Flores de Mayo: Santacruzan

Held in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Flores de Mayo is a one month festival that ends with a Santacruzan. A religio-historical beauty pageant held in many cities, towns, and even in small communities throughout the Philippines during the month of May. One of the most colourful aspects of this festival, the pageant depicts the finding of the Holy Cross by Queen Helena, mother of Constantine the Great.

(Source: Wikipedia)

My daughter for the first time, experienced and saw what Santacruzan was all about here in our small community.

What a wonderful experience for Mabe and I, and that ends the month of May for us.

Rambutan

In our backyard :)

Homecoming

Homecomings. What do you exactly do in homecomings. A lot. A lot of gossips. Lol! It's a joke but actually, there's truth in it.

Some says high school was the best days of their life. Personally, high school was ONE of the best days of my life because I cannot exactly say that it was THE best. My life was more exciting after high school. 

At 15, I traveled and explored a different culture from what I grew up in. The summer I turned 16, I was about to enroll in a university my high school friends never heard of. I would watch rock concerts all by myself. Travel alone. Lived a life away from family and the comfort of my own bed. 

I went back to the hometown and continued the course I had. Joined the college paper, became an editor, graduated with a special award in journalism. Despite all that, I was a rule breaker, I was not a good student, I live my life the way I wanted. I don't burn candles, I don't aim for A's. I never had a decent notebook. Instead, I buried my face in paperbacks reading fiction, stayed away from normal co-eds who would spend the whole 20minutes in the restroom putting make-ups, while I could hardly comb my hair twice a day.

This afternoon in our high school homecoming, I hardly knew my batchmates. I cannot recognize a classmate in sophomore year or in junior year, aside from the ones whom I became friends with. My memory was so blocked that I sucked in remembering names and faces. My high school memory was blurred, even college was a haze. 

I don't think I'm normal, the word normal was never in my vocabulary. I think I'm different. 

Homecomings and gossip comes together. I had a gossip juicy life, real homecoming worthy. 

Don't you just love homecomings?

I do.

Playdate

If you do not have neighbors your kid can play with, you sometimes let them play with friends who lives far from you. Nowadays its called, Playdate. An arranged get together for children to play in a short period of time. 

Mabe's playdate took place at her friend Stephanie's house in a village down south, where there's an amazing view of the sunset.

Stephanie's dad is from England so I was introduced to the popular British product called Marmite (forgive my ignorance, but I honestly don't know what this thing is). It's a food spread, ideal for your morning toast, but blimey (naks!) I don't like the salty and sour-ly taste.

It was fun for the kids and for us parents since we had a great time chatting and catching up. Thank you to Stephanie's mom and dad for welcoming us in their home and for preparing dinner. 

Playdates are fun and safer. You can organize playdates in parks and other places your kids can have the freedom to run and explore nature.

Green Tambis

Otherwise known as, Watery Rose Apple.

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Each cake has a story to tell...friends and families I shared the day with...wonderful memories to keep.

The messages I received thru Twitter, Facebook, BBM, text messages, phone calls were overwhelming. 

There were people whom I never expected to greet me, actually did. (you know who you are, we are not supposed to be friends anymore, but still, you greeted me. Thank you. I am just here, I will forever be a friend to all of you.) 

The new found friends who opened both arms and accepted me as I am, Thank you.

My few good friends, whom I faced life with through good and bad times (mostly bad and worst times, you know who you are too). Thank you.

There's two persons who truly made my day, of course JITB and my Mabe who made this letter for me:

(now you know what my birthday gift is)

Good night everyone!

Morning Walk: Day 17

Day 17. Orange. Above me was orange-y skies. 

I woke up around 5:00am, my walking buddies, our dog, they're all gone. I was not late, they were too early. Haha!

Still, I did catched up with them. A bit cloudy morning but I'm puto satisfied, paired with some native foodies we found in in front of the church.

Good morning!!

Morning Walk: Day 16

Day 16. Three photos. One view. I can't believe it.

Am I concentrating much in walking? or maybe I am thinking more of the puto (which, by the way, not yet done when we get there) Lol!

I decided to do my morning walk every other day since the summer ballet class of mabe started. The daily temperature lately is beyond my tolerance, even hotter than last summer. Not only that I despise the heat but I hate the fact that I am actually eating japanese halo-halo and fruit shakes almost everyday! aarrggghh.

After posting this entry I'm off to town to start my driving lesson. Yes, finally I am doing it. Wish me luck. Glad that my one hour class today starts at 9:00am.

By the way, how are you handling your day with this kind of temperature?

morning walk rituals

Warning: Title should have been Feeling-sponsor-ang-Nike post. Lol!

Okay, here's how I start my morning walk:

Coffee while getting ready and waiting for walking buddies.

Socks. These are all from my hubby's drawer, some with tags, unused.

Arm Wallet/Phone Pouch for my phone and some cash for the Puto.

Running Shoes. This one is Nike Zoom Skylon 11 according to the label, again a hand-me-down from my husband.

Then back home. Feet up.

Finish the rest of my coffee while catching the morning sun.

I love morning walk.