

Public Transportation: UK

Transportation is probably one of the most important thing you should consider when visiting to a different country, especially if you are unfamiliar with its nooks and crannies. United Kingdom has a well-developed transport system and it has different sorts of transportation including: public buses, long-distance buses or "coaches", underground rails, trains, trams, ferries, taxis, et cetera. But as a regular user of public transports, there are also moments that I find those well-developed transport system a tad unreliable sometimes. So, as a result, here are some few pros and cons I come up with in regards to the transportation here in the UK. 

Taxi. Taxis here in the UK comes in all forms of shapes, colours and sizes. And they don't usually have the word "taxi" or anything written (i.e. "P40 Flagdown" and whathaveyou) on them. Most of the taxis here are just plain and sophisticated looking. But the fare doesn't come in cheap as well. The minimum fare you would usually spent in a taxi would be around £3 upwards. Though they also run in meters but it purely depends on your destination or what taxi firm you're using. Some taxi firms have a fixed rate for particular places (such as the airport, etc.) and may cost a bit much. Here in our area, we usually have to phone up the firm for a taxi. You can barely find parked taxis waiting around the corner or outside the grocery stores. 

PROS: Using the taxi is probably the most safest and convenient transport in the UK. Drivers are usually friendly. And it takes you directly to your destination!

CONS: The fare is a little bit expensive and you can get stuck on traffic at most times. They may also take awhile to pick you up depending on your whereabouts. 

Underground rails or Tube. The underground railway or tube is a rapid transit system which can be mainly found in Greater London. The tube is probably the quickest  transportation when getting around London especially if you're visiting different tourist spots. (Because using buses in London is one heck of a crazy adventure. I should know so since I've experienced it before.)

PROS: It's fast and... fun in it's on way (at least in my point of view anyway). The maximum waiting time for the next train is just 2-minutes, so you don't have to hang around that long. You'll get to see and listen to indie music — if you're into those stuff — from people/musician who plays at the underground, which you'll get at least one on each station.

CONS: The tube is a very crowded and busy place, so you have to get yourself moving. (I swear you'll get those calories burning quicker than you do in the gym.) You'll be standing 99% of the time whilst on the train. And if it's your first time riding the tube then be prepared to get lost and confuse.

Buses. Here in the UK, you are probably aware that the buses here have two decks. Although they may also have the traditional one decker bus but they're usually seen in rural areas. Fare-wise it is cheaper than the two transports above. For a £6 all-day travel fare you can go to tons of places in the city. Get off from bus stop to bus stop and you don't even have to buy a new ticket for that day because you can use the same ticket on a different bus. You can also get a year ticket if you're a regular user.

PROS: You get to see a lot of different and lovely sights if you sit on the upper deck of the bus. The fare isn't too expensive.

CONS: They are either late or they never show up. It will take you forever to arrive to your destination because of the multiple stops. Sometimes it gets really crowded and noisy. Some bus drivers can be a bit reckless. Unlike coaches this buses don't have an accessible toilet, so if your gasping for the loo you have to wait for the last stop before you could go to one.

So whether you're just visiting or thinking of migrating to a different country, it's really important that you should take note of the various transport system in that particular place. Always plan out your journey and think ahead. Though it'd be more convenient if you have a relative or a friend to take you around. Just to be on the safe side! 

We're still here!

Running a collaborative blog is not easy especially when our schedules don't sync. What makes it all the more challenging is the time difference. We apologize for being awfully quiet for the last few weeks: Jenny had a two-week vacation to the Phillippines; Ariana moved to a different state; Katrina's waiting for baby Caileigh to arrive; Liane's back to school and I've been so preoccupied with work. But I'm happy to announce that we're back! This weekend, we'll be talking about the different public transportation. We'll be talking about the taxi situation, the buses, the trains and everything. We hope that this will help you get a more clearer picture on how it's really like. We would like to encourage you, our readers, to share your own experiences with public transportation from your place or somewhere you've visited. You can email it to us, or contact either me, Jenny, Ariana or Liane. Katrina will be on break for a while, as she will be with her little bundle of joy soon! :) 

G'New Year!

