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My Sunflower World @ 1!!!
Today, it has been a year since I made My Sunflower World public. What a wonderful year it has been! I have discovered a whole new universe! I’m writing online, with readers from all over the world! Amazing! I never thought I would be able to accomplish this feat! I never thought you guys will enjoy the product of my imagination.
Nine Richard and Maya fan fiction (two still ongoing, though!), one other romantic fiction, several other non-fiction articles, and 200 posts after, (as this is my 200th post), here I am, embarking on my second year as a blogger and a fan fiction/fiction writer.
THANK YOU my dearest followers, readers and fellow adiks, especially those who have been with me from the start, supporting a ‘newbie fan fiction writer’ in blogosphere, from the bottom of my heart for reading my works, for commenting, for liking each and every chapter, for keeping me company online, for sharing the kilig and addiction to our all-time favorite teleserye, Be Careful With My Heart, and the Richard and Maya universe we explored out of the most memorable television characters we had in a long time, and for supporting my other works.
THANK YOU again to the BCWMH team who created such a wonderful show that kept as entertained and glued to the TV for more than two years (well I’m still is through the DVDs!), and addicted forever to a very wonderful and inspiring show, full of positivity, good vibes, and most of all, love. As I have said in my profile page, discovering and getting addicted to this show, albeit a bit later than most of the adiks, propelled this blog into existence.
THANK YOU too to the wonderful Richard and Maya fan fiction writers before me, who were also my inspiration in starting one myself. Let’s keep the creative flame burning!
THANK YOU to my hubby for the support and believing in me! He was the one who pushed me to make public the blog I have been tinkering about for months in 2014, unsure of its direction and how it would be received should I share it to the world, especially the draft chapters of Doors, my first ever fan fiction, stored in my laptop then.
Here’s to another wonderful year with you, and more years to come. Cheers! Keep the good vibes always!
❤ Antigone ❤
Traveling back in time
My fascination with Philippine ancestral houses
Vigan at dawn
For as long as I could remember, I’m drawn to ancestral houses. Seeing these beautiful and regal houses I would imagine the people who once called these houses home. They have loved, hoped, dreamed, suffered losses, celebrated life, and triumphed over adversities, generation after generation, in these majestic houses that withstood the vagaries of time.
Sideco House in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija
If this is like falling love, then this bahay na bato in Nueva Ecija owned by Crispulo Sideco, was my first love. I wish it is my family’s so I can live in it. I pass by this ancestral house when I visit my grandparents and each time, I pay a silent homage to it. There is something about this grand old house, which also played a role in Philippine history, that calls to me.
Sideco House in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija
Through the years, I have managed to see other beautiful ancestral houses. Some of them have been turned into museums, a fine-dining restaurant, inns and hotels, giving a glimpse of these houses’ rich past, and a way for us to experience and relive a manner of living long gone or changed.
Burgos Museum in Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Burgos Museum in Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Burgos Museum in Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Burgos Museum in Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Many years ago, I had requested a friend, who is from Batangas, if we can go to Taal, because I have read somewhere that there are a lot of old houses there, just like in Vigan. Taal was also nearer to Manila than Vigan, and I very much wanted to satisfy my fascination for ancestral houses. I wanted to see the inside of one, aside from Casa Manila, which I had seen years ago.
Basilica of Saint Martin de Tours in Taal, Batangas
Town view from the Taal Basilica
It was the house of Don Leon Apacible (not in photo) which has been turned into museum, I managed to tour while in Taal.
I always look for old houses in the places I have been. I have seen some in Camiguin the first time I was there in the late 1990s, but didn’t manage to take photos. In my third trip to this beautiful island several years ago, I saw this old house near the beach resort were my family and I were staying. I went for a walk and took photos. However, I didn’t manage to ask around about the house’s history.
Old house along Camiguin’s main road
If some houses have been converted into museums, one beautiful one in Manila’s San Miguel District has been turned into a fine-dining place by the heirs.
The old Legarda Mansion in San Miguel, Manila
For years, I have been hearing about La Cocina de Tita Moning, the old Legarda home, a very beautiful old house with art deco architecture, converted into a fine-dining place.
I found the opportunity to finally see the place when a foreigner friend visited me several years ago. I took her there for lunch. The lunch, which had to be booked a day or two in advance, included a tour of the house, which we did before our sumptuous lunch.
