Festival Experience: Pahiyas 2k15

Last May 14 2015, my family and I hauled ourselves 5 hours towards the most southern part of the region Calabarzon. Our trip was long and our destination was beautiful. It is Lucban, Quezon. After arriving at almost midnight, we were welcomed by our gracious hosts at Batis Aramin. It is owned by Gally Valde and his lovely wife, the very first Mutya ng Lucban, Teresita Kleng Valde.

Longanisang Lucban

The very next morning, we were woken up by the smell of a delicious delicacy frying: Longanisang Lucban. The meaty, spice-filled sausages was just what we needed to start the day. The best place to get this is Abcede's Restaurant which is famous for their grilled Longanisa.  

Pancit Habhab

Another must-try delicacy is the Pancit Habhab. They are cooked noodles with vegetables meant to be eaten without any utensils. You get this square of banana leaf with your food and you just go for it! Definitely a mess that's worth it. It has all the fundamental taste profiles of Filipino food, sweet salty, umami and it's sour (just add a bit of vinegar to enhance the flavor).

Making our way to the bayan, we were immediately greeted by colorful houses showcasing the harvest of the year. The Pahiyas Festival celebrates the patron saint of harvest, San Isidro de Labrador. Every May, the people of Lucban decorate their homes with rice, leaves and a plethora of vegetables. This was used as an offering to the patron saint. Here you can see the festive decors.

The festivities continue with a parade of marjorets, a marching band and girls in glamorous and ingenious gowns. These gowns were made from all-natural materials such as wheat and more. The designers give "BIG, BOLD, and BEAUTIFUL" a whole new meaning. Check out their designs below.

                     

                     

                     
                 
                     
                     
               
                   

The Spice of Life

Inspiration of the day: The Hundred-Foot Journey

Following the story of a young cook named Hassan Kadam (Dayal), the movies takes the audience to a culinary tour of his life. The boy learns from his late mother the art of cooking but with no formal training, his father (Om Puri) and the rest of his family move to France. They settle down and open a Mumbai Maison another restaurant in front of a Michelin-awarded restaurant owned by Madame Mallory (Mirren).

Definitely a foodie's take on life, it's advised that theatre-goers don't watch this on an empty stomach. Upon leaving the cinema, I felt hungry - not of food (okay partly yes of food) but I am hungry for life. This movie explores passion in all its glory. Despite all hindrances such as social, cultural, personal, economical or other obstacles, we are reminded that passion wins over.

Yes, passion wins over. However, be reminded that vocation is a step further.



(See post on following your passion next week)

Out With The Old // In With The New

Hello, 2015 and good riddance 2014! Happy new year everyone! The last year was drab and dreary - filled with very low lows and not a high in sight. Time to wash away those old bad feelings and welcome in good vibes, more opportunities and crossing off more things on my checklist, bucket list and goals.

1. Say Goodbye to Not Good

It's the perfect time to let it gooooo, let it goooo, let it go ala Elsa. I must let go of all the negative things in my life. (people, environment, thoughts, habits, etc) It's time for a change and this time it's required to happen. If it makes me feel bad, get rid of it. If it makes me feel bad and I don't know, find out how to get rid of it. And if it makes me feel good but I know it's bad yet I just can't let go, ask someone to get rid of it. In with the new you. This time, it's true.

2. Keep Motivated and Accomplish!

It's also the perfect time to stop being plagued with the certain disease called "Laziness + Procrastination". I must work hard to play hard. After all, dreams don't work unless you do.

3. 2015 is your year to shine!

Don't be afraid to say more, do more, be more. It's your year, claim it and make the most out of it! Fortune favors the bold. So, let them see you for who you really are. 

