Sunkissed

Normally, a summer vacation means going to the beach and getting "nog-nog" under the sun with your family, which we call "Outing" in the Philippines. Since our family is filled with ordinary people, we had our family outing.

Here in Spain, whenever possible and as long as they see Mr. Sun melting everyone else, they hit the beach or the pool. Most don't swim, but just allow themselves to get their desired body color - which is of course to get darker. They love the sun! It's just funny how most Filipinos are so afraid of the sun, afraid to get darker. Well, we should all respect everyone's wants for one's satisfaction.

Photo courtesy of: Life is Good (facebook)

My cousin, ate Sarah together with her lovely family spent five days of their summer vacay here at Bilbao and truly, we enjoyed their company although our days going out normally start before noon and ends when the sun is ready to rise.

When they arrived here at our home, I was really strucked by my "nephew"'s adorable-ness. Also Angel and Lyka whom I can still recognize the faces with question marks above their heads as we greeted them like we had "quality time" together before. It was actually the first time, but thank God and their parents they are so malambing ang easy to get along with.

As soon as we reached the saloon and they started making their masks with different colors of paint and glitters which scattered everywhere including their faces, which they didn't seem to mind. It was so cute of them that we kind of got closed right away.

Lyka, Angel, Sean

Later on, they started invading our rooms and played with my youngest brother's toys. The fun part is when I saw Lyka and Angel jumping on our bed singing the famous Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. So I decided to play them the song and it's so amuzing to watch them sing and dance and jump while looking at themselves at the mirror. They kept on requesting me to play it another time and another time and another time. So I decided to record their jumpy-ness. And days after, I decided to edit it post it on youtube. It was a fun video of innocent kids just trying to have fun while killing the time unconsciously. I had to laugh at my pamangkins because they really are hell funny.

The next morning, dad cooked lomi for breakfast then we all just ran some errands of our own, I mean, just some random stuffs too. Oh, it was Sunday and it was the day ate Katherine arrived Bilbao. Eva, kuya Pierro and I received our really cool dogtags from ate hazel and a set of colorful nailpolish from tita tess. Much love!

Grabbed from ate hazel's wall photos
Superb! I love our cousinhood! ;)

The next day, we spent half the day at Gorliz, Plentzia. Guy cousins were there first and were grilling already when we get there. The planning was kind of unorganized that's why we kind of wasted most of the time we should be at the beach already, and also why the kids kind of get bored which kept their mouths complaining. Well, when we came there, the adorable Ainoa and Ashley sisters were there too, played and made sand sculptures with us. Ainoa even caught a little frog and some tiny fishes! And guess what, I wore my first bikini! It's not so much awkward wearing it for the first time when you're around people who finds it normal and appropriate dressing up for the proper dress code. By that, I mean the Spaniards.

my cousin, Gheran on a sand hill.

hehehe! this picture is just funny. *babaw

Next is Ainoa

Then Ashley as our mermaid ;)

sean, josu, angel, lyka, ainoa & ashley

 There is something about Plentzia where I felt de javu. But it's nice, I loved the place. The streets describes themselves vintage-y. ***Like

It's super nice to see that though you're abroad, part of your "angkan" is also with you. It's just so bad others weren't able to make it, including my dad, tito tony, tita myra, ninang ondet, stephen and tito romy. Tita Paz, though on a working day, got a chance to catch us.

We all had dinner at Tita Gemma's piso and some of us got to play a dance game at gheran's ps3 where we'll immitate the dancer on screen while holding the controller thingy while being recorded and being watched by not just one person. The game's crazy!

Too tired to go home, some of us decided to just spend the night there and just go home early in the morning. By early, we got up 9am leaving others still wide asleep.

Me and ate Sarah on our super cute feather earrings! <3

The smell of pan de barra tortured our nose and the whole thing satisfied our tummies. On our way home, we passed by the "divisoria-like" at Portugalete and attractedly bought some stuffs.

