Simply Belle

My daughter, Stephanie, recently received a message from a woman under a username, Vange, in myspace. She said she is currently promoting Filipino talents in Asia via the net because of the sad fact that Filipinos are not well-known asian-wide. I took a quick look at the site and it appears to be valid and genuine. So, Steffi gave her a go ahead to add her profile on the site.

So, my fellow bloggers, have you heard about this site: Asian Popcorn.com Please visit the site and go to the Fan pages to take a peek at Stephanie and other Filipino talents. I even saw Charice Pempengco there, the only one I was familiar with. You guys, however, might recognize a few. And ohh, don’t forget to vote.

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In keeping with our CNA Christmas tradition, Rus, our hardworking secretary, traveled to Catanduanes on December 22nd to take charge of the annual Christmas party for our combined CESP (elementary and high school) and CSP (college) 34 scholars. To each child, she handed out a php400 gift certificate from Century Mall in Virac. Also, we served simple food consisting of spaghetti, fried chicken, cup cakes, and juice. To spice up the festivities, we gave each of the scholars a chance to showcase their hidden talents, that is, for those who came prepared. Indeed, some of the scholars (from Pandan town, to be specific) came geared up displaying their talents to a crowd of about of 60 people. Way to go Pandan!

In a nutshell, the Christmas party was a success due to the efforts and diligence of our secretary who orchestrated the whole proceedings to make all these possible with help and support, of course, from our volunteers and one of them was prof Gerry who, by the way, took the pictures below. Thanks sir Gerry!

Rus handing out allowance to the scholar.

Our college scholars all in their sophomore years.

Our elementary and high school scholars at the dinner table.

Some of these girls left their homes in the wee hours of the morning and traveled several hours to attend this party.They came from the northern part of Catanduanes, a place I have never set foot in.

A scholar from Pandan showcasing her talent – declamation. Wow!

Pandadanon scholars in their coordinated outfit , once again, entertaining the crowd with their dancing prowess.Clap! Clap!

Misc: My husband kept asking me if the girl he is sponsoring made it to the party. I was told by my cousin that my husband’s little girl was the only one who didn’t make it due to a mix up of the venue. You see, we had a last minute change of venue, and I suppose she was the only one who didn’t receive the updates (no cell phone, I presume) or who didn’t seek the right person in Virac. Now, I don’t have the heart to tell my husband about this unless he goes to my blog, but he rarely ever does.

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my husband said that this shack is so ugly that it is almost pretty. oh by the way, that shack was mine but was recently renovated.

how can the guy sleep on the top and not fall off?

it is just me posing for my husband.

poor but happy and not a trace of fat in their body.

the prolific fishing village in Baras, Catanduanes.

a typical probinsiyana little girl in Catanduanes. i promised to send this picture to her by mail but i thought i would personally hand a framed 4 by 6 picture to her when i take my vacation again. she should be tickled pink.

beautiful rice terraces in San Miguel, Baras, Catanduanes where the little girl above resides.

Dororian falls located in Dororian, Gigmoto, Catanduanes.

my SIL carried me piggy back to the other side to avail of the spring water. i was trying to keep my upper body dry because i was nursing a cold but i fell off anyway and got all wet, geeeessssh!

Virac market.

Mother and son relaxing on the beach ( my SIL and nephew)

wouldn’t it be nice if someone is kind enough to help this smart cute little girl out of poverty by supporting her through school?

if only her eyes are open, this photo would have been worth framing too.

Beautiful Puraran beach.

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Last Monday when I came home from work, I was greeted with this sight in my living room. My husband hauled all these stuff from the garage to the living room for me to pack to send to the province. I am also packing my not so old PC to give to my nephew who is going to be a freshman in high school next year. Huh? When will I ever have a chance to rest or have time to catch up with my blogging even? My last entry was from over a week ago and I am way overdue for a new post.

These are, by the way, the school supplies that my daughter, Lexie, had collected during the Key Club’s Donation for Education drive at school. This is supposed to be done last summer but I have been extremely busy entertaining so it has been neglected for a while in the garage. My husband thought that by bringing it to the living room, it would prompt me to pack it in the box. Gosh, I hate clutter so I guess his strategy works. Don’t you just love husbands? He thought that it would make me happy if he hauled it to the living room, where it is nice and cool as opposed in the garage, where it is uncomfortably warm. I suppose, it makes sense. But you know the real reason behind all these? Those stuff have been in his side of the garage for quite some time and he wants to claim his space back. But, right now, blogging comes first. As long as I started the packing today, even if I don’t quite finish it, it should make my hubby happy. Geeesshh, I still have to go to the post office to mail some cookies to my darling daughter, and ohh, I just remember, I have yoga class this afternoon. Oooppss! I better get going….

