10degrees

This is the view from the 7th floor here at Hof van Wageningen hotel where we are having our training on Participatory Planning Monitoring and Evaluation.

It is cold outside about ~10degrees celcius. I watched BBC weather ang it is snowing in the UK about 5cm of snow expected. But there is no snow here. We are warm here inside. But it is cold outside. We have a walking schedule late today at 5pm. Grrrrr

Ok time for tea

Breakfast Day 2

I ate a huge breakfast of scrambled eggs and lots of kiwi!

more later

Amsterdam Train System

We arrived at around 7 pm at the Schipol Aiport in Amsterdam. I am with Batshe from Dept of Agri,, Laarni from a consultancy firm then Ian from MinCode in Mindanao.

We got out train tickets direct to Wageningen for 8 pm just in time. The photo above is at platform 3 ( not 3/4 like Harry) I was half expecting to run trhough walls but nahh.

Good thing it was a direct trip we were still going to catch bus 88 at Ede-Wageningen.

The Netherlands

I am here at Wagenngen Netherlands. Arrived here yesterday evening after a 14 hour direct flight to Amsterdam. Then an hour train ride via Utrech to Ede Wageningen worth 14.50 euros and then bus to here for 2.40 euros.

There are 4 Pinoys here attending this 3 week fellowship. Mostly African, other countries include Brazil, Nepal, India, etc. will tell you all more about it later.

Yehey!!! finally in Europe for free!!! :)

Many many things happened this past two months that I was not able to share to all of you. Many great beginings!

I will try to give daily updates here.

I am back to blogging!

wish list

While on the train yesterday going back from my tiangge shopping for Christmas, my thoughts once again revolved around what I should get for my inaanak, my family, my nephew etc etc. And while I was also on checking out the stalls looking something I cant find anything that I want. At the end of the day, I had a huge bag of gifts.

Then I thought maybe I should be really clear of what I want. It would be really easy to shop if I have a clear idea in mind what I need and want for Christmas.

Well here goes my list. I am just putting this out there for the Universe.

1. Nikon D300 digital SLR camera- for the longest time I've been wanting to have a digital slr camera and been putting off buying one. Depending on our budget I might look into the Nikon D60 in Quiapo.

2. A compact digicam-- I want something that I can put in my small purse kind of camera aside from the dslr. This is truly indulging in my photography geekyness hehehe but want to catch those special moments wherever I find myself be it be in the palengke or a playdate in UP eating fish balls. This digicam is preferably water resist to 30meters as well so I can bring it with me to the beach and diving expeditions.

3. A pelican for all these gears of course when I am outdoors :)

4. Round trip tickets to Europe for Tatay, Baby and I to visit Ate Rose and Kuya Per in Sweden. Visit Vincent and Joy and the new baby in London.

5. Aerosole shoes both flat and heels (but not too high)even though I am always in my TNF shoes I love the idea that once in a while I can wear a real nice pair of heels. Maybe thow in a pair of dancing shoes as well since I'll be having my dance class regularly.

6. TNF jacket

7. to be continued

I will be making up a list for Baby soon :)

Sarap din mangarap :) libre naman di vah? kaya dadagdagan ko pa yan.

blessing received today

Today is a great day. I received a present from the Universe something that I've been wishing will soon be manifested in a couple of months. I will tell you more about it next year when it happens. I realized that it happened because I was able to receive the help of special people. I want to truly from the bottom of my heart thank you all today. You know who you are. I will be writing about this particular blessing next year.

Just wanted to say thank you to the Universe. And always be reminded in the future that life is good.

Salamat kay God :)

early sunday morning

Lately, I haven't shared my thoughts in this blog. But I've been wanting to write most of them. So many things happening at the same time. Because the memories seem to fade with time and we always tend to forget the little details that is why I've been meaning to have them written down. Only a journal can help me remember the simple, ordinary and mundane things that gives me so much joy. When I come back to read them, each detail is like a morsel which I can enjoy like small nuggets of my favorite chocolate mints.

