sinulog 2011 casa verde

my last post for sinulog. i have to finish these installments right on time and catch up with the remaining sinulog feel in the air. just yesterday, the colorful sinulog banners that used to hang above cebu's main streets, were removed.

although this particular post isn't really about sinulog but on how we fend off ourselves from total breakdown, after we patiently stood for HOURS in order to revel on the sinulog grand parade.  we had no choice but to stand forever since aside from the damp sidewalks, we were also in constant battle for a limited standing space. 

we chose to join the throng of crowds along osmeña boulevard, instead of being contented to watch the parade near our home. to think that we only had to go outside our house and then, right in front of us would be the sinulog contingents. however, we liked to believe that most of them were tired, since they had just finally performed in abellana. so, all we could see in their faces were relief and the joy that it was finally over, marred unfortunately with exhaustion.

anyway, when dinnertime came, we eventually had to give in to our needed comfort, for the love of our stomachs and feet.

Casa Verde

Casa Verde Main Branch

Again, The Ribs!

my sister had been wanting casa verde ever since i told her about the sinful death by chocolate. aside from yogurt, she's also crazy about anything chocolate! so, casa verde was on her mind when we were deciding on where to eat and i also need to gratify myself with the ribs, once again.

sinulog 2011 fireworks

the best way to end a grand celebration with a big bang is to have a fireworks display and sinulog would not be the last in line for this. as always, sinulog was again ended with a fireworks display in cebu city sports complex or widely known as abellana, where the sinulog dancing contingents showcased their winning performances. two other fireworks displays were also held in ayala center cebu and sm city cebu in separate occasions. however in sm, it was a fireworks competition with participants coming from all over the philippines. it was held the day before the sinulog grand parade. unfortunately this year, i failed to watch the competition due to the incessant downpour. tsk

with regards to the fireworks in ayala, we (my sister, my cousin, and breinn) didn't bother to go there, after the street dancing since it was again about to rain. we instead decided to go home and just wait for the fireworks  in abellana. we were sure that it would push through, no matter what.

Abellana's Fireworks

this was one of the few instances that reminded us that there was an ongoing fireworks display in abellana. too few, i say...

sinulog 2011 grand parade

with just three weeks unto the new year and before the traces of christmas festivities bid its goodbye, cebu was once again set for a festive mood for the sinulog. the excitement was not only shared by the cebuanos but with local and foreign tourists as well, who flocked the small city for this grand celebration.

having witnessed sinulog for 13 years, i must say that it keeps on getting bigger and grander every year, though this year's sinulog was celebrated under stubborn dark gray skies, pouring down rain most of the day but this did not stop the people from celebrating. the procession and the fluvial parade for the Sto. Niño were still successful and peaceful amidst the rain's rage.

sinulog is formally started off with a 9-day novena with masses being held everyday in the Basilica Del Sto. Niño in downtown area of the city. many cebuano catholics have this promise (panaad, in local dialect) to complete this 9-day novena as sort of indulgence and sacrifice while offering personal prayers to Sto. Niño.

and then after these events, sinulog is concluded with the most awaited grand parade or the street dancing with final presentations of the contigents in the cebu city sports complex.

Sinulog Grand Parade

A  Contingent from Danao

Another Dancing Contingent Along Osmeña Blvd

veneration for the Sto. Niño during sinulog is not mainly in cebu but it spreads across the visayas and mindanao regions, with a number of participants coming from really far places like lanao del norte in mindanao.

sinulog 2011: a supermarket's version

i'm not in any way related to savemore in emall and it just happens that i frequently buy my groceries here because of the convenience and here's what they had for the sinulog. so sorry for the crappy video by my phone. ;))

Sinulog in a Supermarket

the savemore dancers should work on their smiles because we witnessed their not so pleasing frowns and the fatigue was all over their faces. they probably had too much practice aside from their pressing work.

too bad, i had not taken a video of their waka waka dance, though it's not really something sinulog. hehe

o-O

sinulog 2011: procession, rain, and children's play

here comes again sinulog.  i could still remember the agonizing experience of getting through crowds last year and again this time, i'm bracing myself for another body collisions. i expect  this year to be worst than ever due to the rain and the foreboding clouds, hovering cebu since the first day of the year.

but no way i'm complaining. if this is somehow my really small way to be a part of the celebration for the child Jesus, then i'm up for it because i'm not one of those people who are really dedicated to their faith because i sometimes fail in attending masses, had my last confession like a long time ago, and among other things.

