where were you in april and may

*a late post in fact…

PH Election 2022 had just concluded a couple of days ago and surprisingly there’s no need to wait for days, weeks to know who won the electoral race. It’s a no brainer coming from the Comelec transparency server, from the Executive to Legislative branches of the government votes were easily calculated pronto, that fast considering that the Philippines has the slowest internet speed in the entire Southeast Asian region. Comelec must be really good and prepared this time hence the speedy results, I’d like to leave it there but how about the faulty VCMs, seniors and PWD unable to cast their votes and brownouts (2^nd district of Makati for example) and the long queue of voters at Bgy. Sta Cruz in Makati at 6:30pm. The long queue, I didn’t capture that story in any news because I personally saw it when we pass by Monday afternoon. I actually worried that some may not make it at the voting precinct.

I won’t deny that I felt really sad and disappointed at the turn around of the election because all the candidates I supported didn’t make the cut especially the Presidential post. I was rooting for Leni because I know in my heart she would bring balance, she would make a difference and through her platforms a better and improve quality of governance will begin. But all my high hopes together with the 14M people who voted for her died following the next morning. It was like a nightmare for the working class and I know many will agree with me. Six years under the Duterte admin was a joke, it’s because the President himself was so fond of making all issues a joke, a disgusting joke. And now that the presumptive President is another Marcos, I have mix emotions and fear. I fear that history will repeat itself. I fear that he may not carry the role. And I don’t know how the next six years will fare under his presidency.

Sana nga mali kami, sana tama kayo.

Bakit nga ba ang hirap mong mahalin, bayan kong sinilangan.

And to end my election rant here. I hope YouTube and TikTok university scholars are vigilant to spot fake news from the authentic content. I hope we do not rewrite history falsely.

Anyhow, back to my personal space. I was frequenting the city the last couple of weeks because I had my APE, office visits to clear my personal stuffs and DFA appointment. Finally, after a year I was able to secure slots for our passport renewals. You see, I was at the verge of phoning the Phil Consulate office in Vancouver already just to get help. And it’s a blessing that I chanced upon a tip from an ig celebrity whom I follow before I troubled the cousin. 😀

Long story short, I got the slots, we did go and we now have passports for the next 10 years. charaught lang yarn, we can’t afford Wolfgang yet 😛

Because going to the city is something bigtime for me now, I always look forward to trying new things apart from the gazillions of errands I have every visit. Sabi nga you only live once so make the best out of it. I realise that ze husband and I need to date out exclusively at least once a quarter because we need some time alone, we need to normalise like what we’ve used to ­—we need to continue our lives despite the leftovers of the pandemic.

So, before we went home we had dinner at one of the nice restaurants at the Newport Mall. Parmigiano Pizzeria Ristorante serves Italian cuisine. The restaurant itself was lovely, it passed all the ristorante philosophy ­—formal & refined menu, wine, deserts, in other news malakas maka-sosyal!

Burrata Salad

Spaghetti Polpo Al Marinara

6 Cheese White Pizza

We didn’t order everything of course because we’re over that stage na takaw tingin. First, we had the Burrata Salad, mixed greens and arugula with red apple, walnuts, cherry tomatoes and topped with whole burrata cheese with honey and balsamic syrup. At P420, serving was generous and fresh, two thumbs up for the very rich & milky burrata cheese. Ordered the Spaghetti Polpo Al Marinara because we don’t want meat to our pasta —cooked with octopus, spiced tomato sauce, zucchini, eggplant and bell peppers. At P520, you get a single order which is basically good for sharing especially if you are ordering other foods. The pasta serving tho had too much sauce making the noodles look lesser than it should, the octopus made the cut, it was tender and flavorful. Last but not the least, we got the 6 Cheese White Pizza —purely cheese based pizza, gorgonzola, mozzarella pecorino, parmigiano reggiano, scamorza & taleggio. Price was very reasonable at P595 and pizza was insanely good because cheese! ♥ I was actually itching to order paella or risotto but ze husband stopped me, save it to our next visit daw. I also like to order wine or beer next time. We didn’t get desserts because I want coffee after but we’re so completely full. We ended up checking some stores. I have this story from way, way back during our first visit at Resorts World. When we passed by MK store, I was awkwardly looking outside lang. I felt the store was so intimidating that’s why I missed my chance to get the “I love NY” tote bag. Un tote bag na made of high end katsa and sells P2,500 that time. Fast forward today, I love visiting high end shops at Rustan’s so I can feel the texture of the item and see how it is when carried then leave and look for legit online sellers who can give it at a better price, reasonable actually. It feels good, guilt-free to buy the real item(s) every time. Then persons at my household would always pop the question, saan mo gagamitin yarn? hehehe

