Home Again

Going home to my beloved Manila always makes my heart swell with happiness! I guess every Filipino who is miles away from home feels the same way too. And why wouldn't it be so? It's another chance one gets to be with one's dear family and friends! Being away for months on end can make me really miss my family and friends so terribly and just the thought of spending yet another vacation at home always makes my heart go fluttering in excitement and joy!

I consider myself very lucky enough that I can afford to go home like thrice in a year, if things are perfect, say work schedule, for instance. But if things are less than perfect, at least twice would not be so bad at all.

And speaking of luck, my second vacation for this year almost did not happen because of some inevitable and sudden changes at work. But I believe that Fate is still on my side, as it has always been. And this is just another testament to that, among too many already. Despite the supposedly hindrances that posed themselves while I was planning my September vacation, I was still fortunately granted the VL! Can you believe that? Indeed it's the workings of FATE! And it was a gift that definitely made someone's day really special than it already was!

But would Fate still allow me to go home again one more time this year? I pray that it will and I am already keeping my fingers crossed!

Caleruega Church

From the hill top. It was a gloomy Saturday afternoon

Sunshine after the rain...

Pavement going to the retreat quarters.

Windmills of The Gods

I have never heard of a windmill in Ilocos before, let alone seen one. Then my sister and I chanced upon this brochure from the office at the pensionne where we were staying in Laoag. Among the many tourist attractions, it featured the "Windmill Farm". I was truly intrigued and fascinated by the pictures of the turbines. They were really something and I definitely wanted to see the "farm". I was just worried though that we would never have enough time to do so. We planned to stay for only a couple of days and there were a lot of places to visit and it was not in our itinerary after all.

Fortunately, we saw it in the town of Bangui on our way to Saud Beach in Pagudpud. We decided to check it out on our way back. There were like nineteen of these windmills standing tall, dwarfing everything around them. For me the scene was just very beautiful! I was utterly speechless and awed by the sight! Although my sister felt otherwise. She thought it was eerie that they looked like giant electric fans standing all over the place! And they all seemed to hum in the wind too every time their blades rotate in the air! She said they also seemed like aliens to her from outer space.

According to Dad, (who knows a bit about it, probably because he is a civil engineer by profession) the Bangui Windmills were built to help reduce the emission of harmful gas that causes global warming and to accelerate the rural electrification. He said that the location should be somewhere where the wind blows all year round. In this particular area, the wind comes from the north-east. The turbines were built along the shore in a single row facing the sea. The turbines stand roughly around 70 meters high from ground level and the blades were like 40 meters long. They are indeed gigantic!

The place is open to everyone who wants to witness the beauty and wonder of these windmills. And as for me, seeing them was the most fun and interesting part of my Ilocandia tour!

Tagaytay Sunset

Do I still need words to tell you how splendid the sunset is?

There was a downpour the whole afternoon in Tagaytay that Saturday. The rain was so hard that it got us stranded for like an hour in that nice Bali Seafood resto where we had our lunch. I didn't think that the sun would come out again. But it did and that lifted my spirits.

We climbed up the winding road hoping to wander aimlessly in that park at the top of the mountain. But unfortunately they closed it down an hour early because of the bad weather. But I was so amazed to see a lot of people there still lingering by the area contented and happy enough to marvel at the beauty of the sunset. And I thought to myself, indeed the Pinoys are really "mabababaw" because we easily find pleasures in the simplest of things. But then I realized that it takes a deeper presence and awareness to be able to admire an everyday thing like a sunset.

Stop And Admire The Flowers

These are some of the beautiful flowers I have seen at Caleruega Church during my recent visit. I love flowers especially if they are of the rarest kind. The one in the third picture caught my attention because I remember when my grandma was still around, she used to grow a few back home in the province and she fondly called it the "Birds of Paradise". During Flores de Mayo, she would allow my sisters and I to pick all kinds of flowers from her garden except the orchids and this beautiful creation that has no wings but is considered a bird in paradise.

Paoay Church

Paoay Church, Paoay, Ilocos Norte

I have been to an Ilocandia tour with my girl friends thirteen years ago but I never got the chance to see this beautiful church then. But I knew that it exists because I have seen it in a huge and very picturesque painting at the former President Marcos's home (which is also in Paoay) during that visit. I thought it was really very beautiful but it did not prepare me for the real thing. It is truly awesome! I could not help but capture it in its grandeur.

Beautiful Place, Beautiful Moments

Saud Beach Resort, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

They say it's the Boracay of the North. It's a very lovely beach but without the overly crowded population of Bora. If you love to be in an enchanting place with a serene environment to help you relax, perhaps meditate, and escape the hustle and bustle of the city life, this is a nice getaway.

