Some Good Things

The courier finally got my three rolls of film developed, all taken with Pierre, my new Superheadz Super Fat Lens camera. Happy, happy! I'm posting random picks from the rolls - some from the beach trip with my college mates, some from around the house, some in Singapore lah, etc.

See the full set here. 

There is a lot to be thankful for.
Where shall I be this June? Fingers crossed.

When You Move Like a Jellyfish

Joseph finally brought me to Manila Ocean Park today after about a year or so of badgering him to do so. Yay for this getting crossed off my bucket list! :) If there was any regret, it was leaving Duccio behind because I was too lazy to lug him around in my bag.

I initially planned on generalizing one post for this visit, but ah, I decided instead to focus on the jellyfish exhibit. If there's anything to see there and to go back for, it would have to be the jellyfish. Simply put, they were beautiful - translucent and forever floating, floating, floating... 

Fourteen Stations, Seven Churches

It's Holy Week again. Holy Thursday was spent going about the city for Bisita Iglesia - that tradition of praying the fourteen stations of the Cross, ideally doing one station for every church visit. My family usually prays two for every church that we visit, so that makes the trip somewhat easier because that would simplify things for us and trim down fourteen visits to seven. It's not my favorite thing to do, but it's one of the consistent sacrificial traditions we undertake every year; with that in mind, I've been in the process of learning not to be such a complainer since the first time we did this as a family.

This year, we visited the St. Joseph Parish Church (most famous for the Bamboo Organ in Las Pinas), St. Andrew's Cathedral in Paranaque, the Shrine for St. Therese near Resorts World, a teensy chapel my parents used to frequent when they used to live in Tambo, the church of Pateros, the Presentation Parish in BF Homes, and another church in the Fort. It was the most tiring bisita we did in years (usually we do it later in the day bordering on early evening), and it definitely took a toll on my temper. Huhu. I was grumpy for about half the trip because of the heat, mainly, and the fact that all I really wanted to do was relax in bed. But like I said, it's just one of the sacrifices we have to do for God. And I did get to see some of the loveliest churches in Manila (St. Joseph was just such a beauty with all the centuries-old stone), so that was just awesome. :)

Hope you're having a wonderful Holy Week. Whether or not you're at home or out of town, do remember to spare a minute or two for a bit of prayer! An advanced Happy Easter and God bless. :)

Juicy Trip: Down South 2/2

When you're enjoying a day in the sun with friends, every beach is pretty awesome. 

The rain stopped a few hours after we arrived, and the next morning was just filled with lots of sunshine and warmth. Some swam, some snorkeled, some wished to go kayaking. Some hid from the sun in the comforts of the room; some took naps by the beach, wishing life was always this laid back. 

Juicy girls, I love you! :) 

Summer, you're off to a wonderful start!

La Luz Resort is located in San Juan, Batangas. For more information, visit their website.

Juicy Trip: Down South 1/2

My closest college friends and I had gone out of town together for a couple of days this week in celebration of almost-summer and graduation. We had never been complete on a trip out of the city, so this was such a happy first for all of us! Hopefully it isn't the last!

En route to the first stop (Tagaytay City), we chose to kill time in Nuvali, the newest township project of AyalaLand south of the city. We fed their hungry and desperate koi fish in their lake, all the while thinking that it was creepy seeing them swim towards the food in a mob and squeezing each other out to get to the food! We also went on a boat for a short ride around the lake where we got to see a refreshing perspective from the water of the EvoLiving Center designed by LV Locsin's firm. (You don't see it in this view, but it has a green roof you can see from the road.) It's one of my favorite buildings in the country, so seeing it once again was such a happy treat. :)

While the weather was just right in Laguna, we arrived to a cloudy Tagaytay. It was wonderful weather, really, very Baguio-esque, and we took pictures in the playground near my friend's rest house and generally enjoyed trolling around until it began to rain. The next day was to be spent in Batangas, and we hoped that while the rain was welcome and the cold weather was a plus, Batangas would instead bring lots of sun for the beach!