Boracay's beautiful beaches

After 2 days in Manila, we were on on our way to beautiful Boracay! A long day of travel - plane, bus, ferry and then finally a car to our hotel. First impressions - Boracay didn't look very touristy...the road from the port to the hotel was very narrow, and it seemed like we were driving through a tiny village - thatched roofs, brick walls, mango and plantain trees, palms reaching to the sky - if Manila brought memories of Mumbai, Boracay invoked the lush Konkan coast! It was quite a drive, the houses slowly giving way to hotels and then the bigger resorts, and finally there we were - Ambassador in Paradise!!

Ambassador in Paradise 

Our room

Again, first impressions not too good - I think we were all feeling underwhelmed and a little let down - all this way for this? Don't get me wrong - it was a very nice hotel, and a very nice room - but at the risk of sounding really spoilt, I will say - we've stayed at better, luxurious hotels, and at the prices we were paying, Ambassador didn't really hit the mark! The pool was an absolute joke - I get that the whole point of a beach resort is, well, the beach - but still, shouldn't a luxury resort have a decent pool? Another highpoint of these luxury resorts is the lavish breakfast buffet - again, very disappointing at the Ambassador!!

And then the spectacular, famous White Beach - beaches at Bali, Maldives were pristine, untouched, a true tropical paradise - here the beach is more commercial, more crowded. And I guess we went at the wrong time of the year - there was a lot of algae or seaweed in the water - had to wade through that gunk to get to the water. Then when the tide went out, all that slimy greenery was left on the beach - not really the best for a walk on the beach!! I'm not sounding too happy about Boracay, am I? Well, my rant is now done - getting to the good part now!

The best part about Boracay?? For the first time on a beach vacation, we were not captives at the resort. A short walk down the beach is the D'Mall - with tons of restaurants and bars, massage parlors, souvenir shops, and everything else imaginable!! Happy hour starts at noon here, and the party continues day and night!! Great place to people watch, get a good meal - or if the fancy strikes you, a foot massage or hair braided right on the beach!! Live bands, karaoke, fire shows, the cool breezes off the ocean - very easy to lose yourself in the easy cadence of life here!!

And then there was the water-sports! I'm usually too chicken for anything of this sort - but had made up my mind to go para-sailing here!! It was quite the adventure - a small speedboat took us from the beach to a huge floating dock in deep water. Manasi and I feeling a little green around the gills at this point - still determined to see the whole thing through. Another boat, stepping into the harness, strapping ourselves to the chute, butterflies, butterflies, butterflies - and then we were off!! Flying over the water, what an extraordinarily exhilarating feeling - I've never felt this unfettered before!! Then, they brought us lower - and I thought we were going to dip just our toes in the water - but a splash, and we were laughing with the shock of the cold water!! Too soon, they reeled us back in - and it was back to the dock!!

The floating dock

Geared up

Ready for take-off

Up, up and away!

Splashing in the water!

I believe I can fly!!

The other activity that Ajey wanted us to do - ride an ATV. Well, he could drive one, and Manasi and I had a dune buggy - we drove all the way up to the highest point on Boracay, and spectacular 360 degree views of the island!! Manasi was a little wary with me driving - I actually managed to crash the buggy within 5 minutes of getting in - hey, the brake pedal wasn't where I thought it should be - but we made it there and back quite safely!! Also included with the ATVs was admission to the weirdest museum ever - no seriously, you have to see the pictures, hands-down the weirdest museum ever!! And a really weird ride - a 2 person bicycle on a kind of suspended rail. The whole contraption looked really rickety, and I was happy to pass!! Again, quite a day of adventure!!

And oh, the gorgeous, gorgeous sunsets!! Can there be anything more beautiful than this glorious explosion of colors, more poignant than this one last defiant blaze before darkness creeps in? Last time I remember seeing such wonderful sunsets was in Goa - again, that resonance with India everywhere we go here!!

Yes, I had a wonderful time!! The days had a lazy, hazy quality - and time stretched so that it seemed like we were there much, much longer than just 4 days!! And we met so many wonderful people - everyone is so relaxed and mellow, it's easy to strike up a conversation with complete strangers!! It certainly will count as one of our more memorable vacations - all those adventure sports were a first for me!! Would I go back?? Yes, but only if I could find an easier way to get there!!! Until then, Boracay will remain as a well-loved memory!!

