The musings of a wandergeselle about faith, literature, music, dancing, culture, food, travels, art, fashion, photography, life experiences, and everything in-between from journée to journée.
It’s good to be back home – home is indeed where the heart is. Because I left my heart in Sorsogon. 😉🥰
What I love about being here in my hometown is that I only need to travel for 5 minutes if I need a seascape breather and another 5 minutes if I need a nature break at the farm – just the best of both worlds. Bulan also has one of the best sunsets. ♥️Bulan’s version of the Spanish Armada. 😃
I rested for a couple of days after I got home because traveling for 18 hours by land (got stuck in traffic in Manila & in Ragay, Cam Sur) can be physically tiring. Though I must say God is always full of surprises. DLTB’s newest lazyboy bus is called Stallion Express.
When I booked my bus ticket online, I can’t help but laugh. The Stallion Express is just so fitting because my surname is “Ginete,” which is pronounced as “hinete.” “Hinete” is the Spanish term for horse jockey. So as a horse jockey, I rode a stallion (w/ wheels) going home. lol 😅
DLTB’s Sorsogon Bound Stallion ExpressInaantay ko nga na sana magkaroon ng Unicorn Express kaso baka byaheng langit naman sya. lolPhoto Credit: Sorsogon 101 Facebook Page
The entire trip was very comfortable though. The Stallion Express did not fall short as far as convenience and comfort are concerned. I love this bus because I have the option to choose the single seat allowing me to sleep comfortably because I don’t have a seatmate.
Photo Credit: Sorsogon 101 Facebook Page
The comfort room inside the bus is also clean though I used it only once because I’m claustrophobic. So I still use the public toilets during stopovers. The seats can also be reclined in full, and the leg rest is just perfect for short people like me.
I haven’t tried using the toilet while the bus is moving. Photo Credit: Sorsogon 101 Facebook Page
So, why take the bus and not the plane going home? It’s because I don’t travel light every time I go home. 😃 If I take the plane, I will still have to take the bus from Legazpi City to Bulan and that would be another 3-hour trip. Transferring my heavy bags will be too much of a hassle.
I took the shuttle from Sorsogon City going to our hometown. But the trip was shorter, and the shuttle terminal is also at SITEX where I got off coming from Manila.
The time to rest was mandatory – my infection albeit mild constantly serves as a reminder to me to be more mindful of how I spend my day and what I eat. I would’ve gone back to my multitasking unicorn self after I got back if I was 100% healthy.
I also got the result of my urine culture and sensitivity test from St. Luke’s BGC. I am thankful the result showed no growth, which means no bacteria was found in my urine sample. But it also means something else is causing the infection and the mild inflammation somewhere in my abdomen.
Praise God for tele consultations, it’s now easier to schedule an appointment with a doctor. I am using the Now Serving app because they have more specialists compared with KonsultaMD. I have no symptoms so tele consultations are more suited for cases like mine or those who want their lab tests interpreted.
I am praying my ob-gyn tomorrow will be able to identify the cause of my hematuria and come up with the right treatment to clear the infection. 🙏 These are the moments wherein God reminds me to be intentional in everything that I do or say keeping in mind the brevity of life.
It’s as if every hour that I spend should be meaningful. I now appreciate moments spent with my Dad and my siblings even more making sure I’m creating more happy memories with them than bad ones. This season is teaching me to slow down and appreciate the mundane and simple things in life – those that truly matter when you start recalling your past.
At dahil naalog ang utak ko sa byahe, mag-Filipino naman tayo dahil hindi pa kaya ng brain cells ko mag-straight English. lol May mga pagkakataon na tinatanong ko si Lord if it is necessary I share what I am going through. And His answer was, “yes.” I had to share my journey at baka makatulong din sa iba na similar ang pinagdadaanan and makapagbigay ng karagdagang impormasyon na mapapakinabangan nila later on.
Itong season ng pagaantay na ma-clear itong infection gives me the opportunity na mag-realign ng mga plano. Adjustment period ulit pero ang priority na ay ang health.
At malaking factor sa healing ang positive outlook and sunny disposition sa buhay aside sa faith. So what makes me happy? Isa sa mga nagpapasaya sa akin dito sa bahay ay ang mga alaga naming mga muning, which are all rescued cats, by the way. 🙂
Me to Tippy: “Uhm Ma’am, closing time na po kami. Ang viewing time po namin ay from 8am – 5pm lang po.” 😆Polly: “Mum! Stop being a catto paparazzi. It’s so annoying.” 😅When sleep is L-I-F-E-R.
Mga prabens cats hindi marunong gumamit ng scratch tower. 😆 Thanks, Kuya and Heather, for this pretty pasalubong! ♥️Ang overweight Meowmy ang kinapoy makipaglaro. lol
And as always, music heals the soul. I was browsing the internet para sa mga acoustic covers at na-discover ko na meron palang musical instrument na guitalele. It’s a ukelele that has 8 strings like a guitar. Curious ako sa sound nya and how it’s played. This might be next on my list of musical instruments na ita-try ko. 👍
Then I stumbled upon this duet cover of Michael Buble’s Everything na tinugtog ko din kahapon sa gitara. I fell in love with this song a couple of years ago pero cover lang din ang una kong napakinggan by Joseph Vincent and Alexa Yoshimoto. Nalaman ko later on na lang na Michael Buble originally sang it pala. Huli lagi sa balita ang mga divergents and nonconformists kasi hindi mahilig sumunod sa uso. 😆
The best duet cover of “Everything” for me.
