A week ago was been a busy week for all of us, we didn’t have a proper sleep for nine days because of my aunt’s funeral wake. We stayed until early in the morning playing bingo with some relatives, we only attend the vigil service for a night or two since it started early and we are still at home preparing for dinner and feeding the pets, so we usually go at the wake after the prayer service. I didn’t view my aunt’s coffin until the last night of wake because it feels like she was still alive.

The other day was her burial before heading to the cemetery there was a short service at the church, we prepared short photo video, photos of our aunt when she was still alive and then there was a committal service in the cemetery before her coffin was put in the ground.

The Aratilis or Saresa is part of my childhood, I climbed this tree many times like how many times I climbed a guava or mango tree growing up. The aratiles or Muntingia Calabura is a flowering plant that grows in a few parts of the world including Mexico and Philippines, it was commonly called Jamaica cherry,  Panama Berry, Bajelly tree and other alternative names.

The Aratilis is the most favorite wild fruit by kids in the Philippines since they just grow anywhere without someone planting them. When I was still a kid I always go to the house across my grandmother’s house because they have an aratilis tree in their yard then I think my late grandfather observes my liking to the fruit that he replanted aratilis tree in our backyard but sad to say I wasn’t able to climb it since we went home and live to my father’s hometown where I found an aratilis tree to climb.

Today, my cousin’s kids and their playmates were also like me who loves to climb the aratilis tree that surprisingly grow along the path in the field. The other day while letting our dog wander in the field I asked my sister to pick aratilis but she left ahead of me since she has work to do, I was amazed that there was a lot of ripe aratilis in the tree which is not normal because most of the time the tree has no red fruit since the kids love to pick them as well. While jumping and trying to reach the ripe aratilis my older cousin’s toddler daughter came and extend her right arm and says “be” she was asking for the fruit I’ve picked. I was shocked the way she asked for the fruit, she didn’t even asked if she can have some she just want to took it from me like she asked me to picked them for her so I told her to climb and get her own fruit but I have changed my mind thinking she’ll going to cry so I handed the aratilis I have in my hand and by looking up in the tree I found more up top so I decided to climb the tree and while at top I have asked her to pin point the red ones for me and informed her that I will not give the fruits right away because I have to take photos of them first and she willingly agreed.

Browsing online I have found that aratilis aren’t not just merely a wild fruit that grew anywhere because it has medicinal usage, in traditional medicine, its leaves can be used as an antiseptic or antipruritic and to treat abdominal cramps while another study claimed that aratilis leaves possess antinociceptive (reducing sensitivity to pain), anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and antipruritic properties, justifying the folkloric medicinal use.

Today, the service was different, Pastor E did the Sunday school service for youth and adult since the women were the one in-charge this Sunday to celebrate World Day of Prayer.

World Day of Prayer is takes place internationally on the first Friday of March every year but it was fine to celebrate on different Sunday if it isn’t possible on first Sunday and the host country for WDP 2016 is Cuba with the theme, prepared by the women, is “Receive children, receive me” with a focus on children. The scripture readings for the service are Isaiah 11:1-10 and Mark 10:13-16. The Bible study texts are Mark 10:13-16 and Luke 19:1-10.

The program started by the leader reading about a short background about Cuba,  the leader was my older cousin and it was a heartbreaking start since she was crying and sobbing because my aunt’s eternal reposed was brought home a moment before the proper service started, the church was just in the neighborhood so they saw it when the funeral parlor came. After a short introduction about cuba,  Cuba’s national flower “butterfly jasmine” was introduced and then the service runs according to a program written by World Day of Prayer Committee of Cuba.

The church was decorated in Cuban theme, there were different colors of paper butterflies adorned the pulpit. It was said that they should be look like butterfly jasmine but they end up looking like butterflies.

World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement led by Christian women who welcome you to join in prayer and action for peace and justice.

Today was a sad day in our clan and neighborhood. It was early in the morning when we’ve heard our relatives, shouting and running towards our other relative’s house. Our second elder aunt who was confined in the hospital because of high sugar level a few weeks ago needs to be immediately rush in the hospital since she unexpectedly vomited blood in the comfort room. It was told that two of our cousin visited in their house since our older cousin came home from the city and while they are talking happily she went to pee and then it happened.

