2019: A Year of Joys

By
9 has always been one of my favorite numbers because my childhood years run through the 1990s. 

 Incidentally, the most recent year of 2019 has been splendid to me, making 9 even more awesome. I think that 2019 was even the best, and it will be difficult for other years to top it off. 

 For keepsake purposes, I will share with you the best moments of my 2019...
January 1 | Our Mum's Big Surprise
Our mum presenting 2019's Media Noche.

My mum gave us a big surprise on NYE. It was so funny that I posted a blog entry about it on the very same day.
March 9 | Wedding By the Sea
My cousin and her husband kissing their baby Izzy on their wedding day.

 My cousin and her fiance got married on the beautiful island of Boracay. Set against the backdrop of azure seas, and skies that transitioned from blue to lavender, it was certainly a perfect wedding...

 But that day was not only meant for the culmination of a budding romance, it was also a time for celebrating with relatives and meeting new friends who were incidentally hilarious!
Barbara, the groom's mum, was a very funny lady.

Their first dance as a couple.

With my little cousins, Ate Mabel's daughters.

With Ate Mabel and Tito Pepe.

The partying after the wedding was a blast!


Did my little cousin fix her aunt's dress?

Scotty Hooper was one of the funny fellows we met on that wedding but it might be his ginger locks!

Of course, the views in Boracay Island were stunning --- they were painted by the gods of nature!





Late March | Odyssey to El Nido

 Just a few weeks after the Boracay Wedding, my siblings and I went on an odyssey to the various islands and beaches of El Nido.

 We've seen the diamond beaches, sapphire and emerald waters, and silvery limestone cliffs.
The splendid view from Matinloc Island.

El Nido's Nightlife

The pretty port of El Nido.

The pulchritudinous Matinloc Shrine.

A relaxing moment for my sister.

The emerald waters of Small Lagoon.


March 31 | Last Day as Professorial Lecturer in Bicol University
BSA I-A, one of the three blocks I taught. I guess they enjoyed my class, I think!

I had fun teaching at my alma mater but the best thing about it was that all my 150 students passed the subject despite my high standards and the time constraints. :)
Mid-April | Quitinday Underground River

 We did a short trip to the underground river of Jovellar, Albay. It was a bit dangerous but fun!
The underground river had some waterfalls, setting it apart from the others.

My sister enjoying the dripping waters of the cave.

More than five feet below the ground.

A dip on one of its pools.

The cave's slippery slopes were a little dangerous!

Refreshing waters gushing through.

 April 26 | Our Cat's First Litter
They looked like mice | Chloe's kittens clinging on her tail

Chloe, our cat, gave birth to her first two offsprings on this day.
May 2 | My Mum's Retirement Party
A bouquet of flowers and a kiss from my father.

My mum turned 65 this year so she retired from government service after serving for a total of 38 years as the head of Legazpi City's Veterinary Office.
July 6 | Induction of IBP Officers

Induction of IBP Officers and Directors at the Oriental Legazpi.
Photo grabbed from IBP Albay President, Atty. Steve Resari.

 I never expected this coming but I was elected as a director of IBP Albay earlier in February. By July, we were inducted as officers and directors. I have gone very far from the reluctant law student that I was ten years ago.
September 19 | An Unusual Birthday Greeting

 Another surprise of the year happened on my 32nd birthday. My long-time friend from law school, Morris, surprised me with a few drinks on the eve of my birthday.
With Morris at Terminal 2.

 Morris came all the way from Manila, which is 500 kilometers afar. He had with him another friend, Raffy, also a lawyer and a graduate of Ateneo Law.

 He jokingly said, "I came here just to greet you a happy birthday!" and then gave me a toast. This guy never loses his sense of humor!
September 21 | Super Mario Party Game
I played Boo and won first place. 

 My siblings and I played Super Mario Party Game on my brother's Nintendo Switch... but since that game requires four players, I asked if our maid Regielyn can play with us. Everybody agreed.
Regielyn also won a few weeks later.

