In line with Dagupan City Bangus Festival is the colorful street dancing.  It’s so nice to see the different costumes of street dancers accompanied with some props to showcase the different products and customs of Dagupan City.  Before it was only a mere presentation but now it is already a competition.

The city of Dagupan would like to add some excitement in street dancing, so they decided to invite neighboring towns to join the competition.  Nearby towns like Calasiao, San Carlos, Malasiqui, Urdaneta, Binmaley, Mangaldan and even Baguio City joined the said competition.

Last year Bangus Fiesta, I witnessed the fabulous street dancing and I’m planning to see it again this year and I’m inviting you also to come, see and witness the amazing street dancing.  You can’t even feel tired while watching the dancers dancing on streets with colorful costumes and cheerfully dancing, it’s fully entertaining!

It’s been a tradition to celebrate the Bangus Festival in Dagupan City.  Every year the celebration is getting bigger and better.  Bangus Fiesta is celebrated during summer season.  Many guests were attending the celebration .  There were actresses and actors, politicians and even local and foreign tourists who are coming to celebrate with Dagupenos.

Various activities like the biggest Bangus harvest, street dancing, gilon-gilon (along Pantal river)  photo exhibit, battle of the band and the most awaited was the longest Bangus grill which is already included in Guinness World of Record are done.  There were also seminars offered, sharing the process of deboning Bangus and showing the different ways on how to cook Bangus.  Truly an interesting and a learning part of the Bangus Fiesta.

Every night performers from Manila City have a concert at the park to entertain guests especially tourists like me, also you can enjoy shopping at midnight bizaare where different products of Dagupan and nearby towns are being showcase.

I witnessed once the Bangus largest grill during the celebration of Bangus Fiesta where  I took a picture of Mrs. Susan Roces ( wife of late Fernanado Poe, Jr. ) who is one of the special guest.  There were also many different organizations who participated in the world record longest grill along downtown of Dagupan.

Bangus Festival is celebrtated as a thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest of Bangus by Dagupenos during the year.

Pangasinan is well known for it’s mouth-watering “Bagoong”  (salted fish).  To make a quality bagoong you’ll just need fishes ( dilis, terong, galunggong, sinalyasi and tamban )  and salt for fermentation.  You’ll just ferment the fishes for three to five months and even for a year to dissolve the salt and bring out the sauce or ” patis “.  Grind fermented fish can also be added, a food coloring is an option to add for a pleasant color.

Year 1945  when my grandmother started to make ” bagoong “  in Lingayen, Pangasinan, it was quiet different because of the low technology they have before.  Everything was done on manual, there’s no mixer for fermented fish and they used ” tapayan ” to store the bagoong and the process was so slow and a bit difficult, unlike now, bagoong makers are now using big mixers to grind fishes, they do have big ” camarin” made from cement to store and ferment the fishes, and all of the equipments used in making bagoong are stainless made.

Bagoong business is a profitable business in Lingayen, Pangasinan, many bagoong manufacturers were now successful, they earn alot of money from bagoong.

If you are looking at a place, perfect for your family to go out for a weekend, here’s one that I know you’ll enjoy.  ” Isdaan ” located in Gerona, Tarlac, a two hours drive from Lingayen, Pangasinan is one of the best restaurant in Tarlac.  It is a Filipino Restaurant with lots of huge monkey sculptures, floating “kubo-kubo”  where you can dine and experience their native menus.

I first saw this place only on televesion and when me and my friends have a night out, we decided to go in Isdaan.  The place is more fascinating in real rather than when I saw it on T.V.  We enjoy eating our dinner with their “bilao ni aling Nena”  ( a variety of cooked fish placed in one big bilao )  While eating, a group of singers came into our kubo and serenade us with some folk songs.  It was really relaxing and everybody was happy because we didn’t expect that there’s such thing in that place.  After our dinner one staff came into  our place and offered us to join in their game, where in you should walk on a bridge carrying two pales of water without falling on to the pond to win two kilos of Tilapia.  That was really fun!

So, if you want to experience the same thing, you should visit and dine in Isdaan with your family, friends or love one.  Surely you’ll enjoy the place and the food as well.

All of us encounter different problems in our lives, the most common is money problem. Here are some money problems that most of us were experiencing according to some experts.

* Your finances are out of control. You might be in a financial mess. You don’t know where your money goes, because sometimes or oftentimes you don’t pay attention to what you spend. To avoid this situation or just to eliminate it, try to start making a budget list. It’s so easy to do, write your monthly household expenses these may include your groceries, market, rent or mortgage, utilities, your monthly bills which includes your car payment, credit cards payment, tuition fees, water and electric bills, then tally up all of these costs. Compare your net income (salary less tax) to your total expenses. If your expenses are more than your net income you are truly facing a financial mess, so you must examine carefully your list and may cut down some unnecessary expenses.

* Savings. Do you have savings? Do you save regularly? You might be spending much more than you earn and may state that you can’t save because you don’t earn that much. According to experts which I do believe, that everybody can save. Regardless of how big or small your income is, you can really do save. The technique is to save first before you spend. The principle of Income-Savings=Expense. The ideal savings is 20% of your take home pay (salary net of tax ) You’ll only need to live on 80% of your income. Discipline is the most important trait that you must have in order to have savings. Saving is important and the best form of investment.

* Having so many debt? It’s okay to borrow some money because there were times when you’re really out of the budget and you really need to spend because of a ” need ” or for some emergencies, and you can’t avoid borrowing or lending or simply making a debt. But making a debt just to have your ” want ” is not healthy. Owning a credit card and using it just to buy a “want” and using it unwisely can make you drown in debt. A simple advice is to cut down using credit cards, if you can pay in cash, just simply do so, used your cards only on times of emergencies.

Financial problem is the easiest problem to solve if only you know what to do and how to properly handle your finances.

Tiny fishes from the deep blue sea of Bolinao Pangasinan are Pangasinenses and Ilocanos favorite.  These cute tiny fishes called   “Padas ” is just one of the proud product of Pangasinan, salted fish with white syrup like a condense milk, ( but not taste like milk )  best to eat with mango or calamansi ( lemon ).

” Padas ” is one of the best buy kind and the most expensive salted fish.  Bagoong makers classified it as ” first class “  because of its pure tiny fishes and only salt was added.  To make a quality ” Padas ” is to ferment it for at least three months in order to achieve its delicious or mouth watering taste.

This is good for people who’s always in a hurry because you’ll just need to squeeze a calamansi or lemon on it and have a cup of rice, and you’ll have already an instant meal, because it’s a no cook meal.  Perfect for those who’s on the budget especially on this time of financial crisis because of  affordability of its price.

Abono Partylist and the Dagupan Artists’ Circle in cooperation with the Provincial Government of Pangasinan and the Municipal Government of Rosales are inviting students, enthusiasts, professional and non professional artists to join the “  Ani ng Sining Mural Competition 2009 “  This competition’s theme shall be ” A tribute to Pangasinan Farmers “.  The participants are encouraged to explore their best in presenting and conceptualizing their artwork entry.  It is through this competition that we hope to view and produce diverse interpretations of what’s inside an artist’s mind.

Official entry forms are available at the Mouse House Internet Cafe ( Headquarters, Dagupan Artists Circle, GF Llamas – Reyes building.’ #92 Burgos Extension Dagupan City ) and the Pangasinan Pasalubong Center ( Carmen East, Rosales Pangasinan ) starting on March 24, 2009.