A Christmas of Family and Golden Friendship.

The mood before taking the trip was very positive. We were excited to go back to Cagayan De Oro because it has been a long while since we went there. Unfortunately, we heard some sad news before we even boarded on the plane. The mom of our relative there just died and had to leave for the wake. It was a bit melancholy after I heard the news but that didn't stop us from enjoying our trip there.

We arrived at the house of our relatives in CDO and soon enough, happiness and laughter came in the house despite what happened. We've been to malls (even that new Ayala mall named Centrio), and even had fun despite the trouble with the dogs when they would go out of the house! At the end of the day though, it was all about Christmas and the one we're celebrating for: Jesus.

On Christmas Eve, we had our usual Noche Buena, attended the mass and had a special little program. It's usually long because we had a lot of time before Christmas struck. The program started with the usual song from our relatives from Manila.

After which, we had a nice game of charade relay! It's a mix of message relay and charades where the actual message is the charade. Then there was the Christmas story where "Right" and "Left" were so involved. Haha.

After all those games, the gift giving commenced! First was the traditional Manito Manita with my fellow cousins, then it was the giving of gifts for everyone. It was a good thing that Christmas didn't stop no matter what happened.

On Christmas Day, we went to the wake in Gingoog. It felt melancholic since it was one of those unique Christmas days that this happened. In this trip I have come to realize that we have to move on with our lives despite the sadness we felt that time. It served as a reminder of our life.

Merry Christmas everyone! Oh, will be posting that year-ender in a hour. Laters!

The Beauty of the Devotion to Mama Mary: A Trip to Simala

What a beautiful place. It seems like a nice haven to reflect on what's happened.

It was the day after Christmas. I've heard that there were plans to go to Simala but I never knew when. Good thing I didn't bring much when we went there though because there was no reason to. While heading there, we had lunch in Jollibee Carcar. Also, we were all eating and using our gadgets to listen to music.

When we arrived, I was stunned by how beautiful the place was. I couldn't describe how I was feeling at the time. Just the outside of it seems like a piece of artwork that was permanently installed. There I first realized just how devoted the people here are to Mama Mary and the miracle that she brought to this place.

When we went in the church, it looks like more artwork has been placed here and they all look AMAZING. The ceiling (shown in the picture on the left) tells a lot about how Mama Mary and Jesus played a vital role in what Catholics are today. I know you might think that this is like any other church you might have seen in other parts of the Philippines and the world, but this one gives a different feel than most of them.

While I was inside the church, I prayed and thanked God for what has happened to me over the past few months because honestly, those were my most challenging months so far. Maybe that's because the final stretch has yet to arrive. HAHA.

What I noticed after was this line of people that were going to see the Miraculous Mama Mary that was said to heal a lot of people. I was curious how it was like to be there, so I went in line. The line was really long, so I can tell that the miracle is true. As I was on my way, I read countless letters from people who have been healed after praying to the Miraculous Mama Mary and I was really astounded as to how our faith manifests into our lives. When I was there, I prayed to Mama Mary for everything that has happened and will happen in the future. After those moments, we went out and saw a beautiful museum full of the images of Mama Mary.

It's so nice to see people looking at these images and see how various people adore the presence of Mama Mary through them. I jokingly said when we were already outside that my aunt that was still inside was taking a hundred pictures of these. After this part, I went to the place where you could write a petition for Mama Mary and that's what I did. Shortly after, I went outside and explored the rest of the place.

People should come here, especially those who are devoted to Mama Mary because this is a result of our devotion to her. Thank you Lord for giving us this Earth to explore all Your wonderful creations. :)

How We Spent Christmas Day :)

(In case you noticed, I MAY be posting a lot lately to catch up because I had the Christmas hangover. HAHA. And New Year's coming up.)

Christmas Day started later for us since we all woke up later than usual, from breakfast to bath to lunch. Since that happened, we decided to go the 2:30pm mass. The homily of the priest reminded us of what Christmas is really about. We should not forget that Jesus Christ is the center of the celebration. Also, we should always count on him not only on special occasions but in our everyday lives when problems can arise.

