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The Flower Girl
November 4, 2007
my ninang elvie and ninong leen renewed their marriage vows today.
along with tita alilot ang tito simon.
i was the flower girl. don't laugh now, i'm serious.
the wedding singer didn't show up, so i sang during the mass.
i was also the emcee during the reception program.
i'd like to thank my sponsors…
tita alilot for my yellow-green dress
my mom for my brown sandals and the jewelry
ellips for my perfume
and of course…
apple for my wonderful hair and make-up.
(too bad i wasn't included in the altar picture… i was singing while they were picture-taking! *sob*)
hey, it's my mom's 53rd birthday today!
happy birthday, nanay!
iloveyou.
Visiting The Dead: All Saint’s Day in the Philippines Part 2
November 3, 2007All Saint's Day in the Philippines has a festive atmosphere nowadays. We would see people going to and fro, carrying flowers, candles, plastic chairs, big bags of chips and bottles of soft drinks. Some people even bring their portable radio, guitar, and even alcoholic drinks inside! Rarely can we see families praying for the dead; at present, they are looking forward to see relatives on the cemetery, entertaining them as if they are in the comforts of their own homes. Although that scenario is disheartening, it is important to note that the Church is doing its best to revive the real reason on why we visit our dead. Catholic groups, such as the Legion of Mary in our case, are doing rounds of walking around the cemeteries, offering prayers for the departed. I should know, since I'm a Legionary myself (modesty aside).
Parents, if you have unruly children, think twice before bringing them to the cemetery. They might get lost from the crowd. Literally, you'll be able to reach your destination by just standing on the way. Weeel, there's a tendency that your kids would get bored there (children with ADHD are exempted). Don't worry though. Aside from the seemingly endless flow of food and drink (from mom's bag or from the vendors outside the cemetery) that you could offer your kids as bribe for them to behave, they could indulge themselves to making figures out of candle wax! Even adults do it for fun. Start 'em young, so they would get better at it year by year. This year, I have discovered techniques on how to make the perfect pear from candle wax, my masterpiece only to be taken away from me by my six-year old niece *sob*. Next year, I'm planning to create something new. I'm really tempted to make a p*nis model, but my mom would surely be outraged.
Actually, it has been argued that we should pay our dearly departed a visit during November 2 (All Soul's Day), instead of November 1. However, I don't think that it would work out. It's like changing our biological clocks to sleep at day instead of at night. Besides, a day's difference isn't really a big deal. What matters most is that act of remembering our relatives who have passed on. When our own time comes, isn't it sweet that someone, even for a day, would visit us on our graves, reminisce what memories we have left with them, and at the same time, being a reason for the family to come together?
Visiting The Dead: All Saint’s Day in the Philippines Part 1
November 2, 2007I grew up in a closely-knitted clan. Although there are occasional rifts between some members, a gathering would surely bring us together, even for a couple of hours. Christmas, birthdays, and even funerals meant a big gathering. Women would prepare food while men would indulge in loooooong talks, and the intermittent swigs of beer. Of course, November 1 is no exemption.
In the Philippines, it has been a custom that Catholic families would visit their departed loved ones on their grave. Days before the event, there would be someone (usually a young boy or the male in the family) who would go to the cemetery and clean the tomb of their dead. Mosses would be scraped off, and the tall grass would be trimmed. The letters in the tombstones would be painted in black or gold, while the tomb itself would be painted white (or sometimes green. i even saw a tomb painted in pink!). Since most of the public cemeteries are crowded, we have this so-called "apartment" type, where rows and rows of tombs are on top of each other, as if it was a building occupied by different tenants.
Our family visits two cemeteries: one in Marilao (my mother's kin) and one in San Ildefonso (my grandmother from my father's side). In Marilao, we were lucky because our predecessors bought the lot instead of a space in the apartments. Three tombs on top of each other occupy the lot. The "first floor" houses the parents of Lola Genia (my mother's aunt, 87 years old, the only living person among her family). The second floor houses three of her siblings, and the third floor belongs to 3 cousins and her brother's wife. We don't have any grand mausoleums made of granite and marble, but our place is easy to find since we are at the corner of San Lazaro and San Roque streets (yes, cemeteries have street names). We pay for the lot, but the contract for the payment of the lots were for 25 years. The contract lapsed last 2005, so mom paid for another 25 year. Next time, I would be the one who would pay for it, haha!
The one in San Ildefonso is more "sosyal", as they say. My Anda Beneng, who died in 1995, used to occupy an apartment at the far end of the public cemetery. However, a new memorial garden was opened beside that cemetery. Since the owner of that garden is the boss of my aunt, they have the remains transferred. There are no tombs standing above the ground; one would only see tombstones on top of the bermuda grass. At least, we can use the space to place chairs for visitors. It's kinda funny though. I'm standing on top of my grandma. Well, I guess that's the reality of life. According to a popular kundiman, "katulad ng batong nasa daan/pagpanaw mo'y ikaw ang siyang tutungtungan…"
welcome me!
October 29, 2007am olredi tired of my old blog, so i switched to a new one…
www.muning.i.ph
am gonna fix this next time, kei? =)
anyway, here's the lyrics of my "Song of the Month".
GWEN STEFANI - 4 IN THE MORNING
I. Waking up to find another day
The moon got lost again last night
But now the sun has finally had its say
I guess I feel alright
II.But it hurts when I think
When I let it sink in
It's all over me
I'm lying here in the dark
I'm watching you sleep, it hurts a lot
[CHORUS]
& all I know is
You've got to give me everything
Nothing less cause
You know I give you all of me
I give you everything that I am
I'm handin' over everything that I've got
Cause I wanna have a really true love
Don't ever wanna have to go & give you up
Stay up till Four In The Morning & the tears are pouring
& I want to make it worth the fight
What have we been doing for all this time?
Baby if we're gonna do it, come on do it right
III. All I wanted was to know I'm safe
Don't want to lose the love I've found
Remember when you said that you would change
Don't let me down
It's not fair how you are
I can't be complete, can you give me more?
[REPEAT CHORUS]
Bridge: Oh please, you know what I need
Save all your love up for me
We can't escape the love
Give me everything that you have
[REPEAT CHORUS]