A Friend-ly Gathering

It has been four years (or maybe more!) since I last saw my beautiful friends from the university and so when the chance came for us to meet, we didn't let the chance pass us by. I also wanted to hand over the shoe box of pens and pencils I have collected from my friends and classmates at graduate school in Germany for our little project Pens of Hope in Davao, so it was just the perfect timing.

© Photo by Mervz Mosqueda via Facebook

The little girl decided to lie down while waiting for my friends to arrive.

It was a Saturday and we decided to meet at Yellow Hauz, a quaint coffee shop in Davao City. While waiting, me and little girl ordered some refreshments. After a few minutes, Kikit and her hubby Dan, arrived carrying snorkel gear... They just came from a day of snorkeling at Paradise Beach Resort at the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS). It must have been very nice to be with schools of fish, I so envy them.. Hehehe! 

A smile and a shoe box full of hope!
© Photo by Claire Apigo Guillano via Pens of Hope Page on Facebook

Anyway, before we forgot, we handed over our shoe box of pens and pencils and Kikit asked to make a souvenir shot with my little girl as the model.

After three pots of hot tea, two other girl friends, Ate Tess and Shugar (along with Sweet, her little girl) arrived. It was almost time for dinner to we transfered to Matina Town Square and opted to dine at Kanto bar and restaurant.

THANK YOU for the wonderful time! Until next time...
© Photo by Claire Apigo Guillano via Facebook

Indeed, it was a wonderful evening filled with sensible talk, laughter and wonderful company. It may have been years but it is heartwarming to know that the friendship remains. Even if we grow in numbers (family members are always welcome in the group) and we live far apart, it makes me smile to know that when we come home again, we have another family to come home to... our SICO family. :)

Tweet

Read more...

Glass Nail FIles and Other Souvenirs from Prague

The capital of Prague in the Czech Republic is one of the most charming and interesting European cities I have visited so far. I loved the charm of the old architecture and the history behind them, even the eerie and scary ones. There is just something magical about Prague, perhaps because it is home to the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague, who is believed to have protected the city even to this day. 

I enjoyed going to the open market taking place in the weekend, which was lined up with porcelain dolls, wood items, and glassware among others. If you want to take a piece of the Czech Republic with you, there is much to choose from. The main streets where there is high tourist traffic are lined with stores a variety of items like simple marionette puppets and porcelain dolls,  to interesting matryoshka dolls, which are I think of Russian origin but are made and sold in Prague anyway to useful items like glass foot files or luxurious glass accessories from Mont Bleu. Czech glass is also a very famous souvenir item. But because we have a child who loves to play all over the house, we opted to buy other items instead.

We stayed for three days and two nights in this beautiful city and went on a sightseeing tour. Famous landmarks that we visited included the Prague Castle, the Jewish quarter, the New Town with the Wenceslas Square at its heart, the charming Old Town and the picturesque Lesser Town (Mala Strana) and went on a stroll across Charles Bridge to enjoy yet more wonderful panoramic views of the city. 

Our visit to Prague was of course not complete without visiting the church of the Infant Jesus of Prague. Guided with a map, we managed to find our way. It was actually not difficult to find. There I brought an Infant Jesus dressed in white to place in our altar here at home. We also bought a book about the story of how the Infant Jesus of Prague came to be. 

Tweet

Read more...

Popular Gifts for Dad

It is almost Father's Day, at least here in Germany. Did you know that Germany is the only country that celebrates Father's Day (Vatertag) differently from the rest of the world? Father's Day is celebrated on the Ascension Day, the Thursday forty days after Easter. It is also a Federal holiday here so that it is really a day worth celebrating with the family.

But no matter where you are in the world, we do celebrate Father's Day. It may be celebrated in different months, but it is a day that we take the time to honor and thank our Fathers.  What better way to do this than to give them something that shows our appreciation for all their hard work, support, guidance and love.

If you are puzzling over what to give your Father or your husband on that day, you could give them popular gifts for dad like maybe a new smart phone? I really find this iPhone 4 interesting... with a dollar print and the line that says "In Dad We Trust"....

Tweet

Read more...