AUREEN GENE LIBRANDO MALACASTE

Seven years have passed since we grieved on my Lolo’s wake. Not so long after, my Lola didn’t survived her illness and grief. It was both of them that linked their children even if they are fighting. When Lolo and Lola passed away, the chance of seeing each other again is almost impossible. It is only during weddings and birthday parties that brought the clan back together. Not every member weds after another and celebrates birthday that requires us to attend so we really don’t see each other enough to heal the bond.
Just a month ago, our eldest cousin informed me of this important family event and was needing my hand to make it happen. I gladly offered them despite how work demands my time. I just thought this event has to happen. This family has to be reunited. I didn’t have much contribution but at least I helped on some things. 

May 5, 2013

 This is Tubod Flowing Waters. Located in Minglanilla, Cebu.

The last time I came here was 9 years ago during my sister’s 18th birthday. I could say that a lot have changed. The lawn area/garden before is now covered with ceiling and the grass is turned into a floor. When we arrived, I was amazed by the crowd. My mom and I took some time to look around. All we could utter is “what happened to this place?”. You can see in the picture that people are swimming without wearing the proper swimming attire. (tsk tsk tsk)

Anyway, I could not complain to anyone because we were here to meet  the clan. As soon as we arrived, the children could not take hold against the lure of the swimming pool. While the adults were preparing the food, the children swooped into their swimming attires and jumped into the pool.

Seeing these kids (below) reminds me of the days when I was carrying them in my arms and playing with them. They were my babies before and now who knows they might already have girlfriends or boyfriends (OMG It’s still too soon).

I miss the food my family prepares every gathering especially the hilaw na mangga and the linong-ag na saging.

Who could resist the ice cream in this hot weather. It’s summer, you know. 

The guys always have their own world. This is the perfect time to welcome KJ into the family. 

The 2nd generation ladies. (If only I could delve into the old photos but never mind.)

OKAY, she’s just resting. 

Scary-faced snow white with my cousin John Reil.

Event photographers on the move. Haha I wish I have the same type of camera. 

The sons and daughters of the late Nestor B. Librando Sr., and Alejandra R. Librando. 

(from left to right: Aurora Malacaste, Joseph Regil Librando, Nestor Librando Sr., Allan Librando, Joy Apolinar, Leo Nestor Librando, and Edwin Librando) 

Family feuds could be strong enough to destroy relationships. But I believe that the love of the mother and the father to the children and the good memories they made together have this special mysterious effect that no matter how much their relationships are broken, there is always that feeling of yearning for sibling love which draws each one back together again. I am looking forward for another reunion and not just once but more in the future with the future generations.

Au

I think so least of myself to start traveling only at this age when everyone else is already in the midst of world exploration.
Anyway, as long as the phrase, “it’s never too late” keeps on flashing at me, i wouldn’t be worried about it.
This summer, I planned for a real getaway. The kind where I can hear and feel the silence of the universe, relax my tensed brain cells and muscles, and breathe fresh air instead pollution. I planned to go to Bantayan Island with my old friend, Charisma. I preferred to go with a not-so-kiat company so that nothing can defeat my purpose.
Charisma and I went with her beau and my dear work mate Juvielyn. We were so silent that passers can notice it and think we are boring. But the truth is we have the same purpose of going - and it is to have a break from all the stress in the city.

Here are the photos - Day 1:

We arrived noon time and we are famished so we ended up at a restaurant which we didn’t know was more expensive than others in the street.

We went to the beach for an afternoon swim. I didn’t take a dip but my friends did. Look at the peaceful and calm waters. This is what I was looking for.

(From left to right: Charisma, AJ, Juvie, Aureen)

(Chari is the oldest friend that I got. We were best friends since 4th grade)

Day 2:
For me, the perfect time to swim is when you just woke up.

To the nature park, we traveled for about 30 mins.

This is the cave they are talking about (This is not the Ogtong cave). The only cave I know that has salty water. 

We decided not to leave Bantayan Island without visiting the over-a-century old church that observes the world-renowned solemn foot procession during Holy Week and which allows the town to feast with pork on their tables. To know more about this tradition, click here.

That night, we dined in Tristan’s Bar & Restaurant. It is one of the places located by the beach and the good thing here is that natural sound of sea waves plays while you’re dining.

Day 3:
Time to pack up and go home. We have no activity left to do on this day but no time was wasted because for the last time we dipped into the waters.

I would never have understood the fun there is in traveling if I didn’t brought myself out of the pressures and stress at work and at home. I’m an introvert and preferred to be just reading and watching stories at home. Now I realize that traveling is not just a hobby nor a luxury but it is a need. Now I am refreshed, energized, and ready to face another challenge.

I am looking forward for the next trip.

Au

This is my sister. Her name is Aurora Corazon. She is just a year older than me but she is more mature. She knows more about life and manages her own so well. We have a lot of differences yet she remains a sister to me. We grew up sleeping beside each other and we only separated when she got engaged. A big change was felt in our home when she started preparing for the wedding.

The wedding may not be like those every girl is dreaming about. But for the couple, it was a dream come true.
Her newly wedded husband’s name is KJ. They have been together for quite a long time. They have endured life’s ups and downs and yet they remain strong.