Can't Wait To Be Home

I have been away from home for about seven months now. And I must say that I have survived really well. I decided to make some life changing decisions last year after faced with a conundrum, and going away to work abroad is one of those. I do not regret doing so, especially that the whole world is facing some economic crisis lately. I certainly am better off here now than when I was sticking it out back there in my old job that sucked. I have never been happier and contented with my life until now. Finally, It seems to me that my life is really going somewhere and that is a very comforting thought to keep.

But no matter how happy I am now, there will always be moments when I think of home. Always. And lately it has gotten a bit frequent, maybe because I am scheduled to go home really soon for a vacation. And I can’t seem to contain my excitement any longer mostly because I have been planning to accomplish a lot of things or do some things that I have missed doing for the past few months. I really do intend to make the most out of my precious time at home! I am just so excited!

For starters, I am going to finally go home to my new house in Greenwoods! How exciting can that be? There is nothing that I love most than coming home to a new house. And being neighbors to my nieces is like an added bonus to me! Then to top it all off, my Aunt from the States is also coming home for a vacation! She wants to go places like Baguio for the scenic view, Vigan for it’s historical touch and Cebu, because it was once a home to her and hopefully Bora for the beach. So just imagine how hectic my vacation would be. And of course, it will also be my sisters’ birthday and my mom’s too! And finally, it’s the Lenten season as well! I know that I also have to do some of my religious obligations. I have not been into a church for a long time after all. So there’s really a lot of reasons to come home to and it was a right decision to go home in April.

Aside from the things I have already mentioned, there are a few more things that I plan to do and places I want to be and of course people I want to see. Here goes…

Renewing my driver’s license and my passport too. My driver’s license will expire in 2010 but I am not sure if I can go home by then before it expires. Anyway, it won’t hurt me if I do it a few months earlier, would it? And besides renewal would not be as hard as it was before since I can now just go to SM Hypermart and can already do it from there. By the way, speaking of driver’s license, have I already told you that I really miss driving? I am as excited to be behind the wheel again as I am excited to see my good friends!

Equally important assignment would be to visit the bank and say “hello” to the Branch Manager who is also a friend of mine. But seriously, I just need to fix my accounts, like take everything out for instance(I know he will insist that I should stay, but will see...) and make some good investment elsewhere.

Next on the list is undergoing a physical check up and maybe getting some shots of that cervical vaccines that they have been advertising over at RX93.1. I just feel that it won’t hurt me to be prepared and careful when it comes to these things.

By the way I realize I am already on a roll here...but will you just allow me this exuberance for now?

Anyway, another stop would be the salon and the spa. I am really dying to pamper myself and get a hot oil treatment, a haircut, an acrylic nail job, a new hair color, a foot spa and a relaxing whole body massage! I really miss these simple pleasures! I am even thinking of visiting the dermatologist and trying out Obagi. Hahaha! These things cost a really huge fortune here in Dubai. I don’t mind spending a good deal of my salary if its value for money but often times, it’s not when you‘re here in Dubai. It’s just that everything is really overpriced over here than it is there back home.

And of course, how could I miss eating Japanese? I am dying to eat the salmon and tuna sashimi of Saisaki and Terriyaki Boy! Oh Boy! I would not miss it for the world! Just thinking about it now makes me drool in excitement! I also would love to eat the crunchy and tasty sisig of Dencio’s and the shawarma of Unlce Moe’s! And of course, the Halo-Halo of Chowking and Razon's! And maybe the fresh and juicy fish dishes in Dampa, the tasty kare-kare of Max‘s and the chicken wings of Avenetto! Whew! Just thinking about it now makes me want to binge! I also plan to drink as many Starbucks Chai as I can and devour as much Pesto pasta from Figaro as I can!

I am not suppose to let this opportunity to party pass me up, right? That is why I intend to go a bit of clubbing too when I get home or maybe watch some concerts. I just miss hanging out with my old friends. And of course I miss the malls and the movie houses too. I might just drag my little nieces to the malls and spend some time there. And since I was away for seven months, I will have to visit some of the new places that sprouted in the metropolis, new malls and new restos. I have seen this new Chinese resto in the internet called Fu by Hai Shin Lou at Bonifacio High Street and I think I might just give it a visit.

And of course, last but not least is shopping! I need to shop for some new outfits, shoes and of course some important things too such as new pairs of contact lenses and solution.

I just might run out of time though. I suddenly realized that I have a lot of things to do and have very little time for everything. Hahaha! Well, I can always go home again around the last quarter if fate allows. But in the meantime, let me just get wrapped up in my excitement. And soon I will certainly share the details of my vacation here when I get the chance. But until then, I am just excited to be planning this trip back home.