My life in Baguio

Llavac, Quezon

2008-05-26T02:20:00.000-07:00

Last 2005, Joseph was Camp Director of the CISV Dap-ayan Village in Baguio City. He claimed to want to retire after that. He has been a twice JC, twice Adult Leader and to be Camp Director is the ultimate goal. Having achieved this in 2005 with a lot of intrigues and drama, he bid CISV goodbye and gave me the go-signal to continue....

Sometime in April of this year, Tito Tom Adarme of CISV Manila, who is also a member of the ODC in CISV International, sent me a text message, asking me if Joseph would be interested to be an International Camp Director for a CISV Village in Guangzhou, China..... I relayed the invitation to Joseph and he was very excited. Tito Tom informed us that he was approached by CISV China, Japan and Korea to help get international directors and staffers for their villages. Joseph was eyed for China but eventually, he was assigned to direct the village in Seoul, Korea. To finalize the assignment, we were invited to meet with Junko, IEC Vice President, together with the directors eventually chosen for China and Japan, Tito Ike and Tita Nining. The venue of the gathering cum screening (hehehe) was in the farm of Tito Tom in Llavac, Quezon.

Tito Tom is an architect by profession and his farm attests to this..... The houses are well thought of. Everything is perfect. The improvements blend with nature instead of competing with it. The farm is a haven for those who want some peace and tranquility. The food was superb.... For the adventurers, there is still an avenue for your streak because there is a 40 meter slide leading to the freshwater pool.... It was a great great weekend.....

Marj and Den's beautiful wedding in beautiful Boracay (starring Paolo Lorenzo Cabato)

2008-03-18T00:27:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago when I was a newly married sophomore at the Ateneo Law School, I found out I was pregnant after promising my parents that we would avoid pregnancy.... To abbreviate this story which promises to be long, I had to take a year off from law school.

I was left behind by my batch.... My good friends Kat, Con and Leyton went ahead of me and I was at home taking care of newborn Nico. After a year off from school, I went back with much anxiety. Who will my friends be? Who will dictate the answers to me during class recitations? Argh!

Then I met Marj. She with the American ba or British accent and the deep vocabulary words. She hails from Cebu. She made me laugh and she was really a great find....

We would burn the telephone lines talking about anything and everything.... Back then, I thought that she would never get married.... Then I found out that I was pregnant again!!!! Wow, after finding a friend in my new batch, does that mean I'll get left behind again?

Through luck and hard work, I carried my second son (Liam) during my 4th year in law school.... In the words of Marj, kuto ako ng canteen that time.... When I finally gave birth to Liam, he was 10.2 lbs..... Marj is Liam's ninang....

Fast forward to the early 2000s, Marj told me that she was involved with Den, a fellow Atenean... From my original batch... My jaw dropped... Marj? in a relationship? Oh well, wonders never cease.... This is the reason why when she told me she was getting married in Boracay in December 2007, I booked tickets 6 months in advance... That is how much I wanted this to happen. :)

Nico and Liam were chosen by Marj to read the prayers of the faithful. Did I mention her deep vocabulary words? She made my kids read words with 15 syllables! Joke....

In church pa lang I was thinking what a wonderful beautiful wedding was unfolding before my eyes. It is just palpable in the air that the couple were so much in love and will be happy forever! After the wedding, we went to Seawind for the reception. Drinks and shisha for the cocktail hour..... Picture taking galore! Syempre we had fantabulous food...

Eto na.... Paolo, my youngest son, aka, the most eligible bachelor, was going around the party sans yaya making friends with anyone and everyone.... He was the hit of the party.... He joined tables. Danced with girls and had the bestest time.... He was such a darling... And Marj was smitten, as all the other guests were.... Paolo kissed everyone at the slightest prodding....

He made such an impression that the next morning, while we were bathing in the beach, Marj's wedding ninang approached us with this opening line: "We woke up with Paolo on our minds, can we take him to our resort?" hahahahaha....