February 23, 2013 was the date their relationship was blessed and exchange of vows was made.

My family was supportive. Despite some reasons that could cause opposition, we didn’t stand in their way. We believe that their relationship is ready to go to the next level.

She is happy and we know it.

Some people are asking if my Dad cried. I didn’t see or even hear about him crying. But he is happy and I know part of him is sad. Fathers always feel that way.

My sister is blessed with supportive, fun, and kikay friends. I know them when we were still in High School. They are known to have more fun than any other girls out there.

Lovely set up during the reception.

My sister in her lovely wedding dress.

The two closest kids of my life, Angeline and Amara.

Now that my sister is married, people are asking when is gonna be mine. They wouldn’t know until we break news. As for me, I dream to have a simple yet enormous kind of a wedding with everyone we know attending.

Xoxo, Aureen.

I give credit to myself for the effort of waiting. I know Andrew has a plan and I just have to wait for it rather than nagging beforehand (the usual to happen). The whole morning and afternoon I was just at home doing my house routine—watching the teevee, chatting with mom, doing chores, browsing through my favorite websites. Then later in the afternoon, as I was taking my nap, my sister called to invite everyone for dinner. Although we, siblings, already have our own vida amour, take this day as a thanksgiving to our MOM and DAD who sacrificed her love life for us. The long distance relationship she has with my Dad is so inspiring and thank GOD they are still together after all those years. We’ve been doing this every Valentine’s Day for many years now (I forgot when exactly). I remember the previous years when Kuya Xene thoughtfully brings flowers for Mom. The sad thing is that I don’t have a memory celebrating Valentine’s Day with my Dad. Well, I still wish we could celebrate next year. 

So we had dinner in Laguna Garden. We are now learning that we shouldn’t order a lot otherwise we’ll just regret it. So we ordered enough food. 

Here we are—my sis, me, my mom, and my bro.

And of course, my sister’s bf, Alvin, came.

As I was finishing my dinner, Andrew called and said that he’s outside waiting for me… With TULIPS… His favorite FLOWER and mine too.

(Look at my face… Ewwwww.

From Ayala to SM. We hurriedly went to catch the Premiere night of My Paranormal Romance, which stars my friend, Phoebe Kaye Fernandez (ABS-CBN Central Visayas Host and Star Patroler).

Together with her are Van Roxas (Pinoy Dream Academy S2 5th runner up and a talent of ABS-CBN), Paul Jake Castillo (PBB 2009-2010 and a talent of ABS-CBN), and other good Cebuano talents. The acting is so good so are the creators and the editors. It makes me proud of our local talents. No wonder they won 3 awards and 3 nominations during the Cinema One Originals Film Festival 2011.

Look at the line…

That’s Phoebe over there and I’m so proud of her. She just keeps on going and I sure will be a fan (The Ollas and I). What can I say… She made it to the films.

For info, pictures, and other details about the movie, click HERE.

Valentine’s Day becomes special if you make it special. Simple could be special. What you need is a plan—a simple plan, so it would be easy to realize. Valentine’s Day isn’t necessarily for guys to plan for. It requires both parties to make it more special. And most of all, celebrate it with your family, because it is where Love hardly dies. 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

So for the first time that I heard Andrew invite me to come to this book fair in a ship, I thought, “Am I listening to my boyfriend?”. He doesn’t even read. Well, I didn’t know what his intentions are but I felt like he wanted to do such nice things for me. And this is one of the things that he’s sure he could make me smile at. Although I know he also wanted to lure himself if he could, in anyway, get interested with books.

We went two times. The first time was a weekend and the ship was so crowded. Makes me more sick with tinnitus. Inside, we could see ‘United Nations’ because of different people as crew members with different nationalities trying to speak the dialect of the city they’re currently in. They’re also showcasing the different cultures of the places they’re helping and places they think has beautiful unique trademarks. Logos Hope has visions and missions for the poor people in the world.

This is what you can see as you enter the ship. A timeline of what they have become and the significant tools they used. 

This is like the story in Noah’s ark, instead of animals, They helped the people living near the erupting volcano by boarding them in the ship. 

Going inside the i-do-not-know-what-floor.

The second time we’re there, only a few people who visited maybe it’s because of the recent calamity that hit the city. So we had the space to roam around and look for the best book with our small budget.

And yes, the prices are so cheap. 

However, prices of recipe books are much higher so we just browse through them and forgot about them. 

After the first line of cashiers, there’s another set of books to choose from. This time, you can buy 1 for P250 if you get the white souvenir bag and 3 for P500 if you get the blue souvenir bag. 

In this area, we saw the books we needed. They also got this PC/Mac CDs for references. These are the stuff we purchased.

After the second line of cashiers, we walk past the walls like murals that tell a story about a boy who went through from darkness to enlightenment. Each wall section has an audio speaker that plays the voice of the narrator. You can just listen to it while viewing the art.

After that, we didn’t bother to sit in their cafeteria because we’re running out of time. Andrew is already sleepy and I need to be on time for my 2pm appointment.

So, here’s the LOGOS HOPE ship. They arrived last Jan.12 and they will leave on Feb.12.