6 Personalities in Less than an Hour

It's September 30, 2011 the last day of the month.  And yet, I only have 2 posts published.  Sheesh.  Been a busy month for me.   Every time I sit in front of the computer to write a post, my brain just won't function.  I already have lots of stories in line, but still.  Arrrg!

I cannot anymore remember how I celebrated or where I was during Iligan City's fiesta, September 29, for the past so many years.  But now that I already have a blog, I will start documenting my fiesta escapades and reminisce them when I get old.   :-D

Pat, yesterday, got up very early in the morning to accompany his visitors to some places in Iligan City.  He woke me up at past 6 in the morning to hug and kiss me before leaving.   So, sweet of him.  :-)

I slept again.  Woke up 9 am.  Prepared and ate breakfast.  Then did my laundry.  

11 am.  I called Pat to ask where they are and if I can join them for lunch.   He said they're going to Bayug to shoot some lechon (roast pig) being cooked.  Then they'll go to Cathy Tan's (manager of Cheding's Peanuts) residence for lunch.  He said I can go there.  So I hurriedly prepared myself and left.  

11:40 am.  I was already in the city center.  Called up Pat to check if I can still make it to join them for lunch.  I thought of just eating lunch at the mall in case I won't be able to make it there.   But he said yes and that they have just arrive.  And then told me to hurry up because two artists from GMA 7 are eating lunch there.  It would be a good opportunity for picture taking.  :-)

Thank God I managed to arrive just in time.  Whew.   Below are the pictures of me taken by Pat with 6 personalities in the span of less than an hour. 

These personalities with me are reporters/writers and photographers from Manila.  From left, Vit, a freelance photographer for the Experience Travel and Lifestyle Magazine;  Emman, a writer for The Philippine Daily Inquirer; and, Eileen, a freelance writer/blogger for the Experience Travel and Lifestyle Magazine.  

Actually, the four of us has been together for the last 2 nights.  After work, I join them for dinner (per invitation by Pat, hehehe) and just tag along with them wherever they go.  But with the 2 nights of being together, I never got to have a photo with them.  So, during lunch, I whispered to Pat to take a photo of us.  As souvenir.  Who knows, when I'll meet them again. 

Moymoy Palaboy, GMA 7 Artists who are kind of stand-up comedians.  They have a comedy TV show.

I saw them the other night, September 28, during the Kapuso Night show.  I like their performance.  Actually, I don't  know them.  It was the first time I heard of them and seen them.  Not even on TV.  We don't have anymore TV channels at home.  We only watch movies in DVDs.  :-) 

12:10pm.   After eating lunch, we headed to the residence of Congressman Varf Belmonte (the man beside me in the photo).  Eileen, Emman and Vit were going to just make a courtesy call to the congressman and then leave for Cagayan de Oro as Emman's flight for Manila will be at 3:55 in the afternoon.

As it turned out, Secretary Gazmin (man on the far left of the photo), Secretary of the National Defense, was a visitor of congressman.  In about a minute, we were allowed to get inside and talk to congressman.  And it was also a coincidence that Sec. Gazmin and Pat are Masonic brothers.  And Eileen is also a member of  the International Order of Rainbow for Girls, an affiliate organization of the Masonic Family.  So, what was supposed to be just a minute of courtesy call turned out to be a 20-minute chat, with picture taking.  

Why was I in the picture?  Pat was holding the camera and I was just a few feet away from them.  Before clicking the shutter he ask me to join the group photo.  I hesitated at first because I know I am not an important person to be joining them.  I was embarrassed that I'd be included in the photos taken by the staff of Sec. Gazmin and Congressman Varf.  Even more embarrassing was, Congressman Varf actually turned to me and looked at me when I stood beside him.  I don't know what he's reaction was, I was too embarrassed to look at him.  What could he have been thinking then?  As I remember, Pat has not yet formally introduced me to Congressman Varf.  I am not sure if he knew who I am.  Or maybe he already has an idea since Pat was the one who asked me to join.  :-D

I would have wanted Pat to be in the picture as it would be a really good souvenir for him.  But he insisted it's ok. With me in the picture is enough for him.  Then again, I insisted and took the camera from him.

Took a candid picture with Pat while they were chatting.

Before 1:00pm.  We separated ways.  They, going to Cagayan de Oro.  I, going to Gaisano Mall and then to my parents house to have dinner with them.  :-)

Three Festivals - One Invitation

Which one do I choose?

Come October 2011, the Philippines celebrates 3 big festivals, 1 in Visayas and 2 in Mindanao.  The Hermosa Festival in Zamboanga City.  The Lansones Festival in Camiguin.   The Masskara Festival in Bacolod City.

Hmm.. At first glance it is hard to decide which should I choose since I have not been to any of the festivals, ever.   All of them sure spells F-U-N.   However, upon pondering with the choices, one festival outweighed the other two.  

So, which of the festivals did I choose? 

THE MASSKARA FESTIVAL OF BACOLOD CITY!!!

Why Masskara Festival? 

I have always been awed by the Masskara Festival of Bacolod City.   The beautiful, colorful costumes.  The varied intricate smiling masks.  I admire the creativity of the people of Bacolod in the preparation of this festival.

