Sunset in Manila Bay Sometime In February 2015

My sisters, a nephew and I spent the weekend in Manila

We stayed in a famous Manila Bay Hotel

It was in front of the American Embassy

Unable to book my favorite, The Manila Hotel as our stay coincided with the Lunar New Year

So, it was The Bayview Hotel which is just a walking distance to Luneta, Intramuros and Fort Santiago- The Rizal Shrine

And we were able to watch some brief fabulous sunsets.  This was one of them in an overcast afternoon

I am in the middle of my studies....

I started in April and hopefully it will be finished by November this year.

I am now on the 5th out of 10 modules.  It's been a grueling time as apart from the readings and assessments there is a presentation of role playing for each module.  Everytime I do this it's like defending a 'PhD thesis.

Anyway, I am here to update you with some random photos here goes:

Cherries are in season, and I ate a bowlful of my favourite fruit

One of my dinners out in the veranda

By the bayside near where I live

Product of my guava tree

Autumn tree at the ACT

Watched Prof Brian Cox PhD live at the Canberra Convention Centre

Gingin my playful cat he is actually fast asleep here

Visited Graceland in 2006 and Elvis was buried there

Elvis's Mansion in 2006

I was on my way home last year in 2012,

Treating myself with capuccino and donut while grocery shopping

The cat gingin still sleeping

I had a doll like this as a little girl. I love this giant kewpie doll, graced the Olympics 2000 in Sydney

Sometimes we have Convenient Food

Studying (again!) makes it hard to fulfill cooking chores that sometimes I have to resort to what I call 'convenient food'. These are either 'fast-foods' or left-over food.

For today, after picking up some bread/milk/vegetables and fruits from Costco in Majura Park in Canberra, just 10 minute drive from home, I bought some Pizza. I should have bought just a slice as it was so big! Oh well, we had some left overs which will still be good for tomorrow.

The Pizza was nice and floppy, very American- like the pizzas we had from Dominos in Joseph's house in VA USA. We remembered him and family as they were also the first ones to show us Costco USA in 2000, 13 years ago now. 

Sometimes we just have recycled left over food. This saves a lot of time and money too. I hardly throw away food. I am lucky to have housemates who are not all that fussy and sometimes there's our pet ginger cat Gingin who shares our food too, for a change from his typical cat food. 

Gingin our pet cat

Big floppy pizza with all the vegetables and some meat

Cost $15 for a real big one, and we had left overs too

Recycled lean mince meat with a lot of vegetables on toasted bread

Baked beans with cocktail sausages added, left over corned beef

Same one with steamed cauliflower with cheese sauce (yummy)

Aldana girls and boys visited the Bencab Museum in 2010

These photos were taken in 2010 actually, after we attended the wake of dear Auntie Loring in Pangasinan.  We set out to visit the BENCAB MUSEUM .
It was a great experience looking at his art and his farm.  His museum is located in Asin Road, around less than an hour's drive from Baguio. 

Located in Asin Road within one of the mountains

He has a fishpond there and sometimes seen doing his YOGA

A very relaxing place...

With family members in Baguio

donna, june, cynthia, rr, moi and dolly!

with brother mike this time with the Man himself

So happy to meet the National Artist, very gracious likeable and kind!

Dad's words of wisdom

I miss my dad but his words resonate..
I published this post on my Facebook page and it was copied and shared by some of my friends...happy to share...

....vicky aldana....17 july 2013 ..ACT Australia

Summer Breeze

Love this song from Seals and Croft Summer Breeze Makes Me Feel Fine...

Will come back soon, as just too busy with the vicissitudes of life.

Stay happy and take care!

The Grand Canyon in winter, photo from my son

Just testing the 'paint' feature of Windows 10 and it works!

Happy Mother's Day to the best mother in the world, Mine!

Today, I think of Mama and feel so grateful for the gift of life and the chance to enjoy the beautiful life I've had so far.  It was a challenging year for her last year as she had an ailment that she kept from us to save us, her children,  from worrying. Being a mother myself, I tend to  do this and help myself first before I tell my kids.

 It  all came to a head early this year and we nearly lost her.  She was near death when she was admitted to the hospital sometime in January. After my overseas trip I had to dash home to Baguio City, Philippines after my brother told me about her situation.  She gave me a chance to show her my love and  care by letting me nurture her back to health. It also united us her children as we all came together from other parts of the world to be with her.  Mama had 8 children and 7 are still here alive and kicking, so to speak.

Mama is responding well to her chemotherapy, is back to her normal self and is keeping up with her food and medications.

Happy Mother's Day Mama Lourdes (Unding to her close family and friends).  May you have decades more of Happy Mother's Days to come. God bless you and  I love you!

Mama, the 'blushing bride"

Mama is waiting for her turn to be given a pin as an Alumni of the Outstanding Citizens of Baguio

With her co awardees. So proud that she was awarded an Outstanding Citizen of the City of Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines 3 years ago, for her achievements as an education innovator in the fields of home economics and her services to the community of Baguio

Her very proud children, 4 boys and 3 girls

Taken at her home in Loakan

During her 'recovery' undergoing the painful effects of Chemotherapy, with brod Joseph and myself.  She never ceases to have fun with us even in her ailment.

Beethoven Moonlight Sonata 3rd Mov

I had a pianist in the house and he used to play this Beethoven piece  incessantly-

He used to do it as  soon as he wakes up in the mornings, still wearing his pajamas and it goes on and on and on...'twas hard going on  weekends where I wanted  to sleep in after a hard week's work.  It used to drive me crazy.  I tolerated it  of course as he happens to be The Son -you see... 

Now he is working full time and seldom has time to play this sort of music. It's strange because I  now miss his 'concert' like practices on the weekends. He is busy reading books like Shares for Dummies or Chemistry for Dummies. He would play sometimes but not as long as he used to.