Remember the days of beanie babies? I got hooked on it for a while. I call it my beanie baby fever days. I wouldn’t let a week pass without buying 2 or 3 of these babies to add to my collection. They said that the price of some of them would go up in value over time so I got addicted even more. I also bought it to reward my daughters for getting good grades at school. My eldest daughter enjoyed receiving them. She consistently got straight A’s as a result.

Recently though, when she cleaned her room this summer, she got rid of these babies and shoved it off in the garage. She doesn’t hang on to her stuff forever unless it has sentimental value. Her room is very organized and clutter-free. I don’t want to take those babies to the Thrift store because I spent money on them. I believe I paid $5 or more on each. I thought I would send it to my nephews but what will they do with it? Will they appreciate it? I wonder if I should hang on to it hoping that it will go up in value??? Hehehe, I am dreaming again. Who wants one?

It is now 10:40 AM, and I better get on with the packing.

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I have been tagged by Greymom for 10 random facts about my mom. Unfortunately though, my mother joined the creator about a year ago, a few months after I visited her in the province. She was 88 years old.

It wouldn’t be easy for me to talk about my mom without long sigh, furrowed brow, or occasional tears. Nevertheless, I will be fine. Thanks to Greymom for the tag.

• She only reached second grade as it was during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines when the natives spent most of their time hiding. Japanese were all over the province, cutting heads off if you didn’t give in to their demands. My uncles lost his head when he refused to give his pig.  So, instead of going to school, my mom and her family chose to live in the jungle for as long as the Japanese were around.
• She was a fashionista. Boy, she loved wearing nice dresses. I had never seen her wear pants except when she was doing dirty jobs like fishing in the swamp or tending to our kamote plantation.
• She loved strong perfume. Three years ago, I bought a bottle of Opium perfume as a present and boy, did she love the scent. Every after bath, she would dispense a couple of spray and the whole house would be saturated with fragrance. Whew, too strong!
• She had a beautiful soft voice. I can still vividly remember some of the songs that she often sang to us when we were little. Now I know where my kids inherited their singing voices, and of course, given by God,
• She was an excellent cook. She also made excellent desserts that I regret not taking lessons when I had the chance. Her signature dessert was cassava roll with sweetened coconut flakes inside. It was so good!
• She was a hardworking mother and a survivor. At a young age, she taught me how to survive in this tough and cruel world in her own way. She was at her best when faced with adversities and hardships.
• She loved all her children, grandchildren, and extended family. Truly, she epitomized a woman whose love extended far beyond her own family.
• She was very thoughtful. When I recently went home, she gave me php100 to buy caramelized pili nut to be split between my two daughters. Of course, my daughters were thrilled to receive the pasalubong from their lola even how small or little it was.
• She has an incredible memory. Here I am at 40 something, manifesting some signs of Alzheimer’s yet my mother had maintained her memory until her last breath. Why am I doing wrong? Not fair!

I am tagging K, Elyani, and Zherwin.

Me, my mom, and my daughters playing domino.

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Familiar with the scenery? Beautiful, isn’t it? It is a picture of idyllic setting in my hometown. My daughter took this picture when the rice plants were all green, which made it interesting. Yes, we do have rice terraces that we can call our own.

When I was little, about 11 0r 12 years old, I took a job of planting young rice plant for people, and I got paid Ph6. 00 a day for it. Boy, for that money, it was a hard job! Not only that I had to slog hrough the mud for more than 8 hours, the job was backbreaking! I started at 7 AM and ended at 5 PM. When I came home, I couldn’t see straight from over fatigue. Right after I finished dinner, I went straight to bed and slept through until morning. When I woke up, my whole body ached. I was literally lifeless! It took me several days to recuperate. Then, I began to realize that it was not worth it for me. I told my mother that I would/could not do this again, and she understood. I swore to never submerge my feet again in that muddy soil.

Trike or tricyle is a major form of transportation in the province as shown in the picture. It is not a comfortable ride, and it produces significant noise and air pollution. My husband had tried it once and wasn’t thrilled about it. Since half of the road in the province is paved and the other half is not maintained, it is hard to avoid the potholes, thus, making the ride hellishly unpleasant. My husband preferred renting a van instead to take him to and from. Fortunately, there are available cars and vans for rent in Catanduanes for reasonable cost, and usually, it comes with a driver for free. Of course, tip is optional. I ended up tipping my driver because he was very nice and helpful to us all throughout our trip.

Naturally, I don’t mind hopping in the tricycle because I grew up with it. My brother owns one and just like car, it takes us anywhere and whereever we want to go and yet, it is not expensive to operate and maintain. For people who have limited money, owning a tricycle is the way to go.

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