Pusong Mamon: Reconnecting from the Past

On every vacation I made in the Philippines, I rarely plans because I know that I could squeezed all the things I wanted to do in a short span of my stay in my home land.

My last vacation was not the usual one, because one person is missing to welcome my homecoming as we always take a gander on our window where my mom normally sit. One thing I noticed and didn’t realized that I was going back to the activities and savor again the food that I wasn’t tried for the longest time. Base on my observation, going back to the things I got used to is already a part of my system.

I grew up that everyone in the family reads a newspaper as part of everyday routine. As far as I can remember, we subscribed from Manila Bulletin, Daily Express to Philippine Star. To let you know, I hate reading and one time my mom gave me a book about dogs, it gets old and the pages were torn because I always attempt to read it but I ended up reading only one chapter. I developed my reading habit when I was in college until I learned to be updated and started to join the daily routine of my family. In my few days of stay in Lucban, I read the newspaper from opinion to lifestyle section although I can read it online but I don’t know why I’m not fond of reading the news in the net.

I’d been away for a month since my last visit but cravings for foods that I grew up with will never be missed. Aside from the dishes that Ate Benny cooks for us, my brother introduced me to try chicken ball which according to my nephews is yummy because of the sauce, a mix of vinegar and chili. My sixty pesos is gone to satisfy our cravings every afternoon.

Pansit Hab-hab

Sinaing sa Gata and Nilupak (minuk-mok)

Pinaltok (Bilo-bilo)

Maruyang malagkit

Chicken balls

I’ve never seen my former colleagues on my last year vacation because of the weather. I made a trip to Luisiana to make some catching up and to my surprise most of them are still witty and energetic. After a couple of hours of seeing my former coworkers, I went back to Lucban to meet my godson, Patrick, who happened to be in town also to take a little break from school in Ireland. We had a chit-chat over dinner at Buddys Restaurant and I was startled with his fluent Tagalog tongue. Sadly, we need to wrapped up and bade our goodbyes, clueless when we'll bump each other again.

May kumare and kumpare from LDH

Pansit hab-hab(ing) with my Ates

With my godson, Patrick on a dinner date

I contacted my high school bff, Arlene, to invite my close high school friends and have a kumustahan over dinner at our favorite dining restaurant. It's good to meet again Rosanna, my over-joyed friend as we fondly call her because of her crisp laugh every time when any of us cracked a funny lines. It was years the last time we saw her and still looks the same with her mischievous facade despite of the fact that lines are already evident in our forehead. I may not regularly see you when I'm in town, but I hope that this rendezvous have more next.

Kumustahan with my high school friends

I took the chance to run with my neighbors, and we navigated the 10 km-diversion road. It was a thrilling experience because I felt close to the nature and breathed in fresh scents of the palay in the rice field and away from the bustling life here in Singapore. In my last phone conversation with my mom on day before she pass away that she'll wait and see me at the airport on my scheduled vacation leave on June, instead I visited her tomb after a month we buried her. Progress is rolling and only last touch is needed when I glimpsed her resting place.