Last Sunday morning, I got up really early to make it to my 7am Pilates and dance class date with Rolyn my dentist friend. Thanks to her, I discovered the Pilates and the Belly Dancing Class.

I snuck out of the house while Tatay and Baby are still asleep. Well, Tatay Amats was still half- asleep when I mentioned that I will be out for the most part of the morning. So there I was out of the house a few minutes before 7am on a Sunday morning. I thought it would be hard to get up since we love to sleep in specially during the weekends. But I was really happy to be up and about wearing my quick dry shirt I only put on during climbs and comfortable old pair of jogging pants on my way to my dance class. I can't remember when was the last time I had dance class. It was a happy thought that I am indeed going to one this morning.

There was a light morning breeze and the air was cool. The sun was just up in the horizon with a nice warm glow over the trees. I remembered the time when I was always out on hiking trips every weekend. I actually miss my weekend warrioring days. My wanderlust still is in my bones.

I arrived early but there was the earlier dance class so I took some time to do some brisk walking around the park for warm up. I was amazed at the number of people awake and enjoying the early Sunday morning. I thought, we are missing this wonderful hour to spend time outdoors. People from all ages were there: joggers, martial arts and arnis students, families with the grand parents, old and young running, walking their dog, teens playing ball and even small babies sleeping under trees. I smiled at the sight of all these people doing their own thing as I walk around enjoying the cool morning air. I felt alive and awakened in a familiar kind of way.

Then later I found Rolyn, Hannah and Rodney's mom already at hall. While waiting for the Belly dancing class, I joined the Pilates class for a short while but did not go through the whole routine. It was hard it reminded me of my lost Pilates workout dvd.

I was really happy to be dancing with women double my age but there were also a few much younger than me. It was a mixed group of women who seem to really love dancing. Everyone has their dance gear for belly dancing: that wrap around skirt with the coin-like tassels which is the signature piece of belly dancers. It was really fun to be with this group even though I don't have my dance gear yet they welcome me into the group.

The dance routine was as fun and happy as I expected it to be. But what surprised me is that it was indeed a great workout. I found myself with stitches on the side during the session. It was about an hour of classic belly dancing.

Next hour, we had some Polynesian dance routines (where the dance steps were very familiar because I had classes when I was in kindergarten) and the last hour was devoted to what they called Brazilian dance. But I felt it looked very much like Capoeira moves. I was really exhausted at the end. I was very much impressed with the older women twice my age who just danced away without a blink literally. This goes to show how I really need the exercise.

Dance class ended with people still smiling and sweating. I came up to ask the instructor about the dance gear. Really enjoyed myself and even entertained the idea of the recital next year :)

I got myself the full gear for belly dancing! Now I am hooked!

Pasko na naman

I've been pondering about how we collectively and individually celebrate Christmas. I chanced upon a blog that inspired me to write some thoughts about the season.

Usually it is a time of giving and receiving. Only birthday I know that even people who are not believers still celebrate. Our manner of celebration varies depending on our beliefs and upbringing. But for the majority there seems to be a constant: "gift" as tokens of love.

I realized the truth of the saying: to be able to give love, you have to have love in your heart. Your love tank at least should be refilled when we continuously do the business of being human. Christmas is a great opportunity to give love and receive love as well.

Recently, I observed that most people busy shopping have a list of people that they need to buy gifts. Some people even made it to a science on how to shop, wrap and deliver gifts to the long list of family, inaanak, workmates and friends.

But what struck me with this routine was that rarely do we see people have a clear list of what they want for themselves. A blog of young lady that I regularly read because of her levelheadedness, quirky and well written thoughts gave me some perspective. She is one of those people that seem to have it all but in a well adjusted kind of way. I've seen her list for this year which is more of need than wants. But what was inspiring is for her to share these with a note of "not-expecting-anyone-to-buy-me-these-note". But there she published it. She just put it there for the Universe to bring to her.

A balanced perspective I thought.