Boracay

2008-03-14T02:27:00.000-07:00

Last 2006, my good friend Kat initiated me to the Cebupac piso deal. When the same promo was offered in 2007, I was also informed that my law school friend and Liam's ninang was planning to get married in Boracay in December. To thicken the plot, I convinced another family to come with us and take advantage of the Piso promo. Jo Salazar is the senior partner in our law office. His wife Edith and I are gym and shopping buddies. I've watched their kids grow up......This is our Boracay adventure. It was great to be with my kids for five full days of sun and fun, plus a wedding of a dear friend in between......

We were lucky that I got to scout Boracay in July that year when I went there for my CISV post camp evaluation. We stayed then at Sur located at Station 1 and I really enjoyed the place and thought that it would be great for when my kids would be with me......

This is the best vacation ever. Sur did not disappoint. They pampered us with their gracious hospitality. It seems that there was nothing we can want that they will not oblige to give. I felt safe with the kids just running around in the beach while I lounge on the beach chairs and have a beer or a massage. We tried all the recommended "to-dos" in Boracay.... Another plus is that I got to attend the wedding of Marj to Den.... It was the funnest wedding Ive been to.... But I had to admit that I cried during the exchange of wedding vows....

I am going on and on without any direction, it seems. This happens if you tell your story three months after the fact.....All I can say is that a vacation taken with close friends, to be with close friends and family cannot be surpassed. Hoping for more piso trips.......... The memories are priceless......

The kids cannot stop talking about the trip.....

Super delayed blogging

2008-03-14T02:12:00.000-07:00

After seminar camp in July 2007, I got so totally smitten with facebook and how easy it was to post pictures and just label them. But i do miss the magic of the written word, to actually describe what happened to your friends and everyone who cared to read. This is the reason why I am trying to recreate what happened to me and my family since I got attacked by blogging procrastination.

After I got back from camp, I tried to make up for lost time. I spent so much time with my kids and planned vacations with them.... I guess its the mother's guilt working there. Parang to justify being absent for a month, you have to bring tons of pasalubong and take them to fancy places. I just missed my family so....

The next time we had a free weekend, Jo and I took the kids swimming in Pangasinan. Syempre, we went to our favorite resort in Dagupan. This was in October. Here are some of our pictures....

Post camp

2008-03-05T01:10:00.000-08:00

After camp ended and our boracay evaluation was finished, we all had a special birthday party for giles.... It was great fun but also sad because we knew that we had little time to be together. Its a good thing Giles and Eli agreed to come up to Baguio for a short visit.... Im so happy they got to meet my family and my kids because I wanted my kids to understand why I went away for a month and I think hearing all of our camp stories made them appreciate why I love cisv....

Big CISV Love! Seminar Camp at the Beach, Philippines 2007

2007-08-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

This is a long overdue blog. I posted the pictures right after my camp and failed to write anything about it. After a month of being away, I was overtaken by events.... By work, by my kids and so many other things....

Last July 2007, I was lucky enough to be assigned as homestaff for a CISV Seminar Camp in Matuod, Batangas. CISV is the acronym for Children's International Summer Villages, an organization, Joseph and I have been involved in for years. I went to India 4 years ago as a leader and after training for Seminar Camp, I applied for this post.

Seminar Camp is for participants from 17-18 years old. For our seminar camp, we had Maggs (Phils), Tanya (Phils), Giles (Australia), Tom (Great Britain), and Eli (Germany) as STAFF. We had participants from Italy (Marcelo and Fede), Philippines (Marianna), Czech Republic (Matej and Zuzana), Israel (Noam, Amit, Tomer and Rona), Sweden (Calle and Linnea), Germany (Dominick and Marie), Finland (Salla), Thailand (Ping and Ploy), Netherlands (Lizzy), Brazil (Camila), Norway (Hanne), France (Louis), Portugal (Murta and Margarida).

The pictures would show that we had a beautiful campsite with amazing and breathtaking sunsets everyday. Almost a year from camp, I still look back with fondness. I still marvel at the ideas and fresh insight of the participants. I still reminisce about all the times we spent just hanging out and exchanging stories and experiences about our respective countries. I still remember the many things I learned from everyone.

It is difficult to explain what CISV is and what the seminar camp is all about. Let's just say that from the moment I started doing CISV work, I got totally hooked.... I miss the staff.... Jun jun, Boyet and Eli. Mostly I miss Tanya, my fellow pinay in the staff. I gave up one month of family and work time to do CISV work because I believe in its goals.....

