Flaunt Your Generosity (I Call This The Bullet Proof Shirt)

I received this shirt some time ago from the amazing and thoughtful ladies behind the Flaunt Your Generosity project, (you can visit them in Facebook) and thanks very much to one really thoughtful person who volunteered to get me a white shirt. Turns out though, it's too big for me even if it's already labeled Small. But to still be able to put it to good use, I gave it to my brother who happily wore this to school and gained much exposure when he went to finish his enrollment for the second semester.

 

The shirt comes in black and white, I chose white and it says:

The 

Zamboangueno

Spirit

Is

Bullet 

And 

Fire

Proof

I really agree with the message that this shirt brings, and perhaps anybody who is born and bred a Zamboangueno could also nod their heads towards this message. At the back (which I did not get a chance to photograph) it says Levanta Zamboanga, Rise Again Zamboanga.

Don't mind my brother also advertising the cup, he just came upstairs to get a drink of water.

If you want to support this very special cause, you can purchase your own shirt and choose the correct size for only Php 290. Here's an idea, why not gift a shirt to someone this Christmas? It's for a good cause. This way, the victims of the siege can get back on their feet with your help.

My Zamboangueño Christmas

The lights and lanterns are up, and the pueblo has started to resemble a little Christmas postcard without the snow. Downtown people have started swarming to City Hall to take pictures with families and friends. The fountain in Plaza Pershing is most colorful at night and some visitors have taken out their cameras to capture the moments before the crowd doubles, with Christmas Day nearing and the air becoming a little colder. 

This is City Hall in lights, tourists and other visitors take their photos with the facade when the decors and lights are in full swing. 

More details and angles below

Plaza Pershing has just recently completed its fountains and has become quite an attraction among the locals.

Street lanterns like these can be seen all over town.

The gazebo is also showered with lights and decors.

The street lamps in every corner are followed by street lanterns.

Balloon vendors also crowd the plaza at night for those who want to bring home a balloon as a souvenir. 

The ZaNorte Road Trip

Here are some shots taken from the Zamboanga del Norte Road Trip last month. We went up north for a few days and toured the area. The locals have shortened Zamboanga del Norte to ZaNorte for its monicker to help promote the area for tourism. 

On the way, our van broke down in the Panubigan area so we were sitting it out until things got back to normal and resume the drive. 

We had a seaside lunch, here we are all standing up by the beach, longing for a quick nap just after the meal. 

This is the tempting view of the beach in Zamboanga del Norte, before reaching the municipality of Leon Postigo. 

This is the view from Leon Postigo's Municipal Hall. It is overlooking the park with the sea as its background. 

And we hit the road again, sticking to the highway meandering against the sea. Our next location is Poblacion, a coastal village where some Subanens live. 

The Subanens performed a dance for us to express their gratitude. 

The colorful costumes and gestures are so native and cultural. 

Some Subanens came to join the community to greet us in our visit. 

One way to get around is by tricycle, a local mode of transportation. School children take a ride in numbers. 

This guy is a regular at the Alvenda Mountain Resort in the Municipality of Mutia. 

He was curious with new faces in his property. 

Alvenda is a mountain resort which offers facilities like a swimming pool, a cottage for overnight, zipline and trekking in a quiet place with fresh mountain air. 

The Subanen Dance

I was part of a media tour hosted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development here in our region, last November, where media practitioners from various outfits get to visit indigenous villages in some municipalities up north. In the municipality of Leon Postigo where their sources of income are farming and fishing, some native Subanens can still be found. Some of these Subanens have been recipients of the government's social pension and poverty alleviation programs. To express their gratitude, they have prepared a Subanen Dance for us, with a gong providing the rhythm in the background. 

One of the touching moments to experience is for the native Subanens to express their gratitude through their traditional dances.

The dance has been performed in many rituals like christenings, weddings and other major festivities in the area. 

The gong is being sounded at a corner, some more Subanens dressed in their cultural attires have also come to say "thank you".