Simple Joys on Sunday Afternoons

Our Sunday afternoons are usually spent in the vicinity of Katipunan Avenue and at the Ateneo grounds. For several years now, Sunday  afternoons are "sacred" for HB as he plays football with the Blue Guards team. This is his prime "me" time where he gets to play his favorite sport and engage in male camaraderie. 

When we tag along with him, us girls enjoy each other differently and it is a time filled with bonding moments. 

We usually spend our time browsing and shopping for storybooks, activity books, school supplies and other knick knacks inside the National Bookstore. I've always joked that my girls are literally "laking National" as they freely roamed the aisles since they were all young. We have never gone inside the bookstore without any purchase and their happy faces makes it all worth our while.

And then we're off for some snacks at a fast food joint in the area. 

On some occasions, we set up a "picnic" on the field. 

Even with just chips and juice, my girls are delighted.

When they tire of sitting down on the mat, they are free to wander (where I could still see them of course) on the grounds. They just go and ham it all up on cam.

They take turns to climb up the goal post.

They also alternately and patiently take each other's jump shots.

There was a time when HB taught them to fly a kite.

Lately, our Sunday trips include our dog, Neil. He enjoys the field as much as my girls do.

They really are all so mababaw ang kaligayahan this way, and I love that it doesn't take much to please them. Quality time with my girls is simply any time spent with them any how and any way.  We need not spend much to enjoy ourselves. And I cannot help but thank God for these simply joys!

Just Chillin' Out

We are set to welcome 2011 in the cold City of Pines! 

For the second straight year, our family trooped to Baguio to spend the holidays. Whereas we stayed from the 28th to the 30th last year, our schedule this year only permitted us to leave work yesterday, December 29. On our way, we decided to take a detour to visit and say a quick prayer of thanks at the Church of Our Lady of Manaog in Pangasinan.

Our Lady of Manaog

The drive was pleasant and relaxed all throughout the trip. We reached Baguio at around 1pm. HB and I took a nap and while we did, our girls got busy and hammed it up in front of the camera. With a tripod, they took shots as they roamed around the condo unit as well the clubhouse of Ridgewood Residences in Camp 7 in Kennon Road, which is our haven in this city.  

street kids, anyone?

After napping, we went to SM to purchase our supplies for the duration of our stay. We headed back to the condo shortly after we finished.

Earlier this afternoon, we headed out to PEZA and Camp John Hay to check out the export overruns. Disappointed with the wares, we drove to Burnham Park where HB and I watched some locals playing football.

wacky-ing it up inside the car

And to celebrate our wedding anniversary, we had dinner at the original Solibao Restaurant in Burnham Park. As HB and I found the Sinigang na Bagnet to be perfect for the cool clime during our last trip here in July, we ordered it once again for our girls to try.

our second take of Sinigang na Bagnet

This time, we partnered it with inihaw na pusit which was grilled to perfection as the squid meat remained soft and tasty. 

inihaw na pusit (grilled squid) served in an old-style Filipino pan

After dinner, we drove back to the condo for more bonding time. The fire place was set up and the girls roasted hot dogs.

my girls and their roasted hot dogs

Nothing tourist-y for us, just pure chillin' out ... we slept to our bodies' content, we ate when we felt like it, we watched dvd's, we sang videoke, and we drank spirits by the fire as our girls munched on roasted marshmallows and hot dogs. It is a perfect time for us and I sure hope there would be more in the next year to come.

Christmas in Our Home

On Christmas Eve, my girly girls can hardly wait for the clock to strike 12 so they could open their gifts. For the two younger girls, their much awaited gift is that from Santa. Yes, my girls still believe in Santa Claus and they wrote down their wish list as early as October. Even though their classmates told them that Santa was a myth, my girly girls have stuck to their belief so we all continue with the tradition.

And in line with tradition, our usual norm is to have dinner and drinks with HB's clan and go home at about 11 to finish our own preparations. By midnight, we all kiss and hug one another and we gather around our dining table for a quick prayer led by HB, greet Jesus a Happy Birthday and warm our tummies with our noche buena. Only then do we allow our girls to open their gifts. 

