When Xiu Ling and Joann landed at the airport, there were already people waiting for them. The man had a placard that had the words 'Xiu Ling & Joann' written on it. He was a courier sent by the hotel they were going to stay at.
Speaking of which, when the two women arrived, they were taken aback by the scale and size of their lodging. It had all the necessary amenities imaginable from gym to spa, from sauna to both outdoor and indoor swimming pools. Such was the scale of a five star hotel.
The surprises did not stop there. The room Xiu Ling and Joann had booked was the presidential suite and the 'room' itself took up an entire floor. There were separate bedrooms, each with their own attached bathrooms, a central bathroom that had a Jacuzzi, an entertainment room with a pool table, a large television, karaoke machine, and a balcony that provided an amazing view of the city, Kyoto.
Even Joann, who had always been treated well on the account of her celebrity status, was impressed by the amount of luxury she had had the fortune to experience on this trip.
The first thing the ladies did after tipping the bellboy who helped them with their luggage was to lie down for a rest before even unloading their stuff. The plane ride was long and they were tired.
That was how Xiu Ling and Joann spend their first few hours at Japan, napping in the room that was impossibly large for two people to share. This was a good decision because they woke up all refreshed and prepared to tackle the world.
Xiu Ling and Joann took turns taking the shower and unloading their suitcases. There were pretty everyday activities but somehow, doing them in a foreign land just had that exotic flair to it.
When they were done with everything, it was almost time for dinner. Since they did not feel like going out that late at night, the ladies decided to dine at the hotel.
Joann put on a simple dress blouse and a skirt while Xiu Ling donned a white dress before they departed for the rooftop bar.
Kyoto was a city where Japanese culture was most preserved, be it in terms of the people's culture or their architecture. Sitting at the rooftop bar that overlooked the city, it felt like they had stepped back in time to feudal Japan. Instead of modern streetlights, lighting fixtures in the shape of traditional lanterns lined the roads. There were not many skyscrapers and the several buildings that were higher than others were temples and shrines which were an interesting attraction at Kyoto. They added to the place's sense of history.
The atmosphere at the rooftop bar was private and intimate. This was on two accounts, one, the bar was only open to the hotel's clientele and two, the period of Xiu Ling and Joann's visitation was not close to any huge holiday. They were practically the only customers the establishment served that night.
Even though they were by no means, a couple but Xiu Ling and Joann had a candlelight dinner because that was what the chef recommended. It was apparently some kind of promotion the restaurant was having.
The food came in heart shapes and the table setting came with stems of roses or rose petals. Even the alcoholic drinks came in the romantic colour of pink. Even so, the food and drinks were delicious, befitting the standard of a five star hotel.
Both Xiu Ling and Joann had a great laugh at this. Just to play along with it, they started calling each other 'honey' and cutting the food up to feed the other person. It felt nice because it was a throw-back to simpler times, when things were frivolous and they could both do silly things like this.
24 hours ago, they were dealing with mundane problems in their everyday lives. The only thing they did was hop on a plane but it felt like their old selves had been shed, and they were inhabiting a new albeit temporary identities overseas. The feeling was surreal to say the least.
After throwing a piece of well-done steak into her mouth, Xiu Ling put her utensils down and sighed, "This is nice… Joann, thank you for coming on this journey with me."
Joann took a sip of the pink-coloured liquid that they were served and she smiled. She had no idea what kind of drink it was, probably some high-end custom-made cocktail but it sure tasted wonderful. "No, I should thank you for inviting me."
Xiu Ling turned towards her head to look over the edge of the building and the wind picked up to flutter her hair. The stars were out that night and they could not have asked for a better view to accompany their night.
After a few minutes of silence to appreciate the beauty that was around them, Xiu Ling suddenly uttered, "This is the first time since Lin Xi was born that I find myself not thinking about him or missing him. Is that a bad thing?"
Joann replied with mock annoyance, "Didn't we say we're going to leave all those things back at home? Why are you bringing this topic up now?"
Then she added in a more sincere tone, "But, in any case, I don't think that is such a bad thing. After all, we mothers need more time to ourselves so that we can get reenergized and prepare to face the world for another day.
"Yes, we're doing this for ourselves but we're also doing this for people around us. We have to learn to take care of ourselves before we take care of others.
"Furthermore, it has always been my opinion that a girl's life doesn't end after she becomes a mother. Sometimes, it's nice to walk out from that role that heavily defines us and remind ourselves the kind of person we are beyond the identity of a mother."
