‘Twas a good year ended in a good way.
Before my son woke up, my husband and I, together with my father-in-law, were already out in the fairways. Yeezzzz, we played golf. Oooooppppssss, before I go on with pretensions, let me straighten it out… Hubby and father-in-law played golf while they had fun introducing me as their ‘umbrella girl”. As if I was destined to be an “umbrella girl” that day, I wore a plain white long sleeve shirt and black pants not knowing that the caddies are uniformed in exactly the same color. The difference was the vest. The caddies wear a green vest for their uniform with numbers on their back. I had on a denim vest. LOL.
For my first trip in the fairways, I was a diligent student until the eighteenth hole. It was Golf 101 for me. My father-in-law was an eager teacher. Days before, I was supposed to share lessons with my husband’s pro but he (the pro) decided that I will be better taught under a different session exclusively intended for me. I ended up just observing my husband familiarize himself with his swing and stance with the pro guiding and correcting him. I took a few swings and got a sore left shoulder after since I used a club for men.
Our golf membership in Lakewood remains unused to this day. Is this new interest a signal for some changes this year? Anyway, I would love to learn more. But in a few days, I will be back in freezing Seoul. Oh well…
playing par… playing birdie… double boogie… 2 on… 3 on… 4 on… index 1 - 18, sand wedge, irons… really, I was struggling with my learning… at least, I learned how to score a golf game 
Till the next session…
December 30 is the Philippine’s Rizal Day. It is so named after the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. Of course, much has been written about him.
But look at this: Our national hero has had a total of 10 women in his life… and this was during the nineteenth century… and he does not even stand over 5feet tall. What a gigolo!
Check these interesting portraits of Jose Rizal’s loves as painted by Fr. Armand Tangi in Inquirer’s article today.
The oldest “apo” at 14 years old planned and coordinated our December 28 Subic trip. Driving though SCTex was a breeze.
The view at the picnic area where we stopped for lunch was, to say the least, breathtaking. The kids enjoyed romping around. After lunch, we allowed the kids to walk at the shore.
What really caught everyone’s excitement were the freely roaming monkeys. We stopped several times, entertained by the freedom they exhibited. But visitors should not feed them anything. I think that’s just wise so as not to endanger them.
The Zoobic Safari was quite a disappointment. There was no option to take separate trips. One has to take the whole package at Php395 for adults and P295 for kids below 4feet. We had to go through the orientation with a tour guide, watch a mediocre parade of animals, go through the zoo featuring native animals, line up for a close encounter with caged tigers and ride the safari in a very small enclosure (very small for a safari ride) only to see 2 tigers! We had to endure going up and down our own cars. I think that’s what made the whole trip more tiring.
I would definitely not recommend a trip to the Zoobic Safari unless improvements will be made.
Anyway, we noted how careful the drivers are in Subic. Some of these are the same drivers who recklessly do not follow traffic rules in Manila. All it takes is the perception that the place is strict in the enforcement of traffic rules to have a safe and clean road:-)
Our Little Dynamo is fortunate to spend another Christmas here in the Philippines. One tradition which makes it more exciting is the Christmas carolling. Children (even adults) go to houses and sing Christmas carols. The house owners gladly (some reluctantly, others grouchily) give money to the carollers.
On Christmas eve, we had several carollers passing by the front gate. We let the children listen and appreciate the tradition by letting them go nearer the gate and sing and dance with the carollers. Little Dynamo was tasked to hand the money.
Do you wonder… who is more excited - the ones who wait or the ones who arrive?
Such was the question I pondered upon while waiting for our flight for Manila on December 22.
It’s the Christmas holidays and people are going home to their respective families to celebrate Christmas. In my case, I was to meet my husband at the Terminal 2 in Manila. I was coming from Iloilo and he was coming from Korea.
