Herding Goats

When the family went to La Union for daddy's first year death anniversary (05 March 2008), I told my cousins Mai and Tere that I wanted to come home with them because I wanted to take pictures by their corn and tobacco farms. Not big farms, just a piece of land they turned into a farm. Anyway, Aunt Lorie asked cousin Mai to fetch the goats from the other farm (not theirs), so Mai asked brother and I if we wanted to come with her. Sounds like a good photo opportunity, so of course we went with her.

That other farm was quite far -- they decided to station their goats there because the owner just harvested their corns and the plants have been chopped off, so the goats are free to eat the remaining corn planted on the farm.

They have six adult goats and a few kids, so we decided to divide the goats, two for each of us (cousin Mai, me, and brother). It's fun trying to control the goats -- or be controlled by the goats, so brother and I took turns in taking pictures! =) I don't know what's up with a goat's appetite, even if they're in the farm all day doing nothing but eat, they were still hungry, controlling us to go where they want to eat! Hahahaha.

It was such a wonderful experience. I love herding the goats!

*** Jenn ***

Water

I was supposed to pass this one because I thought I will check out the Yummy Magazine event in Salcedo Village weekend market (Makati City), but then rains kept on pouring here, and I didn't want to get wet because I plan to take lots of pictures. If I do go out, imagine how hard it must be if I go to an open weekend market, taking pictures with umbrella... certainly hard, and I don't want to risk getting our camera wet.

Anyway, since I have more time here in the house today, I can post my photo hunt for this week, yey!!! Here's my entry:

This is the Burnham Park in Baguio City at 7 in the morning. Still a quiet site to see, but in just about two hours more, this park will be filled with people. Actually, the park already has quite a bunch of visitors even this early - people who jog around the park and people who just wanted to chill and relax, like what me and my sister did the time we were there. By the way, this is a man-made lagoon located in the middle of the park.

It has been three months since we last visited the place, and I am starting to miss Baguio now. Happy weekends, everyone!

*** Jenn ***

Grilled Pork

I found another meme! Yehey! I have a specific meme for Friday, but sometimes I cannot join the meme because there are times that I don't have a specific picture for the week's topic. Maiylah, the one behind Life Snippets, has this food meme every Friday. There are no specific topic, just post a picture of a food and that's it! =) Thanks for coming up with this meme, Maiylah!

Here is my first entry for this meme. Taken last 19 May 2008 -- this grilled pork is just "plan B" for Aunt Julie's birthday celebration. I told before in my previous entries that she always visit the Manaoag Church in Pangasinan, but since there was a typhoon, Aunt made a plan B -- and that is cooking some foods to celebrate her birthday.

Her menu included grilled pork, pancit bihon, grilled fish, and fresh fruits for desserts. Brother prepared the grilled pork -- just a simple dish -- he marinated it in some soy sauce and calamansi juice overnight. If I was the one who did this one, for sure there will be so many things in my marinade. I prefer it to taste like sausauge, so I put in a lot of garlic, some tomato sauce and some herbs. But, brother did a good thing with this, it's just that it was a little tough. Hahahaha.

I miss eating barbecue...

*** Jenn ***

Itay (Father)

Medyo mabigat para sa akin ang tema ngayong linggo dahil hangga't maari ay gusto ko ng makalimutan ang pagkamatay ng aking ama. Hindi naman dahil isa akong masamang anak, kaya lang, nakita ko kasi kung ano ang hitsura niya noong maghingalo at mamatay, at inaamin kong madalas kong makita ang eksenang iyon sa diwa ko, at talaga namang naaapektuhan ako sa tuwing makikita ko iyon. Humingi na ako ng tawad sa kanya at sinabi kong kakalimutan ko na siya para malimutan ko na rin ang mapait na alaala ng kanyang pagkamatay.

Isa akong "daddy's girl." Siya ang aking best friend. Iniisip ko pa lang na wala na siya, naiiyak na ako, pero okay lang ako. Gaya ng sinabi ko, unti-unti ay kinakalimutan ko na siya at siguro, sa tamang panahon, ang pangit na ala-ala ay mawawala rin.

Ang litratong ito ay isang "self-portrait" gamit ang aking cell phone, noong bisitahin namin ang kanyang libingan, undas ng nakaraang taon. Noong inilibing siya, isinama na rin namin ang buto ng kanyang naging yaya (at ang ina ng kanyang yaya), dahil utang namin sa kanila ang pag-aalaga kay daddy. Wala na silang kamag-anak, kaya naisip naming sa ganitong paraan, hindi malilimutan ang kanilang kabaitan. Ang aking ama ay nakahimlay sa Forest Lake en Cielo, sa San Juan, La Union.

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This week's theme is a bit hard for me to bear because I am actually in the process of forgetting my father. Not that I am a bad daughter, it's just that I got to see how he died -- how he struggled and all -- and everytime that episode comes to mind, I truly get affected in a very negative way. I already asked forgiveness and already told him that I will try to forget him so I could forget his painful death.

I am a daddy's girl. He was my best friend. Just thinking he's no longer with us makes me cry. Hopefully, in time the wounds will be completely healed.

This is a self-portrait picture I took using my cell phone, when we visited his grave last All Saints' Day (01 Nov 2007). With him in this grave are the bones of her nanny and the nanny's mother. We decided to transfer their bones here because they don't have any relatives anymore, so with this, their souls won't be forgotten. They have been very nice to my dad, this is just a little way to repay their kindness. My father's remains lie in Forest Lake en Cielo - San Juan, La Union.

*** Jenn ***

V for Viron Transit

Whenever we would travel up north, there's only one bus we take -- Viron Transit. Even when I was young, I know my parents and other relatives would take this bus during our travels. Now that I am travelling myself, I finally understood the reason of it all.


This bus company has the best staff of all! Very friendly staff willing to assist you all the way -- you can even fall asleep while travelling, they would just wake you up when your destination comes. If you don't have anyone to talk to, you can talk to them, too! Hahahahah! Not only that, even if you transfer seats, they know who you are and they will know if your stop is up next!

One of my cousins forgot her bags in the bus, and when she went back to the station, the staff knew which among the bags was hers! Isn't that amazing?

Pictures -- top: Me (Pozzorubio, Pangasinan sub-station - 20 May 2008) / middle: My sister (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur terminal - 06 March 2008) / bottom: My brother (Narvacan, Ilocos Sur sub-station - 28 May 2008)

*** Jenn ***