A day at the La Mesa Ecopark

A day of fun with family and nature.

with cousins, aunts and nephews

keep walking...

active play is more fun!

and they conquered their fear here.

Other scenes...

It's actually my second visit here and if i have more time, i'd come here often. It's one of the few places in the city where you could see lots of greens and enjoy the fresh air. My usually funny uncle found the park a nice place to escape from one's worries and stressful situations. Indeed it was.

So put on your most comfy shirt/tanktops, shorts or jogging pants, and shoes (or slippers...anything comfy for long walks), put on some mosquito repellent (although i hardly saw any mosquito), and you're ready for the park. Bring extra shirts and hand towels ...and don't forget your SPF.

More information about the park here.

I'M BACK!

been quite a while since my last post.... so here are some updates:

-> post grad class will be ending on the last Tuesday of this month (hurraaaay!)

-> with all the training that happened during the last quarter of last year...and the post-grad class, i wasn't able to spend time in the kitchen. but that's gonna change a few weeks from now.

-> my mother dear is coming home for a vacation! (yehey!)

well, that's all for now.

and thanks again for dropping by.
:)

Major Slacking

It's a holiday today and i had a rather long weekend. But unlike the other weekend, i was on major slacking this time.

Well, not completely.

Saturday was a busy day at home cooking and mingling with the relatives as we remember dear old lolo who passed away a year ago.

Sunday was spent sleeping til almost noon, binging on yesterday's left-over food and watching movies on HBO.

Today, it's almost the same as yesterday. Almost.
I still have homework to do and a take-home exam to accomplish.

Signing off for now...

from South Park

recognize this little fellow?

it's Kenny!

bro's sculpture project in Humanities.
galing no?

Long Weekend

and quite an exhausting one at that! But it's all good. At least i could say that my weekend had been quite productive.

Dad was sick since Friday so i had to take charge of feeding the family for the weekend. As if that's not enough, sister got sick yesterday and had a bout with an on-again-off-again fever, so i had to do her part of the household chore and take care of her and papa. Whew! Ganyan talaga pag panganay ka. Then i had to take care of everything else in between--even fetch pail after pail of water because flowing water from household faucets has become a thing of the past here in our area, unless you have an electric waterpump which we don't have because installing such would lead to sky-rocketing electricity bills.

No, this is not a rant post even if it seems to be. I'm trying to see what's good in all of this. For the most part, it was a time for physical activity. Yeah, i was tired by the end of the day but it's all good. Better than slacking my ass off!

So how was your weekend?

Mom's Verdict

Mama buzzed me yesterday on YM:

Your banana bread was hard when it got here and the cookies got soft. Tried to re-heat them, though. They tasted pretty good. Yummy-yummy. No wonder you have fans there. I'm so happy for you

Hehehe! Thanks 'ma!

Nanay nga kita! ;)

For Mama

It's been raining for most of the day and what better thing to do than to curl up in bed on a Monday night after a day's work.

But that's after i finish packing the banana bread and peanut butter cookies i baked to be transported to HK for my mom. Cousin-in-law will be flying on Wednesday morning and mom will meet him at the airport in HK.

It's about time my mother gets a taste of what other people have been raving about.
;)

Family Affair

(Another one of them post backlogs)

One fine Saturday, a private pool, family members, lots of food and drinks, fun and laughter. Nothing beats spending time with the family.

THE KIDDIES

i love this particular shot where the water seemed to float mid-air!


waiting for their turn with the mic!


while bro opted to meditate ;)

and later that night.... hehehe! you know what i mean ;)

Kiddies

Pix backlog from my short vacay...

Babies of my 2nd cousins back in Antique.

my cousin Apple's baby girl (her name slipped my memory though...teehee!)
the latest addition to the Macuja clan

here's Heidie who's so malambing

Mikee (my god daughter) and Akong's son (who's name also escapes my memory)

and here's Ken (last year's addition to the Macuja clan!)

Goofballs! v.2

Me and my bro.

Can't take a decent pose from him! Take this one.

Painted!

