Celebrating Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day and many couples are busy thinking of ways to make this day extra special. What better day to show how much you love and care for your sweetheart (or loved ones) than on Valentine's Day? Well, that's how most people think at least.

Valentine's Day is just like any regular holidays  for me. It comes and goes and I don't put too much thought about it. It's nice to have a special day for love, but I don't think the act of loving and its expression should be confined to only one day. I believe it should be a continuous process and must be practiced on a daily basis as long as you live.

I don't choose a day to express love and affection to people I care about. I love them every single moment and strive to show how much they mean to me to the best of my ability. I made a commitment to love my husband, my kids, my family, and my friends everyday even if sometimes they do things I don't like. The real essence of loving is to give your unconditional love without expecting something back, and to keep on doing that unceasingly.

Tonight we'll celebrate Valentine's Day together as a family. We'll probably buy some Chinese foods and order some desserts, then watch movies till bedtime. It sounds simple but we'll be making memories as family. After all, it's not how much money we spent that counts, it's the time we spent together that are wonderful and priceless.

Happy Valentine's Day to All!

Read more...

Dalaguete Fiesta 2011 - Celebrating 300 Years

(Photo Credit: Fritzie Faith Navarrete-Abangan)

Today is my hometown's (Dalaguete, Philippines) annual fiesta, and I'm feeling like I miss a huge part of the celebration. It's supposed to be 300 years since the town was established and so the local government made efforts to make it a huge one.

I watched in envy as my friends in Philippines posted photos of the events through Facebook, and broadcast to everyone they knew how alive the festivities are. Fiesta this year will last for a week, which means folks back home will get to enjoy the event for a much longer period than what was customary.

I pictured all the scrumptious Filipino dishes prepared in every household where you can eat whatever you want. You don't go on a diet during fiesta. That is unheard of in our culture. You eat to your heart's content and worry about weight later on.

Roasted pork (lechon) is common, as well as other meat dishes like humba, chicharon, dinuguan, embutido, etc., as well as some sweet treats that you only prepare during special occasions such as torta, tostado, sweetened macaroni salad, etc. I love my mom's humba, lumpia, hamon, pinatatasan, and ginaling. I miss those foods that even spelling them out makes my mouth water. *sigh* :-D

It heightened my homesickness more when I remember celebrations in my native hometown. Christmas, fiestas, birthdays, and the like evoke feelings of longing in me. I wanted to be with my family and old friends so much, that I wish I can just pack my bags and go home. It's part of human nature to feel attached to his old way of life especially when there are so many beautiful memories and wonderful times shared with loved ones.

My life is so much different now that I have my own family, and living in a foreign land. I'm still adjusting to the change and the environment, but once in a while my heart still goes back to my past. I made my choice to marry a foreigner and start a family in a strange country. So far the entire experience is rich and wonderful, with all its ups and downs. In spite of it all, I am most proud of being a true Filipina and a Dalaguetnon by heart.

Happy fiesta to my family, friends, and to all Dalaguete townsfolk! Long live everyone!

Read more...