Posts Tagged ‘Travel’

Ang makulay na pagbabalik ko sa LP

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

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. 

Davao here we come!

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

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!

Home for the holidays – Christmas in Davao

Friday, December 12th, 2008

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!

Welcome! (this is the foyer)

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.

Dreaming of Mickey Mouse

Friday, November 14th, 2008

My friend’s son will be competing in Hongkong early next year.  They are quite excited because it will also be part of their many Disney vacations in the future.  But prior to the Hong Kong competition are several local swim meets that will prepare them for the Big tournament.  I really wish we could tag along!  Unfortunately, the only swimming opportunity that will allow my kids to experience open water again is when we go home to Davao this Christmas.  I hope the weather will be cooperative.  Meanwhile, Mickey Mouse will have to congratulate my friend’s son.

Kids in the beach

Monday, October 6th, 2008

The family has been having a great time in Boracay! The kids would rather swim than eat.  They even forget to do bathroom stuff.  While we were eating at Sea Wind, the resort of DH’s aunt, DD said she needed to go.  How I wished I had diapers in those Ju Ju Be bags.  I had no choice but to clean her up and resume my meal.  DS had similar instances with respect to taking leaks.

I guess swimming in sea or playing in the cool sands for Boracay brings joy to kids of all ages.  Today, DS had the chance to snorkel in a reef off the island with his Dad.  He was reeling with joy for the rest of the day.  Early on, he kept on saying that he wanted to live here.  Who know’s, maybe God will answer his prayer someday.

Development in Boracay

Monday, October 6th, 2008

Days and month’s prior to our going to Boracay, DH would reminisce on his boyhood experiences in the island.  Upon reaching Boracay after 20 years he would say things about how it used to be.  He was sad when he saw the concrete road running in the middle of the island.  He kept looking for the Ati’s forest.  The sight of sprouting houses and buildings, much like Wilmington NC real estate,  intensified his longing for the Boracay of his youth.  Sewer residue under the sand, put grief in his heart. Is this development?  What will Boracay be after another 20 years?

In the 1970′s, Sicogon, Iloilo was the darling of the beach comber. It had a world class resort and was just like Boracay.  The developer, a Marcos crony, defaulted his loan leading to the closure of operations in the island.  DH remembers that people in Boracay were quite determined then to keep the island from being like Sicogon.  They wanted to keep their paradise pristine.  Today, Sicogon is the pristine paradise.     My! How the tables have turned! Where are the Boracaynon’s of old?

R&R

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

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.

 

Traveling to Boracay

Friday, October 3rd, 2008

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!

Ballet at the Big Apple

Friday, August 8th, 2008

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.

 

The Fraser Place in Makati

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008

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.