Crossing Oceans: Vol. 5 | Merve & Arnas

Hey everybody! I'm now on my fifth wave of the serie Crossing Oceans. I never thought I'll reach this far. And, there's still a lot more stories to come! That is just super overwhelming. Anyways, my weekend was superb and I fully enjoyed the company of my dear brothers and sisters.

So now, let's hear the answers of this couple from Turkey and Lithuania and know how they keep their relationship working even they live 1,992 kilometers away from each other.

So, let's start the Q&A. :)



How did you and your partner meet?
We met when he came to my school with Erasmus Project. I sent him friend request on Facebook and then we started talking.

How long have you guys been together?
We have been together more than 2 years.

What is your & your partner's nationality?
I’m Turkish and he is Lithuanian.

What is the biggest pet peeve in your relationship?
amm the most annoying thing is distance in our relationship. But it’s not that bad because You
start learning how important time is. So you try to have most amazing moments w people you love. Because you know that you may not be able to have it.

How do you deal with your interracial differences?
We have more tolerance for each other and respectful to our cultural differences as well. For me, it’s so awesome to learn new things about his country. we are open-minded as well.we like to explore new places, put something new in our lives.

What was the worst problem you've encounter in your relationship?
Well the biggest problem for us was religion. I’m Muslim but he was atheist. You may know that a Muslim person cannot marry w a non Muslim person. All the time when we started talking about religion, we're arguing. Then made a deal wi him. If I would prove the answers of his questions in our holy book, he would start searching my religion more. I tried to prove and after some time, he changed his mind. He searched more and got closer to Islam. A year later of our relationship he converted himself to Muslim.

What quality do you like most about your partner?
I like the most that he is so respectful to me, especially to my parents. Also even if it is first time to be in somewhere and meet someone, he behaves so sincerely and can find his feet easily.

What was the best gift you have ever received from your partner?
Best gift I’ve received from him was teddy bear.

What was the greatest sacrifice you've done for your partner so far?
yet I do. But probably will be when I will move to Lithuania.

What makes your relationship unique and special?
Having him makes everything special. It’s so perfect that we can understand from our voices
when something is wrong for us. We can handle many problems together. No matter what we can support each other and we know how to make a harmony from our differences.

What do you look forward to in your relationship on the next 10 years?
Ohh imagine myself as a psychologist, married him, exploring the world and having kids in 10 years.

What advice can you give to other LDR couples out there?
First of all would like to say that if you really think that you can handle a long distance relationship, then start. İt’s not that easy, there will be times no talking, having limited times, feeling alone and saying good byes. Be patient, trust your partner and stay positive. I think being positive is the most important thing in a relationship. Because no one would want someone who always think of bad things. Always smile to your love, give all support as much as you can. Don’t hide anything from him/her because EVEN if it would be nothing or unnecessary for you, could be so much for that person so those hidden things could ruin your relationship easily. When you argue with your partner, immediately remember how limited time is and it may be your last time to see your love. Fighting LDR family! You can do it!.


And through this post, I am extending my appreciation to this couple for taking time answering the questions. Thanks again M & A!

the sunday currently | vol. 8

Hi there dear readers! I skipped a serie because of the dinner I had with the girls last week. But this time, I am making sure to post the current happening on my Sunday. And this week, there's another couple who will grace my interview again. Awesome!

This week was not likely nice. My husband has been sick and coughing because of an allergy, which we do not know from what. He was refrained to eat chicken and egg since protein triggers allergy the most.

Anyways, currently I am...

Reading the visa requirement form the embassy gave me for my next trip to Europe. We first planned to have the trip next month but due to circumstances, we might reschedule it in October. Things still might change though. But I hope I'll be able to get a visa so I can be with my husband in Europe this coming holiday.

Writing this serie, obviously. Haha. But aside from that, I am also busy with a post about the things we used as DIY on our wedding day. I finished gathering some photos and I just need to edit them and start writing.

Listening to the boiling sound of the corn kernels I am cooking. I do not have any mixtapes right now, except the Secondhand Serenade playlist I always listen to over Google Home.