A weekend in Manila

When we first started thinking of going to Boracay, one thing I insisted on - I didn't want just a beach vacation, we would have to do at least a couple of days in Manila!! Our Vietnam vacation was just the resort at Nha Trang - and I've always regretted not taking the time to visit Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi! And isn't there always some kind of magic in capital cities - certainly, Manila was no exception!!

Of all the Asian cities we've visited so far, Manila is easily the closest to Mumbai - right at the airport, getting off the plane - from that particular tropical olfactory bouquet of brine, heat and dust to the random crowds in the waiting area - an immediate flashback to India!! We're already very much in our comfort zone as we stepped outside to catch a taxi to our hotel - so when the first taxi agency asked for 1800 pisos (almost $40) to go to the hotel, we kept walking! Sure enough, a little further were pre-paid taxis, and the price dropped to 600 pisos!! That seems reasonable - but as we were pulling away from the kerb, we noticed the city metered cab stop - no doubt, this would have been even cheaper!! Oh well!!

Where's the taxi??

Outside the airport...

As we were driving to the hotel, noticed that a lot of places seemed to be closed - not much traffic on the roads, a generally very subdued atmosphere. The shut-down wasn't because of the imminent arrival of typhoon Maysak - as was reported on a lot of international news channels!! - the real reason was much simpler! It was Good Friday - a part of the Holy Week, which is one of the biggest holidays in the Philippines!! And as our taxi driver very helpfully informed us, almost everything would be closed for the weekend. Really?

We took it easy that first day - a long nap, and then ventured out in the evening to find dinner. There was a TGIF right next to our hotel - actually, our hotel was connected to one of the bigger malls in Manila, the Robinson Galleria, which was closed on Friday - the TGIF, was of course, closed too - and Manasi could not get over the irony of a TGIF being closed on Friday!! We decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, it was a very pleasant evening - and then stop to eat when we found a good place - the concierge did warn us that it would be hard to find a restaurant that was open, but decided to take our chances!

Ortigas Avenue

They weren't kidding when they said everything would be closed - we walked block after block of deserted streets - only a few fast food joints were serving food. It was a tossup between Pizza Hut, Shakey's Pizza and Yellow Cab Pizza - when we decided to check out a place called Army Navy - the name a nod to the long influence of US culture on the Philippines. Mostly a burger place, but they also had vegetarian burritos on the menu - jackpot! Since it was such a night, we decided to sit on the patio - Manasi and I waited for our food while Ajey walked over to a neighboring 7-11 to grab a beer.

That's when we noticed the kittens - first a couple, then almost an entire pack. They sat at our feet, looking up with hungry eyes, and while it was cute at first - we hurried inside when a really bold one decided to jump up on a chair to investigate. I couldn't stop thinking of Sunny, and barely tasted my meal - although Ajey and Manasi both assured me that the burrito was really, really tasty. And I couldn't bear to just walk away. Long story short, ended up buying couple of cans of tuna and feeding the stray kittens on the street. Wish I could take them all home with me!

Day 2 in Manila was for serious sight-seeing - time explore the Spanish heritage in the Philippines!! Took a cab to Old Manila, or Intramuros - literally meaning 'within the walls' - this walled part of the city was the headquarters for the Spanish, and the walls were obviously fortifications!! The former military headquarters, Fort Santiago, is also located within these walls, and so is the Manila Cathedral, which is one of the most important Catholic churches here. Right outside the Cathedral is the Plaza de Roma, with a statue of Carlos IV of Spain, dating back to the early 19th century.

Manila Cathedral and Plaza de Roma

Right outside the entrance gate to Fort Santiago, we were able to put our Shanghai-honed bargaining skills to good use and bought 2 very pretty hats - which were a godsend during our entire vacation!! Much of the fort is in ruins - but once inside the fort, there are beautifully landscaped gardens, with fountains and benches, and even a small play area for younger kids! Loved the old cannon and the crumbling brick of the ivy-covered buildings - it was a really, really hot day though - would have been so much more pleasant to come here in the evening!! Also, other than a really over-priced souvenir shop, nothing else was open - so many restaurants, all closed!! We had to settle for an ice-cream sundae for lunch!!

The hats!!

Main gate to Fort Santiago

Beautiful gardens...

