Still no Divorce in the Philippines

I was surprised to know that only two countries in the world has no legal divorce. One is my old country, the Philippines, and the other is Malta. I was playing around in Google after searching for the best weight loss product when I searched about divorce statistics. In other Catholic countries, their government has some form of divorce. It shows that in the Philippines, the Catholic church still has a big hold on the government. It is disappointing considering there are a lot of couples who are separated but cannot fully move on. I'm sure there are a lot of illegitimate children out there. Will there be a divorce in the Philippines ever? The answer is No for sure.

Devastation in the Philippines

I feel so helpless when I found out about the flooding in Pasig and the surrounding cities. My parents still own the house I grew up in and no one currently lives there. So I'm sure that when the flood waters went up. all the furnitures in the first floor got wet. I know that there are people who are worst off than my family and I cannot imagine what they are going through. There are many families who have been displaced because their houses are deep in water, only the roof is showing. They lost everything. I heard that there is another storm coming, I hope and pray that it will get weaker as it approches the Philippines.
My sisters and I, along with my mom are going back to the Philippines next month. I don't know if everything will be cleaned up by then. It's not a vacation this time, my father passed away and we're bringing his remains back to Pasig. I'll do a little shopping of course, I also need to get some facial and acne products from my childhood friend who's also a dermatologist.


acne products

Eastwood - What a Difference

When I left the Philippines twenty years ago, the area around Libis, Quezon City was an empty field. What a big difference twenty years later! Now, that area is full of office buildings occupied by companies offering call center services, different restaurants, a big shopping mall and a lot of condominiums. It is also at this mall where I saw a Mc Donald's that is very chic. It looks more like a cafe than a Mickey Ds.

Only in the Philippines?

You certainly wouldn't see this here in the USA. It's an over-loaded jeepney (a form of public transportation in the Philippines and it was designed based on the US Army jeep.) This was on our way back home from a trip to Tagaytay City.

In the provinces, this is a regular sight especially on small towns and barrios. Since public transportation in those areas is spotty, people cram into every inch of the buses, jeepneys and even tricycles. I don't know how the driver manages to hear people who want to get off. Maybe they have some kind of fire alarms that sound off. It certainly is unsafe and I wouldn't want to be on it if it was in an accident.

Leaving on a Jetplane

I'm going on vacation for five weeks. It seems so long, doesn't it? Well considering I'm flying halfway around the world, I might as well make the most of it. The tickets doesn't come cheap either so I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck here. The last time I was back in the Philippines with my family was six years ago. That was the first time for dh and second time for my daughter. My immediate family lives in California so there is no reason to go back. This time, it will be for a special occasion. My parents are celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary so all relatives are going to be there. I'm sure one of my aunts will make a comment that I look like a whale. (Hmm, maybe I should've taken some diet pills.) In any case, I'll just have to grin and say " I'm healthy, happy and not divorced. Thank you!"

All Systems Go

Well, I finally did it. I purchased our plane tickets to the Philippines for the summer. I've been dilly-dallying these past couple of months. I knew that the fares weren't going up because of the economy so I wasn't worried about that. I'm glad that I waited because I was able to get a low fare. The kids and I will be leaving on the last week of June and dh will just follow two weeks after. My good friend Lanie will leave the week before us, too bad we don't have the same departure date. I hope I'll get to meet a fellow blogger, Samantha (take note my dear!). I also booked our stay at the Shangrila Mactan. Oh boy, the prices are comparable to a New York City hotel! I do hope they live up to high expectations. While I'm there, I'm going to buy a couple of eyeglasses. My mom is a retired optometrist so she still has some connections over there. I always get great deals everytime. How about you, do you find yourself buying tons of stuff in the Philippines to bring back here in the US?