Just so you know, I bought an XL MK office bag and laptop sleeve so I could fit everything nicely during my office visits. It took me a couple of weeks to decide because despite the better pricing I’ve mentioned earlier, the sum was still a hefty one and sometimes I still get that guilt feel pag tinitingnan ko sya but the guilt trip would easily get away naman. 

my forever date ♥ na poging pogi sa sarili nya when we had our pp appointment 😛

I still have a lot of kwentos, how we spent the Holy Week, that 4-day trip to Ilocos and Nanay’s 70^th. Too many to write about but so little time because you know, I have too many things to balance and I get so little time for self-breaks. For now, ciao and enjoy the weekend! ♥

DFA TOPS (confirmed appointments only)

3/F Newport Mall

www.passport.gov.ph

 

PARMIGIANO RISTORANTE PIZZERIA

2/F Newport Mall, Newport Blvd.,

Resorts World Manila, Pasay City, Metro Manila 1309

http://www.parmigianoph.com/

holy week 2014 | ILOCOS

I always look forward to traveling North during long breaks and holidays, and even before I married my Ilocano husband I’m partial to road-tripping going at the Northern region. I love the beautiful sceneries, the unending lush of greens and the friendly people, the delicious food and the unique experience –ze unforgettable first times. And spending the Holy Week break in Ilocos always brings a different story.

Sadly, I’ll be missing this year’s trip because I have tons of commitment back in my hometown that related to my batch reunion the most. Likewise, we really didn’t plan seriously for the trip this year because we have no sponsor to cover the big part of expected expenses –gas, toll fees, food, other fees, etc. If it’s only the husband and me and the fur kids, we’ll probably survive the holiday, but I have in-laws who wouldn’t pay even a fast-food meal, so travelling with extra baggage is extra expensive as well, considering as well the length of our stay.

So this was how we spent last year’s, with all its drama and bliss and escapade.

Because the BIL, our major sponsor last year, arrived in Manila by Maundy Thursday already our trip was delayed from the usual Wednesday mor-night. Tho leaving that day had its own advantage because traffic was very light. And the highway extension up north, TPLEX, was a big plus because it really cut our travel time. The usual 3-4 hours drive from NLEX to Pangasinan was reduced to 1.5 hours only. I remember arriving at Tagudin by midnight already tho tired and sleepy, I was happy to see the old folks.

And my B who was again part of the trip was delighted with all the kisses and hugs from Manang Linda. Oh, and ate SAM was part of this Ilocos trip for the first time.

Daybreak of Good Friday. I always love the lush of greens welcoming me in the morning and that day the sight of rice fields and corn fields and mountains didn’t failed me, I was really on vacay!

We spent the day lazing around the house, ate SAM exploring what it’s like life in Ilocos, and her discovery of camote was something she thought she missed for the past 14 years. By mid-afternoon, I cooked my famed Spanish-sardine pasta, I thought we could still eat something deli despite the call to abstain that day, also to simply celebrate Manang Linda’s belated birthday.

St. Agustine Parish Church

In the afternoon, we drove to the town plaza to visit the church, there’s nothing really exceptional except that we had our time and my itchy feet was pleased at last.

Before heading home, we had a 7-11 feast of sorts –rice meals, hotdogs and ice cream.

Black Saturday in LU. Since we had this bunch of extended family visiting Ilocos that time, we scheduled a trip to La Union beaches, we’d love them to experience the sand and salty beach water, the sexy dudes and princely surfer, who else but my love –Lucas! Hehehe.

