a matter of teys.t

If you want to try affordable Wagyu beef you can order them at Harana, Sarungbanggi or Bistro Rosario along Torres Street in Davao.

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It’s been just three days here in Davao and we are stuffed to our ears. The eating has been non-stop. The parties and festivities go on and on every day and the kids have been eating to their hearts’ content. Of course, this only happens once a year during Christmas with the grandparents. The rest of the year, they make do with what the husband and I can dish out which is nothing compared to what they have right now. Thank God it’s only once a year though because if it was like this everyday, we might be needing an implant dentist Plano en punto! There’s still a lot more eating ahead of us and a little adventure as well. I’m looking forward to doing that zip cord thing in Kapatagan in a few days. I’ve seen it in Sports Unlimited on TV so I hope I’m brave enough to try it. LOL

Merry Christmas everyone!

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We usually spend Christmas with the kids’ grandparents every year but this year, home for the holidays will be a little late. The recent typhoons have affected school holiday schedules so instead of being two weeks early for Christmas with them, we leave Manila on December 24 because the husband still has classes till December 23. We’ve never traveled one day before Christmas ever since I can remember, so I really don’t know what it’s like to be in the airport on Christmas Eve.

Because of our shortened holiday, I guess, I don’t really have to pack so much. I think the kids’ stuff will fit in their Sammie, the ladybug Samsonite luggage set we got on sale years ago. I’m also thinking if all our stuff (the husband’s and mine) will fit in our carry-on luggage as well so we can just use the express check-in. My siblings and I did that a few months ago when we traveled together to Cebu. Absolutely less hassle. It’s still approximately 7 weeks away. That gives me a little more time to fix things around our house before we leave. I’m sure the kids can’t wait to see the tree house and the little house in the woods.

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Speaking of L.A., I remember years ago when the husband and I drove from Arizona all the way to L.A. I remember the first time we did that… I was pregnant with our son and I don’t know what we were thinking back then but all we had for a map was an itty bitty map at the back of a slim pocket planner. OMG, talk about crazy. We didn’t really plan well - no cellphones, no emergency numbers, no first aid kit… NADA! It was just us and our rented Chevy Malibu with cruise control (although an rv would have been much better, I think) with a pack of grapes, some sandwiches, our Aquafino water bottles  and our trusty rest-area coupon clippings hahaha. And all along I thought the husband knew what he was doing!

Of course, we got lost, missed a few exits, arrived at around midnight after more than 8 hours of driving. Oh, we did stop by a gas station to get ourselves a real map but that was only afte we reached L.A. Prior to that we relied on the maps that were in the rest area coupon booklets.  Que horror! For me, driving through L.A. is like a horror movie especially if you are used to the grid-like streets of AZ - the L.A. freeway is a nightmare! But in the end, it makes for good memories. I hope someday we can do it again… but this time I know now what I need to bring. :)

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LP-Kandado

Ito ay isa sa pintuan papalabas sa tarmac ng Legazpi Airport sa Albay . Ito ay nakasarado at walang pasaherong makalabas sapagkat ang aming Cebu Pacific flight papuntang Maynila ay nadelay dahil sa masamang panahon. Kami ay naipit sa paliparan ng mahigit sa dalawa o tatlong oras yata sa kasagsagan ng promo ng Cebu Pacific na sila ang airline na “always on time”. Kamuntik na talaga kaming hindi makauwi ng di oras sapagkat pinahinto ang mga eroplanong papalabas ng Maynila. Akala ko ay magiging preso na kami sa airport. Habang naghihintay ay pinagpiyestahang kong kunan na lang ang Mayon na natatabunan ng ulap. Mabuti na lamang at mayroong eroplanong dumating at pinayagang magbiyahe pabalik ng Maynila. Hay salamat! Nakauwi din kaming mag-anak. Baka kung hindi ay gayahin ko si Bonifacio at maglabas na ako ng itak para punitin ang aking sedula, este tiket pala. :)

Hapi lp mga kapatid!

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LP - Dito Lang.

Dito lang sa isla ng Pan-ay matatagpuan ang pinakamalaking kampana sa Asya. Sa sobrang laki nya at sa sobrang kitid din ng kampanaryo ay di ko ito makunan nang buo. Mga bahagi lamang nya at ang mga salitang nakasulat sa bukana ng kampanaryo na nagsasaad na siya nga ang pinakamalaking kampana sa Asya. Ito ay mga kuha ko ng kami ay umuwi sa Capiz (probinsya ng pamilya ng aking kabiyak) noong isang taon.

Simbahan ng Pan-ay

sa harap ng simbahan

sa bukana ng kampanaryo

sideview ng kampana

pansinin nyo ang kalembang kumpara sa kampana sa likod

eto ang  isa pang view.