Since there were just two of us, we were put in one of the rooms converted into a fine dining place for small groups. The food was great and more than what we could eat. The staff just packed everything left for us to take home. We dined in the manner it was done decades ago, with heirloom recipes, and it really felt like stepping back in time while doing so.
Main dining room of La Cocina de Tita Moning
Lunch setting at one of the rooms converted into a dining area
My friend and I walked around the area after our heavy lunch and saw this beautiful house beside the Legarda mansion.
The old Valdez house
I was in the equivalent of an ancestral houses heaven when I finally managed to tour Vigan in 2012. This was not the first time I set foot in Vigan, but it might as well be the first since I only passed through the city on the way to La Union many years ago. As much as I wanted to stay there and explore the place, it was not among my relatives’ itinerary when we started our road trip that took us from Tuguegarao, to Pagudpud, Batac, Laoag and down to La Union for the night, and Baguio in the morning. We only stopped at Vigan to buy drinks of all things! I told myself that one day, I will explore the place. I managed to do so with my foreigner friend whom I have shared similar adventures while in a training program abroad.
Calle Crisologo at dawn
We arrived in Vigan at dawn, having taken the 9PM Partas bus the night before. The whole place was still sleeping, and it was just us and the tricycle driver who took us to this street corner from the bus terminal. Walking at around 4AM in Calle Crisologo, with all those small lamps and the street deserted, it felt like I had really stepped back in time!
Calle Crisologo at dawn
We stayed in one of the old houses that has been converted into a hotel. The place has been modernized a bit, but still retains its old-world charm.
My Vigan Home
I love the stairs and the sala in between the rooms.
There is a small balcony there where you can people watch and look at all the other old houses in the vicinity.
In the two full days I had stayed in Vigan, I never got tired of looking at these beautiful ancestral houses, soaked in the atmosphere, and pretended that I was, indeed, transported back in time, to an era I very much wanted to see and experience if time travel is really possible! One of my favorite moments was having a cup of coffee in a sidewalk cafe in Calle Crisologo as my friend and I chatted and enjoyed the nice late afternoon November weather.
Calle Crisologo early morning
Arce Mansion
Syquia Mansion
Since Vigan, I haven’t been to other places where there are a lot of ancestral homes, though I have seen some old houses in Bustos, Bulacan and the so-called bahay na pula in San Ildefonso when I passed by on the way to Nueva Ecija. But judging by this book that I bought in National Bookstore and additional information I found online, there are still a lot I haven’t seen.
Reading this book cover to cover, I have learned a whole lot more about ancestral houses,. One day, I hope I’ll make it to Negros Occidental, and see the old houses there, especially in Silay City. In the meantime, going to Pila, Laguna or Taal, Batangas again, is easier, as it is possible to take a day trip there.
I hope more families, like those featured in this book, will restore their ancestral homes. As I have seen also the sad state some of the ancestral houses have gotten into. Standing one time, then either rundown the next time I saw it, or totally demolished to give way to new structures. The old ancestral houses surely are more beautiful, and the same time more functional, as they were built brilliantly to adapt to our climate. They have also survived wars, upheavals, and so much more. These houses deserve to be preserved for future generations.
I always tell my friends teasingly that if I win millions in the lottery (kind of impossible at the moment since I don’t bet!) the first thing I would like to do, is buy a bahay na bato and restore it from where it is standing, or if it is not possible to do so, have a replica of a Spanish-era bahay na bato built, and live in it! For now, it is still a pipe dream, but who knows! 🙂
Nature in the city
Posted by Antigone in Information, Interests, Places on June 14, 2015
Inside the La Mesa Ecopark
Entering the La Mesa Ecopark through its canopied entrance is like being transported out of the city and into a forest in a blink of an eye.
Recently, I managed to do what I have been wanting to do – to go back to the ecopark, which is one of the places right at my ‘doorstep’ but haven’t been to, in a long time. The first and only time I went there was more than a decade ago.
The first of the two trips I took there again was on a weekday. There were fewer people and some of the kiosks/food stalls were closed. It was amazing, just to walk around. I brought my daughter and she got antsy so we left after more than an hour or so.
