Looking back on my childhood years, I have been to Zambales a couple of times. But I have never had a clear memory of this province until I made this trip with my family and friends of family in a wonderful weekend last April.


Zambales is a province in Central Luzon. In approximately 4-5 hours from Quezon City, Metro Manila, the route includes a drive along North Luzon Expressway towards Subic, Olongapo. From Subic, travel could get easier towards Zambales and its nearby towns to Olongapo.

San Antonio, the fourth out of thirteen towns, was our destination in Zambales. It has fourteen barangays including Pundaquit, wherein we stayed and spent our nature trip.



Capones Vista Beach Resort, which is a private beach resort located at the heart of San Antonio, showcases the beauty of the Capones Islands. It has a good number of houses and rooms, big and small, depending on the number of people staying. It composes of a cafeteria and bar in front, shower rooms, outdoor tables and chairs, and two pools--a 6 feet square-sized pool and a square-sized kiddie pool that was semi-infinity pool. Overall, the resort has a classy and fresh vibe. It was such a beautiful place to stay considering the price.


The resort gave us a family room with two beds, a cable-ready TV, a bathroom, and a veranda in front. Located just across the swimming pool, we got a good view of the whole resort.

One restless island hopping to Anawangin, Capones Island, Camara Island, Nagsasa Cove, and Pundaquit Falls could be the perfect itinerary. But one day of a relaxing island hopping could include a trip to Anawangin, Capones Island, and Camara Island or could even be interchanged with the other two. I was surprised to find out that there were many things to see here. No doubt nature lovers would love this place.



With two days to spare, we scheduled our boat trip to Anawangin first. We rented a boat and a nipa hut with a bamboo table and built-in bamboo chairs. Our family friends brought cooked lunch and rice for our picnic lunch. Because we arrived in the island nearly 12 noon, we had no choice but to eat. All of us were starving!


Exploring Anawangin could have been more fun if we have gone to the Nagsasa Cove and visited the Pundaquit Falls. But we had no time left so we just swam, roamed around the campsite, and attempted to look over the forest at the back.










Next, we walked over Anawangin's sandy beach towards the rocky side of the island. Here, many people were enjoying taking pictures while the clear blue water and neverending waves were splashing beneath their knees.






In our itinerary, the islands came in next. Before we headed off to the islands, we first visited the lighthouse sitting on top of one island. But the current was really getting bigger and we had to swim towards the island so we voted off the lighthouse. We made straight to Camara Island, wherein a beautiful pebbled shore and surrounded by green and rocky background came to view. Breathtaking! We jumped out of the boat a few meters away from the shore.

And the real fun comes in...




Then we discovered a great place to relax, have fun, talk, and take pictures.





At around 3 o'clock, we left the island and the boat carried us back to Capones Vista. We had a hard time docking the boat due to the waves. But the boat men soon found a place a little far from the resort. We all had to make this heavy sandy walk.



While the sun on the background was slowly coming down, the single women relaxed in the kiddie pool and talked. The sun was still shining brightly but the pool was slightly lit, shielding us from the sun rays. We got no pictures to prove it but it was one of the best and most beautiful times.



One more thing, the sunset in Capones Vista was a must-see. With a panoramic view of the sea, anyone would wish to gaze at the radiant red orange sun and skies forever.

With plenty of time to spare during the evening, we drove for an hour and a half to Olongapo City wherein we visited the M/V Logos Hope and had dinner at Coco Lime. Usually, it could only be a 30-minute drive but a traffic jam impeded it.


For the second time to some of us and the first time to most of us, we entered the ship with pretty smiles and excitement. My Mom got pretty excited with the books she found that she totally bought a bunch while my Dad resorted to the CDs of different Christian artists. I just bought one book I could use for teaching. Nothing much really changed with their stocks. This time, I got a few pictures of what's inside from my brother's phone. Sorry, they were all cookbooks... GAAH..



Eating at Coco Lime was the perfect way to fill up our empty stomachs. We ordered various foods which we ate happily. The pineapple rice is definitely a must-have! If someone could only franchise this restaurant in Manila, then it would have been a big hit already. Way to go, Coco Lime!





