I recently spent the Holy Week and a chunk of my summer vacation in our idyllic hometown after being gone for over 3 years.

• Watching the multitudes of stars on a clear summer night
• Giant Morions two-storeys high parading the streets
• Getting big discounts on the flea markets during their last day
• Watermelons and halo-halo
• The sound of waves gently lapping the beach
• Afternoon siestas to escape the heat
• Shell-picking
• Having my 4-year-old goddaughter to play with
• Delicious home-cooked meals by my aunt and grandma who are the best cooks in the world
• The sulfuric hot springs (which is actually on the next town)
• Old, ancestral houses