...and old ruins!

Next stop, Quinta Market - mainly a street market for tourists - we weren't really planning on shopping much, but it's so much fun to walk around these markets, looking for unexpected bargains. How did we get there - well that's the interesting part! Since we landed in Manila, we had been observing this unique mode of public transport - the jeepneys. Brightly colored, each one with a very unique decoration theme, these eye-catching jeepneys were originally created from US military jeeps left over from WWII. They run on definite routes and at fixed tariff - however, the destinations are not always very clear to casual tourists like us, we did have to ask around a bit before we could figure out which one to take!!

The Quinta market wasn't really anything special - from the kitschy to the shiny - SM Mall next on the list. This mall has the distinction of being the 2nd or 3rd largest mall in the Philippines, all that mattered to us at that point - the mall had a California Pizza kitchen!! A pitcher of mojitos and a spinach-artichoke dip left us deliciously refreshed - browsing through the huge National Bookstore later was the perfect icing!! It is such a treat to see a well-stocked bookstore - the smell of new books, the crisp pages, all those stories waiting to be read - if there is heaven, this is it!!

Last evening in Manila - we still hadn't been to the mall next to our hotel - and we were really glad to go somewhere really close!! First thing as we walked in - a row of massage chairs - 10 minutes for 10piso - too good to pass up on, especially after a long day of walking in the sun!! Was good while it lasted, did leave me a little dizzy and disoriented!! Another surprising find - Krispy Kreme Donuts - yum, yum, yum!!! Dessert before dinner? - always!! And when we walked into one of the department stores, another surprise - an entire shelf of Caterpillar brand shoes!!

Sit back, relax!

Robinsons Galleria

Donut selfie!

Steel-toed!

I do have to say a word about the food - of course, we never try any street food anywhere - but in Manila, even in regular restaurants, it was a bit of a challenge to find vegetarian food. Could be because so many places were closed - at least our hotel had a good restaurant!! The must-try street food is supposed to be balut - a boiled duck egg - what's so special about that? Well, the egg has an almost fully grown duck embryo inside - it is boiled just before it is ready to hatch - and is eaten feathers, brittle bones and all - all I can say is, I'm so glad to be a vegetarian!!

Headed to airport next morning - this time we paid only 350 piso from the hotel!! And the most delicious lunch so far - Army Navy burritos, Krispy Kreme and Jamba Juice - right at the departure terminal!! 4 days in Boracay coming up - that will be another post though!! Signing off with this beautiful image from Krispy Kreme!

You're gonna hear me roaaar!!

Any guesses? Come on, take a guess!! What's that?? The title of this post is from a well-known song? Wait, isn't that a Katy Perry song?!! And if you said 'Eye of the Tiger' right away, you've just won - well, nothing! - except, of course, the chance to read about a first-hand account of Katy Perry LIVE IN SHANGHAI!!!

The whole thing started a couple of months ago - when all of all things, Facebook suggested that the Katy Perry Prismatic tour would be an event I would be interested in. Made the mistake of mentioning it to Manasi - and her reaction was astounding - she really, really, really wanted to go. I decided to look it up - and our concert going dreams had a rude shock - the tickets were 2400rmb, over $400, per person!! I though that was that - no way I'm paying that much money for a concert - how about a CD instead, Manasi??

And then suddenly - again, thank you Facebook! - one more day in Shanghai was added to the tour - and cheaper tickets for the 2nd day seemed to be available. This was right before Spring break, and I mentioned it to a couple of friends - it would be fun to take our girls - and then we all left for vacation. So here we were in Boracay, and I get a FaceTime call from MW, who is in Thailand, with some other friends - did Manasi and I really want to go to the concert, tickets were available!! Of course, Manasi was completely over the moon!! I did say yes - as long as the price was less than 1000rmb!

1000rmb - $200!!! Still a fairly large amount, wouldn't you say? So I think I was completely justified when I almost cancelled the plan when Manasi had a hissy fit about the 1000rmb restriction. None of the other moms think so much about the money (so not true!), everyone else would get to go, and it's not fair - more in that vein!! And I'm thinking, we're in BORACAY, and I'm discussing whether or not to pay $200 to go to a concert with my sulking 10 year old daughter - talk of being spoiled, privileged, entitled??!! So even though I had already agreed to pay for the tickets - I told her we weren't going - and kept her in the dark till a night before the concert. The expression on her face when I told her we were going after all - priceless!!