Sinulog Procession

 

Heavy Downpour during the Procession

my sister and i decided to join the sinulog procession even with the impending rain, thinking the deed would serve  like some sort of a little sacrifice. the procession happens the day before the sinulog street dancing which is every 3rd sunday of january. i last joined the sinulog procession back in high school and that was like eons ago. nah, i wouldn't be talking about my age here.

we waited for breinn in caltex gasoline station, near south bus terminal since the procession would pass by here and i know it would be a really long wait since he's from mandaue. lol

Procession Route

Map Courtesy of http://www.sinulog.ph

banana leaf @ take 2!

he's back! finally. just in time for the grandest event in cebu, sinulog! sinulog is a festive occasion in honor of Sto. Niño (the child Jesus) that happens every 3rd sunday of january. i will be having that in my next posts. ;)

it was friday again and the payroll was just in time to make my day, aside of course breinn, getting back from his exile in the capital. our glutton minds resynced in an instant and we then racked our brains on where we could eat to our stomachs' content.

i might have suggested one or two places but i told him that it was his call that night since he probably missed cebu and wanted to eat something cebuano.

Banana Leaf

though this is no way cebuano. ;))

Banana Leaf Cracklings

mooning over mooon

i just so blame the walk, it park for hoarding some of the great food finds here in cebu, even including mooon! a mexican-inspired restaurant (as they claimed in their menu) which had grown from their main branch in residential guadalupe and out to the city midst. though, i still find the main branch quaint and appealing for it being an old house and having transformed into a cozy dining place. yes, this is one of the many remodeled old houses in cebu, aside from casa verde (please see my post here.) and stk ta bay! (here). now, i had covered two three in here. more to go!

anyway, since i had painstakingly endured the jeepney rides this week and i even had to wear a pair of slippers to work and carried my gratifying heels on top of my usual gargantuan load, i rewarded myself a lunch treat in mooon. haha!

even though it is one of those "ting-bitay" (suicidal) days, as we fondly call the few days before we finally have our volatile salaries into our payroll accounts, my urge to eat just went overboard my logic and sense of frugality.

Mooon

Mooon's Food Weapons

while waiting for food. ;) due to my very dependable camera phone, the napkin's color turned from bright orange into a very pale one. lol

Beef Tips

it's a sauteed sizzling beef strips topped with onion rings and gravy sauce, served in a hot plate and good thing, it didn't sizzle excessively or else, the smell of beef would be all over my clothes! lol

One Great Minute Maid Pulpy Deal!

Hey everyone! ;)

I just drank a bottle of Minute Maid Pulpy. They say it’s got ‘no preservatives added’. Aw, c’mon…It’s bottled juice. Is that even possible? So I thought maybe... that thinking about the bottle is just one stereotype that I can do away with, in exchange for that pulpy experience, but is it really true? hmmm...

I didn’t believe it the first time I heard it’s got no preservatives added.  So I read the ingredients (even the fine print) and everything checked out! It really has NO PRESERVATIVES ADDED!  That means it doesn’t have ingredients that may turn out to be allergens, or worse...carcinogens!  Whew! Now that’s healthy goodness that tastes so good, I... can't help myself grabbing for another bottle.^___^

 

 Gotta have a lot!

So okay, it’s got no preservatives added. That’s really good, right?  Not just because it doesn’t have those icky, harmful ingredients, but it also means... that it's good for my health and yours as well. Who doesn't want to have another healthy bottle so available in your "suking tindahan"?

