"i came ... i saw ... i conquered"
My favourite thing is to go where I've never been. -- Diane Arbus

One of my life's goals is to see the beauty this world has to offer ... and if travelling is the only way to reach that goal, then so be it. Just give me a good destination and together with my travel buddies and my trusty camera, we'll make time for it and we'll be there...if you're as interested, come join me and see the world through my eyes .... ENJOY!!!

halloween 101 - things i learned

... halloween. it is celebrated anually on october 31, it includes activities as trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, carving jack-o-lanterns, haunted attractions, ghost stories, bonfires, watching horror films...
    coming from pinas, i've always celebrated this time of year without any costumes, no trick-or-treating and no pumpkins. all souls' day and all saints' day (nov 1-2) is mostly lighting candles for the dead, saying our prayers, offering and hearing mass, reuniting with distant relatives, painting mausoleums and of course spending a day or two in the cemetery. halloween is something i needed to learn, and here are the basics:
         TRICK OR TREAT. this is where you dress up kids (and daddies) in costumes, they go knock from one door to another to get CANDY. I have to remind my son ... that though candy is good, chocolate is better ... and mommy likes BUTTERFINGER, so grab those, hehe! It's cold this time of year so choose costumes that still look good with long johns on and don't forget to bring glow sticks and a big bag for the goodies! be ready, some home owners dress up in costumes too ...
        JACK-O-LANTERNS. first go visit a pumpkin patch, they would have different kinds of pumpkins for you, small ones, medium-sized ones and really big ones. get only what you can handle, they get to be really heavy. pick out and print an easy pattern, pin it to the front of your pumpkin, cut the top part out, take the seeds out and then start carving. when you're ready, get a candle, put it inside your pumpkin and voila, you've got a jack-o-lantern! btw, pumpkin patches can give you hayrides, ghost stories and other halloween activities your kids would love.
      HALLOWEEN PARTIES. this time of year is not just for kids, they can also be fun for adults. you can wear costumes and have a party (just because!)... i'm not too sure of the idea of santa being in town on halloween though. what do you think?

     no doubt about it, halloween is fun but i also make it a point to celebrate it the old-fashioned pinoy way. i do my best to have a mass scheduled in the mausoleum of my parents, paint it once in a good while, keep it clean, and have it ready for visitors/relatives who would light their candles and say their prayers. It's good to have that pinoy part of me as a reminder that october 31-nov 2 is not just candies, pumpkins and costume parties...they can also be about prayers, families and getting together ... and both ways can be equally fun ....
** THIS IS IN MEMORY OF MY MOM AND DAD, I LOVE YOU BOTH! ... THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, GOD BLESS YOUR SOULS!  i'll always be daddy's little girl, and i never fail to go by mommy's life lessons to get me through every day ... I WILL BE MISSING YOU BOTH ALWAYS!

...appreciating God's wondrous paradise...

2 comments:

meretrisha said...

wow, touchy ang last part! you're such a sweet daughter, pareho jud ta!

pearl said...

you always have been jo ... stay as sweet as you are, J-A-P-A-N (Just Always Pray At Night) hahaha ... autograph book days!!