We picked up the girls straight after school - TW, MW, me and 4 girls - in a van headed to the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai!! The concert didn't start till 8pm, so we were planning to get dinner before the concert. GPS showed a whole bunch of restaurants close to the arena, so made more sense to head to the venue, and then find a place to eat. Didn't quite work as smoothly - true, there are quite a few restaurants, but nothing really where we could eat with kids. We did find an Italian restaurant - a really fancy place - but the service was so sloooow - we didn't stay too long!!

Meanwhile, as we were walking - the girls were noticing all the vendors selling a ton of Katy Perry merchandise - T-shirts, hats, posters, bags, you name it! - my little one totally redeemed herself by not asking for a single souvenir, so of course, I relented and bought her a T-shirt and a hat! We still needed to find something to eat - it was finally at Paulaner's that we found french-fries, popcorn chicken, and some other finger food. By this time, we were running late, so we got the food to go and headed to the entrance - where all of it was promptly confiscated by security!! No food inside!!!

Modeling the T-shirts!

Luckily, there was a food counter inside - and although, the only food available was chicken nuggets and pepperoni pizza - at that point, anything would have been good!! We were expecting the concert to start at sharp 8pm - and it did - but it wasn't Katy Perry. The opening act was brief, just about 30 minutes - and then there was a break, a long one!! We could have had another hour to find some real food - or even eat the food we had bought from Paulaner's - if we hadn't been hurrying to get to our seats by 8! Oh well! The good thing was that the girls were in such a fever of anticipation, that they didn't even notice the crappy food!!

Waiting...

Inside the Mercedes Benz Arena

Finally, finally, there she was - in a blinding blaze of light - Katy Perry, and much to my delight, she launched straight into Roar - my favorite KP song (at the risk of being labelled totally uncool, I have to admit that Roar and Firework are the only KP songs I know!)! It was quite electric - and it was totally fun to see the girls singing along - Roar has been the unofficial theme song for our Dulwich Tigers team, and is special of all of us!! Our seats were actually quite decent - we would see the stage quite clearly, but my little red camera wasn't strong enough for the pictures - I really wish I had taken my Canon with the long distance lens!!

It was non-stop entertainment after that - she really is an incredible performer!! There was one awkward moment - kind of funny too - when she sang the song "I kissed a girl - and I liked it!" Our 10 year olds were bemused - fortunately, they didn't really get it, and there were no weird questions!! It wasn't all fast songs - Katy Perry also sang a couple of slow ballads, what a lovely voice!! The last song was my 2nd favorite (haha!) song - Firework - and the audience was requested to put on the special prismatic glasses - actually, not as special as they sound!! It made for some cool pictures, though!!

Manasi absolutely loved it!! She was on her feet for most of the concert - singing along, or shouting "We love you, Katy!". With her friend, AW, she had made a couple of posters, and they both tried so hard to be noticed by the audience-cam, waving those posters over their heads, jumping up and down - it was really a shame that their picture didn't go up on the big screen!! All good fun!! I was prepared for a night of deafening, head-ache inducing music, but, much to my surprise, I had a really good time!! Go Katy Perry!!!

It was quite a late night - it was after 1:30am when we got home! And part of the deal with going to the concert, that no matter what, school would not be missed the next day! And once again, Manasi came through - waking up on time to get to school - although I do suspect that the main reason to go to school was to brag about the concert!! What a night - a truly great memory from our time in China!! 

Random memories...

Just a couple of days ago, Manasi was planning to have some of her friends over, and she needed my help to figure out a plan for the Xbox - how to play so that everyone gets a turn - the talk inevitably turned to good sharing practices. But that's not what I wanted to write about - soon after my little chat with Manasi, I found myself humming an old Marathi song - I only remembered a few of the words, but could not get the tune out of my head! It was starting to annoy me - I didn't even particularly like the song - but then, it came to me in a blinding flash, a particularly crystal clear memory - here, just for fun, watch the song here - before I take about my memory!!