My Anak, My Teacher

I have resisted talking about being a mom. I guess the resistance comes from the fact that it is too close to the heart. And to write about it in this blog lets say that it's in a manner of speaking to make oneself vulnerable.

Raising a child is indeed a great responsibility. Now I am being taught the lessons of life by my child.

She teaches me patience 24/7. Potty training is still a struggle. Its 1:25am in the wee hours of the morning and we are awake trying to clean up her nappy half asleep.

She teaches me how to be selfless, truly thinking of another before thinking of myself. Buying clothes and shoes for her is a joy not a task. It is a joy to see her eat well specially when she tries to get that morsel about to enter my mouth.

She opens my eyes to the wonder of very ordinary things. The joy of discovery and learning the most basic things. It was pure joy to hear her count, identify shapes and colors, connecting that the letter W is the symbol of Wonder Pets saying Hi to Mingming whenever she sees the letter.

She teaches me to be respectful. Saying "sorry" even if it was my mistake. I am truly humbled.

She teaches me to face the challenge of being a good parent. Her tantrums are a reflection of my own actions. I am ashamed of some of the things that she saw. But sometimes my guard is down but still it is not an excuse to not be vigilant always.

There are many many more daily challenges that we try to overcome. There are also many small victories.

I thought I would be an excellent parent, that "I will be that" and "I will not be that" because I've seen it done. But life will just surprise you. I thought being an aunt will prepare me for parenthood. But I was wrong.

Still I look forward to the many years that my anak will teach me. I look forward to the many memories that we will make together.

I love you anak!

expedition

When I got back from my trip to the US, I had back to back workshops one at UP then right after that a video coral monitoring, diving expedition.

At that time I haven't recovered yet from jet lag I think. But it was worth it to see the ocean again. I love diving. I love my work. I just wish that I can spend more time in the field than indoors.

Here are some pictures of the expedition. The divers are from all over the country from many different project sites. We were there to learn more about video monitoring. There were lots of work-- manual labor because we need to deploy transect blocks plus monitor the fish and corals. There were 3 teams of 5 people each.

It was a very tight schedule with 3 sites to be monitored with at least 6 transect readings of 50meters each. We were exhausted (is an understatement) because we need to review the videos at night.

On top of all of these, we had some defective equipment (very risky when diving as you life depends on your equipment). Then on top of that there was a brewing storm "Igme" at that time. Emotions and exhaustion got the best of me when I returned to Manila.

But I still love what I do. I still miss the ocean.

Deaths

The past weekend was a time for me to reflect again on death and dying. Nov 1 is the time of year that we remember those who passed away. Remembering our family and friends who have departed this Earth is always always melancholy. It reminds me of many things and more than that the many lesser deaths that we experience everyday.

The last week of October seem to fill me with many reminders of loved ones who passed away.

Some truths are unbelievable than fiction sometimes. My lola who died in 1988 just got her lapida (tombstone). I only realized the past weeks that it would be her 20th death anniversary this coming Nov 30th. I dont know whose fault it is but in her original lapida something was wrong typo error of some sort that I cant exactly recall. Many years has passed and it was only this year that a lapida finally marked where she was buried. It was a mix of emotions for me.

I was wondering and I cant even hide my disappointment to my father. I was wondering whose obligation was it to be responsible of making sure that my lola's grave was marked?

Also it has been 4 years since my Tita has died and her grave was still unmarked until last Nov 1.

Then last Oct 29th my phone reminded me that it is the birthday of one of my closest friend who died recently Rex.

All these thoughts has been running through my mind while I stare at the candle burn away on that Saturday afternoon.

My mind drifted to the many lesser deaths that we encounter everyday.

When a good friend moves away to relocate to another home. You never get to see them more often and it seems a lesser death.

When you move on from one work to another. You leave behind co-workers and friends and the home that you made there like what I felt when I left Palawan after working there for a year. it felt like a lesser death. Tears came flowing at that time. it seems that clouds would not go away.

