Wifely Steps

I have moved!

2008-05-15T11:34:00.001+08:00

I'll have a cup of tea waiting for you over at http://wifelysteps.com.

See you there!

Want to join a housewarming?

2005-06-22T10:18:00.000+08:00

I've moved! I've joined the Marikit community. This is my new address:

http://toni.marikit.net

Thanks to Tin for the invitation and all the help with moving out all my furniture (a.k.a. old entries) and entertaining my interior design needs (a.k.a. template and all my other questions). ;)

See you at my new place!

What's your comfort food?

2005-06-16T10:45:00.000+08:00

This is mine:

Sinigang na Baboy

Whenever I'd come home from a trip abroad, this would be one of my immediate requests. "Mama, I want Sinigang when I come home ha." Or when I'm feeling really down at work, I'd rush over to the food court and get myself a bowl of Sinigang. I'd feel significantly better afterwards.

I like the kick of Sinigang. A warm bowl of Sinigang comforts me heart and soul, then kicks my senses up a wee bit with that delicate sourness. I love munching on the kangkong, tomatoes and onions, feeling little bits of gabi melt in my mouth, nibbling on the pork ribs, mixing a bit of rice in my soup and being delighted with this hearty spoonful... ah, Sinigang na Baboy is one of the best Pinoy dishes ever.

I finally learned to cook the dish last weekend. I did cook Sinigang na Hipon before but iba pa rin ang Sinigang na Baboy. It's a fairly easy dish to prepare that yields magnificent results. Here's what I did:

1. I simmered the pork meat/ribs in pork broth for about an hour and a half. You can simmer the meat in plain water but the broth makes the dish even more flavorful.
2. When the meat is tender, slide in the chunks of gabi, sliced onions and sliced tomatoes.
3. Stir in a packet of Sinigang mix. I used (and recommend) Knorr Sinigang sa Sampaloc with Gabi.
4. 5 minutes before serving, slide in the sliced kangkong.

Serve steaming hot with rice.

Sinigang is best enjoyed with family and good conversations as I did last weekend. I enjoyed watching my family sip on the soup and give their approval. H was the proudest of them all. "Marunong na magluto asawa ko!" (My wife now knows how to cook!") Uh... I wanted to tell him about all the other dishes I've cooked in the past but realized that apparently, his standard for me knowing how to cook was cooking a good Sinigang. Hahaha!

Kain na!

The Leftover Challenge

2005-06-14T14:14:00.000+08:00

I visited my folks over the long weekend and couldn't resist looking into their pantry. I did spy some leftovers! Now what can you make with a leftover pack of fresh basil leaves, an unused pack of pizza sauce, a block of Mozzarella and a bunch of sliced bread? This!

I first made pesto out of the basil leaves -- mash chopped basil leaves, olive oil, some walnuts, 3 cloves of chopped garlic and parmesan together in a mortar and pestle... or use a blender.

Grab a slice of bread, spread pizza sauce (or tomato sauce) on it, top with sliced mozzarella, the sprinkle with pesto. Pop it in a toaster oven for 5 minutes or till the cheese melts. Voila! Easy pizza merienda. I'm telling ya, it's yummo.

P.S. Interesting things are happening the blogosphere. I will be moving to a new home soon. Will keep you posted. ;)

"Popeye ate that?!"

2005-06-10T10:26:00.000+08:00

When I was a kid, I loved watching Popeye squeeze the spinach out of a can, gobble it up, then grow muscles. Because I wanted to be strong like Popeye, I asked my Mom if I could have spinach some time since I've never tasted it. In my mind, I was thinking that spinach was very tasty since Popeye seemed to enjoy munching on it.

And when that fateful dinner came, my Mom put a plate of dark green vegetables in front of me. I remember the dish being a bit runny and the greens looked slimey -- not appetizing at all. "What's that?" I asked. "That's your spinach!", Mama said. A single thought ran through my mind, "Popeye ate that?!" After a taste of the slimey vegetable, I figured I could be strong in other ways. Goodbye spinach.

Fast forward around twenty years later.

	This is now one of my favorite helpers -- spinach in a bag. The spinach dish I cook is very simple and easy to follow -- saute lots of garlic in oil, pour in the spinach, sprinkle with nutmeg powder, some salt and pepper to taste, sometimes I add a bit more garlic powder, stir around in the pan and voila! Yummy sauteed spinach. One bag is just right for me and H.
	And here's what the dish looks like. It tastes better than it looks, promise. It's not a dry dish but it's not runny either. Cook it till the leaves wilt but not turn to mush (which was my spinach case 20 years ago). I like having my Sauteed Spinach with Sardines in Tomato Sauce or even plain ol' vienna sausage.

Spinach is good for your health! Read the benefits of spinach here.

Privacy Policy

2005-06-07T16:34:00.000+08:00

I respect your privacy and I am committed to safeguarding your privacy while online at my site http://wifelysteps.blogspot.com. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for this Web site.

Log Files
Like most standard Web site servers, I use log files. This includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement in the aggregate, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses, etc. are not linked to personally identifiable information.

Cookies
A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user’s computer tied to information about the user. My site use cookies for tracking visitors’ activity. Some of my business partners use cookies on our site (for example, advertisers). However, I have no access to or control over these cookies, once I have given permission for them to set cookies for advertising.

Links
This Web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that I am not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. I encourage my users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Web site.

Advertisers
I use outside ad companies to display ads on my site. These ads may contain cookies and are collected by the ad companies, and I do not have access to these information. I work with Google Adsense. Please check their websites for respective privacy policies.

Contact Information
If users have any questions or suggestions regarding my privacy policy, please contact me by leaving a comment below. I will get in touch with you.

A stash o' snacks

2005-06-06T15:14:00.000+08:00

I was so amused when my sister pulled out a big sandwich bag full of snacks out of her school bag. This was her emergency stash. While they come in handy when your sweet tooth's acting up, they're also great to take the boredom out of long waits. She had Nissin's wafers, Andes chocolates and Haw Flakes. Needless to say one of those Haw Flakes disappeared in a flash. Dumdeedum.

As for me, all I have is a box of mints. Sometimes I have a Granola bar. These are the little foodums that get me through my day.

Do YOU keep an emergency stash of snacks in your bag?

2 Surveys, A Tip and a Thank You Note

2005-06-03T09:56:00.000+08:00

Let's work our way backwards!

The Thank You Note
I overslept again this morning. I've been so tired the past couple of days. Hopefully the upcoming week will bring out the early bird in me. Thanks for the tips!

A Tip
I helped out with the decor of a friend's party. The theme: Midnight Madness. I tried crumpling little bits of aluminum foil but they looked like trash, so don't go that route. You can also try cutting stars out of gold and silver foil but I didn't have time for that. I covered tables with blue crepe paper and generously showered them with gold glitter. A quick and cheap way to play up a party theme. But oh, don't forget to serve coasters for the drinks, okay? The crepe paper will bleed if you put wet glasses on top. If it does happen, try taking the rings out with alcohol. Just make sure it doesn't strip your tables!

Two Surveys:
One is a Friday Feast and the other is a Musical Baton passed on by missyosigirl. Check out the bottom of the entry to see if I passed the musical baton on to you!

Friday Feast
1. Appetizer: What comes to mind when you hear the word bizarre?
"Every time I see you falling / I get down on my knees and pray / I'm waiting for that final moment / You'll say the words that I can't say..." Know that? Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order. New wave rules!

2. Soup: Using just a few words, describe your childhood.
Creative. Quiet. It made me grow up real fast. Nurturing.

3. Salad: Name one thing you do each day that you feel improves your appearance.
Drink lots of water.

4. Main Course: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how would you rate your self-confidence?
7.5!

5. Dessert: Where did you last find a bargain?
At Dampa sa Libis. ;) My in-laws and I had lunch there last weekend and Mommy sure got a bargain with those yummy seafood ingredients. Have you guys eaten at Dampa? It's yumyumyum.

Musical Baton
1. Total volume of music files in my computer:
I'm not a musically-inclined person so the music files won't be more than 50! And they're mostly American Idol season 4 songs... AND mostly from Bo Bice. :D

2. Last CD I bought:
I cry at this question. I THOUGHT I had bought the Sugarmoney CD. Due to some technical difficulties, I couldn't buy it. Now I can just wish and hope it gets released here in Manila. So anyway the last CD I bought was Michael Buble as a Mother's Day present.

3. Song playing right now:
Michael Buble singing a song whose title I don't know -- I'm at his website.

4. Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:
a. Whipping Post. I like it not only because Bo Bice sang it on AI, but because I enjoy hearing H sing it (intentionally) with the wrong lyrics. It's always good fun when he makes up lyrics to make me laugh. He also does it to lightheartedly mock my adoration for Bo!
b. This Love: the John Stevens version. This has been my LSS lately (Last Song Syndrome). Click the link, watch the video and wait for a snippet of John Stevens singing his version of Maroon 5's song. Beautiful. I can't wait for his CD.
c. Dare You to Move by Switchfoot. A song from "A Walk to Remember". I didn't like the film but it was the first movie H and I watched together (we were just friends then!) so that in itself makes the song (and the film) very memorable.
d. A song from South Border. I don't remember the title. It's another one of those songs H has been singing playfully lately to crack me up.
e. Waiting in Vain by Annie Lennox. One word: Serendipity.

5. Five people I'm passing this to:
I'm too generous to pass it on to just 5 people. So ANYONE can answer this! Leave your answer as a comment. You can also post it in your blog -- just let me know so I can hop on over and read your answers!

HAPPY WEEKEND! THANK GOD THE WEEK'S OVER!

Good morning?

2005-06-02T11:29:00.000+08:00

My biggest enemy in the morning is my alarm clock. So far, it has won the many battles we've had. I'd wake up to my Pucca alarm clock blaring out a melody similar "Under the Sea." I'd reach over and press the little button on her head and she'd go, "Good morning!". Cute 'no? Not at 6 am. I say she always wins because she doesn't have a snooze button, hence I oversleep most of the time. Bad Pucca. :P

I've also started using my cell phone as a fallback alarm clock. The great thing is I can put a little note when the alarm rings. So at 6 am I not only wake up to a "Cock-a-doodle-doo" rooster sound, I also see a message I've written the night before that threatens me to get up ASAP: "WAKE UP NOW. Fix breakfast. Fix bag. Take a bath. Many things to do. Traffic. You will be late for work. WAKE UP NOW."

Am I turning cuckoo? Nah. I just want to jolt myself enough to resist going back to dreamland. Does this double alarm clock work? Sometimes.

What do you do to get yourself out of bed in the morning? I sure need help! Can you tell I'm not a morning person?

Mining the Blogging World

2005-05-31T16:19:00.000+08:00

A simple rule for blog-hopping: If you don't like it, don't read it. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

Simple. It's all about respect. While bloggers cannot choose those who read their blogs, readers can choose to be helpful or not.

