Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Farewell to 2014 ...






Dec. 30, 2014 ~ It was Dec. 26th when I was excited to get home to my native town in the Philippines to be with my family after Christmas and before new year.


 My flight to Manila from Singapore was via Singapore airlines and I didn't have a heavy baggage with me when in fact I could take in at least about 60kg of check-in baggage allowance being a business class traveller . Yuuhhooo ... It was My lucky day ! Despite of the stuffs in my 2 bags, my 2 checked-in  bags only weighed less than 30 kg and my handcarry was not even 10 kg so I was on a light weight side to travel that day. Good for my troubled back to be able to get rid of my 2 checked in baggages and get into the lounge for some light brunch before boarding .



The flight wasn't that full in the business class. In fact I had all 3 seats in the front row all for myself. I got a lot of space all around me. I can raise my feet on it,,, lay straight on it or jump from 1 seat to the other LOL! Nobody would care coz there's hardly anybody in there anyways !

Over 3 hrs later, the flight arrived in Manila without any hassle at all. I was in Manila after 3.5 hrs of flight.  It was late afternoon and  I took a taxi from the airport where I have to argue with some airport transport personnels before boarding a taxi they had provided for me Frankly speaking, these people were there for a rip -off ! Again, a new racket to get money out of our pockets as soon as you land in the airport. No joke ! Lucky my brains were fast enought to know the type of system they're trying to put me into. I can smell their bad intentions from miles away. Good to have myself programmed in a defensive mood at all times.  I told the driver to drive me to the bus terminal where I can get my final ride home... yes.. me catching a local bus ... for like 2-3 hrs depending on traffic to my province that's exactly 100 kms away from Manila passing on the South Super Highway. Even the cheeky taxi driver tried to take me somewhere else. He thought I was a newbie in the city so I asked him point blank how long he had been driving around in the city of Manila. He replied just 3 years. I told him no wonder you still don't know your way around coz you are taking me on the long road to nowhere. I directed him the fastest way to my destination. He was quiet after realizing I know exactly my way around the city. I grew up in this city man ... I know the type of people and what people do to survive around here. So don't fool around with me !

So from a convenient plane ride of 3.5 hrs, here I go again in a bumpy ride trying to get to my bus terminal passing through all the hassles in a crowded , traffic congested city of Manila. But for me it's ok coz I don't come here that much anymore and I now live overseas. Experiences like this is not for everyday life of mine for the moment anyways... although somehow, the system still sucks and no progress at all to correct even a minute part of it, that's the fact I hate the most.

So, I arrived in my hometown finally around 7pm. I immediately wondered what's for dinner ? Of course... nothing... not until I forked out some well hidden peso bills and directed my relatives to buy some food somewhere. Haayyzzzzzzzzz ... welcome to the Philippines ! What else is new ?

The following day of my arrival was a bit more fun than the previous day. Thank God ! My eldest daughter came with my 2 grandsons . They came to visit and stayed for a few days with me. Yehheeyyy. My youngest grandson Raphael Adrienne can now walk on his own. He just turned 1 yr old and so adorably cute ! Mind you, he knows how to bribe me too. With a kiss ! Ha ha..

 I had tagged him as a cheeky monkey playing hide and seek with me all the time ... I can see you little one .... peeeeeeppppppp !


... you little monster with a cheeky smile



 or a crossed eyebrow look when you're mad .. see ? LOL!
 Isn't he so Cute ?



I always make sure I take my family somewhere for a feed when I'm in town. Of course to a place where I could surely eat a local delicacy I'd been craving for. . I had been looking forward to eat what we call " Puto- Bungbong " . Oh dear... I miss this stuff big time !









It's only available during Christmas season so I hurriedly went to eat some of it together with my visiting father, my brother and his daughter, my daughter and my 2 grandsons, another brother and my son. Geeezzz... that's only a few to mention about my family coz the rest were scattered somewhere else . LOL.. The delicacy we ate was made of  Bamboo Steamed Sticky Rice flour with purple coloring eaten with a spread of butter, Freshly scraped coconut meat and white sugar mixed with some roasted sesame seeds.  Yuuuuuummmmmmmmmy!