When God reminds us to rest, we rest. Every second is just too precious. Let’s enjoy life while we can – live with purpose and make good memories. And keep the good fight of faith always. ♥️🙏
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” – Acts 20:24
Taga-Bicol ka kung alam mo kung anong mga ulam na gulay ang pwedeng lutuin sa mga ito. Meron akong tatlong putahe na naiisip – gulay na iba (kamias), gulay na lubi-lubi (niyog-niyogan), at gulay na ugob (camansi). At syempre hindi dapat mawawala ang gata at lab yu este labuyo. 😍
Iba / KamiasUgob / CamansiIto ang pinakapaborito kong halaman sa bakuran. Ang daling linisin ng mga dahon na nalalaglag.Perfect sa mga tamad magwalis. lolHindi pwedeng mawala ito sa lutong gulay ng mga Bicolano.Tanim pala ito ng mga ibon.Ready na pang-gata. May extra pang paborito ko – the smaller, the sweeter.Inunahan nga lang ako ng langgam.Tsk.Ito na ang itsura ng nasa loob ng niyog kapag malaki na sya. Hindi ka taga-Bicol kung hindi mo alam ang “bu-ay.” 😉Lubi-lubi / Niyog-niyogan
Ang hindi ko lang alam lutuin ang lubi-lubi. But they are very profilic growers in our garden. Madalas nga lang paputulin ni Mommy ang mga ito kasi ang gulo daw sa bakuran. Makapag-experiment nga kung paano lutuin kapag nakauwi na ako. Pero may question ako, gulay ba talaga tawag sa kanila? Hindi ba mga prutas (except sa lubi-lubi) sila? 😅
P.S. Kung ikaw ba ay manliligaw, tingin mo tatanggapin ba ng nililigawan mo kung bibigyan mo sya ng higanteng Pechay? 🤔
P.P.S. Praise God my executive checkup went well yesterday and today, but I still have to wait for the results. I’ll write another article about my experience as soon as I get the results. 😊🙏
“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” – 2 Corinthians 9:11
Commuting via public transportation is, by far, my best mode of transportation. As an introvert, I love observing people. I get to create stories just by watching them. With the training I got from Special Education, I can sense if a person, for example, is impatient, nervous, or experiencing suppressed agitation based on subtle gestures like fidgeting with a pen.
When I notice these signs, I take it as a cue to lighten up the mood or environment by joking or making the person feel more at ease. In most cases, words may pacify the person but sometimes, a quick touch or pat on the back will do. But I only do this when I know the person well enough. There are others who cringe at the slightest bit of touch, especially if they have a history of physical abuse and trauma.
Stories are all around when you commute via public transportation. May it be from a plantita carrying plants to a child seated in front of you who can’t stop staring at you. Or that teenage couple flirting with one another oblivious of the people around them, and a whole lot more.
A couple of months back, when I rode the shuttle to Sorsogon City to buy my bus ticket going to Manila, I got to observe a new set of stories. And I can’t help but smile. If only I can read their thoughts. I normally don’t engage in conversations with strangers. But, if they initiate talking to me first, I do entertain them.
Just like the pedicab drivers who I happened to have a little chit-chat about their families, what’s new in town, etc. I love these conversations because I get to ask them a lot of questions, and I get to learn a lot from them.
L-R The pedicab driver, my sister, and me. Our legs, I mean. lol 😆
I found out from one pedicab driver that he’s a cousin of one of our former house helpers whom I haven’t seen since I was 10 years old. I grew so fond of her since I am the youngest in the family and when my siblings studied in Manila, I was left all alone at home and our house help sort of became my best friend.
Then I also met another pedicab driver who has a visual impairment because he is cross-eyed. And I tried to figure out how he maneuvered his pedicab without getting into any kind of road accident. When I gave him the fare, I told him to keep the change. I smiled when he started wiping his pedicab with the money I gave him. He smiled at me and told me the money I gave him was a “buena mano.”
It is customary in the province that the money paid by their first customer is said to bring good luck. So what they would do is they will wipe the things they are selling using the money from their first customer to attract good luck or “buena mano.”
You are most probably wondering now why I prefer pedicabs instead of tricycles. I prefer pedicabs because they allow me to slow down time in between errands. I tend to be like Flash when doing errands – I target finishing everything as fast as I can so I can go home. lol
But this is actually what I love as an introvert. I seldom go out of the house, but when I do crave social interaction, I got to give my best to people – my best smile, my best attitude, and my best service. Once my introvert battery though is depleted, it’ll take me about a week to recharge.
That one week of recharging is where I am in my most creative state. Everything that I heard and saw from these brief moments of social interaction, I get to process every single, nitty-gritty detail about them. I call this creative process as a retrospective way of giving everything that transpired an intrinsic value.