Mind you, this is from ages ago - I must have been 8 or 9 - and yet, I can see it like it was yesterday. My grandmother's house in Sangli, summer vacation, the whole house drowsy, settling in for a nap, the sunlight dappling the walls of the room on the upper level - there was a hook in the ceiling of the room (hmm, I don't exactly remember why), and a rope swing was suspended from this swing, the seat a couple of blankets folded together. My cousins and I took turns on the swing - the rule was to sing a song out loud, and then when the song was done, it was the next person's turn - very simple, very effective! See, it was that talk of sharing that triggered this...

And there I see her, my cousin, Vaishali, singing away -"He rashtra devatanche..." - it was always her favorite, and it always seemed to be the longest song that any of us knew - but rules were rules, and she could swing as long as she was singing! Seriously, I can almost reach out and touch her - long braids flying out behind her, eyes closed in concentration, and the hypnotic swing! What an incredible memory from an incredible time in my life - simple, carefree childhood, when the biggest worry was to come up with a song that would last a long time!! All the more precious today when all of us cousins have drifted apart, busy with our individual lives...

This literal blast from the past left me thinking - it's strange how for most events in life, we have a general memory, a remembered emotion, the details vague and blurry -  how many incidents are actually sharply delineated, permanently etched? My oldest clear memory is actually a non-memory - when I was 18 months old, my parents took me to Kashmir -yes, there is actual photographic evidence. I have been hearing this story my entire life - we flew from Mumbai to Srinagar, and since I  was a baby, I didn't have a booked seat. Yes, this was a time when people could just walk up to a plane with an unticketed baby, and even more surprisingly, the pilot walked out and said it was ok, as long as an adult held the baby on their lap. Try doing that now!!

The high point of the story - the pilot was Rajiv Gandhi, who actually went on to become the Prime Minister of India!! Regrettably, I do not remember that plane ride - my first ever actually. I do not remember playing in the snow with my mother - that's the photo I have. I do not remember getting the mumps while on that vacation. And I most certainly do not remember Rajiv Gandhi graciously letting me get on his plane!! And that actually makes me wonder how much Manasi is going to remember all the places we've been to!!

A moment I actually remember very clearly - when my mother was expecting my sister, she had me touch her stomach and there it is, the baby kicking, I still remember the almost electric thrill of the moment. Surprisingly, I don't remember too much of my sister when she was a baby - sibling rivalry blocking it out maybe? When she was older - cute as a button - again, these flashes. She was, what, 2 maybe - and she was leaning against a folding armchair propped against the wall, and it fell on her. Blood everywhere, and again, the weird details - I remember exactly the dress she was wearing, the moss green and cream stripes, the velvety texture, and her howls as the blood turned the green to a muddy brown!! I have no idea why I thought of that just now...

That song is still stuck in my head - but far from being annoying, it's like an old friend come to visit. I just had to share this - and now I can get back to write about my Philippines vacation in peace. I love that this blog will be a repository of memories for my daughter!! I love that I can pass on a piece of my past to her and never have her forget!! I love that my random memories have a place to call home!!

The long way to Boracay

Boracay Island, Philippines - our destination for Spring Break 2015!!! Ever since Boracay was voted to be the Numero Uno beach vacation spot a couple of years ago, its popularity has soared! Almost all our expat friends here in Suzhou have been, and many of them had said that Boracay was their favorite vacation place of all time!! The drawback - getting to Boracay is not as simple as hopping on a plane - the way to this tropical paradise is anything but easy!! So ever since Ajey booked our vacation - way back in July - I have been a little anxious about the travel!!

All roads to Boracay lead through the Filipino capital, Manila. Cebu Pacific Airlines has a direct flight from Shanghai to Manila - at least the first leg of this journey seems straightforward, doesn't it?? Also, we were to break journey in Manila - we had 2 days before the next travel phase - not bad at all!! And then 2 days before we were to leave, a tinny news flash passed across the TV screen - "Super-typhoon Maysak heads to the Philippines"!! Wait - what??!! And of course, the typhoon is expected to hit Manila on Friday or Saturday - the 2 days we were planning to be there!!! I for one, was all for just canceling the whole thing - seriously, do you remember the last time a super-typhoon hit the Philippines!!

So I spent the next 2 days sick with anxiety - Ajey's insouciance left me completely baffled - at one point he went as far as to say - Well, when will we ever get to see a typhoon up close - this will be awesome!! Umm...not!!! The Weather Channel, of course, didn't update as fast as I would have liked - and the Internet wasn't much help either!! The latest news before we left for the airport was that the typhoon would hit Manila a day later - Sunday! So we would definitely make it as far as Manila - our flight on Sunday - no idea!! In any case, even if we did get to Boracay, the forecast was dismal - rain, rain and more rain!! So much for the perfect beach vacation!!

