secret hope

when you are secretly hoping for something, and you know that it's never going to happen, how would you feel?

BHBH1 gathering

at last, the BHBH1 has come together! rawrr.. haha..


Big Hands Bigger Hearts 1 - (half of) the legacy

it was in September 2004 when 24 of us came together to create a miracle, sort of. :) and then in December 2004, the 24 of us stepped onto the beautiful yet unknown grounds of Bago City, Philippines. a place that I've fallen in love with, a place that I call it my second home.

more than 20 days of staying together, working together as a team. we had so much fun that it was as though we were having a vacation there. haha. and we have forged strong friendships, and I am thankful to have them as my friends.

3 years have gone down the road. all of us have grown, and matured into young individuals carving out roads and careers of our own. good to see that everybody is doing well. nice to hear laughters again, listening to stories and reminiscing our days in Bago City.

the YEP in Bago City has changed my life, of course not in a dramatic way, but at least it gives me the motivation to continue doing what I like, and to continue helping the children. I don't know how much the project has changed their lives, but I do hope that they have gained something from it. :)

subsequent groups that have ventured to Bago City also take after the name BHBH. hahah. we are the creator. we are the best! haha..

Big Hands Bigger Hearts 1 - may the legacy continues. haha..

thinking back, a month ago

i always tell people, that the Philippines airport doesn't like me. haha. i always run into problems whenever i'm in the airport, despite the number of times i've been walking in and out of it. haha. there was even once i entered the boarding gate, without having my passport chopped. amazing isn't it? and i only realised it after i've gone through all the troublesome security checks and scannings, and i sensed that something was not quite right, i quickly flipped through my passport, kaboom! i had to get out again, re-queue (i spent more than half-hour waiting) and going through all the security checks again.

haha.


the Singapore sky, and the plane i took

a month ago, i was jetsetting to my favourite place again, so i prayed hard nothing would happen to me in the airport. before even touching down on the Philippine land, there was already a small hiccup. due to zero visibility (the pilot said so), we couldn't descend, so we were hovering in mid-air for half an hour. going in circles and going through the turbulences.

and we touched down 45 minutes behind schedule.


looking down to Manila

transiting from the international terminal to the domestic terminal was considered smooth, until i forgot to collect my paper bag after passing through the security check at the boarding gate in the domestic terminal. so forgetful. nothing new. haha.


Ya Kun kaya toast in the Philippines airport!

i had 4 hours of waiting time before my domestic flight, thank goodness i had my MP3 and my loyal Sudoku book with me. hahaha. there was nothing much to explore in the airport anyway, i could walk from one end of the terminal to the other in 5 minutes. haha. but there was something new! Ya Kun kaya toast!! a pity they had ran out of the kaya, if not i could have done some comparison. haha.

i was supposed to board the next flight at 6pm (i remembered!), but the boarding call was made at 5pm. thinking that i could reach Bago City earlier, i was excited and boarded the plane happily. the plane moved off before schedule, but came to a halt before entering the runway. an annoucement was made, saying that there were technical problems, so we would have to wait. dampened my mood.


little tofu couldn't wait to go to Bago City

and so we waited. until people got impatient. but no clear explanation was given. and so we waited, seeing the sky turned dark. i got tired and fell asleep. when i woke up 2 hours later, we were still there, on the same spot.

then we were told that the problem had been fixed, but we had to wait for a new batch of crew because the current batch of crew on board had exceeded their 13-hour duty time. wert.

when the plane finally started moving, it was already 8pm. but there was another hour to go, and i was too sleepy, so i went back to sleep. haha.


the new Bacolod-Silay Airport

when i finally saw my beloved friends, it was like 9pm. 15 hours after i had left my own house in Singapore. i felt like i was travelling to Europe, time-wise. haha. instead of "hello, good evening!", we greeted each other "good night". hahaha.

and now i pray there would be international flights going to Bacolod soon. what a waste of resources, for an international airport serving only domestic flights. and when that day comes, i can whiz off to Bacolod in 4 hours!

and that day better come fast. haha.

the mass wedding

oops, i went on a shopping spree while searching for a wedding gift for a friend. well, i was eyeing something for quite some time, and i need something else as well. haha..

now that i've mentioned weddings, yup, the mass wedding i've attended in Bago City. :)


the programme leaflet for the ceremony

May 26 is the birthday of the mayor, and he celebrated his "40-something-th" birthday with a bang! a mass wedding for 334 couples!