But then again things happen for a reason. A design that we cannot fully grasp until it is revealed to us. These lesser deaths made me strong, taught me a lesson and even with the thought of my own immortality, in an uncanny way, made me resolve to live a better life.

urging me to make every moment count. realize that life is finite and even so with the lesser deaths, we strive to live it to the fullest.

Kayaking at the Arboretum

This map is definitely not drawn to scale! But it will give you an idea where we paddled along. We went to the East going into Lake Washington and decided to explore the arboretum which is actually a park. But here, you it was not indicated the many boats that we encountered along the way. Before reaching that small passage we had to literally cross the lake and go to the other side because it is like driving we need to stay on the right. My muscles were stiff and my heart pounding. Even with the cool air I can feel the sweat beads on my forehead.

We encountered several boat while passing that small canal were we had difficulty balancing the kayak because of the wake. it was more like wake boarding while kayaking hehehe. Anyway, before reaching the arboretum, we paddled under the freeway! Could you imagine that all these happening while the afternoon traffic is speeding on the freeway. Eventually we had some rest when we arrived near the park. There were families with children spending time at bank of the lake. I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures because of course my hands holding the paddle and feet are busy stirring the rudder. We had to completely stop and reach for the dry bag and carefully take out the camera to take these shots! It was challenging to say the least.

But all is well and we got to enjoy and relax when we reach the arboretum.

On the way back we passed by UW (locally pronounced you-dub) buti na lang I watch Kyle xy kaya alam ko kung pano ito i-pronounce ng mga local. We passed by their zoological boat. It was late afternoon and almost 2 1/2 hours passed, the sun was glaring. I realized that I need to get a pair of good shades. The guys were waiting for us "the slowboat este kayak" in every major bend.

With aching arms we parked and returned the kayak and ready for a big dinner!

hindi biro na Kayak

Here we go! All geared up with life vest and our skirts, we headed to the dock. We got two double kayaks. What I was afraid of when paddling in a busy lake are the big boats that will pass you by and leave behind a huge wake, making it difficult to maintain your balance in the kayak. Not to mention the probability of turning over.

We were given an orientation on how to operate the Kayak and some safety guidelines. Out in the lake the bigger boats have the right of way. Suffice it to say that we are at the bottom of the totem pole. So if ever a boat comes passing by we need to think and paddle fast to be out of the way! At this point my heart was pounding just looking at how huge and busy the lake is. This is going to be one challenging afternoon.

This kayak has rudders which make it more complicated than the sit-on-top kayak that most resorts have here in the Philippines. Here is the link where you will know more about operating this kind of kayaks.

We are instructed how to properly board the kayak. You have to hold down the paddle on your back half of it on the dock and half of it on the kayak to maintain balance while you try to shoot yourself inside while holding onto the paddle. Wheeew! And that is just getting inside the kayak mind you. See the rim around our seats? That is where we will attach our kayak skirts.

Kayak skirts!

We had to wear this Kayak skirts. I've tried Kayaking before in Palawan at Dos Palmas, then in Coron, and also in the lagoons of El Nido. I know it is a bit tiring for the arms but I've always enjoyed all my Kayak expeditions. But all of them before was sit-on-top type of kayaks and we always have a back up boat just in case. But little did I expect that this was a more serious Kayaking expedition in the fresh waters of Lake Washington.

Lake Washington

Lake Washington is the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington.

When I was in Seattle I saw that almost everywhere we go there is water either a view of the ocean or a lake while driving. It would be really nice to have your own boat and explore these. Also observed that people here love the outdoors. They seem more relaxed than the big city.