Yesterday's snaps ;)

I love lavender. So it's no wonder that i had this window painted with that color. This is from the vacant room i previously raved about. Yeah, it's been quite a while and i haven't moved in yet. There are so many repairs to do and some other people's stuff to put away coz this room was used as a stockroom of some sort after the previous occupants vacated the place.

And there's dad placing a plastic screen so i can always have the windows open for sunlight and not worry about the cat getting out through the jalousies.

Meanwhile, my sister Tet tried to paint her toenails pink -for the very first time...

...by herself! And she is so serious about it.

"my hands are small i know but they're not yours they are my own..."

...and my fingernails are painted with a color i can't name. It's brownish from the bottle but turned kinda pinkish at one angle then fleshy at another (i guess it depends on where the light bounces off) with a metallic finish.

The nail polish would not last long though. I work with my hands a lot. I can't be bothered with maintaining paint on my fingernails and worrying about them chipping off coz eventually, they will chip off and get messy. This is one girlie stuff i can live without.

Happy 200th!

It just dawned on me that i am now writing my 200th post. Not that i'm counting... Hehehe!

Meanwhile, it's my mother's birthday yesterday (Happy Birthday Madir!!!). She called a while ago to tell me that she's at the park watching a rock show courtesy of a Filipino radio station based in HK. It was loud, it was fun (according to mom), and best of all... it was for free!

Heck, how come she gets to watch a free rock show and i don't?

Hmmm....

Anyway ma, i hope you had fun and enjoyed your Sunday (free day for most OFW's in HK), after all, it was your birthday yesterday.

Love yah!

Cartooned!

Uncanny resemblance?

yup, because it's his face in the shirt...

Self-portrait.

Yun lang!

never be the first to break a family tradition

Every New Year's Eve, when the clock strikes midnight, my aunt tosses out a lot of coins while we all gather round to catch them. In the midst of all the noise and revelry outside, we were making our own noises of cheers and shouts, and of course, the sound of coins we've gathered and are now shaken inside our pockets for good luck!

These are the days....

I'm on caffeine overdose and having an adrenalin rush. Bad combination because now i'm having palpitations.

I have a ton of paperwork to do and the bureaucracy is really not helping me achieve my target for the day.

And i still haven't organized my ideas for a production number for the higher boss' birthday.

And i've been depriving myself of precious sleep for two days already. Blame it on the caffeine. Hehe!


= = =


Yesterday at the choir practice, we were shocked by an SMS we received from a fellow choirmate that another member of ours got admitted at the hospital due to fractured bone when she tripped herself on duty (she works at the hospital).


So before going home, we paid her a visit and found out that she'd been at the hospital since Saturday. She's going home today, and will be wearing that cast for two months.

the gang with (still-smiley-despite-the-injury) Ate Ruby

(Choir)master Robin ransacked the goodies (bantay-salakay, hehe!)

= = =

When i got home, Papa was running a high fever and was complaining of a splitting headache. So i gave him a spongebath (to lower his temperature), sprinkled a generous amount of baby powder on his back (to absorb perspiration) and gave him medicine.

I told my bro to keep watch but i couldn't sleep very well coz i couldn't help worrying about Papa. And when i was finally about to enter dreamland, i was abruptly awakened by bro, asking if he should wake dad up for another dose of medicine. I told him to let him sleep and just give him the medicine in the morning.

I had a hard time getting back to sleep after that. And i was late for work.

Not that i'm complaining. I'm worried, yes, but it's normal to worry (in my case, i panic most of the time) when a family member gets sick.

= = =

I'm already at the stage where i've forgiven dad about his shortcomings and our misunderstandings. And now that things have changed (and he has changed for the better), i just want to spend time with him and enjoy our time together, seeing him smile when i bring home something for him or when i tell a funny thing that happened to me at work.

Even if he's not very vocal about his feelings, I know deep inside that he loves us, his children. I love my dad. And i always pray that God would give him good health so he could enjoy more of what life has to offer.

And for the first time, I told Papa i love him. I think i'm gonna say it more often.

Childhood Memory

Have you ever had a scary childhood memory? Have you ever had disturbing feelings evoked by a certain character from a cartoon movie you've seen when you were younger?