Aside from the big three. Here are small goals I want to achieve in the year:

1. Read a book a month.
2. Finish writing “Elitist”.
3. Write everyday and blog regularly.
4. Save at least P20 a day.
5. NO MORE COKE
6. Only eat real food and lose weight.
7. Exercise at least 3 x a week.
8. Take a breather.
9. Try something new every month.
10. Commit to an Out-reach program.
11. Call a friend everyday.
12. Cook one meal a week
13. Have only 6-8 hours of sleep every night.
14. Instagram at least one picture every week but don’t care how many likes it gets.
15. Master liquid liner and fake lashes.
16. Keep up a skin regime/routine.
17. Cross something off your bucket list.
18. Be sincere about commitments and punctuality
19. Enrich your vocabulary.
20. Remember the Important Dates.
21. Terminate the tantrums and mood swings.
22. Establish The Bath Natives.
23. Stay informed on current events and news.
24. Make a point to write down new things you learn everyday.
25. Keep Organized.
26. Regularly keep my clothes where they should be.
27. Use the damn hamper.
28. Continue to make goals for yourself within the year.
29. Stay motivated.
30. Stick to these resolutions for at least the whole year.

Inspiration of the Day: Lightning Boy

LIGHTNING BOY: A Movie Review of Struck by Lightning

★★★★☆

      The movie centers on an over-achieving, in over his head high schooler. His name? Well, most would know him as a nobody, loser, or the guy you've always hated. But, he calls himself Carson Philipps. Carson is the president of the school's newspaper: The Clover Chronicle. Desperate to get out of his small town and achieve his long-time dreams, he starts a literary magazine to get accepted to his preferred college. He only needs three things to make the magazine a success: his passion for writing, hunger for his dreams and a heck of a lot of dirt on the most popular kids in his school. Armed with their secrets, he sets off to his mission to self-discovery of not only himself but the others around him. Watch him scream at the cliches of the school, give snarky comments to "the man" and ultimately figure out why it is good to be the Lightning Boy. Watch this and get struck by lightning. 

The Wait

Hello there, sugarplum fairies! So, I've been in a slump lately.

To be honest, I JUST HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO.

It all started with the first few days of school. See, I've never really been a "go with the flow" kind of girl. I like to plan or at least dream about what can happen at the very least. I imagined myself in such a specific way going into my 3rd year of high school and then boom! A ton of bricks just fell on me and crushed my spirits.

It's been over 2 months and the first term is almost over and still, I find myself feeling LOST.

I busy myself with so many activities, taking initiative to lead, signing up for everything (absolutely everything); but it doesn't satiate the thirst I have. For what? That beats me.

I certainly have no idea! I don't even know who I am anymore. I am lost and I'm waiting to be found.
But that's what's wrong: I keep on waiting.

I wait, and wait, and wait. I say, "One day, things will get better." But when will that day come? Again, I wait, and wait, and wait. I say, "One day, I'll be happy." But when will that day come?
I wait, and wait, and wait. I say, "One day..." But when will that day come?

I wait, and wait, and wait. Wait! What am I even waiting for? I certainly have no idea!


I don't even know who I am anymore. I am lost and I'm waiting to be found.
But that's what's wrong: I keep on waiting.

I keep on waiting.

I keep on waiting.

I am still waiting. 

University Urban Legends

Urban legends are no stranger to every school, especially in the Philippines. It has become popular among the students to scare of one another or for a laugh. Many don’t believe in these stories until they’ve experienced it themselves. Here are some of the most famous legends from a few of the most popular universities of Philippines.

     

1.    University of The Philippines

            From ghosts on jeepneys and dormitories to dead students and deans haunting the halls, UP has it all.  One of my favorites is about the Vinzons Hall, which is the University Book Center.

            A man hidden by the name of Joey decides to visit the library. He decided to move to the second floor because the lobby was unusually crowded. As he sat down and read, he heard a high-pitched gasp come from the bathroom on the second floor. Thinking it was just a couple fooling around, he continued to read.

            After awhile, he made his way to relieve himself. As he sat down on the toilet, he felt something lightly press on his head. Joey tried not to look up but curiosity got the best of him. Big mistake!