The following morning, the resort served us our breakfast at the outdoor table in front of the pool. It was nice complimentary breakfast. I forgot to take pictures of the dishes but they were alright. They asked us our orders late at night while we were hanging out in the veranda. By the way, the whole place was Wi-Fi ready.

We checked out at 11 o'clock and had lunch at Espresso Cafe, Subic Bay. They served us literally BIG pizzas, overflowing pica picas, pasta, steak, and fries.




Anyone could definitely have the right to say, "How unhealthy!"But it did make the hunger go away.

Then we bid our goodbyes several times until we parted our ways in Mindanao Avenue. Before I forget, Quezon City people should take this road to the expressway because it is much easier.

Haaaay. Zambales, you are unforgettable. How I wish I could make another trip to the beach before summer ends but looks like I would only have summer classes and city hang outs waiting for me.

Starting January, we started planning for my parents' Silver Wedding Anniversary. Mommy appointed some tasks to me such as the invitation, the dance, photoshoots, gown fitting, photographers, and many other little things. Being an amateur on planning weddings, I decided to trust God about every little thing that I would do for the preparation. And as it turned out, all went well despite the disappointments that have risen up along the way. I would not trade the experience for anything at that time.

Wedding Invitation

My mother wanted the invitation to be simple, elegant, and of course, purple. The main idea was to make 3D paper cranes and put them on a background of an old musical sheet. But it did not quite match with the designs of the inner page of the invitation because they were a little Western and Medieval. So Mom decided to use the paper cranes somewhere else. At first, I was so disappointed with her decision because I have reached 120 paper cranes already (60 made by Josephine and Arvin; 60 made by me). But then I realized that she was right. I just made the border design and cover photo and also chose fonts that would best fit the invitation. Then Mom brought everything to someone who could put them together easily, someone with plenty of free time.


The paper cranes were then used for another purpose. They served as designs on the table. The night before the wedding, Mom told me that I still needed to make 60 more. I made it all to 190 paper cranes all in all by myself until the next morning. Great God.

From making these paper cranes and invitation, I learned that one should always have an open mind. Pushing my ideas into action and not letting other ideas get into my way would only lead to disaster. I learned to be considerate of other people's opinions as well.





Mash-Up Dance

Dancing has always been my passion so I had no trouble with this fun task. We had four meetings once a week, either Saturday or Sunday afternoon. We did a remix of Marry You and the Glee mashup version of Halo and Walking On Sunshine. The dance became a Glee-like moment! We improvised some of the steps they made in Glee and also added some new ones. We enjoyed making it and dancing to it so much. It ignited our love back into dancing. And funny as it seemed, some street dance moves even came out while we were making it. Uh-oh! We had to be more of prim and proper in this dance. Hahaha!

Twitter Status: Heaven is a little like earth, without the bad days. (LittlePinkBook) Today, I had a taste of heaven for I spent it with great women. #TYGod

While making the dance, I realized who my true girl friends were. I really have nothing against my other friends but I'm glad I saw the ones who would be there for me always. Those people who said "I will always be here for you" and meant it. Well, my girl friends were exactly like that and they were even more excited for my parents than us. It seemed like the friends who also became our parents' friends were the ones who lasted.

Photographers

The task of finding photographers and videographers for the event were totally difficult. I sent messages to my photographer friends and some of they said yes but then cancelled later on. Yeah, define disappointments. But somewhere along the way, I still found the rightful photographers to man the event. They were blessings to us. :-)

I have learned that it is always a must to get prepared for the disappointments. No matter how hard I tried for everything to go well, there would always be something that would go wrong. The only thing that I needed to do was to get ready for it and set a backup plan to save it. In planning this weekend, God was my backup. I became still and remained in faith. He did give me what we were looking for at the right time.

I Won't Give Up

Our family's first recorded song version of "I Won't Give Up" (Jason Mraz) was done in the wonderful Magsaysay residence, the home of a good family friend of ours. Assigned with our own tasks: Mom and Dad sang the vocals, Paul played the guitar, Luke played the beatbox, and I played the keyboards, we finished the song in 7 hours straight (with less than an hour lunch break of course). Even though Jason Mraz's lyrics and melody were a little hard for my parents, we did not give up! Yeah!

Moi at keys

Les Paul

The lead vocalist (Yeahes Dad!)