Regielyn is the type of person who will always make you laugh, smile, and have fun with, regardless of the mundanity of the moment. She's always a joy to be with and makes everything funny but candid. :)
Mid-October | A Tour to Albay's Volcanic Churches
The Tabaco Church, one of the volcanic churches of Albay.

 I needed a leave from work so I took a rest for one week. In the middle of that brief staycation, I toured the volcanic churches of Albay.
The Tabaco Church's elaborate interiors.
The white coat makes a beautiful contrast to the black volcanic bricks.

The dramatic appeal of Sto. Domingo Church's twin belfries.

After the short tour, I had a sumptuous meal of chicken cilantro and iced chocolate at Tyler's Boulangerie, leaving me very much satisfied.
The gastronomic chicken cilantro.

Tyler's Boulangerie is located on the ground floor of an old Spanish house.


October 31 | Halloween Party at Eruption

My brother and I attended the Halloween Party of Eruption. The night erupted with music, dancing, and booze.
Very Vulcan | My brother imitates Spock of Star Trek.

Seven seconds of spook.

The Halloween costumes and the creepy acting of the participants made the night spooky but entertaining!
With Allison and her friend. Allison is the governor's daughter.

This was his cover photo for a long time.
November 22 | Our Cat's Second Litter
My sister playing with the newborn kittens.

Not long after giving birth to her first litter, Chloe gave birth to her second batch, this time, a litter of four kittens!
December 2 | A Ukulele to Calm the Storm


 Typhoon Tisoy wrecked havoc on Bicol Region that night, but it did not take away our spirits. When the angry winds were swaying the trees and the electric posts outside, my sister played her ukulele.



The mellowed candles and the pleasing music made the night bearable and somewhat indelible. Moments like this makes you cherish the comforts of your home.
December 19 | The Vivid Pastores Bicol
The Pastores' lively dancing.

 I chanced upon the annual event of Pastores Bicol at Peñaranda Park, Legazpi City. It was my first time to see this age-old tradition. I am amazed by its vividity, liveliness and dynamism.




December 31 | The Last Flex of the Decade

 To greet everyone a Happy New Year, I did a playful flex beside our Christmas Tree. A total of 82 people reacted to my silly post.


2019 has been a wonderful year. I will remember the joys it brought with it. There have been a lot more blissful moments but I need to choose only few --- those that, I think, will interest the readers. 

 Notwithstanding, I was blessed with loving family and relatives, and funny friends, all of whom I am very thankful for.

 Happy New Year!

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 8, 2020 at 4:57 AM

    i enyoyed reading and looking at the pictures. the videos were not available for me. reading more about the popular posts was blocked.more failure on my side, i think. keep up with the extraordinary experiences, which you describe vividly. thanks for letting me enter your private colorful world!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Raymond M. AndesJanuary 14, 2020 at 11:49 PM

    Hey! Thank you so much for the praises! I'm sorry for replying this late; I was kinda busy the past few weeks. You forgot to give your name but I think I know who's behind the "unknown account" hehehehe

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

An Everlasting Pulchritude

By
Image
The beauty that still mesmerises us Of the mountain who used to be a lass Every time we set our eyes on her Something makes us wonder For how can Mother Nature be so gracious To give us something which, though, we need not choose Is, nevertheless, spectacular That no other mountain is at par? She’s beyond magnificent Though she explodes every now and then Her many eruptions Conjured rousing captions What would scare us to leave? The magma? The raining of ash? The broken debris? The boulders? Or the lava-fountaining and showers? But these are the same matters That add to the volcano’s wonders Because from a safe distance You would see some other-worldly trance... For tourists and visitors, Even to locals and natives, Its explosion and eruption Are tourist attractions Why are we not afraid then, Do you ever wonder? Because we always see her… As a beautiful lady with the usual temper. But at most times, she’s calm and collected,...
Read more

