Diego and Holy Week

During Holy Week, Marikina is known for its procession of 'santos' during early evenings, participated mostly of old Marikina families who have mostly decades or centuries old relics of saints, Sto. Nino's, Mama Mary's, and various images that depict the passion of Christ, in carozzas that are heavily decorated with flowers and lights (which are a sight to behold! See video at YouTube; or pictures from Slythe, MD).

Imagine a carozza depicting with the 'Last Supper' or when Jesus was taken down from the cross!). These are paraded around Sta. Elena, San Roque, and Calumpang. Incidentally, one of our neighbors annually participates in the procession because they have their own 'santo'.

I was lucky to have watched the procession around 3 times already since it started years ago. Andee was only about 3 or 4 years old then. This was the conversation, as told by my mom, after Diego watched our neighbor decorate their carozza and witnessed the parade:

DIEGO: Lola, sino pwede maging Isaiah Jesu? (where he got the name, I don't know..)
LOLA: Yung mga mababait and malalaki na na boys. Gaya ng mga tito, kuya, manong...

DIEGO: E si Tito Cak and Tito Baron and Tito Earl pwede maging Isaiah Jesu?
 LOLA: Oo naman because big boys na sila and mababait.

DIEGO: .......
DIEGO: (after a thought..) Di pwede si Tito Cak at tsaka si Tito Baron eh...
LOLA: Why, baby?
DIEGO: Eh pareho kasi silang kalbo! di naman kalbo si Isaiah Jesu eh!!! 
LOLA: (suppresing a laugh)... a ganon ba?

DIEGO: .... eh si Papa pwede?
LOLA: Oo naman kasi big na rin siya eh 
DIEGO: .........

DIEGO: eh.... di rin siya pwede eh!
Lola: Bakit?
DIEGO: kasi mataba si Papa eh! .... tutumba ang krus!!!

Endorsers

Brother Cak at The Carver's House started this meme:
Instructions: If you were a famous celebrity and you were asked to endorse three products and/or services, what would they be? With each product or service, state in one or two sentences the reason why the product and/or service has won you over. End your post with the usual tagging (up to five is I think the standard), as well as a link back to the blog you got the meme from.

Here goes...
1) Mocha Blends - not only is their Cafe Latte the best I ever had (extra whipped cream, please!), their House Blend Ice Tea and pastas are to die for! Also, a perfect place as well to relax.. as their 'star***ks' counterpart tends to be so sikip (and noisy) for comfort!

2) Nichido's Dazzling Peach Lip Shimmer - I don't usually go for really imported brands. Nichido has my vote.. lips never crack or run dry, and the color does fit my palette. Pang-morena baga!

3) Nivea Sun Oil Spray 4 - 'For a golden, long lasting tan'... true. Never did I had a more satisfying tan and my skin doesn't feel or look dry after swimming, in fact, it was soft has a mild delicate scent...not a smell of coconut oil. A true 'sun goddess' as my friends would call me, I tried a lot of SPF4s, etc. but this is the best. No regrets!

I tag you... Jheck, Fortuitous Faery , Angge, Ives and Charmaine!

KOF Graduation

It's Kids On Focus' graduation day today, at the Water Nymph Resort in Marikina. The event was at 4pm and we had to fetch Andee at 3pm from St. Scho before we proceeded to the venue.

As usual (and always), we were among the first who arrived. Got good front seats and waited for the event to start. Kakatuwa. Unlike the time when Andee graduated here years ago, the kids now are more talented and witty. Instead of the teachers leading the program, they had their Prep students hosting the event! After each level has shown their respective song, dance, or declamation number, the kids were awarded medals each for their own unique contribution and abilities in school. I was half-expecting Diego to get a medal for Math as he has shown extreme interest for this. Well, surprise, surprise-- he got a medal for 'Independent Worker Award' because he has shown utmost independency in all assigned tasks (ngek.. redundant ba?). He can be left alone to do what is expected of him after giving instructions the first time. Naku, kahit sa bahay ganyan..'Sinabi mo na yan sa akin ano!'..'Paulit-ulit ka naman eh'. Okay, okay!

Sonya's Garden

Spent my post-birthday lunch yesterday at Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay. The trip took almost two hours (South Super Highway is undergoing rehabilitation), but once you've reached and passed the Sta. Rosa exit, everything is a breeze! This is one trip where you'd leave your car windows open to feel the cool air. No pollution, no smoke belchers.

Sonya's Garden is a place where one can't just say, 'just dropping by', since it is tucked away from the main road and you'd really have to exert extra effort to get there. It was overwhelming! Perfect for quiet moments, conversations, relaxations and what-nots.. any nature-lover will go gaga with the country settings, numerous flower gardens and trails, and secluded garden nooks, coupled with the very cool fresh air Tagaytay is famous for. Here I found and was so excited in seeing a red caballero, as Manila would have it mostly in orange, or yellow, as well as multi-colored, what looked like siling-labuyo, planted near the cottages. Parang christmas lights!!

Hopeless romantics, according to their website, sees the garden as, and I quote, "a wonderful haven of romance, love blooms in Sonya’s garden like flowers of an eternal spring.... and have found it to be a popular spot to disarm, to court and to propose." I don't blame them. If you have all the time in the world, and would like to engage into simple conversations-- no frills... then this is the place!

The food is very filling! Their lunch include unlimited freshly squeezed dalandan juice, a garden salad, whose ingredients are freshly picked from their vegetable gardens; freshly baked, oven-hot wheat bread with dips, as well as their pasta with their signature sauces. And if you think that was all, you'll be surprised with their dessert of sweet-boiled kamote (yummy!) banana rolls (turon!) and very moist chocolate cake. Lunch, by the way, also took us almost 2 hours! With the kind of food they serve, you'll be talking and talking in between! How's that for conversations?

I'd certainly would like to return. Probably spend the night to relax and get away from it all.

Hmm..Kelan pa kaya?!?

Four-O

It's the big "four-O" for me today.

Unlike last year, this time it really took a lot for me to finally blurt it out. One thing here is, when you look into the mirror.. you'd also realize that you've really aged. Iba na dating eh. Though I had the majority pop their eyes out and/or leave their mouth wide open, it feels good, hehe. No one believes.