new year's eve dinner at our house

it all starts with a very short list. following chinese traditions, we just need a little of everything. a little sweet, a little sour, and so on for a well balanced year. for me, there must just be a black forest cake from myrna's and i'm okay. then my mom would add this, ask for this, wants this and we again, just like last year and the year before that, have a very full table during the family's new year's eve dinner. just notice that we don't serve any chicken. they say it's bad luck. a chicken has a habit of "isang kahig, isang tuka."

blue moon

supposedly the blue moon tonight, the new year's eve

view from our porch

home sweet home

paseo del mar

zamboanga city

"no te vayas, no te vayas de zamboanga

que no puedes, que no puedes olvidar

no te vayas, no te vayas, no me dejes

por que sinti, no puedo estar..."

happy holidays!

my nephew on his racetrack with the cars while thomas the train watches on. he can't just get enough of his toys!

my nephew was just here, and hearing him call me Tita lifts my spirit and makes me happy. to see his eyes light up with his gifts is just amazing!

Happy Christmas everyone!

in town - birds and local market

yes, this is still the last of my three-part blog.

so there we were, walking past the armored tank and soldiers, going towards the local market when we noticed the birds in the electric lines. my dad had to tell us to walk faster or we would get poop on our heads. my mom and i couldn't just believe how many birds were there, sitting on those wires! granted that this is a phenomena in the city for a long time now, but everytime we see it, it just feels so weird (and scary sometimes). my mom said that it was even featured in a tourism story on tv -- about how one visitor has to notice the birds lining up in the wires along and across the streets. it is just so unbelievable. i even noticed that part of the streets smell of guano already. maybe in a few decades if this does not stop, the accummulation of their poop may give us a source of methane gas! :D

eerie birds lining up the electric wires

anyways, what i really wanted to talk about was how early it was when were there (just a little after 5 in the morning and still dark) at the market and how amazing the produce are. just lying there on the streets, over old tarps, are the day's freshest produce sold at really low prices! i would suggest that those who visit the city come here early to buy their vegetables before flying off to home or their next destination (sort of being in Baguio and you just had to buy your vegetables before leaving for Manila). it was really a grand adventure with my parents and i'm glad i got to discover this again of my hometown - zamboanga.

in town - armored tank

but my story doesn't end there!

after the mass, my parents decided to go to the local open market to purchase the vegetables we will need for this Christmas eve's dinner. leaving the cathedral, the first thing i noticed was that McDonald's, which was just across the cathedral (we only have a two-lane street), was already open and there were just so many people converging in that area. i noticed then the native dishes sold by some early entrepreneurs. sometimes, seeing these things make me realize that this habit is very Filipino, and not just confined to the people of the north -- after a misa de gallo, people feast on native dishes like bibingka, puto bumbong or suman. this event just makes me really feel like i'm at home and i'm glad i was able to feel it today.

anyway, the biggest surprise maybe, was finding the army's armored tank beside McDonald's and several military guys with their full gear on guarding the streets. then it hit me again. with all the tranquility inside the church, there is still danger outside. though the city do not suffer terrors such as suffered by our neighboring islands, it is still always good to be on guard. though sometimes realization make you feel scared, it's better than not being prepared at all. when i gave this comment to my mom, she told me that we ought to be grateful for these men for standing guard over us. i do not have any objections to that. i am grateful that they are there, protecting us, even giving up a good morning sleep for us. i write this in hope that others who read this blog, also give the soldiers the thanks they deserve. granted that some people in the military are corrupt and without morals, we cannot let go of the fact that there are still men and women in the service who are honorable -- those who do their jobs because they love our country. i believe in those men and women and it is to them that i am grateful.

in town - misa de gallo

today i attended with my parents my first and only misa de gallo this year. when i was back in manila, there was never a chance to attend the misa de gallo, even the anticipated one. it's for simple fact that in the evenings, i had errands to do in my last week in town and in the mornings, i'm afraid to go alone on my own. yet today, my mom woke me up at the unholy hour of 315 am so we can attend the 415 mass at the cathedral. i thought we were so early but when we arrived there, we had to grab any monoblock chairs we can outside the cathedral. if you've seen the cathedral here in zamboanga, it's really huge. that shows you how many still believes in Christ and really do celebrate Christmas.

