Marathon? Nope we didn't run there literally but we did so much on our first day there in Manila it was like we're in a marathon. In my post "Back In Manila" it ended with Elisse asking me to bring her to school and pick her up too. I thought I can make use of a little nap before doing things around but there was no time at all to rest. Baby was overjoyed and overwhelmed with everything that he didn't want to take his nap. We were able to do the school stuffs for Elisse but we had to drop her off at home because we'll have to meet with somebody. That meeting was double purpose, to deliver the package, give our gift (we received some gifts too!) and get the house keys for hubs' parent's place.

Our stay in Manila helped us relax and unwind it's like a total body and mind rejuvenation for us. Not only that, it also helped us make up our mind with our car decision. Since we were told here that SUV is a gas guzzler we kind of inclined to buying a caravan instead. We're also after the 3rd row seat a caravan offers but after driving around and seeing the Toyota Fortuner mom and dad bought we're more positive getting SUV.

Too bad that US don't have the same Toyota model but as I searched for it's counterpart here I'm definite that hubs would love that car too. Don't think it's the looks alone that made us want that car, hubs and I actually had the chance to drive around Manila with it. The bulk looks intimidating at first but cruising around feels like you're just driving a regular sized car. It's very light and easy the maneuver.

At least we narrowed down our choices and hopefully we can get ours next month. We just need to do more research for other similar type and definitely we'll steer away from those luxury models like VW Golf, Lexus IS-C, Lamborghini, VW New Beetle Convertible, etc. Those models aren't really our cup of tea anyway.

We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope that we'll have things as planned. We originally intended to buy a car once we come back from our Philippines trip. We're kind of excited with the car purchase because after that we'll focus on getting our house next. Looks like this will be a very busy year for us =)

We're finally back here in US and as usual work's waiting for us already. I wanted to blog even before leaving Philippines but we didn't have enough time to do so and as soon as we came here too much unpacking and other things to do. Our trip was intended for a good vacation break but there were some things that we had to handle which required work. Since I already gave you a glimpse of us leaving San Francisco I'll start with our first day in the Philippines.

While we're on vacation hubs left some work for his papa to do. Our trusty old car had to undergo repairs and maintenance and the best time to do such work is when we're out and not really needing to use it. Since there's no time restrictions that car had a good overall check. Necessary parts were replaced and all other things like transmission, head gasket, fan, alignment & etc. we thoroughly inspected. Hubs used the car today going back to work and he said it runs smooth like a new Honda Civic! He's very thankful to papa and the mechanic who's been fixing our car ever since.

It was the perfect timing to do the repairs for the car. Just like any other cars a routine maintenance and repair must be done. It doesn't matter whether you have to do it somewhere else like San Jose, San Francisco or as far as Los Angeles auto repair. As soon as the car requires such immediate attention better bring it over to the mechanic. Your safety also depends on your car condition.

Remember Elisse? Isn't she adorable? She's very happy to see us again and to finally meet her baby cousin. Baby J goes crazy whenever he sees Ate Elisse, hugging, kissing and holding her so tight sometimes she even gets hurt. She's also doing a good job taking care of baby J.

You might be wondering why I'm missing in action again and haven't been blogging for the past weeks. Packing and preparing for our Manila flight really took my time plus all of baby J's pre-birthday celebration definitely kept my hands tight. Just for a quick update from yours truly, we already bid adieu to San Francisco last January 31st, 9:15pm.

Mom and dad picked us up in the airport and finally baby J met the other grandparents. It was surprising to see how he comfortably went to dad and mom without fussing. Right now we're about 1 1/2 wk away from our trip back to US. Time sure flies by and as if our vacation never happened. Anyway time for mommy to sleep, we'll have a very busy day tomorrow.