Little Drummer Boy

Dad and Mom practicing with lyrics

"Iniibig Kita"

Gown Fitting



My Mom blew me away when she wore her gown. She looked so lovely. Simply beautiful Mom. Her dress looked really elegant on her and very suitable to her charm and character. I knew Dad would fall in love with her more on that day.

Because I am the maid-of-honor, I also had my own cocktail dress made. I paid for it with God's Grace and intervention. Haha! It just looked really simple and lovely. I am happy I could easily wear it again for future parties.

Mi Familia Photoshoots
Mom chose to wear the wedding gown she wore 25 years ago. Isn't that lovely?!?! I think it looked so vintage-perfect! <3

Aside from the parents, the kids had to be part of the photoshoot. So my brothers and I dressed ourselves as well. I wore Tita Minnie's bridesmaid gown used in my parents' first wedding while my brothers wore Barong Tagalog. Paul and I even had to make a trip to the mall to buy a new Barong because Daddy's was too big for him. I told him he could buy an expensive one because he would be able to wear it again in his graduation (proud and hopeful sister here). The men really looked handsome and of course, papatalo ba ang women? Haha! Even though I was the only one who did my minimal make-up and messed-up hair, I felt so good during the shoot. I guess seeing my family complete and happy just made it all perfect.

This photoshoot was one of the most haggard and yet the best shoots I have ever been to. The best thing about it was that it was DIY. All thanks to Josie and Arvin for making this happen. Josie became a superwoman during this shoot because Arvin had to rest. Her creativity and determination to finish what we had started motivated all of us and helped us to trust her. She did not let us down for she did an incredible job.

This Love

Carry me away!

Kiss the Girl!

Mi Familia es amor!

Mother and Daughter Moment

Mighty Groomsmen

So Much Drama

Two Is Better Than One

Because of this experience, I felt like I am a better person. There were so many things to learn from others and many things to share as well. Mom told me that she now knows how to plan a wedding. Maybe she would be my wedding planner too. Ha ha.

I had been right for saying it out last May 2010, "I know you (Mommy) first planned it (50th Birthday) to be grand but we pray that you will have that opportunity, if not this year then the next." And there she goes.. she had it with Daddy.

I'm so happy that they honored God by renewing their vows. I knew the wedding would be a blessing to our family and for others as well.

Next Blog: The Silver Wedding Anniversary

Dear God,

The way to live is to die. The way up is down. The way to lead is to serve. 

You get everything when you give everything away. 

You take that small job and remain faithful to it, and you serve and serve, and give and give, you begin as a servant. Greatness begins with servitude.

I first heard about this "ship full of books" a few years ago. Since then, I wanted to visit it and buy books that I can add to my bookshelves. I never had the opportunity until this year when my Victory Groupmates invited me to visit the ship together. Finally, I had my chance.

On the 10th of March, some of us attended church so we met at the GT-Toyota Center. Then we drove to Pier 15 berth 4, South Harbor, Manila afterwards in three separate vehicles. We left past 1 o'clock in the afternoon and arrived there past 2 o'clock. We bought our light lunches at 7 Eleven because there was only a Cafe inside. So we ate before proceeding to the ship. We got inside around 3 o'clock because of the long lines along with the hot and humid weather due to the intense rays of the sun. But no biggie.
When we entered the ship, there was a Mexican/Brazilian tour guide who gave us a quick orientation. Then we were all left to do our own explorations.


The bookstore was shaped like an oblong. We entered at the right side of the ship, went around the store, and then arrived at the same place we entered.

The first sets of books I saw were the Classics. They were priced lower compared to the ones in local bookstores though the book covers were different. Beside the Classics were the Inspirational and Christian books that totally caught my eye. I found some good ones I bought for me and my family: When God Doesn't Make Sense, Grown-Up Girlfriends, and What God Does When Men Lead. On the other side, I saw many cookbooks, travel books, lifestyle books, atlases, dictionaries, etc. At the end of this section was the music section where many Christian artists and bands could be found. They were also relatively low-priced. At the center of the section were the Bible section and some toys. I saw some great Bibles over there in affordable prices but not much that I really liked. The next section before the counter were completely Children's books, activity books, toys, animal books, etc. I didn't find anything that I liked either. I didn't get to take pictures of these sections because there were too many people inside. I had to squeeze my way in towards the shelves.. or just move! Haha. I almost lost my brown hat which Joni found at the cashier for me. Silly me!