I came back on a Saturday since I missed exploring parts of the park. There were a lot of people – families carrying picnic stuffs, and groups just going around the park like my companions and I opted to do. The park was more alive. Some of the kiosks that were closed on a weekday were opened. Nevertheless, it was still very relaxing and peaceful to be there, as you can sit just in a corner, under the trees, and do some deep thinking, contemplate life and the universe (magmuni-muni) if that is what you would like to do, like what I want to do sometimes, or write the next chapter of my stories!
La Mesa Ecopark offers a variety of activities and points of interest for everyone, aside from taking in as much of the over abundance of nature around you.
• Butterfly Haven. A guide walked you through the stages of the development of a butterfly and see full-grown ones up close inside a small enclosure.
• Swimming. La Mesa Ecopark has two swimming complexes. One is near the entrance and the other one is near the fishing lagoon. The second time I was there, I thought of going in and see the inside of the first of the two swimming facilities. However, I was unable to do so as the place was booked for a private event. As for the second pool, I only caught a glimpse the first time I was there. It does look quite inviting from what I could see of it.
• Picnic. Fancy eating al fresco under the canopies of trees? You can do it through the designated picnic places at the Lopez picnic grounds. The use of the concrete picnic table is free of charge.
• Food stalls. There are some food stalls/kiosks in the park, just in case you don’t want to carry picnic stuffs.
• Fishing. You can try your hand at fishing in the lagoon. Standing at the other side of the lagoon, picnic area side, I did see some big fishes. If you are not into fishing, just looking at the lagoon is very relaxing and there are picnic huts for rent at the other side.
• Climbing the flower terraces. The view from the top of the Shell Flower Terraces is breathtaking. You also get to see the dam and the surrounding areas, and in the process, get a bit of exercise too, climbing up the many steps to the top!
• Exploring the amphitheatre. The Petron Amphitheatre looks like a small rice terraces. Two people brought a tent and pitched it at a vantage point of the amphitheatre the second time I was in the park. Quite a nice set up. Looking at them, I imagined myself bringing a laptop next time, and doing that too!
• Communing with nature at the mini-forest. Beyond the amphitheater is the mini-forest. You can hike around and enjoy the cool air whilst looking at the trees and beautiful foliage around you. There are walking paths and you will not get lost (as one of the guys with a high-powered camera we chanced upon, when we were about to venture into the forest, assured us, and he was right!) It was very peaceful doing so.
• Going around the orchidarium. From the lagoon side, you can explore and have a relaxing time inside the Drilon Orchidarium. There was a group of students doing some activities when we were exploring the place.
• Zipline (Zip across the flower terraces). Bungee fun. Water bike. Calesa/Horseback riding. These are some of the other activities you can try in the park. There is a boating lagoon, according the map I got, but when I asked the park reception about it, as I was unable to locate it, I was told that they don’t have it anymore.
• Walk around. If you are not keen on swimming or doing other strenuous activities, you can just stroll around the ecopark and enjoy nature without having to travel far out of the city.
I left the place happy. Next time, I will bring a picnic and try one of the pools, or the tent with the laptop near the amphitheatre. For the two times I have been there, I was just contented with going around the park, especially at the mini-forest.
For more information about the La Mesa Ecopark (opening hours, rates, facilities, and various activities you can do, how to go to the place, please click on this link).
Getting fit by the bay
Of all the malls in the metro, the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, popularly called MOA, is the least one I go to because it is a bit far from where I live. The one time I was in the mall to attend a friend’s baby’s baptism party in one of the restaurants fronting the bay, I did find the place quite interesting with tons of shops and restaurants.
However, it is also pretty huge! It was tiring to walk around with a kid who refused to walk anymore due to the vastness of the mall. Kiddie carts for hire saved the day. I thought of checking out the amusement park in front of SM MOA with my little one, though. Something I haven’t done until now.
Recently, I discovered that there is another attraction in the SM MOA Complex. The area in front of the mall, SM by the Bay, is a popular place for those who want to get fit or people who likes to be in an open space within the city with a view of the sea, and relax a bit.
The area was filled with joggers that morning, as well as bikers and people, like me, who only prefers to walk around briskly to shake off those body fats, exercise the heart, and clear the head.