But Lucas was nowhere in sight that day, only his stinky old pal River was there to keep the beachgoers entertained.

Anyhow, we had fun at the beach. Ate SAM surely did. 😀

And even Manong & my Leoncio, especially when we chance upon Beauty Gonzales basking on the beach on her sexy bikini and sexy bod. She was so kinis!

We stayed until sundown, and it was an amazing sight, the orange-sky never failed to give me goose bumps and I miss my old buddy and our first and last trip to LU.

For dinner that day, we checked out one of LU’s famed eatery –Halo Halo de Iloko. Actually, the first choice was Midway Grill because it’s nearer coming from Urbiztondo plus we’ve tried it already in the past, and it was a hit other than the place was heavily packed that night and waiting was not an option for us.

Seafood Kare-Kare

Pancit En Grande

Halo Halo de Iloko was a recommended stop by many because of its must-try halo-halo but apart from the cold mix cum dessert the food was something you’d like to go back again and again. They serve authentic Ilocano dishes, that alone I’m solved. We had Seafood Kare-Kare, Sinampalukang Kambing, Pork Iloko Sisig, Sinigang na Baboy (requested by ate SAM), Pancit En Grande and lots of inapoy (rice in Ilocano). Amongst, the stand out for me was the Seafood Kare-Kare, it was thick and sweet and savory, and it was also loaded with seafood (squids, shrimps and fish) and vegetables. And the bagoong alamang was perfect for this peanut-based stew. I ended up inquiring if they sell bagoong alamang, unfortunately not. How sad?

I could have eaten aplenty and ordered more but my party was timid and shy, I intentionally skipped ordering the much raved Halo-Halo because we’re too full to gobble up a glass. I’m saving it on my next visit with people I’m more comfortable with. On a second note, prices were affordable and serving was big.

And the place is love, festive and unique; the restaurant’s vibes go well with food. I’m definitely coming back.

Back in Tagudin, the town folks were already gathered at the town plaza for the customary coronation of young lass as new Queen and Princesses. Tho popularity contest in nature this yearly tradition is something everyone looks forward to. However, for the second time we missed the parade and dancing later on. Blame that trip on the beach and the yummy treats at Halo Halo de Iloko, we dozed off too early. Hehehe.

Back in LU on Easter Sunday. The house guests went to Vigan but we didn’t join them because it wasn’t part of our itinerary this time and no impromptu trip for us, period.

We savor the last day of our vacay at the beach once more, this time with Leoncio’s nephew and nieces, with B and ate SAM too. LU’s coastline was almost back to normal compared to Black Saturday, it was rather clearer with only few surfers hovering around.

And as usual, B can’t be stopped from chasing and catching the waves, her happiness we couldn’t explain. She’s always the happiest and the liveliest living on earth, err LU that time.

B bumped with River, their first time to run into each other but the handsome boy wasn’t too interested with my pretty B because he was flirting with some Aspin. Well, I could almost hear my B say, “Oh, you’re stinky and old! Eeeww!”  You know my B can be bratty at times, parang Momi lang. Hahaha.

The sundown that day was one of the beautiful I’ve witnessed, it was breathtaking, calming and peaceful. I can’t help but envy the locals who enjoyed the limitless view of the ocean, the stunning sunrise and mystical sunset…and surfer dudes on their sexy board shorts. Hahaha.

I know I am no swimmer and I will never be but as I aged I came to embrace the natural scenery and loved the slap of waves, that sun-kissed skin and the phenomenon of summer. Thank you to my beach-goer family and friends.

This year as we observe the Holy Week there will be no beach, no long trips either, I will commemorate the occasion back at my hometown and I guess nothing can match that wonderful feel of being just home and with my dear family.

Have a blessed and meaningful Holy Week ya all! 🙂

 

 

• Halo Halo de Iloko | 12 Zandueta St., 2500 San Fernando, La Union | M. +63 9178527919
• St. Agustine Parish Church | Tagudin, Ilocos Sur
• Beach | Bgy. Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union