It is very difficult to find sincerity online. Over my past four years of blogging, I've made friends, lost some and made new ones again. Sincerity is a rare find in cyberspace. I'm blessed to have discovered some golden nuggets online.

There are those golden nuggets of sisterhood, transition, laughter, the power of the woman, growing together, becoming a good mother, sight, gentleness, home comforts, kindred spirits, a happy (not lonely) hearts club, rediscovery, consistency, song, family. And there are many more nuggets I have yet to find.

There are those hard rocks that get in the way. But as it is with blogging, just toss them aside and move on. If you don't like 'em, don't read 'em. Eventually you'll find your golden nuggets, as I've found mine. See the right side bar and you'll know what I mean.

Ramblings in a Net Cafe

2005-05-29T15:52:00.000+08:00

An internet cafe is my haven. While H likes hustling and bustling with the crowds at the mall, I prefer a peaceful and quiet corner. I don't like the feeling of other people's elbows in my ribs or their breath on my shoulders. So while he chats up a storm with the salespeople, I slink away and find my way to a net cafe.

Aaah, yes. Air-conditioning. Peace and quiet. Just the tapping of keys and the clicking of the mouse. But wait, did someone just fart? I sneak a peek at the guy beside me and oooh yeah, he just ripped a silent but deadly one. Too bad for me.

Uh-oh, a little boy is throwing a tantrum beside me. His parents just walked into the net cafe and they're asking him to stop playing Ragnarok. Obviously he was in the middle of an engaging battle as he's holding back tears and twisting in his seat, stomping his feet in frustration. His Mom's behind us now, whispering in his ear. He lets go of the mouse and tearfully gets up from his seat.

It's a quiet Sunday and I'm happy blog-trotting. As my Wifely Tip of the day, here's a bunch of websites/blogs I frequent (& recommend) that might interest you too:

All About Michele. This is a very interactive site. Her questions and games are sometimes silly, sometimes sensible and always fun to answer.
Blogkadahan. I like catching up on the entries and enjoy the different writing styles of my ka-berks.
Memento. Find serenity and adventure with Junnie's extraordinary take on the world around him.
Neopets. When I'm really bored, I go here. The games are cute. I have two pets here!
Big Fish Games. Another site full of games to play online and to download.
Art.com. I love browsing through the posters and pictures. I've created galleries for myself which I've labeled "Living Room," "Kitchen," "Bedroom," etc. It's fun to create a wishlist for your own home in here!
Manolo's Shoe Blog. Entertaining, educational, the Manolo, he is FUN, FUN, FUN. Ever since he posted this pair of shoes, I got hooked.

Of course, I also love visiting everyone I link to (see right sidebar)!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Thanks!

2005-05-25T10:58:00.000+08:00

My Mother's Hands
Today on Blogkadahan, I wrote about the body part I love the most. It is a tribute to my Mom as well. I wanted to finish the poem in time for Mother's Day but found it difficult to string the words together. It took me a week to finish the poem. I share it with you now both as a Blogkadahan entry and as a belated Mother's Day poem.

Two years and counting
H and I enjoyed our little vacation. No, we didn't go anywhere special. We just went shopping, eating, shopping, eating, shopping, eating and eating. We also did visit the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Convention in Glorietta. I made new friends!

Thank you for all the greetings, dearest friends. It warms my heart to receive such kind and sincere wishes from you all. Group hug!

My Wedding Story

2005-05-20T16:18:00.000+08:00

This is a journal entry I wrote a couple of days after my wedding day. I'm posting it ahead of the 24th as I won't be online till after that day. ;) Have a great weekend everyone!

~*~*~*~

The Night Before
Once an AE (account executive), always an AE. Same with being a planner. Up till 11 p.m. of May 23, I was sending text messages to people on what their table numbers were. One of my godparents sent me a text message in return: "Don't be an AE or a planner tonight." To which I said, "Too late." My wedding was the next day at 8:30 a.m. I didn't fall asleep till around 1:30 a.m. after a massive text brigade.

The Morning's Preparations
I got up at 3:15 a.m. on May 24. When I woke up on time, I knew it was going to be a terrific day. My hair and make-up artists came at 3:30 a.m., right on the dot. They were really good. My hair was put up in some kind of bun with sparkly hairpieces -- a terrific feat considering I have short hair. My sisters, cousin, mom-in-law, aunt and mom followed after I was fixed up. It was really a fun time, with us cracking jokes about early morning weddings in between yawns and rubbing eyes.

The team of photographers came at exactly 5:30 am, on time as well. We took a lot of pictures, some wacko, some serious. I didn't have the typical caressing-of-the-gown-video. I was so happy I was trying not to laugh too hard through the whole pictorial. My flowers came at around 6 am. My bouquet was cute and dainty -- a bundle of pretty pink and orange gerberas.

My groom kept calling the hotel room to ask me stuff. I got irritated at some point because these were things that could wait till after the wedding, but he 'fessed up and said he just missed me. Awww.

So I put on my gown and ta-da! More pictures were taken. Then at exactly 7:30 a.m., we left the hotel. While in the bridal car, I kept smiling because people on the streets were trying to peek. Funny how I would always peek into the bridal car when I was the pedestrian. So this is what it felt like inside the car! In 15 minutes, we were at the church. My relatives and friends kept knocking on the car window to say hi and congratulate me. My groom and I were doing the 1st and 2nd reading, so I started practicing my reading in the car.

The reading is from the 1st letter of Paul to the Corinthians, the one that goes "Love is patient. Love is kind..." I read it over and over. Okay, brief spiritual awakening at this point. From the time I woke up till I rode the bridal car, I kept praying for God's presence. Usually, I would feel peaceful and happy at significant moments in my life but I just couldn't feel HIM that morning. I felt happy I was getting married, but sad because I didn't feel His presence at all. I kept asking him, "God where are you? Why don't I feel you?" I was going over the reading for the 3rd time when the words hit me right in the heart. "Love is patient. Love is kind. It is not jealous. It is not inflated. It is not pompous..." All the moments that I was mean to Dennis flashed before my eyes and then I realized what I had to do to make the marriage work. Be patient. Be kind. To not be jealous. And you know the rest. Then I felt at peace. That's what God was trying to tell me. I knew that was what he wanted me to realize before I walked down the aisle. I started crying a little bit. Sheesh. Tears of enlightenment, tears of joy. I felt complete.

The Wedding Celebration
"Okay Toni, let's go," my Mom called as she opened the car door. I kept fussing over my veil because it wasn't falling over my face right. Then we positioned ourselves before the church doors (which were closed after the last of the entourage walked through). When we heard the priest say, "And now, let us all stand and welcome our bride and her parents...," the church doors opened and I saw that all the people were looking at me. I froze. "Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god," I kept saying over and over and I could feel my heart thumping through my ears. I lost my balance as I started to walk, but my Mom held me and I stood up straight.

An instrumental rendition of "The Prayer" played, and so we started walking. I was beaming and trying not to cry as I walked with my parents toward my groom. My sisters were crying up front, all pretty and red-eyed in their maid-of-honor gowns. I was looking around while I walked, and there were about ten pews on each side that were filled up. Not bad. When I got to the front, I hugged my parents, and they presented me to my groom. Dennis, his eyes moist, took me by the arm and led me to our little pew up front. My Lolo priest was smiling at us and whispered to us, "Well, you made it. Relax!"

The rest of the Mass went really well. It was solemn and touching, just the way we wanted it to be. 10 minutes into the Mass, our priest asked us to look around and see the people who have come to celebrate our wedding. What was ten pews earlier was now double! I couldn't believe my eyes. I held back tears of happiness when I saw the people I loved right there.

My mom and mom-in-law were sniffing. I read the 2nd reading with my whole heart. During the exchange of vows and the blessing of the rings, Dennis looked like he was fighting his tears. A sniffle or two would escape him sometimes. I still remember how he looked when I was slipping the ring on his finger. I was looking straight into his eyes the whole time, and I could feel the love and happiness between us. I also had an Offering of flowers to the Blessed Mother, we said a prayer, then I walked back to my Mom-in-law and gave her a rose from the offering, and walked to my Mom and gave her a rose as well. It was a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful celebration. Our priest's sermon was also very enlightening -- he said a lot of things but what struck me the most was when he said that it's the little things that can destroy a marriage, not the big ones.

Finally, when Lolo Priest said, "You may kiss the bride," I turned to Dennis, he lifted my veil and gave me the sweetest kiss. What made it even more special was that we gave each other a long embrace after the kiss. To me, that was even more binding than the kiss.

As we walked down the aisle, rose petals were thrown over us. More rose petals were thrown in the air as we walked out of the church. Then the doves were handed to us, and we released them into the air. We exchanged hugs and kissed with friends and relatives, then skipped and walked to the parish hall for the reception. Fun, fun, fun!

The Reception
We welcomed each and every guest who came in. Hey, we wanted to see who made it! The gifts started pouring in too. After the people were in, we proceeded with the Unity Candle ceremony. Then my mom-in-law gave a welcome speech, followed by a speech from my Mom. I was in tears when my Mom gave her speech. I should post it one of these days. It was very personal, and truly, truly touching. Dennis and I didn't get to each much. I was too excited to eat. I wanted to table-hop already! So pictures were taken, the cutting of the cake was done, drinking of the wine, a wonderful best man's toast, a touching speech from Dennis, then it was done. It was a pretty good reception. Our signature frame by the way, was passed around. The pic in that frame was of Dennis and me making faces at the camera. Very us -- light-hearted and just wanting to have fun! My Mom made the souvenirs by the way, beautiful blue gel candles with silver rings intertwined and embedded into the wax. It was scented with my favorite Raspberry Ice scent. Mmmmmmmmm.

After the whole programme, I went from table to table to greet my friends and family. I was soooooooooooo happy that the people who were closest to my heart were all present!!! Even if my wedding was being tagged as a "dawn wedding," so many people came. My groom and I slipped away for a little bit to have a pictorial at the church and the grotto, when it started to rain. And pour. And pour some more. "RUN!!!!!" we both screamed as we did run for cover! The photographers had a blast taking pictures as Dennis and I darted for the hall.

And sooo…
And so the rain poured heavily. They say that the rain brings blessings. Well, we sure had a million blessings that day. We celebrated the beginning of many happy days. I was able to profess my love to Dennis in front of everyone, in front of God. All the people I loved were there. Gosh. I really couldn't believe it. Dennis and I were really happy that day. We still are.

I look at my ring finger once in awhile and catch myself smiling. "Totoo na talaga 'to," (This is really for real now.) I would think, "What's up next for us?" We don't know. What we do know is that we're husband and wife. And that's how it's gonna be forever and ever. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health. Till death do us part.

-- Written by Toni, May 28, 2003

Hammer time!

2005-05-19T09:52:00.000+08:00

H hooked up his new toy to some speakers last night. He was bobbing his head to the music while I was pouring a glass of water for him in the kitchen, tapping my feet to the beat.

