It's the start of summer -- not officially though for my daughter since her schoolyear doesn't end til tuesday. Days are warmer and longer. It's a lazy saturday afternoon... I've already spent half the day surfing (sadly, I'm not referring to the waves but the net )... No lunch for me yet, I do not deserve it since I have not had any physical activity since breakfast. That's fine by me. I finally have some time to listen to myself. And so this lazy Saturday afternoon goes...
Summers are always lazy times. When my sisters -- I have 3 and no brothers -- and I were in grade school, summers are usually spent at home with mostly indoor activities interspersed with outdoor play -- only in the backyard or at most within the gates of the subdivision where we used to live. My mom would teach us simple Spanish sentences like Como se llama? and Cuantos hermanos tiene?. She'd make cut-outs of different shapes in different sizes from colored paper and we'll have an art day. We'd invite other children from the neighborhood to attend our "summer school" at home capped by a merienda of pastries from our neighborhood bakery and a glass of orange juice. Those were really fun times.
Summers during our high school were also fun. We were active in our neighborhood's Youth Club. We'd organize sportsfests, religious activities and children's activities. There was one summer that we had a sportsfest. We had the works -- uniforms, opening and closing ceremonies, trophies and medals, some teams even had sponsors. I'm proud to say that despite the "prissy" image that I had during that time, I actually got several medals. I ran the 5-meter dash and finished at 2nd place, our women's basketball team got 3rd place. I also got a medal for the table tennis women's singles -- I only learned how to play table tennis that summer and only for the tournament.
Another unforgettable summer activity that we did was the "Pabasa" which is a Holy Week tradition wherein a group of people would read the story of Jesus' sacrifice in a singsong manner non-stop for several days. In our neighborhood, it was done in the meeting hall. The main section of the hall was where the people gathered while a small portion to the side was appointed as the kitchen. This is where glasses of the local ginger ale, "salabat," which supposedly makes the drinker's voice sound better are served. It is also from this kitchen that I've tasted one of the best vegetable soups in my life. To this date, I have not tasted a vegetable soup that equals the one prepared by Mang Pabling (God bless his soul) every summer.
As we grew older, our summers became more like the rest of the year. In college, I took advance units during the summer to lighten my regular load. When I started working, the workload did not allow me to take summer breaks -- no, no, no the workload did not even allow me to take an hour's break. There were times when I even had to work through the Holy Week. Oh but we all know that there really is no difference whether it's summer or christmas for the working man -- each day just rolls by and turns into another day. We did have company outings -- for two summers out of the seven years I worked in one company. Those were fun too. In both cases, we went to the beach. I love the beach.
If we had the time and money, I'd take my family to the beach every summer. It would be fun to spend lazy afternoons lounging around in a veranda looking out into the sea. It would be fun to take a dip and play in the waves just as the sun is preparing to set. I can just imagine how much my daughter will enjoy building a magical sandcastle while her dad and I sit back on beach chairs under a vibrantly colored beach umbrella. Early evening strolls on the beach would be oh so romatic after a light dinner with fine wine and soft music. Wait, wait, wait... where did my daughter go? Oh well, I guess taking her strolling along with us wouldn't hurt a bit. It would be a tad less romantic, though. Sleep would be restful in a bedroom that opens up to a veranda, letting the fresh breeze from the ocean fill our dreams. We'd wake up to the splash of waves on the seashore, beckoning us to go into the sea's embrace. And so, as this lazy saturday afternoon continues, let me escape to my dream vacation at the beach... surf's up!
•March 18, 2006•
Summers are always lazy times. When my sisters -- I have 3 and no brothers -- and I were in grade school, summers are usually spent at home with mostly indoor activities interspersed with outdoor play -- only in the backyard or at most within the gates of the subdivision where we used to live. My mom would teach us simple Spanish sentences like Como se llama? and Cuantos hermanos tiene?. She'd make cut-outs of different shapes in different sizes from colored paper and we'll have an art day. We'd invite other children from the neighborhood to attend our "summer school" at home capped by a merienda of pastries from our neighborhood bakery and a glass of orange juice. Those were really fun times.
Summers during our high school were also fun. We were active in our neighborhood's Youth Club. We'd organize sportsfests, religious activities and children's activities. There was one summer that we had a sportsfest. We had the works -- uniforms, opening and closing ceremonies, trophies and medals, some teams even had sponsors. I'm proud to say that despite the "prissy" image that I had during that time, I actually got several medals. I ran the 5-meter dash and finished at 2nd place, our women's basketball team got 3rd place. I also got a medal for the table tennis women's singles -- I only learned how to play table tennis that summer and only for the tournament.
Another unforgettable summer activity that we did was the "Pabasa" which is a Holy Week tradition wherein a group of people would read the story of Jesus' sacrifice in a singsong manner non-stop for several days. In our neighborhood, it was done in the meeting hall. The main section of the hall was where the people gathered while a small portion to the side was appointed as the kitchen. This is where glasses of the local ginger ale, "salabat," which supposedly makes the drinker's voice sound better are served. It is also from this kitchen that I've tasted one of the best vegetable soups in my life. To this date, I have not tasted a vegetable soup that equals the one prepared by Mang Pabling (God bless his soul) every summer.
As we grew older, our summers became more like the rest of the year. In college, I took advance units during the summer to lighten my regular load. When I started working, the workload did not allow me to take summer breaks -- no, no, no the workload did not even allow me to take an hour's break. There were times when I even had to work through the Holy Week. Oh but we all know that there really is no difference whether it's summer or christmas for the working man -- each day just rolls by and turns into another day. We did have company outings -- for two summers out of the seven years I worked in one company. Those were fun too. In both cases, we went to the beach. I love the beach.
If we had the time and money, I'd take my family to the beach every summer. It would be fun to spend lazy afternoons lounging around in a veranda looking out into the sea. It would be fun to take a dip and play in the waves just as the sun is preparing to set. I can just imagine how much my daughter will enjoy building a magical sandcastle while her dad and I sit back on beach chairs under a vibrantly colored beach umbrella. Early evening strolls on the beach would be oh so romatic after a light dinner with fine wine and soft music. Wait, wait, wait... where did my daughter go? Oh well, I guess taking her strolling along with us wouldn't hurt a bit. It would be a tad less romantic, though. Sleep would be restful in a bedroom that opens up to a veranda, letting the fresh breeze from the ocean fill our dreams. We'd wake up to the splash of waves on the seashore, beckoning us to go into the sea's embrace. And so, as this lazy saturday afternoon continues, let me escape to my dream vacation at the beach... surf's up!
•March 18, 2006•