the mayor, giving a speech during the ceremony

that was my first time attending a mass ceremony, and i'm sure that it was also the first time for almost everybody who was present. seriously, how often do you get to witness a mass wedding? :)


the stage decoration

and i was invited to be seated on stage alongside with the mayor and the city councillers, witnessing the entire ceremony, as well as taking the group photos. it was an honour, but it was embarrassing too, because i'm just a nobody. and that was how i became the ma-ninay (sponsor/witness) of the 334 couples. oops.


empty chairs awaiting all the couples

334 couples, how much effort was put in to make the mass wedding possible? A LOT. i mean it. from the preparation, arrangements in the venue, all the co-ordination, crowd control, to the actual event itself, it involved a lot of work. Tricia's office was in charge of this event, and i say, you guys did a great job! hooray! :)


almost the entire city government workers were involved in this event

the mass wedding was a simple one. nothing was lavishing, probably except for the three-tiered wedding cake.


the wedding cake became the centrepiece of all the group photos we took

the couples came from all parts of Bago City. 24 barangays. many of them set off from their homes a few hours before the ceremony, dressed in simple white shirts and dresses, travelled to the city's coliseum in buses, tricycles, jeepneys. how did i know? because i saw a few of them when i visited Balgros Elementary School in Barangay Dulao in the morning. haha.

all the couples need not pay for the fees to process the legal documents and the charges for the ceremony. it was being paid for by the government. i was told by one of the city councillers, Ma'am Somcio, that many of them could not afford to get married, to have a wedding banquet, and they would just live together, forming families that are not recognised legally. which explained why some of the brides were pregnant, some couples looked like grandparents to me, and some towing their children along. i was also told that a few of the would-be brides just gave birth a couple of days before the wedding, so there were empty seats in the hall. hahah.


a couple with their child

which is also why the mayor is encouraging proper and legal marriage, because of the various health and educational benefits their children and they themselves would be able to receive.

there were quite a number of young couples as well. lack of education, and many other factors. i shall not elaborate any further. ha.

there were touching stories too. Ma'am Somcio was pointing a couple to me while we were on stage, waiting for the ceremony to begin. the lady was suffering from cancer, and she was being led to her seat, with her husband holding her hand all the time. she was too frail to stand, so she could not have her wedding march, and had to be seated while reciting the oath. but she had her husband by her side all the while.


the lady with cancer and her husband

there was another young lady who was in a wheelchair, and it was her husband who was with her all the while, wheeling her down the aisle.

in sickness and in health. true love is the love that is able to endure these obstacles. :)


the long wedding march

towards the end of the ceremony, everybody rose to take their oaths, and we the witnesses stood up as well. i could only understand a little of the oath (it was in Ilongo), but i could understand the last sentence very well. "you may now kiss the bride." and suddenly everybody started giggling. haha. nobody was kissing! the couples were shy! Ma'am Somcio and i were on stage, shouting "kiss! kiss!", while the mayor prompted the couples. it was only then i could see shy pecks on the lips, and i could see long passionate kisses too.


the 334 couples standing to take their oaths

it doesn't really matter if two persons were to get married or just living together, either way it requires a lot of courage and determination to make things work. but of course, there are pros and cons to be weighed, and the future to be considered. it's not just a simple "I do", but a lifelong promise and commitment.

i wish all the couples (and all around the world), to stay blissful together, and the best of luck. :)

photos from Bago City

ah.. finally most of the photos have been uploaded. actually i'm done with the uploading last week, just that i'm lazy to update and for a few times it slipped my mind. heh.

i remembered i took about 700 shots, but i've only uploaded 500+, because the rest are either repeated, too blur, or too ugly. haha. a lot of the pictures were taken during the TRY Summer Youth Camp. i was the unofficial photographer. haha. which is why there aren't many photos with my face on it. bleah.

so here's the link to my flickr photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yuhui-loves/

will blog about interesting things that happened while i was there (like the mass wedding) and interesting shots. slowly, as and when i have the inspiration. :)

fondue and concert

it seems like it's becoming a habit to combine 2 meals into 1. not good. i need something to keep to a proper eating time.

yeah! the big 4 of BHBH1 has come together again! and yes, over our favourite fondue. :)


Huijie, me, Aline and Waipeng

it was nice to see our dear Sarah Huijie growing, becoming a lady, and knowing that all is well for her in London. yup, i still hold on to the hope that we will get to go to Bago City together. one day. it will come. :)


our chocolate fondue, with the long marshmallows

and thank you for the unique marshmallows! we have never seen marshmallows in this shape before. and even the waiters were curious and laughing. haha.

and we should meet up again before you return to London. :)