Hello, lovelies!!! Did you miss us? Please say that you did because I’d be really heartbroken L Kidding. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to be happy and not get broken hearted that much anymore! It’s a good resolution, hey? Very teenager-y.

Speaking of New Year, that’s what I’m going to talk about! In this post, you feel find how Brisbane (NO, NOT SYDNEY) celebrated New Year very quietly it didn't feel like a celebration, future events, my hopes and expectations because who doesn't have one (?), and if you read all through this post, you might find a list of my New Year’s resolutions that are so cliché, it hurts.

So anyway let’s talk about Brisbane and have a little bit of crash course called: Brisbane for Dummies from a Dummy. Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland –the sunshine state. It’s the most tropical state of all and the tourist destination for surfers and hot people looking for a tan. We are NOT the entertainment capital or the arts capital of Australia and the population of Brisbane is nowhere near as much as the population in Sydney or Melbourne. Now that you know all that about my dear hometown, let’s start talking about the NYE.

Last year, I went to the New Year’s celebration in Kangaroo Point, a park near the city where the big thing should happen, right: New Year’s kisses and people making out, koalas jumping around with kangaroos, all the fun stuff. Nothing like that happened though. After the clocked struck 12, there were a few fireworks and then ta-dah—finished. It mostly sucked, really. So we didn't go to the city this year and instead, celebrated New Year’s in a friend’s house.

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2013: Happy New Year!

Hello everyone! So, another year has ended and another one approaches. Oh, how time flies! As our (late) year ender post, the girls and I decided to share to you about our hopes, expectations and our possible resolution for the year 2013. And, a little recap of how we welcomed (or un-welcomed) the New Year.

Well, first of all, I am never really the one to write down my resolution since I quite had enough writing about them back when I was still in school. So, let’s skip that part instead. (Besides I don’t really want to waste your time reading a made-up resolution since I’m planning to spend the whole year doing exactly the same thing as last year — which is eat, work, sleep and eat some more.) Although I do hope that this year would be as amazing as the one previously. I really hope that I can travel more this year. Visit more parts of the United Kingdom, and meet different people like what I did in 2012. Expectations? Err...I guess it's best to live it all to 2013. Just to be on the safe side!

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Barcelona, Spain

Join us as we explore Barcelona on this first installment of the Spain series shared to us by Claire! 

1st Dubai Christmas Festival

We are all getting older but for some odd reason, the growing and maturing process halts for a whole month in time for Christmas. And surprisingly enough, all the stress stops as November ends, but it does come back the second week of January. So what’s left is the Christmas spirit, which basically just means that you’re in the mood to listen to happy songs and eat a lot. Or maybe that’s just me.

Last weekend, my family and I went to the first ever Dubai Christmas Festival. We heard all about it through a family friend. Any event that has the word ‘Christmas’ in it will always interest me, especially when I started living here in the UAE. It is a Muslim country, therefore they don’t celebrate Christmas. Tho unlike other Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE is more open to other traditions and religions. This is because only 22% of the whole population are locals and the rest are expats. Given that it was the first Christmas festival, I didn’t know what to expect. Will people actually come? Will the locals be there? Is that even allowed? I had too many questions.

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Meanwhile in India....

While the whole world is having a dilemma about Pacquiao's recent loss, or which angle would the Starbucks holiday cup look best for their instagram feeds, India is already training for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Not really. But do you think you have a great idea on what India's like? Think again. Go watch this video and realize that although not everyone in India is a slum-dog millionaire or a great astrophysicist, most of them are awesome in their own ways. Look us in the eye and tell us you don't find this cool at all and we'll give you the stink eye. Just kidding. If you think you've seen a better video (preferably showcasing a country), share it to us— comment, email or tweet us!

