Oprah has Serious Clout

Brian and I braved the mob at Payless on Friday to avail of the “50% off everything in the store” offer that Oprah advertised on her show, which I would not have known about it if not for Angie and Pam. The offer was good on Thursday and Friday. It was serious mayhem. When Oprah advertises a business, it’s really scary. It was complete and total mayhem at Payless last night while we were there.

I have to recognize Brian for being a the best husband in the world, because most husbands would not have gone with their wives. Brian not only went, but he held my place in line as I continued to browse the aisles. I think he was in line for over 30 minutes. God bless his heart. I’m glad he did, because it gave me a chance to pick up some shoes for the boys (our nephews Logan and Eli).

Not only did he hold my place in line, but he held this other woman’s place in line also. She was ahead of him in line and he watched her stuff and moved it forward as appropriate, which allowed her to continue to shop without losing her place in line. She was rather indecisive.

“I did my good deed for the day,” Brian said as we were leaving.

“I know,” I told him. “Thank you, baby. I really appreciate it.”

“I wasn’t talking about going with you,” he replied. “I was talking about holding that other woman’s place in line.”

“Oh,” I said. “She really should have brought her own husband.” LOL.

I did my good deed that evening, too. I had made duplicate copies of the coupon. Every time I heard someone say that they did not have a coupon, I gave them one. That way they didn’t have to scramble and figure out the number to text to or search for coupon or what not.

Speaking of Brian being the best, he drove me to Beau Monde this afternoon for the facial (microdermabration) that he scheduled for me as a birthday gift. After dropping me off at Beau Monde, he went to Victoria’s Secret to claim my free panty so I didn’t have to go. Isn’t he just the best?!

October 31, 2009 | Posted by Ching under Life

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Dancing the Night Away at Park Cafe

After the homecoming-slash-birthday party, we all decided to go to Park Cafe for some outdoor ballroom dancing. We hesitated to go at first because it was kind of rainy, but then it stopped raining just in time. I had worried that the ballroom dancing had been canceled, but Tanjayanons are true dancing die-hards who wouldn’t let a little rain keep them from their Park Cafe. It was a smaller turn out than usual, but more than I expected considering the weather.

I’m glad that we went because I ran into my cousin George Ramirez (Jojie). He is a lot younger than I am so we didn’t really get to know each other until my last visit to Tanjay in 1998. Being an internet addict, I went to Mozcom all the time. Jojie happened to work there and that is how we met. He is the only relative I have on that side who is always so eager and proud to claim me as a cousin. Maybe it’s because we are both from Tabuc. LOL.

The dance floor was pretty slick from the rain, but that didn’t stop us. We are die-hards after all. True Tanjayanons to the very core.

Below is a photo of mom with Inday Milet, Inday Roquesa (Jojie’s mom) and Manong Tikboy (Inday Milet’s husband).

The local dance instructors (DI) and their fabulous dance moves kept everyone busy.

Brian danced with me despite his glaring dress code violation. Apparently, you have to wear a nice shirt, pants and shoes in order to be able to participate in the dancing. No shorts or flip-flops. Since we were going to be in a hot, tropical climate, Brian didn’t pack any collared shirts. The two linen pants (we figured that any other material would be too hot) that he did bring with him were both dirty.

We decided to go as we were. He tried to stay away from the dance floor and was pretty content watching us dance with the DIs, but eventually gave in to the call of the music (also known as my pleadings). LOL.

Daddy, who was also in improper attire, danced with mom as well.

We didn’t really care that we were violating the dress code. No one was going to be able to keep us from participating in the dancing and missing out on all that fun.

Auntie Joy has some awesome dance moves and could be a DI herself. She is a fantastic dancer.

Mom ran into an old friend from school, Oning.

No trip to Tanjay is complete without doing some ballroom dancing at Park Cafe. Everyone had a fabulous time.

October 25, 2009 | Posted by Ching under Family, Things to Do, Travel

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Mom’s Birthday Party – Filipino Style

We all had our nails done on the day of mom’s party. Well, all of us except for Brian. Even dad got his nails done.

The nail tech who came over, Nory (not sure of the spelling), is the official manikyurista of Tabuc. She goes to everyone’s homes to do their nails. For instance, going to Auntie Jessica’s house every couple of weeks and to Mama Iyay’s house every month.

