AWEFULL

In one of my previous entries (click HERE), I shared with you my humble beginnings in the province.

Now that I’m grown up (ahem ahem.. sana nga.. hehehe ), I’m gonna share naman with you the things that I did in my beloved province last Holy Week. Since I am already based here in Manila, there are lots of things in the province that still amuse me but lots as well that I find really weird… things that I didn’t experience when I was just a kid.

Anyway, I’m really really tired coz I just got back from a weekend getaway and a sports “event” right after the outing, but these pictures are long overdue so here they are:

climb pa! (notice the cross up there).. btw, that's CRIS na nagrereklamo na at pagod na daw sya pag-akyat

sige pa.. malayo pa...

paanan ng Sierra Madre... soooo hot!

closer to the cross

...ang talahiban sa bundok

pababa sa kapatagan

went nature tripping

went to the beach (in this picture is my baby brother and his girlfriend)

QT with the family at the beach

Played yaya/playmate to Ali, my cousin/inaanak...

...Ali again

...Marikit, my niece/inaanak...

...Coleen, my cousin/inaanak (again.. haaaay)

...Kurt and Nico, nephews (oooops, di bastos yan ha.. baby pa naman sila eh hehe)

naghula-hoop (oi oi champion ako jan nung bagets pa lang ako.. harhar!)

Played with Paopao....

... and Dalmacio

nagfeeling bata pagswim sa pool na pinupuno pa lang ng tubig.. ang init eh! lublob lang ng lublob! haha!

isa pang trip sa dagat

nakipagbonding kasama ang aking mga kababata at mga kamag-anak na aking kasabayan (take note: lahat sila ay pamilyado/da na at yang umpukan na yan, ang ilan jan ay mag-aasawa.. so sila sila din.. korni noh? hehehe jowk!)

namboso.. este... nagpicture pala ng mga babaeng kala mo ay nasa Boracay kung makajaporms.. ahihi..

ayun oh.. kaseseksi.. lutang na lutang ang kanilang kagandahan at alindog sa islang itech.. hihi..

AT HIGIT SA LAHAT…

... nagpicture sa aking BELOVED Cristina..

gusto daw nyang maging si Dyesebel

Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!! I’m back!!!!

It was a very tiring but meaningful journey/vacation in the province. I feel like I was renewed. Seryoso. Hehe. Since Wednesday wala ako internet access at talaga naman buryong na buryong ako dahil ako ang tao na di makakatiis ng walang computer sa harapan at internet. At napakahirap pa magtext, sabi nga ni Kellie ay nasa Jolo daw ba ako at ang tagal dumating ng message ko. Kase po mahina signal ng Globe dun. Sabagay okay na din, kesa dati na pag umuuwi ako dun eh pucha nagpupunta pa ko sa kabilang ibayo para humanap ng signal. At talagang noong araw ay walang signal ng celfone dun. Pramis. At ang mga linya ng telepono dun iilan lang ang meron. Dati nga isa lang yata, dun kay Mayor. Hehe.

Para sa mga nag-iisip na ako ay isang konyita/maarte/sosyalerang Manilenya, nagkakamali po kayo dahil ako po ay isang certified probinsyana. The first few years of my life were spent in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija (my mom’s hometown) then we moved to Cabanatuan City where I finished my elementary and HS years. Kaya di po talaga ako Manilenya. Konti lang. Hahaha!

Come, I’ll show you my humble beginnings.. and how I “evolved” from a naive little girl from Nueva Ecija to an alluring a mature woman that I am now.

TWO DECADES AGO….

These were my playground.

Brokeback Mountain -- sayang di ko nacapture ang moments nila kuya bago ito. Sa gitna ng tuyot na lupain ay ang sweet nila.

PLAZA -- this is where I used to dance/cheerdance whenever there is a basketball league. Oha oha!

THE ROAD that leads to Sierra Madre

THE POND -- we used to catch fish here tapos luto nila.. tilapia. yum!

The spot where I grew up…

Ooops.. this house is not ours. It's the newly built house of my Lola. We used to have a small house here.. in this spot. That's where I grew up.

They were my playmates…

KELLIE'S BESFWENDS -- Tsong, pati ba sila kinakatakutan mo? E di naman matulis tuka nila ah. Cute nga eh. Hehe.

My toys…

IMPROVISED TOYS -- kahit anong prutas o gulay. Nung bata ako sanay ako naghuhukay ng rootcrops like radish and kamote tapos play kame ng cousins ko. Natatandaan ko pa nun tumulay ako sa pader na di makinis tsaka mataas talaga.. ayun nalaglag ako, sa sitawan ako bumagsak. Hehe. Etong jackfruit at patola na lang may bunga eh, di pa yata panahon ng ibang gulay. But my folks usually grow talong, ampalaya, kamatis, sitaw, kamote, papaya, chico, avocado, sampaloc, bayabas, cacao, atsuete, mangoes.. at maraming marami pang iba.