Call me weird. This is what freaked me out when i first saw it when i was a kid:

the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland

= = =

Yesterday, my sister happened to buy me a yellow (my favorite color) shirt with this design:

Yup, it's the same cat

She tossed me the shopping bag and said with a grin: "i know this freaked you out when you were young, that's why i bought this for you."

That's how my sister shows her love for me. ;P

Thankful...

I've got a lot to be thankful for today.

= = =


For the first time in more than 10 years, I heard my dad said he's going to church. I was so moved by those words that it made me wanna go with him and even told my siblings that we should all go to show dad our support and have that one day for our family to do one thing together.


= = =


Dad won at the Barangay elections last October 29.

A couple of months back, he'd been telling us that he wants to run for a barangay position. It's kind of a family tradition since my late grandfather and two uncles had been active leaders/officials in our neighborhood. I, too, was not spared by the call of public service when i ran for Sangguniang Kabataan and held office from 1996-1999.


= = =


For a couple of months now, Papa had been 95% alcohol-free. We've been talking more and I feel closer to him now. I can feel that his mood has become lighter and his temper is not like before. He laughs more and smiles more nowadays.

Plus, Papa and Mama had been talking more lately through voice chat and they can see each other through webcam. Thanks to faster internet connection at home.


= = =


I have a good feeling that things are getting better.

And I am thankful.


= = =


My family has never been big on hugs or any display of affection. We seldom say "i love you" and seldom talk about usual family stuff at the dinner table.

But these are gonna change, i'm sure. I can feel it now.


= = =


I've always prayed for my dad and my mom.
I've always prayed for my family and loved ones.
And God has answered my prayers.
I am forever thankful.
God is good.


= = =


Now perhaps i could pray for myself this time.
;)

Gone for the Weekend: Subic!

I missed jogging yesterday.

Kuya Buddy (my balikbayan cousin from Vegas) will be going back to the States in a couple of days and he wanted to have some bonding time with the whole family (cousins, uncles and aunts) so he treated us all to an out of town trip. Destination: the beach at Subic.

Funny thing while we were on the road:

We were so careful not to violate the traffic rules enforced inside Subic so we waited patiently for the red light to go green. But it took a little longer and we were thinking the traffic light must be out of order. We kept looking at our back and saw the line behind us. Some of us were prodding ChoBobot (my uncle and designated driver) to go ahead anyway but after quite some time, (thank heavens!) the lights changed to green.

= = =

It was a warm day and the water was calm but we didn't dare take a dip yet as the sun was scorchingly hot. The boys opted to play, though!

the more athletic ones played beach football while artistic bro built sand castles

Late afternoon was our time to dip in the water which was starting to get cold. Did my own style of swimming--some pseudo-backstroke and some floating tricks here and there (uh, freestyle?) which i reckoned was equivalent to my Saturday jog. So i'm not a good swimmer. So what? ;P

Kuya Buddy was the center of attention when he fooled around in the water (like taking off his shorts and waving it in the air for all of us to see, and some other things i shouldn't be mentioning here) that got us all laughing and cheering for him.

Yup, we were a rowdy bunch. And we enjoyed every minute of it.

see the smiles in our faces?
Naah! But look at that backdrop!
Who wouldn't be captivated by the scene behind us?

Scary?

That's my bro!

;P

Oh Brother!

On this day, 19 years ago, Jose Esmael Macuja Obedoza was ushered into this world. Named after his father (Jose) adn maternal grandfather (Esmael), this little bundle of joy was the apple of his parents' eyes.

Being the youngest and only son, Jomel (most fondly called Jong or Maeng) was a little spoiled growing up. Well, just a little. He mostly gets his way or else he'll throw a tantrum that's not easy to be calmed down. Perhaps it's because he was born on the year of the dragon.

Fast forward to 2007. The little bundle of joy grew up to be an extraordinary young man. The baby i used to carry is now taller and heavier than me. Gone are the days when i would carry him on my back to get to his room when he falls asleep on the couch.

I can blabber all sorts of stuff about my bro, specially the good stuff 'cause i'm proud to be his sister, but it all sums up to this:

I love you bro! Kung saan ka masaya, te suportahan ta'ka!

Happy Birthday too!!!