The Talaba Experience

living asia cameraman in focus hehehehehe... uma checking the crowd out (asus! kadaming tao)

jason, katkat and uma in action......................... studio pix

last-minute checking ng spiels
ang kulit namin hehe. hanggang balikat lng ako

el presidente and wife (superbait nyan).. busy ang lahat para sa talaba grill

trip na trip crew (cute ni direk benz)............... trip na trip w/ cong. ann hofer

sibugay folks awaiting the start of the lighting of the grills. take two

uma khouny interviewing a provincial officer hay,enjoying the cool afternoon bago lumafang

c kriset lng nka-gown feel nya maging princess ng festival

ayan, hinahanda na ang mga uling and everything

The Sibug-Sibug Festival '08 is highlighted by its famous world's longest talaba grill. getting longer every year; last year its length was 1.2 km with about 15,000 pcs of oyster distributed to the participants, this year its approximate length is 3.5 kms with about 10,000 kgs of oyster distributed to its even growing participants.

what's nice about this event is that it not only attempts to become the world's longest ek-ek but it's also bottomless. di nauubos ung talaba, parang nalasing ako sa dami ng nakain ko hehehe... hay ang sarap, and no one bothered to photograph me habang kinakain ko ung talaba at nilalaklak ko ung juices nya.. too bad, nakalimutan namin magdala ng sukang pinakurat!!!

added to that is the participation of abs-cbn's trip na trip with its hosts jason gainza, katkat de castro, and uma khouny.. the night before, they also graced the ms sibugay pageant and in fairness they outshone the presence of the not-so popular denver regencia (the supposed 1st runner up of gma's pinoy pop superstar pero ngek mas magaling pa kumanta ang mga sumasali sa amateur singing contests dito)...

also present was el presidente ramon fernandez. the ipil folks enjoyed his company with the launching of his mon fernandez basketball clinic. ang tangkad pala nya (sus kinto jud ko para abot iya shoulders hehehe)...

What I'm All About

kriset :::::::::::::day out:::::::: ::fave family pic:::: ::::nanay and ate merce::

i am a lot of things; a mother, a daughter, an aunt, a lola (already?), a ninang (on the run hehe), a sister, a friend, a former (and bored) teacher, a (frustrated) writer, an entrepreneur, a struggling insurance agent (as in!), and the list goes on....

what have i been into during the last few years?

i don't have a night life, my S__ life has been on hold for the last ten months, my lovelife has had its share of ups and downs and bumps and curves...

but if u ask people to describe me or say something about me, they would associate me with these:

have been an Avon lady since May 2000

Since January 2005 (so far so good).

my latest venture my very own company

i'm in my post mid-life, and so far everything is going quite well with me... funny, but if i can put God's picture above then HE would have taken the first position... no, i'm not a piously religious person but i try to be good and faithful to HIM

Why Am I Not Earning Much in My Blog?

Maybe I lack the resources or the imagination.. or siguro di lang tlga ako marunong... masyado kasing disappointing ang stats ko this morning..
i mean, what am i doing wrong? or am i doing it right? baka naman talagang wala akong friends to even take the time to visit my blog...

Nice to be Home Again

oh please don't get me wrong, i love zamboanga city coz it's my birthland and my home city. but i love naga (zamboanga sibugay province) more because it's my hometown. it is where i spent my growing up years, and it was the one who helped build up my character and brought me where i am now.

it's such a nice feeling that after quite a long time of semi-hibernation (heheheh), it's coming back to life and into my life... and what's so dramatic about it is that it took me back with open arms and heart. no questions as to why i seemed to have forgotten or have ignored it for a long time... the old folks were simply happy that i finally came home and reconnected with them... such a great joy to see old friends who were still the same old chums that i went to school with, spent the happiest moments of my young life with, fought (mano mano) with hehehe, laughed and cried with...

i can still remember the times when; from a most comfortable life, our family had gone so down and almost out... it was really hard adjusting to our new life especially us kids who were not used to being left to our own device (nanay and tatay had to work double time just to put food on the table)... we belonged in the honors list and yet we can't compete with such meager income that was not even enough to pay off the bills... really broke my heart that we had to lose an angel at such a young age because nanay had to be away to finish her degree and left our little sister with a broken heart and we were too busy to notice... xmas celebrations were not really complete as our kuya reden and ate neng were in manila... and all this were heavy burdens that had left tatay cold and aloof (a complete turnaround from a warm and loving father)... all these took a toll on my health and made me ill for a long time...

we left naga almost 11 years ago, and would come back from time to time but never really interacted with the townsfolk....

but now, all is forgotten all is well. and everyone is oh so happy to see me back... alive and kicking with a little girl in tow...