Makisali na sa mga litratistang Pinoy dito:

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LP-Puso

Sa aming paglalayag noong kapaskuhan, binalak naming pumunta sana sa Geothermal Power Plant sa Mt. Apo para ipakita sa aming mga tsikiting ang pangalawang pinakamalaking planta ng alternatibong enerhiyang geothermal sa buong mundo subalit nasa kalahati pa lang kami ng aming biyahe ay di na nakayanan ng aming sasakyan ang biyahe at unti-unti na syang naghingalo at nawalan ng “power” kaya kami ay napilitang huminto sa tabing daan. Kami pala ay napadpad na sa boundary ng Kidapawan, Cotabato at sa aming pagkagulat, mayroon palang magandang pahingahan na pang-turista dito kaya ang aming pagka-unsyami at panghihinayang ay medyo parang nabuhusan na ng malamig na tubig.

Dito ko natagpuan ang kakaibang puno na ito na aking pinagdiskitahan. Labis akong naaliw kasi dahil ang hugis at pagbagsak ng mga dahon nya ay tila hugis puso kaya siya ay talagang aking piniktyuran. Ako ay napangiti sa aking sarili at tunay na namangha - may ’sense of humor’ din pala ang Dakilang Maylikha. Kahit saan, kahit kailan sa kahit anong paraan puede syang magsalita, magparamdam na lab naman nya kami - kunsuelo de amor kahit kami ay nasiraan ng sasakyan.  :) 

Makigulo sa mga kapusong ka-LP! Tara lets na (iklik ang kamera para makisali):
 

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LP-Tsokolate

Kung ikaw ay isa sa mga libo-libong(? pero di ako kasali dun) tao na nakabasa ng aklat na Twilight o dili kaya ay nakapanood ng pelikulang ito baka sakaling makahiligan mo ang lahok ko sa linggong ito. Ito ang mga paniking kulay tsokolate na matatagpuan sa kuweba sa Samal Island. Talaga namang kikiligin ka at hihimatayin sa kakaibang amoy nila - makapigil hininga talaga! Kailangan mong pigilang huminga kasi baka bumaliktad ang iyong sikmura sa sangsang ng amoy nila. Pero sa tutoo lang, ka-kyut naman sila sa malapitan, di ba? Baka isa sa kanila yung bida sa Twilight, no? Papa-kiss ka ba?

Sali na kayo!

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Matagal tagal na ding panahon mula nang ako’y huling lumahok sa lingguhang pagbabahagi ng mga larawan sa LP. May iba-iba kasing panahon at kulay ang buhay ng tao. Nag-iiba ang mga nakagawian at may mga pagbabagong hindi maiiwasan. Bagamat sa aking pakiramdam ako ay naging prodigal pansamantala, may mga araw na iniisip ko kung kailan ako magkakapanahon na makalahok na muli dahil ito ay naging bahagi na ng aking buhay. Kaya mga kapatid kong ka-LP pipilitin kong makabawi sa mga “homework” ngayong taong ito. Pasensya na lamang po mga klasmeyt pero kahit naman po ako’y absent di ko naman po inalis ang aking LP id dito sa aking tahanan sa internet.  Kung inyo pong mamarapatin, narito po ang aking mga lahok - para sa linggong ito at para na din sa nakaraan. Ito ay ilan sa mga eksena sa makulay kong daigdig.

Narito ang aking mga lahok para sa mga nakaraang linggo:

LP-Pula 

Ito marahil ang pinakasikat na pula sa buong mundo. Kahit saan, kahit kailan kasama sa mga pagsasalo, saksi sa mga kabanata ng ating buhay, malungkot man o masaya. Nakakadagdag buhay daw ito, ika nga. Pero sa aking sariling pagkakaalam, ito ay tunay na nakakadagdag balakang.

(kuha sa Sampaguita Gardens sa Aklan kung saan makikita ang Precious Moments na mga manika)

LP-Asul

Ang kulay asul karaniwan ay sumisimbolo ng kapayapaan, kahinahunan at katahimikan. Subalit pag ito ay nahaluan ng kulay itim ito ay nagiging madilim at maaring magpahiwatig ng kalungkutan o nagbabadyang bagyo. 

(kuha sa Boracay  noong nakaraang Oktubre 2008)

at para sa linggong ito narito ang aking lahok

LP-Kahel

Ang paglubog ng araw ay sumisimbolo ng pagtatapos o pagwawakas, pamamaalam at pagpapahinga mula sa isang araw ng gawain. Minsan malungkot isipin ang pagtatapos subalit mayroon din syang angking kakaibang kagandahan na nagbibigay kapayapaan sa kalooban… ang unti-unting paglaho ng araw ay nagbibigay daan para ang liwanag naman ng buwan ang syang maging tanglaw sa dilim. Kung hindi lulubog ang araw, hindi mo makikita ang buwan at ang mga bituin, di ba?

(kuha sa Boracay noong Oktubre 2008)

Pasensya na mga ka-LP ha, pero sana tuloy-tuloy na ulit ako sa pagsali linggo- linggo.

Para sa mga nais lumahok sa lingguhang pagbabahagi ng mga larawan at mga piling akda sa sarili nating wika sumali na kayo sa Litratong Pinoy. 

