Sunday, March 16, 2014

Catholic Korean's fair

So I saw this post on Facebook about Catholic Koreans raising funds to build their church. Sounds pretty interesting. So I decided to go there with my mom.

The venue was at the San Carlos seminary in Mabolo, Cebu City. I got lost at first coz I passed by 2 seminaries and I thought those were the venue. Anyway, upon arriving at the place, I saw rows of tents with a lot of Koreans selling either Korean food, used clothes and books, or religious items.

  

I first went to the stall with used books and clothes. I saw an array of books laid on the ground. Most of them were in Korean. I also saw DVDs of Korean series. Since I could not read nor understand Korean, I passed on buying books. I then went to the used clothes section. I really don't mind buying used clothes as long as they are still presentable. So I bought a rash guard, a Nike dri-fit shirt for my sis and a Nike long-sleeved dri-fit shirt for me.

 

 


On top of that, I bought 20 pieces of Elastine (Korean brand) shampoo and another 20 pieces of conditioner. They were selling it for only Php1 per piece.


While I was rummaging through the books, my mom called me because a Korean guy was interviewing her. I went to him and he asked us where we heard about the fair. So I told him it was my officemate's post that led me there. He asked for my name and asked questions like what goods did we buy and if we found them cheap. He also recommended us to try some of their food. Then he jokingly told us (well I thought it was a joke) that he will tell all Koreans to live in Cebu. *Oh my*

After that, I went to the stalls selling food. It was full of Korean food that I dunno about. Most of them looked spicy, and me being the sweet-tooth that avoids all kinds of spicy, I just took pics of them. Prices of the food range from 50-250. Not bad for authentic Korean food. You know it's authentic coz the Koreans themselves cook the food in the stalls using their ingredients.

 

 


While I was walking and taking pics, I stopped by a stall selling an unusual kind of drink. I asked the lady what it was but she seemed to have difficulty saying the name in English so she asked the help of some Korean ladies who visited the booth and they told me its sweet rice or something like that. As I took a look again at the bottles, indeed there were grains of rice inside. One of the ladies was kind enough to offer her drink and let me have a taste of it. Sure it was sweet and good but you could tell it's rice. Then they asked me "Lami ra?" Woah. They speak Cebuano. I then smiled and answered "Yes. It's good." Then I asked them if I can take a picture of them. They were hesitant at first. Maybe they thought I'll do something bad with their pics. I forgot to tell them I'll just write about them in my blog. My bad.
Rice drink
Korean ladies

I didn't get the rice drink but I decided to buy a Korean-made peach jam in a nifty little jar (Php100) and a dozen Gimbaps (Php100). Those were the non-spicy food I found so I wanted to give them a try.



Overall, the day ended well. Too bad my Korean-addict friends didn't come with me. I'm sure they would have enjoyed it. I'm just glad I was able to help the Catholic Korean community in some ways.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Seeing things for the first time again: Part I - Mandaue

As I was struggling with the daily hustle and bustles of life, a sudden realization hit my mind - I needed a break. It was emphasized as the weekend slowly approached me when the challenges seemed to have magnified.

That's it. I should go north and take pictures of things people commonly see but have taken for granted. You see, photography is my release. I'm not yet very good at it, but I'm working on it. :)

Flashes of the church ruins from the Bohol earthquake solidified my decision. I have to capture these places before it's too late.

So then I started my journey, along with my mother (coz she wanted to see the places too), in my home town: Mandaue City.

I decided to start off in the church. There was a wedding when I arrived there. I was apprehensive at first but I gathered all my guts and went inside. I then started taking pics.

National Shrine of St. Joseph
Here's the facade and bell tower of the church:


Flower vendors can be found in the vicinity of the church. I happened to capture this scene while I was there.

Just across the church is the Mandaue Presidencia or the City Hall.

Mandaue Presidencia

Beside the city hall is the Mandaue City Garden. There's a monument, fountain, and a mini-park where people like to frequent during Sundays or evenings.

Mandaue City Garden

Across the road where the city hall is facing, the Mandaue Public Library and Post Office can be found. Beside these landmarks is the Rizal-Bonifacio Memorial where some ceremonies can be held.

Rizal-Bonifacio Memorial

Walking along the road, I passed by the Suico ancestral house. I never thought this was an ancestral house when I was still studying in the school beside this house. I haven't tried going inside it too so I really don't know if there's a museum inside.

Suico Ancestral House

Lastly, I passed by my elementary school, the Mandaue City Central School. It has been ages since I've been there so I just needed to go back for a little retrospect.


My mom and I then had a quick lunch before proceeding to our next destination: Liloan.