A walk in the clouds in Mt. Dupongan and soak on the vastness and splendour of Mindanao especially in our province of Zamboanga del Sur, it's more fun in the PHILIPPINES!

 Carabaos bath in the roadside rivers and white herons on the golden rice paddies as far as your eyes can see, travel is more adventurous and imaginative all the time. It empowers us to roam the world and enjoy whatever is our choice. Mine?...enough of European holidays I go for Asia, my country..my home.

The wonderlust raged in my capillaries, a tropical paradise with sapphire waters picked out with shimmering spangles of sunlight, bright blue skies and sighing blissful white puffs of cloud breath.

And stretched across the sands,hooked on to two convenient palms-is a hammock. Out of which I laid with wisp of fresh cold wind dipped with that just a little bit sway to make a perfect boomerang of relaxation. This days, it seems that everyone travel for the pleasurable heck of it. Some went to Boracay and Dakak  as their exotic Shangrila destinations, to ogle and gasp at these tropical indulgence on their heady romance for travel.

But I have my home, to amble and loiter on its slow-mo simple life and routines. So I simply disconnect my Blackberry and connect my self with Mother Nature.

Walk, don't drive......bike don't fly. Hug trees...dance in the rain and get kissed by morning dews. Go and dine by the light of the fireflies ... listen to the forest's breath and simply marvel at the harlequin frogs singing in the night before they disappear.

The mango and the mahogany trees that framed the spectacular view of the farm, the foggy Bacauan mountain that almost nugged were a magnet of variey of birds and bird watching is my passionate afternoon time pass as I sipped hot coffee in the verandah.

The feeling is simply marvelous...with the thick foliage branches dance to the symphony of wind, an eco -orchestra that entertains my tired spirit. The refreshing fragrance of Ylang-Ylang flowers on the side of the creek that permeated on unspoilt air, the soothing music of the birds will instantly eased my exhaustion.

 Nature therapy nourished, blend and massage my inner being, it is bewitching moments that spell  out a sense of peace so special and so different from the chaotic urban zones.

I had experience a sense of peace perhaps......because I was at home, or rather I WAS HOME.....like finding my CAMELOT, AND LIVING IT TO TELL THE TALE...........

LAGRING LEARNS ENGLISH

After my baby Baste finished his breakfast of fried rice, scrambled egg, Bibo hotdog(his favorite) and hot milk, Lagring prepared the school bag with another milk and water for the kinder break at 9 am. Baste looks cute schoolboy even without the uniform. 

Baste will be having his birthday party in the parochial school together with his friends his age or less who became his schoolmates. My baby at that young age acts like a politician, the one pack of 12 pieces bought at Carriaga's near the Agora in Pagadian is having an estimate at least his snack at school for  12 school days....I supposed.

He wittingly sneaked the refrigerator and placed at least 4 biscuits in his Ben 10 bag. At school, he usually share all four biscuit packs among his classmates. Lagring always complain about the biscuit-crisis in the ref, and I always ended up just smiling about it. I love my baby's little gesture of kindness, and it has been tolerated. 

Time passed so quickly and I saw my kid running towards me and jumps for a hug. " Daddeeee, adto na ta sa Gaisano? he ask coyly". Yes baby, gahulat na gani kog dugay para nimo ha, unya nak, kinsa diay imong ka kauban nga medyo hurot-hurot na imong supply? I ask him back. " Si Iboy, si Aj, si Jeeboy ug si janplong dadee" Asus daghan diay kag ka team mate sa imong snack supply nak....ahahahaha....nah wala rabay investment imong daddy sa Aman, mapordoy ta ani nak, I sigh.

Baste just gave me a naughy sweet smile while he kissed me on the cheek. He knows how to make me melt and his techniques work on me. I told Lagring to change quick Baste so we could drive our way to the city. Lagring sat quietly at the backset, there must be something she wants to blurt out yet maybe shy enough of maybe afraid to say so. I just obesrved her while enjoying the ride in my Ed Hardy jeep.

