last march, i was fortunate to chat with our motivational speaker at a conference i attended in banff. first thing he asked me during dinner was ... "would you rather live here (canada) or your native land?" i paused for a little bit, and i bluntly answered, canada. he stared but turned to j and asked the same question. j answered "philippines, of course. i'll go back there in a heartbeat."

last month, i admitted to j that i might have made a mistake. "on what?" he asks. "about my answer" "i don't understand, what mistake?" "remember last march?" "ohhhh..." as he pretends to remember "i said, i love it here in canada" "ohhhh that!!!" he added. "hun, it's okay that you like canada" "but i made a mistake!" i said defensively.

after 14 years, i finally opened my eyes, and whole heartly realized that i miss my home.

"i choose philippines!!!!!!" i screamed. "okay, hun!"

funny, it doesn't matter how much a first class country offers, from $ paying job, citizenship to access the world, and to free health care. i find that there's always something missing, and that i was longing to experience my culture, food, upbringing, warmth, laughter and of course, that mamang taho that walks around the subdivisions.

my only wish is that someday, i will be able to write about my arrival in manila, and how long the flight was and that i am finally home.

i guess that quote i posted on fb last month affected me more than what i expected. but it's true to always remember your roots or where you came from no matter how high your flying.

have a blessed night.