UAE in 10 Photos

As I was going through our old articles, I realized I didn't really share that much photos of U.A.E. Weird, isn't it? (but I do post a lot of em on Instagram *shameless plug*) I always tweet about the things I love about this country everytime I go out, like how beautiful Dubai is at night (like a cleaner version of New York, maybe?) or how crazy meticulous the government is about the grass and plants around the city. Did you know they change it after a few months so it never looks.... dry and old? It's amazing. Remind me to take a photo of it next time since it's starting to bloom now!

So here are some photos while you guys wait for me to take an adventure here. I purposely didn't include Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa cos there's a good chance you're tired of seeing photos of them everywhere. But honestly tho, I see Burj Khalifa everyday at work (it's one train station away from our office) I never get tired of looking at it while I wait for my scan to finish. It looks so surreal. The way you see it on the telly or in a magazine, it's that and even better!

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Schoolies toolies foolies

Hi people! You just can't get a break from me, can 'ya? Let me ask you a question, please?

What are you planning to do when you finish school? Or if you have finished school, what did you do to celebrate the end of school and the stressful and demanding subjects, the stupid people you want to punch in the face sometimes, the really cool and hot and sometimes pedophilic teachers?

If you're in Australia, you probably spent the week after your exams (which will determine if you'll get in the uni that you want --no pressure at all) at the Gold Coast, the Philip Island, Bali, or Fiji.

Surfers Paradise at Gold Coast during Schoolies week

Source: Google Images (OFCOURSE)

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Long Distance Relationship 101

What I am about to tell you doesn't reflect everyone's long distance relationship. These advices may or may not help you. The author is not responsible for any arising damages and/or (future) discrepancies in your relationship. This is merely based on what I've experienced... and my own opinion. Please read with caution. 

I am not really a so-called expert with long distance relationships or even in relationships, in its utmost general sense. But having to experience it not only just once but four times out of, well, four relationship, I think I can say that I already have my decent share of it. (Don't fret! I have been in a normal relationship before, but that's a whole different story.) First of all, a long distance relationship is extremely hard. And it sucks, too! I can attest to that! So before you try and get yourself involved into one? Always remember this: How much do you want the relationship to work? (I am not only pertaining to the ladies, okay.)

Long distance relationships may start from the casual the-other-one-has-to-live-somewhere-else scenario or the usual we-met-on-the-internet-and-fell-inlove-but-we-are-miles-apart-to-be-actually-together scenario; whichever way it happened, it's still a special bond between two people. And just like in a normal relationship, long distance relationships also require a two-way street. It isn't solely up to the person who has to leave or the one who was left behind to keep the relationship but both person needs to be involve to make it work. And some factors including...

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While AWSW Was Away

After a few months of inactivity, the girls of AWSW revive the blog into its former glory. Funny how an anonymous inquiry regarding the blog’s idleness made us realize how much we miss each other! So for our first monthly article, we decided to share with you guys what happened to our social and personal lives while we were off from our AWSW duties.

Jenny says...
During those 9 months of our blog’s hiatus, it was quite an eventful year(-ish) for England. In fact, I haven’t seen the country so lively during my three-year stay here. It was absolutely a first for me! Her Majesty the Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee back in June. I am in great awe to know someone who can reign a country for about 60 years and still looking... fab. (She is the only person I know who can pull off a “monochromatic” outfit without looking too matchy-matchy.) That’s not the only spectacle though. There was also the two big sporting occasion that was held in London over the summer. The Olympic and Paralympic Games and, in contrast to that, the Olympic Torch Relay. However, in a non-joyous side, wide area of England and Wales suffered — and some are still suffering — from floods due to heavy rains for the past couple of weeks. Forecasters also mentioned just recently that Britain might be facing its coldest winter ever. And, unfortunately, in my end of the town, the Herne Bay light switch on (which is the switching of the Christmas lights) was a huge blow to everyone especially after seeing the not so christmas-y Christmas Tree. It received lots of boos and jeers instead of booze and cheers.

