hawaii is so lucky

my cousin left for the US today. she and her husband are migrating to hawaii. we haven't seen each other for years before this visit, and we were only too lucky to get to spend a few months with her here in the Philippines.

in a clan of 12 brothers and sisters, (i have over 100 first degree relatives) its hard to pick favorites. but growing up, and even up to now, she was always my favorite. she was everyone's favorite. we would fight about where she would sleep during summer vacations, who got to sit beside her in the car, and who would win the coveted title of "her favorite".

but i think i was the one (apart from her brothers and sisters) who loved her most. the proof is in the fact that when she was in the 6th grade and i was in the first grade she gave me the pajamas she made for class. sure, the leg lengths were uneven, and sure my head hurt when pulled it over (the hole was too tight for a normal sized head to get through), and sure my arms were the only arms that could actually fit comfortably into the arm holes (i weighed 42 lbs. and was known as the walking stick), but i wore that pajama set till it was worn out and gray.

when she was in high school and she gave me the first ever cross-stitch as a birthday gift, (it was the now i lay me down to sleep prayer in a makeshift frame wrapped with plastic), i hung it on my walls and it always had a prominent spot on my walls in our first, second, and third house. i still have it with me up to now, although i promised her i would change the frame and hang it where people can see it and i can laugh out loud when i see it.

she was the one who taught us how to make pastillas from powdered milk and condensed milk, how to appreciate art in nintendo games (we learned about satu from her), how to lie with a straight face (you wouldnt believe the whoppers she told - and that we believed. micoy, again, satu, and our first ideas about life, boys, sex, and everything else i needed to learn from the big sister i never had.)

she was with me when i got my first real suitor (grade 3), she was with me during the first and last time i really got hammered (january 2003 - don't ask), the first time i spent new year's away from the family, the first time i really sat down and watched disgusting porn, the few times that i allowed myself to cry in front of a human being (her). she was there for a lot of firsts, lasts, and in betweens. and im going to miss her so much.

hawaii is so lucky to have her.

these are pictures of her last night. and the fun we had. i will miss her so much. i cant stop saying it.