December Weddings

Apart from June, December has always been a favorite month for weddings here in the Philippines. It is most practical as it is the time of the year when most Filipinos come home for the longest Christmas season celebrated in the whole world and the future bride and groom are most assured that most of their loved ones from all over would be present to witness this memorable event in their lives.

Truly well-planned weddings would not be complete without hiring a professional photographer to cover and immortalize this, hopefully, once in a lifetime milestone. Here in Leyte, we have at par, if not better wedding lensmen who capture your wedding moments with an artistic eye and an instinct of the perfect shot.

Too bad I discovered this after my own wedding, for I would have loved having my wedding portrait done as beautifully as this:


(Photo courtesy of D. Martinez)

A List of Favorite Christmas Goodies to GIve Away

They say 'tis always better to give and receive and in the Season of Yuletide many Filipinos take this to heart which is why despite the economic crunch and subprime crisis in the States whose effects that has been felt all over the world, they still come up with their Christmas list stretching budgets to buy gifts for their loved ones. In the days running to D-day (Christmas day), malls are so filled with people making their last minute shopping that you think, "crisis? what crisis?". Oh well, didn't I read somewhere that shops make more on Christmas than the rest of the year combined?

Yet with all the choices available, a few still stand out as good 'ol favorites as perfect Christmas giveaways. Let me name some of them which owe their making it to this list their being timeless, popular, convenient and no-fuss wrapping and of course, with these tight time, cheap.

1. Without a doubt, the ubuquitous fruit cake. A favorite for its longevity, this cake has had the unearned (and unfair) rep of being recycled gifts. I beg to disagree, a good one lasts no more than two days on our Christmas table. I like the nuts, raisins inside and the bittersweet taste of the brandy.



2. Sweetened or Honey-Glazed Pork ham. "The star of the Noche Buena Feast" goes the tag line of a best selling brand. This has been one of my usual gifts for friends and in-laws and, tagline notwithstanding, a Noche Buena in my home is never complete without it.



3. Bakugan. Another one of those Japanese toy creations that has got our kids hooked. Its actually a ball that when rolled transforms into a robot. You get many imitations from sidewalk stores that run from P45.00 to P75.00 but the real and good ones sell for P220.00 up.



4. Vaccum-packed noche buena grocery items. These gift packs contain items that you can use for your holiday feast like fruit cocktail, cream, condensed milk, can of mushroom, spaghetti noodles and perfect no-fuss give aways as it is already beautifully packaged.



5. Novellino wines. I really like their wines, most especially the fruit-flavored ones. Its cheap and comes in lovely bottles. Help the economy and buy one as its maker is a genuine Filipino company and the wines are proudly Philippine-made.



6. Gift Certificates. Actually the most practical gifts as it gives the recipient the choice to buy what they want.

7. A year's subscription of Good Housekeeping magazine. With its practical tips and insightful articles (they were wise enough to include one of mine, hehehe) ), its the perfect reading companion for the married woman with kids; and

8. A lot of loving and goodwill which is free, abundant and enviroment-friendly.

A Loooooooong Christmas Season...

From the tolling of the church bells in the wee hour of 3:30 in the morning of December 16 which signals the start of the Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo to the "Day of Three Kings" which falls on the first Sunday of January of the following year, it is one long Christmas season in the only pre-dominantly Roman Catholic country in Asia. You might say this long Yuletide season is retailers' heaven but in the Philippines it is much, much more than just endless shopping for gifts on every one's favored Christmas lists. It is a time for much-awaited family gatherings and reunions. Relatives from abroad look forward to coming home to savor the unique Filipino Christmas experience which everyone who has left attest is like no other. (For those who can't be here, I hope am not adding to your homesickness.)

Where else could you find the fervent devotion and celebratory mood of our countrymen in the "Simbang Gabi" wherein you wake up even before the roosters signal the crack of dawn to hear the novena mass at 4:30 in the morning? You then come home to a breakfast of puto, bibingka and other native delicacies. You do this for nine days straight until the morning of the day before Christmas. Onli in da Philippines.

Come Christmas Eve, families hear Mass and then gather for a Noche Buena feast. On Christmas day, children then go around houses with Christmas greetings in exchange for candies and other goodies. Not quite unlike the Western "trick or treating" on Halloween.

Yes, nowhere is the birth of Christ more celebrated than here in Pinoy country.

Beautiful Baguio, Part two

The last time I visited Baguio was in 2000, and just like the first time I went there which was way back in 1995, it also fell on a summer. So when I learned that I was going to the Philippines famed city of pines, I was a bit excited as it was scheduled in December. You might wonder why I was so worked up on a December Baguio trip when the place is also known as the "summer capital" of the country. It because on all my previous trips, the only time I really felt like donning a heavy sweater was in the late afternoons and evenings. Ergo, Baguio was not that cold in the day and what's the point of going there if the weather is just like here in the lowlands? I was curious to experience real cold weather, to feel an almost western hemispher coolness which could only be experienced there in December.