I was walking towards him when a song from You Got Served came on. Who cannot resist dancing to that kind of music? Since I was in a silly mood, I did the running man while holding his glass of water.

Yes, the running man.

Needless to say, the water spilled on the floor missing his iPod by a few inches. He gave me a horrified look and I sheepishly wiped up the spill.

Moral lesson? Never do the running man while holding a glass of water.

Good thing I didn't do a Roger Rabbit otherwise I would have drenched his prized Star Wars toys. Now that would have been reeeeally bad for me.

GO BO!

2005-05-18T12:38:00.000+08:00

Please vote for BO.

That's all. If only I could vote, I'd vote for him all night. Yes, I am an American Idol fan and Bo's my man!

Bye-bye Haloscan

2005-05-17T19:00:00.000+08:00

All comments are Blogger-enabled now. For non-Blogger users, there's the "Other" option where you can leave your name and website address. For those who don't have websites or blogs, you can also use the "Other" option and leave the website address blank. I don't know how to take off the Anonymous option. Help anyone?

Bye-bye Haloscan. I couldn't save all the comments anyway. :( All the tips you give my eventually get erased. So now, I'll stick to Blogger comments.

Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Meanwhile, it's 7PM. Do you know where your brain is? Mine just flew out so I'm rambling. It's raining hard here in the city and I'm wearing open-toed heels. I hope I don't have to walk outside. Don't you just hate it when you accidentally step on a puddle and the water gets in between your toes? I hate that feeling. A rainy night's a nice time to cuddle though with a cup of hot tea.

Makauwi na nga.

Color My Meals!

2005-05-17T10:43:00.000+08:00

No wonder I warmed up to this template right away. I was fixing dinner last night when I realized that I'm really a white-blue-orange-green-yellow person. Just look at my placemats!

Not in the picture: A pink placemat with Disney Princesses and a Goofy placemat. We've had these for over a year now and I love setting the table with them. We have the usual silverware and serious-looking plates, so the cartoons bring a splash of color and a fun vibe to the table.

They sure make meal times cheerier!

Moving the Furniture Around

2005-05-16T21:26:00.000+08:00

I decided to paint the walls of my home white. A touch of blue, orange and green works well too. I wish I had a place to put some yellow, but I guess this'll do. I like it. The change is refreshing. Thanks to you!

Do you see it properly on YOUR browser? Let me know.

Now my brain is tired. I enjoyed playing around with the template but yes, this is all my HTML-challenged self can handle at the moment.

*zonks out*

Your Favorite Pinoy Food

2005-05-16T10:04:00.000+08:00

Your answers:

Adobong Manok at Baboy - 9
Kare-kare 7
Sinigang na Baboy - 7
Bistek Tagalog 4
Sinigang na Hipon - 3
Daing na Bangus - 3
Mangga't Bagoong - 3
Pancit Palabok - 3
Crispy Pata - 3
Sinigang na Bangus with Miso - 3
Ginisang Monggo - 2
Sinigang na Baka - 2
Nilagang Baka - 2
Sinigang na Liempo - 2
Sinigang with Bayabas - 2
Longsilog - 2
Tapsilog - 2
Tosilog - 2
Bulalo - 2
Laing - 2
Sisig - 2
Pancit Canton - 2
Pochero - 2
Galunggong - 2
Tinola - 2
Kutsinta - 2
Paksiw - 1
Lechon Kawali - 1
Pork Binagoongan - 1
Silvanas - 1
Sans Rival - 1
Chicharon - 1
Pinakbet - 1
Ginataang Alimango/Hipon - 1
Inihaw na Porkchop - 1
Rellenong Bangus - 1
Kaldereta - 1
Arroz Valenciana - 1
Jolllibee Chicken Joy - 1
Choriburger - 1
Rice - 1
Tortang Talong - 1
Pork Humba - 1
Inihaw na Isda - 1
Estopado - 1
Menudo - 1
Adobong Pusit - 1
Mechado - 1
Morcon - 1
Longganisa - 1
Tocino - 1
Hipon - 1
Talangka - 1
Arroz Caldo - 1
Pancit Bihon - 1
Boneless Bangus - 1
Pancit Malabon - 1
Inihaw na Liempo - 1
Sugpo in Butter and Garlic Sauce - 1
Kinilaw - 1
Kilawing Tanguige - 1
Steamed Alimango - 1
Biko - 1
Puto Bungbong - 1
Bibingka - 1
Sinampalukang Manok - 1
Suman sa Ibos - 1
Sapin Sapin - 1

~*~*~

Thanks to all who answered! Why did I ask you what your favorite Pinoy food is? Curiosity. Now I'm hungry. And it's only ten a.m. 2 hours till lunch time!!!

Tanong

2005-05-12T15:37:00.000+08:00

Ano ang pinakapaborito ninyong pagkaing Pinoy at bakit?

Aking sagot: Tuyo at sinangag. Sinigang na Baboy. Adobong Manok at Baboy.

Shoe me!

2005-05-10T13:24:00.000+08:00

How do you organize your shoes? How do you keep them well-maintained and smelling fresh?

I may be a stickler for cleanliness but my organization skills aren't that strong. For example, I've ensured that our shoe rack is placed by the entrance of our home. That way, the dirt that can come from the shoes we wear stays by the door only and aren't spread all over the rest of our place.

My dilemma now is how to organize our shoes. Currently, we have an open shoe rack that's getting too cramped for our growing number of shoes. And coming home to an open shoe rack isn't exactly welcoming.

If only I had more space, I'd buy a shoe cabinet. Sadly, our cramped space doesn't allow for that.

Any suggestions? I really need the help. Thanks!

Orange Again!? / Cleaning Q&A

2005-05-09T10:18:00.000+08:00

I had another happy trip to Cost U Less. This time, I brought my whole family and we had a blast looking through all the cleaning materials. Yes, we are a quirky family.

Even if it was Mother's Day, my Mom gave me a cleaning product treat. See, I really wanted to get this one product but I didn't budget for grocery shopping yesterday. I just wanted to share Cost U Less with them. But my Mom saw how much I wanted to get this one product so she told me she'd get it for me. Ta-da!

Yes, I am an OC addict -- an Orange Clean addict (and yes, a little bit Obsessive-Compulsive too). I tried it out this morning by wiping some greyish stuff of my kitchen tiles and it was so effective. Great, great, great!

I've figured out a system. I use my Clorox Wipes on a daily basis for disinfecting. I keep two containers of Clorox Wipes outside at all times -- one for the bathroom (to wipe the toilet seat and faucet after each use as much as possible), one for the kitchen/dining room. This Orange Clean Spray I'll use once a week since our place isn't really greasy and grimey.

~*~*~*~

I've been asked, "Why don't you use a rag with soap and water/disinfectant? Aren't Wipes and using paper towels expensive?"

Fair questions. First, I don't use a rag with soap and water because they can breed bacteria if you use it the wrong way. You can avoid this of course with proper handling -- washing the rag after each use, making sure it's dry when you keep it, etc., but I don't want to risk it. I also have the tendency to forget things easily so I am so sure I'll forget about a wet rag after I use it. And you know how stinky wet rags can get. Blech. So I'm fine with paper towels and disposable rags.

Second, yes, using these Wipes and paper towels can be quite costly. Everything lies of course in learning how to use it efficiently. With paper towels, I fold a paper towel square and then wipe. When the wiping side is dirty, I fold the paper towel again so the dirty side's covered, and I use the clean side again. I fold it again and again till the paper towel's too small to use already.

Overall, it's about convenience for me. Try whatever works for you. One person's system differs from another!

I saw this website on Orange Clean products and oooh boy, don't I want all those things.

Have a great week everyone!

How else can you smell the roses?

2005-05-06T09:58:00.000+08:00

Surround yourself with happy people. Try it. Don't you just feel the positive energy around you? I'm sure you'll feel lighter.

Now surround yourself with people who constantly say bad things about others and complain about every little thing. Try it. Don't you just feel the negative energy around you? I'm sure you'll feel heavier.

It's only natural for us to fall into the trap of bad moods. Hey, we're only human. We have emotions. The key lies in knowing how to manage your emotions.

To be pessimistic because of a failed project is understandable. To be spiteful because you got hurt by someone is natural. To be angry because you had a bad day is manageable. But to spread rumours for the heck of it? To say bad things about others just for kicks? To be so negative about other people's taste in clothes, music or movies just because you have a different fashion sense? To make fun of others because they have the confidence to wear sexy clothes even if they're overweight? To spite others even if they weren't doing anything to harm others?

When my companions start doing the above things, I cringe because I hurt for those they're making fun of. I cringe because they had no fault. Where's the fun in making "lait" a girl who's flabby and wears a bikini? I don't see the fun in that. I even admire the girl for having such confidence to don it. It's her life, it's her body. Why not look at the beautiful sunset instead? Why not appreciate the glistening sea?

I'm no saint. There were times I laughed along with my companions because I didn't want to be a goody two-shoes, because I still wanted to be part of the group. But then I thought, hey, I'm not a teenager anymore. I shouldn't fall prey to peer pressure. I have my own mind.

So I decided to speak it. Or not speak it.

Now when my companions go on "lait" mode, I just tune out. I put on my headset and go about my work. Or if they're becoming really spiteful, for example, they're making fun of a certain person's taste in music, I just go, "I happen to like that music too." And that's because I really did like that type of music -- they were dissing '70's OPM. Other times I just keep quiet and drink my iced tea.

I still fall into that trap every now and then. But when I catch myself doing so, I stop immediately. Nobody's going to pull me out of that trap but myself.

While I love my companions, the negative energy can be draining. Again, the key lies in managing emotions, in managing these kinds of activities.

If I feel negatively about something or someone, I let myself feel bad, hurt, sad, whatever. Nothing productive happens if I don't acknowledge my emotions. After that is over, I bounce back. Now if I fall into a circle of negativity, I step out of it.

There are more important things in life than to spite others, especially those who have done nothing to fault you or your loved ones. Just let them be. Let them be. Let them be and you'll enjoy life more. That works for me.

Rediscovering Orange Wipes

2005-05-05T10:45:00.000+08:00

I wrote about my favorite cleaning wipes two months ago. Ironically, after that container ran out of wipes, I could not find that same product in True Value anymore. Not in Ace Hardware either. Nope. Not in SM. Not in any other stores I searched. Darn. I thought that was the end of my love affair with Orange Clean wipes.

Then my in-laws and I dropped by Cost U Less along Libis. Look what I found:

There was a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale. Did I buy just one? No. Did I buy two so I could get one free? No. Did I hoard? No. I ended up buying this:

Why'd I buy it? The brand name got me. Hear the name Clorox and you see germs fearfully running away. It was also on sale so I scooped out three containers.

