More sanggumay in full bloom

I took these photos of the sanggumay on our Narra and Mango trees. They flowers last only a couple of days after the full blooming. The other sanggumay we got last year are still too young. Some actually perished already but I hope most would survive to eventually bear flowers.

The orchids on our Narra tree are wildly growing.

Close-up of the orchids on the Narra Tree at the front corner of our house.

Sanggumay strands on our mango tree

Close-up of the flowers

The sanggumay on our mango tree is quite prolific 

It's the time of year when most of our flowering plants are blooming. It is actually spring in temperate countries. And so we have lots of birds and insects benefiting from the flowers and fruits. I will post soon about our mangoes!

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Roberto's siopao, Iloilo City

The wife had a quick trip to Iloilo before the Holy Week. I suggested that if they had free time she should ask about siopao from Roberto's. Roberto's is probably the most popular place for siopao in Iloilo City. The pleasant surprise was we got a couple as pasalubong that we enjoyed the following day for breakfast.

Roberto's King Siopao has ham, chinese sausage, chicken-pork adobo and egg

Here's a close-up of the fillings for the King Siopao

Another close-up that captured the steam coming off the siopao after we heated it.

You can see the ham, sausage, adobo and egg in this photo.

I missed buying some the last time I was in Iloilo. Hopefully, there's another opportunity to travel there in the near future. Maybe then I can also get some to take home and enjoy eating with family. 

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Some thoughts on a Good Friday - memories of Holy Weeks past, the crisis in Iran and Alay Lakad

Good Fridays in the past have had me in my father's hometown in Cabatuan, Iloilo. We usually flew in on a Wednesday to get settled in and do the routine visits to nearby relatives before the Holy Week activities start on Maundy Thursday. Thursday late afternoon to evening would be for the Mass commemorating the washing of the feet. This was always a long celebration with the parish priest washing the feet of apostles usually played by town elders (during election years, these would be candidates for the local positions). Tatay and his friends jokingly refer to the Mass as "misang Batman," referring to the priest vestments that they compare with the superhero's cape/costume.  The Last Supper commemoration is separate and held after this Mass. Good Fridays usually involved the Stations of the Cross in the morning to a hill in town that symbolizes Calvary. This was at Balic, which was at those times a rural part of the town past the Cabatuan National Comprehensive High School. In the afternoon, there is the procession featuring carrozas depicting the passion of Christ and the characters involved. Most prominent for me here were the antique images of the Santo Entiero and the Mater Dolorosa. During and after the procession, we usually went around to check out the temporary chapels set-up for the stations of the cross around town. There was usually a competition and winners were announced on Easter Sunday Mass.

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Iran has been in our minds lately, and mainly because of the attacks by the US and Israel that have led to a crisis now experienced by most of the world. Personally I have friends in Iran and I can't help but wonder how they are doing now. One of my closest friends at university in Japan was from Iran. We shared many experiences as foreign students in Japan and he was always kind, gracious and respectful. They (ordinary people) don't have means to communicate to the outside world. Internet is down and with the crisis still unresolved, I can only pray that he and his family are okay.

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Estimates stated that there were more than 6 million people (6.66M according to one estimate) who participated in the Alay Lakad to Antipolo yesterday, Maundy Thursday, until the early morning of today, Good Friday. Most of these people are of voting age, which I assume based on the physical capability needed to do the Alay Lakad. I wonder who among these voted wisely in the past 2 elections and who they will be voting for in 2028. These thoughts came to my mind as Alay Lakad is supposed to be a panata and for 'good'. Whose good exactly? Is it the selfish kind or the good of many (and by many I am not referring to just relatives and friends of those who did the Alay Lakad)? Were they really pilgrims or devotees or just there for the thrill of the experience or adventure?

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