'Pasalubong'

The ubiquitous Baguio Walis.

Can anyone tell me why they remain to be the most hardy and effective of all? Do the Baguio folk put some secret material in them? Anyone? Because to this day whenever I go up to Baguio, without fail, someone asks for these brooms as 'pasalubong'.

David, being American, had to be educated on the concept of 'pasalubong' - the sweet, but mostly bothersome, Pinoy tradition of bringing a little something for everyone in the home or office when coming back from an out of country or out of town trip. He is still trying to come to terms (or should I say, grips) with it. I see his point though. Especially in the case of the aforementioned brooms. I'm pretty sure in most Western cultures, the idea of someone bringing back a broom as a present from a relative coming in from out of town would be considered odd. I mean, snowglobes, yes. Mugs and t-shirts too. And those stickers that clutter up your fridge.

But brooms?

Only in the Philippines.

Before Everything Else...

...there was us.

I love this picture of David and me. Much as we love Charly and the boys, it reminds me that before there was Pepe, before Riggs, and yes way before Charly - there was us.

And 'we' are and should always be each other's number one priority. So long as we're good, everyone else is good :)

Sometimes it's easy to forget that with all the craziness of raising a family and all the adjustments and life changes newlyweds and new parents go through.

But I only have to look at this picture and go back to that happy, sunny day in Cambodia and feel all over again blessed to be married to my best friend. My favorite travel buddy, where even roach infested hotels and running out of gas on a road trip become a reason to laugh (ok, a bit of a stretch, but yes we still laugh about it to this day). Because we can explore strange cities on foot, discovering places that have become special to us, and sharing the same level of excitement finding little 'treasures' in flea markets and off-the-beaten-path stores. My other half whom I need to consult before I feel good about any significant purchase. Who lugged a 6 foot canvass painting all the way from Chatuchak back to Manila (and it is now the envy of all our friends).The guy who turned into Mr. Mom faster than I did. Who loves bookstores just as much as I do, and sniffs the pages of new books and balikbayan boxes as avidly as I do. Who enjoys burning our mouths silly with the spiciest Indian and Thai dishes. And loves experimenting with cooking as much as I do. Who cleans out and organizes my bags despite my many protests. And a million reasons more.

Truly a picture worth a thousand memories, with the promise of more to come.

Fish Spa?!

While in Singapore last year, I saw fish in an outdoor tank and some women dipping their hands in it. Because I was in a rush, I didn't even realize it was what is now known as a 'fish spa'.

I do remember thinking, those poor fish. Since the hubby is a fish lover, I know that fish can be highly sensitive and unnecessary shaking around of their environment can cause stress ( anyone remember "Finding Nemo"?).

Little did I know that those women were literally feeding the fish out of their own hands (well, the skin off their hands anyway).

And I thought I'd seen it all. Apparently these are doctor fish, types of fish that eat off the dead skin and leave your hands and feet (I certainly hope that's all the skin they are targetting) nice and smooth. If you don't know what I mean by now, google it.

While I admit to some curiosity about 'fish spas', I'm not sure I want a living thing eating away at any part of me (dead skin or not). Doesn't that sound a bit like what piranhas do? I know the fish are supposed to want to eat only the flaking, dead skin, but what if one of them decides they like it a little too much and decide to not just stop at the appetizer but go for the full meal?

On a more rational level, wouldn't scouring dead skin, calluses, etc have the same effect? Why have fish do what a few scrapes of Dr. Scholl's filing block can do for you? Isn't that supposed to be bad and encourage more growth of calluses?

What people will do to make a new spin on an old trick. Or more to the point, what some people will be willing to experiment on for the sake of beauty.