Apart from the temperate weather, I was also eager to see again the beautiful flowers that could only abound in low temperatures. Poinsettas by the roadside as well as sunflowers jutting out from crevices in the concrete was a common sight as my bus weaved its way up the mountains. At some point in our ascent, everything was covered in heavy fog and you could not see anything below the road, not the houses, trees or any vegetation. Truly, this is how it feels like to be up in the clouds.

More than just the fine weather and tourist spots such as the Grotto, the Mansion, Camp John Hay, Wright Park, Philippine Military Academy (the biggest military school in the country whose graduates have gone on to become leaders in the military), and Mines View Park, Baguio City is a place full of warm and friendly people where everyone is literally a trained tourist guide. Everyone I asked for directions were always most helpful and added tidbits or two that would help us in our stay (e.g. the best time to shop at the ukay-ukay stalls). Speaking of ukay-ukay, the city's claim to being the secondhand goods capital of the Philippines is well-deserved. As with all bargain hunts, you just have to be patient and perservering as you wade through clothes, shoes, and bags lumped in heaps or hung by hangers in the different stalls in coming upon valuable finds that look almost brand new and belong to world renowned labels like Gap, Nike, and Burberry. After going through so many stall and exiting empty handed, we soon came upon a corner one and hit pay dirt. The ukay shop had just replenished its stocks and it was full of really fine items. I found so many blouses and long sleeved polos that hardly had any hint of being used and would have taken them all had they fit me. Sadly, only two of the blouses I really liked felt comfortable enough to wear which I immediately bought. At Php150.00 apiece, it truly was a bargain.

Unfortunately for my group, the seminar ended quite late in the afternoon, so we were only able to visit a few of the sights in Baguio. We went by the Grotto where we prayed before the image of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. We also bought pasalubong at the Strawberry Farm. After that it was back to the hotel to prepare for an early morning trip back to Manila the following day.

"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Baguio"

Words of one truly proud and enamoured of his city. I'm talking about no less than the mayor of Baguio City. In his welcome speech during my seminar in his city last week, he never failed to punctuate his sentences with the word "beautiful", the adjective ever present as if its the only word left in the English vocabulary to describe the city of pines. Redundant is an understatement but I guess the good mayor just got carried away in his zeal to promote of what to him is the best city in the country. While I'm not totally in agreement, I do say it is one place worth staying and visiting. For one thing, I just love their taxis and those behind its wheels. When I arrived and asked about where I could find my hotel, an obviously proud local, sensing my apprehension when I learned it was far off from the downtown proper, assured me that the taxi drivers of Bguio City are honest and that they would bring you to your destination he fastest way possible without tampering with the meter as was my usual experience in Manila (I know, I know, this revelation about Manila is not good publicity). I soon found out that his was not an empty boast. In all my commutes on Baguio's taxis, not once did I feel that I was being "taken for a ride" and my fare never went above a hundred pesos even though the distance and traffic made such rides a long one. Indeed, the people are doing its best to make their place as tourist-friendly as possible.

Going back to the place that is the closest in experiencing Western weather, I soon found some most welcome and unwelcome of changes. More on that when I get home. For now, I have to do some late minute shopping. Till then...

Back from a Break, Manila Airports, Long Queues, Malls, Traffice, No Yaya atbp.

I'm back from a week long vacation. I was supposed to go there for business and pleasure, but due to some kinks, miscommunications, bureaucratic red tape and circuitous processes in the legislative branch of government that does not serve its purpose, the business part was not attained, but thankfully, the pleasure part was. My family got real quality bonding time and I got a crash course in how to mix mama duties with household ones, budgeting and itinerary planning. It was just me, the hubby and my three year old daughter sans yaya-cum-household help and while it was quite tiresome, it felt great to take care of our baby all by our twosome. It was bonding heaven and in a both-parents-working-household, its a rarity that must be treasured and strived for. The hubby took care of the cooking and washing of our daughter's clothes and I was responsible for bathing her and washing the dishes. We stayed at my sister's house in Quezon City that was steaming hot in the afternoons so we took refuge in malls that was nearby. Trinoma Mall was just a fifteen minute commute by taxi and in the week that was we were a regular fixture with our stroller where our baby was comfortably esconced. For more of metro malls, watch out for my coming posts on our Manila trip.

All in all, the vacation was well worth the expense, time away from work and sweat from the sweltering Manila sun.