Nicely wrapped in real banana leaves for a real authentic look of a local tasty food . So yummy ... I wanna eat it every single night while I was there . How I wish I could make and cook that myself. I would be in cloud nine ! Haayyzzzzz

Aside from eating non- stop over there, I had also seen some quiet activities happening in my home aside from some house mess here and there of course..



My son Meier was a gifted artist  since childhood. He's been drawing ever since he had learned how to hold a pencil on his own. His drawings are the product of his fertile imagination and artistic hands. He only uses Staedler colored pencils and a few colored pens to draw these marvelous characters out from his mind. I made sure I got him an ample supply of good quality papers and pens everytime I come home to encourage him to draw further more. I always told him his talent can be his means of living in the near future if only he would learn how to paint on a canvas. If he can draw, he can paint easily !



Geezzz... isn't that marvelous ? Done just by colored pencils alone. Wow !




I love looking back to all his drawings ... they are all fascinating.
If I could fascinate people with jewelries I had created thru beading,






 my son on the other hand could fascinate everyone with his drawings. I can proudly say Between him  and I, we have 1 thing in common. We  both similarly  shine bright through the artworks we make.

 Being blessed with talent not all people could have makes me look up and be very grateful to someone up above looking after us. Someone whom I always visit in Quiapo church to thank for all the blessings he had bestowed upon us.


The Black Nazarene of Quiapo
for many years now you had always been part of my heart ..
no matter what I do ..
no matter where I go ...
I would always and constantly be here, grateful to you .



Many many thank you for all the blessings this year 2014.
Now I'm Looking forward to the new year of 2015 with greater abundance and luck to every endeavors me and my family take.
It's probably farewell now to the Year 2014 . Forget about the bad times but carry on with all the good happenings and great memories done . But good or bad,  these shall never be forgotten . They shall all be my stepping stones and carried forward unto the new up coming year 2015.

I am now on my way back to Singapore again after few days of bonding with my family. Leaving my cute grandsons and family makes me walk away from them with a heavy heart coz it would mean I won't be there near them to see them grow in the next 6 months , maybe a year. Sad isn't it ?


Well, life is tough sometimes.
We all need to be strong at all times ...
We all need to learn how to accept what we can have and what we can't.
Learn to let go of other things and hold on tight to somegood ones.
Life is always full of surprises !

Anyways, In behalf of my whole family, we all wish everyone out there a blessed and joyful ...

Happy New Year  !








Monday, December 22, 2014

A Christmas Wish ...





In few days time, it 's gonna be Christmas. Oh dear...I hope my plan of oven-cooking a Turkey would yield positive results just like before. The fact is, it would be my 2nd time to cook a Turkey in my entire life ! But mind you, my first attempt was so good that we had been nibbling on that 3kg turkey for days literally ... Yes, it was a big round 3 kg Turkey,  no joke ! Although after about 4-5 years, I had forgotten now how I had cooked it and with what sauce. All I could try to remember is,  I had slowly cooked the whole turkey for 2 hrs in the oven and had made cranberry sauce... maybe apple sauce ? I couldn't recall LOL! Sign of getting old on my part I guess... my brains a bit stucked ha ha .
Anyways, my plan of cooking with the use of a different oven ( much smaller this time to accomodate a 2kg Turkey ) would push through in about 48 hrs ! Ohhhh... time ticks too fast these days , isn't it ? So please wish me luck that it would again be a success !

Talking about success , I'm very grateful for all the ladies who were able to get some pieces from my creations the last few weeks. Now I could say that I had again made some interesting custom made designs guaranteed to have given the wearer a memorable time.




















Many many thank you's from the bottom of my heart for your continous patronage of my items!





Well. now, changing the topic from my cooking to my jewelry creations into something else different but most likely of the people these time of the year, I also have some travelling to do after Christmas. Destination ? My original place of birth ... Philippines ! Purpose ? eerrr ... well.... to see my 2 little munchkins grandsons to deliver their much requested M&M's and Nutella ! Yehheeeyyyyyy




 Isn't it so obvious that kids these days got good taste for chocolate stuffs and they're quite lucky to have them too ? I never had these yummy stuffs when I was young,  huh !



But I will surely enjoy eating it with them too .. so .. kiddos.. don't cry... make way coz grandmommy is coming your way soon... a few more days ... ok ?

So for now all I can do is greet and wish you all a ...

Merry Christmas !


 
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