So here's the verdict: I miss my Orange Clean Wipes. I should've just bought them too. But since I was on a budget, I could only pick one brand. Orange Clean Wipes take away little stains. Clorox doesn't. With the way I keep spilling tea on my counter, I need all the help to keep stains away. As for the disinfecting angle, I have an anti-bacterial spray that I use every now and then so that already helps disinfect areas in the home. And oh, I like the citrus scent Orange Clean wipes leave behind.

I'm looking forward to my next trip to Cost U Less. If you see a girl with a grocery cart full of Orange Clean containers, well, you know who that will be.

Saladicious!

2005-05-03T11:10:00.000+08:00

In a bowl, toss together a bunch of torn-up basil leaves, sliced tomatoes and diced mozzarella. Pour in some extra-virgin olive oil. Add some walnuts too!

This was last night's dinner since I'm challenging myself to shed a few pounds. Easy to make, yummy and filling!

P.S. I'm in a better mood now. Yes, it was the PMS mood a-swingin'!

There's no hot water bottle for this one

2005-04-29T15:45:00.000+08:00

This morning, I woke up really happy. Over lunch, I became really irritable. Now, I feel like crying. And I don't feel like talking to anyone. I'd prefer to be left alone right now. I am avoiding eye contact with people. Thank goodness for headsets.

Don't mood swings suck? I'd take cramps over mood swings anytime.

Our stove is gathering dust

2005-04-27T11:13:00.000+08:00

I haven't cooked a single dish for a month now. I did cook an egg and some sausages the other night but that doesn't qualify. My cookbooks are by the kitchen counter, with Rachael Ray's and Dom de Luise's smiles inviting me to open their cookbooks and pick out a recipe. I just haven't been in a cooking mood at all. Dinner is spent having Chinese food delivered or eating out with H. After a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is do more work at home.

Thank goodness for food blogs. I've been surfing through a bunch of them and have gotten some inspiration. I'm looking forward to preparing one of Sassy's recipes, Butter-Fried Chicken with Basil. It looks so tempting. I wish I muster enough energy to cook this next weekend!

Yup, I'm in a cooking rut. I wish to get over this cooking hiatus soon!

Of Male Egos and Responsibilities

2005-04-26T16:38:00.004+08:00

Will a more accomplished man make a better father and husband? Or will a good father and husband make a better man?

Discuss.

No no, H and I aren't having a fight. This is just a topic my friends and I have been discussing.

What do you think?

Aguaaaaa.... Aguaaaaa.... (while I crawl in the desert)

2005-04-22T10:02:00.000+08:00

I've completed one of my 43 goals: drink more water. Let's hear some cheers!

I'm not a water drinker. Drinking too much water makes me feel like I'm drowning. No, really. I could get through an entire meal without drinking a drop of water. When I got dehydrated weeks back, I knew I had to change my drinking habits.

There's now a 1 liter water bottle at my office desk at all times. I try to consume at least 2 liters of water a day now at work. I read somewhere that 2 quarts/2 liters is the minimum amount one should drink daily. That's equivalent to 8 8 oz. glasses.

I've been doing this for a week now and you know what? I feel so much better. And you know what else? I've been maintaining my weight. YES! It doesn't fluctuate that much from day to day anymore. Yes! Here's why drinking water helps with weight loss.

The most important thing is I feel much cleaner and healthier. You are now looking at a certified water fan. :)

By the way, do you know what I was referring to in my entry's title? Yes yes, it's Spanish for water. But do you know what show I got that from?

~*~*~*~

Friday Feast

Appetizer: Name something that helps you fall asleep.
Decolgen or Neozep. Really boring meetings. I try waking myself up by pinching myself (OW!) or chewing on gum.

Soup: Who brings out the best in you?
What a very Bb. Pilipinas question. My boss brings out the best in me. She inspires me to push myself harder when I think I can't do it anymore. She allows me to lead and develop my own style of planning but is always there in the background to guide me. She's awesome.

Salad: What do you like to do on a rainy day?
Eat champorado with tuyo. I haven't done that in ages though. Now I just get into bed and sleep.

Main Course: Complete this sentence: In our home, we never have enough...
Clean spaces? :) There's always something that has to be cleaned or put into place!

Dessert: Which shoe do you put on first?
Right. No, left. Wait, right. Ah what the heck, I don't know. I never gave it much thought.

Happy weekend!

Friends in the workplace

2005-04-20T18:14:00.000+08:00

If it's possible, do maintain healthy relationships with your officemates. Great camaraderie with your colleagues helps lessen stress and hey, you gain great friends along the way. :)

I've been blessed to have found fantastic friends where I work. Advertising bonds people in weird ways. Maybe because we're all weird. Yeah, I think that's it. Or maybe it's all the OT's (overtime) we spend with each other. Or it's just a mesh of the creative passion that bonds us. Yeah, that seems like a good reason too.

Whatever field you're in, it's a bonus to find a friend in your officemate. Just as long as you're able to draw the line between friendship and professionalism, you're going to be alright.

let's see how long this new one lasts

2005-04-20T11:41:00.000+08:00

Another blog?

Sigh. I just couldn't resist.

may ambisyon ka ba?

2005-04-19T11:41:00.000+08:00

This month on Blogkadahan, it's "Ano Ang Gusto Kong Maging Paglaki Ko". My entry was just posted.

I have cute kwento.

My cousin Maxine, 8-years-old then, stormed into the dining room one afternoon. She had just arrived from school. She plopped her books on the table and told Wowo, my grandfather, "Ayoko na maging scientist!"

"Why?" Wowo asked.

"Ayoko na maging scientist," Maxine said again. "Mag-si-singer nalang ako! Buti pa ang singer walang Math! Ayoko na mag-Math!"

Hehehe. Syempre Wowo goes, "Maxine, before you love it, you have to like it. You have to like Math!"

After a couple of months, Maxine enters the dining room again after school. She went, "Wowo! Gusto ko na ng Math." Apparently she was doing much better in that subject already.

But she wants to get into Theater naman now. Hehehe.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

2005-04-18T16:43:00.000+08:00

My mind is too rattled to write a coherent entry so pardon the jumps.

First of all, congratulations to my kid sister who just bagged a job in the field of Education! Yes my friends, she is now a teacher. Yahoo!

Did anyone catch 5 People You Meet in Heaven last night on the Hallmark channel? I started crying on the 4th person and didn't stop till the end. I've read the book before and it was beauuutiful. The movie was also heartwarming (and heartwrenching).

I got my dose of Sims 2 University over the weekend. The character I'm playing has six kids and is at the top of her career (Yes Sims 2 addicts, she's reached a Platinum aspiration level!). Yeah! I'm living my dreams via my Sim. Any Sim addict can relate to what I just said.

The stove has been untouched for quite awhile. I've been too exhausted after work to whip up a meal, especially if it's a quickie 30-minute one. The Adobo recipe suggestions are piling up... I can't wait to mix and match and see what comes up!

My physical exam went well. Nothing to be alarmed about. I am still going back next week for the "extras" -- fasting blood sugar test, cholesterol check and pap smear.

That's it, pancit. Back to work!

Medical Exams

2005-04-15T13:06:00.000+08:00

Thanks for the Adobo tips everyone! I was going through your comments before my lunch break and I got soooo hungry reading them! I ordered Adobo from the food court for my lunch meal, haha!

Okay, here's another question. I'm getting my Annual Physical Exam next week. That's composed of the usual stuff: vitals, CBC, urinalysis, stool analysis and chest X-ray. I want to throw in other tests as well so I make just one trip to the clinic, even if the bill's gonna be on me. I was thinking of getting my cholesterol and blood sugar checked. Pap smear, too.

What other tests should I consider taking? By the way, I'm 27. Mammograms are for 40+ women right?

My exam's on Monday (I think) so I'll check my blog by Sunday night. :) Here's to our good health!

Let's cook Adobo!

2005-04-13T19:15:00.000+08:00

I've never cooked Adobo in my whole life. I think it comes with the many recipes I see and have no idea which one to follow. I think it's about time I learned how to cook adobo.

Care to share your recipes? One friend puts hard-boiled eggs in it. Another puts peanut butter (or was that in kare-kare?). Another puts liver spread. I'd love to learn how YOU do it. Do indulge an Adobo amateur please!

A candle-lit shower

2005-04-11T10:53:00.000+08:00

Have you tried this?

Turn the shower on and let the water run hot! Is the bathroom steaming up? Good. Now light a scented candle or several candles in the bathroom. I like mine apple-scented. Now, turn off the light so the room's just illuminated by the candles. Put on some relaxing music (I choose jazz). Take off all your clothes and get into the shower. Aaaah, refreshing. Relaxing. Get your favorite body wash and lather yourself all over with it. I like St. Ives Cucumber Melon body wash. Luscious scent! Just enjoy the whole experience. Do the shampoo thing. Stay as long as you like. You can even grab a plastic stool and just sit under the shower. (That's great for those who don't have a bathtub like me!)

I felt so relaxed and rejuvenated after that bath. Aaaaah.

I don't miss the city life at all

2005-04-09T21:34:00.000+08:00

It's a Saturday night and I'm feeling fiiiiine. H is watching "Bitag" on Channel 13, my Mom is watching the Royal Wedding, my sisters are watching TV, my Dad's somewhere in the area, and my cousin Maxine and her folks just left the house. It's a family night. I miss this kind of evenings.

It's back to work on Monday. It's back to escalators and elevators, air-conditioning 24/7 and meetings left and right. It's back to bumper to bumper traffic, taxi fare and food court lunches. It's back to having to blowdry my hair in the mornings and worrying about the best time to leave work so as not to hit any jams.

Suburbian life has been kind to me. My stay here at this Pleasantville-like world has reinforced the kind of lifestyle I want to have. I like waking up with the sunlight streaming through my window, with the birds chirping a Good Morning. I like the dancing of the afternoon breeze and the quiet coming of the evening. No honking of horns, no speeding cars, no busy lights. Just the laughter of kids in the neighborhood playground and their screams of summer freedom as they ride their bikes. Bliss, I tell you.

Someday I will live beyond condominium walls. Someday I will live in a home with a huge garden in the middle of Pleasantville. Someday I will wake up in the mornings, brew my coffee, prepare my children's lunchboxes and see them off to school. Someday. It all begins with a dream, doesn't it?

For now, I see my city life as a transition to something better. I can't stay in the business district forever. It's draining. It's energizing but too tiring for me. I used to want to live that way but now I've realized how I want to enjoy life on my terms.

The two weeks of sickness was a horrible event but a huge blessing too. I've come to realize all this, and now I have something more concrete to work for. I also want to stay close to my family, too. That's something very Filipino, isn't it? I have enjoyed my independence in the big city but I do want to see them more often. I'd like to live close to them. H agrees to that too!

Ah, realizations. I'm not looking forward to going back to the big city at all but all good things come to an end. Or should it be, the best is about to come? Positive thinking. Uh-huh. I will get my dreams someday -- the dreams of a quiet neighborhood, sprawling greens and away from the fast-paced world of business. I will work for this. I just hope I don't get too drained and get sick again to enjoy this kind of life!