So no, I don’t follow the norms when they say that when you are an introvert, you have to change and become more like an extrovert when you go outside. Leave us be. 😀✌️
We were created to be this way because, without artists, life will be too logical. Though life without logic will be too emotional. Just like how the arts and sciences were made to coexist, the same goes for introverts and extroverts. Let us be. ♥️
My sister who’s in Bicol sent us these beautiful and lovely photos of the bougainvilleas I bought last year as part of our beautification/landscaping project on the farm. 😍 I am so happy that they survived and are thriving well because they’re almost dying when I left.
These bougies didn’t have flowers when I bought them. I just trusted the seller that she’s going to give me the right ones. 😃And I was surprised that she included a red one. My eldest sister prefers to have this on the farm.
I had to repot them, transfer them to a new location, prune them, and replant the cuttings hoping they will still survive. They haven’t bloomed for a couple of months when I was still there. One of them also had yellow spots on its leaves.
The first location where I placed them is a “dead spot” in our garden. I call it a “dead spot” because it’s in the middle of our backyard, but any plant that we try to grow there just dies. I think we need to conduct a soil analysis in that particular area because even the plants that are very prolific growers become sick.
My guess is that the soil might be contaminated by a toxic chemical that slowly kills the plants. I am just overjoyed to see that the bougies have all recovered. It looks like my sister and the new house help are also doing an excellent job of keeping these plants healthy (thank you, ladies 🥰). And I think Mom is still taking good care of her garden. 😍
Thank God the leaves have finally recovered. 🙏I plan to transplant them somewhere in the garden when I get back. But this time I am planting them directly on the soil. I just need to find the perfect spot so I can propagate them.
And of course, my sister included a photo of my first baby girl – Peekah. That’s her favorite sleeping position with her tail all curled up to cover her little girl. 😂
I miss you, my Peekahm.
I’ll see you soon my babies and my loves. You just have to wait for me a little bit more. And the biophilia in me also can’t wait to commune with nature for my regular dose of soul therapy. Ah yes, more patience, Tin. Just a little more patience. 🙏
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might.” – Ephesians 6:10
Just the right worship song to prep the soul for Holy Week.Do what your soul tells you to do.🙏
Niyan ko lang napansin na wara palan ako sin maski saro na article na sinurat didi gamit an Bikol Bulan tapos proud na proud ako na taga-Bikol ako. Aw nano baya. 😅
Ugaring kay ‘di ko aram kun tungkol sa nano an suraton ko didi. Kaya badi magkadirilot na lang ako didi sin kaistorya saiyo, wara didi wara didto sin pinakadtuan an article na ini. 🥴
Basta an importante nasasabutan niyo an istorya ko kun taga-Bikol ka man. Si Google panigurado nagsurunggo na ka-translate sadi. 😂 Kaya maudong na mun-a ako magsurat, sa otro na lang kun may matanos na ako na sabihon kay sayang sin pagal ko ka-type. lol
Nano baya tabi sa Bikol an LOL? Ngirit sin tuda? O ngirit sin makusog? So, pwede NST o NSM na lang an isurat ta? 😜
Marhay na hapon tabi saindo gabos. Kisira napaogma ko kamo maski pan-o. 😉
P.S. Dire ko na ini i-translate kay makakaraw-ay sa mga banyaga ko na mga taga-sunod (o sunod-sunuran 🤔) kay kun badi sa aga naka-unfollow na sira. 😂
One month down and I’m feeling extremely homesick already though I also love it here in our Manila home. Let me share with you some simple design inspo for condo living. 🙂
That rare moment when you have the sight of the empty pool all to yourself. 😀Write or take a dip? Hmm, sleep. 😁Flashback to the days when the chairs still have cushions. ✌️☺️Quarantine Christmas 2020I was able to pull off the entire setup under 1k only – all thanks to Lazada. 😃I find this very romantic and cozy. 😍The minimalist condo interior style before my husband converted it into a man cave. Tsk, men. 😑🙃
I think I’m just never gonna be a metro girl. The need to commune with nature every day is too strong, and my heart just craves for country life. I also miss decorating our home in Bicol during Christmas.
Circa 1991: The Evolution of the Christmas Tree – Province Style 😊This was taken in December 2022, andI’m pointing at the “destroyer of Christmas tree” hidden somewhere there. I think you already know who I’m referring to. Check out the video below. 😹
When your youngest fluffball tries everything to get your attention while you’re playing the guitar. 😻Last year was the 2nd time (the 1st time was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic) in about 3 decades that we didn’t put this tree up because we were all still grieving over Mom. I am claiming for a Christmas tree makeover this year. 🙏
I’m also missing Mom’s plants. I felt like she was with us every time I saw her plants. A few months before she passed away, she’s been devoting so much of her time to the garden. She was already feeling the symptoms of cancer at that time, and gardening has always been therapeutic for her.
Yellow BellsWild OrchidHeart of Jesus / CaladiumVariety 1Heart of Jesus / Caladium Variety 2OlivaFireball LilyAlocasiaI still don’t know the name of this plant. I love the combination of yellow and red flowers in one plant. Heart of Jesus / Caladium Variety 3 (pink plants).Another plant that I still need to research on Google. It has a combination of white and purple flowers.
The plants must have sensed that Mom was very ill and reciprocated her love by giving out their best blooms. This Bromeliad bloomed its first ever flower since Mom planted it some decades ago.
