Marian Offering

Our village hosted an Alay kay Maria - Santacruzan yesterday. The event was organized by resident volunteers including my husband, Jules. The event is a lovely tradition that expresses Catholic Filipinos’ love and devotion for Mother Mary. The celebration started with a mass followed by the Sta. Cruzan.

It was raining the whole afternoon. Organizers were already thinking that the procession could not go through due to the rain. After the mass, the rain subsided into a drizzle but it was amazing that once the image of Our Lady was out of the venue (village clubhouse), the rain disappeared completely. It was as if someone above just turned off the rain to give way to the procession. It was a nice blessing. Children in lovely colorful gowns took part in a procession around the village followed by the image of our Lady.

After the Sta. Cruzan was the Marian offering. Children showered Our Lady with beautiful flowers including floral letters forming the words AVE MARIA.

Yohan saw the girls holding the letters and he told me, "Mommy, I want a white letter too." I told him that only girls carried the letters. He also noticed a few girls wearing tiaras (form of crowns). He asked me, "Are they princesses?" I haven't answered his question yet when he added, "I want to be prince." :)

After the Marian celebration, food and drinks were served to everyone. It was a successful event and I'm so proud of my husband and his fellow organizers for doing a wonderful job.

Fear of Goodbye

“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so
I never have to live without you." - Winnie the Pooh

Last night Jules and I went to the wake of Jules' cousin, M who died from a stroke. He is in his late 40s. When we went to offer our condolences to his wife, I felt very sorry for her but I didn't know what else to say. Her eyes looked very tired from sleepless nights and there were telltale signs of recent tears. We're not close but I still feel great sympathy for her and her two young daughters, the eldest of which is Jules' goddaughter.

We just saw their family a week earlier in a recent birthday party we attended. Who would have known, that M was going to die soon. Life is shorter than most of us imagine.

Death of a loved one is a frightening thought. After leaving the wake, I told Jules, "Huwag mo ako iiwan ng ganon." (Don't leave me like that.) I just don't think I could live without him. Jules told me that we're lucky to be healthy and alive. That we should always be thankful for things that we easily take for granted. He's right, life is a great blessing by itself and we should thank God each day for keeping our loved ones safe.

Yohanism #10

Yohan and I were playing make believe. We used his new PlayDoh molders to make different kinds of fruits and ice-cream out of clay. We were pretending to eat the food when the banana accidentally touched my lips. Yohan was quick to notice it and said ... "Mommy, don't eat it! Just pretend."


As some of you know, Yohan is a late talker but now, all he do is talk and talk. Yesterday, I was trying to watch TV but Yohan was talking about his Pokemon toys. He was telling me all sorts of stories about the Pokemon characters he owns. I love my son but believe me, there are times I get a little fed up. So I got the remote and aimed it at him and said ...

Me: Yohan pause please. (I was kidding of course.)
Yohan: (serious look) Not me! Pause the TV.

Then he continued talking. I had no choice but to turn off the TV. hahaha!

The Magic of the Rain

When I was in College, I loved rainy days. I didn't mind the inconvenience of going to school because I loved the feel and smell of rain in the air. It just lifted my spirits in a way I couldn't explain.

I remember how my friends and I would take advantage of a rainy weekend night by driving to one of our favorite bars in Quezon City called East St. Louis (ESL). It had large glass windows and it was a perfect place to hang out during a rainy evening. We would spend the night talking, listening to our favorite music, drinking vodka, tequila and Bailey's and glancing out of the window to watch the rain pour down.

Life was so carefree back then. My parents were very lenient and I didn't have any curfew. Sometimes I would go home at 3 am without being grounded. My parents told me how much they trusted me. I kept my promise to do good in school and not get into trouble in exchange of curfew-free nightouts with friends.