In all this obsessing about Maysak, its route, its gale force wind speeds - I completely forgot to check the weather in Shanghai!! So it came as a complete surprise at checkin to be told that our midnight flight had been rescheduled to leave at 6:30 in the morning!! Well, at least they told us right away - instead of having us wait forever in the terminal!! We contemplated just camping out in the airport - bringing back memories of traveling from US to India with huge layovers in Europe - but good sense prevailed, and we decided to get a room in the hotel at the airport - very imaginatively named Airport Hotel!!

We weren't really expecting much - but the hotel was surprisingly decent!! Clean, with a fancy lobby - and after much amused giggling, the housekeeping staff even brought us the extra sheets and pillow we requested. The best part? No worry about getting a shuttle or a taxi in the morning - just wake up and walk to the gate!! Our bags were checked in - so we didn't have a change of clothes or even a toothbrush - but getting a few hours of sleep was definitely better than a cramped seat in the airport!! Our flight was delayed a little further - but by 9am, we were on our way to Manila!! Woohoo!!!

There are 2 options to get from Manila to Boracay - fly to Caticlan and then a ferry to Boracay, or fly to Kalibo, catch a bus to Caticlan and then get a ferry. The flight to Caticlan, however, is not only super-expensive, but being a small airport, the only planes that can get there are turbo-props!! We were to fly to Kalibo instead - and unbelievably, still no sign of the typhoon!! The absolutely perfect way to get from Kalibo to Boracay is Southwest Travels - extremely, extremely organized and well-run - right from the airport to the bus, then the ferry, and then the car to actually get to the hotel - I'm impressed!! Finally, we're in Boracay - and the sun is still shining!!

On the way back, we were to reverse the journey - and we realized what a difference the halt in Manila had made!! We were picked up at our hotel by Southwest at 7am - quite an early start. Southwest service was once again flawless, and we were at the Kalibo airport at 10:30am - well in time for our 12:30 flight. And then started the waiting - delay, delay and a further delay. Our flight from Manila wasn't till 8pm that night - so we weren't really worried about missing our connection - it's just that the waiting is so exhausting, not to mention boring!!

In Manila, we made a quick dash to a nearby mall to grab dinner before our flight - wasn't nearly as close as we had thought - and we did have to hustle a bit to get back to the airport! All 3 flights so far had been delayed quite a bit, surprisingly, this one was to depart on schedule!! Pudong airport at midnight - stumbling with fatigue climbed into our car, for the last leg of the journey - back home to Suzhou! It was almost 3am by the time we reached home - we had been traveling for 20 exhausting hours!!! Whew!! Was it worth it - was Boracay worth these long hours of travel?? Wait for the next post - coming soon!! Oh, by the way, the super typhoon never came - we didn't have even a single drop of rain the entire time in the Philippines!!

In memory...

This past March has been a difficult one. On 14th March, barely 20 days after my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary, my grandfather passed away. Yes, it has been a difficult month - and even now, I find myself bereft of words - unable to articulate our huge loss, unable to write a fitting epitaph to his towering life. Stock phrases are of scant comfort - I know he lived a full, rich life; I know that at 88, every day we had with him was a blessing! - but the cold fact remains that Aaba is gone forever. No more elaborate family histories, no more Metamucil, no more Modi tales.

My extended family gathered around my grandmother, needing to comfort her - as much as we may miss Aaba, for Aaji - I can't even begin to imagine what she's going through. 65 years - lives so closely intertwined - sundered apart in a second. Her blank eyes and still hands say it all - and yet from some deep reserves she is summoning up the courage to face the empty day, to retain a semblance of normalcy - all so that we don't worry about her. What absolute strength of character!

And while Aaba will be deeply mourned by many, I do hope that we can also find a way to celebrate his incredible life. It is up to us, his grand-children, to carry his legacy forward, to make sure that those stories, those memories - bittersweet today, invaluable tomorrow - remain alive, and above all, to learn to live like he did - Carpe diem, and full force ahead!!

I will miss you, Aaba.