Thinking about the convention we're going to attend next weekend. We will leave on Thursday since GJ has a meeting at 4pm that time, and me, I think I will just roam around the mall alone. Sad. But happily, the next day will be my most awaited convention of the year. I actually can't wait!

Smelling the smell of the corn.

Wishing that there'll be some come to come in though I am on leave from work.

Hoping for my husband's fast recovery from fever and flu, and yes, from his allergy. :(

Wearing my duster, I do not know how it is called in English, but it is a long shirt, or a shirt with long body length that act as a skirt.

Loving my vacation days! It is like forever since I had vacation from work. It is a bit stressing so now that I do not have one, I am enjoying and using the days to the fullest! I also love the new shopping haul I got last week. GJ and I bought some shoes for me, bags, dresses, and they're all so nice. I got a uniform color of gray.

Wanting to make time stand still so I can do everything I need to do today. Time flies, and I hate it. -_-

Needing the e-invite for the event at the mall later. They said they'll send me one, but until now, I don't hear enything from them. Maybe, I am not invited anymore. Anyways, that is a bit confusing with their schedule. They said that the registration will be at 5:30pm, but now, it changed to 4:00pm. 0.0

Feeling groggy because I just woke up. My muscles ache too. I might have my period soon. I don't know. I do not want to get sick!

Watching the serie SUITS. It still is the one we're watching while eating. Though season 2 isn't that fun anymore, we still continue watching it.

So I think that's it! How about you? How was your week so far?

Crossing Oceans: Vol. 4 | Chris & Elaine

Hello everyone! It's Crossing Oceans serie again! Thank you guys for being patient. I once said that I will post at least 2 interviews each week, but due to my schedule, it is not possible. But this serie being active, I am happy enough. *grin*

So with flying confetti for the slight success of this serie, let's give a heads up to this lovely couple. Mr. Chris and Ms. Elaine are one of those Dutch-Pinay couple I've been talking with over Instagram.

So, let's start the Q&A. :)



How did you and your partner meet?
We met online on an international dating website.

How long have you guys been together?
We have been together for 2 years and 2 months

What is your & your partner's nationality?
I am a Filipina and my partner is Dutch

What is the biggest pet peeve in your relationship?
I think the most common pet peeve in a long distance relationship is fighting due to missing. I think him working for 10-12 hours a day was the hardest part for me, it just boiled up sometimes. But that was when we were still in a ldr, i think right now we don't have any.

How do you deal with your interracial differences?
I think its all about respecting each others differences, you can learn from each other on different levels ( language, culture, food, social interaction and religion) I think being different like that will give your relationship more depth. Just be open to learn.

What was the worst problem you've encounter in your relationship?
To be honest we are lucky enough that we didn't face any mayor problems yet, but for our first meeting we were planning to take a small vacation together in the Philippines. So during the process of planning this trip, Chris decided that it would be easier to let me do the booking, so he transferred his share of the money to me. Instead of sending him my bank account number i send him my card number. Lucky enough that number didn't exist on that specific bank and we were lucky enough to get it back. But it was stressful for few weeks.

What quality do you like most about your partner?
Elaine: the thing i like the most about Chris is his effort on how to make this relationship work. He is always so sincere towards me and open to try new things.
Chris: the thing i like the most about Elaine is she can be really (naturally) funny. She can be a bit clumsy sometimes, which makes her adorable.

What was the best gift you have ever received from your partner?
We are both not really materialistic. We rather save that money for our future. But he send me a birthday surprise to me while I was at my work.

What was the greatest sacrifice you've done for your partner so far?
I think the greatest sacrifice we had to make this last year is time with each other. After our second meeting we were really thinking about our future and how to reach that. We starting working a lot in order to save enough money, sometimes even 7 days a week. Probably only spending 1 hour together and it was mostly during work as well.

What makes your relationship unique and special?
What makes us unique is that we are really simple and we don't need much. Most people probably think we will settle down in the Netherlands because he is Dutch. But we think trying something new would fit us more.

What do you look forward to in your relationship on the next 10 years?
Settling down in a country and be financialy stable.

What advice can you give to other LDR couples out there?
I think the best advice we can give is: Make plans, pursue them and don't give up!