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

i never really celebrate valentine's day. it just doesnt have that much essence nor impact to my life... but, it also doesn't mean that i don't feel its presence especially now that my lovelife is in full swing right now.

yes, i'm happy and i want everybody to feel the same way. never mind about cupid (he's just a little boy tasked to make everyone fall in love). that is no longer in his hands now. as people seem to have other ideas about love or relationships... be it good or bad. anyways, isn't cupid the most adorable little boy? i want to keep him for myself. ei, don't get any ideas!!! i want to have a little boy of my own. i already have my little angel, my princess krisette. and she wants to have a baby brother hehehe...

there's a slim chance that i'd receive a nice bouquet of flowers. i don't like chocolates. but a slice of blueberry cheesecake will do (yum! yum!)

once again, hope that everyone will have a happy valentine's day today...

Zamboanga, Then and Now

well, not much has changed in Zamboanga City. it's still the same old zamboanga hermosa to me as i know it.

same traditional, religious people (although some people especially the young ones have deviated from the old conservative ways. meaning: they're not so conservative anymore. my guess is--no one aged 17 above stays a virgin anymore [oh dear!])

same overpronunciation of english words na minsan masakit na sa tenga but you know the old folks don't really mean to be that way... i mean heller!!! nsa call center age na po tayo. if you know what i mean...

same old passenger mentality (kung sa manila bayad agad dito naman sakay muna bago bayad.. err bayad na lng pgkababa hehehe...)

ano pa ba? ordinary people like me still enjoy my money's worth... kakainggit nga daw tayo kc p500 lng sobrang busog at enjoy kna.. prinsesa ka pa kc with matching tricycle pa (yan ang di pwedeng mawala dito sa zamboanga. kesehodang mgreklamo ang mga turista and bwisita.. bwahaha!!! edi pgtyagaan nila and enjoy the ride na lng. kesa naman di makarating sa paroroonan)

tsaka excuse me no, may night life ang zamboanga... at kahit pano naman we know how to have a good time na hindi high sa food supplements and ganja...

ano pa ba?

1. sine - p75 to p85


2. pueristarant - p35 with drinks na ata. sori forgot ko na eh.


3. dimsum (yum! yum!) - p25 up compared to p85 up ata sa manila. hay, how could i forget the very sarap crabmeat of jollice. feels like heaven on earth...


4. tricycle (sori di ako nagtataksi eh) - p15 up makakarating kna tlga sa pupuntahan mo.


5. pwede ko ba isali to?

• wlang holdap sa jip


• wlang nakaka-survive na snatcher (bugbog sarado hehehe)


• kayo na mag-dagdag wla nko maisip eh

Crazy About Make-Ups (READ: MASCARA)

i used to prefer simple, normal (boring) get-ups without a touch of make-up on. of course, if the mood suits me i'd put stacks of powder and anything else on just to look a little presentable. then off i go to my everyday appointments.
one day, my dear friend Anielor showed up at my store with more make-ups than i can remember way back in college. and i admit, it looked good on her. when i went home, i gathered all my make-up collections (everything from revlon to givenchy to avon to wet n wild). i realized i had enough to make other girls green with envy (haha!).
i took a good look at myself and analyzed what part of my face need make-up. omigosh! i have not-so-pretty eyes!!! what should i do with it? so i got my mother's latest gift set for me the last time she came home...
i took out the revlon 3d extreme mascara and it did wonders to my boringly dull eyelashes. really helped open my eyes (hehe gave me that kind look [i know i look like a wicked witch especially when i'm angry]). then i remebered reading in candy mag that u can use a brown eyeshadow for ur brows, so i did. amazing!!! then i powdered my face and whoa... ang ganda!!!
i really don't wear lipstick coz it makes my lips even fuller

Invest Your Money Wisely

if by sheer luck, you'd hold P10000 in your hands right now, what would you do with it?