And before I left for Manila last December, lilies started blooming. I felt like it was Mom wishing me a safe trip coming back here. She once told me that I am happier here in our hometown. Well, Mothers always know best. 😉
When Mom told me that she didn’t know that the Bromeliad plant has a huge flower and that she’s been waiting for ages for it to bloom, I somehow had this intuition that Mom might only have a year with us. So during our convo, I only asked her questions about the plants because if I insisted we bring her to the doctor, she would’ve given me her ever-famous “Platypus reaction” which is synonymous with “No.” 😅
Her recent garden project. ❤️
Ah yes, my Mom and I are alike in so many ways. But I use the “Platypus pose” now for my selfies only. I realized I looked cuter in the photos with that pose. lol The photo below was taken 3 years ago, by the way. So I have pretty much outgrown the “Platypus pose” already. Hmm, on second thoughts, I think not? 🤔😅
I’m feeling too lazy to transfer this to my other phone, so I just took a photo of the photo. 😀
I can’t wait to get back to Bicol and continue what God has called me to do. There are so many things to accomplish there and yet I only have one life to do all of them. I just hope and pray I get to live a lot longer. But if not, I hope I made God happy by obeying Him even if I don’t see the fulfillment of some of His plans. 🙂 🙏
Nope, I don’t go to the farm barefoot. But my late grandpa, who’s the true blue farmer in the family, did it every day. If not for the thorny weeds, I would love to do the same. Nothing beats the sensation of feeling the ground you’re walking on with your bare feet.That no filter, no makeup, sweaty farm look. Nature doesn’t seem to mind. 😉
P.S. Speaking of life, I am praying our farm plants are still alive when I get back. 😩
“I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” – Isaiah 46:4
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4
It’s been quite a while since I last posted about food (I love food but I hate gluttony thus striking the balance) and I bet it is time I post one of my recipes. Not exactly my recipe as this is a traditional dish from my hometown in the Bicol region. Thus, where the nameBicol Express was derived.
You will commonly see this dish served during meal time in our home in Bicol. My Mom and Dad always make this as a side dish which perfectly partners with any viand. There are now a lot of variations of this recipe including the one with coconut milk which contains more meat and less green chilies.
I grew up getting used to this dish prepared and cooked having only 3 main ingredients: lots of green chilies, fresh shrimp paste, and pork meat. It’s also very easy to prepare as you’d only need to saute the pork meat along with garlic, add the fresh shrimp paste until cooked and lastly, put in the green chilies. Then wait until the aroma of the chilies come out and it’s ready to be served.
To give you a background on my cooking experience, it was only when I was 20 years old that I started learning how to cook. I am the youngest among 5 siblings and I have 3 older sisters who are amazing in the kitchen – I ended up being the dishwasher and the kitchen assistant (prep the ingredients). lol
My sisters though knew I needed to learn sooner or later as time will come we’ll all go our separate ways one by one and I need to hone my cooking skills to be able to live and survive independently.
They’ve been such great teachers who raised me to who I am now in behalf of my Mom as she and Dad stayed in our hometown in Bicol starting when I turned 16 and came here in Manila to study in college. The cooking skills I’ve acquired from them proved to be of great help now that I am married – got to please my hubby’s tummy. *wink*
It is, therefore, with such gratitude that I give back to God for blessing me with awesome siblings and to my sisters for teaching me the art of cooking and with everything else.
This movie review is a Father’s Day tribute to honor the roles of the father in the family and in society. If you are wondering why I don’t have a Mother’s Day tribute here in my blog for this year, hubby and I went home to my province and celebrated it with my 69-year-old Mom and 91-year-old grandma – two great matriarchs in my family.
Circumstances won’t allow me to visit my hometown again and celebrate Father’s Day this June 19 with my 76-year-old Dad. I thought about honoring my Dad here instead. Since he is not updated with thetechnology-driven world, he’d probably joke around saying what I wrote about him over social media will already “expire” before it reaches him. Yup, that’s how funny my Dad is. 😉
This photo of us taken around year 2011 is enough proof on how funny we are. 😀
Before I proceed with the movie review, I’d like to share some snippets on who my Dad is. My brother wrote an essay about him 11 years ago, which was selected as one of the articles read during the graduation rites of my brother’s class (Sanlingan 2005) at the Philippine Military Academy. When the announcer started reading Kuya’s essay during the ceremony, there came the gushing and shedding of tears – our tears. It did bring us all to tears because my brother was right, our Dad is “The Unsung Hero” and yet loved and respected by all.
Taken inside the cockpit of the Cessna aircraft during Kuya’s Naval Aviation Group Graduation in 2010.
Our Dad is a man of few words and yet he cracks the silliest of jokes. He is seldom the disciplinarian and yet when discipline comes from him, we all remembered this need to hide as his discipline would mean leaving a mark for the rest of your life. He seldom gets angry but when he does, it is the kind of anger that you would not want to see.
I am grateful though to my Dad that he got to “discipline” us.If it wasn’t for this, our lives might be in a total mess right now and without direction. Now that I am a believer, I have learned that discipline in a family is very important not to show who’s the boss in the household, but for parents to guide their children in the right way because they love them and only because they wanted the best for them. It’s just like how God, a Father to His sons and daughters, disciplines and rebukes us so we could live fruitful and better lives.