Don't give up! I like that phrase too! If you hold on to what you love and what makes you happy, there's nothing in the world that can stop you. Also, the best would be a threefold cord, God's guidance.

And through this post, I am extending my appreciation to this couple for taking time answering the questions. Thanks again Chrislain!

Dining Report: Small Sunday Smorgasbord

I will skip the serie the sunday currently for now, because I want to talk a bit about the dinner we had last Sunday. This is a definitely late post, but hey, it was just two days ago. It is still acceptable, right?

Since I transferred to my husband's flat, we already planned of inviting some people to have a small get together and encourage one another. After few months, the plan finally materialized. GJ had a small boy's night at a friend's house. And at home, I hosted a small smorgasbord. According to Google, smorgasbord is a buffet offering with variety of hot and cold meats, salads, hors d'oeuvres, etc. or a wide range of something. And Wikipedia states that in Pennsylvania, smorgasbords are popular Pennsylvania Dutch-style buffets that are often associated with Amish-made meals. It is also called koud buffet (cold buffet) in The Netherlands.

The inspiration came from a blogger friend when she posted a cheese box with smoked meats on her Instagram. Since then, I never stopped looking on hashtags with #cheeseboard, #charcuteriboard, #grazeplatter and the like over IG. It then became a dream for me to host a party with the same theme. When I was in The Netherlands, my parents-in-law organized a small party after my brother-in-law's wedding. Hayys, such a nice experience having these small dishes on the table and having all different or varieties of taste at once.

Last Sunday, I finally made up my mind to make a party with this theme. It is easy because all I needed to do was unpack snacks and laid them in the serving plates. That was an easy one. And since no cooking required, I had all the time that I need to take beautiful photos and enjoyed resting. For my guests, I only had a handful of invites because that's the only number our house can accommodate.

After eating, we played Dixit (a card game which I do not know where it came from, but very fun to play) and Taboo. And, we finished at past nine. It was a very fun night. I hope we can host another party at home again even before we live for The Netherlands. We are now getting busy in preparing the papers and documents for the trip!\

Yes, that's all! See you in my next stories!

Crossing Oceans: Vol. 3 | Bandon & Riri

With all honesty, this is one of my favorite interview. And I am very excited to post it here in my blog. When I asked Ms. Riri, she was so ecstatic to answer the questions. You can also see how witty she is. With puns intended, I enjoyed every single answered she shared. You may want to continue reading to understand what I mean.

I've learned about her through social media. Though we do not have that much contact, I always admire the snippets of her life that appear on my feed. Seeing her posts just makes me say, "hayyyyy" :)

So, let's start the Q&A. :)



How did you and your partner meet?
Me and Brandon met on OKCupid, a dating app. You'd never know where an ad could take you!

How long have you guys been together?
We've been together for 2 years and 5 months now

What is your & your partner's nationality?
I'm a Filipina and he's an American living in Texas and he's like "Everything is bigger in Texas"

What is the biggest pet peeve in your relationship?
My pet peeve in our relationship would be him leaving all his chargers plugged in even when he's not using it and he would call me mom haha. I can't really of things that he does that seriously annoy me

How do you deal with your interracial differences?
Well, it's amazing that we don't struggle that much with our culture differences since Brandon is very curious and loves to learn and adapt my culture. He actually bought a Filipino dictionary to self-study useful Filipino sentences and phrases. He's very friendly with everyone and that's very adorable. He eats everything on our Filipino table and my family appreciates that since eating, food is an integral part of Filipino culture. However, he doesn't like the idea of balut. And as a good girlfriend I have to respect that and I never asked him to try it out. You don't have to force your foreign boyfriend to do something he doesn't like just for fun. He also like buying shirts with Filipino touch on them and sees my people as affectionate, hardworking Pinoys. That makes me proud.

What was the worst problem you've encounter in your relationship?
This is no joke. We never argued throughout these years. 🤷 We call it compatibility and maturation. However, we know that our relationship won't be forever smooth but we promise that if ever something arguable, miserable happens we will solve it together, will talk, will understand because we're each other's confidant. Also, he's a very optimistic person, very smart and gentle too. The only thing I can call "challenge" is the distance between us. There are times I just feel really sad for not having him around me. It's inevitable for now but it's not going to be forever.