So what am I doing?

2005-04-04T19:05:00.000+08:00

I'm catching up on my favorite food. My best friends are coming over to visit me (because I am now virus-free!) and they're bringing my favorite pizza (Shakey's Friday's Special with extra pineapples!). It sucks not being able to taste the delicious adobo my family's cook prepares. I forced myself to eat anyway just for functional purposes but now, I've got my tastebuds back and they're going dancing with me!

I'm breathing in some fresh air. My Mom took me under her wing the moment my fever struck. H got sick the same time I did too. We were two sick little puppies and my Mom nursed us back to the pink of health. (I love you, Mama!) H is back at work now, but I'm still resting another week since I had it worse. It's almost the province where I am and though it's far away from tyhe hustle and bustle of the city, I love it here. I feel like that character in Heidi.

I'm kidding around with 9-year-old cousin. She was the cause of my viral infection, having brought a different kind of pasalubong back from Boracay. A day after I welcomed her back, I got terribly sick. We're both fine now and I look forward to kulitan with her as she spends some of her summer days here at my parents' home.

Thank you for all the kind words of comfort. Thank you for all the touching prayers. I'm much healhtier now -- still gathering my strength but I'm getting there. It's good to be back!

A Post From Toni's Sister

2005-03-30T10:45:00.000+08:00

This is Toni's younger sister. She asked me to post this entry to let you know how she is.

Toni will not be able to post in the next few days due to a really bad viral infection. She is recovering slowly and has been in and out of the ER since Monday. Toni will be staying with us until she gets better.

She is asking for your prayers and wishes so she can get better quickly.

Thank you,
Patti

cooking over the past few days

2005-03-28T10:40:00.000+08:00

Got drunk on my pasta. I put too much wine in my pasta sauce last night and ended up light-headed the rest of the meal preparations. Eep! I had to make a gazillion adjustments.
Meatballs are fun!. I made my first meatballs. Just mixed ground beef, an egg, salt and pepper, bread crumbs, minced onions and garlic powder together. And a dash of Italian seasoning too. Roll between your palms and form into a 1" balls. Put 'em on a pre-heated non-stick skillet for 12 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then. H loved it. We still have leftovers.
Applesauce is a great way to curb the sweet tooth. I made this to go with some pork chops last week but made too much applesauce. I just dunked two chopped apples (with skin, without -- it's all good) in about a cup of apple juice and brought it to a boil. After that I mashed the apples with a fork , then added just a wee bit of sugar. Simmer, simmer, simmer. Eat, eat, eat. I keep a tub of applesauce in the fridge and eat a spoonful when I get the urge for sweets. I'm trying to cut down on chocolates.

~*~*~*~

A Phone Call at about 10 in the evening
My best friend E: Do you know where I can get feta cheese?
Me: SM has it.
E: They do? Oh good. I was trying to fall asleep kanina so I put the channel to the Lifestyle Network. Molte Mario was on so I thought I'd go to sleep. Aaargh! He was doing something with feta cheese and tomatoes and basil and now I'm craving for it and am on the road, looking for feta cheese!
Me: Hahaha! You can try that with olives too.
E: Yes! Maybe even mozzarella.
Me: Okay, good luck with your search for feta.
E: Oh no! Rustan's is closed!!!
Me: I guess you weren't meant to eat that today.
E: Grrrr!

I sense a cooking convert in the making.

Anniversary Thanks (for the future)

2005-03-22T09:38:00.000+08:00

H and I are celebrating our 2nd year wedding anniversary in about 2 months time. I was thinking of getting something for our families and our entourage. Yes, ye olde wedding entourage.

Something like a small gift and a little note to each one of them. For example, I can give one of my godmothers a bunch of flowers and a note thanking her for her guidance over the past two years, how her advice was invaluable during the first months of our marriage, etc etc etc. All in complete sincerity of course!

~*~*~

Let me digress for a moment. You know what they say about picking out godparents for your wedding? Ideally, they should be married since they'll be guiding you during your marriage. H and I did pick out some couples we looked up to but there was a healthy dose of singles in our godparent line-up. Why?

Let's talk about K, M and S. They're my single godmothers. They're all incredibly down-to-earth and really funny when they want to be, and they're just plain cool. Best of all, they are brilliant careerwomen H and I look up to. Whenever I need motivation for work, I think of K, M and S and see how driven they are in each field they are in. The passion for my career is rekindled and I'm ra-ra-ing to work again.

Besides, how many married couples out there aren't really "married"? You know what I mean?

I got a lot of flack from people when they found out about my godparents line-up. I didn't want to go through so many explanations because the stress of other wedding preps were already getting to me then. But now it's out in the open, so for you all who were wondering about that, there's my explanation.

By the way, since we're on the flack part, I also got some flack from the older part of my wedding crowd on that bouquet-throwing thing. You see, I didn't have that. I didn't have the throwing of the bouquet or the grabbing of the garter. I've been through so many humiliating moments when I was single, with my family and friends pushing and I mean practically PUSHING me onto the dance floor so I can make a fool out of myself and grab the bouquet. Seeing how much frustration that can give a single lady, I decided to cut it out of our program. I gave my bouquet to my brother-in-law's girlfriend in secret. And the garter? I didn't wear one. It itched!

So here's unsolicited advice for you singles planning to get married: Your wedding is YOUR wedding. Plan it according to what your heart dictates, not what the older generations or what other people say. What's the use of inserting something into the program if it irritates the hell out of you? YOU're the bride, YOU're the boss. Just make sure you consult your groom too by the way.

~*~*~

So back to my wedding anniversary gift idea, I hope I remember that. I have an anniversary tracker on the bottom of my page. I surely won't forget about my anniversary but I might forget about THIS idea. In case I do, someone please remind me about this on May 1. :D

Because I "eyeball" measurements just like she does...

2005-03-21T10:26:00.000+08:00

I wanted to tap dance at Fully Booked when I heard this cook book calling out my name:

There were several other books of hers (and I wanted them all, all, ALL!!!) but I decided to get the first one first. Most of the recipes I've been jotting down from her shows are HERE! Hurrah. The kitchen's gonna be seeing some wild action soon. I can't wait to go to the grocery.

How do you learn a recipe?

2005-03-18T10:14:00.000+08:00

I'm not too fond of measuring. I call my type of cooking "Freestyle Cooking." Hahaha! Does the recipe call for a cup of chopped tomatoes? I just grab four to five pieces and chop away. What about a teaspoon of black pepper? I just sprinkle some on the center of my palm and if it looks like a teaspoon, then in the pepper goes into the pot. I used to be a stickler for measurements but found it more liberating to go about my own gut feel when I cook.

I have a weird habit though. Yeah, go ahead and laugh after this, it's okay -- my officemate did after I shared this story with her. When I really like a recipe, I print it out on a piece of bond paper. Then I carry it with me everywhere I go. I read it while walking from the office to the mall, in the taxi from home to somewhere else, I read it over and over.

Why do I do this? I like seeing a movie play in my head. I imagine myself cooking according to the recipe directions. The "film" is hazy at first but after about three to five readings, the film is perfect. I can already see myself doing the recipe at performance level in my kitchen!

Weird, right? Yes, I have my own cooking show with me as the star in my head. The great thing is when I'm actually there in my kitchen I feel more comfortable with the recipe! I feel like "This is gonna be good 'cause I've done this before" when in fact the-done-this-before part was all in my head.

How do YOU go about learning a recipe? This is my weird but effective way. The movie in my head and the no measurements way. I guess you could call it The Freestyle Cooking Show In Toni's Head way. Works for me!

Ang Bago Niyong Ka-Blogkada!

2005-03-16T14:54:00.000+08:00

Nakita niyo ba yun tsinelas ko? Nawawala eh. Color blue siya na flip-flops. Saan ko ba iniwan yon? Payapak-yapak pa kasi ako eh.

Ah naalala ko na. Huli ko 'yong naiwan sa bago kong tambayan eh:

Katambay ko diyang ang mga rebeldeng walang dahil. Yes you read that right. Rebeldeng walang dahil. Bisita kayo para malaman niyo kung bakit ganyan ang grammar ko. Bisita na rin kayo para makilala niyo ang mga bago kong ka-blogkada.

Baka sakali ring mahanap niyo yun nawawala kong tsinelas.

Rockin' my desk and a birthday greeting!

2005-03-15T11:04:00.000+08:00

This is the life. At work, anyway. No Account Executives are hounding me. All my paperwork is done. No last-minute calls from other people. Just me, my computer, and oh, HIM:

Oooh yeah, Justin. I didn't like him during the N'Sync days 'cause of his hair. His curls put on their own show, you see. But now, Justin is hot, his voice hotter. Thanks to H for giving me the Justified CD as an anniversary present last month!

Now if only I can stop myself from trying to dance to the music while I listen to "Rock Your Body." Baka mapa-strut ako ng bigla dito sa desk ko, hahaha.

~*~*~*~

Happy Birthday, Junnie!

This guy is the most well-traveled person I know. The greatest thing is he takes me with him everywhere he goes. No, I am not his mistress lest you start rumours, shame on you. I am a regular reader of Junnie. He is a very gifted photographer and a talented writer. I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece while I sipped champagne on a yacht... este, ehem. I've been to Greece through his photographs, experienced snow in my very own work desk, been to Lego Land and back, and oh, I've been on countless trips through his cyberhome.

Happy Birthday, Junnie. We haven't met but guess what? You're one of my favorite friends online. I wish you more adventures, lots of love and a shower of blessings on your new year of life. :)

Orange Wipe Heaven

2005-03-14T09:57:00.000+08:00

I have a new favorite -- Orange Clean Wipes! I saw this in True Value, Park Square 1. I was getting sick and tired of using rags or paper towels to clean my kitchen counters and some spills. This one looked really promising so I bought one container.

I tried it. I LOVED it! Why?
1. They're lightly scented so your home won't be overpowered with the scent of orange. Too much orange sickens me -- reminds me of a cough medicine I took when I was a kid. These wipes were scented perfectly.
2. They're gentle on your hands. Even if this is a powerful cleaner, they don't leave any stinging sensation on your skin.
3. They clean fast and effectively. Just one swipe of a wipe and ta-da! They're perfect for light cleaning jobs like your countertop, appliances, walls, even my kitchen floor. I also use these to wipe my dining room table after meals. One wipe picks the crumbs up in a flash. AND it doesn't leave a film on an any surface.

The wipes have downsides of course. And they are...
1. They dry out easily because the cap kept snapping off! It may have been a booboo on my part since I didn't press down the cap tightly, but still it was annoying to come home from work and see the cap off. So anyway one website said I should turn the container upside down and the wipes would be moist in no time.
2. They come only in 50s. I wish they sold bigger tubs of this stuff in True Value. I went through one container really fast.