It was tita Evelyn's birthday and we got home just enough for us to prepare ourselves for the mini-celebration in the afternoon. We gathered once again at Telepizza in La Arenas. After, my cousins, siblings and I watched the "parade" at Romo. I thought it was something worth blogging, but actually, just part of it. The costumes and concept is cool though and quite entertaining, but it's bitin. I love their spirit anyway. ;)
Well it was the day ate Sarah and her family was gonna leave for Switzerland again, so it's kinda sad especially for the kids whom I think got fond of us already and so are we. I can imagine Lyka and Angel calling me Call Me Maybe, instead of my name when we arrived at Telepizza. It's funny though. We stayed at Tita Evelyn's place and had dinner there while waiting for midnight. hmm

this one's from ate sarah's album in facebook, ours is blurred. :P

Casco Viejo, being my favorite place here in Bilbao celebrated Begoña church's feast, August 15. Though the church never got a time to have enough space and seat for everyone, we still got to attend the mass in the afternoon. After, we roamed around barracas and played Bingo. Unfortunately, we never won, just too close. On the other hand, Dad won a "jamon" which isn't just any other regular ham, but the pig's whole leg including the foot, after more than a couple of times of re-buying sets of tickets. Dad said it was worth it, compared to the ones you're gonna buy in the market. As for us, my siblings and I, we got to taste Apple Cider, or as it is called here, Manzanas Caramello for the first time! Saraaap! :d

click this picture for the flickr upload

And this is what happens when we forgot to bring our tripod

We all felt like wearing dresses. :)

Better luck next time!

Congratulations daddy!

Yumness!

By August, we got to visit Artxanda with the family and had picnic there. It was an awesome and super cool place. According to Wikipedia, "Mount Artxanda is one of the two small mountain ranges that delimit the Spanish municipality of Bilbao, the other one being Pagasarri. Of the two it is the lower one (at no more than 300 m.), the closer one to the center of the city and the one that has suffered from more intense urbanization. The pass of Santo Domingo separates the main part of Artxanda from Monte Avril, 400m high.

The Artxanda Funicular links downtown Bilbao with a recreational area at the top of the mountain, which has a park, several restaurants, a hotel, and a sports complex. The area is quite popular among the city's inhabitants and offers panoramic views of the city to the tourists."

It was breezy, so relaxing hanging around. The trip going up is cool. We had to ride another train to be able to reach our destination 'cause it's really high. On our way up, those things we saw outside, things that soon become micro in our vision, looks really interesting. The view of the main Bilbao is really perfect for Tilt-Shift Photography. Or in my case, Tilt-Shift Editing. hehe! And the always amazing panoramic shot.

Middle part of the whole railway

first timers. The picture is washed out

Picnic with the Hipolitos

my most trusted shoes : Chucks <3

Monkey-ing at the big fingerprint thingy. See Kuya Pierro and Gheran? The Monkiest? hehehe

Say hi to my sisters! I mean, sissy and mom ;)

Family <3

"Class Picture"
hala! Pinag-agawan na si John Royce! :)) 

I guess this panorama shot is kind of an epic fail

Another attempt of my Tilt-shift photoshop edit (click the picture to go to the flickr upload)
Btw, it's Bilbao's very own Guggenheim Museum

When Ninang Ondet, Tito Romy and Stephen arrived here at our place from La Manga vacay with their boss, it seems like just the scene at the Philippines when a balikbayan comes home. Gawd we missed them! Tita Paz went here at home too with them. Her missing siomai hunting is funny when it gets to mind. hehe!

And before the sun's summer heat leave us, we still were able to have a dip in the pool at Leioa though it's kinda cold already. So what, a lot of people still spent their day there. We enjoyed the slide and the tag team water fight. Diving isn't a very good option especially when you're wearing a bikini. *poker face. I find the changing room very nice, well ventilated and convenient. It was the first pool place I saw which has hair dryers in it!

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for us. Aarrgggh!

Me and Stephen

Ninang and evs: last batch or hairdryers

However, summer means more staying at home and more planting of your butts on the sofa or computer chair--- for us! Especially that we don't always feel like going out. But whenever we do, it sure is exciting! Well it's not just about watching TV, having DVD marathons or using the computer. I also was able to read books. Not the ebook one, but the hardcopy one, novels, fictions. I dunno why, but I just got tired of reading ebooks from my mini-screened phone. I'm being more of a realistic reader right now and I'm lovin' it. ;)

Till next summer!

Aaargh!