I dated this guy for a while. He lived just a few blocks from ESL but he would drive all the way to pick me up in our house in Manila to go to ESL for a few drinks. There was a time when classes were suspended due to a typhoon. It was raining very hard and yet he asked me if I wanted to go to ESL and I said yes. While we were on the road, we felt the wrath of the typhoon. Leaves and small unidentified debris kept obstructing our view. It was crazy but weird how I found it exciting. I must have been out of my mind! When we arrived at ESL, people inside seemed oblivious to the storm happening outside. Everyone was just having a fun time. Imagine that! Those were the days, when I didn't care too much about safety. Shame on me!

Years have passed and the magic of the rain seemed to disappear. Ever since I became a mom, I detested the coming of the rainy season because it brought constant fear of diseases such as dengue. Rain also prevents us from enjoying afternoon strolls and playing in the backyard. Successive rainy days mean longer time for the laundry to dry and thunderstorms prevent me from turning on my computer to go online. Rain also causes major traffic buildup. It's amazing how my perspective about the rain had a complete turn around.

graphic source

Tagged :: 7 Things About Me

I was tagged to do the same meme again by Shona Tiger of House of Stone. I know you've seen me do this meme several times already but I hope you don't mind if I'm at it again. :) I decided to make it 7 visual things about me. I kept it light this time by mentioning little things that happened recently ...

1. I received these lovely gifts from my sister-in-law, Ves and family. They recently went to the province of Bohol for a vacation. Bohol is famous for its majestic Chocolate Hills. There are so many beautiful places in the Philippines that I have yet to discover.

2. My husband and I enjoy bringing Yohan to children's parties. Last week, we attended the 7th birthday party of a Jhornalaine at Jollibee. We all had a terrific time.

3. I was sad because the strap of one of my favorite bags got torn so Jules bought me a new one last week to replace it. I love this new bag because of the many functional slots/pockets it has inside.

4. Watched Pirates of the Carribean : At World's End at Power Plant last Saturday with Jules. We really enjoyed the movie. I love the character of Jack Sparrow. He's so amuzing!


5. Here are some of the food we had this weekend. Seafood pasta from Spaghetti Factory, Pizza and Oriental Salad from Cucina Victoria, Ice Banana and Buko Pandan from Ice Monsters, Pistachio, Mangoes n' Cream, Berries n' Cream ice-cream from BIC.


6. I'm so thrilled because I won Connie's Charm Giveaway. I feel so lucky! Connie is one of my dear blog friends and she is such a sweet, warm and thoughtful person. Thank you Connie!

photo borrowed from Connie's site

7. I was at Rever Salon last Friday for some pampering. I had a haircut, eyebrow threading and pedicure. But the best thing that happened that day was seeing the face of someone special. I was flipping through the pages of a magazine and lo and behold I saw him ...


Here's a little trivia I learned about Dominic Purcell (a.k.a. Lincoln Burrows): His first showbiz gig was being the Marlboro man in the Philippines.

Happy 35th Anniversary!

Recipe for New Friendship (Pinoy Moms Network)

I had a wonderful lunch with fellow bloggers from Pinoy Moms Network yesterday (May 26, 2007) at Swiss Deli and Bistro. It was my very first EB and it was an overall delightful experience. I was so happy to meet some of the mommy bloggers. Everyone was so warm and friendly that I immediately felt comfortable and at ease.

Recipe for New Friendship

Start with a wonderful mixture of 12 lovely moms.

Combine a dozen servings of smiles and laughter.

Add heaping measures of warmth and kindness.

Plus generous portions of fascination and delight.

Then sprinkle with promising common goals.

With a touch of anticipation and excitement.

Stir in together until everything is well blended.

Then you have a friendship cake with sweet

and colorful icing.

(Standing L-R): me, Lynn, Noemi, Connie, Dine, Chats (back),

Feng (with son Nico), Cess, Julie, Lisa (with son Lex)

(Sitting L-R): Jane, Salen

Photo Hunt :: Colorful

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Here's my son Yohan, taken during one of his classes at The Little Gym. There are many colorful visual aids around. Yohan always sees his Dad cooking and he seems to be interested in it too. :)