Firenze

Despite the "Gates of Hell" controversy involving Dan Brown's latest novel, I decided to read it.  As much as possible, I try to be tolerant of my fellow human beings and respect them for their personal views and opinions.  I understand they have a right to express whatever they feel and whether it is offensive or controversial is beyond the point.

I had made up my mind to read "Inferno" the moment I heard Dan Brown had a new novel. And the controversy in no way influenced me to grab a copy.  It was just an after thought or like an extra bonus that comes with a promo priced item.  

"Inferno" is the second book I am reading on my computer and not in hard bound or paper back form.   The first one was a sleazy novel and come to think of it, I haven't read parts 2 and 3 of that yet another controversial book.

The advantage is I don't fall asleep while reading because I have to sit up and glue my eyes to the monitor while the con is I have so many distractions (like playing Candy Crush and chatting on Skype with my sister) as I tend to multitask while I am online.

I am still in the middle part of the novel as I like to take my time reading each page. I also have this habit of googling for images of the venues which Dan Brown so elaborately describes in his books.  That way I add a more visual approach to the text. 

It also helps that I've visited the places he mentions so it serves as a walk down memory lane of my trips to Florence and Venice, Italy.   Although it wasn't as thrilling and as adventurous as the one that Robert Langdon is experiencing in the novel, it still puts me in a nostalgic mood.

This was taken in March 2001 in front of the Fountain of Neptune in Florence, Italy.  It is situated on the Piazza della Signoria (Signoria square) adjacent of the imposing Palazzo Vecchio.

Father's Day

Today we celebrate and pay tribute to the first guy in our lives: our dads! =)

So we treated Dad to lunch with Tex Mex fare at TGIF, Galleria.

We had Broccoli with Cheese Cream Soup. Shrimp & Mango Quesadillas for appetizers.  Fish Veracruz with Pilaf Rice, Baby Backs (Half) and Chicken BBQ with Pilaf Rice as our main courses.

June 12

 

 

Today we celebrate the 115th year of our Independence.  Although the country is far from being completely 'free' I still believe we need to be thankful for certain liberties we do enjoy in our lupang hinirang.

Sadly, we tend to take the true meaning of freedom for granted.  For most of us, June 12 is just another holiday we don't have to wake up early and commute to work.  

You see all the years we lived abroad, our family would try to assimilate in our assigned location to the best of our ability.  This meant speaking the language, eating the local cuisine, adapting to the climate as well as being friends with the locals.

Yet on the 12th of June, we would brush off the dust from our Filipiniana outfits and attend the flag ceremony at the Embassy.   We would sing loudly the national anthem with our right hand over our hearts.  Later, we join the Filipino community activities such as partaking of Filipino dishes, participate in festivities featuring our cultural dances and attending the formal reception at the Embassy.

I remember distinctly when we were stationed in Brussels, Belgium, I was around 11 years old. My mother forced us (my sister and I) to join the other children of my father's colleagues in the Embassy to perform the Itik Itik dance.  I had no idea what it was, I didn't even speak a single word of Tagalog so I had a difficult time performing the dance. I looked quite awkward. Till this day, we laugh our hearts out when we remember how I became the ugly duckling in that Itik Itik dance. :D

Those were the good old days!   

So for me, I always associate June 12 with Pinoy pride.  A time to dress up in our finest Filipiniana outfit and be truly proud of being a Filipino, inside and out!

Blogging: Through the Years

The intermittent post entries on my blog makes me quite reflective. I wish I blogged more often like in my 'golden age' of blogging. 

This notion gets me thinking as to the cause why I've been unable to write an entry, daily. Is it due to lack of inspiration?  Is it due to a mellow(er) me that I've learned to simply accept the status quo instead of voicing my opinion against every issue that crops up?  Is it due to the change in my status?  Or could it be a simple reason like the stifling heat and humidity that clogs my brain cells?   

Probably it is due to all of the above factors and then some which escape me at the moment. 

The reason I started a blog in the first place was to document my so called 'activities. A record of my opinions, my experiences and my life in general.  I didn't want to get a book deal nor be famous or infamous, for that matter. Neither did I want to be labeled an 'expert' in a specific field (that would be too much pressure)!  I simply wanted my own small piece in the blog sphere pie to just think out loud about everything and anything under the sun.

There was a time when I joined memes to augment my daily entries. Then I would narrate my travels with matching photos of my itineraries.  I also would recount my heartaches in my love life.    So I guess I *did* have many episodes to blog about.  I would even form entries in my head about topics to blog about the next day.  Alas, those day are far gone and now simply a very distant memory.

5 years ago, I got married and settled down into a life of marital bliss.  I am certainly not saying I regret getting hitched. It does have its ups and downs and I'm blessed to say the downs have been few and in between there were many ups. 

I am not blaming my marriage for the lack of entries, I simply wish I blogged more but it is easier said than done, right?   

June

Time just flies by.

I wake up and it is already the 6th month of the year.

It's back to school month for D.

Thankfully, the warm weather has eased up just a tiny bit.

Mostly it rains a lot where I live.

Whenever there is a heavy downpour, I text my mom.

More often than not, she tells me it is brightly sunny where she is at.

Weird weather.

Speaking of my mom, she turned 76 on the 30th of May.

We treated her to a Thai lunch at CrustaSia at the Shangri-la Edsa Mall.

We feasted on Shrimp Pad Thai, Fish Pancakes, Tom Yum Soup,  Chicken Pandan and Pork with Kenya Beans.   

Yummy!