Orange you glad you found out about this? *ba da bum cymbals crash*

I hang out a lot now in Ace Hardware and True Value. I spend a lot of time in the cleaning products area. Is that another manifestation of being OC yet again? Naaah. I just like looking for new ways to keep my home cleaner and fresher!

Pay It Forward

2005-03-11T17:27:00.000+08:00

Have you experienced something of great worth passed on to you? Your grandmother's engagement ring perhaps, an aunt's old diary or even a piece of furniture that has been passed on from generation to generation? I have.

This set of books have been sitting in one same spot even before I was born. They have always been set in a huge bookshelf in my Grandparents' home. The Books of Knowledge intrigued me when I was beginning a relationship with reading. They were situated on a pretty high shelf and I remember my nine-year-old self pulling a chair, climbing on the bottom shelf, then reaching for one particular book. My favorite book had the story of Lousia May Alcott's Little Women in it. I'd spend hours devouring that story, pretending I was Jo on some days, Beth or Amy on others. Meg was too grown-up for me then so I didn't imagine myself playing her.

Summer afternoons were spent getting to know the world through these books. I'd look forward to visiting my Grandparents of course, but I also enjoyed sitting on their living room couch with several books beside me. Little Women was always part of my reading list. My Grandfather would stay in his own chair and watch TV while I'd sit there oblivious of him, lost in the world of the Marches.

Then I grew up and didn't touch those books for a huge number of years. I had encyclopedias now and a library card. I also began reading Nancy Drew mysteries shortly after. The Books of Knowledge stayed in their own dark corner.

Then my grandfather died. I wrote a eulogy for him, and I had to go through a lot of digging in my memories of him to come out with just the right words. I didn't get to write about The Books of Knowledge in my eulogy, but I highly associate them with him.

I have inherited The Books of Knowledge. They're still there in their dark corner on the high shelf. I can't bring them to our apartment because we don't have space for the books, but my heart is at peace that I get to take care of these books. When I have a bigger place, I will put them in their own special spot in a huge bookshelf, on a high corner where I would need to pull a chair to stand on and climb the bottom shelf again to get the book with Little Women in it.

	An old pic of Wowo making "mano" to my cousin Max, taken in the mid-90s. That's his living room corner chair. The sofa behind Max is where I would read the Books of Knowledge.
	No one sits there now but his memory lives on for me not only in the stories we share but in the little things he has left behind. The little things that we now have to take care of.

~*~*~*~

Thanks for those books, Wowo. You shared your love for reading with me and I am truly grateful for that. I promise you I'll take very good care of these books. I promise you that I will pass on our passion for reading to my future children too and proudly share with them that these Books of Knowledge were from my only Wowo.

And now we're back to regular programming!

2005-03-10T13:28:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling much better, I'm still on antibiotics but I have my voice back and I'm a strong woman again so what's the first thing I'm gonna do? Catch up on my friends' blogs!!! Oooh yeah!

But before that, here's another thing I wanna share with y'all. It's my quick and easy recipe for a new dish I experimented with. Very yummy, very easy.

Pasta with Tuyo & Garlic Flakes

What I did:
I cooked my shell macaroni according to pack's directions. When done, drain. Now in a hot wide skillet, pour in about two tablespoons of olive oil and fry some crushed garlic cloves. The more garlic, the merrier. Can you just tell I'm a garlic lover? When almost brown, stir in the tuyo flakes. I have several bottles of tuyo at home so I just got a few pieces and shred them. This dish will taste even better if you have fresh tuyo from the grocery or market and cook 'em and flake 'em! Yum. After about two minutes, stir in the pasta. Let it dance around with the garlic and the tuyo flakes! You can also add some grated parmesan cheese if you like.

Can you smell the marriage of the garlic and the tuyo already? Lovely. Grab a plate, pile it up with pasta and get some greens to balance the saltiness. I had mine with romaine lettuce on the side and it was fantastic.

Tuyo with pasta? Oooh yeah. Lovely combination and a very tasty one too. Enjoy!

I am from

2005-03-09T10:22:00.000+08:00

After hopping around some blogs, I found a new kind of poem floating around. I traced the original template to this site. It was a beautiful exercise and a very personal tribute to my own history. I'd like to share it with you. This poem is for Mama and Daddy.

I am from Nancy Drew mysteries, from Nido and wooden sofas stripped off its pillows.

I am from the home on the hilltop, with green gates that sang when moved back and forth, with screen doors and jalousie windows that kept me rooted in its cove but reminded me of the possibilities that could be.

I am from the tall Indian trees, the nectar of pink and yellow santan flowers that teased my childlike curiosity.

I am from Sunday is Family Day and burying noses in books, from Josephine and Ito and Jose.

I am from the overly dramatic mood swings and making up with a hug, a kiss, an I-love-you.

From stand-in-the-corner and Jesus-is-your-best-friend.

I am from a room lit only by candles, my grandfather leading the rosary with his booming voice, while we all knelt and responded and my knees hurt beneath my school uniform.

I'm from the city hospital and summers at hot springs, Smurfs cereal and tuyo.

From the dropping of a santol on my sister’s head to see if it would bounce, the silly dances of my father to make babies laugh, and the waking up on weekends to my mother’s beautiful piano-playing. (I would stay in bed long after I woke up, just closing my eyes some more and listen as her fingers would fly over the ivories and engulf me in that melody that is home.)

I am from the pile of worn-out photo albums, from diaries of a world that seemed to crash with broken hearts and rise again with new crushes, from letters that have traveled the world and settled at my doorstep, from bedtime stories and joyful reminiscing over mahjong games, words that tell me I can always come home, that make me proud and happy and grateful of my family’s legacy of love and laughter.

2005-03-07T20:46:00.000+08:00

And just when you thought you're the closest you ever could be, you're brought even closer together.

Then any headache, any fever, any sore throat becomes insignificant, trivial, nothing you can't get over.

And the holding of hands, the kisses on the forehead and the loving words of comfort ease all the pain away, leaving no more trail of sweat and midnight tears, just warm embraces and peaceful dreams.

Then you know, you just know, that it is in his arms that you are truly safe, that you are truly home, that you truly live.

Stuff Again

2005-03-07T15:14:00.000+08:00

Still Sick
I've been sick since my last post. I'm still dealing with a bad cough and a sore throat. Can you hear my wheezing and hacking all the way where you are? Yeah, it's that bad. But here I am at work anyway finishing up on a report. Hopefully after all the hulabaloo on this project is over, I'm gonna take a week off from work and just relaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaax. I just wanted to post so you know I'm still alive and coughin', but hopefully I'll be alive and kickin' ASAP! Thanks for all your advice, words of comfort and prayers.

I've got White on my mind
Whenever I have free time, I look around for nice white templates I can use for this blog. I love the color green but a nice white background is what I'm after now. However, cyberspeak isn't my best language so dealing with all those advanced HTML stuff frustrates me. If anyone knows a place where I can get a clean white template that's not too bare, please do leave me a note.

The O.C.
Some of you asked if I was obsessive-compulsive. I am, to some degree.
- I'm organized when it comes to making presentations. Everything has to be aligned, major points consistently in bold fonts, commas in the right place, each word readable when projected. My ex-officemates gave me a "MagnaVision Award" and my trophy was a magnifying glass.
- At home, I don't like the smell of food permeating the whole apartment. Since we live in pretty cramped quarters and we love to cook, taking out the smell is a big headache. I use my Mom's apple-scented candles to help drive out the foody smell after we eat.
- After cleaning the bathroom, I like everything sparkling clean. The littlest bit of leftover scum makes me grumpy.
- Same goes with washing dishes. Even the sink has to be sparkling afterwards.
- I don't like seeing dustballs! They make me want to cry after I clean up the whole place and then I see one glaring at me in the corner of the room. Grrr.

I haven't cleaned the house in almost a week now because of my sickness so you can imagine the dustballs, the bathroom and the smell of food permeating our home. It's driving me nuts but oh well, gotta take care of myself first. Once I'm well though, nakuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! I'm gonna clean the whole place with a vengeance. So do these things make me O.C.? Naaaah, I think this just means I like taking proper care of things. Charing!

Okay back to work, back to work. Just couldn't resist dropping by. Will visit your blogs soon, soon, soon.

Stuff

2005-03-02T19:48:00.000+08:00

Things are changing for the better. Yeah, that's cool.

I never thought cleaning the bathroom could be so therapeutic. Once I scrub away the scum and grum and see the tiles all a-glistenin', I feel so much better.

The bed is made every morning once I get out of it. It started out as a 21-day habit thing (do something straight for 21 days and it'll become a habit). Ta-da! Making the bed is now part of my morning ritual.

The sink is looking cleaner everyday. No more dirty dishes left in the sink that'd gross me out when I'd come home from work. Nada. I love it that a good clean home welcomes me after a long day.

I'm writing in my journal again. I have a really pretty notebook by my bedside. It's been awhile since I've written poetry, short stories and the like. I recently have been buying back issues of Writer's Digest and other magazines on writing. They have really good ideas that'll get you moving on writing. Love it.

A new tradition at my family's house has been set. Every time I visit my family, it is now a tradition that we cook a dish together. It started off with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Sassy's Oh-So-Delicious Stew, Puffi Cones, then the most recent one was Shell Macaroni with Tuyo Flakes. Haven't written about that one yet. Anyway it's nice to start new traditions especially those that bond the family together.

P.S. In other news, I think the next American Idol's gonna be a guy. I'm rooting for Mario (a mix between Wilmer Valderama and Justin Timberlake), Bo (rocker dude!) and Anwar (Bob Marley-looking music teacher). Constantine's very charismatic but his vocals are nowhere as good as his fellow rocker's. As for the rest of the guys and girls, well, sorry! I have my favorites. And they're all cute too.

P.P.S. I've been uber-busy the past few days and I think work has taken a toll on my health. I am feeling terribly sick at the moment and feel my breath getting all hot. Yeah, that's my signal that uh-oh, things are gonna get bad. Add to that a bad headache, some chills and a coming fever. Oh God, please not now. I have so much work to finish. Will catch up on all your blogs the soonest. For now, work beckons again and will have to rest this weak body o' mine.

Oh no, I burned the water!

2005-02-24T14:36:00.000+08:00

Okay, that's not true. BUT! I've had my share of cooking bloopers.

I once tried making sauteed beansprouts. Easy right? I crumbled half a Knorr shrimp cube over the veggies while sauteing. Yummy. Then towards the end of the cooking, I added salt and pepper to taste. SILLY ME. The dish was overly salty and I had to drink a lot of water along with that meal. That shrimp cube was enough to give the beansprouts flavor.

I once attemped to make cheese sticks. Easy right? Slice some cheese lengthwise, wrap it with molo wrapper, deep fry, serve. SILLY ME. I was wondering why I would see just the wrappers floating in oil. I had used Quickmelt cheese. Hello!

I know I'm not alone in this. Have you had any cooking booboos?