I added two more books in my cart: 100 Days Out: Your Comprehensive Guide to the Best Attractions in the UK (Oh yes, I am claiming this trip!) and Low Fat Cookbook for my Mom. I bought five books all in all. Happy girl!

In the last section, there were many textbooks of various subjects in very low prices. We just passed by and walked to the walkway full of decorated walls. It was a little "kiddie" so we didn't take pictures. At the end of the walkway was a mini-hall wherein a large group of people were all listening to a Chinese guy sharing God's Word. We didn't stop and listen because we had to meet our friends at the Cafe. They were sitting at one of the tables. We ate pizza and shared our stories and views.




I am glad I visited M/V Logos Hope. I loved how they embraced diversity and employed people from various cultures all over the world. I loved how they serve with smiles and brought their love for God in their work like the super passionate Chinese guy at the mini-hall. But of course, I had some failed expectations such as the variety and uniqueness of the books, the space ('cause I thought the store was more than one level). Apart from that, I am thankful for the experience.

****

We drove back to church for the 5pm and 7pm services to praise God for the wonderful day. I even saw someone again. How can I forget you when you are always around?! Turn around, K. Just turn around. Lol.

I just finished my first decent meal for the day and I decided to write instead of doing things I needed to do. Well, those could still wait. Thinking about everything that happened this weekend, I have no regrets whatsoever. I believe God taught me a very important thing: obedience.

I admit that I have my shortcomings when it comes to helping out in the home. Due to my two jobs (1 full-time and 1 part-time), MA studies, church ministries, and personal endeavors, managing my time becomes really difficult. Like most people, I tend to overdo some things and forget about the others. I am totally guilty of this. It happens all the time. That is why I need refocusing and frequent reminders.

Tonight, God gave me one of His frequent reminders. Our Victory Group met at church around 1 o'clock in the afternoon to visit M/V Logos Hope (I'll blog about this some other time). Before going out, I fixed some of my things inside my room. I didn't eat a decent breakfast and a lunch but only breads, cookies, and a siopao. Receiving a text from my mother about my chore, I planned to do it when I get home. Along with my Victory Group friends, I attended church at 5pm service. However, I did not understand the Word because we were standing at the back. So I decided to go home and attended the 7pm service with my family. Despite the lack of time for other plans, I am still glad I attended. I also gave tights to God. I love the Word tonight. There was a bulb lighting up on top of my head. I simply said, "Yes, God" tonight.

When we got home and God seemed to say, "It is time to do your chore," I decided to obey up to the moment that I finished it. I am the type of person who would not stop with a chore until it is finished. So when dinner time came, I chose to finish my chore although I was already starving to death and my whole family was eating. I did not do it to annoy them but to show myself that this was a chore I have missed to do this week though it was only given today. Still, I have missed out on helping in the home.

Whenever I do my chores, I am always thinking about the future. I must have said this already in one of my tweets but I wanted to write it down anyway. As early as it may sound, I have always prayed for the family that I am going to have in the future. I wanted them to help me out in the home without me giving them orders or reminding them all the time. May kusa. May mga katulong man o wala. I don't want them to be like me today who always forget chores and do less important tasks. Unlike the men in our home, I want them to prioritize taking care of the home as well. I need them to have the initiative. But like I said, women also have their shortcomings. I also need to develop myself to become a person with initiative (and not procastinating) first.

I want to thank God for His reminders every now and then. I want to thank Him because instead of missing church, tutoring, doing tasks that could still be postponed, I am hearing from Him. Now, I chose not to only believe in His Will but to follow His Way as well. I believe all of these home training and family guidance that I am getting are beneficial for my life in the future. They could be annoying to me now or there might be a need for sacrifices. But in the end, I believe that His Way will bring out the best in me. Why disobey Him now right?!

Oh, God! You always help me stay on track. And every time you do, I promise to simply say "Yes."

Questioning myself if I was in Manila or somewhere else has begun. For a moment, I thought I am standing in a different world of modern humanity. I felt like I am walking in another time in a faraway land. At that moment, I could definitely attest to the statement, "It's more fun in the Philippines." Fun definitely describes the moment. Similarly to having an awesome dream, I no longer wanted to wake up.