Canceled Flight

It was supposed to be our last day in Bicol but alas our flight back to Manila got canceled due to heavy rain. The first two photos were taken at Naga Airport. My big sister had this idea of using this vintage red truck as the backdrop for my outfit shots (Very Taylor Swift/Bella's red truck lang ang peg, noh?). And since it was a long ride back to Buhi, we figured we'd just run some errands...you know, perfectly normal ones like, say...going to Naga City Hall and the church where my mom got married to fix some paperwork regarding her marriage. It was a long and boring morning, I tell you. *laughs* So what did I do to amuse myself? I took pictures of random things of course! I think I got a wee bit excited taking photographs of the church's huge antique chandeliers and muraled ceilings, as you prolly can tell. When my mom finally ticked off every single thing in her mental checklist, we all decided to eat lunch at Biggs. Why, we cannot leave the place without eating there! It's only the biggest food chain in all of Bicol. It's like their Jollibee. It's...I think you get the picture. Haha! In the afternoon, we went to SM Naga to run some more errands so my sis and I decided to check out NBS and lookie what I found! Huhu. A hardbound copy of Bloodlines. I'm still beating myself up for not getting it then. Anyway, this is my last post about our "Undas 2011" in Bicol. I'd like to say thank you to Uncle Mumong, Auntie Odie, Kuya Christian and Ate Jing for making us feel welcome every time we go to Buhi and for taking very good care of us when we're there. We truly had an awesome time and I wish it didn't have to end so soon. Hihi. :)

 XO.

Buhi Photodiary

 My Mama and her maarte sleeves. :)

A balut vendor was roaming around the cemetery that night so we thought we'd buy from him. To my international readers: Balut is a boiled fertilized duck embryo that is commonly sold as a street food here in the Philippines and in other Southeast Asian countries. 

 Super big na yung sisiw oh! Di ko keri kainin. Haha!

Mustachioed and bearded 'ol me. So this is what I would look like if I were a boy. I look so much like my big brother here that Ate and Mama couldn't stop laughing when they saw this. Hahaha! 

 My cute and charming pamangkins Keira and Ethan! :)

*shivers* The water was hella cold! "Can't handle the cold, big sister?", asked the smug-faced water baby beside me. :))

Woohoo! Zoom lens FTW! Cows lang ang moo-del! Get it? Moo and...model? Corny I know, please don't hate me. Haha! :P

Finally! A post about our stay at our province in Camsur. My family (on my mother's side) originated from the small municipality of Buhi, Camarines Sur. Our "Ama"(grandmother)---'coz yes, Chinese blood runs in the family (di lang halata haha)---and our Papu (our lolo/grandfather) had built their lives in that small area in San Pascual. My mom, her brothers and my two elder siblings grew up there as well so they have all the appreciation in the world for Buhi. Back when I was much younger, Buhi never felt like home to me, since I was brought up in Manila. I remember feeling uneasy in our ancestral home every summer just because it had that "heavy and ancient" feel to it and feeling bored out of my wits because it just didn't have the vigor and energy of a city. Although I did enjoy the company of my younger cousins who lived there, I was never attached to the place. But then something changed as I grew older. I started seeing the simple life in Buhi as something that is precious, beautiful and priceless. I guess one of the many things that I enjoyed doing there was witnessing the sunrise. I hate waking up early so I rarely get to see the daybreak. But when I happen to be up early, I take a little moment to take in this beautiful scene. See, I prefer sunrise over sunset. I love how the mellow and buttery light illuminates and casts a soft glow to my sheer curtains early in the morning. I love the stillness it brings to the surroundings because almost everyone is still fast asleep. Love the light that slowly eats the darkness away. I could go on and on but I guess the loveliest thing about sunrise is that whenever I see it, it never fails to give me hope. Every sunrise is a chance to start anew. :) 
Mornings in Bicol are always peaceful. But maybe that's just because my uncle's place is right in front of the church! Haha! But still. Even though everyone is out and about doing errands and attending to their businesses, it's not busy to the point that it's already stressful. That's what I love about living there (or in any other province). Really, our brief stay made me somewhat appreciative of the simple things in life. *Sighs* My mom, sister and I are thinking of putting up a cafe-downstairs-slash-bar-upstairs business in Buhi. But nothing too fancy. I hope it pushes through. I would love to spend more time there and get to know the place more. :)