Mesmerizing Monaco 🇲🇨

By
Image
  La Condamine, Monaco We were almost done with our Euro Tour, but our last stop - unbeknownst to us - would make our escapade even grander exponentially. Monaco is indeed the wealthiest, most affluent nation in the world... and the dollars are speaking from amongst everything you see in every corner of this miniscule country. It is beautiful, it is organized, it is spotless! If we saw tiny bits of candy wrappers and cigarette butts in very few places in Italy, we didn't see any gram of litter in all of Monaco! Beautiful Nightscape of Monaco with Late 19th Century Buildings Perfect. Flawless.  I have said several times that perfection is unattainable, but our stay in the microstate of Monaco proved me wrong. In the billions of square miles all over the world, there is one tiny country where perfection is, surprisingly, a reality. Arrival Our Bus from Nice, France 🇫🇷 to Beausoleil, France 🇫🇷 It was September 14th, my sister's birthday, when we flew from Rome, Italy 🇮🇹 to ...
Read more

Is Love a Constant –

By
Regardless of mood or circumstance, it remains? And when it fades because of a tweak here or there, it is but a mirage? I guess I’ve felt what it’s supposed to be – for ladies I cannot be with. It’s the emotion I feel when I see someone to be perfect or perfectly beautiful despite the flaws because for no reason but love, her allegorical scars – the mistakes of God – are forgiven. The feeling doesn’t change. It's a constancy of company and connection, a perspective that endures day by day, moment by moment, even after years or decades passing by. Because I see her in exactly the same way as the day we met, and the more we get to know each other, I unravel more things I like about her, all justifying the imperfections, and giving me memories that add spice to mundane moments. I may have sought the wrong women, looked love in the wrong places, defined it by wrong standards. Age does not matter, everybody says. But my youth is done; my potentials to develop young, sweet...
Read more

The Jade Islands of El Nido

By
Image
This view beacons you to a heap of glimmering islands waiting to be discovered... Located on the northernmost tip of Palawan, El Nido is distant from all other places in the world. Because of its location, nobody knew its stupendous tourism value. As late as 1979, El Nido was unknown to beach-goers and wanderlusts, when a group of divers met a sea accident at night forcing them to drop anchor in an inlet. The following morning, the divers woke up to an amazing scenery of skyscraping dark cliffs, thick green forest, white-sand beach, sparkling waters and, rising above it, a series of magnificently-sculpted jade islands. [Wikipedia] I was fortunately born late enough to have read the “wows” of tourists who have been there and to have seen the spectacular pictures of El Nido… but it was not until my sister’s insistence three weeks ago that persuaded me to go on a last-minute decision to head on to this remote place. Two flights from Legazpi and a 6-hour ...
Read more

La Dolce Vita 🇮🇹🇻🇦🇲🇨 🍸

By
Image
September 2023.  My birthmonth, my birthyear. I was born in the year of the Hare, so 2023 - being another year of the Hare - had to be special.  Everybody knows of my Euro Tour with my aunt and my sister, but, contrary to what most people think, the tour was not at all premeditated. It was a split-second decision. So many countries were considered. Spain and Portugal came to mind. Thailand seemed plausible. Nearby Indonesia's fantastic architecture was tempting, and because Singapore was close enough, it was also suggested. Malaysia came into the radar too. But, not until visas have been approved or airline tickets were bought, nothing was final. And then, out of the blue, I heard my aunt and sister talk about a possible Euro Tour on no other month but September - which is my birthmonth - I immediately asked if I could go with them. "Sure," said my aunt! Our Euro Tour crossed different parts of Italy together with Vatican City, and as we sojourned to affluent Monaco, we a...
Read more

