QOTD: Is this our farm, Lolo?

We went corn picking yesterday afternoon with the kids. Kids were bored and in our household, this is my dad's idea of killing boredom. That idea was brilliant, I would say. Kids had fun and for the little girl corn picking isn't really something she does everyday.

On our way home we swung by my parents' sugar mill. And while they were checking out the fields that are being prepped up for cane replanting, the kid threw the lolo a question: Is this our farm, Lolo?

She's seems to be loving her time here in Antique extremely well. And she doesn't retort anymore every time we kid her we will be staying here for good soon.

Someday, Maia. We will call this place HOME.

Holidays In Antique

I've been mostly tied to my computer since we got here but I'm happy to report that it's not totally the same for the little girl.

Yes she spends a big chunk of her time catching up on her Disney/Nick/Cartoon Network favorite shows but she also takes time to go outside and enjoy what we really came for. 

Let me just illustrate that by sharing some photos:

Date night. Oldies went for beer and the kids enjoyed sausages and pasta.

Then most days were spent running and climbing fences and rolling on the grass and patting free range piggies in the grannies backyard.

These piggies were named Rose and Gumamela. And they really enjoyed calling the piggies by these names. "Mommy, can we feed Rose and Gumamela some apples today?" (kalurkey)

This face here. Just says it all. 

Merry Christmas!

So we're finally settled in my Antique now. We've been officially on vacation since last Friday but my siblings planned something out for our family and we made a stopover at the nearby Guimaras Island (will make a separate post of that weekend soon) for the kids to frolic a bit and get some more color before we hit it off for the holidays.

I'm that feeling that Christmas-y yet. I probably won't till maybe a few hours before. There's a reason for that but I'm not going to ruin this post by sharing that here. Maybe it's also partly because this feels so new again -- the idea of spending Christmas away from our Cavite home -- but the kid already claimed it by announcing: I LIKE CHRISTMAS HERE AT LOLA'S.

Yes, Christmas is definitely better here. I wouldn't have to worry about what to plan for our Noche Buena (oh yes, my mom will take care of that). And nothing will always beat sharing a Christmas meal with family.

So yes, we're wishing you a Merry Christmas! I hope no matter what circumstance you are in, you are spending Christmas with a heart filled with overwhelming joy and hope.

Summer In Antique Updates

 

The thing with slacking with my blog entries is, I tend to lose momentum. And if I don't push it, I'd probably end up abandoning this blog again for well the nth time (since I can't count it with my 10 fingers anymore).

So while I wanted to talk in detail about how this vacation of ours is going so far, I can't organize my thoughts well enough to answer curious questions about my home province so I'll settle for pictures for now.

And being stuck mostly at home due to our unfortunate battle with the killer flu that struck the little miss (leading to our ER trip), I really don't have a lot of photos to share yet. We've been here for 4 days and yet, we haven't gone to the beach yet. The beach -- albeit not the white sandy beach that would most probably attract tourists -- is just a kilometer away from my childhood home. But yes, we have been feeling that bad we couldn't gather enough strength to bring the kids out to the beach and even more chase after them. We'll just wait for reinforcement to come before we even tickle them with the thought of beach frolic.


maia finally meets the new addition to our family

So far, we've just been alternating resting, feeding, bathing and playing (if there's still some energy left for that) with two kids. My nephew who is about a year and a half older than the little miss is quite a handful on his own already so our day tends to be a little exhausting already. But despite that, we amazingly still find some time to squeeze in an activity or two during the day. Which leads me to believe, life is really slow here (and I meant that is a really good way).

Even if this is the first time in a long time that I am wishing for the weekend to come slower, I am just really thankful that despite being sick for more than half of our allotted vacation days we still manage to spend quality time as a family. That's good enough for me. Good enough for us three.