Pritong Talong & Puffi Cones ver. 3

2005-02-23T12:58:00.000+08:00

This is one of H's favorite dishes. Whenever we have eggplants at home, this is a must-have dish for him. Thanks to Ting Aling for this recipe! Here's Ting's recipe and a picture of her fried aubergines.

What I did: I immersed the sliced eggplants in soy sauce for a couple of minutes. Then I fried them in a tablespoon of hot oil. Please resist the urge to pour in the rest of the soy sauce into the frying pan. It'll taste overly salty, trust me! When the eggplants look a bit soft, take 'em out of the pan and serve! Now wasn't that so quick and easy?

It's a perfect side dish. I eat it on its own too. Yummy!
~*~
The third version of Puffi Cones was all about three baby cones, three jet-puffed marshmallows, six pieces of Hershey's Kisses and a microwave oven. The melted chocolate in the cones was DIVINE but puffing up the marshmallows in the microwave was a disaster. Don't try this at home. Scratch the microwave out! The oven is still best for this recipe!

Catnaps

2005-02-22T15:09:00.000+08:00

This trio looks so peaceful, taking a catnap in the middle of the day. I'm not a cat lover, but don't these kitties look so precious?

A busy workday can take a toll on me. To help myself get re-energized, I take short naps sometimes. I do it in the privacy of a small meeting room. A 10-minute snoozer makes me ready to face the rest of the day in a much livelier mood. A power nap is what you call it, right?

So go and work, work, work! But don't forget that your brain needs to rest too. We may not nap in the workplace as comfortably as these cats, but at least five minutes of shut-eye in a quiet corner will help our minds think clearer and better.

Come again!

2005-02-21T12:39:00.000+08:00

We found this sign on a food stall. Hmmm. Can I say the same thing about my blog traffic? I hope so!

Happy week everyone. Hope you had a great weekend and have an even greater week to look forward to!

Picture! Picture!

2005-02-17T18:06:00.000+08:00

	Do peanuts really make you smart? I've always considered peanuts as brain food. And I love eating nuts. Maybe I was a squirrel in a past life.
	Bored with butter? I mixed in some strawberry jam with butter and ta-da! A yummy blend. I didn't finish it all though because I was afraid to get a headache from too much oil and sweetness.
	Breakfast for one anyone? Spreading it in small doses over pancakes is delish. And whoopee, I made those pancakes from scratch. They didn't taste great but I was proud of myself nonetheless.
	Why is there a return of the Puffi Cones? Version No. 2 had the marshmallows squeezed in between two dollops of brownie mix. Baking it for 30 minutes in a hot oven melted the marshmallows. These are now Brownie Cones. Hey, how was I supposed to know? I'm an amateur cook, remember? :)
	Why are the Brownie Cones so prettily wrapped? I gave them away to the students of my mom-in-law. Who else can appreciate a brownie better than a kid? A brownie in a cone for that matter! I decided to share the sweets.

The end! I've been so busy. I haven't had the time to bloghop. Will do soon. :)

Sassy's Chicken, Tomatoes and Pineapple Stew

2005-02-16T16:25:00.000+08:00

Sassy's recipes and yummy pictures never fail to leave me salivating by my computer keyboard. Mmmmm. Okay, that's not a nice visual. Let's move on. I'm serious though that her recipes are always excellent and are even more excellent when you try them out. I can vouch for that.

Last weekend I tried cooking her Chicken, Tomatoes and Pineapple Stew. Let me sum up how it turned out in three words: YUMMY. YUMMY. YUMMY.

My Mom thought it was a refreshing change from the usual chicken tinola, adobo, afritada, you know the usual poultry dishes. After one taste of this dish, she nodded her head and said it was different and delicious. Woohoo! The ultimate tester was of course my sister P. She's a very picky eater. When I saw her get two servings of the dish AND extra stew to pour over her rice, I knew the dish was a success.

I love that it's easy to prepare and that it tastes fantastic. The sweetness of the tomatoes and pineapples blended perfectly. I didn't have to adjust the flavor at the very end.

Dear Sassy, thank you for this fantastic recipe!!! :) :) :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2005-02-15T10:04:00.000+08:00

Rose petals on the floor, on the dining table, on the kitchen counter. A room lit illuminated softly by maroon plum-scented tealights. A table set with a bowl of shell macaroni, two kinds of pasta sauce (red and white), little bowls of tuna, parmesan, mushrooms, capers and pesto. Two cups of rice and a bowl of corned beef as back-up. Two chilled wine glasses filled with apple juice. A little card wrapped with a green ribbon nestled on his plate. Lots of good talk and warm embraces. Strawberry gelatin and polvoron for dessert. A toast with red wine as the finale. Then we hit the Playstation 2.

I had a great Valentine's Day. I told myself I wouldn't get into the cheesiness of V-Day but there I was in the late afternoon, making sure everything was perfect when H got home from work.

How was your Valetine's Day?

~*~*~*~

My Red Sauce: Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Stir in 2 pouches of tomato sauce, a teaspoon each of dried basil, oregano and rosemary. Simmer. Add shavings of parmesan cheese. Top with basil leaves then serve.
My White Sauce: Dissolve one pack of Knorr Cream of Asparagus in 2 cups of hot water. Boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with sliced mushrooms.
My Strawberry Gelatin: Sugar-free Strawberry Jello!

Let's speak Simlish

2005-02-09T18:24:00.000+08:00

I just bought this.

Now if only I had a computer.

Hi Rachael Ray! I'm your biggest fan!

2005-02-08T10:20:00.000+08:00

I've been watching so much TV the past weeks. Reality shows are becoming my weakness. Monday: The Apprentice. Tuesday: Manhunt. Wednesday: Amazing Race & American Idol. Thursday: American Idol & Outback Jack. Friday: I have a semi-social life so no TV on this night!

Besides reality shows, cooking shows are another favorite of mine. I find myself rushing home as much as possible during MWF. I try to catch Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals on the Lifestyle Network. She prepares food in real time -- real 30 minute time. As soon as the opening credits start rolling, I grab my notebook and pen to take down her recipes. I love that show because Rachael Ray is pleasant, funny and simple. No fancy schmancy moves. She tells family stories while she chops her tomatoes, gives you a bit of trivia about fettucini alfredo (yesterday's show) and gives you tips on how to chop, squeeze, grill, whatever. Watching her is like watching a friend teaching you how to cook. That's what I like about that show. It's so personal and hey, a meal in 30 minutes? Perfect for someone like who doesn't exactly like me slaving over a hot stove for a long time.

I saw her cookbook for kids in Powerbooks. And I found the rest of her books on Amazon. But since I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more books till I've read all my unread ones at home, these cookbooks will have to wait. Sob. Oh well, I just hope they won't go out of stock.

30-Minute Meals is shown MWF at 5:30 pm on the Lifestyle Network.

Happy New Week!

2005-02-07T07:39:00.000+08:00

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge --
That myth is more potent than history.
I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts --
That hope always triumphs over experience --
That laughter is the only cure for grief.
And I believe that love is stronger than death.

-Robert Fulghum

Something to live by not only this week I hope. I've loved this creed from the first time I read it.

P.S. Thanks for the greetings everyone! H was genuinely surprised and deeply touched by all your kind words. Thank you sachiko, Junnie (the pic was taken by Edwin Fornoles, our wedding photographer), Jmom, eye, DT, justice, Tito Rolly (I didn't cook!), tanya (birthday girl!), tin, pazette, Linnor, Renee, mitch, maiji, Debbie & Paul, Christine, dindin, jeanny, selina (oo nga no, that's a good idea of hanging that pic at home), Paparazzi, Daphne, vea, Ting, pie, BabyPink (hoy Feb na, kita tayo! hi to drew too!), AnP, pia, tintin, dang, delish, ela and LHC. Did I miss anyone? If I did, let me know. Thanks again!

Quick Sticky Fix

2005-02-05T19:22:00.000+08:00

Are little dustballs annoying you? Itty-bitty pieces of paper or other gunk driving you crazy? Are they so stubbornly stuck to the floor they don't even unglue from the floor with the sweep of a broom? Here's an idea. Grab a stretch of Scotch tape, wrap it around your finger or a pencil and start dabbing at those stubborn ones. It's a quick easy way to rid your floor of irritating gunk. You don't even have to take the broom out of the closet!

Birthday Boy

2005-02-03T01:00:00.000+08:00

He is my little boy, my gentle giant, my clown, my partner in crime, my remote control hog, my food taster, my cheerleader, my cook, my cleaner, my sounding board, my lifesaver, my pillow, my blanket, my stuffed toy, my adventure buddy, my anchor, my best friend, my inspiration, my one and only, my hunny bunny, my soulmate, my husband. I love him to bits. Happy Birthday, H!

Pray

2005-02-02T17:10:00.000+08:00

Have you ever felt lost for words when in prayer? I do, lots of times. Sometimes so many things cram into my head that I don't know how to say my prayer. It happens.

Mama gave me a prayerbook a couple of weeks ago. It's called "Healing Presence. Prayers for Healing." I'm not big on prayerbooks but this one was different. I liked that the prayers were written in a very personal manner, no "thous" or "thy" stuff. That's not my thing (hence my preference for my personal prayers). The prayerbook is divided into several sections, two of which are entitled "Prayers to Heal Oneself" and "Prayers to Heal Others." Under both those sections are prayers for spiritual healing, phsyical healing, healing of mind, body and spirit, financial healing, healing the loss of a loved one, cancer healing, and lots more. That's the best thing about this prayerbook -- the very specific prayers. They put into words exactly what I'm feeling at a particular moment.

I'm not the most religious person in the world but I do believe in the power of prayer. The prayers in the book have helped me a LOT. They have helped me through some emotional turbulence and when I'm grieving for my late Wowo. I pick out prayers every morning and before I sleep. So there you go. I just wanted to share this blessing with you. The prayerbook is available in St. Paul's Bookstores (there's one in SM Megamall). Praying is wonderful quiet time.

P.S. While we're on the subject of prayers, do check this out if you're praying for motherhood. St. Gerard has worked miracles for two of my grandmothers, I'm hoping a miracle happens to me (and you!) too. :)

Recipe Exchange

2005-02-01T10:27:00.000+08:00

Want to play along? If you do, you'll end up receiving a bunch of recipes. Here are the instructions:

Dear blog friends,

This is an invitation to try a new recipe exchange. Please send a recipe (an easy one!) to the person whose name is listed in the number one position below. Next, copy this letter to a new post and move my name to the number 1 position and put your name in the number 2 position. Only your name and my name should appear on this list when you send it out. This is just for fun. You should receive a bunch of recipes! It is also fun to see where they come from. Seldom does anyone drop out, because we all like new recipes. Thanks and enjoy!!

1. Andrea: http://bumblingbav.blogspot.com
2. Toni: http://wifelysteps.blogspot.com

Post the recipes on the "comments" section. I can't wait to update my recipe list!