We didn’t run to their house since there were already a lot of people who went there, we are not going to be a big help too and will only occupy space and then seeing blood make us nervous and we might lose consciousness before the patient.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

Within less than thirty minutes a news came that our aunt passed away in the hospital, they tried to revive her but she was already responsive. The doctors says the lump on her lungs exploded, an older cousin also says that the lump on her back neck exploded as well.  A different doctor gave a diagnosis a week ago that there’s water in her lungs and one of her lungs was already half in measure, as I look online  I found out that a condition in which the lungs fill with fluid is called Pulmonary Edema and when this occurs, the body struggles to get enough oxygen.

The rumors circulating our aunt has lung cancer but I don’t think it was really lung cancer since she  doesn’t smoke or drink liquor and she was not properly diagnosed yet, before she died they were set to go to the city to have her check-up and CT scan but it didn’t happened anymore because she had an attacked suddenly that lead to her death.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

Anyway, according to mayoclinic.org in most cases, heart problems cause pulmonary edema. But fluid can accumulate for other reasons, including pneumonia, exposure to certain toxins and medications, trauma to the chest wall, and exercising or living at high elevations but based on my research my aunt maybe has acute pneumonia because according to American Lung Association when the germs that cause pneumonia reach your lungs, the lungs’ air sacs (alveoli) become inflamed and fill up with fluid and pus, maybe that’s the lump that they saw on her x-ray results. This causes the symptoms of pneumonia, such as a cough, fever, chills, and trouble breathing. When you have pneumonia, oxygen has trouble reaching your blood.

Odiongan celebrated town fiesta every 5th of April but the celebration opened on the evening  of April 1st through a color run in the public plaza, a night inspired by light followed by a beach party featuring a reggae singer “Kokoi Baldo” then on the 2nd of April there was Agency Night sponsored by Romblon State University and Barangay Night on the next night sponsored by barangay associations. On April 4th a fluvial parade and oar boat racing in the town shoreline and grand coronation of Ms. Odiongan on the evening at Odiongan Public Plaza.

Kanidugan Festival is the highlight of Odiongan fiesta celebration, it was been a decade ago since it was first opened. When we went to town the parade and street dancing was already starting and the intersection going to the public market was already blocked with vehicles and people so we returned and use the other route but it was also blocked so went the other way and we are able to find a good place where we can see the street dancing but on my disappointment my camera didn’t cooperate with me, it won’t focus and there was too much light in the photos.

After the parade and street dancing the Kanidugan competition follows at OSCES grounds. It was a very hot day but there was a lot of people. It was a shame but many Odionganons left their manners at home that day, people were redundantly told to sit and not to leave their grounds so other people at the back can see but many didn’t listen so as expected everybody swarmed upfront and of course I wouldn’t just remain seated in the ground seeing different shape of legs and butts so I went nearer as well so I could take better photos.

Well, I wasn’t able to find a good spot but I can’t go back since a lot of people swarmed up in our back, it was very discomforting, it feels like my ear drums will pop out and when the current performers ends I left to find my companions and since most people left out of disappointment, the ground became a bit spacious and my companions were able to find a good spot beside the stage ground, I took a bit of photos and asked them to go home, the last tribe performing was very lame anyway, their sounds wasn’t good.

I think the people in San Agustin, Romblon during their festival and ground demonstration was more disciplined except from one teacher who also left her manners at home that day.

The fluvial parade at the sea or biniray was religiously done in the capital town of Romblon celebrating the devotion of the people to their religious beliefs but in recent years biniray was also done in the island of Odiongan although it wasn’t so fabulous like how it was celebrated during every second week of January in the capital town.

A day before the town fiesta of Odiongan there is a special celebration in the town shoreline aside from the fluvial parade of boats adorned with coconut leaves there is also a boat race.  A year ago they held Paraw Regatta a popular annual festival in the province of Iloilo where the main event is a sailboat race in Iloilo Strait that features the Paraw, a Visayan double outrigger sail boat. It is dubbed as the oldest traditional craft event in Asia and the largest sailing event in the Philippines but this year in Odiongan they held oar boat racing which was joined by more than fifteen boatmen, it was made possible under the management of DepED teachers in town.

Well, the boat race this year wasn’t very colorful like a year ago since the boats were not adorned with colorful sailboats. The boat race was themed “Bugsayan” since the participants will race using “bugsay” a local dialect for oar or paddle.

Many Odionganons were too excited that they started running in the shoreline when the racers are going ashore so dunno how the management find the winner when many people blocked the shoreline already, wasn’t able to take photos of the boatmen going ashore since my view was blocked with people.

