LP entry - dugtong

LP Challenge: Dugtong/Kabit


LP entry - dugtong
Nagawa ko na (SANA) ito nung bata pa ako sa Pilipinas. Wall climbing ang tawag dito. Minsan dinala kami ng mga kapatid ko at mga pinsan ng Tita namin sa Manila Zoo. Meron daw rock climbing dun. Dapat ay ma experience namin ito. Sumama naman ako, kasi naisip ko, maisusuot ko ang bago kong damit na pinadala ng Tatay ko mula sa Okinawa, Japan. Oo, proud ako noon na nag ja Japan ang Tatay ko, hehehe. Kaya lang teka, lumalayo ako sa thema.

So ayun nga. Nag rock climbing… sila na lang! Kasi naka dress ako at ayoko naman umakyat sa rock na yun at baka masilipan lang ako nung mga nasa baba… hahaha. Blah blah, blah!

In short, I almost knew how to do this then ;).

Anyway, I did it this time with my niece at Centerpack in Belgium. Akala ko, madali lang ito. The purpose is to reach the top by stepping on the protruded rocks on the wall. The rocks come in different shapes, size and color. Each color has a certain level of difficulty. But the real hard part is to get to the top by stepping or using only one same color of rocks from below going up. So, if you decide to start on the red rocks, then you must try to only use the same color of rocks all the way till you reach the top.

As I started, akala ko, easy…. “sisiw” (chicken) lang. Boy was I wrong! Of course the easy level is okay. No sweat at all… but start on the middle level, and then you really start sweating.

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overlooking view The Bontocs

on our last week

The vacation has been good. We are now on our last week here in the Philippines. We’re still in Banaue. We arrived yesterday afternoon via Baguio with me and hubby alternately driving. We were worried at first as to the road conditions but as we were already advised by our host in Pangasinan that the roads are paved all the way to Sagada, we dared to take the vehicle instead of leaving it in Baguio. Thing is, we would then have to go back to Baguio to pick it up before going down to Pampanga. Which means loosing one day for traveling. But since we brought the vehicle up, we ended up with one extra day on our trip here to the North. A very good thing!

overlooking view of the Bontocs

overlooking view of the Bontocs

Today we will be visiting some Rice Terraces villages, waterfalls and hot spring areas here. Then we’ll have a quiet afternoon siesta. First stop: breakfast with Kapeng barako at the resto downstairs! 🙂

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Basahan

Kodakan na naman, kasi po it’s again LP time!

Basahan. Noong nasa Pilipinas pa ako, ayaw na ayaw ko humawak ng basahan. Hindi ko alam kung bakit, pero basta ayoko lang (period!) Okay, kumikiyeme lang ako. Alam ko kung bakit. Ang ginagawa kasi sa amin noon na basahan ay mga pinag lumaan o butas-butas na kamiseta, medyas o kaya brief ni kuya hahaha!

Kaloka diva! Bakit pa nga naman bibili ng extra para lang pamunas sa sahig, sa sapatos o sa kusina? Sayang lang ang pera. Pero, natutuwa naman ako sa mga tagpi-tagping basahan na nabibili sa mga palengke at sa kalsada. Yung ginagamit ng mga tsuper ng jeepney pamunas sa jeep nila at kung pinag papawisan habang nagma-maneho, ay pwede na ring pamunas sa pawis nila… hehehe.

Kung dating mukhang gusgosin ang basahan, ngayon naman ay mukhang fes towel ang basahan. Pang sahig man o pang countertops at bintana. Yes, extra ang pang bintana. Kasing mahal ng 3 kilong bigas ang basahang pang bintana nila dito. At pinaka mura na yan ha! Sinubukan kong mag padala nito sa Pilipinas. Naisip ko lang, dapat sana yun na din ang gamitin dun sa balay sa paranaque. Pero ayun, nung umuwi ako, naka tupi pa rin na maayos ang basahan. Wala ni isang nagamit. Para yatang gustong ipa gamit sa bisita pag nag hilamos sila… hahaha. Kaloka talaga!

