Lavender ‘N Orange Welcome Guest | Login or Register

Why waste time sleeping in the house when you can have a grand bed on the vast cool blue waters of open sea near the Pacific ocean? Yup! We almost lived in the sea. Everyday we go to another place and it seemed that there are lots of beautiful places in Catanduanes.

Rock climbing is part of the adventure in getting there by foot (see below pictures). And it was indeed an adventure when you have to pass a baby (Sean) to your companion already on top of the rock just to pass that area. My long nails got chipped off but it was okay as long as we enjoyed and had fun.

The second destination while we were in Catanduanes is Burinay:) In their dialect the name of that place is the shortened word for “buri ni inay”. The place is just near and that’s one thing very nice in the Philippines you can easily find a place where you can have some fun at a minimal cost. The kids were so excited with the idea of boating and swimming and so we packed a small snack and then we headed off to the sea.

As part of the activities that we set for our stay in my hubby’s place, we went mountain hiking to my father in law’s ranch. In going there, it would take 2 hours, we had to climb 3 mountains and a very looong walk!

It was the first time that I rode on the back of a carabao and as well as Ate Princess. I thought that it would be easier and not tiring to ride on it than to walk but I was wrong, I had to use more effort in keeping myself steady and go with the flow of the carabao’s back muscle whereever it would sway especially in going downhill. And there’s another carabao, a smaller one, who kept on rubbing itself to the one that we are riding and it just came to my senses that it wants to be near to its mom, and our foot kept on being crushed whenever  the baby carabao would come near us.

It was also Kuya D’s first carabao ride. The second picture, Ate P and Mommy (ate Amy’s Mom). 

When we reached our destination, Papa San gave us a treat! Lots and lots of young coconuts (buko)! We feasted on the fresh buko and the kids were busy with their sling shots and the target, a tree near the cows.

The above 1st picture, I took this while we were on top of the 2nd mountain.

Ate Princess and Sean are the only grandchildren in my family while in my hubby’s family they’ve got a company of other 5 kids (but the other 2 cousins are in UK). Its only vacation time that they can meet and bond as cousins aside from every weekend calls in Skype and Yahoo. Ate Princess is the only rose among the thorns so most of the time they would unceasingly tease her, they would hide from her and she kept on trying to find them. All of them are boys so expect the worst, as all of them are the ruler so most of the time there’ll be pulling of opposites sides to whatever things they do. But whatever their differences are, however they vary in each approach to things around them still you can see the love and the patience that they would extend to each other. Of course, they would also give Ate Princess the princesslike treatment once in a while. Kuya D is the oldest (age10), then Kuya R1 (age9), he is a black-belter in combat aikido, Kuya R2 is 6.

Like one night, Kuya R2 wanted to watch Tom and Jerry but Ate Princess did not want Tom and Jerry, she liked to watch The Li’l Mermaid, there was again the argument and the winner was Ate P. Kuya R2 gave way to his cousin and all of them were laughing because he was so angry that he wanted to punch Ate P but he’s controlling himself not to do it.

Sean can’t get  the pace of his cousins so most of the time he’ll just follow them. Kuya D is the caring kuya since he’s the only child so he longs for a brother or a sister.

The first picture,these two kids (Ate P and Kuya R2) who first had rough moments turned out to be best buddies.   Sean is the onlooker, he’ll got the chance to play if all will cease playing.:)

Sling shots for each and every one of them and not to mention those lighters with pin light that they kept on getting from the store.   And Ate Princess got 4 of them (lighters) when I checked her backpack  and the never-ending lollies.

After our stay in Samar then it was our time to bid goodbye to our beloved oldies there and we’re going to stay the other half of our vacation in my in laws in Catanduanes. Princess bawled literally when we went inside the departure area and it took me for awhile to pacify her and I explained to her that after a month her grandparents will be going also to Manila to spend some time with us. Our two months stay with my parents made her more closer to them aside from the fact that she’s the lola’s pet. Goodbyes are really difficult especially when you do some everyday activities together and for my daughter it got to her system that her lola and lolo are always with her, praising her, playing and making her the star of the day.

 We took a plane from Catarman airport then the following day we headed to my hubby’s place and we had to travel by land and cancel our plan in going to Virac by plane since we’ll be travelling with my hubby’s brother along with his family and MIL.

We left Novaliches at 7 am and had our lunch at Max Resto  when we arrived at Lucena City. Here are some pics that I took:

We also rested for a short time…

And it was dinner time when we arrived at Tabaco, Albay

Princess was dead tired when we arrived at a hotel

The following day, I was greeted by this amazing view of a nearly perfect cone, the Mayon Volcano.

There are two shipping lines that operates daily from the port of Tabaco to Virac then vice versa. Here are some pics while the kids are watching the sea and waiting for a dolphin or any sea cerature to appear:) and some tender moments worth catching.

On the way home, I can’t keep myself from admiring the blue sky,  the greenery, the mountains and the majestic sea.

I’m not in the mood of writing today, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking:)…

This is the interior of the church in my hubby’s place.

The dome

 podium with plants

 the altar

 the ceiling with  narra wood

inside the church

 the kulitz

the front view 

the right wing of the church

I found this in my inbox today… 

Maganda rin naman ang naidudulot ng pagiging prangka ni Senador Miriam
Defensor-Santiago. Ayon kay Santiago , marami ang tumatakbong Senador
dahil
sa laki ng budget na ibinibigay sa kanila kada buwan.

Lumalabas na P35,000 suweldo nila kada buwan ay pakitang-tao lang sa
milyun-milyong budget ng bawat senador. Kada buwan ay may Fixed Monthly
Budget ang bawat Senador ng humigit-kumulang P2 Milyon.

Sa opisina pa lang nila ay humigit-kumulang P500,000 and budget nila sa
Maintenance and Operating Expenses (Rental, Utilities, Supplies at
Domestic
Travels) at P500,000 para sa Staff at Personal expenses. Kaya para
makatipid
ang ibang Senador, kaunti lang ang staff na kinukuha nila. Nagtataka ka
pa
kung bakit mayroong mga Ghost Employee?

Bago matapos ang termino ng isang Senador, kumita na siya ng P100 milyon
sa
Pork Barrel pa lang. Yung ibang Senador mas gahaman, hindi lang 10%
kundi 20
- 30% ang komisyon hinihingi sa mga kontratista.

Ngayon nagtataka ka pa ba kung bakit gumagastos ng daan-daang milyong
piso
ang mga Senador sa kampanya para sa isang posisyon na P35,000 lang ang
suweldo kada buwan? Bawing-bawi pala ang gastos kapag naupo na!