Nail services in the Philippines are pretty inexpensive. My manicure and pedicure cost me less than $2, even after tip. It’s not like a spa mani and pedi but, for the nail tech to actually come to your house and perform the service, that’s huge. That way you don’t have to get your toenails muddy. =)

Earlier that same day, Uncle Wesley came by and gave mom a bouquet of flowers picked from his beautiful garden (which is next to mom and dad’s house). Mom and I thought that was very thoughtful of him.

I’m not sure what kind of flower that it, but it is very pretty.

Brian did a great job of moving the car out of the car port so we could make room for the tables. Auntie Neneng’s car is stick shift and with the steep incline and the narrowness of the carport, it was very tricky. However, Brian managed to move the car out without the use of a rock (I noticed the others, including Cholo who chauffeured us around whenever we used the car, have to do that before they can switch from reverse to drive). This is further proof of Brian’s expert stick shift driving ability. Go, baby!

With the car out of the way, dad was able to clean the tile floor using walis ting-ting (stick broom) and water. The carport doubles as a patio, when there is no car parked. The architecture of mom and dad’s house in Opao is actually really creative and functional. Did I mention that, besides the tile floors, the walls are tiled also? This way you never have to worry about wooden walls rotting or having to get the walls repainted. I think the tile walls withstand the strong rainstorms better than regular walls also. Their house is very well-suited to the local climate.

Later in the afternoon, the soda arrived. Mostly Coke, but there was some Sprite also. In bottles of course.

Coke is the drink of choice in the Philippines. Brian knows this first hand now. Once you cross the Pacific Ocean to the other continent and arrive in the Philippines, Coke tastes like Pepsi (which is our – when I say our, I mean Brian and me – cola of choice here) and Pepsi tastes like bad watered-down cola.

We set up extra tables and chairs around the house. Okay, so someone else set up the tables and chairs for us. We helped a little, though.

There were tables and chairs in the carport/patio and also the front porch. We have a huge extended family so we had to make sure there was enough seating for everyone.

There was so much food that we had a lot of leftovers the next day. Check out FOODIES for pictures of the dishes that were served.

Check out the slide show below for pictures from the party.

October 25, 2009 | Posted by Ching under Family, Flickr, Food

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Another Photobook

I made a photobook of our family. I created this one through Shutterfly.

Click here to view this photo book larger.

If you’re thinking of a holiday gift idea, photobooks are usually a home run.

My Publisher

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Blurb

Offering 20% OFF and FREE SHIPPING on orders placed by November 24. Use promo code BLURBTREAT.

Mixbook

No software to download. Grab your pictures from Flickr quickly and easily.

Shutterfly

No software to download. FREE SHIPPING on orders over $30 using promo code SHIP30. Other offers are available on their web site. Offer ends October 28.

October 24, 2009 | Posted by Ching under Family, Tips

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V: First Look

Brian and I are super excited about this show. Can’t wait!

October 24, 2009 | Posted by Ching under Videos

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This Little Piggy Went to Tiangge

I went to the tiangge with mom at least a couple of times. When I say tiangge, I mean the Tanjay public market. That’s where most people buy their meats, fruits, and vegetables. Mom said that Mama Iyay used to take her to the tiangge also when she was younger. Now instead of her and Mama Iyay, her and I are going to the market.

The first time we went, we bought stuff at Tip-Tip Store. We went at like 5 AM (because we were still somewhat messed up as a result of the time difference) and none of the other stores were open. It was rather fortuitous, though, because the owner of Tip-Tip Store Manong Lito is a childhood friend of Tito Rocky, mom’s older brother.

A tobacco vendor at the tiangge…

The freshly slaughtered meat was a little unnerving, but it didn’t keep me from eating pork. That’s true pork love for you. LOL.

I think the funniest part about going to the market was running into the creepy crazy woman who told mom, “Wala kay kalaki!” LOL. She also commented on mom’s “sininang putol” because she thought mom looked partially clothed, I guess. Mom and I busted up laughing. We laughed all the way back to the house.

October 21, 2009 | Posted by Ching under Travel

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All Natural

Papang Joe rolls his own smokes, so Brian got to try a “natural” cigarette.

It was tobacco grown in the backyard, rolled in a berry leaf pulled off the tree in the front yard. I’m not so sure about this info, but Brian says that is what he was told.

