Riding Boots

The problem with the sport of riding, the stuff you need are not readily available in Manila. Most riders just buy off from each other (either second hand or brand new) or order online. I order my riding stuff online from Dover Saddlery and have it sent to the Johnny Air office in New York, then it gets sent to Manila (I pick it up from Megamall). It's much cheaper than having it sent directly. The cost of package is dependent on size and weight, or whichever costs the most. I can buy a pair of riding boots for a good deal but the courier cost can be costly because of the size of the box.

 

During our trip to Cubao, we saw a couple of shoemakers. I brought my old pair of riding boots to show the cut because riding boots are not just any high or tall boots.

Check out the boots I had made. It's not exactly like my old pair but I wanted to have a simple design which is also easier to clean compared to the one I had with the laces in the center. The shoemaker is Solimann Shoes. The material is made of leather. I still need to break into the boots but need to return them. Due to my weight loss, the calf size is too big. I should have had them measure my actual calf size instead of using the exact measurement from the old pair.

So for those looking riding boots, go see Solimann shoes as they specialize in made to order shoes.
 

 

Randomness

I had to delete some pictures from my phone due to limited space, and found these random photos.

Power was down after a strong thunder.

One Friday night, trying out a creamy drink.

Another Friday night, I suppose. Can't recall. Got the horsey drink coasters from Dapitan Arcade.

 

 

Sunday picnic

The weather this morning, till past noonish, was lovely and a fun day to have a picnic. I would have loved to prepare some salad, sandwiches and include dessert, but supplies in the fridge need to be replenished (will need to do the groceries today). Nevertheless, why waste a good day? It's been raining the past weekends so it was great to have the sun out with the grounds dry.

 

I miss being able to spend the weekend outdoors, instead of the malls, for a change. When my siblings and I were kids, our folks would always take us to Luneta Park. When we moved to Lusaka, I remember potluck picnics at Munda Wanga Park and at the grounds of UNZA with the Pinoy community (FilZams).Good times.

So, quickly packed the portable speaker (music is a must!), chips, drinks, and bought Mcdo on the way. We had all that we needed.

Oh, and an hour after we left, it rained. Lucky and grateful to have spent a few hours of the day outdoors. I hope you all had a wonderful Sunday :o)
 

 

Mine are the red ones. Obviously I lost. Boo hoo!

The love for the sport

Million People March

Much has been said and written about what's going on right now with the country, and there are no other words I can express it any differently. The netizens have nailed my exact sentiments and I can only hope for change  - for a better Philippines. Enough is enough.

A father, mother and daughter riding their bikes to show support with the flag attached to the handle bars.

At this point, we couldn't go to the grand stand because it was packed. This was near the Rizal monument already. Imagine the volume of supporters.

The dark clouds looming above, threateningly, did not stop the people.

 



Of course the street food!



Making our presence literally count by registering.

A trip to Cubao

As you know, we enjoy going to interesting places for good buys so I wanted to check the Shoe Expo (used to be known as Marikina Shoe Expo) in Cubao. I've been considering having custom made riding boots (for a change from ordering online) and hopefully there's a good shoemaker there.

 

The place is much smaller now, according to the sellers. Surrounded by huge malls and constructions of buildings in Cubao, is the Shoe Expo. Although you expect to see small shops or boutiques of  shoes, there were more antique and vintage shops.

 

My love for antique, right?

 

 

 

 

Cooking: Beef Broccoli





I like broccoli but I have issues with the pest you often find in the huge flower head so I rarely buy them, although they have tons of health benefits (the broccoli, and not the pests). So before cooking them, I take forever cleaning or inspecting each flower to make sure there are no aphids. These are the most common pests I've found. Anyway, as I've been including more vegetables in our meals, I decided to cook beef broccoli in oyster sauce with mushrooms.

 

No longer including the recipe since you can just Google it but wanted to share the outcome :o)

 

Loved it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#Selfie

Click & post. Many people on my friends list love to post selfie pictures of themselves on Facebook every single day. It has become a public mirror.  But hey, to each his own, right? Your wall, your posts. No judgment. But just saying :o)

 

I, on the other hand, am just as guilty when it comes to "click & post". Although, I prefer to post pictures of food, my boys, places and my four legged friends. Occasionally, I would post pictures that include myself with family, friends and the horses. So here's a couple of #selfie pictures...not of me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click & post...tee hee!

Thursday riding...

I'm very happy to be riding again, consistently. I also feel that I have gotten much better, as affirmed by my instructor, which is a huge deal for me. In the last month, aside from being focused and my head being totally clear (since I'm no longer stressed with work), it's really about having more time to ride. No matter how I intently listen, analyze and conceptualize what my instructor is teaching me, everything only falls into place when you finally feel it in your riding. Classic example is feeling the correct and wrong diagonal in a trot. This is only possible if you spend more time on a horse, no matter how much reading you do to understand. Using the correct aids and to transition the horse in the different gaits also feels so much better for both me and horse, eventually becomes natural. That's when it starts to make sense.

 

I also don't feel as I did before, about being a lousy rider and feeling I was a "trying hard wannabe" and didn't have what it took to be an equestrienne. Light bulb moment when I realized that there are so many riders that have been doing it for years, since they were children, yet the learning is a continuous process and up to now, they still have lessons or attend clinics to improve their skills and continue to learn. My ultimate girl crush, Charlotte Casiraghi, who has been riding since she was very young, has the best horses and instructors, still have moments during shows when her horse refuses a jump, etc. Not that I'm any close to being a comparison (in my dreams!), I guess I shouldn't be so hard on myself when I have bad horse days. It's all part of the learning process. 

 

These geese are the funniest! During lessons they freely roam the bullring, fearless of the possibility of being trampled on by the horses.

Rider P cantering in a circle with the objective of bending the horse more towards the inner circle to allow him to be more balanced and avoid a hollow back.

Rider T is so cute! She's warming up before her lesson.

 

Thursday lessons. Busy day for V, training the 3 of us one after the other. It was a good day, after the non-stop rain and typhoon recovery.

 

 

Happy riding!

Charlotte C.

http://roundpear.deviantart.com/

http://www.jorgearevalo.com/

Wish List: Riding Boots

1. Alberto Fasciani 

 2. Alberto Fasciani

 3. Ovation Aero

4. Ariat Volant

DIY: Decor with storage rack and clothes pins

During the de-cluttering, I recycled a lot of stuff to:

a) Save space
b) Put into use stuff that I wasn't sure what I was going to do with any more
b) Literally save on cost

One of the things I recycled was his storage shelf where he kept his toys, which he had outgrown already. I'm not sure what they're really called but a similar one is the modular storage cubes. I took it down and recycled the parts.

*Image from website

Here's a piece that I took down, and got some clothes pin.

Hung one piece on the wall and pegged some of Matt's work to display it.

Dennis and I had so much fun with it. These pictures were originally pegged on a string that hung on one side of his room. Since I'm kinda changing  things around the room, I took it down but still wanted to put the pictures.

Recycled and useful way to decorate the room at no cost :o)