My “hangout”

THE CHAPEL -- I used to be part of this chapel's CHOIR. Oha, wag na kayo magtaka.. makapal talaga fezz ko nung bata ako. Ngayong tumanda ako, narealize ko na WALA PALA TALAGA AKONG TALENT. Harhar!

My favorite snacks…

MATSALAP -- hahahhaha! ano kaya yun... hihi

THE CULPRIT -- sa aking wasak na palad. Sa katakawan ko sa mangga ay muntik na matanggal ang aking thumb nung ako ay bagets pa lamang. Harhar!

The usual ulam…

ANG GULAY -- mahilig po ako sa gulay

The quick getaway…

DINGALAN, AURORA PROVINCE -- just a few minutes away from where I lived. We often come here for seafood tripping and family affairs, most expecially during the Holy Week.

Sa totoo lang madami pa ko kwento eh.. kaso mejo sumasara na mata ko.

Bukas na lang yung kasunod. Yung present layp ko naman dun. Hehehe.

Bukas ko na itutuloy at ikkwento ang aking “evolution” ..

***sorry po kafanget ng mga pictures, eh kase naman nahihiya ako magpicture. Muka ako turista dun. So kung ano na lang matapatan ko at maclick.. pramis muka ako turista, pakalat-kalat with matching nakasabit pa na camera sa aking leeg. 

I grew up in Nueva Ecija.  I am a certified probinsyana.

When I was a kid my parents went abroad since most of my dad’s siblings and his mom were already living in the US, he was also petitioned.  But I stayed here in the Philippines with my 2 siblings under the care and guidance of my aunt and my uncle.

I went to UP Los Banos for college (with my cousins) while my siblings went to Manila to study. That’s where we had a taste of independence. After college I took a post-grad course in UP Diliman and stayed with my sister and brother here in Manila.  We acquired a property here. And I stayed here for good. At first I wasn’t so comfortable.  The probinsyana  in me kept on screaming out loud. But I was confident I will get through those hard times in my life.  I succeeded. Now I love Manila.. a great place to fall in love.. at hinahanap-hanap kita Manila.. ang ingay mong kaysakit sa tenga.. hehehe..

Hmmm.. so much intro..

Last Saturday I was back in the province to celebrate the town fiesta in Penaranda (I grew up in Cabanatuan City but my dad’s relatives are in Penaranda and my mom’s hometown is Gabaldon.. just a few minutes away from Aurora Province) and to have a quasi family reunion. Next year my dad’s planning to come home again together with his whole family in the US to have the grand family reunion (kahit ayaw ko yung iba namin kamag-anak!)

Here comes the fiesta… Lots and lots of food! (I missed Tita Flor’s “kusina”). I watched the parada, there were bands and beautiful people riding the “karosa”. Come evening we went to the perya where we played “hulug-hulugan” game (I forgot the name of the game.. basta may tatayaan ka na cards tapos ihuhulog yung bola tapos yung matatapatan na card nung bola yun may premyo ka! ).. I missed those times.  My source of joy when I was a kid.. simple libangan like that.  Then we went to the bazaar.. it was like tiangge sa Divisoria or Greenhills but surprisingly the prices of the items were cheaper. I bought a pambahay na shorts for PHP35 and some earrings worth PHP5/pair. Not bad for a kuripot like me. hehehe. Then we went home…

I didn’t sleep coz I had a serious talk with my favorite cousin. I learned a lot of things re our uncles/aunts/cousins that made me sad again. They never stopped criticizing and making stories out of my parents’ kindness to them.  And it really hurts me coz I know dad and mom made everything to please them.. even forgetting their own children… even hurting me. It’s okay anyway, look at what happened to them… greed and envy can never elevate them.. worse they were condemned.  Hay.

Well, back to excitement.. I just love indian mangoes with bagoong (yun dahilan kung bakit muntik na matanggal ang thumb ko nung nasa grade school ako.. hehehe).. we picked some from our neighbor’s tree (nasa Isabela naman sila eh).. nakaw lang.. hihihi..   then nagbalat ako ng 1 sack of corn from the farm then nilaga and inihaw. yum! Super plain life.. but I missed it.

Next time when I go home I’ll try to ignore the negative vibes, I’ll just focus on the beautiful side of the province.  Yung mga masasama ugali PANGET.