Lake Washington is a ribbon lake, which are long, narrow and finger-like. Ribbon lakes were formed thousands of years ago during the ice age through glaciation: as the glacier bulldozed through a valley (glacial trough), it met bands of harder and softer rock. more info from Wikipedia

After having some ice cream early in the afternoon we decided to go Kayaking at Lake Washington. And of course we need to get back to M and L's apartment to put on sunblock and borrow some extra clothes.

a pictorial

while exploring one of the viewpoints in Seattle, we chanced upon a wedding pictorial. I love taking photos of interesting mundane things when people are trying to have that picture perfect shot. I love the children at play and all of the entourage all dolled up :)

Fremont Street Art

lunch at the Center of the Universe

Seattle's left bank renowned as its most artistically eccentric community, Fremont wavers whimsically somewhere in time between 50's or 60's and the 23rd century (excerpt from the Walking Guide in the photo). Fremont reminds me about Quezon City. The rocket is one of the many street art one can find while walking around Fremont. The rocket monument which marks the official Center of the Universe.

We went to have lunch with Mike and Le at Fremont's Blue Sushi. Its an authentic sushi bar complete with conveyor belt or kaiten. This was my very first time to eat in a kaiten Japanese restaurant. I realized much later into the meal that the price of the sushi is based on the color of the plate. You can just pick up from the conveyor belt or if you want something specific and cannot find it in the kaiten, you can order it directly from the crew. It was one of the best Japanese food I've tasted in a long time.

Blue Sushi 2066342575 at 3411 Fremont Ave.

write down your dreams

This is the title of one of the chapters of Bo Sanchez book. Then followed by this quote:

"There are no limits to the mind except those that we acknowledge"
--Napoleon Hill

Ferry Boat to Bainbridge

Early the next day as in before 8am I think, I met up with Mayang and we set out for a full day's adventure. First on the list is to take the ferry to Bainbridge. It's an island just off the coast of Seattle. The salt water was an energizer. Plus I get a different perspective of the city.

The Fish Ladder

photo by Daisy Flores-Salgado (c)

photo by Daisy Flores-Salgado (c)

"At the Fish Ladder, a 21-step water "ladder" allows fish to swim upstream or downstream on a gradual incline, bypassing the locks. Adult salmon return from the sea from June to November, steelhead salmon return to spawn from January through April, and young salmon make their way out to sea in May and June. An underwater viewing gallery lets visitors watch the fish from underwater." Source from here.

I was surprised to see that there is a Fish Ladder under the Locks where you can actually observe the Salmon swim upstream through the underground window which looks like an aquarium but it is not. The locks allow the passage of the Salmon which is amazing.

Ballard Locks

We visited the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks locally known as Ballard locks. The locks were made to maintain the fresh water Lake Washington and Lake Union above sea level. Also to prevent the mixing of salt water of Puget Sound with the two lakes or prevent salt water intrusion and to move boats from the water level of the lakes to the water level of Puget sound.

My uncle who is usually on a hurry was eagerly waiting for the movement of boats and the whole ceremony of closing and opening the locks. I was wondering if he dreams of owning one of those yatch. Later we went to the fish ladder which I will share in the next post.

Requiem for Rex

Banahaw circa 1994. This photo taken at the summit of Mt. Banahaw was my first ever climb to a mountain. This climb literally and figuratively made an indelible mark in my life that made me take the path where I am today.

Rex C. Perez was one great great best friend that I ever had in my life. He is the one holding the flag in the photo. I could write a whole novel of the many adventures that we had. He was the one who taught me how to dance the swing! He helped transform this barrio lass from Laguna. Introduced to me to various genres of music. We hiked the summit of Mt. Halcon of Mindoro and Mt. Kanlaon of Negros. We rode the banana boat in Boracay, explored the Mag-aso falls in Bohol. We worked together at MFI for the urban poor and explored the communities of Payatas. We would jog and train and then binge at Tia Maria's with margarita and fajitas. We would eat Lapid's and say eat and die a happy man. He loved eating ice cream with beer. We explored the dunes of Ilocos Norte and can make a documentary from all the pictures of the old churches that we visited. He met all the loves of my life. Amats and I spent a week visiting him when he retired back to Iloilo. We explored Guimaras and Miag-ao. The last time I saw him was Oct 2007 a bit on the heavy side and last time I talked to him was June 2008 just after typhoon Frank flooded Iloilo. Over the phone I knew that he was at the hospital but his voice never hinted that it was his last weeks. I love his laugh. He passed away while I was in the US. Sad that I didn't get to see him. But I will always remember that laugh. We love you Rex.

on a tailwind

I found an old book of mine. Actually it was Amats who found it and asked "sa yo ba ito?" . One look and I remember this little treasure of a book that I own that I haven't opened in years. Its The Woman's Book of Soul" by Sue Patton Thoele. I guess I need to read it as it found its way to me again.