After the mass, the whole Maluya family gathered for a while and decided where to eat for snacks. After more talking and head-scratching, we went to Army Navy in the eBloc 2 building in IT Park.

I almost thought that one of the cars that were heading there got lost because they didn't know where eBloc 2 is. My worries were useless and everyone's there. What we did in Army Navy while waiting for food? THIS:

Cousins smiling! :)

AND THIS:

Mothers SMILING! :D

YES, vanity actually runs in the family and NO, I'm not posting ANY of their names in here for their privacy. :D When the food arrived though, it was hunger pounding time! I got a Longganisa Breakfast Burrito and a Vanilla Shake. The shake was okay although the burrito really tasted great. Actually, it was better than what I was expecting from a burrito. It had a lot of oil to go along with it though, but who cares? IT'S CHRISTMAS! HAHA.

The plain ol' shake and the great-tasting burrito! Woohoo!

After the snacks we ate, we went directly to Ayala where one of my aunts and one of my uncles were drinking coffee in McDonald's! In what seemed to be an almost boring time, we the cousins decided to go to Timezone and have fun! We were playing random games from guitar games to racing games to drum games and even the Super Trivia game there. After which, we had dinner in Food Choices where Karlo and I ate Dimsum! Too bad I don't have a picture of it, though.:(

Even though it seemed like an ordinary family reunion, that to me is the true spirit of Christmas. Spending time with the family is the most important thing to do in this season and I appreciated it even more this year because of what I've been through. 

Thank you Jesus! Thank you Lord!

Merry Christmas!

 

(Sorry if this was a SUPER LATE post. I really got tired of using the computer that I mostly used my phone to check stuff online. More is yet to come though so watch out for it!)

I just woke up from a short-lived sleep due to that very fun Christmas party with relatives from the mother's side. Unlike the past years though, it was in this year that I realized that Christmas is really best spent with family and I wouldn't have it any other way.

We have this yearly cycle of where the party is held, and it depends on who has something new happening in their lives whether it's physical, mental, or spiritual. This year, it was decided that we would spend it here in our place in Cebu.

The party started with everyone's favorite part, FOOD! I really don't mind how much food there is on the table as long as it can be shared with family. But as they say, "The more, the merrier!" Of course it wouldn't be complete without one of the signature foods in the Philippines, the Lechon Baboy! It's just a whole pig being fried to a crisp and boy it tastes GREAT!

It always reminds me of the times when I watch the news about Christmas that no matter how many hardships that people face, there is always a way for them to celebrate Christmas.

After which, we had fun games! I actually missed these since we didn't have them last year due to the space we had (fortunately AND unfortunately, I was sick) but at least there was karaoke. 

There were two games that I really liked a lot. First, was the Gift-Wrapping Contest. It may sound like a normal contest but there were twists. It involved 3 people per team, and we were only given 2 minutes, BUT WE WERE ONLY ALLOWED TO USE ONE HAND EACH! I actually joined this game and wow it was hard! Good thing our gift won (it's the one on the left) and got P50 for this. Woohoo!

Another game only involved the dads. It was called "Shoot Your Balls". I will stab you if you thought wrong. It's basically what you see there. It's like basketball, only the basket that acts as the "ring" is on your head and you have to shoot it yourself. Laughter spread out the whole house as the dads tried their best to shoot the balls to the baskets. It really was a great game to play and to look at!

Then comes the time for gifts! First was our Manito Manita (the Filipino version of Secret Santa) with the cousins. Everyone was ecstatic with their gifts. One cousin of mine got a ballpen and was sarcastically happy with it (even though he is, a bit) and the others were happy. What's important is the thought that is put into it. I got a nice sports jacket. Hehe.

After which, we had random karaoke because we needed to pass the time before it struck at 12 midnight. After that, it was gift-giving time! Again, it's the thought that counts because it takes effort to actually think of what to buy for every relative that you can think of. I am happy that this tradition still lives on, it's amazing! It's never been about the gifts you receive, but those that you give and the bonds that we share that really matters on Christmas.

Hope you guys had a Merry Christmas! I'm really looking forward to the new year because of the things that are yet to come. :)