Long time, no blog!
June and July were quite hectic but also special mainly because our Jakarta fam - my sister Lycel and Rocel - was finally able to come for a visit after over a year. They would usually come home twice a year, specifically summer and Christmas, but of course the pandemic has made travel a challenge. This was especially true in 2021, with the Delta and Omicron surges. They deemed it safer to stay put in Indonesia until the situation improved.
There were a lot of things we wanted to do during their vacation - road trips to the North, a Masungi hike, and a staycation were among those on the list. However, the main priority was dressing up Ate's new crib in Acacia Estates. In line with this, a visit to Ikea was in order.
There were six of us: me, Ate, our brother Junjer, Michael, Sloan, and Rocel.
That photo of Sloan and Ate in a "foot spa" cracks me up hahaha!
Ikea was huge and we would have stayed longer, but we needed to head to the National Museum of Anthropology. Ate, Rocel, Junj, and I were there to join their event for Pride month, while Michael and Sloan were going to roam around on their own.
At the event, it was great being among fellow LGBTQIA+ members. We were encouraged to wear colorful outfits, and I came in green coordinates with a Pride flag that I got from the #PrideinPink rally back in May (see previous blog). Meanwhile, my sister shopped for colorful headdresses that we could go twinning in. Unfortunately, she left everything at home. Hahahahahaha!
There was a short program some speakers talked about Pride and there was also a game where they gave away prizes. After that, we proceeded with the free tour of the museum.
Photo from the National Museum Facebook page :) Ate, Rocel, and I are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th from left, while Junj is in the lower row, first from left.
It was also during this vacation when Ate and Rocel finally got to watch a movie again - their first since the pandemic broke out! They tagged along during my work fam's Love and Thunder movie night.
My favorite part of their visit though was how Sloan was able to spend some quality time with them. He was present in all the get-togethers and even spent a few nights at Ate's new place. He definitely enjoyed the amenities in there (the pool, especially!) and felt quite the grown-up being away from his parents.
They even went on a Mind Museum date!
Sloaney looks so serious here, but he had fun! Haha defensive yarnnn :P
Meanwhile, Michael and I appreciated the unexpected day-off and we did what any parent would have - got a massage and caught up on sleep! Lol.
We had a couple more get-togethers after that, including Junjer's birthday celebration.
Look at the banner at the back - Happy lang, walang Birthday hahahaha! I was in charge of putting it together e tinamad na kong tapusin lolol. Mas masayang maki-chismis e :P
Ate is now back in Jakarta, with Rocel following soon. Missing all the family time already, but glad to have had this chance to catch up in person. More importantly, looking forward to October when we would be traveling together. I cannot wait!
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