The momentary hiatus of our blog was something we never expected to happen. It was like (excuse the pun) a turbulence in our trip to reach our destination. It was something we couldn’t avoid. But during those time off, I think we, or I for that matter, also gained a couple of good life experiences. Or at least that’s how I think it is to me. I am now starting to learn how to drive a car, which was something I have been frightened yet wanted to do ever since. My family and I also moved to a different place. Back in the summer, I did my first jaunt without parental supervision and meet two lovely Tumblr bloggers. And just like how we’re giving AWSW another shot, I am also taking my chances with “long distance relationship”. Yet again. And I’m quite hopeful that both — if not, either one of them — might work well this time. Fingers-cross.

Zia says…
UAE has always been a peaceful country (despite what you all think just cos it’s in the Middle East) so the things that happened over the past few months weren’t people-power worthy. A two-month amnesty started here, which basically allows the illegal residents to leave the country without penalties. To add to Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa, another proposed Dubai landmark was given the go signal recently, which would give a bird’s eye view of the city (you’ll walk on glass with the view of the city under your feet at 150 meters above ground) and is expected to be completed in a year. I also learned that UAE holds the world’s largest biometric database, isn’t that great? Kinda creepy tho, they can easily track people… remember the movie Eagle Eye? There was also a commotion few months ago when the telephone companies required everyone to register their sim cards, so that you’ll be legally and financially accountable of your registered number. There were long lines for registrations everywhere, but they eventually extended the deadline, which is great cos I haven’t registered yet.

Life here got better cos I’m getting used to everything already. It feels.... home-y now. And oh, I got my first job! This is a major life change for me cos I can’t be a lazy ass anymore. I still feel a bit down sometimes—quarter-life crisis, methinks. Besides that, nothing oh-my-god-that’s-so-cool happened. Tho I am happy to announce that I am less than 5 books away from completing my to-read-before-anything-else list, that counts, right? Also, this may sound so insignificant to all of you but one of the highlights of my hiatus was the London Olympics. Although I wasn’t there physically, I shared it with the girls through the power of the internet and it was worth staying up all night and the massive headache the next day. Rio 2016, yes?

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A Fractional and Unofficial Guide to Pregnancy (Part I)

Part 1: From Breaking the News to Embracing the Terrible 1st Tri

“Your baby is a miracle – there simply is no other word. Millions of babies are born every year, some in riches, some in poverty, some in cities, some in jungles, some unwanted, some devoutly wished for and jubilantly welcomed. The birth of a baby is the most everyday event of all. Yet each birth is an occasion of mystery, marvel, and wonder”  - New Baby Book by Edwin Keister, Jr.

I was assigned at the Nursery for our monthly rotation when I was still doing my volunteer work at the hospital. Though newborns may look so fragile and irritating at times (they cry at the most inconvenient hours and may defecate just after you’ve cleaned them), there was this certain joy that I would feel each time I hold one in my arms. They’re just so adorable and it was in one of those moments when I was feeding a baby in my arms that I thought to myself that maybe now’s the time for me to have my own. I now know how to feed a baby, change their diaper and how to bathe them. I mean, how much more prepared should I be? The gods must have laughed at me when I thought of that.

Four months later, we found out that I was expecting. Upon hearing from my mom that a younger cousin was pregnant, I did a test myself. My menstrual cycle is irregular meaning my visitor only visits every other month or every two months. So to have myself impregnated was like an arrow hitting the target miles away perfectly. So we were like, “Yehey! We’re going to be parents!” but when the thought began to sink it, we started to have our doubts. But first, how are we going to tell our parents?