Di po ba, uso na rin ang “wet wipes” as pamunas sa mga tokador o sa kusina. Yung isang kakilala ko, nag uwi nito sa Pilipinas. Para nga naman sosyal, (hahaha) naka wet wipes sa kusina nila kahit na wala koryente sa baryo nila. Ayun, nung nakita ng Nanay niya yung isang supot ng tisyu na medyo mabasa-basa ay isa-isa niya itong sinabit sa sampayan para po patuyuin! Hahahaha…

Yan, istoryang basahan lang po… pamunas sa sahig, pang linis sa kusina o kaya pang shine sa sapatos. Ang basahan – ika nga all around na gamit sa bahay, sa sasakyan at sa pawis ng tsuper ng sasakyan!

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Angustia “Gusing” Zamora

My Lola….

… in our family, we call her “Mamang”. Our pillar. She has guided the whole family with 9 children, 30 or 32 grandchildren ( can’t recall how many attachments are still unaccounted for) and if im still updated 10 (+ 2 on the way) great-grandchildren.

She turned 89 last 12.11.2011. According to my cousin Shang, our Mamang is still in good shape. Just older, grander and happy. Sorry that I missed her birthday party this year. But I promised myself that I will be there next year for her 90th birthday.  You see, I grew up with my Lola. My mom is her fourth child. While my parents were working in Manila, my sibs and I had to stay with our Mamang in Dipolog until I was around 10 years old. Then my parents uprooted us all to Manila. Even then, we still went back to the province to be with her whenever our finances permitted it. Back then, it was only possible for us to travel by sea. It took always three days from Manila to Dipolog, but we braved it, my sibs and I … just to be with our Mamang. I still remember, my youngest sister Diday didn’t even want to go to Manila with our parents before. She only knew Mamang since she was only a baby when our parents left the province. She is still believed to be the favorite apo of our mamang… perhaps?°

Even now, whenever I come to visit, I always have to go to her first and foremost. Only after I have been to see her can I go on trotting to the resorts or other Islands in the Philippines. Our bonding routine? – Well, facial Spa and shopping, hehehe.

I may not be the favorite Apo (grandchild), but I am still thankful and  proud to have her Genes. Am also thankful for the first 10 years of my life that I spent with her. She is just the best Lola ever!

 

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GULONG

Nakahalungkat ako sa aming baol ng litrato ng aking pamangkin na si Duday… nung bagong dating palang siya sa Brussels, Belgium. Medyo hindi masyadong maganda ang quality ng litrato dahil kuha pa ito gamit ang aming antigong Canon Photoshop (ata). HIndi ko na rin talaga matandaan, hehehe. Talagang ganun na katagal, ahemmm!

Pero, teka ang thema ngayong Linggong ito sa LP ay “gulong”. Paikot-ikot at pagulong-gulong. Maraming gamit ang gulong…hindi lang pang sasakyan, kundi pwedeng salbabida, pwedeng laruan tulad nitong nakasabit sa poste na sinasakyan ng pamangkin ko. At ang pinaka hindi ko makalimutan, sa atin noon sa Pilipinas, yung gulong ng bisekleta na tinutulak ng kahoy ng mga bata para pagulungin sa kalsada. Habulan kaming lahat sa lumang gulong ng bisekleta. Pag tumumba na, iba naman ang tutulak padaosdos sa kalsada. Tuwang-tuwa na ako noon sa larong iyon. Iniiyakan ko nga iyon pag hindi ako naka tulak sa gulong. Ang tuwa ko noon hindi maiku-kompara sa aliw ko ngayon habang nag wi WII ako, hehehe.

Ito siya noon at ngayon:

Naisip ko lang, ganoon na ako katanda. Naman kasi ang aking pamangkin ngayon ay dalagang-dalaga na. At noong pinakita ko sa kanya ang mga lumang litrato niya sa palaruan na ito, nahihiya na siya… aba, aba, aba! Akala niya ata wala akong pang blackmail sa kanya pagtanda niya.

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Scenic Sunday

Yesterday was “Verkaufsoffener Sonntag” (Sunday shopping) in Frankfurt am Main. The shops were open from 13:00 on until 19:00. Hubby and I had a Sunday buffet lunch in the city with some friends and then went shoe shopping afterwards – an exception, definitely! (hehehe).