HIGHLIGHTS: I had my birthday in camp.....

Its my first time to be away from my family and I really thought I would be sad and lonely for my kids. On the day itself, we had our LMO activity. Our LMO was the Matuod Free School. There is this lovely woman named Marlyn who runs a day care cum pre school in Matuod for free. The school is right on the beach and most of the kids are children of the fishermen in the locality whose ages are between 5 to 12 years old. We planned games and activities we could play with the kids, we brought food to share and the participants brought books from their respective countries to donate and share with kids. It was a very different but fulfilling birthday for me. When we arrived back at the campsite, we started preparing for dinner which was just
what we usually have then Amit cut his finger and had to be brought to the hospital... I thought that was it. But when they came back, the staff presented a beautiful song they composed for me.... It was very nice and sweet..... I must say, to have a song sung about you is the greatest pleasure ever. Para kang superstar!

After camp, we decided to have our post camp evaluation in Boracay. This is really just for staff but we invited the participants to come along. We braved the habagat. While we were working, the kids (they're just 18 so they're kids to me!) were having the time of their lives....

Pero we also tried to have a few drinks and also to enjoy ourselves. We deserved it!

Here's another look at the Matuod skyline.... i miss everyone....

But this July, Im off to another seminar camp as international staff.... I cant wait....

Sea of Dreams

2007-07-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

My new camera and my sepia mode

2007-06-29T02:25:00.001-07:00

I have a new camera..... Enough said.....

Dental appointment

2007-06-29T02:11:00.000-07:00

I saw Kat's blog with the dental appointment of her kids and Paolo's first one was coming up so I also took pictures. What was a surprise is how delightful the pictures were of Paolo's first dental appointment..... Enjoy!

A tourist in my hometown

2007-06-28T21:31:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago, I had to go to Manila for a meeting for my Seminar Camp in CISV.

Manila.... My hometown.... Where all my good friends live. Gosh, I miss them! I also miss the sights and sound of Manila!

Had dinner at Serendra at the Fort. Guess where? Conti's! Comfort Food! It used to be Dates and Nuts in BF Homes and was a family favorite. So it was quite funny we ended up there..... I had a great opportunity to be with 7 of my closes friends. My gang from highschool, Hannah, Glenda (my maid of honor), and Ning...

What was so great is that I also got to be with my college buddies: Ej (aka Ive never ever no more), Del, Mitch and Pau..... How I got these two groups together is another story.... Ask Hannah. Anyway, ate at Conti's, drank margaritas at Pier something and had coffee at Jill. I went home at 5 AM! A first in 10 years?

I also got to spend some time with my nephews, Joshua and Jacob. We got two boxes of my sons' favorite Krispy Kremes and spent time bumming around Bonifacio High Street to buy crocs for my father in law (father's day eh) and books that Nico ordered.....

Oh at Krispy Kreme, they give away free donuts and ignorante nga ako, I was so amazed. Ganun naman pala talaga.

Sunday was father's day. Kuya Jojo and his family brought me to Mall of Asia which was great and confusing for me and we had a really great lunch at Macapagal, this stretch of restos patterned after the old Dampa. I really had a great time. I boarded the Victory Liner Bus at 4pm and went back home. Oh, I had baon in the bus. I bought a ham sandwich from "The Plaza" stall in Mall of Asia. I was back in Baguio by 11:00 pm before the day ended. I was able to greet Jo a Happy Father's Day!

11 years and counting......

2007-05-31T23:02:00.001-07:00

Today June 1 is our 11th year anniversary. We treated ourselves to breakfast buffet at the Manor, Camp John Hay, together with some good friends. Before we gorged ourselves, we went spinning at the gym so that we could later on justify that the amount of food we ate would be burned anyway! It has been a very good partnership. An amazing marriage with its own share of trials and we hope we can weather all the challenges that will come in the future....

Tagged!