Holy Week in the Philippines

This is one of those times where I miss living in the Philippines. Holy week there is observed unlike here in the US. Aside from my kids having a couple of days off from their Catholic school, I wouldn't even feel it. When I was growing up, I always participate in the Holy Friday procession in Pasig City. My dad's family has always been a part of this procession. All the things that depicts Jesus Christ's life are in the procession (i.e. bread and wine for the Last Supper, rooster for the time Judas betrayed Jesus, the handkerchief that Veronica used to wipe his face, etc.) along with the different saints. Our family has been carrying the bread and the horn. The participants wear a long and shapeless black dress, a black lace covering the face and a round crown of leaves and sampaguita flowers on the head. There were a lot of people along the way that give away different kinds of food and drinks to the participants so we always carry plastic bags with us. This is what we call 'panata' or 'devotion'. I did this every year when I was still living in the Philippines. I wore flip flops or sneakers under the dress since we had to walk a long way. I remember the procession lasting for hours since it goes from the church and around the city and then back to the church. I am always dead tired at the end of the procession. My feet ached, my back ached, everything ached. It would have been nice if I had a sleep number bed to lie down on. This certainly brings back memories. If you're a Catholic, how do you celebrate Holy Week?

Cebu, Here We Come!

This summer, we are going to go to the Philippines. My parents are going to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte. It is my mom's home town and my birth place too. The kids and I are going to spend a month in the country while dh will fly in after a couple of weeks. I'll be spending most of my time in Pasig City while waiting for dh to arrive. Dh and I were considering going to El Nido, Palawan but scrapped that idea when we learned of how small the passenger plane is going to be. We decided to see Palawan on our next trip, when the kids are much older. Going north is not a good idea considering it's monsoon season. The northern part of the Philippines is known to get hit by a lot of typhoons during that time. We've already been to Panglao island in Bohol (loved it!), so we chose Cebu City as our destination.
I have been to Cebu only once. I barely remember my visit when I was a young girl. It'll be a nice chance to see the city with my family. I am also excited to visit since Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations hailed Cebu lechon as the best pig ever(which I blogged about HERE). . I heard that the place in front of SM mall makes the best lechon (is this true?), so you can bet I'm going to look for it. I was searching online for luxury hotel rooms and have chosen Shangrila hotel in Mactan. They have a lot of activities for kids and the property and the beach looks pristine. We are looking forward to our vacation. It'll be nice to see relatives and friends, both old and new. :o)

"Best Pig Ever" - Anthony Bourdain

That's a direct quote from Anthony Bourdain. The No Reservations episode that I've been waiting for years finally was shown last night on the Travel channel. I've been watching this show for years and even blogged about it here. Tony Bourdain has been all over Asia except the Philippines. I was ecstatic when I read from Market Manila, a foodie blog, that the show just finished filming in Cebu. The blogger, Market Man, had the honor of preparing a sumptuous feast of Filipino food including Lechon (roast pig).

In the show, Tony B. went to Manila, Pampanga and Cebu. He tried fish balls, Pancit Malabon, Pinakbet, Shrimp Adobo, Crab with coconut milk, Pinapaitan, Sinigang and Sisig. He loved Sisig, he couldn't stop praising how good and delicious it is. When he was in Cebu, Market Man hired the best Lechon roaster in the island. This guy clearly is one of the best if not the best since the lechon was perfectly roasted. They tasted the Lechon skin and you can literally hear the crackling of the skin when they bite onto it. No wonder it's the best pig ever, according to Tony B. He even blogged about it here where he said that the Philippines has the #1 spot on the best roast pig. #2 and 3 is Bali, Indonesia and Puerto Rico respectively.

I am so looking forward to our vacation this summer to the Philippines. We are planning to go to Cebu for a week and I will get to eat the best pig ever. yummy!

** No Reservations: Philippines will be shown on the Travel Channel on these dates and times (Eastern)

- Feb. 18 @ 1 PM

- Feb. 22 @ 10 AM

- Feb. 23 @ 11 AM

- Feb. 23 @ 5 PM

- Mar. 2 @ 8 PM T

- Mar 3 @ 12 AM

She's Off to Manila

My mom left yesterday by herself for the Philippines. She's going to spend two and a half months in Manila, Zamboanga City and Dapitan City. This is her first time going back as an American citizen since she only received her US Citizenship a couple of months ago. I know that she's excited to see everyone back there. I had a few things sent for my aunts and cousins like perfume and beauty products like wrinkle cream and make-up. As to my 'pabilin'? Just bring me back a couple of bags of Lamayo and I'll be a happy camper.