A few weeks back I posted some tidbits about my hometown and our Holy Week Traditions. This time though I opted not to go home to the province and I missed a lot of happenings. Thankfully, my niece Andrea took a bunch of photos and not I don’t feel so deprived haha!
Here’s some of those photos.. (some pics are a bit blurry.. its drizzling a bit – not the best time to take pics. )
Cutting down on expenses to save can sometimes be so hard. Most of us think that saving means only cutting back on big purchases, but its often the small purchases and small monthly services that eats a lot of out budget. Here’s some list of cutbacks which is barely noticeable but will still manage to increase your savings.
1. Instead of ordering cappuccino at the coffee bar, try the coffee of the day and ask the server to leave lots of room for milk. The foam is gone after three sips anyway.
2. Slow down! A car going 55 miles per hour gets 15 percent better fuel economy than one doing 65.
3. If you can’t wait for that best-seller to be available at the library, buy it with a friend and split the cost.
4. Set your air conditioner’s thermostat higher. For every degree above 72°F., you’ll save up to three percent per month in energy costs.
5. Walk or bike instead of driving; you’ll save gas (and burn calories!).
6. Do you really watch all 312 channels your cable system offers? It might be cheaper to switch to basic service and join an online club for must-see movies.
7. When the kids beg for takeout, make a “happier meal”: Place a burger, fries, and a small toy inside a bag.
8. In love with a particular shampoo, frozen entrée, or brand of pantyhose? Go to the product’s Web site and see if you can download a cents-off coupon.
9. Stick to your shopping list. If your son needs new sneakers, don’t let him talk you into buying the cool basketball jersey that’s hanging by the cash register (even if it’s on sale).
10. Take your vacation at home. But make it a real break: no chores or errands. Join the kids in an indoor-outdoor game-playing marathon.
A house that does not have one worn, comfy chair in it is soulless. ~May Sarton
For a home, we should make sure that we are filling it up with furnishings that are true reflections of ourselves, meaning items that we really need and like instead of just random stuff. It’s never too great to buy a furnishing just because somebody else liked it. Choose things that would best suit you, your lifestyle and something that makes you feel comfortable.
I saw this style quiz on a site and tried it for myself and discover my home style profile..Results are pretty interesting..
· Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life’s undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room. ~Harriet Beecher Stowe
· Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration. ~Charles Dickens
· Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to. ~John Ed Pearce
· Home is the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other. It is the place of confidence. It is the place where we tear off that mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defense, and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts. It is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule. ~Frederick W. Robertson
I was born and raised in Bicol, Philippines and have spent most of my childhood there. Bicol is at the southern end of Luzon. It’s a beautiful place with lots of natural wonders. More than just Mayon Volcano, Bulusan Volcano and Mt. Isarog, and whale shark spotting, Bicol Region have lots of breathtaking islands and beaches.
Albay, my home province has vast amount of rich farm lands, and one of the main produce is abaca. So if you’re in search for handicrafts (handbags, mats, baskets), this is the place to visit. What is also unique about the province is the churches in each municipality mostly of Baroque Architecture.
What I really miss though are the religious traditions we celebrate. Most notably, the holy week procession where you can see the evident influence of Spanish and Roman Catholic culture to our place.
2007 Holy Week Procession – Bacacay Albay, Philippines
I won’t be able to go home this Holy Week season, so I’d content myself with sharing pictures of last year’s Holy Week Procession. Back home, each “santo” or “paso” is taken care of by a clan. Most of these santos are with clans for several generations already. Our family has one “paso”, the Agony in the Garden. Every year the whole clan helps out fixing the image, putting decorations, and going to the processions. Processions are done on Holy Wednesdays and Good Friday. It goes through the town’s narrow streets ending at the Church where the priests bless the people and the images. (it was raining a bit last year ..)
Majority of these images or ‘santos’ are centuries old and has been handed down through generations. See the photos below and you’d be amazed by the details and the craftmanship of each piece. The newer ones now are mostly made of fiberglass but the old ones are really impressive. It has life-like sizes as well as features.
Update: 2008 Holy Week Procession (photos courtesy of my niece Andrea)
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