The Ballards

May I present the newlyweds?

My sister got married yesterday. She's now Mrs. Julia Ballard. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? It was quite the whirlwind wedding really. If they hadn't married yesterday, the United States Air Force would have shipped them off to different locations, unable to see each other for years. How tragic. So instead, they had a small ceremony with John's family as witnesses. So here's to their happiness and their new life together, may your story end with a happily ever after.

Phones, Tubs And Caps

Why is the lighting in a bathroom so gosh darn wonderful? Seriously. This is why there are so many bathroom pictures. The lighting is superb.

And why would you call someone on the toilet? Just why? To get someone to bring you a roll of toilet paper when you're out?

We wanted to have a bubble bath. We did. Well. Raye did.

Oh cliche bathroom picture, we all love and hate you at the same time. And shower cap? I could never hate you.

Aaaand I'll just leave this unicorn/photographer/struggling musician picture right here. Little hint, I'm the unicorn(:

Hotel Adventures

Let me just begin by saying, I've never gotten as much trouble as I got from the front desk lady at Marco Polo. We spent an hour trying to check in. And with excuse after excuse, she wouldn't let us. I finally had to call in a friend who had to call in her dad to check us in. This was after I got the head of security down, so that we could explain the situation. What an absolute bother.

But we shook those bad vibes and Alyssa strummed songs on Panjee's guitar. I am slightly ashamed to say, we sang One Direction. It's just so gosh darn catchy.

And then I got a wicked little idea to start a pillow fight. Yes, girls actually do have pillow fights at sleepovers.

Raynard found the closet. Which he came out of. Multiple times.

Then we found the phone next to the toilet. But that's another story(;

Bleached Tips And A Fried Fish

Let's play a little game, shall we?

Easy Level: Spot the bleached tips.

Medium Level: Find the mole.

Difficult Level: Spot the fried fish.

Good luck!(:

Aged Beauty

On our trip, we stopped by the T'boli Museum. I have to say, I was completely captured by the museum's caretaker. She was dressed casually but there was a certain mysterious, tribal vibe to her. She moved silently, her feet treading carefully on the bamboo floor. The floor that creaked and groaned under our steps stayed quiet under hers.

She wore no jewelry on her body except for her ears. They were adorned with gold hoops, beads and hanging chains. And on the very first, her piercing was a mirror. Surrounded by a gold hoop. Surrounded by a circle of beads.

Each fold of skin. Each worn crinkle told a story. A tale I would never know. A mystery she would keep until the day her beautiful brown skin would fold with the brown ground she walked on. But this woman will not fade. Her imprint will shine with the rays of sun she has walked under her entire existence.

The Taga Bukid Kids: Growing Pains

Well, this bring us to the end of a journey. The end of an adventure. The end of a series.  I always feel sad when something I like ends, like a movie series. And then I end up frantically looking for behind the scenes interviews or pictures. 

He is just so precious. And you can't tell me any different!

I'll be posting more from this trip, just no longer under the name The Taga Bukid Kids. Because we're no longer children. I have to face the fact that we're no longer the MacIntosh quartet. One is giving away her name. No longer a MacIntosh but a Ballard.

My beautiful sister. My "twin". My confidant. My comfort. My hope. My Julia.

It's an ever growing pain to see her unraveling our tightly knotted bond each day. Making new friends. Falling in love. Moving on.  But it's a bittersweet pain. As she unties our knot, I see we are still connected, a long rope between us. We are free to embrace others into our lives, without being hindered by the knot. And this space makes room for another. A brother.

So I bid farewell to those taga bukid kids. Because they run away from me, back into the past. Back into my memories. Where I shall look upon them on a rainy day, perfect for looking back.

The Taga Bukid Kids: Monkey Falls

Daddy just has to be taller than us.

I'm such a whitie compared to my sisters. -_-

My Dad was the first one to feed the wild monkeys. A baby and an adult. The baby? Adorbs. The adult? Total bully!

The Taga Bukid Kids: Winding Roads

You know that poem by Robert Frost? "The Road Not Taken"?

Well recently, I've been feeling like a traveler that has to choose between two paths. Both unknown. Both frightening. And I'm stuck. I can't decide.

Either one could lead to ruin. Disaster. Pain. Misery. Or Redemption.

The decision weighs heavily on my shoulders. And I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to carry it.

"And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back."

The Taga Bukid Kids: Part 1

Whenever people ask where I'm from, I always reply, "Mississippi." And that's partially true. I spent my pubescent years in good ol' MS. But in actuality I'm from the province. Taga Bukid. 

Going to Lake Sebu reminded me of my roots. When we used to swim in the creek.  

Pick up random objects and be fascinated with them.

When the world was so simple.

My feet feel heavy and worn. It's hard to face the next day when you don't know what's to come. 

But when that first ray of sunlight hit me, (and I was up at 5:30 am so it really was the first) I felt the first warmth of the day. And it beat the chill of the night. And I was hopeful.

Fields of Gold - Sting