En Route to Quiapo

One thing I am thankful for is the invention and existence of the Metro Railway Transit (MRT) and Light Railway Transit (LRT).

Otherwise, I could have been stuck with this ...

Yikes!!! This was yesterday.  It's like this every single day.  Traffic!!! Not so worth it to bring a car. 

So when en route to Quiapo, I take the MRT, then the LRT.  Really fast!  J. Bond drops me off at the MRT-Ayala Station.  Traverse my way towards Edsa Station.  Then, I switch trains from the MRT to the LRT.

A photo of the LRT tracks.  See, no traffic.  Lol!

Buildings I see when in the LRT.  The 3rd building was where I spent my "young" summers doing either swimming or dancing bayanihan.  Lola Liling used to teach here.

Carriedo Station, my stop.   I'm not sure how many stations Carriedo is from Edsa Station.  But printed at the back of the LRT card is the detailed route.  So slim chance of missing your station.  Besides, big signages are displayed in each station aside from the in-train announcement.

View of the street where I am headed towards to from the LRT-Carriedo Station.  At the end of this road is Quiapo Church.

Yes, they call this a street where vendors and shoppers do their day til night multiple transactions.  Try bring a car and let's see what happens.  Dare, anyone?  Lol.

Accessories, Clothes, Luggages, Bags, Fruits, Houseware.  Name it, they've got it.  All found along the street.

Took a photo because of the colors.  Lol.

I almost bought a bunny.  But I wasn't too sure if "pets" were allowed inside the MRT and LRT =(

Quick stop at Quiapo Church.

 The reason why I was in Quiapo yesterday.  Time to replenish a few? beading materials.  Behind me is Quiapo Church.  Or a better landmark is Mercury Drugstore, the one with the humongous TV screen on its  facade.

I have long patronized Kyla Accessories due to their beautiful selection of glass beads which they sell at a cheaper price compared to neighboring stores.  But yesterday's visit left me emptyhanded.  For some reason, they have changed their line to mostly plastic beads =(

See the strings of cords on the bottom left of the photo.  Those are mine! I buy them in rolls from Sonny's House of Beads or Pot of Gem.

Yes, these bead stores are barricaded by vendors selling food or plasticwares.  Here you see the vendor-covered store front of Wellmanson, the most popular store along this bead street.  Wellmanson has been talked about and featured in various fashion/business magazines, blogs, and many more.  They carry a wide array of beads and beading materials.

Pendants sold at Wellmanson.  But I think, they're a bit more pricey.

The buying is not over yet.  I  have just made a  mark in my calendar to return two weeks from now.  Busy gearing up for the Christmas shopping battle =) -- Woodrose Family Bazaar on October 16-17, 2010 and delivery of exclusive bead works at Sonya's Garden's Country Store. Busy. Busy. Busy.  Til then ...

Salcedo Market

How's your weekend so far?

Guess what. I was at the Salcedo Market yesterday morning.  I don't mind the 30(without traffic)-45 minute drive from Alabang to Makati. It's retail therapy anyway.  Lol.  Here I go again (and again).   I just can't get enough of this place and most especially the many finds. My mom, who by the way is based in NY, wanted to tag along too.  But how???

 Anyway, here are photos of yesterday's shopping stroll which I share with you and of course my  Mom.  Control the drooling please.  Enjoy ...

Salcedo Market goes GREEN!!! Yay!

Early birds like me :)

Yummy Sausages.

Assorted pies.

Flavored rice with Tinapa, garnished with tomato and red egg.  Yum!!! J. Bond enjoyed it too. Had this as a 10am snack.   Serves two.

Fruits galore.

Shawarma, anyone?

Pritson, only found in the Philippines. I say, poor pig ;(

Barbecue galore.

All About Turon.  So, there is already such thing as flavored turon.  And to think that turon only used to be  all about a banana wrapped in lumpia wrapper. Now, it comes in various flavors.  Lol.

Try the fresh sugarcane drink.  Aside from its health benefits (energy booster and nourishes the liver, lungs and stomach), J. Bond says Yummy!

Native baskets, banigs, table runners, placemats.

Oops!  Caught in the act.  In my newest beaded cloth necklace.  See photo of the necklace on the right of your screen.

Flower power.

Love this hat.

Lol! 

More Made in the Philippines wood products. 

Massager, Soap dish, Bowl, Serving spoons.

Aunt C in action with her eucalyptus plant.