The Vivid Netherworld

By
Image
  A sea serpent, perhaps descended from the four-legged creature  that  lured Adam and Eve,  spoke to me and said: "Come, the netherworld is actually as blue  as your   most vivid dreams..." Tikling Island, Matnog, Sorsogon Own Image. All Rights Reserved. The snake continued to hiss... "Dive into the blueness of the sea where you will find the luster of each and every creature of varying colors and shades. You will see them swimming and crawling amongst the most vivacious of corals where a pearl of pinkish hue is hidden. Take it. It's more valuable than your future dream house! It is so precious that it is worth all your sought-after desires and more! Oh, what festive paradise you will have when you find that one pink pearl!" Temptations abound on this exotic island, as if telling me to liberate myself from the bounds of the earth... To forget work, to forget everything... And go yonder, to the deepest reefs of the ocean, to the farthest of the islands, to ...
Read more

The Baby in the Manger

By
Image
I see all those vibrant colors Of the many beautiful decors I taste all those sumptuous flavors As I ate our dinner's main course They were glad when they opened The expensive gifts I gave them I was ecstatic when I opened The things they gave me as presents But something deep within Was peculiarly missing I wonder what might be that thing If I have everything All the extravagance, the excesses All the exuberance, the decadence But it seems as though All these are nonsense For a void is still felt Like a dark hollow thing That needs to be dealt For its echoes are deafening I asked myself What do I need to know? Or to do or to imbibe? For happiness to overflow What do I need to uncover? What answer am I looking for? And then I remember The baby in the manger Out of humility and love He came here on earth From the heavens above Through a simple rebirth No extravagance, no excess No exuberance, no decadence But it all so certainly Made a lot of sense It was plain, simple But it all be...
Read more

Arbor Day: A Holiday We Deserve

By
Image
Everybody wants a holiday. The more holidays there are, the happier the people. Simple as that. However, it is not always the case in the Philippines where not all holidays are the same. Arbol Tree Club members celebrating Earth Day at Mirisbiris Garden and Resort, Sto. Domingo, Albay There are regular holidays. Then there are special non-working holidays and some special working holidays. Among the three, Filipinos can only afford to rest well and easy on regular holidays and special non-working holidays, but we definitely could not afford to be absent on working holidays. Why is that so? On regular holidays, even if we don't go to work, we'd still be paid nevertheless. If we do get to work, we would be paid 200% of our daily rate. Meanwhile, on special non-working holidays, we will be paid 30% of our daily rate if we report to work, and in case we don't, we would still be paid if the employer feels generous. This is not the case with a special working holiday because if w...
Read more

Pastel Villas

By
Image
Own Image, September 2023. A tiny vivid city Rising from the sea Where villas dot the scene With pink, yellow, and pale tangerine Its roads are filled with stardust On wintry summers each passing year Blown everywhere by howling gusts And gentle whiffs music to the ear The rains of the island play jazz As they pitter-patter everywhere Like yesterday, like the other day Every day, as it always has At sunset, a lingering aroma Invades every corner, every villa With a quaint blend of sangria, Lavender, and a touch of vanilla In the middle of the island's forest Is some secret garden Where the most exotic, rarest Flora and fauna are hidden Meandering through the forbidden garden Where the way follows a scent Is a small cascading waterfall Hiding precious gems unknown to all There is a woozy labyrinth Somehow, somewhere underneath Leading to another island Where marshes and swamps expand The islands are riddled with enigma Every corner, every villa Has a strange story to tell Written in...
Read more

Eternal Rome 🇮🇹

By
Image
A view of the Colosseum Rome, the city for all eternity where we've seen massive structures dating back to antiquity, was part of our itinerary. It's not the most beautiful city we've been to, but it nevertheless has its charm due to its sheer historical value. It is, after all, one of the oldest inhabited cities on earth and was the center of everything during the Ancient Times. As the cliche goes, all roads lead to Rome. Arrival Roma Termini Train Station After exploring cosmopolitan Florence, Rome was our next destination. Just like the other cities, train was our mode of transportation. Everybody knows that Rome is an ancient city that still stands today, but I didn't expect that pieces of evidence of its age are evident even on a train station. The photo above shows a mural that seems to date back to around 500 AD. I've tried to google about this mural but no success. It looks really old, ancient to me, so I was surprised that a train station, which is a creatu...
Read more