My Mom is never the stage mom type and when I was in grade school, I was always invited to participate in dance numbers, presentations, oral declamations, etc. So you’ve probably guessed who was with me most of the time during these activities – my Dad. 😀
It is a #FlashbackFriday today so please allow me to backtrack a little bit to when I was in grade school just to share some photos of moi and the extra curricular activities I have mentioned:
Here we are preparing for an Ati-Atihan folk dance number when I was 6 years old. That’s me second to the right.Before The Walking Dead, there was zombie dance. lol Seriously, this is a Hawaiian dance number.Grade 3 Star Scout Camping. There’s another star scouter wanting to have her photo taken with me – except that she became a photo bomber. Tsk, too late. 😀I totally love my childhood because of Girl Scout Camping. This was taken during our hiking and swimming at Obou Falls along with my childhood friends and classmates. That’s me in the middle wearing a white shirt.I played the role of a bridesmaid during a school program.Competed with other schools in the folk dance category during the Literary & Musical Contest.Performed during a school play when I was in Grade 6 and played the role of Thisbe in one of the stories in Greek mythology, “Pyramus and Thisbe.”
I’d just like to give credit to my Dad for being our all-time photographer – these photos and memories wouldn’t have been made possible. Nope, I am not a Daddy’s girl and I do not consider myself as one. I never experienced being so absolutely clingy to my Dad, but at some point I did feel a deeper connection with him more than my Mom when I was in high school. But when I got into college, I felt that both my parents did so well in raising me and my siblings, and they never had any “favorite” among the five of us.
I believe one thing that I am forever grateful to God for is the fact that I grew up with both my parents present through every milestone that we went through. Though we all had to leave home when we all went to college, we always looked forward to the days when we will all come home together and both our parents were there to welcome us.
As for my Dad, I admired him for being a civil engineer by weekdays and farmer by weekends (tending farms is difficult) just to make sure we have enough for all our expenses as a family, while Mom was a grade school teacher on weekdays and stayed at home cleaning, gardening, cooking, and doing take-home work on weekends. But this kind of setup didn’t mean Dad had no time for us at home. It was, on the other hand, quite the opposite. Despite juggling through a lot of responsibilities at work and at home, my Dad made sure all our needs (not just material things) were well-provided for including emotional support, bonding time, etc.
Dad, the civil engineer, fresh from oath taking during his late 20s.Dad, the farmer, and me, the farm girl. I mean, the photographer. 😉
I’d like to share at this point a little trivia on me – I was Daddy’s little maid. We all are actually, but I believe it is more of a “youngest” thing. *wink* Yes, every time he cuts grass in the garden with the lawn mower and he was all sweaty, you’ll hear him calling out to his “errand girl”:
“Nen (my nickname which is short for Nene)! Please get me a glass of cold water and towelette and wipe my back dry.”
Then, after a hard day’s work at the farm, Daddy would ask me to give him a back massage while he is resting. When I was little, back massages for my Dad meant doing my “cat walk” on his back while he’s lying face down. Well, that was when I was still skinny and little. When I grew older, it became just the regular back massage.
It was only when I was in college and the only child in the family still studying that my parents were able to gather enough funds for our house to have it completely constructed – the product of all their hard work, patience, and perseverance. But it is more than just constructing a house that they have built – they have built something greater in us over the years.
While reminiscing our younger moments spent with our parents, it just dawned on me how we were taught to value hard work over riches and accumulation of possessions, why quality time with loved ones is better than splurging and being with a lot of people on grand occasions, and being content with whatever we have. They didn’t particularly instruct us with Bible verses on how to live our lives, but now that I am slowly learning the Bible day by day, I realized that my parents brought us up according to the Scripture – live life simply with fear in the Lord.
To end this part, I’d like to share this text message that my Dad texted me about a difficult situation that I am going through. This was in the vernacular (Bicol), so I’d just translate it for you:
“As long as you trust in yourself, you trust in God and if it is meant for you, it will and it will come.”
Of course, Mom also has something similar regarding another event which I informed her yesterday:
Never mind the exclamation point because my Mom wasn’t angry nor excited, she just wanted to emphasize the last statement.That is how my Mom texts – stressed words in capital letters accompanied by exclamation points at the end a.k.a. generation gap. lol I’m just kidding. It’s a good thing my Mom doesn’t read this. But if she does, errrr, love you Mom! 😀
Another thing, praise God for Skype – long distance relationships are now easier to deal with. After reading this, you might have this impression that he is a perfect man. But honestly, like any Dad in this world, he is not perfect, too. Well, let’s just say he’s close to being perfect. I chose to see him that way despite his imperfections. He is our hero, anyway.
“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” – Exodus 20:12
A portrait of Mom and Dad talen in 2012. 🙂
Courageous: The Movie
Now, let’s get on to the movie review. This is, by far, one of the best movies I have watched that focused on fathers. If I have to commend the Kendricks brothers for producing such great Christian films, it’s because a majority of the scenes portrayed all depicted real-life scenarios. Although we can say that some were tweaked to fit the entire theme of the movie. If all the scenes were to happen in real life though, some may take quite some time to happen, unlike how the timeline progressed in the movie.
