Philippine Day

On Sunday, the Cultural Society of Filipino Americans (CSFA) held the annual Philippine Day. It was held at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul. For all you city people, think Civic Center in S.F, but on a smaller scale. It was like a mini-Fiesta Islands. Before we got there, hubby kept telling me to get it outta my mind that it would be anything close to a Filipino fiesta in da city. And he was right. Although I was a bit disappointed , it was alright! They had different organizations and groups tabling, lots of food, an authentic looking sari-sari store, and a stage for performances. This was definitely the most Pinoys/Pinays that I've seen since my trip from CA! Lol!

CSFA performed and had a fashion show- did really well. I was supposed to perform with them, but I didn't make the last practice. There were these two alternative/rock bands that were cool- Chiwebs and Puronoys. Kinda cool sidenote...we know both lead singers! Whoo hoo! Lead singer of Chiwebs happens to be the bass player of the praise band at church and Ibalik, fellow Cutting Edge-r, got his sangin' on with Puronoys. I think out of all the performances that day, they were the best out of the lineup. Pictures to come soon.

Rondalla Filipina has got a new member.....hubby! The father-son pastor at our church have been involved in a rondalla group and damn, are they good! Hubby expressed interest in joining and had his debut performance at Philippine Day! Okay, so he didn't have a barong tagalog....and he only practiced the night before...they were bomb! Now for a rondalla group, one person alone sounds good, but when you put all the instruments together, it really makes for that authentic folk dance sound! Hubby amazes me in so many ways with his musical talent- although he'll be the first to say that he doesn't play well at all. So humble! I'm lookin' forward to seeing his growth in this rondalla group and I know he is, too.

Back to da Bay- Part 2

Since my lil' cuz's cotillion wasn't until the evening, I took the first chance I had to head to the beach. When I woke up, there wasn't a cloud in the sky! I headed to Noah's bagels to get my usual: a toasted chocolate chip bagel with cream cheese. Baskin Robbins was just opening and hell, ya'll know how badly I was feening for a Mocha Blast (without the cinnamon!). With bagel and mocha blast in hand, I drove to Ocean Beach. At 9:30ish in the morning, there was already a small crowd. I ate in my car while I people watched-surfers and body boarders battling the waves, runners and joggers with dogs in tow, couples young and old walking hand in hand... After that yum breakfast, I sat on the wall taking in the sun and the view, seeing peoples scantily dressed, kites flying high, kids playing tag with the waves and honestly, I was almost moved to tears! It was just beautiful and it was just so good to be back.

I head back to my car to escape the potential sunburn (yes, sunburn!) and I jot down the words that come like crazy into my head. By this time, I'm fricken burning up that I'm actually using a/c in the car! I'm about to head home to do some work, when Ms. Penny calls to meet up for lunch. Yay! We end up meeting at El Burrito, but because of the crowds, end up bringing the food back to my parents' house. We had so much catching up to do and it was exciting to hear about plans for her upcoming wedding to Mr. Stud Muffin.

The cotillion itself was a nice, grande affair. I forget exactly how much goes into one of these things! I know that it follows in the tradition of a "coming-out-into-society" deals, but dayamn, it's like a wedding! Although I was in one and attended many during my senior year of high school, I never wanted one for myself. But my lil' cuz's cotillion turned out really nice. She looked beautiful in her gown, the choreography of the waltz and cha-cha were fun, and the chance to dress up and hang out with family was nice. I was part of the candle and rose ceremony. Basically as a candle sponsor, I had to say a lil' speech about her. It was very appropo because as I was telling her what a beautiful person she was inside and out, the background music was Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful." Talk about timing! Makes me realize how old I'm getting, considering that I remember when this chick was born 18 years before! What a journey it has been to have seen her grow up and lookit her now....*sigh*.