2007-05-30T23:55:00.000-07:00

I was asked by my good friend Katrina to answer a set of questions about pregnancy and childbirth and since I revel in being a Mom to THREE SONS, I will gladly answer the questions, here goes:

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? it's never planned
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I couldnt tell my parents, as if I got pregnant out of wedlock!
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? no naman
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? i just turned 22
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? i couldnt smoke, it made me gag
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My husband
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? yes
9. DUE DATE? August, last week
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? nope
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? i cant remember
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? the thought of getting fat and missing school and being left behind by my original batchmates
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? male
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Yes! For all three SONS!
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? Between 50 to 60 lbs.
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? yes
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? i knew about it
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? None for my first. Yes for my last two boys. For Liam, I almost had a miscarriage so bedrest dapat but I violated it and went to school pa rin. For Paolo, I wasnt gaining weight and he overstayed in my tummy that's why had to have a C-section.
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? first and second-san juan de dios in roxas blvd. third- pines city hospital in Baguio
20.HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? around 15 for the first, 12 for the 2nd and no labor for the third kasi ceasarian
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Joseph
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? no one for the first and second. Joseph and my mom-in-law for the bunso
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? first two normal, third C-section
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? of course! epidural for all three
25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? Nico 8.6 lbs; Liam 10.2 lbs!; Paolo 8.1 lbs.
27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 9 years old

The summer that was

2007-05-22T00:24:00.000-07:00

This is Paolo, my youngest.... Battling the heat in Pangasinan. Nakilublob na lang sa palangana ng may palangana!

What is a Baguio vacation without playing mini golf? Funny story..... Look at the simangot face of Liam.... He had the least number of strokes among his cousins and his brother, so he's the winner right? We told him he was but he thinks he lost and Nico who has the most strokes is the winner! Argh..... Had to explain several times before he got it.... Hahaha.

My mom is really from Pangasinan so we visited her sister (my aunt) where we had a really good lunch with fresh seafoods, fresh lowland vegetables and a really really new experience for my kids who are so accustomed to City life.

It was my dad's birthday last April 29. We went again to Dagupan to bring our kids to Leisure Coast. My brother also made the trip from Manila with his own kids. This was the birthday dinner at Silverio's (a seafood resto in Dagupan).... We had a great time with JUDE ! (inside joke)

Mommy and Daddy, married for 45 years and still going strong.... Yoo hoo.....

The whole gang at Leisure Coast before we went home!

The Cabato Family.....

Mom, Dad and Paolo at the wave pool.....

My bro's family and mine.... 6 boys.....

Holy Week 2007

2007-04-13T01:38:00.000-07:00

When I announced that I was moving to Baguio City after graduation from law school, many of my friends and relatives were worried that I'd get lonely not having my own set of friends and family there. Little did they know that because I lived in Baguio City, I was the favorite destination of friends and family alike. Almost every month, a friend from high school, college or law school comes to visit me. Since my parents retired, they have been staying with me for months at a time. This Holy Week, not only my parents were here but my brother Jojo, his wife Jing and their sons Joshua, Jacob and John also went up for the vacation. A day after my brother arrived, my brother-in-law John also arrived with his sons Carlo and Marco from Singapore. 3 male Makalintals + 2 male Cabatos (from John & Pinky) + 3 male Cabatos (from Joseph and me) = one wild and exciting vacation!

Going to the Gym....

2007-04-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

Gym staff, instructors and some of our classmates

Joseph hitting the treadmill...

Grilled spareribs ala Joseph, with crispy skin! Yum!

For the past 10 months or so, I have been going to the gym. It started with the desire to lose weight and have something better to do with my mornings since I had to bring my kids to school early. It has now evolved into something else. A routine which I willingly subject myself to every morning. It was in July 2006 when I decided to enrol in a new gym at SM Baguio, Fitness Edge. It is located at the top floor of the mall with a panoramic view of Baguio City.

Prior to this, I have never exercised in my life.The idea of even walking a few blocks is daunting to me. Almost everyone thought that I would only last a week in the gym. :) To everyone's surprise, Ive been going to the gym practically everyday for the past 10 months and Im looking forward to doing it for a really really long time. What really got me hooked is this indoor cycling program called "spinning" which is a cardio workout. You ride on a stationary bike, cycle and follow the leader who is simulating cycling on several hills, with loud background music to egg you on. It lasts for 45 minutes and this is the best workout for me. For the first time in my life, I know what it is like to perspire!