What quality do you like most about your partner?
What I love about him the most is his optimism. Maybe that's why God gave me him because he's a ball of positive energy and I wasn't. He's someone who would say "It's okay baby. You're still the sexiest of them all" to me after committing gluttony and I need that positivity in my life hahaha. But seriously, he's very uplifting and encourages me to do better and to transform everything I worry about into something beautiful instead.

What was the best gift you have ever received from your partner?
For now, all I can think of is him making me her fiancee. It's the best gift he had given me. We're a few steps closer to what we want and deserve. Nothing is more precious than being loved the way every girl deserves.

What was the greatest sacrifice you've done for your partner so far?
Last June 2017 I've decided to not attend the class for more than two weeks straight and he didn't like it and was very guilty but I wanted to spend time with him every second of his stay. I was almost dropped in every subject but I had to make false excuses and fortunately made it back on track. I was even one of the topnotchers of our qualifying exam 😂 That's the only sacrifice I had to do. He usually does the sacrificing haha

What makes your relationship unique and special?
What makes our relationship unique and special is that we don't argue. That's something I always say. Some people think relationship without fights are not healthy but what about talking about things that bother you in your relationship instead of keeping it to yourself and end up feeling miserable and then there comes fights because of misunderstanding.Also, you don't have to compare your boyfriend to someone else's. We're a genuinely happy couple ♥️

What do you look forward to in your relationship on the next 10 years?
I'm looking forward to being the responsible wife I wanted to be. I look forward for more adventures and success and also a healthy, happy family of my own.

What advice can you give to other LDR couples out there?
My advice would be to have both hearts of a lover and a best friend. Be genuine, patient, dedicated and kind. Work as a team who motivates each other. Always try to be the one who will make him feel better. Throughout the day he would get stressed and tired and you have to be his saving grace. (It will be reciprocated) Also, always believe in the power of love no matter how far the distance is. You two meet for a reason and always keep that in mind. And don't listen to people doubting your relationship. You don't need their approval. 😊


There is really a strong bond when both work as a team. It is also one of the best thing that helped us in our relationship. Thanks for accommodating my questions Ms. Riri!

So, that's it! See you again guys on my next feature!

Eat, Drink And Be Thankful

For the past months since I got married, I really enjoyed working at night and taking good care of my husband in the morning. There are a lot of errands and blog events to attend too, but I won't let them take away the joy cooking gives me.

For college, I took up a bachelor's degree in Hotel and Restaurant Managing. From its name itself, the course was intended to teach the student to learn on how to manage any account in hotel industry. There were only minor courses within the course to spend for cooking, baking, bar tending, housekeeping and the like.

I always love those subjects. After doing my researches, I will tell my groupmates what will we have in the table for the instructor in an specific date. Then, we are going to work on it. When time permits, I will volunteer to do the grocery shopping, and now, it is one thing for sure that I love doing!

Our family loves food. We do not settle on simple bland dishes but always explore what's new and what's peculiar. That's where I got this passion I guess. My mom loves cooking too. And so, it was passed on me. It is like an anti depressant when I feel tired and stressed. Baking is second. :)

Now that i have my own family, I always see to it that the people who will step on my doorstep to eat at our place will always be satisfied when they get out of the house. Mastering a recipe isn't my forte though. I don't even taste the food while cooking. I just let the aroma tell where it lacks or what it is in excess. Anyways, some of the food I cook doesn't need any adjustment like that.

So last time, I tried making a video of how I make a viand at home. This time, it is Chili con Carne. I first tried it when our friends from the US invited us for dinner. They've served us with minced beef with red beans and corn kernels. after that, I got curious and tried making my own. Well, that's just what I do normally. When I tried something, and I liked it, soon enough, it will be present in my kitchen (my favorite part of the house).


I am grateful that my husband is a food lover too. We have the same mindset about boring and non boring foods as we call them. And he always tells me that he appreciate the food I make, that they taste good. And I am happy with that. It only makes me fonder of cooking. I am also thankful for all the blessings in our table, for the lovely provision of physical food that we consume every day.