Thursday, April 23, 2015

family reunion (^_^)






Last April 18,2015 at E.Yasay Beach, Opol, Misamis Oriental we celebrated the 1st grand reunion of my father's family. Hehehe and as always, I was feeling "floating" due to lack of sleep. Hahas You see, I jumped off from gensan at 7:20pm  friday night (it was the last trip to Davao and good thing my boyfriend was with me because if not for him I may not have made it because of the number of passengers who are also bound for Davao city). Subsequently, I arrived at davao at around 11pm where the last trip bound for Cagayan de Oro was almost full which is why my seat is at the backmost portion aka the make-my-head-dizzy seats portion of the bus (but I am glad though that I catched up with it otherwise I'll be stuck at the terminal until 3am (^-^) hehehe). I finally arrived home at around 9:45am. As such, it is not surprising to have the floating feeling, the black eyebags and of the big yawns every now and then.



At the reunion, I was shocked by our number. I thought there were only a few of us but I was wrong. I have a lot of relatives and the kids way back then are now grown ups (literally taller than me hehe) and they even have started their own family. I also met my uncles and aunties together with their sons and daughters, in-laws and grandchildren (for the 1st time) who are based from Butuan. And because of our number, E.Yasay beach resort became exclusively for us :)





me & my sis

We also have our own customized shirts for the event..hehehe..the aqua blue shirts have our own name printed on it. A brilliant way don't you think to identify each of us without the need of name tags. Plus the names on the shirts clearly states who owns it and when laundered together, it will not get mixed up.






fooooooodss

The food were a plenty and soooo yummy. Each family contributed either financially or foodfully hahas you know what I mean. And as always,  the lechon babz and chicken are present together with spaghetti, lumpia and other food stuffs. And for dessert, salad and bico. hehehe I think every one had BH or bring home food ;)








let's dance dance dance
Hmm..the reunion really was a blast. There were presentations from each family and there were lots of games for the old and the young. I especially like the biko eating contest, beer drinking contest (using a straw) and longest line where ALMOST every one are down to their underwears (the kids were stripped naked hehehe). The "bring me" game was also fun. And the attendance raffle is sooo thumbs up because everyone got a prize.






But what I love the most is the bonding and catching-up part of the family. The eternity of the familial bond that connects everyone is alive. The blood that runs through our veins that no matter how many generations may pass and no matter where we are in the world, is the same in a dynamic kind of way. The genes that were passed to us by our forefathers make us similar yet different. And I can say that the theme/caption of the family reunion really embodied that.



my family (insert brother here)


"Family is like the branches of the tree, we may grow into different directions yet our roots remain as one"









And, I really really really hope there will be another reunion next year and every year after that ;)




opol, misamis oriental sunset beach







Monday, April 20, 2015

pinakalit na laag sa malinao, kalilangan, bukidnon

9:05PM 04-01-2015 (holy wednesday)



 I was cross stitching and thinking what to do with the long weekend. Then, I thought, what if I spend the holy week at my bestest best friend forever(bbff)'s house in Malinao, Kalilangan, Bukidnon since I basically had nothing to do but sleep,eat,watch tv/anime/muvee, repeat. And so, I instantly texted her. However, her reply came at 7 the following morning. I computed the travel time from general santos to davao (3-4hours), davao to maramag (3-4 hours), maramag to kalilangan (1-2 hours) and kalilangan to malinao (roughly 30 minutes). So bottomline, it will be dark when I arrived. Plus, the last trip from maramag to kalilangan is unknown and I really do not want to travel by van since I do not feel secured with its safety measures. And, because I will be travelling alone to a place I have never been before, I told her that I will travel to their place on Black Saturday  since bus operations are suspended on Good Friday.

Holy Thursday and Good Friday passed by and finally Black Saturday came. And as early as 4AM, I was already awake, alive and enthusiastic (char) hehehe. Just kidding, I almost backed-out actually because 4AM was still really dark and the streets are lonely. Only a few people and tricycles are passing by. But, thinking of the disappointed faces of my bbff and her parents as well as my officemate (who I also texted since she went home to Kalilangan for the Holy week),  I decided to push through and just prayed to God to cover me with his mantle of protection and to keep me and my fellow passengers safe from harm.