When Xiu Ling and Joann landed at the airport, there were already people waiting for them. The man had a placard that had the words 'Xiu Ling & Joann' written on it. He was a courier sent by the hotel they were going to stay at.
Speaking of which, when the two women arrived, they were taken aback by the scale and size of their lodging. It had all the necessary amenities imaginable from gym to spa, from sauna to both outdoor and indoor swimming pools. Such was the scale of a five star hotel.
The surprises did not stop there. The room Xiu Ling and Joann had booked was the presidential suite and the 'room' itself took up an entire floor. There were separate bedrooms, each with their own attached bathrooms, a central bathroom that had a Jacuzzi, an entertainment room with a pool table, a large television, karaoke machine, and a balcony that provided an amazing view of the city, Kyoto.
Even Joann, who had always been treated well on the account of her celebrity status, was impressed by the amount of luxury she had had the fortune to experience on this trip.
The first thing the ladies did after tipping the bellboy who helped them with their luggage was to lie down for a rest before even unloading their stuff. The plane ride was long and they were tired.
That was how Xiu Ling and Joann spend their first few hours at Japan, napping in the room that was impossibly large for two people to share. This was a good decision because they woke up all refreshed and prepared to tackle the world.
Xiu Ling and Joann took turns taking the shower and unloading their suitcases. There were pretty everyday activities but somehow, doing them in a foreign land just had that exotic flair to it.
When they were done with everything, it was almost time for dinner. Since they did not feel like going out that late at night, the ladies decided to dine at the hotel.
Joann put on a simple dress blouse and a skirt while Xiu Ling donned a white dress before they departed for the rooftop bar.
Kyoto was a city where Japanese culture was most preserved, be it in terms of the people's culture or their architecture. Sitting at the rooftop bar that overlooked the city, it felt like they had stepped back in time to feudal Japan. Instead of modern streetlights, lighting fixtures in the shape of traditional lanterns lined the roads. There were not many skyscrapers and the several buildings that were higher than others were temples and shrines which were an interesting attraction at Kyoto. They added to the place's sense of history.
The atmosphere at the rooftop bar was private and intimate. This was on two accounts, one, the bar was only open to the hotel's clientele and two, the period of Xiu Ling and Joann's visitation was not close to any huge holiday. They were practically the only customers the establishment served that night.
Even though they were by no means, a couple but Xiu Ling and Joann had a candlelight dinner because that was what the chef recommended. It was apparently some kind of promotion the restaurant was having.
The food came in heart shapes and the table setting came with stems of roses or rose petals. Even the alcoholic drinks came in the romantic colour of pink. Even so, the food and drinks were delicious, befitting the standard of a five star hotel.
Both Xiu Ling and Joann had a great laugh at this. Just to play along with it, they started calling each other 'honey' and cutting the food up to feed the other person. It felt nice because it was a throw-back to simpler times, when things were frivolous and they could both do silly things like this.
24 hours ago, they were dealing with mundane problems in their everyday lives. The only thing they did was hop on a plane but it felt like their old selves had been shed, and they were inhabiting a new albeit temporary identities overseas. The feeling was surreal to say the least.
After throwing a piece of well-done steak into her mouth, Xiu Ling put her utensils down and sighed, "This is nice… Joann, thank you for coming on this journey with me."
Joann took a sip of the pink-coloured liquid that they were served and she smiled. She had no idea what kind of drink it was, probably some high-end custom-made cocktail but it sure tasted wonderful. "No, I should thank you for inviting me."
Xiu Ling turned towards her head to look over the edge of the building and the wind picked up to flutter her hair. The stars were out that night and they could not have asked for a better view to accompany their night.
After a few minutes of silence to appreciate the beauty that was around them, Xiu Ling suddenly uttered, "This is the first time since Lin Xi was born that I find myself not thinking about him or missing him. Is that a bad thing?"
Joann replied with mock annoyance, "Didn't we say we're going to leave all those things back at home? Why are you bringing this topic up now?"
Then she added in a more sincere tone, "But, in any case, I don't think that is such a bad thing. After all, we mothers need more time to ourselves so that we can get reenergized and prepare to face the world for another day.
"Yes, we're doing this for ourselves but we're also doing this for people around us. We have to learn to take care of ourselves before we take care of others.
"Furthermore, it has always been my opinion that a girl's life doesn't end after she becomes a mother. Sometimes, it's nice to walk out from that role that heavily defines us and remind ourselves the kind of person we are beyond the identity of a mother."