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Lord of the Rings Symphony: Six Movements for Symphony Orchestra, Chorus and Soloists (part of Singapore Arts Festival)


water pool outside Esplanade

went to attend this concert on friday. it was good, although there were parts which i felt the arrangements could be better. i'm not an ultimate fan of LOTR, and i can't really remember everything from the LOTR trilogies, but parts of the symphony with the Irish whistle did make me imagine that the hobbits were jumping around on stage. haha.


from the roof terrace of Esplanade

many events happening this week. not a bad thing, at least i didn't need to see my kids (they are on holiday). took my mind off things as well. time to prepare myself for the challenges coming up. and one is coming up soon. arghh.

a week after coming back

a week ago, i was trying to control my emotions, not to cry at the airport. i could still remember Nonoy saying this in the van, "it's your 5th time already! don't cry!" and they all kept singing Leaving on a Jetplane. well i didn't wail out loud, i just pretended that i was having some eye irritations and a sensitive nose. haa. suddenly i remembered how i scared the hell out of my friends when i was crying like nobody's business on the flight coming back from Bago City the first time round. haha.

and now, a week has passed, but i felt like it has been weeks or even months, and i'm raring to go on my next trip already. somehow work seems to be getting heavier, my to-do list is getting longer. but it hasn't really able to take my mind off all the thoughts. for a few nights i have been dreaming about the place, and i felt depressed in the dreams. i knew i felt depressed. :(

everytime when i share my stories, i was reminded of the time i've spent there. i guess you can never remove the Bago spirit in me anymore. but it was still good to meet up with good old friends. Aline, Waipeng, Ryan, Shaoting. and soon, Sarah! :)

and perhaps very soon, everybody in Bago City! :)

P.S. photos are still being uploaded. please bear with me.

faces of TRY

i've a new blog look. :) just changed the header design, because the previous one did look a bit pessimistic. haha. this new one, although not nicely done, it's close to my heart. if anybody could recognise that, it's the Bantayan in Bago City. we all called it the boulevard of broken dreams. haa.

ok, this post is dedicated to all TRY members. :) and TRY is the abbreviation for Today's Responsive Youth.

it's always a pleasure to work with them, and i always have so much fun with them. we are like one big family, brothers and sisters. every time when i go back to Bago City, i'll meet new friends, new members from TRY. and the family is just getting bigger and bigger. :)

introducing to you, the faces of TRY!


Tricia, the president of TRY. a marvellous leader, and a wonderful friend to all. very committed as well, i've never heard a single cry of tiredness from her. super amazing. enough said. :)


Nonoy, Joseph, Marty

Nonoy can be serious yet fun at the same time. i used to be afraid of him because he looks stern when he doesn't smile. haha, that was when i first went to Bago City. but you will come to realise that he's a nice guy. :) and his catchphrase is 'my golly..' (pronouced as 'gali', which is his own version of 'my god..') and i'm being affected by that too. haha.

Joseph, the big brother. never short of witty jokes. an optimistic person. and of course, likes to tease me. haha.


Ryan, the father to my godson. super talented in dancing and super creative. he was actually one of the few whom i was closer to, during the BHBH1's time. loves to play around, but don't be fooled by him. he's known to be a strict teacher by all, and beware when he starts raising his voice. haha.


Serlu, with Yoga (BHBH4)

Serlu, but i like to call him Lolo Serlu. haha. likes to make fun of others. very active, but likes to sleep (i have a lot of his sleeping photos. muahaha). very thoughtful too. thanks for the dictionary! haha..


Karen and Ingrid, the two babes in TRY. haha. i still can't imagine Karen is already happily married with a cute baby Sophie. Ingrid, the other Sudoku lover. yeah.


John Paul a.k.a JP (seen here with a TRY camp participant), loves to eat. creative too. he designed the costumes of the TRY camp facilitators for the cultural night item! wow!


Eugene, another strict teacher. haha. good at dancing too. and no, i will not sing and dance in front of all people. haha. :P


Apple. the goddess with super long hair. haha. don't you think the costume makes her look like a goddess? :)


Jerievic, the environmentalist. likes to make fun of me too.


Andrew, the yes-ma'am man. we are the ones who always like to make fun of him. see? i've caught him in a 'scandalous' picture. wahahah.


Marty, and JR busily doing the silkscreen printing on t-shirts


Gamay, Ivan and Marty


Ryan and Sam

there are still many faces that i didn't get to capture, but nevertheless, they are as important as the rest of the TRY members, and they are my friends as well.

thank you all, for all the wonderful memories i had in Bago City, and thank you all, for all the assistance and help when i needed them.

i'll be back. :)