Anyway, here are the people waiting infront of the airport:
and here are the people arriving:
Whenever we go to my husband’s hometown in Cabanatuan, we had always used the North Luzon Expressway. When it was finished some years back, we were very grateful for the convenience it brought. My husband and I had a good surprise this year. We went home on a convoy. My parents-in-law in their Navarra pick-up, my brother-in-law and his family in his Hi-Lux pick-up, and my husband and I and our Little Dynamo in our Pajero. They led the way and we passed by a new route, the SCTex - the Subic, Clark, Tarlac Expressway. It’s good to know that from Cabanatuan, we could conveniently go to Clark and Subic.
The new road (new for me) is an idyllic ride with scenic rice fields on both side. Little Dynamo’s boredom throughout the ride is constantly eased by the frequent sightings of carabaos. A Carabao is a national symbol of the Philippines and a useful animal for farmers. While we were driving along SCTex, hubby and I talked about the necessity of carabaos in a Filipino farmer’s life. Tales of fathers selling their carabaos for their sons and daughters to be able to go abroad abound. Money from the sale of the carabao is usually used to finance the placement fees, processing fees and other miscellaneous expenses for sons and daughters to work as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) - mostly as domestic helpers and construction workers in other countries. It has always been with a heavy heart to part with the family’s prized possession (the carabao) but there is a glimmering hope that there will be a monthly flow of dollars coming from the family’s OFW. Some are succesfully placed abroad, other stories are tragic.
While driving through Tarlac, we saw some men planting on the rice fields. Back home in the outskirts of Iloilo, I still remember watching men in sync in their hand movements while planting rice in the muddy rice fields. A summer memory in Sta. Barbara will never be forgotten where my brother and I played in the muddy rice fields. It was planting season and the ricefields were knee-deep with water. Oblivious of the mud, we played and played. I couldn’t remember how we slled nor how we looked. It was the muddy fun that we had that lingers in my memory:-)
Vacation in Iloilo City couldn’t be complete without revisiting my Alma Mater, the Colegio de San Jose (CSJ).
This vacation year was even more special as it was a good time to introduce my Little Dynamo to my teachers. Imagine my kindergarten teacher meeting my 2 year old son! The picture below shows the same room I used 26 years ago with the same kindergarten teacher, Miss Umadhay (in white).
My son sweated it out running on the same grounds we used for flag ceremonies. When I graduated from high school in 1993, we were a class of just over 200. We had our graduation in the auditorium. Last March, the graduation of the high school students was held in this open ground. They must have grown in number:-)
I was surprised at the surprise exhibited by a job interviewer I encountered when he learned that I graduated from a batch of only 200 students. I didn’t think it was uncommon. Batches prior to our batch were even fewer as CSJ used to be an all-girls school. The nuns decided, during the mid 80’s, to convert the school into a co-ed school, thus the increase in our number.
It was good to be back… till the next years ahead…
Jollibee is undeniably the Philippine’s number one fastfood chain. I know of no kid who does not become fascinated with the Jollibee mascot. Count my son in!
And it’s not just the mascot. After giving him a spoonful of food, he would rub his tummy and throw his “kenkoy” satisfied look. There’s a catch! It isn’t just any Jollibee food, though. It’s the chickenjoy dipped in its gravy. He would say, “Chicken put this one here (pointing to the gravy”. The chicken goes back to the tray when there is none.
Here’s the Jolly Spaghetti with 1 piece chickenjoy at Php100.00:
It does tickle the Filipino taste buds. Yummy!
We laid to her final rest Manang Bini, my grandmother and my mother’s aunt, last Sunday, December 14, 2008 at the Santa Barbara Cemetery. She was the one who took care of me and my brother when we were toddlers. She continued to take care of us during vacation time when we spend our summers in Santa Barbara during our pre-teen years.
The necrological mass was held at the historic Santa Barbara Church. I took the time to revisit history, as well.
This is where the Ilonggo hero, General Martin Delgado, “convened the junta that raised the first Cry of Revolution against Spain outside Luzon. Its churchyard that time was packed with Filipino soldiers, armed with bolos and eager to fight for freedom”. Thus, the church was aptly called “The Cradle of the Ilonggo Revolution Against the Spanish Rule”.
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