Last night and this morning I was indeed searching for some empowerment and encouraging words. I feel a bit wasted the past days. I wanted to recharge myself and I realized that I find comfort and happiness reading my old entries in this blog as well as reading my books of affirmations one of which is this book that I will share a verse with you. This morning I read a most timely message that I knew was meant for me to read today. I want to share this with you.

I quote:

Flying on a Tailwind

Abundance could be described as the knack of living in an attitude of gratitude. If we constantly run on fast forward, frantically trying to keep up with what should and must be done, without taking a break to restore ourselves and count our blessings, we'll soon run out of gas. Stopping for a rest, pausing to see the real wonder in our world, and making room for interludes of thankfulness helps give us the energy to keep going.

Gratitude is the tailwind that enables us to travel farther and faster.

Give yourself the priceless gift of extricating yourself from the whirlwind for a few minutes and write down all the things, just within sight, for which you feel grateful. expand your list to include people and circumstances out of sight. As a bonus, add to your list some intangibles--attitudes, experiences, philosophies, etc. Looking at your list, allow your heart to open in a flow of gratitude and appreciation.

Flying with a tailwind of gratitude helps us savor the effortless times and move more quickly through the turbulent times.

I am grateful for my life
I appreciate life both the chaff and the grain

Pike Place Market

One of the nicest public markets that I've ever visited. Seattle's Pike Place Market . The fruits on offer are screaming at me to taste them. I love berries! It also tells you that it is summer time there when I visited last month. Like all markets, this one is full of vibrant colors and people. The are also lots of flowers and art works on offer that I will show you in the coming post.

A week or two ago, I was walking in Trinoma and passed by Seattle's Best Coffee Shop. Something caught my eye, the huge wall paper shows a very familiar sign and I remembered it was the part of the top photo above. :)

Simple Joys

While I was in Seattle, I was happy to get a taste of the food and music festival called Bite of Seattle. Here in this photo above, I got a freebie starbuko-frap-wat-hav-u hehehe because I cannot remember the flavor so I made that up. Simple joys indeed as I took my time sipping this cup. I just had one at the Needle.

All the while, I was hoping to go to Seattle's Best Coffee Shop somewhere in this city. I was asking my Tita if we can visit a shop. But to my surprise she said there is none. I can't imagine Seattle not having Seattle's Best Coffee. She did mention that they have them as concessionaire in the canteen but she never visit a shop. I kept my eyes peeled but lo and behold there was none. I did see several Starbucks cafe.

Anyway, thanks to them for the free drink! It gave me enough energy to walk all the way to Pike's Market coming up in the next post!

P.S. I didn't realize that Bill Gates live in this city until someone at the top of the Needle mentioned it.

Dream Journal

I just learned that Charice will be fulfilling one of her dreams in her dream journal. She will be having a duet with Celine Dion this weekend. I saw some clips of her Oprah guesting. I was indeed moved.

Amats and I were talking and I shared: "Yes, how can dreams come true? You have to have a dream first". I added that it is really good to have a dream journal when people see it they might just help you fulfill it.

Naiisip ko din si Bugoy (my favorite in the now ending season 2 of Pinoy Dream Academy) sabi ni Bugoy, hindi nya akalain matupad ang mga pangarap nya at dagdag pa nya mangangarap na rin lang lubuslubusin mo na libre naman. (When you dream, dream big, anyway, its free.)

kakatuwa lang!