1. spend it like tomorrow would never come
   
2. buy a cellphone
   
3. pay off some debt

or:

1. put it in a special savings account that earns a much higher interest than a regular savings account;
2. Put it in a time deposit account to earn a higher interest and one that you cannot withdraw anytime;
3. Invest it in RTBs or Retail Treasury Bills which requires much smaller amount of investment;
4. Invest in UITFs or Unit Investment Trust Funds which pools money from thousands of investors (otherwise known as paluwagan);
5. Buy shares of Stocks if you can take the risk;
6. Buy a whole life insurance plan that earns dividends and have a savings component;
7. Purchase an Endowment Policy that don't provide lifetime coverage but yields a higher return at a lesser period of time;
   
   
8. Buy a pension plan from a reputable company; or
9. start a new business like:

• cellphone load retailer
• rtw dealer
• sari-sari store

whatever option you take, you have to give yourself time to recover from overhead expenses and whatever problems that may arise.

of course, it's also good to have a very good support system and a positive perspective.

Ash Wednesday

Eversince i was a kid, Lent has always been very sacred for our family and the community i grew up in.

Lent officially starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. During this period people are made aware of all the sacrifices and sufferings that Jesus Christ endured just to save mankind from himself.

Men and women from all walks of life practice abstinence (from having sex or from eating meat) or fasting.

Though this is not a holy day of obligation in our tradition, many people would not think of letting Ash Wednesday go by without a trip to church to be marked with an ashen cross on their foreheads. Even people who seldom come to Church for the rest of the year may make a concerted effort to come for ashes. Those who do not share our customs often make a point of telling us that we have something on our foreheads, assuming we would want to wash it off, but many Catholics wear that smudge faithfully all day.

Lent came to be seen as a time to acknowledge our guilt for the sins that led to Christ's passion and death. Repentance was then seen as a way to avoid punishment for sin more than as a way to renew our baptismal commitment. With the gradual disappearance of the Order of Penitents, the use of ashes became detached from its original context. The focus on personal penance and the Sacrament of Penance continued in Lent, but the connection to Baptism was no longer obvious to most people. This is reflected in the formula that came to be associated with the distribution of ashes: "Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return." This text focuses on our mortality, as an incentive to take seriously the call to repentance, but there is little hint here of any baptismal meaning. This emphasis on mortality fit well with the medieval experience of life, when the threat of death was always at hand. Many people died very young, and the societal devastation of the plague made death even more prevalent. (http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0204.asp)

in our family, my lola always strictly implemented the following rules:

1. Laughing or giggling not allowed (She explained that it was not good to feel happy while Our Lord was suffering for us)
2. Playing not allowed
3. Meat is out, veggies and seafoods is in
4. Dressing up or partying up not allowed
5. Travelling especially on Maundy Thursday, Holy Friday and Black Saturday is simply not allowed. Would bring bad luck or death to those who would dare breaking this rule.

but as i was growing up into my high school years, holy week was not that holy anymore. if before people were so scared of even laying a hand on the very delicious-looking lechon, they were not able t o help themselves kesehodang holy monday na.

the essence of the holy week can no longer be felt especially now that i live in the city. i can no longer remember the last time i attended or joined the way of the cross. yes, zamboanga city is a religiously catholic city, but people no longer hold on to strict traditions maybe for lack of time and other reasons that even i use as an excuse not to practice my obligations.

for this Lenten season, i will try in the best of my ability to practice the following as my penance:

• vow of celibacy (i've been celibate for almost a year now)
• no-meat Fridays and Tuesdays
• allocate at least P50/day to the Church or individuals who need financial help
• join Way of the Cross and Mass every Friday afternoon

Welcome Back to Me

i missed writing my daily journal here and i have lost all my previous postings so i have to start anew.

i am first and foremost a writer and though i may seem to have lost my love for writing, i still ache to express all my sentiments or frustrations on paper that i eventually lose for lack of time or whatever other reasons...

anyways, this is just the first of many. enjoy reading (if available)