The Running Chicken & Inday Clet, the 3 Days YAYA

I was in my afternoon siesta nap when an old woman  was shouting to the top of her lungs. "Manok, netib manok baligyaaaaa!!!! " I was unceremoniously awaken by her shouting.  " Inday Clet...Inday Clet, tan-awa ra god tong manok nga baligya sa gawas..!!!!! my quick response, knowingly that barrio women move fast to sell their stuffs and in a hurry. These women sell their poultry produce in town and the money they earned are use in buying some necessties back home in the barrio. They bought dried fish as well as fresh ones. Salts, cooking oils, vetsin and kerosine gas are additonal items they will bring home.

"Oo sir!, kadyot lang", as she ran outside in the main gate. " Nang, nang, agi ra gud dire kay paliton ni Sir imong mga manok!!!.

Inday Anacleta Torres, or Inday  "Clet" was my new yaya in the house. She just started working yesterday, before I hired Lagring. Taga diin diay ka day? I asked her. Taga Suminot Sir...didto ko natawo, pero pagkaminyo nako sa Baganian Peninsula na mi namuyo sa akong bana Sir, kay mananagat man gud to sya...she shyly answered my queries. Mao ba?....I squaked as I was inspecting her looks. "Pila nay imong edad diay? naa kay mga anak? asa naman imong bana....naa gihapon ka sa Baganian tig-ulian?" were my rapid interview questions to her.

" Wala na Sir, kay nagbulag na mis akong ika-tulo ka bana...she moaned as she was shy telling such private and personal questions. Wow, I was really amazed about her having three husbands...how she manged to have three. Inday was looking frail, and looked younger than I thought...maybe 40?..38?...thanks to her make-up, maybe brought from Maranaw hawkers, and pink Ching chang Soo plus dark red lipstick. Her worn out blouse, looked like bought from ukay-ukay somewhere with some Chinese drawings on the front. She was wearing faded jeans that matched the pink t-shirt.
"Unya...ang imong mga anak asa naman?...I was outright inruding deeper into her private life. "Wala man koy mga anak Sir, kay nag palayget ko !!!! she blushes. I was embarrassed too. So after a while I accepted Inday and let her to start working that day.

The native chicken is my favorite fowl...Nanay used to get fresh eggs from a nearby "pugaran" and add the egg yolks to my hot "NILUGAW". I love eating porridge till now but without those eggs, after modern times, the pugarans just disappeared in the house.
 

The two hens I bought looked so healthy, they have spotted feathers, their stomach bloated...I thought maybe those hens were forced to eat bananas or mais or maybe nails? to increase their kilos.
I instructed Inday to kep the two chickens being binded together with plastic straws. I was feeling sleepy again so I continued my additional nap in a bamboo sofa, the amihan wind made my eyes drowsy.

"Sir,Sir ...nawala ang duha ka manok!!!!!!! " Inday screamed that woke me up. " Asa man diay nimo gibutang Inday....impossible jud nga mawala to ay, panihapon biya to natong usa ka manok, kay gusto nakog tinula." I said to her.

"Dire nako gibutang sa ilalom sa sofa set Sir....ambot nganong nga nawala sila." I was beginning to feel angry on her, my God! imagine in two days, she made mistakes, the nerve....the price of two chicken cost already her one week salary, and the worst is we will have no hot chicken tinola soup.

" Hala pangitaa jud tong mga manok, kay ikaw jud akong itak-ang diris kawa....!!!!!! I shouted at her. Wow, how can she be that dumb? why should she put those chicken in the sala under those furniture????? 

"Hala Sir nakabuhi diay...nia sa likod sa balay! " she was shouting while she was chasing both chicken. " Sir, kusog man managan uy....dili nako madakpan." Yay!!!!!!dakpa jud na kay wala tay panihapon.
True to itself, Inday was gasping her breath, the chicken disappeared ....together with my dinner....my tinolang manok. My tinolang native na manok.

So I called my niece to just go to the carenderia on the side of the public market to buy some dinner for me. So from hot sabaw of chicken....it was adobong manok on the table. It was the only available food left in the closing restaurant.