October 21, 2009 | Posted by Ching under Travel

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Visiting the Cemetery

We initially planned to visit the cemetery on Wednesday, October 7, Papa Osing’s birthday. I had borrowed a couple of umbrellas from Tito Ope because I couldn’t get my hair wet. I was ready to go, but the weather would not cooperate. The rain continued nonstop. No else one wanted to go that day. I was a little disappointed, but they promised me that we would go before we left.

We planned to postpone until the following Monday, our last full day in Tanjay. However, we had nothing else on Saturday as my power plant tour was moved to Sunday, October 11. Saturday turned out to be a somewhat nice day. It still drizzled a little, but it was nice enough (compared to the torrential rain we’d been having the previous days) that we were all able to go. Manong Jovilo, Auntie Inday, mom, dad, Brian and I all went. We piled into Manong Jovilo’s Easy Ride.

We figured we might as well go while we can, instead of waiting until Monday. You never know what will happen. If it started raining again, then we might not get to go at all. That would really be disappointing.

There used to be only one cemetery in Tanjay. Now there are two because the original cemetery had gotten overcrowded. Here are some photos from the old cemetery, where my great grandparents are buried…

Overcrowded is not an exaggeration. Graves are literally stacked one on top of another. So when Mama Priscilla passed, she was buried at Serenity (the new cemetery). Papa Osing was buried there also.

Serenity is a lot less crowded than the old cemetery. Actually, it wasn’t crowded at all. Half of the cemetery was still open so there were tons of plots available and then there is vacant land adjacent to the cemetery so there is further room to expand. Serenity is a lot nicer so I can understand why people are choosing to be buried there. It is much more expensive than the old cemetery.

The plan is to build a mausoleum around Papa Osing’s grave. The mausoleum is yet to be designed, but I think that shelves will line the walls so that the urns of those who plan to be cremated (like dad and some of his other siblings) can be stored in the mausoleum with their parents. Mama Priscilla’s grave is located at a different part of the cemetery, but after five years they can move her remains next to Papa Osing’s so they can be together.

I think mom and dad both want to be cremated so it will be easier for us to bring them back home to the Philippines. I told them that they will need to leave detailed instructions so Jenni and I don’t mess anything up. LOL.

October 21, 2009 | Posted by Ching under Family

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Rain, Blech

It did not stop raining at all, the entire time we were in Tanjay. =P

October 19, 2009 | Posted by Ching under Travel

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Cousin Gladys

This is a photo of mom with my cute cousin, Gladys. She is now 13. The funny thing is that Tito Ope keeps calling Gladys “Ching” because he remembers me from when I was 13, the last time that we really got to spend time together.

I suppose Gladys is a lot like me at age 13, except she’s probably more well-behaved than I ever was. She is very quiet and respectful, and doesn’t ever forget to mano. I was kind of a pain. LOL.

It rained nonstop during the week of our stay in Tanjay so we were pretty much stuck at the house. I had all of these things I wanted to do, but the weather wouldn’t cooperate. It was quite boring.

On Tuesday afternoon we decided to go to the salon to get our hair done. We were all pretty bored at this point. Even Brian came with us.

We decided to hail a cab (not a taxi cab, a pedicab – LOL) to take us there. It was a modified pedicab (a motorcycle with an attached sidecar) that could fit half a dozen people at least. Normally, these cabs can only accommodate 4 or 5 people at the most. I suppose the more people a driver can fit in the pedicab, the more money they can make.

Here are some pictures of us taken at the salon:

Gladys and I both had our hair rebonded. This is a Japanese hair straightening method that turns wavy or curly hair straight and it lasts 6 to 8 months depending on how well you take care of your hair. The process and products used are slightly different than hair relaxing.

Here is the result:

The result of hair rebonding is stick straight hair. My hair pretty much dries completely straight right now, without the use of a flat iron. It’s awesome. I have heard/read that hair rebonding is bad for your hair so I’m kind of scared to flat iron my hair because it might not be as strong as it once was. I was told I can’t flat iron my hair with the flat iron set above 180 degrees. I think the lowest setting on my flat iron is 300 degrees. Still not sure what to do about that. So far I’ve just been air drying my hair for the most part. Although, I did use a hair dryer once at Plantation Bay.

Anyway, time for me to get ready for work. Stay tuned for more trip recap.

October 19, 2009 | Posted by Ching under Family, Travel

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