The Marian Orchard Escapade

Are you sick of the crowded city and dreaming to be in a solemn place that will not hurt your pocket? Marian Orchard is the perfect place for you! Just a little history, this land was acquired in 1988 by Lazaro L. Katigbak and he entered partnership in 2015 with FAITH Colleges (First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities). From that moment, the Marian Orchard Faith Foundation Inc. (MOFFI) was born. If you are planning to have a visit here, it can be found in Brgy. Malabanan Balete, Batangas.

Which I am thankful for because we can now able to experience this awesome garden!

Hello, lovely Steemians! I would like to share all the amazing things that happened to me as I walked in this beautiful landscape. Most of what I wear (the shoes, shirt, and wristwatch) are gifts that I’ve received except for the jumper, I bought it in a cheap store amounting to 250 pesos (it’s equivalent to 5 dollars). Yes, I am a fan of cheap things but with good quality. Money is hard to earn so I always make sure that I spend it only on stuff with reasonable price.

I never hesitate to come here because of its cheap entrance fee which amounts to 50 pesos (it’s equivalent to 1 dollar). For just a dollar, you can enjoy it for the whole day! They are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

It made me travel from reality to fantasy. It feels like I am one of the Greek Goddesses and this is my palace. I have these two favorite captured photos here in Marian and this is one of them. I also considered it as a lucky shot because of how fortunate I am to have the flowers and the clouds as the front and back view that gives more drama to this picturesque.

If I were to be a Greek Goddess, it is an honor to be Aphrodite. It is my pleasure to be the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

I will use my power to raise awareness that love and beauty are essentials to our well-being and it is something that we must be serious of. Love can be in different forms such as love for parents, love for animals, love for nature, love for someone you want to be with and many more. Just like love, beauty is not just about having the pretty face and the beach body figure. Physical appearance will soon fade as we get older but the beauty of one’s soul will always be remembered.

Always love the beauty from within; it lasts even in Heaven’s eyes.

Looking at this view is giving me a princess vibe, maybe Rapunzel? I didn’t see any stairs that can lead me to the balcony so her name came into my mind, knowing that she lives her life in a tower of no stairs. I am also fond of things that are in shade of pink that’s why I love the pink flowers that climbing up in this structure. As much as I want to pick some of it and put them in a vase when I get home, I think they will be happier to grow in their natural habitat.

I am happier as well if they grow healthy to bring more smiles to everyone.

If I am Rapunzel, I wonder what does she feel when she saw the Prince riding on a white horse, the first man that she saw in her entire life. She was away from the real world for so many years and used to live with her fake mom, not even having a direct contact with the other people. Maybe, she was with mixed emotions, excited but scared.

Some of us are like Rapunzel, we are excited to try new adventures but scared as well. As long as it not against the man’s law and God’s law, there’s nothing to be afraid of.

If I am asked of what I see from the picture, I would say that there are trees, plants, and flowers. But if we try to look more deeply, we can see that these plants are in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Some of them are small while some are tall, some are just a plain green while some are colorful and some are planted in a pot while some are directly on the ground.

Their differences make them stand-out.

We are like them; none of us are exactly alike. Even the identical twins who are a reflection of themselves in terms of physical appearance will never be 100% the same when it comes to personality and attitude. We should not compare ourselves to anyone. We must learn to accept what we are and order to live harmoniously. We are special in every way.

We are the original copy of ourselves so why trying to imitate somebody? Be the authentic one and don’t settle for someone’s photocopy.

I mentioned earlier that I have two favorite captured photos, the first one is the structure that gives me the Greek vibe and the last one that I’m talking about is this picture. If we count it, there are 14 bells in total. While we are going around, we heard sounds of bells from time to time. Maybe that sound was coming from here. I am also stunned of how the skies embellished the scenery.

We are always admiring the sun but I guess skies are worthy to be admired as well.

Bells are supposed to trigger someone’s attention. I believed that we all have an inner bell which is our conscience. If everyone will just listen to its chimes, I think the world will be a better place to live in. Just imagine a country with noble citizens who always follow what is morally right and having a sympathetic heart for the people of all races.

No more of bloody wars, no more of violence and no more screaming for mercy.

I don’t know what kind of flower is this (I am not good at flower naming) but it really caught my interest. I am not sure if there’s a color like pinkish orange because this is how I see it from my perspective. The stems and the leaves are also giving a mesmerizing effect in its entirety. I will appreciate it so much if you can leave a comment below that states the name of it.

I only know the basic ones such as sunflower and rose. I love looking at them because of how charming they are.

When I tried to zoom in, I noticed on its left upper side a word saying, “Protect us”. Is it the human who needs protection from different disasters or is it nature who need protection from some cruel mankind? I believed that there are still good folks, people who are caring about every aspect of living things. We must preserve it, we must love the Earth because it’s our only home.

Plants have feelings as well. When we take good care of them, they will definitely do the same for us.

Here are more pictures that took while roaming around in this fabulous orchard:

The road with plants and flowers along the side.

A building decorated with colorful and refreshing nature.

The huge gate that lead us to the inner corner of the garden.

The stairs with plenty of amazing flowers.

Different people are enjoying the good weather and scenery.

Meet My Girls

Her name is Jessica and she’s my best friend. I’ve known her since 2007, we were classmates from high school to college. She’s also my seatmate during my college days. She’s like my living diary, she was even there when I had my first heartbreak. When my relationship of four years ended, she helped me move on. I like her honesty. She has the courage to tell me things that I didn’t want to hear, things that can hurt me but I must know in order to become a better person.

A true friend will tell even the most disgusting things not to humiliate us, but to make us the best of what we can be.

Our call time was 9 a.m., but she was running late. We weren’t bothered that she was late because we didn’t mind waiting. That’s what friends are for, right? Understanding even the most understandable situations. It’s normal to get mad but I think if it’s tolerable for rational reasons, we have to tolerate each other’s discrepancies for the sake of peace and serenity.

All of us are sinners but God is offering His forgiveness, we should also act the same.

Her name is Ner and she’s also one of my trusted friends. We are classmates from 5th grade until high school. I am glad that we maintained the friendship that we have from the start and still keeping in touch with one another. She’s a humble woman and I like her sincerity. She’s the kind of friend that never forgets. I am thankful that we didn’t end up as strangers.

A good communication is what makes any relationship alive and continuous.

She’s also an early bird. She was the first one to arrive among us. I admire her promptness. It is the quality that most of us should have, it is the quality that some Filipinos are lacking. I am sorry that I have to say it but this is what I have observed as one of the bad habits of Filipinos. I admit that I am one of them as well and it’s not a good impression to be late most of the time. Arriving early means that we don’t want to waste even just a second, life is too short to be wasted.

As long as we have self-discipline and right motive, we can absolutely change our wrong habits.

As I’m looking to the sky, I have many thoughts running in my mind. You might see me smiling in the previous pictures, but I also worry about the problems I have. I came to this place to breathe, relax and escape, if even just for a day. I am tired of the everyday struggles I have to endure just to earn a living. I want to feel how to be that little girl again, free from anxiety. I miss my childhood so much.

I am not getting any younger but I will always remain young at heart.

It’s either problems will make us weak or use it to become stronger than before. When we are feeling blue, stop for a moment and unleash the little kid inside of us. Life will always be full of sorrows so let us focus on the brighter side. We choose to be happy because we deserve it. We can never bring back the past but we can still find our happiness in the present. It doesn’t need to be expensive. Just remember, even a simple walk in a park can heal a soul.

Never lose hope and keep moving forward. God is with us!

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