After the first few days, I was able to convince Manang Edith, wife of my senior partner, to come and join me. A few weeks after that, my senior partner Atty. Jo started going as well. We hit the gym from 7-9 and we are in the office no later than 9 am. On days when we have hearings, we attend the spinning class and skip our resistance training.

What followed is an addiction! To sweat, loud music, sadist instructors, cute Nike and Adidas outfits, nice and friendly classmates and to the inevitable morning snack after! After a few months, we made some friends and we stayed on, largely because of the really great staff of the gym who relentlessly gives us support and encouragement.

Last January 2007, I was able to convince Joseph to go as well. At first, he was dragging his feet. Now, he's a regular spinning addict.... He goes everyday with me and even goes on his own even when I cannot. He is happy with the way it has changed his lifestyle and he has made new friends as well. So when the staff of Fitness Edge asked that Joseph cook for them his famous dishes, he didnt hesitate and we co-hosted a picnic for them with Atty. Jo and Manang Edith at Pinsao (our secret hideaway) .... Last Holy Thursday, we had our last hurrah with meat. And it was indeed a last hurrah.... Grilled spareribs, pinapaitan, embaliktad, ensalada, leche flan..... This is what we work out for.:)

Some Photos

2007-03-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

Paolo waiting

for the program to

begin and

playing in the

basketball

court to pass

the time!

Liam and Nico during the Intrams in their school.

They were members of the blue team.....

There was a cheering competition and there was some dancing. Nico didnt like to dance...... Liam was game...... Two different personalities from the same parents, raised in the same household!

The end of another schoolyear

2007-03-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

This week marks the beginning of summer vacation for my two kids, Nico and Liam. On Monday, we will get their report cards from school and we can only hope and pray that their grades reflect all the hard work they've exerted this schoolyear.

Nico finished Grade 4 and will be an incoming Grade 5 student next year. One of the highlights of this year for him included going on an overnight field trip to Subic Bay, Olongapo on his own. Funny that I spent so much time packing his stuff and telling him where everything was, preparing a cute toiletry kit with little packs of soap, shampoo, mosquito repellent etc., but when he arrived home, he proudly told me that he swam in the pool and didnt care to shower! All his dirty and wet clothes are missing! He said that it happened because I told him to put it in a separate "supot" so that his clean clothes will not be soiled. When he got home, his clean clothes were not soiled but all his other clothes are missing! This year, Nico also got an award for being the student who goes to the library the most! I must say that he is really a bibliophile and I'm quite proud that we were able to develop this love for books in him. He is currently embroiled in the Inheritance trilogy and has finished Eragon and is halfway through Eldest. He likes to surf the net and go the alagaesia.com. His grades in Math and Filipino improved and during the 3rd quarter, he brought home an A average.

Liam finished Grade 2 and will be an incoming Grade 3 next schoolyear. In his school, he is very popular with his peers and almost everyone knows who Liam is, even the high schoolers. He is the one who before flag ceremony is dirty and drenched with sweat, as if its already the end of the day. He is the "chubby boy" who is very respectful and appreciative of everyone. He was the "police santa" in the School christmas program and will be a Santa for the rest of his grade school years, at least until he loses his baby fat. From the first quarter, his grades are mostly As and Bs. His grades are great, and he doesnt even try so hard. His conduct is satisfactory, need I say more? If there was a Mr. Congeniality contest, he'd win it, bar none..... This year, we were called to the office on account of Liam's employment of excessive physical force on a girl classmate whom he pushed. This poor girl twisted her ankle and had to be brought to the clinic where Joseph's mom attended to her. Upon further questioning, I found out that Liam pushed her while her back was turned away from him! I had to explain what treachery was and why it is an aggravating circumstance in criminal law..... Hehehe....

It has been a great year for the two kids. They joined the soccer club in school which met every Saturday in Burnham Park. I look at them and I get melancholy at how fast time flies. This year, Nico stopped wanting to accompany me wherever I went. It made me sad..... I look forward to another schoolyear but I have to decide, together with Joseph, what summer activities I will enroll them in..... Haaay!