Not only that, I like how and why the Masskara Festival was conceived 31 years ago.  The Masskara Festival, history says, was started at a time when Bacolod was in economic crisis due to the very low prices of sugar in the world market.   Bacolod City was greatly affected because the sugar industry has been the city's main source of livelihood.    But being the City of  Smiles, the city government, the artists and the civic groups joined hands in holding a festival of smiles, in spite of the economic crisis.   This is to encourage the Bacolenos.  To lift their spirits.  To give them hope.

And this year, they are celebrating the 32nd Masskara Festival with the theme "Celebrating the New Icons of Bacolod".    It surely would be great to be part of this celebration.  To see in person the smiling faces.  The intricately designed masks.  The performances.  And just be in the midst of the festivities.  To be engulfed by the happiness the Bacolenos are feeling for surviving the crisis 31 years ago, and more - now being one of the most awarded cities in the Philippines in terms of progress and economic development.   

Be able to visit Bacolod City for the first time.  Be part of the celebrations of Masskara Festival.  And  celebrate with my husband on the month of October the 8th year anniversary of the month when I said "YES". 

Photo Sources :
http://www.imagesphilippines.com/viewimage.php?id=3431
http://www.photo.net.ph/blogalicious/fiesta-report/photos-of-masskara-festival-celebration-in-bacolod-city
http://365greatpinoystuff.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/221-masskara-festival

I have taken the above photos from the internet.  Now, my wish is, the next time I blog about Masskara Festival, I'll be posting my own photos of the festivities.  Lots of them.  And with my husband, of course.   :-D

"Experience MassKara Festival, Hermosa Festival and Lanzones Festival this October.
Airphil Express flies daily to BACOLOD, ZAMBOANGA and CAGAYAN DE ORO from Cebu and Manila. 
Visit www.airphilexpress.com to book!"

The Eiffel Tower - Broke My Heart

I have seen the Eiffel Tower many times... in the movies.

I've always dreamed of one day seeing it in person.   Well, on July 8, 2006, just two days after my 32nd birthday, MY DREAM CAME TRUE.

I was then in Germany for a one-year training.  And on weekends, when we don't have a sponsored tour of Germany, me and some of my classmates (of the training) would take a trip outside Germany.  My Vietnamese friend organized the trip to Paris.  We registered at a travel agency and joined other tourists in a bus trip - night trip from Mannheim, Germany to Paris, France.   

After we checked in to the hotel where we will be staying, we immediately inquired about the tourist spots in Paris.  Actually, with the tour package from the travel agency, there would be a city tour the following morning. But we decided not to join the city tour because the visits to the tourist spots would be limited. So we will not have enough time to really see the place and take pictures - lots of pictures, hehehe.

So, after some instructions from the receptionist, we hurriedly found our way to the nearest train station that would take us to where the Eiffel Tower is.  

We walked hurriedly, so excited and so eager to see the landmark of Paris - the Eiffel Tower.

But.  As we neared the tower and had our first view of it,  I was for a few seconds, speechless.   The Eiffel Tower looked so . . . ORDINARY.  I said, "this is the Eiffel Tower?" 

The Tower, up close, looked so steel.  But of course, it's made of steel, hehehe.  And it looked so ordinary it got me thinking what's so special with this tower.    

The tower may look so ordinary and so steel but so many people were crowding underneath it.    

The people behind me are lining up waiting for the elevator that would take them up the Eiffel Tower for a panoramic view of Paris.   My friends and I wanted also to be up there but when we inquired, they said it would take about 2 hours of waiting before we could get our turn.   So, we decided not to go up the tower anymore and instead decided to check the area out. 

We walked away from the tower, crossed the river to the other side, so we could see a full view of it.   

The full view of Eiffel Tower, taken at the Palais de Chaillot

We had a group photo with the Eiffel  Tower.  There were 8 of us - 2 from the Philippines,  1 from China, 1 from Mongolia, 2 from Sri Lanka and 2 from India.   Mayura, from India, took this picture.

Since we had little interest of the Eiffel Tower at that moment as it looked so dull and ordinary, we decided to come back in the evening and see for ourselves if the tower really is as many claims it to be -  beautiful and romantic.  :-)  

We came back just as it was beginning to get dark.  And what we saw, again, got me speechless.

The Eiffel Tower was already all light up.  

All I could say at that moment was "WOW".   And I felt goosebumps all over my body.

And as we walked farther away, as the tower became full in view, I sighed another "WOW".   Eiffel Tower really is so beautiful.   It sure took my breath away.  I stopped walking and just stared at it.

The Palais de Chaillot was already very crowded with tourists when we arrived.

 

And I got busy taking pictures.

 Me and the Eiffel Tower, with all its beauty.

But while I was very happy to have finally seen the Eiffel Tower for real and as I was mesmerized watching it , I felt something.  

Something inside me seemed empty.  

Something was missing.  

Something was not right.   

My being there felt not right.  

I missed something.  

I MISSED PAT. 

I sighed and told myself, "Geesh, here I am in Paris, the City of Romance, looking at the Eiffel Tower . Yet, I am alone.  The love of my life is a thousand miles on the other side of the globe."  And  to make matters worst, there were so many sweet couples around.  My heart really ached watching them.  Then I whispered, "Wish you were here Pat".   And  I got teary-eyed. 

I told myself that the next time I come back to Paris and see again the Eiffel Tower, I WILL BE WITH PAT.  And we will go up the tower. And eat dinner there (if our budget affords it, hehehe).   And we would together look at the Eiffel Tower from a distance with arms wrapped around each other. 

Now, that would be romantic, ain't it?