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Yup, in a few hours! I can’t believe I’m done packing. Usually it’s always a no-sleep night for me whenever we have to go somewhere because I do ALL the packing for my brady bunch but this time it’s a wee bit more relaxed. My skin usually breaks out when I’m stressed with so much stuff to do.  Even the best acne treatments can’t compare to what a little R&R can do to your skin.  We are on the evening flight so I had the whole day yesterday to do all the prep work for the house and I got to pack for the kids as well. Today will just double check around to see any thing I might have overlooked. The kids are excited and can’t wait to leave. Davao here we come!

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Every year, well almost every year really, we try to go home and spend Christmas with the grandparents. My kids look forward to this annual trip because it’s a time to take a break from the school and work related things we do and replace it with the parties, get-togethers and reunions and all the jam-packed activities already scheduled in advance. Not much difference huh except that doing the latter “expands your horizon” or better yet “expands you horizontally” in so many ways. LOL  It’s a break from washing dishes, doing the laundry, clearing up the dining table and all the mundane household chores that we do as a family because we don’t have househelp. Don’t we all need that? I do - BIGTIME!

Anyway, I thought I’d share a few pics from our trip last year. The kids love that the whole place is decorated. I don’t do any decorations in our house anymore because we’re away for the most part of the holidays. It makes for fun pics as well without the cleanup. hahaha These are SOOC so no post processing - (had no time to open up the editing software - tamad!) Here they are:

the foyer: Welcome, come on in!

in my MIL’s garden there are pointsettias year round

and here’s a glimpse of the hallway where the Christmas tree was last year

So that’s it for now - will be back in a bit to finish up my bloggie duties and then maybe I can start packing.

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Last night, DH and I went swimming in Boracay’s main beach.  I wanted to do some exercise after looking at the young ladies in their bikinis.  Oh my! Is this what 10 years of marriage and two kids can do?  Perhaps I should take weight loss pills.  We then went to the hotel pool to do some more swimming.  I really enjoyed this time being alone with my husband while my kids were watching TV close by. This gave us the chance to recharge and nurture our relationship.  A wonderful time just to be together without worrying about house chores or homeschool.  We so grateful for this wonderful anniversary gift.

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Today was travel day.  We woke up at 6am ( even though we slept at 4am), dragged our luggage, flew off to Kalibo, Aklan.  We took a Southwest bus headed for Caticlan, Malay.  In Caticlan, we boarded a boat that took us to Boracay.  We finally reached the Boracay Peninsula, a place owned by DH’s aunts and uncle.   After some snacks, DH and I headed for the beach. Hurray!!!

I was captivated by three things.  First was that the horizon, the island and the mainland  forming a circle making the world look “flat”.  Second was an unusual pinkish halo surrounding the crescent moon.  Finally the dusk skyline dotted by sails. I’m finally in  what probably is the best “swim beach” in the world. Thank you Lord for bringing us to Boracay!

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Ballet is one of my all-time loves. I’m no longer in it as a dancer but it still is very much a part of what I do and who I am and I think I might have imparted this ‘addiction’ to my little girl. Of course like most little girls who love pink and purple, she loves anything and everything ballet. Hopefully, when the time is right we can be able to send her to a ballet school one of these days. Earlier this year, a friend of mine who owns her own ballet school and teaches in several schools as well had a despedida for one of her dancers - Sarah J. Lee. We sent her off to New York to audition for the top ballet schools in the Big Apple. She auditioned for NYCB, ABT and Joffrey Ballet and she passed them all but she settled for Joffrey Ballet School in the end because she was granted a full scholarship with them. We are so proud of her achievements.  

Hopefully, when my little girl reaches Sarah’s age and she is still determined to pursue this path, dh and I would be able to uproot ourselves from wherever we are, transplant our whole family and get those New York movers to help us settle us somewhere in the City that doesn’t sleep for the sake of a little girl’s dream. 

Sarah’s (kneeling, bottom row, right) piece for the NAMCYA competition last year was as Odette from Swan Lake.

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Finally, I get to update my blog, whew! It’s been an event packed week and a half or so and I’m trying to catch up on a lot of stuff but it has been quite a fruitful time for us. (Thank you to all those who visited my blog, I’ll do my updating when we get back home :D)One of the best things hubby and I discovered was the unexplored benefits of living in a condotel. We were scheduled to stay at the Charter House in Makati originally until we started looking for alternative places to stay. That’s when we discovered the condotel. We were not aware that there were places like these in the city - serviced condominium units that were being rented complete with a living room, kitchen and cooking utensils at a more reasonable price compared to staying in a hotel. Had we known this sooner we would have chosen this instead of booking in a hotel.

One such place that we got invited to stay at was the Fraser Place in Makati located at Paseo de Roxas and Valero close to Citibank. We got to meet up with family friends whom we haven’t seen for quite some time (more on that later). One of the first things hubby and I checked out was the gym. We had been dying to go to the gym because of all the “pigging out” we’ve been doing and we were so happy to find that there was a gym available with no additional fees. Not only that, there were two treadmills we could use at the same time among the other equipment they had. We were so happy that at least we could burn off some of the “guilt” we had from eating too much. Yey! I had always wondered what it was like to live in a serviced residence and it actually is quite convenient especially here at the Fraser Place. I think the condotel is one of the best kept things that we’ve discovered and will be our first priority whenever we need a place in the city next time around. Definitely.

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