Mines View Park and Good Shepherd Convent (May 15, 2012)

After we heard mass, we returned to our hotel to have a hearty breakfast. Then we took a cab to Mines View Park. We were dropped off in this very commercialized section where there were concrete shops selling all sorts of items.



Then D led me through this maze of cobble stoned steps with stalls selling souvenir items (pasalubongs) on both sides. There were food, garments and little bric bracs for sale. There were a couple of St. Bernard dogs for hire so you can have your picture taken with them. They were quite big and dare I say they exuded quite an unpleasant odor so no thanks! :D There were also some ponies which you can ride for a fee and yet again have your picture snapped. Other stalls offered genuine Igorot head dress and 'bahags' which you can wear for another photo opportunity.

But we weren't interested. I was looking forward to the fantastic view of the gold and copper mines and the Cordillera mountains. After winding through all these stalls, we reached the Gazebo or the main observation deck of the park. Gorgeous scenery to behold!











After taking a ton of pictures, it is time to move on as more people show up to jostle for space in that tiny gazebo viewing deck. We stopped by the stalls to buy some tees and wooden items for pasalubongs. Holding my breath as we once again passed by those huge St. Bernard dogs!

Next destination: The Good Shepherd Convent which is a fair walking distance away from Mines View Park.



We dropped by the garden of Ste Marie Euphrasie Pelletier, a well manicured garden which contains the Stations of the Cross. It is a serenely peaceful place perfect for solemn reflection and meditation.











A visit to the Good Shepherd Convent won't be complete unless you stop by their shop to buy their famous strawberry jams, jars of peanut brittle and ube jams.



It was already way past our lunch time as we left with our backpacks heavier with those pasalubongs. It was time to head back to the hotel to deposit our buys!

Baguio Cathedral (May 15, 2012)

It was our 4th wedding anniversary so we woke up early to hear the 6:30am Mass at the rose colored Baguio Catholic Cathedral. In 1907, Catholic missionaries from Belgium established a tiny chapel dedicated to St. Patrick. In 1920, phases of the Cathedral were built on this hill in the heart of Baguio City. It is easily accessible from Session Road through 100 flight of stairs.






The cathedral was finally consecrated in 1936 and dedicated to Our Lady of Atonement. During World War II it became an evacuation center and withstood the Japanese carpet bombing of the city in 1945, thereby saving thousands of lives.




The cathedral has undergone extensive repairs and renovation and was re-opened to the public last November 25, 1990 during the celebration of "Christ The King."





We merely walked from our hotel to the Cathedral. The weather was pleasant with a cool morning breeze. We got there early so the 6AM mass was still ongoing. This gave us time to capture the Cathedral from several angles.















*** The first image as well as the last two pictures in this post were taken on our last day in Baguio (May 17, 2012). After lunch at a restaurant in Session Road, we climbed the 100 (steep) steps leading to the Cathedral. We lighted candles and uttered a prayer for our safe trip back to Manila. ***

Reality check

There is nothing like a huge electricity bill to shove you back into reality. After spending a week with my sister (who returned to HK yesterday) feasting on food that I avoid due to their high cholesterol content, I return to our apartment to find bills tucked under the door. I was particularly shocked at how big our power consumption was for this month considering that we were away in Baguio for 4 days. Then I realize that D & I use both our computers at the same time and we also watch simultaneously on 2 television sets. No wonder!

So I'm back to regular programming. This entails going back to my fish and veggies regimen as well as avoiding soft drinks yet again. It also means having daily DSL connection so I can resume my online activities. I still have several pending posts about our Baguio vacay. I also want to blog about the churches that D visited in Laguna with his friends while I was pigging out with my sister. During this visit my sister didn't do much shopping she opted instead to visit all her favorite restaurants in town. Nothing beats our local cuisine, she says and it is the main thing that she truly misses while residing overseas.

The no make up, hair tied in ponytail look is once again in effect as I enjoy 2 more weeks with D before classes start for this school year. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I concur. I am thankful that I have a hubby who understands that whenever my sister is in town, I stay over at the condo for some quality sister bonding time.

It is these short experiences and moments that fill my lil heart with much happiness. Abundant blessings that I appreciate now more than ever at this juncture of my ordinary life. =)

Mommy @ 75 (May 30, 2012)

Whenever my sister is in town, she takes us to all these fancy places which we dare not enter because (1) we are cheap (2) we cannot afford them and (3) it doesn't really suit our simple lifestyle.

But it was our mother's 75th birthday after all so we dressed up for the occasion. By dressing up I mean we weren't in jeans. Hehehe. We took her to the Newport City, Resorts World Manila.




First we had lunch at a Chinese restaurant called Passion which is located on the seocnd floor. We feasted on Peking Duck, Drunken Prawns, Soft Cell Crab, Spinach Soup, Sharks Fin Soup and Noodles (for long life).









Then with our tummies quite full, it was time to head for the slot machines at the Casino. My fat wallet was depleted quite fast as I kept losing. Boo hoo. But it was so much fun, time flew by before we knew it ... it was already 6:30pm!

A slight drizzle turned into a heavy downpour as we made our way to Makati. We decided to have dinner at Shanghai Bistro in the Paseo Center Mall. A little tidbit: D & I had our wedding reception/lunch at Shanghai Bistro at their Eastwood City branch in Libis, Q.C. Much to our dismay, that branch closed down a couple of years ago.