On the way to davao, a kid who was sitting at the back of my chair, became "sea sick" and vomitted on my seatmate and me (imagine the horror on my face). I blurted "EEEEEEW" and almost vomitted myself because of the smell. I immediately washed the vomit with alcohol but still the smell remained and so I decided to remove my jacket even though it was very cold. Good thing though, davao was only over an hour away. But during the remainder of that bus trip, I got "chicken-skinned" and prayed more that the bus be magically transported to my destination.


I arrived at Davao terminal just in time to catch the bus bound for Maramag. The trip was ok, no vomitting kids (whew!) and although I had no jacket, I did not feel cold because of the shining sun. However, I felt numbed in my hands and almost fainted because of hunger. You see, since I was hospitalized 2 years ago because of gastritis, my stomach has never been the same. Which is why skipping meals is a no-no. And when the bus driver finally stopped for lunch, I immediately went out, fell in line at the karenderia and order bulalo/nilagang baka or something with hot sabaw. Unfortunately, that food is for the driver only (ooow). So, I chose humba instead and thank God that my stomach did not rebel.

When I arrived at Maramag terminal, I texted my bbff what bus to ride since what was available at that time was a bus to Kibawe or a bus to Wa-O. She told me to ride the Wa-O bus and to just tell the bus driver/conductor that my stop is Kalilangan. This is a new place to travel for me so my eyes were wide open looking and enjoying the passing scenery. And what a view it is, there are vast fields of either rice, pineapple or sugar cane, several canopies of trees (forming an arch on the road), clear skies with passing clouds of different shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures because i get dizzy everytime I try.

I finally arrived and my bbff together with her mom, met me at the bus terminal. After that, we had lunch and then we rode their multicab to get to Malinao. On the way there, more views greeted me albeit the nasty road. Still, the ride was fun.
brgy.malinao photo by lanipang :)

We arrived at Brgy. Malinao. And my first impression is that it is really a place for some R&R.  You can really breathe in the fresh air unlike that of the city. And you can also feel the calmness of the place. Added to that, it has this rustic look with its trees, hills, roads and the over all feel of the place. There are also a lot of fruits trees and my bbff's parents made me bring a lot for pasalubong.

Hehehe.. ;)













PS: On the way back to General Santos City, we made a side trip to Overview, Bukidnon










Tuesday, April 7, 2015

meet & greet sonia francesca ;)

  

March 22, 2015. Sunday. KCC Mall of Gensan


Badump badump tadan tadan badump badump tadan tadan

T'was the sounds my heart made while i was falling in line for MY first book signing..hahahas. Anyway, because this is an opportunity that rarely come by, I decided to buy several books for me and my friends (since there is as yet no Precious Pages in Cagayan de Oro and therefore so little chance for them to have it signed). Oh yeah! Hehehe And you know what? The experience really felt surreal and silly yet amazing. For the first time, my pocket book was signed  and I just hug one of my most favorite Filipino writers :) hehehe (another check on my bucket list).


Hmmm..I started reading tagalog pocketbooks(pbs for short) when I was in highschool. However, because of the melodrama theme, I stopped. It has just become so OA. I thought that all tagalog pbs are like that (hasty generalization mode here hehe). Good thing though, my bbff (bestest best friend forever) convinced me to try reading the Stallion Riding Club (SRC) series written by Sonia Francesca and Sofia. Since then, I became a fan. Their works really are interesting and fun. They made me rethink of my previous misconception about tagalog pbs over melodrama theme. Which is why, I decided to collect their works. And meeting them in person became a part of my bucket list.

Which is why, I really recommend that you try reading their books especially if you like anime, happy endings & not-so-melodrama theme :) And to help you with that, here is a list of  some of the titles/series written by Sonia Francesca I have copied from this site: http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php/Sonia_Francesca . 