Not all relationships and marriages are the same. They’re always a case-by-case basis and yet watching this movie now made me realize what to expect and what to do if time comes I am faced with the same situations. I highly encourage all the young men out there, fathers, and soon-to-be fathers to watch this film, and I am praying you will step up to the place that God has called you to be – as Godly leaders and future leaders of your homes. My husband and I watched this film together, and what he blurted to me after watching was this,
“Honey, can you look up on the internet for more movies like that?”
Ah yes, that’s an affirmation, a positive response. I was just glad that was the kind of response that the movie elicited from him. I wasn’t expecting anything at all regarding my husband’s reaction though I did my research what the movie was all about prior to watching. I just thought we’ll view it like any regular “chill time” movie that we come across and watch during rest days.
Praise God for sending the Spirit to guide and prepare our hearts, minds, and souls on how we are going to interpret the movie. I only recommend movies if I rated it with 5 stars (very good) meaning it made such a life-changing impact on me i.e. how I view things, how it changed my perspective on certain things, such as my lifestyle, my attitude, and my character, and so on. So yes, please do watch this movie.
Hubby and I watched it a couple of weeks ago, and we both agreed this is the perfect movie to watch on Father’s Day. Thus, I’ll cut this short for now and let you watch it. But first, don’t forget to shower your Dad with much love and appreciation on his special day as a father. 🙂
The Ginete family at Dad’s ancestral house circa 1993 and my favorite sheepish, no-teeth smile which I never seem to outgrow. 😀
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL THE FATHERS and most especially to my ONE, GREAT FATHER from up above, FATHER GOD! ❤
RESOLUTION
“…I now believe that God desires for EVERY father to courageously step up and do whatever it takes to be involved in the lives of his children. But more than just being there providing for them, he is to walk with them through their young lives and be a visual representation of the character of God, their father in heaven.
A father should love his children, and seek to win their hearts. He should protect them, discipline them, and teach them about God. He should model how to walk with integrity and treat others with respect, and should call out his children to become responsible men and women, who live their lives for what matters in eternity.
Some men will hear this, and mock it. Or ignore it. But I tell you that as a father, you are accountable to God for the position of influence He has given you. You can’t fall asleep at the wheel, only to wake up one day and realize that your job or your hobbies have no eternal value, but the souls of your children do.
Some men will hear this and agree with it, but have no resolve to live it out. Instead, they will live for themselves, and waste the opportunity to leave a godly legacy for the next generation.
But there are some men, who regardless of the mistakes we’ve made in the past, regardless of what our fathers did NOT do for us, will give the strength of our arms and the rest of our days to loving God with all that we are and to teach our children to do the same.
And whenever possible to love and mentor others who have no father in their lives, but who desperately need help and direction. And we are inviting any man whose heart is willing and courageous, to join us in this resolution.
In my home, the decision has already been made. You don’t have to ask who will guide my family, because by God’s grace, I will. You don’t have to ask who will teach my son to follow Christ, because I will.
Who will accept the responsibility of providing and protecting my family? I will. Who will ask God to break the chain of destructive patterns in my family’s history? I will. Who will pray for, and bless my children to boldly pursue whatever God calls them to do? I am their father. I will.
I accept this responsibility and it is my privilege to embrace it. I want the favor of God and His blessing on my home. Any good man does. So where are you men of courage? Where are you, fathers who fear the Lord? It’s time to rise up and answer the call that God has given to you and to say I will. I will. I will!”
If I will be allowed to be proud of something, that I will reserve for the beautiful beaches that my hometown offers. I grew up in the province and as a kid, summertime with family means scouting local beaches and nature hopping from rivers, falls to springs and mountains.
It is through this that I got to appreciate nature at its best in its original beauty. Yes, that kind of beauty that is not tampered by man or any modernization. I have somehow developed this kind of appreciation when it comes to what is beautiful and having gone to commercialized beaches such as Boracay, I must say that I wasn’t fascinated that much at all compared to the ecstatic feeling I get every time my eyes lay upon the sight of paradise in its original state – how God created them and not how man created them.
It was this appreciation that taught me to love nature and care for it as if its part of me. I actually wanted to promote in our province, in light of this, an advocacy to tourists and locals alike how to enjoy nature’s bounty and yet at the same time, preserve its natural beauty. Commercialization of beaches as tourist spots means a flock of tourists which is also equivalent to more use of resources as well as more litter. The latter is what becomes far too common in all commercialized beaches.
I do not mean to be selfish and enjoy the luscious and diverse beauty that nature can offer just by myself, and yet it saddens me to know the fact that not all tourists have the same kind of appreciation and concern as I do. Seeing a single trash along the seashore is enough to make me furious and the first thing that goes into my head is this – how irresponsible the person who threw this trash is. Now this is something I should not do, for it is not right – judging and thinking negatively about any person. It is similar to committing a crime in God’s standards.
Instead of that accusing thought though, I might as well divert my thoughts how I could partner with the local government units in preserving local beaches which include but is not limited to informing the public (tourists and locals) about a policy that will implement stricter discipline when it comes to taking good care of nature. And I mean STRICTER DISCIPLINE.
I told my husband that this summer, instead of going to commercialized and expensive hotels and resorts (being the practical me), I suggested we visit my family in the province, celebrate Mother’s Day there and scout for local beaches which is what my family would usually do during summertime. So we went to this beach which is a 30-minute drive from home and we usually spend our family outing there during the summer and once during Christmas. What we saw next was the ultimate paradise deal.