So far anyone who still has a hard time believing that Minute Maid has got no preservatives added - meaning it's THAT natural, it's almost like it's plucked straight from the tree, it's just as Mother Nature wanted your orange juice to be, it's got nothing but the good stuff yes, none of those potentially toxic stuff that can harm your brain, kidneys, heart; cause tumors aargh- the list of preservatives' bad effects just go on!!! Anyway, just to prove a point on just how good Minute Maid Pulpy is 'cause it's got NO PRESERVATIVES ADDED, I'm gonna have to drink a whole lot of that pulpy juice for a healthier me and have a great year ahead and even years to come. Now, who wants to hop in?

Oh, my loyal stuffies even want to!

Do you?

Feels good to know about the real pulpy deal, right? C’mon show me a smile on the comment box, and you might win yourself a Really Pulpy Deal! (That’s a chance to win a Minute Maid gift pack simply by commenting. Sweet! C'mon you just might be picked as the lucky 'commentor'!)


Love,
Eunice, The Minute Pulpy Advocate ;)

casa verde overload

casa verde has been quite successful for the past few years, having expanded to two more branches with its first expansion in the walk, it park. a short time thereafter, another casa verde opened in the terraces, ayala center cebu, giving their loyal customers more convenience as compared to their inconspicuous main branch near ramos street. it's one of the many restaurants in cebu that have humble beginnings in their remodeled ancestral houses and turning these into homey restaurants.

with casa verde in it park, stressed-out slaves here, need not go far in order to appease themselves with good food. they indeed have a lot to thank for, with casa verde and other restaurants' convenient location.

more convenient for me since i would only have to go down my building's elevator, do a little walk to the walk (har har) and then there's casa verde! this time, i tagged my parents along since they're in town.

Casa Verde

Brian's Ribs

the infamous ribs in casa verde! talking about casa verde, it's always about the ribs, its uber delicious flavor and the insane serving! it's a crime not to order this one.

Carlamari

rai rai ken de hitori...

ライライケンで一人...

if you are seeing some garbled texts above, maybe you don't have your language settings set to identify japanese characters. i won't be having some quick tutorial with that in here but i would just suggest you go for google instead. ;)

on second thought, it's just the japanese equivalent of the blog title anyway and it's really nonsense for you to go to that extent. it just means "alone in rai rai ken". i don't know what the online translators will exactly do for you because some translations could even confuse you more.

oh well, this is not a japanese tutorial blog because i am no expert. in order to keep my sanity, i had given up learning the language more than a year ago. all i can muster are some few greetings, several nods, and a few lines that even a 2-year old japanese kid can do way better than me. lol

and i blabber away too much...

Rai-Rai Ken

My Food!

oh, don't be fooled with that ramen in the pic. it's just a snack ramen, a half-size ramen served in rai rai ken, it park. it's only in this branch that they have this version. perfect for those like me who still want to make a room for other food. however, they only offer it for kantonmen. just too bad.

started it in bigby's

i am just into eating. food would always be my comfort and my stress reliever and that's why i'm really having a problem getting rid of the extra fat persistently clinging around my waist. a lot of people tell me to do sit-ups regularly but i had never put any of my health intentions into action. i even had this wild aspiration to have a somewhat perfect body by summertime. haha!

but that would have to remain as a bleak dream for now since i started to binge in bigby's on the 2nd day of the year. ;)

Bigby's

Passion Fish

a dark and gloomy new year

cebu welcomed the new year with overcast skies, chills, and rain showers and the dreariness seemed to last up to this day. however, there was no storm advisory from pag-asa (the philippine weather bureau) and we are just experiencing just another cold front.

well, back to my very first day in 2011, my family and i attended a wedding of a relative. i fought my sleepiness due to vacation sloth, with the urge of checking out san remegio beach club, which has made quite a name for a long time already.

San Remegio Beach Club

Swimming Pool for Adults