"Shembot" (pronounced shem bōt, but pronounce it with a Pilipino accent) - is the Tagalog slang of "shaking your booty."  I learned about this drink on my recent trip home in Malolos, Bulacan.  Well, in this instant, Shembot is referred to a local favorite alcoholic beverage.  When I asked my local bartender "Jmel" why it was called "Shembot" he said "you shake your booty" when you're mixing up the drink!  LOL!!!!  I love it. 

As you can see I take the phrase "Eat, drink and be merry" very serious--Ahhh yes, the art of vacating life--I'm definitely mastering it.  Life is great!

Shembot ingredients:
- Ginebra San Miguel (Philippine Gin)
- "My Juiz" Melon flavored-powdered drink mix
- "Milo" or Nescafé powdered drink mix
- Water
Mix it all up according to taste.

I hope you enjoy this video and blog as much as I enjoyed "mixing" it up.  Till next week, My Loves--I bid you all love, light & compassion.

~Maria

I'm already home but my heart remains in the Philippines with my King and Queen.  I miss sleeping underneath the blanket of stars--they seem so close, it feels like I can reach out and grab a handful.  I miss nature's alarm clock, the crowing of the roosters waking me to let me know it's coffee time with my parents--the King and Queen of My Life.  We converse for an hour, mom falls back asleep, then dad and I go jogging--Daddy and Me bonding time.  I return to the house to meditate for 45 mins and lay back down with mom.  THIS, MY LOVES, IS TRULY THE ART OF DOING NOTHING, VACATING LIFE--the busy life I know.  No complaints here.  I LOVE IT.

They say home is where the heart is and it's definitely in the Philippines when I come home.  Funny thing is, I wasn't born there and I've never lived there.  I've only frequented it since 1995.  Just like any relationship, I've learned to love and fall in love with the Philippines because my parents are there.  Life is so simple in PI--it is so humbling.  When I go to PI, I go there knowing I can not expect to find what I find here in the US (i.e. getting up to go for a drive alone at my whim, tampons, toilet seat covers, sidewalks).  It is a third world country therefore, it can not compare to the United States.  Plus, going to the Philippines once a year makes me appreciate my land of birth.  I am and always will be an American, however I'm very proud to say that my "original" country welcomes me with open arms and loves me unconditionally just as my parents do.  So, who knows--I may just retire there.  I do have a house there after all.  I'm not too concern with the future, I'm more into living present as it is a gift.

I'd have to say the only thing I truly detest in the Philippines is the mosquito population.  That's when you can tell I'm a foreigner there, I've got mosquito bites in places I didn't think the mosquitoes could reach.  LOL!!!  But, no matter--I'd take it and live with it just so I can be with My Loves.

Here's a taste of the Philippines for those of you who are exploring the possibilities of visiting PI.  The first video of my parents was shot in 2011--it's an oldie but goodie, my parents are unhinged in this video.  The second video was filmed on Feb. 1, 2013--they found out about facebook so they're not as open as the first video.  Finally, the 3rd video shows my Aguila cousins (my mom's side) and I having lunch at Kamayan at Isdaan sa Bay in Laguna, Philippines, 2.17.13.

I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I enjoyed filming them.  The videos are just a fraction of the joy I experienced during my trip.  This trip is definitely another one for the books!  I can't wait for my 2014 trip--let's see if I can convince my son Jonathan to go with me.  I'll give him an offer he can't refuse.  Tee hee.

Till next time, My Loves, I bid you all love, light and compassion.

~Maria