Okay, I know that in other parts of the world, shops are open on Sundays. In the Philippines or US of A for example. Germany, Sunday shopping is quiet a rarity. Some places they even close on Saturday midday. From then on no more shopping. Instead, people rather go to the forests for long walks or go for bike tours or visit Castle ruins. At night people can opt to eat out, since restaurants are open or go to Opera’s or concerts. For me, if I’m not at work, I’ll be at home with hubby cozily watching some old films or downloaded TV sci-fi series… yap, that’s my life, peaceful. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t have friends. Neither is my life boring?? NO! Definitely not. I just prefer my life as it is.

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Ballroom and Disco Night in Frankfurt

Everyone is invited to join. Learn how to dance Swing, Tango, Rumba and Cha-cha. Every hour a new dance step will be introduced by our in-house Dance Instructor. Come, let’s have fun on this winter night and learn to dance with old and new friends.

Date: February 18, 2012
Venue: Mainfeld Raum fĂĽr Kultur, Im Mainfeld 6, Frankfurt am Main.
Time: Dancing will start at 18:00

Ticket cost:

Pre-sale: 13,00€
Price at ticket box: 15,00€
(Price includes buffet snacks. Drinks are available for sale.)

For tickets and more info:

Hannah (MissP) 0163 877 9912

Marie 0171 546 2276

Rose Tungol 0172 802 7879

Rita 0173 655 8160

Aida 0176 7044 8469

Edison 0176 60908228

Coach Toti 0176 37578458

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Occupy Frankfurt demo 29.10.2011

Naki uzi ako sa nangyayari sa tapat ng European Central Bank kaninang hapon. Kaya, kasama si Bana sinilip namin ang pagpupulong ng mga tao. Maayos naman. Bukod sa iba’t-ibang banda na tumogtog at ilang tumula na patama sa goyerno, wala namang ibang kaguluhang nangyari. Kaya, nag pikyur-pikyur nalang ako sa kapaligiran.

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Late summer…

Was glad to have taken some time off from work. Went off to spend a few summer weather in Teneriffa. It made me feel like being in the Philippines again. See, summer here in Germany this year was really very short… it felt like we only had three days of summer this time. So, when I got there, it felt like I had a summer extension.

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LP Challenge: Inumin (Drinks)


Hindi naman talaga ako umiinom ng tubig…. alak lang! Joke lang po.

Sa totoo lang, dati akong tumadera. Nung panahon nag iingay pa ako palagi. Pero ngayon kasi nanahimik na ang beauty ko, hehehe. Eto, tripping lang, sa isang tabi, pa yosi-yosi… (*wink*), tahimik na nga kasi diba?

Pero, kahit di ako madalas tumoma may mga naka stock naman ako sa bahay just in case, may maligaw dito sa bukid namin. At eto naman ang ilan sa mga koleksiyon ko. Lika, toma muna tayo!

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Vee…

Have you ever experienced a time when you plan everything for a new beginning, a new start. Somehow, you get stuck in a situation?

First, you make a list of what to do’s. Then you slowly go through the list, scratching one off each time it is already accomplished. Somewhere along the long list, you somehow get stuck at one item. You do what you think is right to get it accomplished, but then it doesn’t seem to work. So, you leave it for a while and you go through the next items on your list. Then, somehow, you come across another item which stands in conflict with the previous undone item in the list. So, again you try to do something about it. Get an expert to finish the job, since it is necessary. You hire a lawyer. Apparently, after a long wait, it still cannot be corrected, until you get frustrated. What do you do? You approach a person whom you think is knowledgeable. You trust the person would be able to help you and perhaps see things in a different perspective and you let them take the lead on fixing the problem. You wait for some months, perhaps even years and then, you realize that you have been tricked by this other person you relied on.

Again, the question: “what should you do?”

An acquaintance of mine here in Frankfurt am Main has a dilemma. I’ll name her Vee. Vee has been trying to get order back in her life. She started a list of to do things. She managed to get some done, but apparently she keeps coming back to a certain problem again and again. Her civil status in the Philippines. Her marriage was not yet annulled. She hired a lawyer, but it didn’t work for some reason and eventually the case was dismissed. She then again got another lawyer and was again assured that it would be done, but somehow, she was just tricked. The second lawyer did not even bother to file her petition for annulment. Supposedly, this said lawyer whom she never met and “she doesn’t even know the name” promised her solution to her dilemma. They agreed a certain amount as compensation. Vee prepaid a big sum to the person. She arranged with the lawyer that the balance of the agreed amount would be paid once the case has reached a finality. After two years of long wait, she found out that she has been once again, swindled. He case was never filed although she was told that they were just waiting for the annotation of the Local Civil Registrar’s Office.