The Farm Life According To Maia and Gogol

I was archiving my camera photos and came across these. These were shots from a day we spent in Bantud (a farm where my dad spent most of his childhood in). He's planning to raise goats here and we might just join him in this venture (crossing our fingers). For now, this place houses coconuts, an eggplant lot, and some fruit trees.

Maia and Gogol had fun climbing up and down the carrosa (a popular carriage/farm transport in my hometown, usually pulled by either a cow or carabao).

They also went crazy over the makahiya plants that were all over the place. They dismissed our plead to take cover despite being subjected to the scorching summer heat. They wouldn't hear of it. The makahiya plants are just to irresistible, it appears.

I was testing new settings on the camera app so I apologize for the inconsistent filters and messy resolutions. But the sentimental in me just had to document these photos because I could still hear the kids' unadulterated laughter and giggles while looking at them.

Leaving you with a shot of Maia just resting after a game of tag with his manong Gogol.

I WISH WE COULD JUST DECIDE TO MOVE HERE IN A HEARTBEAT. MAIA REALLY LOVES BEING HERE. SIGH.

Trekking in Antique (and few tips I picked from this instant trip)

Taking in the awesome view

One of the things that make me look forward to our Antique vacations are the spontaneous activities that we would come up while lazing around the house. Last Friday (yes Good Friday) for example, we took the kids trekking. It's was a spur of the moment thing but then these hills are just a few minutes away from our place so with my dad volunteering to drive us we set out to put our legs to test with very little expectations of what we might see. It's been years since I last set foot in that place so I really don't know what to expect. I honestly didn't think the kids would enjoy but I still thought it to be a great experience for the kids since we also once climbed those hills as kids and the single photo of us five siblings during one of the rest/stops proved to be one very memorable photo for us. My mom had that photo framed (I wished I had a scanned copy of it to document in here) and we often would stare at it and exchange memories of that trek. That one piece of photograph had so much stories to tell and memories of that hike remained fresh in my mind up to this day. I hope when these two kids grew a little older we can take them to see the caves in those hills (mini-mountains?) because we weren't able to go this time in fear of getting lost (it was already almost dusk).

I was lagging behind. The cam-whore in me was hard at work.

brief stop. enjoying the view of trees on the other side of the mountain
trees are still plentiful on this side of the country. i fervently hope it stays that way for a loooooong time.

Refreshing sight, isn't it?

While most people would spend thousands just to enjoy the outdoors, here is us communing with nature for free. We decided to stop by this area overlooking the sea and the view is amazing. Maia marveled at expanse of trees that her eyes is feasting on. She would point here, there and over there --- "ANO YUN DADDY? ANO YUN MOMMY?" "SAN NA TAYO?" I honestly thought of telling her that place is going to be our new home but I wasn't ready for a tantrum in case she wouldn't take to my teasing. She might after all be missing home (Cavite) already and the kid gets really intense when she expresses her feelings. 

my dad really enjoyed the company of his apos during this holy week break

she loves riding on people's shoulders. probably makes her feel powerful.
"i am taller than any of you!"

The downside of spontaneous trips however is the unpreparedness. So we all took a trek and not one of us was dressed appropriately. We wore slippers. The kids were in shorts. It was a good thing though it didn't rain that day and the days before so the road we trekked on wasn't slippery. Still, there were several occasions of us slipping and literally eating dust (well, Maia did). Yet, despite a few scrapes the kids walked/climbed almost the entire way. We were just scared for the kids when we were going down so my dad volunteered to carry the little girl on his shoulders. Well, she obviously liked it so much she was shrieking in delight.

two naughty kids asking for lolo's full attention

yuck yuck ang dumi-dumi (hay naku anak, wag ka KJ)

I wonder where our feet will take us next year. Well, I'm sure it's going to be equally pretty wherever that is. My hometown and home province still has lots to offer in terms of outdoor fun. 

p.s. Here's what you might need in case you decide to go on a short trek with your little one:

(I only came up with this list with our short 30 minute trek in mind. I am not a professional hiker or trekker so best to check other lists if you're planning something more serious hehehe)