The early morning view from the bay was very relaxing. At one point, though, a not so nice smell wafted into the area, brought by the wind, but it was not enough to distract or dissuade me from soaking the beautiful and relaxing view as I walked back and forth along the sea wall that, sort of, fenced the place.
I discovered that you can also take a ferry ride around Manila Bay at sunset from this area. Hmmm, something to take a closer look at, too!
SM By the Bay also full of restaurants and small food kiosks, aside from the rides scattered at one side of the area, which includes a giant Ferris wheel. Some of the kiosks were opened even at early morning but when we checked out the Starbucks we saw while brisk walking, fervently wishing for a cup of very hot coffee, we found out that it will open around noon!
Sitting cross-legged on the seawall with a steaming cup of coffee after a vigorous morning exercise would have been heaven, but it was equally so with a cold bottled water and a hot dog sandwich! With all the restaurants there, it might be worth checking it out in the evening. I have to do that next.
We ended up having coffee and breakfast at the Starbucks in Harbour Square at the CCP Complex, an area very much familiar for Be Careful of My Heart fans like me. While drinking my caffe americano, I thought of the scenes in the show wherein Sir Chief and Maya were walking in the area, as well as at the other side of the seawall in the CCP Complex.
Maybe, it was the reason I finally remembered that I have been meaning to buy sunflowers! So on the way home, I passed by Dangwa in Sampaloc, Manila and bought two sunflowers in plastic containers.
It was a great morning, indeed.
The Quezon Heritage House
Posted by Antigone in Information, Interests, Places on May 6, 2015
I returned to the Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC), one morning, to check on the museum underneath the Quezon Memorial Shrine. Unfortunately, it was closed to the public as it was being renovated. I asked the guards in the area if they have an idea when it will open again. They can’t give me a date, though. Maybe, seeing I was a bit disappointed, they told me that I could visit the Quezon House instead, and pointed me to it. At first, I was hesitant as I have set my mind on seeing the museum. While walking around, thinking what I would like to do next, I made up my mind and decided to check out the house, which I didn’t notice in my previous visits to the park, since I was already there. I’m glad, I did!
I love very old grand houses, and I have been inside several ones – from Taal, to Vigan, to one in Nueva Ecija, and one in Manila which was converted into a beautiful fine-dining place. While the house of President Manuel L. Quezon inside QMC is a reconstruction of the vacation house originally built at New Manila, Quezon City, it contains pieces of furniture and materials, including the Machuca tiles, from the original house.
Stepping inside the house with my tour guide, a Tourism student from one of Manila’s universities on practicum, felt like stepping back in time.
The spiral stairs leads to the ground floor of the house.
The door leads to the grounds of the house.
Entrance to the place is free. However, should one wish to donate some amount, there is a donation box just before you exit the door leading to the grounds of the house.
For more information on the place, click on the following links:
° QMC’s must-see attraction: The Quezon Heritage House
Inside the Quezon Memorial Circle
Posted by Antigone in Information, Interests, Places on April 29, 2015
There is something for everyone at the Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC). This is what I realized when I have finally gotten around to taking a closer look at this 25-hectare park situated at the heart of Quezon City, Philippines, and the city’s most distinguishable landmark.
I have been a Quezon City resident for more than a decade and I haven’t really been inside ‘Circle’ as the place is popularly called until two weeks ago. I initially got interested in finally checking out Quezon Memorial Circle after all these years because it was one of the locations used in my favorite teleserye (Philippine soap/drama series).
My first attempt was more than a year ago I think, but there were a lot of people at that time, also the places I wanted to see were being renovated then, the Circle of Fun and Circle of Joy, so I gave up. I also attended an event in QMC after that but I didn’t manage to go around the place, just at the area of the park where the event was being held.
Recently, I have taken to jogging, running and walking, to keep myself fit and one of the places I found out where I can do this is at the Quezon Memorial Circle. In between brisk walking and slow jogs, I took pictures and checked out various points of interest there:
° The Quezon Memorial Shrine. The area around the shrine is a favorite jogging/running path. I even saw some practicing martial arts on the shrine’s grounds. There is a museum inside the shrine for Commonwealth of the Philippines President (1935-1944) Manuel L. Quezon, after whom the city was named, but it was closed for renovation when I checked it out. I’ll write about the shrine, which is also Quezon’s final resting place, in details when the museum opens and I can take a closer look at it too.