Amidst their excitement and shrieks of happiness, we are quite thankful for the wonderful blessings that continue to come our way. We've got such a small home but we are proud to say that it is filled with so much joy, laughter and chatter of our precious girly girls. Love truly abounds at Christmas.

Thumbs Up for Abe Restaurant

Last night, we celebrated HB's birthday by having dinner at Abe Restaurant at the Serendra in Global City.

Abe Restaurant in Serendra

The restaurant was packed when we got there and we had to wait for about 10 minutes to be seated. We settled for a table outside just so we could start eating.

HB took to the task of ordering. I was anxious because we've both read good reviews about this restaurant but we forgot which dishes stood out. And so HB trusted his food instincts and ordered:

Pastel de Lengua

and

Squid Calamares.

We also got the bamboo rice, (so sorry I failed to take a photo) and this was served ceremoniously by the waiter. He tapped the bamboo to open it and we were delighted when the staff of the other nearby restaurant clapped their hands to answer the tap. This was such a nice touch and indeed a treat. (I now wonder how the routine would go if we chose to sit inside, heehee.)

But more importantly, we were absolutely pleased with the food. My youngest daughter devoured the calamares which was deep fried perfectly. I liked the fact that the batter was neither too thick nor too thin and the squid had just the right bite. We dipped the crust of the pastel de lengua in the sauce and we instantly exclaimed "Yum!"

the pastel de lengua with the crust off

We are definitely coming back to try their other specialties. And for sure, I am going to read up on the other dishes which have received good raves and we will try those as well.

Lunch Out at Yang Chow Dimsum Teahouse

Last Sunday after we heard mass at Eastwood's Holy Family Chapel, we decided to do our grocery shopping in Shopwise Libis. And since we were all getting hungry, we decided to have lunch at this Chinese restaurant found at the ground level of the Shopwise building.

Yang Chow Dimsum Teahouse

the menu

my girly-girls and my black gulaman in the foreground

Food was served relatively quick although the waiters weren't too attentive to the diners. The food servers passing our table were concentrated on getting to the table they were called upon and didn't bother looking at other diners trying to catch their attention. But when everything was served to us, we enjoyed the food and didn't notice the taste of MSG which is fairly common to Chinese-style dishes. With no artificial flavoring, I must say that the food was generally good.

(Pardon the shots below as my brood was really famished so they already dug in by the time I remembered to take pictures.)

Beef with Broccoli, PhP 250

The beef strips were tender and there was a generous helping of broccoli and mushrooms on the side.

Fried Spareribs with salt and pepper, PhP 180

The menu said fried pork spareribs so we were surprised that it came out to be pork slices. Nonetheless, we found this dish to be tastefully good. But we also found it to be too spicy for our girls' taste buds. It would have been nice if, seeing that we had kids, they asked us at the start if we preferred it spicy or not.

Yang Chow Fried Rice, good for 2-3, PhP 150

When everyone had their fill, off we went to the grocery (where I bought a vase for the roses that HB gave me.) Most importantly, it's the bonding time with our girls that are truly worth savoring.

Eve of The Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon

Every May 15, the town of Lucban in Quezon celebrates the Pahiyas Festival in honor of their patron saint, San Isidro de Labrador. Tradition dictates that houses are decorated with fruits, vegetables and the like in order to thank the patron saint for a bountiful harvest.

We decided to visit Lucban on the eve of the Pahiyas Festival   to avoid the heavy throng of people and heat on the day of the feast itself. Preparations and festivities were already under way. But most of the decors were not lit. 

Only one house stood out and a crowd had already gathered. 

While walking towards the town plaza, we saw these men making longganisa.

Across the town plaza (where a concert was being held), is Buddy's which is touted to have the best Pancit Lucban.

Also in the vicinity of the town plaza are various restaurants and bars where locals and tourists hang out. 

We hung out here :

I vow to go back next year to see more and take part in the actual festival ... if only I could brave the heat and crowds. I've got a year to muster enough bravery, haha.