- at least a liter of water (it wasn't very hot when we started our trek but we were all thirsty when we got to top and that was about 20 mins of hiking)

- candies, nuts or chocolates

- wear leggings to protect your legs in case you slip

- better if you can wear trekking sandals or trail shoes or any footwear that can prevent you from slipping

- anti-mosquito repellents 

- flashlight

- wear a sunblock too (although it wasn't hot anymore when we set out to hike)

We only had the water bottle on hand. My sister and I had long pants (leggings) but that was just coincidental. I wished I had Maia wearing the pants instead but at least I know better next time. 

One thing that I would love for Maia to have is a passion to become an instrument in preserving and conserving our natural resources. I hope that all these exposures to the beauty of nature would eventually plant in her THAT passion. 

Summer Memories Of Antique

Antique is a coastal province in the island of Panay (Western Visayas). Belison (we are in wikipedia!) is a town about 18kms north of the provincial capital that is San Jose de Buenavista. I grew up and spent almost 20 years of my life there. It is a quiet town where not much has changed since my childhood. I used to rant about how provincial it was. How devoid it was of 'development'. But I am taking all that back now (well I did take it back some 3 years ago). I am now loving every bit of that place regardless of how it remained to be the same old. 

Since I moved to Manila some 10 or more years ago (hahaha okay just do the math), I've always made it a point to come home at least once (but if the budget would permit well as frequently as possible). My officemates then would often tease me that my savings were all going to the local airline companies' bank accounts. Yes, I admit without shame or regret that spent almost every spare peso I had then to buy plane tickets (and if I get really homesick my parents would take pity and volunteer to buy the tickets for me just so I can come home during long holiday breaks). This year however, because we wanted to make a lot of our plans happen already (plans that were on the pipe since we got married actually), Tibs and I agreed we will skip our Antique homecoming. I tried to psych myself out (tried my hardest, I swear) and used arguments such as - "Cavite is now my home, I should not look far." Or "as long as we spend our holidays together as a family, it wouldn't matter where we are." But there's this nagging thought in my head that firmly declares NO! -- I also have a family in Antique. I've never missed a holy week away from them except during the first trimester that I was pregnant with Maia because I was put on bed rest. Since I gave birth however, we kept on with this tradition and Maia has somehow grown accustomed to it too. She now looks forward to our trips to Antique (and she now enumerates fondly the specific things that she's excited about).

It's difficult to explain but I'm really THAT close to my family that no matter where our disagreements would take us, holy week get-togethers are SACRED in a sense that we just have to be together. It has sort of become our mini-reunion and I'm fervently hoping it's going to stay that way till Gogol and Maia are all grown up and till our pockets would allow us to. 

I never got around to convincing myself that we could forego one trip this year. So the inevitable will happen, the three of us are leaving for Antique again for some R&R and a lot of bonding with my family! And I just can't wait for Monday to come!

I am sharing here photos of all our past trips with Maia in tow. 

Mar 2009. Five months old and enjoying the early morning ocean breeze. Our house is just about a kilometer away from the beach.

Family pic from under my dad's mango tree. 

kids with the grannies. summer of 2009.

La Parola, Patnongon, Antique. Summer of 2010. 

mudplay! summer of 2010. 

Summer of 2010. Outdoor bath.

Summer of 2010, chasing goats.

AND HERE ARE OUR MOST RECENT PHOTOS, PRESENTING MEMORIES OF SUMMER 2011. 

this may be not comparable to 'world-class' beaches but the sunsets are just as perfect

we took a photo of the aratiles for Maia and Gogol. they loved this, by the way!

Basking on the surf with daddy

Enjoying a piggyback ride with Lolo

Sand 'box' time with manong gogol

Cow-watching with Manong Gogol (lolz)

I still have gazillions to show! But I know this post alone is quite an overload already. But I guess now you know why I can't just let this summer pass without us coming home to this wonderful place!