            As he looked up, he saw a pale woman hanging by her neck with eyes bulging out. After a minute, those bulging eyes turned to face him and gasped for help. Joey rushed out of the bathroom with his zipper still down and he never went to that comfort room again.

   

2.    Ateneo de Manila University

Another well-known university is Ateneo or ADMU. Here we have many haunted buildings and eerie paintings.

There are two places in the campus that holds similar stories, The Sacred Heart Novitiate Building and the Gonzaga Hall.  The story is about the infamous set of stairs. It is believed that you must never use these stairs at night. Why? Because no matter how hard you try, you will never get to the ground floor. Somehow, you are stuck landing on the same floor as you started, again and again and again.

Another popular legend is about a security guard, a janitor and The Department of Communication Building. Our story is of course, set at night where no human being is present in these halls except our main characters.

About to lock up, a guard begging to use the restroom on the second floor interrupted the janitor cleaning. The janitor complied. After the guard was done relieving himself, the janitor checked the second floor only to find the walls of the bathroom covered in hand prints. They were made of human excrements. The janitor angrily looked for the guard and confronted him. But the guard looked genuinely confused about the situation, affirmed he did not do anything. So he just let him go. As the guard turned to leave, he saw a big hand print right on the back of the guard’s stark white uniform.

       3.    De La Salle University

It all started back at February 12, 1945. Around this time, Philippines was suffering the impact of Japanese colonization. According to history, 16 brothers and several families looked for refuge in The Chapel of The Most Blessed Sacrament. This chapel is still up and running to this day.

Fast forward to modern times, an urban legend circulated among the students of De La Salle University. The story starts with a student coming to the chapel to pray.  As might be expected, she is alone. After minutes of silent prayer with her eyes closed, she opened them to see a shadow forming right in front of her. She shut her eyes in fear and as she opened them again, the figure took shape. It was a priest with a bayonet plunged into him and bullets on his head. The girl frozen in fear was then shocked to hear the priest say: “Help me…”

Back to that faithful day in the year 1945, it was not so faithful after all. All-16 brothers and some civilians who sought refuge in the chapel were brutally massacred by Japanese soldiers. Apparently the priest the girl saw could have been any one of them.

References:

The Philippine Urban Legends: The Ghost in Ateneo de Manila University [Web log post]. (2012, May 24). Retrieved from http://philurbanlegends.blogspot.com/2012/05/ghost-in-ateneo-de-manila-university.html

Rutledge, T. J. (n.d.). The Sack Of Manila. Retrieved from http://www.battlingbastardsbataan.com/som.htm

Salud, J. P. (n.d.). The Visions at the Vinzon's Hall [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://philurbanlegends.blogspot.com/2012/03/ghosts-of-university-of-philippines.html

The First Issue

Fist of all, Hello! Also, Welcome.

            Welcome to the new void where I shout my thoughts into a black hole. Wherein a blank page will be filled up with nothing or something, depending on who’s reading it. But I, the writer, the one shouting my thoughts into a void am welcoming you all to shout with me.

            Honestly, I’m not sure what I really want this blog to be about. Scratch that. I know what I want this blog to be about. I want it to be about passion, everything I love or care about. But that can be such a broad topic; I can go on for hours. Which is perfect. I will talk about anything and everything I am passionate about. May it be a new fashion trend, travelling, a restaurant down the block, my country, political issues or my friends and family; I will talk about it. I want this to be a safe house I can write about anything.

            And in this safe house, my readers (if there’s even any) are welcome to shout with me, to shout their thoughts into a void. Why? Because when you feel nobody is listening to you or when you feel so alone or when no one understands what you’re going through, there is an empty space waiting for your words to fill them up because words are from thoughts in our minds and not only in our minds but also our hearts.  And if you share your story, most likely, one person from across the world will resonate with it and it will change their lives forever. Theirs and yours.

Miller’s Stand: shout. shout til your lungs hurt, until you're heard. you are worth it. you matter. you. will. be. heard.