Mt. Bulusan in the background, the province’s active volcano.
Combination of patches of seaweeds and sand.
This beach is an inlet with a rich and diverse marine ecosystem and at the end of the reef is the Pacific Ocean. Pretty deep this ocean. So if you are not a swimmer like me, better stay a little closer to the shore. My husband is adventurous and yet when we both saw the different sea creatures we found in the reefs, we were fascinated and yet a little scared at the same time. He started joking that there might be a great white shark which somehow got inside the shallow reefs as there were plenty of other sea creatures to feed on.
Something pink underneath.
There’s the edible seaweed.
My foot was here.
Funny hubby with his signature wacky pose.
That’s me introducing the rock.
Well, I told him it is a possibility and yet it should not stop us from exploring what else that inlet could offer. Besides, my family and I have been there a couple of times already and we never encountered or heard any incident on shark attacks or a jellyfish sting even. Although we did see this jellyfish-like sea creature which we could not identify whether it’s an eel, a variety of a jellyfish, or a sea snake. It looked harmless though as local kids were poking and covering it with sand. We tried to uncover it after they left but we couldn’t find a solid object to remove the sand away. Besides, it is still heaving so we know it is still alive.
Local children covering the slimy sea creature with sand.
Low tides are a great opportunity for me to explore what is on the ocean floor. Being a lover of Science (probably because my Mom used to be a Science teacher), I love exploring everything most especially when it comes to nature. I even thought that maybe I would’ve ended better if I pursued a degree in Biology. But that is not God’s plans for me. Or maybe it is, I just don’t know. Yet. *smiles*
For me, the sea is such a vast expanse of space for exploration. It’s very ironic though because I do not know how to swim. Now you must be wondering how did that ever happen. Well, I am wondering about that too. *wink* But I never let anything get in the way when it comes to pursuing things that I am interested about.
So going back to our seafloor exploration, we found a live snail, a small one. And hubby and I enjoyed observing how it attempted to raise “himself” up back to its crawling position. I didn’t know that a snail has a tiny claw/hook of some sort and it is fascinating to know that that hook was strong enough to lift itself up despite the heavy shell. We wanted to take a video of it but, unfortunately, we left our cameras already because decided to swim and explore and we didn’t bring any waterproof camera case with us.
Oh and I can’t forget this edible seaweed. We eat them raw and just dip it in lime juice. It is a perfect side dish for barbecues or grilled fish. We call it as “lato.” We saw local fishermen harvesting them during low tide somewhere before the reef ends and big waves from the Pacific Ocean hit the side of the reef or the wall of the continental shelf.
The Pacific Ocean and the continental shelf.
Our harvest.
Harvesting a big one.
We got to the beach about lunch time and after 2 hours, the tides begun to rise. Hubby and I waited as each small patch of dried seaweed start to be submerged in water again. We did swim nearby when the water level became high enough but because it was late in the afternoon approaching night time, we decided to leave and let nature have her rest too – it was feeding time for the sea creatures. Yep, we don’t want to be part of their food chain so out we went and just took photos around.
High tide is finally here.
White sand it is.
Indeed, they are right when they say that in order to keep things balanced with nature, you have to know your limits. Hubby usually is the adventurous type and is always on the go. But this time, it made me smile when I saw him learn to have this respect and love for nature out of awe and fascination. This was the same kind of awe and fascination that I first had when I was a kid which made me love and care for nature because I have learned to understand our relationship with it. We felt guilty though when we showed some locals the seaweeds that we were able to harvest and they said it was the right one but they usually pluck the stems out but leave the roots so it could reproduce. *insert sad face here*
But it made me smile still. It means that they already know their limits as to the proper use of nature’s resources and how to take good care of her and this will be very essential in informing tourists like me about the limitations/boundaries between man and nature. 🙂
(This is an excerpt from this post I wrote back in November 2013 during Typhoon Yolanda. I thought this particular content deserves to have its own separate article with a different title this time.)
Wherever God would take me, whatever God would give me, I will bring with me two identities: first, I am a Christian, and second, I am a Bicolana.
I can never be prouder of anything I have and whoever I have become other than those two I have mentioned above.
Why a Christian? I am nothing and nobody without my God, first and foremost. My identity is in Him, and I believe I need not say more as it is what it already is. 🙂
Why a Bicolana then? Ahh, this is most likely where I’ll be explaining more.
I grew up in the province. I spent more than half of my life there. As of writing, that is. There’s no other place that I could ever call ‘home’ except Bulan. Yes, that is my hometown, a small town in the province of Sorsogon somewhere in the southernmost part of Luzon.
Sorsogon consists mostly of coastal areas surrounded by beaches of all sand colors from white, pink, to black – you name it, we have it. Rich in natural resources, fishing and farming have been the sources of livelihood with almost all the Bulanons (that’s how we generally call ourselves).
Fishing
If there is one value that being a Bicolana has taught me, it would be this – knowing your roots. In other words, learn to look back from your humble beginnings. Bulan is the one thing that has taught me how it is to be humble and to be grateful. Humility bespeaks when the heart is in awe of the mediocre. I know you are going to agree with me right there.