the cathedral however wasn't decorated much except for the symbolic belen. my mom said that the bishop didn't want much pomp in the cathedral, in light of what happened to our brothers and sisters who were inundated by natural calamities near the end of the year. come to think of it, i heard in the news yesterday that a large area in both makita and pasay city burned to the ground yesterday; that means, people living there had to celebrate their Christmas in the streets because they have nowhere to go to and they have no money. this is a terrible time for them and i cannot but be sad for them. on the other hand, burning to the ground an area occupied by informal settlers could give the government an opportunity to rebuild that area that gives those who live there a more "dignified" (can't find the best word, sorry) place to live in. just my two cents. well, back to my misa de gallo story.

so there we were, sitting outside the cathedral, listening to the priest. the homily teaches us about appreciation and expression of our gratefulness to the good things that are shown to us. we should never forget to say Thank You and I Love You.

but mind you, the choir was so horrible (or was it just the acoustics?). i can't help but notice the grating noise they make sometimes (especially the high pitched one) and they make me wince sometimes. the choir loft was wasted on them. i can't help but wonder also if the organ they were using was the same one that we used whenever we have our Friday mass in my grade school years. if that's true, the organ is older than me by give or take ten years? amazing!

and while i am writing this, all i can think of is being grateful to be able to attend this last misa de gallo with my parents. thank you God and happy birthday, Jesus!

finally

i.am.finally.home.

i love it!

i love fireworks!

annual up lantern parade fireworks display. 

shot from my old nikon coolpix's fireworks setting.

today is my second to the last day at work before i go home for the holidays. the whole day was spent on a department meeting for contract updates, forward plans and work assignments. during this time, we also celebrated our year-end savory party. yet the most amazing part of the day was attending the UP Lantern Parade and dinner with friends! i did love Manny and Nanay D's lantern/float and of course, the Fireworks!!! and i got to try out the fireworks setting in my old camera for the first time! :D

an afterthought

this blog started out as a picture blog a couple of months ago. as like most other things, it evolved and became more like my online diary. readers may think that, from what i've written, all goes well with the life i'm leading. my life is not perfect. i am besetted with many problems such as stress and irritation at work and depression (from time to time). i, too, get sad and angry. nonetheless, i choose to be happy and thus, this blog. it is afterall, and will always be, in remembrance of things that brought me a thousand smiles.

avatar night

neytiri, a navi, on her banshee

for my last week here in manila, i've decided to fill up all my evenings with things to do. monday was a trip to mckinley hill and dinner at burgos st (a little corner in the Fort that i only got to see just now); tuesday was grocery shopping for food (and lightbulbs!), wednesday was dinner with molave friends and tonight, was Avatar movie night with Allan. i'm glad i was able to go because the movie was so amazing -- add that we watched on Imax 3D! :D there was never a boring moment. the story was fast and unique, the colors for everything were wonderful and the music amazing. i suggest you better watch this one when you get the chance and of course, it should be on Imax 3D!

spaghettti with friends

spaghetti factory's sampler pasta. clockwise: aluige, red, blackout

tonight i had dinner with two of my closest dorm friends from college. the spaghetti was good and i got to try the blackout one -- the black pasta made up of squid paint. the best part though was finally meeting jam's husband and daughter, my goddaughter. she is such a precocious child. like most kids, she was shy the first few minutes but as the evening wore on, she got to be talkative, even saying 'thank you' at me and leng when we gave our gifts. it was even fun to see her plead to her mom and her dad about opening the chocolate gift for her. when they didn't open it for her, she was forced to look at her ninang leng, who gave the chocolates, and say in a shy voice - 'ninang, please open the candy for me...' such sweet child. when we said our goodbyes, it warmed my heart that she didn't hesitate to come to us for her kiss.

i love children kisses. they are so sweet and they warm my heart.

advent questions

1. what would jesus do?

