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