Our lives have turned upside down in 2020. It felt like things have gone into limbo and we’re all struggling to find some normalcy in this unexpected situation we’re in.

I felt the need to step back and retrospect. I’m also yearning for a fresh start. I want to continue on what I have already started, but I want a rebrand so I can reconnect and be more inspired again.

When the world is running down, you make the best of what’s still around.
– Sting, The Police

A new name. A redesign of this personal space. A goal and mission that will truly matter not only to me but to others as well. Okay then, I think this rebrand would do the trick.

Especially since I became a parent, it always seems challenging to catch up. Time really flies, tremendously faster than before. Just by then, I said it out loud, “Better to be late than never at all!” And viola, Perpie Lately is born.

Funny enough that I also don’t hang out at places like Starbucks anymore (it’s the parent bug, or leveled up adulting?), and I’ve been drinking less coffee these days (kombucha perhaps anyone?).

What can you expect from me after this change? I don’t want to promise you the moons and the stars. Life’s always evolving, and the same as with this space too. A few constants will remain though. I’ll continue to share my stories as an avid traveler, home cook, and foodie. And this, my yearly review, in a two-year span, just like Two Years Ago. Believe me, time flies! The past two years mark a new life and a death in my family. In 2018, my second daughter is born and my life as a mom has never been the same again. In 2019, my father passed away. Being his daughter, I grieved for his loss, but this turning point also changed my perspective in life, particularly reminding me of the valuable life lessons he had imparted.

Amber says hello world

I was quite rooting for the Indian lamb curry I had for dinner to induce labor. With Imma, it was this Thai chicken curry that I had specially made very spicy, which seemingly prompted her to come out days before my due date. Wide awake that midnight, I started sending Women’s Day greetings to friends when surprisingly Imma started waking up, instinctively crying. Next thing I knew, my waterbag broke.

The time has come – Amber is on the way to see the world! Mommy duties may have magnified twofold, but the ongoing learning experiences of being a parent is helping me overcome the expected challenges and relish every moment I spend with my girls. This time around, I finally found the inner confidence in taking care of my newborn.

Lola in Belgium

Two months after Amber was born, my mom came and stayed with us in Belgium. For the very first time that she traveled outside of her home country, it hadn’t been easy for her. Away from her comfort zone, she got very homesick. Thankfully, my girls cheered her up, and meeting up with my Filipino friends settled her down.

As expected, we toured Lola around Belgium (Lola is Tagalog for grandmother). She was able to see and visit Mechelen, Antwerp, Brussels, Lier, Gent, Brugge, Namur, and Leuven.

A few weeks after Amber’s christening, Lola, the girls, and I flew to Switzerland and stayed with Amber’s ninang (godmother) for a couple of days. We went around visiting Geneva, Berne, Gruyere, and Annecy. It was a happy reunion of sorts with my Filipino friends based in Switzerland.

Summer 2019 in Zeeland

We’re back again to our favorite place in the Dutch neighbor called Zeeland. Along its beautiful coast, we stayed at our favorite holiday park in Nieuwvliet-Bad for a couple of weeks. From Nieuwvliet as our home base, we went to further visit surrounding places like Cadzand and Sluis; and yet even crossed the Belgian border to visit Het Zwin, Knokke-Heist, and Brugge.

Back-to-Back Escapades in Germany

For these two years in a row, we visited some places in Germany. First, we spent our holiday in the German Eifel, which belongs as a low mountain range of the Rhine Upland while a part of it also belongs to the German-speaking community of Belgium.

The year after, not so far from this German region, we stayed in the Vulkaneifel district. From there we went to visit places like Gerolstein, Prüm, Koblenz, and Cochem.

Discovering Zutendaal

I was neither interested to spend our autumn holiday in the Belgian seacoast (too cold and windy) nor at the Ardense (in the middle of nowhere). With our toddlers in tow, I wanted to enjoy being in nature yet have closer access to urban necessities. We found our sweet spot tucked in the province of Limburg and since then we’ve kept coming back.

As one of the greenest municipalities in Flanders, Zutendaal is situated in the Hoge Kempen National Park. It is also close to other interesting places such as Genk, Hasselt, Tongeren, Maasmechelen, and Bokrijk, as well as Maastricht when crossing to the Dutch border.

Back-to-Back Durbuy Weekend Tradition

Amber is the newest member of the Durbuy weekend tradition, and everyone adores her very much. Well, as always, we went on to do what we usually do in Durbuy.

Eat tons of different cheeses for our first dinner. Play board games. Go hiking through the forest (my family has been exempted from doing so since we got our small kiddos). Hang out in the Christmas market. Eat warm potatoes with foie gras. Eat out and drink merrily.

Though last year, we did something exceptionally new – playing the escape room of the Adventure Valley in Durbuy. Hopefully, we do this again next time.

Summer 2019 #PerpieInPinas

Amber was over a year old when she got her first overseas flight to the Philippines. It was quite a challenge to travel with two very young kids this time around, but we still somehow managed to survive, well, arrive at our destination. I’m glad that Amber finally got her chance to meet my dad and my brother and spend some time with them.

As soon as we arrived, we went straight away to Pico de Loro in Batangas (for the second time around) for our well-deserved break and quality time with our girls. A week later, the girls stayed with Lolo and Lola; while I and hubby spent some time together in Iloilo, my parents’ hometown in the Visayas. Then back to Manila, we went on to spend more time together with my family before we bid farewell and return to Belgium.

Return to Pinas – Lolo, een ster in de hemel

A few months after our holiday in the Philippines, I got a phone call from my brother telling me that our dad was brought to the hospital. As time went by since then, we were constantly hoping that my dad’s health would improve, but due to his age and deteriorating condition, he passed away.

Deep sadness, pain, and regret become real when you lose somebody you dear the most. I was in that indescribable moment. Together with Amber, we flew back to the Philippines to see my dad for the last time, laid to rest.

“Lolo is een ster in de hemel!” My girls believe that my dad is now a star in heaven. At my dad’s funeral, Amber would even utter at times, “Lolo slaapt diep.” (Lolo is deeply sleeping).

Your favorite girls are missing you, dad. But we know you are now up there, more conveniently, watching over us.

In the face of all adversity, just keep swimming. Thanks for reminding me, Dory, that plucky, forgetful fish!

So, after months of hiatus, I’m back again. I’m hoping that this huge reset (the new name and the redesign) that I’ve done here will further inspire and motivate me to continue to this endeavor and take it to the next level.

Let’s see how it goes.