Laiya's Coral Gardens

On our second day in Laiya, we rented a boat to take us snorkeling in "Lamesang Bato". The banca rental association of Laiya saw that our family was just a small one and with two little kids at that so they arranged to get us a small banca. We agreed to pay Php 700 for the boat ride that took us about 4 kilometers off the beach and stayed with us during the 45-minute snorkeling time.

It was our younger girls' first experience and once they entered the water and donned their goggles, they were awed by the sight of the corals and fishes.

Lamesang Bato coral garden of Laiya

Note: This is NOT an underwater shot. I just focused my camera about a foot above the water and I was able to capture this :)

We brought bread so we could feed the fishes and the boatman even helped us do this. The girls exclaimed every now and then.

What a grand time they had!

Full Swing Summer!

Thus far, we've been to:

• Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas
• Andrea Beach Resort in Lobo, Batangas
• Forest View, Treetop Adventure and Go-Kart in Subic
• Skyview Resort in Calamba, Laguna
• Laiya Austria Beach Resort in San Juan, Batangas
• Dalampasigan Beach Resort in Sariaya, Quezon

This coming weekend, we've got a couple of swimming parties to attend but both will be held within the metropolis. After the elections, I've got a scheduled business trip to Naga and Legaspi in Bicol. As soon as I land at the airport on May 14, our family will head out to Lucban in Quezon for HB's office department outing (although I made separate arrangements to stay at a friend's house in Louisiana in Laguna) to take part in the famous Pahiyas Festival the following day.

Whew! Sounds tiring, but I'm more excited more than anything! This means I've got a lot of travels tales to come and I've still got my stories piling up in my drafts. ;) 

I'm not complaining though... after all, my mantra says:

Live life to the fullest, 

Laugh at all the things that don't matter,

          and Love with all that you have and more!

Laiya Beach: Then and Now

I found this picture in my computer files. This was taken in Laiya in San Juan, Batangas almost 6 years ago. We were in Laiya during the Labor Day weekend in 2004.

Fiona was just 4 months old then. Zoe had just turned 4. Trish was just 8.

It's the Labor Day weekend again and we find ourselves back in Laiya.

Fiona is now 6, Zoe is 10 and Trish is 14.

Subic TreeTop: An Adventure Like No Other

The Tree Top Adventure is one of Subic's latest tourist attractions offering a unique ecological experience. Activities range from jungle trekking, suspended trails and bridges, motorized cable rides and rappelling. The various activity packages are definitely not for the weak-kneed and faint-hearted. The activities are not at all dangerous as the park promotes safety in all aspects. Only the park attendants are allowed to strap on the harnesses. They also offer packages for groups who would like to hold team-building exercises in an ecological setting. Click here to find out more about the TreeTop Adventure activities, facilities and packages.

Only my HB and eldest daughter mustered enough courage to take on the tree top challenges. The two younger girls wanted to try it out but we were informed that they were still too small (and I guess with their 'skinniness', no harness would fit them, heeheehee).

I, on the other hand, was only too happy to stay on the sidelines and cheer.

HB was the first to take the challenge.

HB makes his way to the tree drop platform

He tried out the Australian-style tree drop, a face-first rappelling style. It cost Php 150 per tree drop.

Trish tried the Interactive Freefall, a suspension ride taking adventurers to a high of about 60 meters. We paid Php 250 for this yoyo-like ride.

about 60 meters up high

Unfortunately, the park's most famous "Superman" ride was not available that time that we were there.

In the meantime, my younger girls were contented with just making wacky poses for me.

A Quick Dip in Subic Forest View's Pool

Last Sunday, we headed to Subic to follow our barkada who stayed overnight in Subic Bay Forest View where they rented a couple of villas with 3 bedrooms and 2 toilet and baths. The villas were air-conditioned which was a welcome respite from the summer heat.

When we arrived, they were just about to have breakfast so we just lounged around.

But after a while, our younger girls got restless so HB accompanied them to take a quick dip in the pool.

No doubt, Fiona had a good time!