º Gardens. I prefer calling them parks within the park. There are picnic tables in some areas. People also play badminton, chess, exercise or jog in and around these areas.
º Playground, amusement parks and a zip line. There are a lot of interesting things for kids at Circle of Joy but I suggest, though, to bring the kids in there not too early as the park employees are still cleaning the place, early morning. When I went there at around 7AM, there were quite a bit of garbage still from the night before! The Circle of Fun, on the other hand, opens in the afternoon.
º Biking. The area around Circle of Joy is also designated as a biking area. You can rent bikes and go at the path around the playground.
º Zumba/aero sports venues. On the Saturday I was there the first time, there were a lot of people participating in the zumba session near the shrine. There were other places in the park doing so. One was at the fountain area, and also in this covered court.
º Tiangges (bazaars). The first time I was there, which was a Saturday, the stalls were full of stuffs, mostly clothes. I went around and to my delight, found a stall that sells ceramics and I was not able to resist buying a bowl for my collection! There was also a food tiangge that Saturday. When I returned on a weekday, the stalls were all empty.
º Places to eat, buy food and have coffee. Aside from the big restaurants near the entrance, in front of the city hall, there are also other places inside Quezon Memorial Circle where you can buy food and have coffee.
º The peace bell.
º Urban farming. I was delighted to see the house made of native materials in this area, with a banggera (a part of old/traditional Philippine houses where one can wash plates, glasses, etc.) in the back.
º Plant shops/nurseries for those who likes to garden. I bought some of my sunflowers from one of the stalls at the Quezon Memorial Circle.
º The Quezon Heritage House. This one I have toured on a separate date. When the museum was closed, and the guards were unable to tell me when it will open, they directed me to this house. I’ll write about it next.
The fee for vehicles going inside the park is below. There are parking spaces inside as well. There are also pedestrian underpasses now, which make QMC more accessible.
So, after several trips, Quezon Memorial Circle is not just a place I passed by on my way to other Quezon City destinations! I also discovered that the best time to go there if you are not into jogging/running/doing zumba, and would just like to walk around and relax a bit, do something different aside from walking inside the malls, is around 9AM to lunchtime on weekdays. The place is pretty quiet and lovely, especially in summer. Inside the park, you forget about the thousands of vehicles that pass around it, non-stop, everyday!
The coolest reading lamp
Posted by Antigone in Information, Interests, Things on April 19, 2015
I love to read while lying down, in the middle of the night. I can do this until dawn if the book is good that the only time I can put it down is when I am done reading it. To be able to do this, I need and want a good reading lamp. So, I’m always on the look out for one. I have tried a lot. But still, there was something lacking in the ones I got.
I also tried the tablets/phones offering a Kindle app. But I found out that reading that way was hard on the eyes. The new models of Kindle have a backlight feature, but I’m still loyal to my old basic one. Also, most of the time I still prefer ‘real books’. I like the feel of them on my hands. I like turning the pages and folding the corner of the current book I am reading to mark the page I last read.
Recently, I found myself inside this huge Wilcon Builders’ Depot in Balintawak, Quezon City as I was looking for something for our kitchen. I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I found the coolest reading lamp ever.
It looks like an eyeglasses case. About the same size too. Very compact!
Then it opens into this.
It can also be used as a flashlight.
It is rechargeable via a USB cable.
Isn’t it the coolest and the most convenient reading lamp ever! It is made by Philips and has small LED bulbs. Now, I can read to my heart’s content, comfortably.
Sunflowers
For Be Careful With My Heart fans like me, sunflowers are the flowers Sir Chief gave Maya on their first date. Not a common ‘date’ flower, isn’t it? Who would have thought!
Seeing that ‘kilig’ episode made me remember how I loved this flower when I was a kid.
Recently, I finally managed to do what I have been wanting to do for a while, take a photo of sunflowers for my other blog, and the same time, buy sunflower plants.
I got two from Dangwa and it cost Php 150.00 each. I found myself in the area one morning and remembered that I wanted to buy sunflowers.
Then, another two at one of the stalls selling flowers and other ornamental plants inside the Quezon Memorial Circle. It cost me Php 75.00 each for the second two plants.
Happiness!
My Sunflower World 
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