But fortunately their Makati branch is still open for business but it is quite far from our current residences. But as I mentioned earlier, my sister likes to eat at restaurants which we used to frequent on a regular basis. Thus it was a good venue to cap Mom's 75th birthday celebration.


Salt and Pepper Squid



Yang Chow Fried Rice



Minced Pork and Green Beans


Minced Beef with Chinese Parsley Soup


Crispy Seafood Noodles

Mom was very thankful for the surprise visit of my sister, the good food we partook and her immense amusement at the slot machines. She is also thankful for all the greetings she received and all the blessings that continue to find their way into her life. In short, she is quite happy and for me that is all that truly matters! =)

The Element of Surprise

My beloved mother turns 75 this Wednesday (May 30).

But 2 weeks prior to her birthday, my sister and I have been hatching a surprise for her.

Our plan was for my sister to come home unannounced and show up at the condo!

But her work schedule was too hectic.

I didn't want to burden her so I just kept waiting for her to tell me when she was able to come home.

That is if she would ever make it.

Last Friday, she told me with much anticipation she was able to clear all her work load so she could come home, today!

So D & I were up early to first hear the 8:30am Mass then proceeded to the airport to fetch her.

At 12:40pm, her Cebu Pacific flight from HK landed at NAIA 3 on time.

We first had lunch at the airport.

Then took a cab to the condo to spring the surprise on our unsuspecting parents.

To make the long story short, our parents were shocked and quite surprised.

Our mother shed tears of joy. There were a lot of hugs, embraces and kisses.

Everyone is happy that my sister will be here for one week.

Our plan was a success!

Hurray! :D

Burnham Park (May 14, 2012)

After we had lunch at one of the restos on Session Road, we went back to the hotel to rest for a few hours as we hardly slept on the bus. At around 4pm, we ventured out again - this time to explore Burnham Park. We merely walked from our hotel (roughly about 5 blocks) as weather was fully cooperating with bright sunny skies and a cool breeze hovering over us.

Coincidentally the park is named after Daniel Burnham, an American urban planner and architect who laid the plans for development of Baguio.



It is a vast park where you can do various activities like reflect while sitting on benches surrounded by tall green trees. You can haggle while shopping at the bazaar stalls which sell items from magnets, garments to just about anything. Or you can indulge in the main activity which is boating on rented boats on the man made lake centrally located within the Park.















Quite fun as I had my own boatman to do the rowing - my beloved hubby!

Dim the lights ... here we go

I interrupt the series of posts about my recent Baguio trip to announce that Phillip Phillips won Season 11 of American Idol. Hurray for the bluesy guitar playing singer! After Elise Testone (whom I admire for her husky tone) was voted off, I started rooting for Phil. I liked his variations on the different songs he performed on the American Idol on stage.

Be that as it may, I might be deemed a snob for not supporting Jessica Sanchez who is half Filipino, but I have my reasons. For one, Jessica doesn't internalize the emotions behind the soulful songs. Secondly, she didn't have much rapport with the audience. She also lacked charisma notably no doubt owing to her young age. Lastly, her ethnicity was another factor. We all know that so far no American of Asian descent has gone on to win the main title. I am not accusing the voting public of being biased against minorities but let's face it, it is AMERICAN idol, after all.

On that note, let me just express my disdain (for lack of a better word) regarding our attitude towards celebrities who have Filipino affiliations either by blood or by affinity. For the life of me, I don't understand why this nation is so obsessed with finding the Filipino element in every celebrity who makes it big in the entertainment industry or any industry for that matter.

For instance, news items here always feel the need to mention that Bruno Mars, Nicole Scherzinger and Jessica Sanchez have Filipino blood. These are people who haven't set foot in our land, they don't speak our national language yet we insist on highlighting their 'pinoy-ness' every chance we get. Why, do we as a nation need to constantly uphold our nationalism through celebrities who are like 1/4 Filipino? Why can we instead concentrate on improving the chances of our local born and bred artists to make it big, internationally? Can't we simply applaud a person for his God given talent/gift without dissecting his ethnicity?

So there I've said my piece. It has been bothering me for quite some time now. It might be controversial but it's how I roll. :D So enough said!

Congratulations again to Phillip Phillips. You deserve to win. =)

Tam Awan Village, Baguio (May 14, 2012)

Days before we left for this trip, I diligently researched the places I wanted to visit. Then, I came up with a daily itinerary so I simply had to tell D our schedule for that day and he willingly obliged. Either that or he had no choice! :D

As we were making our way down from Dominican Hill, a taxi suddenly appeared! So we rode it to take us to our next destination - the Tam Awan Village.

The Chanum Foundation, Inc. founded in 1966 began to reconstruct Ifugao houses in Baguio with the view of making a model village accessible to people who want to experience life in the Cordillera region.

The village has 7 Ifugao huts and 2 Kalinga houses. By using original materials like cogon roofs, heavy hand hewn timber, hard wood - they aim to resemble the design of a traditional Cordillera village. You can actually rent these huts as accommodations to truly experience the Ifugao lifestyle.





It is a very rustic setting so be sure to wear comfy shoes as you will have to climb some steep steps that are caked with mud which can be slippery. You will also come across some bridges made from bamboo to hold on for a steady balance.













The Village is also a venue for art exhibits and workshops which aim to showcase the culture and heritage of the Cordillera people. After you have explored the different huts, you can head to their gallery to admire the intricate art works and crafts.





Tip: Be sure to tell your taxi to wait for you as the place is in a remote area.






Tam Awan Village is open from 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Entrance fee is P50 for adults.
P20 for kids below 12 years old.