Oh! By the way, the titles in blue are those which are in my collection and those which are underlined are my favorites :)




Precious Hearts Romances
  • Kissing Miss Wrong
  • Matters Of The Heart
  • My Lord Ace
  • Love At Second Sight
  • Love, Lies, And Alibis
  • Dear Lies
  • Hey, Gorgeous
  • Once And Again
  • The Way You Love Me
  • Accidental Hearts
  • Captain Of My Heart
  • Goldilocks And Her Prince
  • My Sweetheart Cherie
  • I Do… Take Two
  • Birubiruan Ng Puso
  • Si Ma’am At Si Mr. Heartthrob
  • I Love You Todo-todo, Walang Hinto, Walang Preno
  • Missent
  • Back To Your Heart
  • Option 5: Love Me, My Darling Enemy
  • Send In My Prince Charming
  • Love Comes Knockin’
  • Let Me Call You Sweetheart
  • The Love Charm
  • The Love Next Door
  • I Hate You Because I Love You
  • Palagay Ko Mahal Kita
  • Bad Case Of Loving You
  • Don’t Mess With My Love
  • I Love You, I Love You Not... I Love You A Little, I Love You A Lot
  • Funny Valentine
  • Something Like Love
  • Exclusively Yours
  • Hooked On A Feeling
  • This Certain Feeling
  • Trust Me Your Heart
  • Crazy Little Thing Called Love
  • Loving Faust
  • Paint My Heart
  • Catch Me I’m Falling For You
  • Maybe You’re My Love
  • Wake Up, Pretty Little Heart
  • Return To Love
  • Tell Me When To Love You
  • Wandering Heart
  • Addicted To Love
  • For The Love Of Julie
  • For The Love Of Myla
  • Hello Love... Once Again
  • Let Me In Your Heart
  • For The Love Of Hellene
  • Take My Love
  • Just Like Before
  • Stolen Kisses
  • Two Sweet Kisses
  • A Kiss in the Rain
  • Kiss and Tell
  • Kissing Mr. Wrong
  • Love Story

Billionaire Boys Club Batch 1 (Indie Series)
  • Treize de Cordova
  • Randolf Emmanuel Fontanilla
  • Juanito ‘Yeoji’ Buenzalido
  • Denniz Serrano
  • Zech Marquez
  • Lantis Nakago

Billionaire Boys Club Batch 2 (Indie Series)
  • Silvanus Arellano
  • Vincent Noblejas
  • Vash Illustre
  • Rex Lagdameo
  • Ken Arboleda
  • Rath Lagdameo

Los Caballeros (Indie Series)
  • Basta Para Sa’yo
  • Simply Meant To Be
  • Pustahan Tayo, Mahal Kita
  • My Love, My Hero
  • Guilty Of Loving You
  • I Love You And It’s All Right
  • My Girl

Golden Hearts (Indie Series)
  • Here’s My Heart
  • Romancing Cupid
  • Crazy For This Girl
  • Her Own Prince Charming

Rancho Estate (Indie Series)
  • Gusto Kita Noon, Crush Kita Kahapon, Love Kita Ngayon
  • Walang Matimtimang Puso Sa Makulit Na Pag-Ibig
  • Love In A Jiffy
  • My Grumpy Amore
  • Kissing Cupid
  • Sleeping Angel
  • Reed In My Heart
  • A Tender Lovin’ Dr. Raizen
  • Rachel’s Sweet Surrender

Skylander Series (Collaboration with Sofia)
  • Jet Lee And His Secret Heart
  • Rui Of The Dark Night (Sofia)
  • Rohann, Heart of the Raging Storm 1 (Sofia)
  • Rohann, Heart of the Raging Storm 2 (Sofia)
  • Aki in the Mist
  • Arwen’s Skyland Heart
  • Michael James (Sofia)
  • Charming Neo
  • Sapphire, Mystic Moonlight (Sofia)
  • Kristoffer Carlo, The Highland Devil (Sofia)
  • Klein, Kiss of Dawn (Sofia)
  • Fawna, Summer Breeze (Sofia)
  • Leonard, The Wild Wind (Sofia)
  • Dashielle, Wolf’s Rain (Sofia)
  • Raphael, Sunset Shadow 1 (Sofia)
  • Raphael, Sunset Shadow 2 (Sofia)

Stallion Riding Club Series Batch 1 (Collaboration with Sofia)
  • Jubei Bernardo
  • Eneru Vilasis
  • Gino Santayana (Sofia)
  • Hiro Hinata (Sofia)
  • Reigan Baltazar
  • Neiji Villaraza
  • Yue Anthony Zheng (Sofia)
  • Gabryel Honasan (Sofia)

