I have a new pair of shoes!
And it's one of the most beautiful shoes I've ever laid my eyes on.
I know I don't need another one. Call it absurd, a weakness, a toxic trait, or whatever. But shoes do make me happy. Probably because I may have been healing from my "past traumas". You know, the time when we couldn't afford such. Growing up, I've never really owned more than one pair at a time, and it is usually a tad bigger for my feet just so I can use it longer until it gets worn through the soles.
When I started working, majority of my shoes were from ukay-ukay. I did "splurge" but I would still limit my choices only to the items displayed on the discounted rack and never bought anything more than Php1,000 because that was already a luxury for me.
Jan renewed his driver's license today. I already renewed mine last year so I shared with him my experience to set his expectations—the entire renewal process may take the entire day.
Since his license has already expired, I drove him to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in the morning. His appointment was at 8am. I decided to leave the car keys with him because I reckon he would be done in the afternoon, and he could just fetch Rhett right after school. Then I took a jeepney on my way back.
I decided to eat breakfast the moment I got home, and just when I was about to take my first bite, I received a message from him.
Much has happened the past weeks. I don't even know where to begin. But I guess, I'll start with the news that we now have two feral toddlers to keep an eye on.
Our little girl, Isabel, turned one this month. And I know I have already said that we won't be traveling until she turns two. But here I am, creating a toddler-friendly itinerary for our next out-of-the-country trip.
I am sure no one is going to disagree when I say that traveling with a toddler is a pain in the ass. I've seen it, experienced it, and proven it an understatement. Yet, we find ourselves turning a blind eye to the thought that with these feral two in tow, we may never be able to relax—which defeats the purpose of a vacation.
Yes, folks! I still play (with really long breaks in between). And yes, after 1,3xx hours, I am NOT YET DONE. I strongly believe that no Resident Representative (a.k.a Player 1), not one, has ever finished this game. I lost count on how many times I've tore down some parts of my island because new ideas and inspirations always come popping in. And when I "finish", I actually feel the need to start another. The possibilities are so endless!
My island is a never ending work in progress but, at least, I have some update and I know it's getting better with each build. (Related article: my last island tour)
So let's start...
The Entrance
When I first built my island, I didn't care about entrances. I chose and island layout where the Resident Services (town hall) is near the airport because I thought it would be better for easy access. Until I started joining catalog parties and trading with other players around the globe that every time I step out of their airports, their grand entrances would stun me, wishing I could stay long to explore their islands.
That's when I realized that my town hall is way too close to the airport. Since it is not aligned sensibly and the structure cannot be relocated, I had a hard time designing my entrance creatively. It took me too many builds before I settled with this one:
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| This is what you will see the moment you step out of the airport. |