Healthy nuts.

Himalayan salts.  Got a bottle for myself.

Plants and Orchids.

I love the capiz chimes :)

Hay!!! I love spending my Saturday mornings at Salcedo Market.  Can't wait for next Saturday to come :)  To know more, CLICK HERE.

put the LIME in the coconut

Midnight comes in less than an hour. Yahoo!!! After watching the finale of agua bendita, Practical Magic comes on. Sharing with you my fave scene (Hmm. Reminds me of the "Wednesday Club" days that culminated with a sabotaged pad and wrecked "heads".  Lol!)  .......

Oops! Watch the scene over youtube instead. Seems like there's a lack of technical cooperation here. Just click on the notification that pops on the screen.  But here's the full song for your listening pleasure .... 

Enjoy the weekend!!!  Cheers!!!  By the way, it was just announced over the news that September 10 is a holiday :)  Yay!

GOLDen age

Let me put it this way, color rules my life these days.  Though  white remains to be a top preference,  Saturday night was a breather and was spent and celebrated with GOLD.

Before I move on to the details of the gold celebration, here's a bit of reflection.  Obviously, I'm in a reflecting mood once again :)

I regard this color-fetish as an alarming sign of aging. Lol! But since there is only this reason I had foolishly come up with, there might after all be a looming truth to it. Double LOL! On a serious note, life really did make a turn in my 30s. Gone(?) are the carefree 20-ish days, weaving my way through high energy social scenes in all possible corners of the planet. Moving on to present times -- I am left shocked, in awe, and filled with wonder on how I could have survived such "fast-paced" day and night life back then. Again, aging!

Here's the thing -- when you're in your 30s, the night finally creeps up on you. It lives to its meaning. I sleep! But on top of the sleeping, I have become more analytical (lol). More reflective (lol lol). Most especially when the dreaded birthday is just a couple of months away. Oh Boy! Here we go again. FEAR FACTOR!!! Nevertheless, I spend some days thinking (too much) and preparing (too much) for that day the Golden age lands on my lap.

This then leads me to last Saturday's gold celebration. Good thing, I did attend. Otherwise, I would have missed out on all the blast especially the  juicy chikas ... and most importantly the coming to terms with aging.

My very first boss, who made work real fun from that moment I stepped foot in the corporate world, celebrated her 50th birthday. I was fresh from college, dreaming on building an empire.  Instead, I found myself immersed and indulged with a lot of "showbiz" and "chika" talk.  If I do my math, she was in her 30s when I first met her.  Imagine that!

The theme of the night. We are a brady bunch of marketing practitioners.  Thus, get-togethers, whether it be work or personal related, must always be themed.

In relation to the gold theme, I love the gold bangles!!!

Lovely floral arrangement to spruce up the night and the venue.

The venue which I have personally earmarked as "Anthony's Spa".  Aside from the fact that the house is owned by my former co-worker, Anthony, his home emits a sense of relaxation and serenity.  Exactly like being in a spa.

Nothing beats a homemade Paella! ... with wine ... and champagne.  Oh, have I mentioned that we used to be a bunch of alcoholics too.  Lol!  But these days, we have downgraded our preference to coffee or tea.  Oooh, aging!

Getting ready for the toast.  There's me, in my drop bead necklace, waiting for that perfect moment shot.

The traditional "alay" or gift-giving.  Simple mechanics:  Gift givers  say their wishes and share a bit of story about their gift.  Reminder, keep in mind the theme.  See!  The gift came in gold :)

The best gift of all.  Funny. 

A short video clip on the Golden Girls interspersed with throughout the years images of the birthday celebrant (with us, of course). 

A no-choice speech by the celebrant who we call "Mother". We, the children or better known as Bella (Flores), opted to be seated on the floor while Mother gave her spiel.

As I earlier said, I have come to terms with aging on that very night.  I was meant to be there in order for me to hear straight from Mother how beautiful and wonderful it is to age.  There is nothing to fear.   As they say, there are no U-turns.  Not even surgeries can do the trick of masking one's age. It is part and parcel of growing and living.

As I continue on,  I cross my fingers that  I always be able to keep in mind what Mother said .....  there is no better place than being right here this very moment. But I also look forward to what the  next stop, the 60s, will bring :) 

Cheers to Mother! Cheers to great friends!

The perfect moment shot I waited for.  CHEERS TO AGE!!!

*photos by me and Patti.