Busy Me...

Hi folks.. It's been awhile since I posted something on my blog and I missed it.. Thought that I can concentrate on blogging after my son's graduation in elementary last March 31, but seems that I get more busier than before.. Hayyy, being a full-time mom is really exhausting. Anyway, I was able to take some interesting photos from all the pictures that my daughter Rose had carelessly took during these past few days and I wanted to share them to you..

First is my son's Baccalaureate mass and graduation ceremony last March 31.

After graduation, I need to prepare for the Holy Week (semana santa or cuaresma) which is a long weekend. Actually, it's a family vacation for us since my husband had taken a leave for the rest of the week. It means a lot of groceries to bought and brought to the province. This is one season wherein Metro Manila was practically deserted that you can enjoy travelling around the metro without the same tiring traffics. But tradition also calls for all Catholics and Christians to reflect on this holy week the suffering of JESUS for the salvation of mankind.
Commonly we reflect Jesus sufferings starting Maundy Thursday, and me and my kids went to the church to attend the mass with traditional re-enactment of Christ washing the feet of His disciples.

Good Friday is where I do my traditional Visita Iglesia (7 churches) with my family, which must be finished before 12pm. It has been the tradition of the Filipino Catholic faithful to do the visita iglesia, literally, church visit. This practice, introduced by the Spanish colonizers, goes back to the time of the early church where Christians would visit the seven great basilicas in Rome for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. For Filipinos, it’s not only the Blessed Sacrament but a contemplation of the fourteen stations of the cross. Traditionally, seven churches are visited with two stations per visit. While others, with more time and effort, visit fourteen.

And this year we went to the following churches :

* Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Concepcion in Sta Cruz, Laguna

* Church of our Lady of the Guadalupe in Pagsanjan, Laguna

* Parish of the Transfiguration of our Lord Church in Cavinti, Laguna


* Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish in Louisiana, Laguna

* Parish of Saint Louis Bishop of Tolouse in Lucban, Quezon


* San Gregorio Magno Church in Majayjay, Laguna

* St. Mary Magdalene Church in Magdalena, Laguna

On Black Saturday, as traditionally done by most of Filipino families, we went to a resort (Slide n Dive) in Victoria, Laguna. There's no much picture to share with you on this one as my photographer is sooooo busy swimming. (hehehehe)

There is also an important event being observed by young Filipino boys during this day and that is to gain their manhood (circumcision) and my only son is one of them. So right after our swimming we went to a doctor (he happened to be my brother-in-law) for his scheduled circumcision. (huhuhu it means he's no longer a baby.. huhuhu)

There are still more pics that I'd like to share with you but I think I'll do it on my next blog...

The Heat is ON...

It's really summer time.. And with the high temperature, even our dogs are looking for ways to relieve their body heat. This is our smallest dog, we have 3 female Aspin (Asong Pinoy, hehehe) in the house. Meet "Kanga" and her way of refreshing herself in summer..

What else.. but to eat ice.. hehehe..

Early Swimming

With temperature hitting 32°C last Saturday, having a nice splash is heaven. Since Laguna is well known as a resort haven and we're spending our weekend in our hometown, the kids and their cousins decided to wipe off the heat by swimming on one of the resorts nearby. We went to Crismar Fishing Resort just between the boundary of Sta. Cruz and Pila, Laguna. Now, since these outing is a spur of the moment decision, we grab left-over pork adobo, sinigang and breaded porkchop as our "baon". Not to forget the junk foods and softdrinks which we bought from a small store nearby. Next is the swimsuit, nobody of us have brought any swimsuit so we ended up using our housedress (shorts and t-shirts) as our swimwear. And since I'm now a certified blogger (hehehe), I make it a point to bring along my digicam in case there's something worth taking pictures of (I'm glad that I did).

Though unprepared, the kids really enjoyed the swim (specially my son).

We've stayed in the place til 9 in the evening..

What am I Doing When I'm at My Hometown???

I'm not an urban girl, it just so happen that I have my job in the metropolis that's why I live here. Me and my husband are both raised in a rural area where life is simple and people practically knew each other. Once a month, we see to it that we go home to our hometown to relax and be away to the buzz and hassle of city life. My kids are always looking forward to this trip as it also give them a chance to enjoy the company of their cousins. For me, it is a time to bond with my loving mother and sisters. Talked and stories never stops, proving only how we miss each other.
This also give me a chance to take care and check on my plants which are all proudly blooming. We stayed in a very modest nipa hut (I think it needs some renovation) on our farm. Since it's located near a rice fields, it's refreshing to stay in it and dose to sleep (hehehe). Just like in yesteryear's, we used firewoods for cooking, but it was also equipts with basic modern appliances such as refrigerator, a television set, a karaoke and electric fan.

There are two nipa houses inside the farm, below is the main house.


While this one is just a small "kubol" where we rest and have a chit-chat with close friends.


This is what I'm busy of...


Me attending to my plants.

Some of the blooms inside the farm..

Remembering my SAP days

Today, I suddenly remember my last assignment on my previous job and that is being part of SAP-MM module. These gave me an opportunity to meet new people and find new friends in the company. I'm so happy that until now I still have communications with some of them. The slides will attest to that...