2. what should i do?

think of the bread you throw out -- it could be someone else's meal
think of the unused clothes in your closet -- it could warm someone else
think of what you have and be grateful....

tuesday holiday

today is taguig day and more especially, feast of the immaculate conception! that means, i'm on break today. what more can i ask for -- a holiday within a work week! i'm glad i got to spend it with a mass at 6 o'clock in the morning, followed by a morning jog at the academic oval (okay, probably a quarter jog and half oval walk), lunch with friends at the beach house, blue whale exhibit at trinoma, and last but not least, shopping for christmas gifts for friends!

national geographic blue whale exhibit: asia's first life size replica of a two month old calf at 9 meters

trivia: a blue whale is the largest animal to have ever inhabited the earth -- larger than any of the greatest dinosaurs and about twice the size of some of the better known whales.

sweeney todd, levi's and chili's

sweeney todd (audie gemora) and judge turpin (roger chua)

photo by oliver oliveros

just like allan's fb status tonight:  was amazed by the Philippine production of Sweeney Todd at Greenbelt 1 (nothing can harm you, not while i'm around), bought Levi's jeans for Php500 off with a jeans replacement and had a very hearty dinner with allan at Chili's!

first off, Sweeney Todd! i had to run from the Ayala Station to Greenbelt 1 (going through Glorietta, Landmark, and Greenbelt 5 in under 20 minutes) just so i could make the 330p call time. the first time i saw the crew and heard the opening song's music, i was led back to the time i first saw les miserables at west end. it was just so right and at that instant, i knew it would really be a great show. i wasn't disappointed. the crew was great with audie and menchu in the lead. the big surprise was the boy who played toby. the scene where he sang Nothing's Gonna Harm You with Mrs. Lovett was very endearing and my finger was just itching to take a photo of them together. there's also the orchestra conducted by gerard salonga. they were great and as i was seated only three rows from the pit, i'll say i've watched him for about 10% of the whole show. he was just amazing to watch! (now i'm recalling how i've also watched the pit when eden and i saw phantom of the opera in 2005).

levi's sale. hmmm. i got carried away by my friends' enthusiasm in buying a new pair of jeans with Php500 off when exchanged with an old pair. luckily, i brought one that i don't like using anymore, just in case i got a chance to pass by a levi's store. it's good jeans and it will last me a while. since i'm way over my budget for personal christmas gifts, i'm not going to buy myself anymore christmas gifts from now on (except for the planner which is a need and a want).

chili's. it had been a long time since i've eaten at chili's. it was good that we were in the right place and that allan and i were already hungry. the food was good and so filling! :)

Christmas Wish List 2010

it's 22 days to Christmas and i feel that now is the time to post my Christmas wish list. i know they are really expensive and in order to get them, i have to buy them for myself! that's kind of lame because a wish list is something that you post so that others may know what to buy for you. but times change, the recession has hit us, so -- 'go get them yourself!' this is one of those times i really do want to have a boyfriend so he'll have to buy one of these for me! LOL. to the guys reading this, don't be shocked! just laugh it off. i'm just half-meant it. LOL.

so here's my things that i want list:

1. Sony Ericsson WiFi phone (with GPS)
got a Nokia E63 from my network provider

2. Annual Planner

3. Nikon DSLR
got a cheap point and shoot Nikon camera when I was in Japan last Sept 2010
i think i'm more suited to a point and shoot camera than a dslr anyway :)




4. Training shoes (I prefer Nike, though!)
bought a replacement shoes first for my Converse. it's color pink! lovely :D

5. Planetarium (this may be a kid's toy but i want one!)

national geographic planetarium

6. A US VISA (that is, if I really do decide to go there next year)

got a Japanese Visa :) but will still try to get a US visa this year (i guess....)

7. I'm still thinking... (though I think I'll be getting the first two within the coming year)

updated 12/08/09

updated 09/06/10

it really must be fate!

guess who i run into at the mall tonight!!! yes, my good grade school classmate! only a few days ago, we were realizing that we might not be able to see each other while she's here for a seminar. she's staying south of manila, i'm staying up north. then for a split second at the mall, there she was, walking and i just couldn't help but cry out! it was a really nice little reunion.

and yes, today is the first day of the annual conference for geologists. it was great especially since my blockmates were also there. sort of a mini-reunion, too! :)