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My Lust(re)ful Lovelife

Go get a box of tissues before you start reading this, will you? Because in this post, I’ll tell you about my very (former) lust(re)ful lovelife. Kidding. Don’t get the tissues. Just get some popcorn because this might be long - I’m not entirely sure if it will because someone may decide to pop infront of my house and I have to do the social protocol and give them a million dollars, okay.

So as you all may have (or not because maybe you are not a stalker) heard that I broke up with my boyfriend of almost two years and this is going to be a melodramatic diary entry about that breakup. Or not really. This may have those advices that no one is asking for and so on but I am a brokenhearted woman so you all have to be great friends and bare with me; and before you start thinking that I am a bad speller, I really meant bare. I want to know you better so let’s go skinny dipping together.

Before this gets any more weirder, I’ll start talking about the serious stuff. My (ex) boyfriend and I broke up ages ago, really; however, we kept on getting back together. It’s like we have some connection that couldn’t be broken, you know? It’s like, I try to move on and I do - for the first few months. Then something happens and I was being sucked into the blackhole of weird feelings and sticky cheesiness again. And then we talk and I start falling in love with the guy for the millionth time.

(I do know that lots of people say that I’m too young to know love. All I have to say is screw you. Age is just a number and that statement is so cliche but I do. Or at least I would like to think that I do. I want to believe that I am capable of loving and being loved back. Don’t we all?)

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Beautiful Iloilo

BEAUTIFUL ILOILO 10.15.2012 from BluQube Inc on Vimeo.

BluQube Inc, a creative solutions company from Iloilo City, pays tribute to their hometown thru a video that features the bests of the city. A promotional video at its finest, betting that it made you secretly want to book a first-flight ticket to Iloilo! 

What's New

The girls are more than happy to announce that we are finally back! After our short hiatus - 9 months isn’t really that long - we’re reviving As We See the World (AWSW) as a bigger and definitely better blog. Other than the cleaner and more sophisticated lay-out, we've also made some changes with our article categories hoping to deliver more to our readers while making things a little convenient on our part – because yes, living in different time zones is very difficult.

Instead of posting our uniformed articles fortnightly (or every other week, if you prefer) we’re going to make it a monthly thing. We will be writing under the same topic or question just like before but instead of making individual articles, we’ll answer them in a few paragraphs and compile everything in a single post. We’re also hoping to make this more interactive by having our readers join in the conversation. Read here on how you could contribute and join in the fun!

In our longing to write for ourselves, we've added another category that we’ll be calling as our Diaries. It’s basically our license to talk about personal stuff – hoping our lives would be interesting enough – and share sweet nothings about anything else under the sun. Maybe it would be safe to say this is our own little attempt to show a speck of our personalities. We are unique individuals after all and we can’t be serious all the time. *insert soft discreet laughter here*

So having our Monthly Reads and Diaries, anything else that won’t fall under these two categories will be filed under Miscellaneous. From certain reviews, features, photos, to random videos, anything that’s worth sharing goes there. Just so you get the whole new idea, future posts that are somewhat alike to the Montages and Storyboards that we used to have before will now be posted under the Misc category.

As for our new lay-out (the girls are very proud to be able to build something this pretty) we’ve tried to make it more convenient and neat for your reading pleasure. We've constructed a Feedback page for you to leave in your sweet – or sour – messages or questions that if time permits, will be answered via video. So it’s going to be like a video blog of some sorts. If you love AWSW enough (we know you do!) you can now show it by adding our pre-made badges into your own sites. Just click on the Support tab to choose the badge that you fancy or you can also make one and submit it to us so we can upload it for others to use. Also, don’t forget to like our Facebook page and follow our Twitter for updates! You can also subscribe to our feed via email if you’re still active email users just like us girls.

Whatever changes we've made in AWSW we do it with pure love and such sincerity to improve things in as many ways as possible. We do hope that you enjoy and appreciate the fruits of our labor that in one way or another we can share to you how we see the world from our own perspective. It may suck wherever you are sitting right now, but it could be sunny and well somewhere else in the globe. Happy reading!