Stallion Riding Club Series Batch 2 (Collaboration with Sofia)
  • Brad Crawford
  • Rodjan Sta. Maria
  • Kai Montezor
  • Yozack Florencio
  • Zell Zapanta
  • Emrei Rafiq (Sofia)
  • Romanov Cuerido (Sofia)
  • Jason Erwin Dean (Sofia)
  • Crawford Oreña (Sofia)
  • Kester Mondragon (Sofia)

Stallion Riding Club Series Batch 3 (Collaboration with Sofia)
  • Philippe Jacobs (Sofia)
  • Eiji Romero (Sofia)
  • Rolf Guzman (Sofia)
  • Beiron Rafiq (Sofia)
  • Reichen Alleje (Sofia)
  • Reid Alleje 1 (Sofia)
  • Reid Alleje 2 (Sofia)

Stallion Riding Club Series Batch 4 (Collaboration with Sofia)
  • Pipo de Vera
  • Johann Cristobal (Sofia)
  • Daboi Bustamante
  • Gianpaolo Aragon (Sofia)
  • Angelo Exel Formosa
  • Thyago Palacios (Sofia)
  • Icen Villazanta
  • Hayden Anthony Ilano (Sofia)
  • Rozen Aldeguer
  • Joziah Gatchalian (Sofia)
  • Cloud Montañez
  • Eizhiro Figueroa (Sofia)
  • Zairo Montevedra (Sofia)
  • Hans Cervantes
  • Baxter Saavedra
  • Mark Ashley Camello (Sofia)
  • Danrick Tezzoro (Sofia)
  • Ricos Caderao
  • Richard Don Robles (Sofia)
  • Lee Shin Yang
  • Myco Gosiaco 1 (Sofia)
  • Myco Gosiaco 2 (Sofia)
  • Reiven Alleje (Sofia)
  • Ian Jack Salmentar
  • Trigger Samaniego 1
  • Trigger Samaniego 2
  • Jigger Samaniego 1
  • Jigger Samaniego 2

Stallion Riding Club Revisited (Indie Series)
  • Jakob Dylan Arenaz
  • Ruki Takizawa
  • Devon Fabriquer
  • Laud Sandejas
  • Rain Elizondo
  • Rushmore Forteza


'Calle Pogi Series (Collaboration with Keene Alicante)
  • Buwi
  • Waki
  • Lian (Keene Alicante)
  • Makisig (Keene Alicante)
  • Haru
  • Matt (Keene Alicante)
  • Sage (Keene Alicante)
  • Ryu
  • Drei (Keene Alicante)
  • Bucho

My Love My Hero (Imprints)
  • Heero

Harlequin Mills and Boon (Translations)
  • Delivered: One Family by Caroline Anderson
  • Getting Red-Hot With The Rogue by Ally Blake (as Sumire Villegas)
  • Dating the Rebel Tycoon by Ally Blake (as Sumire Villegas)
  • The Billionaire's Contract Wife by Penny Jordan (as Sumire Villegas)

Stallion Island Series (Sofia)
  • Misha Santoros
  • Jayson Alden Arcena
  • Yzaak Argoncillo
  • Leigh Armaund Lopez
  • Chrome Venitio
  • Jairon Vince Yun
  • Alessandrace Sandejas
  • Torque Lopez III
  • Warren Li
  • Julian Veron Yun
  • Draco Montague
  • Noah Ames Munieca
  • Slade Villacorta
  • Zachary Fontana
  • Cody Lance Santillia

The Floral Collection
  • Kissing Miss Wrong
  • Matters Of The Heart
  • My Lord Ace
  • Love At Second Sight
  • Love, Lies, And Alibis
  • Dear Lies
  • Hey, Gorgeous
  • Once And Again
  • The Way You Love Me

My Special Valentine (as Marion Grace)
  • I Love You Anyway

Chapters Of The Heart (as Cherie Lei)
  • Loving Alucard
  • Back To You
  • I Love How You Love Me
  • Guardian Of My Heart



PS: here is  pic of Sonia Francesca's note to me (hopefully she'll greet me in one of her books or make me her heroine..aiyeee.hehehe)