I came from a family of farmers. My parents, my grandparents, and the parents before them all came from humble beginnings. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them. Gratitude is what I could offer to my ancestors for the sacrifices and hard work that they have invested in providing the best for their families.
I came from a generation wherein I didn’t have to go to the fields and do the farming myself, and go home with sweaty clothes covered in mud just to pay for all of my expenses and supply my needs. An experience I never had to go through, and yet something that I would want to go through.
CIRCA 1980s: My mom, aunts, uncles, and my grandparents.
They say that for someone to appreciate the value of something less than its market value and more of its sentimental value, you have to work hard for it and have it like how it is usually done and achieved. You have to sweat it out, so to speak.
I was listening to the podcast of Pastor Christian Flores regarding Victory’s new series entitled “It’s Not About The Money” two Sundays ago, and he mentioned the story of a farmer and how this farmer had invested his earnings in acquiring an even bigger barn where he could store more, which actually resulted in his own destruction.
That made me think about our farm, our farmers, and what we really get from it. For starters, our farmhouse did not change, though many years and decades have passed. We are earning just enough, and we are still living frugal lives, though we have acquired some possessions through time – still, I think it is not about the money. Money, for us, is something that has to do with survival, but never to accumulate great wealth and live grandiose, rich lives.
I might be speaking out of righteousness here, but if you will personally ask me, that is how I think it should be. I do not wish to dwell on this matter then and will just leave all the explaining to our Pastors as they lead us on with the series – a reason for you to stay tuned for our upcoming podcasts or better yet visit a nearby Victory church: http://victory.org.ph/. (Sorry for the shameless plugging, but I felt you would understand it better if the explaining would come from our church leaders).
victoryqc.org
This is the season of harvesting, and when I went home during the holidays last November 1 and 2, I chanced upon the last harvest in our farm. I have skin asthma, and as much as I should be staying away from hay, I know it would not stop me from going along with my Dad. I suffered the consequences later on – my cough got worse, and itchy rashes came out that lasted for about a week, leaving black spots on my skin, which then stayed on for about how many months.
The last time I was with my Dad during harvesting was when I was around 6 or 7 years old. I could still remember how our parents would ask us (not really me, as I was way too young, but my sisters and brother) to help in drying the “palay” we had harvested so they could be sold to the millers for a good price before they then sell it to the market.
Yes, how could I really forget all the scurrying here and there, to and fro, when dark clouds come, and heavy rains start to pour. It only means sweeping the grains, piling and covering them up as FAST as you can to prevent them from getting wet, thus lowering the chances of getting a low price as “palay” buyers measure the moisture content of the rice grains. The drier the grain is, the higher its market value.
Threshing of palay.
My Dad is not a farmer per se. He is a civil engineer who juggled two occupations at the same time – that of a farmer and a superintendent at the National Irrigation Administration in the Bicol region (officially at San Ramon, OIC in Masbate and Sorsogon City). He is now 74 years old, retired from his engineering career, and yet a continuing farmer. I have always admired my Dad, who, at his age, still manages to do what he would always do at the farm despite his arthritis, gout attacks, hypertension, cataract, and other illnesses of the aged. Although we don’t dry the harvested rice grains anymore to lessen the stress level of all the scurrying and hurrying, tending the farm is still a lot of busy work to do.
I went to the farm with my Dad not to harvest the grains myself and have them threshed out but witness how it is usually done. I have to get into the particulars as to how to do this and that. Well, I might consider farming as my job someday. Yes, “Tin” the farm girl. *wink* I think I heard my Kuya’s sarcastic chuckle back there again. Haha Yeah, right. And yes, I wanted to observe how our farmers do it – our trusted and loyal workers. I admired them more than I have admired an office employee (no offense to office-based workers). But hard labor is no easy job. Exposed in the heat of the sun, bending over for hours either planting rice seedlings or harvesting them, soaked in mud or inhaling the itchy hay dust when threshing are, for me, among the most challenging tasks.
I closely looked at all of them. I saw Tio Digoy and Tio Kadog – they are the oldest among all of them. They have been working for my Dad since I was a kid. Now, their sons are working for us as well. I have learned to love them for all that they have put up for me and my family. I am praying that through us, their sons, daughters and grandchildren will one day have a better future because of their parents and grandparents’ hard work. Though that means we might lose workers in our farms, it would also be equivalent to giving everyone the chance to have better lives than what they have now.
I am praying too that someday there will no longer be a need for manual labor and everything will be run by machines operated in a clean office from planting to harvesting rice. That goes as well for harvesting coconuts and converting them into copra. The team of Tio Digoy also does them for us. Skilled, they really are. My family and I will always be grateful to them. We will always be grateful to Him for any blessing that He has bestowed as well as for His guidance and protection not just to me and my family but to our skilled workers and their families as well.
Nope, that’s not it because this is what I usually do:
“Tin, The Farm Girl”
Quite the opposite, right? Well, aside from washing the dishes, cleaning the house, feeding the pets, etc. and having a little vacation time actually. We have no helpers or house maids back home and here in Manila, by the way. As it is written in the bible:
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” – Matthew 10:45
Let’s all live a life of servitude, shall we my dear brothers and sisters? 🙂
The Journeyman's Moments 