Okay, I must admit, somehow, someone either made an “honest mistake”, error perhaps in the process, couldn’t correct it anymore and wanted to start all over again. But the problem was Vee could not wait anymore. It took already a couple of years for her to wait and she was already demanding results. To which she has all the rights. OR that same someone, did not really intend to help her… but she needed Vee’s money anyway, so she promised but did not deliver. In the end, the person who inter-mediated, referred and assured Vee of results lost face in the process. I’ll name this person “Jay”. Jay is a Philippine civil servant. Jay works at the Philippine Consulate here in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Suffice it to say, Vee and a lot of other people have very high regards to the people who work at the Philippine Consulate here in Frankfurt. Well, now Jay lost face and dignity. (Jay’s story is for another entry.)

The next question is: how much would you be willing to sacrifice to get something done?

In Vee’s case, she was willing to go through all the trouble and was willing to pay hard earned money for her problem. She worked hard and fought as much as she could/is capable of. Vee called me asking for help. She wanted to confirm her doubts about her case. Somehow, she felt that it was all just talk and nothing was actually done. She wanted it checked, researched and eventually, got shocked that she was really fooled by the people she trusted. People whom she thought were knowledgeable and honest enough. Another person told Vee she should just not do anything about it anymore. Leave it as it is and just let mother nature take its course on the problem. There must be some divine reason why Vee’s previous marriage cannot be annulled. Some sort of natural intervention against the annulment of her marriage. Isn’t is that “God ordained marriage to be a lifelong commitment between man and wife”…”therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate”… and maybe she is also right.

In the end, Vee lost a lot of time, money and friends. Now she has to settle another item in her list first and wait until she is again able to work on the still “unfinished item”. In short she is letting the “unfinished item” rest for awhile. For a very long while!

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20 days

Yes, twenty days have passed since my last entry. How time flies. It’s now end of the month again. In a few days, it is already October. Autumn has come but apparently the summer still wants to stay a bit longer. Well, summer came late this year anyway, so it’s just fair that we let it stay for a few days more, right? Although, I would also welcome autumn with open arms… since autumn is my fave season. Blame it to the fact that I am an Autumn baby myself. The leaves changing colors and the starting to fall… makes the atmosphere so melancholic, so peaceful. The arrival of autumn this year means:
*** that Christmas is just around the corner, creeping upon us.
*** that in a few weeks time, I will be coming home again.
*** that I’ll be enjoying 5 weeks of relaxation and traveling within the Philippines. Our IT will be, Boracay courtesy of Jezz Hairstyling, Mt. Pinatubo and eventually Isabella region.

On top of that, perhaps also a few day in Macau with my Dad. My dad doesn’t like to travel for a longer period of time. So, instead of him coming to Europe with my youngest brother Kally, we will just take him somewhere closer to home. I just love it!

So, what’s my point here? Well, i am just missing my family, the house in Paranaque, my relatives and very close friends. And I’m excited cause I’ll be seeing them again soon!!!

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LP Challenge “Malaki” – BiG

Ako ay isang palitaw! Malaking palitaw. Palitaw kasi, isa siya sa mga paborito kong Pinoy merienda. Pero palitaw din, kasi ako ay pasulpot-sulpot lang dito sa blog ko at lalong lalo na dito sa pag po post ng LP challenge entries. Marami akong pwedeng gamiting excuse pero hindi na muna. Tama na yung talagang PALITAW AKO.

Pero, sa Linggong ito, eto na ang LP Challenge entry ko na MALAKI….
MALAKIng butas sa isang building dito sa Frankfurt city… ang tawag nila sa shopping gallery na ito ay ZEIL.. pronounced ZAYL.

Hindi lang yn ang malaki kong entry, hehehe. Siyempre ang aking mga pinaka mamahal na mga Orchids din ay ipagmamalaki ko ulit. Dahil namulaklak na naman ito ng napaka lalaki. Actually, hindi sila nawawalan ng bulaklak pero minsan maliliit lang ang bloom nila. This time, higante na naman ulit… yeheyyy!

To see photos best, click on “Show picture list“… and then click on “View picture lens“.

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