My father and his batch mates celebrated their 35th grand alumni homecoming in Mt. Dion Garden Resort, it was second day of their get together the first one was held in their batch mate house near the shore. The garden resort was newly opened that’s why we went there to look around even though the get together was only for them alone. We just took photos inside the resort,  buy and ate melted ice cream then left since we are scheduled to watch boat race and biniray at Odiongan shore as part of the town fiesta celebration.

My father’s batch mates mistaken my younger sister as his eldest daughter and when we told my father about it at home, he also shared that their architect’s nephew told him that he admired how my father’s eldest daughter drives motorcycle toughly, since I don’t know how to drive my father knew that the guy wasn’t talking about me but my youngest sister so he informed him about it, we end up laughing  together in my sister’s displeasure.

Mt. Dion Garden resort was located at Brgy. Bangon, it is a perfect venue for family outings, small gathering like birthdays, get together and maybe even weddings with small guests since I think the area is very small to accommodate a lot of people. The resort has two medium sized pools one at the bottom and one at the top where there is a statue of peeing boy.

The main attraction at Mt. Dion Garden resorts are the animal statues like the large gorilla at facade and the giraffe, elephant and other stone statues inside the resort.  The food in their catering service tasted good since my father brought home some left over.

Mt. Dion Garden Resort
Brgy. Bangon, Odiongan, Romblon
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Mt-Dion-Resort-1752136945023941/
Mobile No. – 0948 980 4398

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. Above written post was my own personal opinion and might be different from yours.

Attending event isn’t really cup of my tea I preferred staying home to watch movie or read online but my mother and sister persisted that I should come with them when a direct selling group they were affiliated hosted an annual event. My father has prior engagement too at the same time so I ended up going with them then I won’t be left alone at home doing nothing while everyone is enjoying and eating good food.

The annual event was held in beach resort but not everyone could just go there unannounced since you must buy a ticket before the event. The ticket cost ₱200 ($4.33) and it covers food stub for the catered food and the ticket too will give a participants a chance to win a Samsung smartphone in a raffle.

The event was divided in two parts, the first part was Personality Development with Ms. Odiongan Candidates, the candidates ramp one by one and they were included during makeup tutorial and demonstration hosted by Ever Bilena’s representatives headed by Ms. Angelique Marañon the direct sales supervisor for South Luzon, the second part was the proper program, games, giving of gifts and freebies, raffles and announcing of the top sellers, I won a bag as consolation prize in the raffle and few make up freebies from games and answering a question that was asked.

Other than Ever Bilena’s representatives, representatives from MSE were also present to introduce their new line of cosmetics which is San san makeup and one person also gives information how to use Maxi Peel properly, then afterwards they offered over 40% discount in San San’s makeup with a chance to win prizes, the makeups can only be bought in cash. We bought one set and when my mother is already getting ready to left since there is only one prize left to be given and people are already leaving, her name was called for the last prize which is single burner stove.

The event was very successful and I learn proper makeup application from Ever Bilena representatives, I will  write about it in a separate post.

It was first Sunday of the month again today and the service proper started as early as seven o’clock. Pastor E scriptural topic was about “time” and the scriptural verse was from Ephesus 5: 16 that says “Making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.”

[Photo source: quotesgram.com]

Pastor E says that time is precious because it is short and when it passed it cannot be recover that’s why there is always regrets at the end when we didn’t use our time wisely. God give us certain set of time (Matthew 12:36) to do good but how much time we have wasted?

Time is also an opportunity to do good (redeeming time), it is God’ special gift to us, it was God given opportunity with purposes (Hebrews 3:15).

Yesterday, I overheard from inside our house that my sister was talking to someone outside, it sounds like she is talking with the older woman in the neighborhood (L) and they are talking what kind of eggs were found in the bush. Curious, I went outside to take a look on the eggs and it was concluded that they were turkey eggs since they are not smooth, they are eight of them.

It turns out Mrs. L found them while cutting grass for their cow; the eggs are wet since it rained a few days ago.  My sister asked our cousin’s son to call his grandmother to tell that their turkey lay eggs in the bushy fields and since they were already wet and there will be no chance that they’re going to be hatched our aunt gave three eggs to  my sister to boiled.

Today, the turkey went back looking for her eggs and the turkey is probably heart broken not finding her eggs since day were already taken out the bush the day before.