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

2005-01-31T08:44:00.000+08:00

My first attempt at making gravy from scratch and my first successful attempt with mashed potatoes. We had this a couple of weeks ago when I visited my family. Mama made roasted chicken with herb dressing. I prepared this to complement her dish. The only bad thing about this was there wasn't enough gravy to go around. Oh well. Next time I'm gonna double the recipe below so we can enjoy the mashed potatoes more. Plus, we can put gravy on our rice. Yum! (Do you do that too?)

Mashed Potatoes
(serves at 5-7 people depending on how hungry they are)

What I needed: 10 pieces potatoes, peeled and quartered. 2 tablespoons butter. 1 cup milk. Salt and pepper to taste.

What I did: Boil potatoes in water. Cook till tender, about 15 minutes; drain. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and mash, mash, mash to your heart's content! Blend in the milk and the butter until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Gravy
(serves only 4-5 people and there's not even enough to make a second serving)

What I needed: 2 tablespoons flour. 2 tablespoons butter. 1 cup chicken drippings.

What I did: First of all, I did NOT have enough chicken drippings. It only came to around 1/2 cup of drippings! Here's what my Mama and I did: we melted 3/4 of a Knorr chicken cube in a bit of water. That worked perfectly. Anyway, in a saucepan melt the butter, add the flour, mix in the drippings and stir, stir, stir till it meets your desired consistency. I think I added more than 2T of flour and even a bit of water because the taste was either too salty or the consistency too thin. I like mine a little bit lumpy. Mmm. Make sure you keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

If the measured ingredients don't meet your desired taste or consistency, don't be afraid to adjust! Cooking involves making bold decisions every step of the way and that's what makes experimenting with cooking so much fun!

~*~*~*~

You can serve it in different ways! Serve it as pictured above, or make a little crater in the middle of your mashed potato dish and pour the gravy in.

I've encountered recipes wherein they mix in some roasted garlic into the potatoes. That sounds yummy! I'll try that some other time. First, let me tell you about a failed experiment I did when I was in college. It was Christmas time and I wanted to make my mashed potatoes more Christmassy. I put in red food coloring in half of the potatoes and green food coloring in the other half. It didn't look too appetizing but I served it anyway. Need I tell you that nobody dared touch my Red & Green Mashed Potatoes? Ah well. I think I'm gonna stick to leaving my Mashed Potatoes a natural yellow.

-- one more commercial break!

2005-01-28T13:50:00.000+08:00

Appetizer - If you could have a free subscription to any magazine, which one would you like to have? O, Oprah's magazine. I buy a lot of its back issues 'cause it's cheaper. There are a lot of interesting articles in it and hey, I just love Oprah.

Soup - If you were to suddenly become famous, what would you choose as your stage name? Toni McGrath, wife of Mark McGrath. Snicker, snicker. Frankly, I don't know. I think I'll do with Toni and my Mom's maiden name. Why? It sounds good together.

Salad - What ingredients make an awesome salad? Dressing? Croutons? Romaine lettuce. Crumbled feta cheese. Mr. Bean crunchy beans (available in your local grocery). Grapes.

Main Course - What do you like most about your current job? Oh what a timely question. What I like most about my job is I get into the heads of consumers -- it's a great way to satiate my curiosity.

Dessert - Who is your favorite instrumental musician (not a singer)? Vanessa Mae. Does she count?

Musical Tag -- a commercial break!

2005-01-28T11:29:00.000+08:00

I've been tagged by Daphne!

Random 10:
1. "The Reason" by Hoobastank
2. "Kahit Isang Saglit" by Martin Nievera
3. "One Less Bell to Answer" by Sheryl Crow
4. "Only Hope" by Switchfoot
5. "Every Morning" by Sugar Ray (Mark McGrath, I love you!)
6. "Fly" by Suger Ray
7. "All Things Just Keep Getting Better" from the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy OST
8. "Stardust" by Nat King Cole
9. "Summertime" - Fantasia's version
10. "Let the Love Begin" by Gino Padilla (?!?!) -- last song syndrome!!! Arrgh!

1. What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
Not more than 10. I'm not a big mp3 fan, H is.

2. The last CD you bought is:
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Dec. 2004)

3. What is the last song you listened to before this message:
H singing a line from "Let the Love Begin".

4. Write down five songs you listen to a lot or mean a lot to you:
1. "The Prayer" - Josh Groban and Charlotte Church version (our wedding song)
2. "Savin' All My Love"
3. "Broken Vow"
4. "We Are The Champions"
5. "Never Been To Me"
--> The last 4 songs mean a lot to me because they are songs we constantly sing when my best friends and I go to our favorite videoke place. Hehehe.

5. Who are you gonna pass this stick to? (3 persons and why)
Tintin - Indulge my curiosity, dear friend!
Jeanny - Do we have the same taste in music too?
Batjay - I'm interested in what he has to say.

Happy weekend everyone!!!

Some little things...

2005-01-27T09:46:00.000+08:00

Hanging by their ears. The pic in the previous entry was taken by my sister J. That's her 17-year-old Snoopy hanging by his ears on the clothes line. The other stuffed toys are my Mom's and my other sister's. Coming from a family full of girls, you can be sure our closets and shelves were bursting with stuffed toys! This is just one way their household help keeps the toys clean. I think there are formulas being sold outside that help keep the stuffed toys fluffy, but we don't use that. Stuffed toys age just like we all do and we just have to accept that they can't be fluffy forever. Heehee.

For life or money. I was faced with a life-changing decision the past few weeks. It was exactly this decision: Life or money? I exaggerate of course. This was how the scenario went:

Behind Door #1: Take a job that pays a lot more and takes more of my time.
Behind Door #2: Stay with my job that pays okay but gives me enough personal time.

Since THE call came at the beginning of the year, I was shaken out of my senses. Could this New Year be a New Beginning for a New Career? I wondered. I sought the advice of a select few -- my best friends E & B, my folks and H. No sense broadcasting it to the world right? I prayed a lot too. The power of prayer is amazing.

Guess what I decided? I chose Door #2. I take my career seriously and would jump at opportunities that would make me climb this ladder faster -- but not at the expense of my personal time. You see, personal growth matters to me a lot. The guiding principle in some entries ago resonated in my heart during my decision-making. "No success can compensate for failure in the home." I could be making so much money but not have the time to spend with my husband? Be too stressed out to prepare myself for motherhood? (Mama keeps telling me I have to prepare my body and stuff.) I didn't think that money was worth it.

Tough decision, very tough. After all, practicality matters a lot in building a home too. The extra money could've been put into repairing that closet, probably getting a car, getting a computer, you know the deal. I've always trusted my gut though. I felt I would be trading off something for all this. I didn't want to sacrifice my marriage for goodness sake! I know my priorities!

So there you go. I am very happy with the decision I have made. My boss knows all about this and we've had a heart-to-heart talk about the whole thing. It was truly enlightening and made me feel even better about the decision I made.

And then I wondered, would I have made the same decision if I were single? The answer to my question was YES. That made me feel terrific. I guess I've reached a point in my life that I've developed a strong loyalty to a company I very much believe in, as well as developed a strong sense of self.

Life isn't always about the money. It's also about knowing what your priorities are and thinking of what's best for yourself. In my heart I know that I will get somewhere with my career but it would be premature to take on that opportunity now. I believe in my heart that this year will be dedicated to building my career with my current company, building a good home with my husband and building a stronger sense of self. I believe I've taken the first step. And it's not even a "wifely" step. It's much more than that.

Just hanging around

2005-01-23T13:54:00.000+08:00

Apples in the Bathroom

2005-01-20T10:44:00.000+08:00

Cleaning the bathroom is usually assigned to my ever-industrious H. To be fair though, I pitch in once in awhile. Haha! During one trip to Ace Hardware a liquid cleanser caught my attention. Apple-scented? Sounds interesting. I bought it and started cleaning the bathroom the next day. What can I say? The scent of apples helped make my bathroom cleaning a more pleasurable experience.

Though the apple-scented cleaner was friendly on the nose, I did notice that it really didn't make my walls and floors sparkle. They were clean but not sparkling. Yeah, I'm a bit OC (obsessive-compulsive) that way. My bathroom has to glow after cleaning! I ended up using Zonrox anyway. Now THAT made the bathroom sparkle.

So that's how my apple-scented experience went. I use it for those every day kind of cleanings, but Zonrox is still the way to go for me. I DID fall in love with the scent of apples though and now even my dishwashing detergent is apple-scented.

Can anyone share some tips on bathroom cleaning? I'm no guru and don't really want to be a bathroom-cleaning expert, but I would like to learn how I can care for it better. All tips would be appreciated. And then I'll pass them on to H. :)

Puffi Cones!

2005-01-19T08:49:00.000+08:00

They look weird, don't they? But trust me, they taste fantastic!

I got this idea from Renee. Puffi Cones were a favorite snack of mine when I was a kid, and boy was I ecstatic when she shared a recipe for this snack!

What I needed: 1 Box of Instant Brownie Mix, Jet Puffed Marshmallows, A Dozen Baby Cones (you know, those mini ones?)

What I did: I preheated the oven to 300 degrees. Then I prepared the brownie mix according to pack directions. When done, I spooned some brownie mix into each cone. I filled the cone about 3/4 of the way. I put the cones on a muffin pan and placed it in the oven. 25 minutes into the baking, I took out the cones, placed a marshmallow on top of each cone and put them back into the oven. After about 10-15 minutes, the brownies looked baked enough so I took them out of the oven and let them cool. By this time, the marshmallows were falling off! So look at the pics above and that's how they looked. After letting them cool, I took a bite and WOW! Yummy! It's not the same as the Puffi Cone experience but it was still YUMMY!!!

What I should've done differently: Well, the brownies rose of course halfway into the baking. I planned on stuffing the cones with the marshmallow but since I filled the cones up 3/4 of the way, there was no more room for stuffing. Next time, I will fill the cones just a little under halfway and then stuff the marhsmallow in. Or better yet, spoon a bit of the mixture, stuff the marshmallow in then cover with the mixture.

My family LOVVVVVVVed it. I loved that my picky Daddy finished a whole Puffi cone and praised it repeatedly. I saw my sister eating a couple of the cones. I wish my kid cousins were there to taste them. I did promise Mama I'd make them for our next family gathering!

The gooeyness of the marshmallows mixed with the sweetness of the cakey brownies and the crunchy cone made for a heavenly experience. And NO, I'm not exaggerating. This from a person who isn't too fond of sweets. Go go go try it. Just make sure your Puffi Cones look better than mine.

2005-01-17T15:03:00.000+08:00

"No other success can compensate
for failure in the home."
- David O. McKay

This is one of Mama's greatest guiding principles. She shared this with me when I was having a personal crisis one time. It was a quote I reflected on for a long time. I tried to understand it deeply, wondering how true this quote could be. After about three weeks of prayers and reflecting on this quote, I have come to believe in it. This is now also one of my guiding principles in life. I cannot imagine being happy and contented with life if I had strained relationships with my family and loved ones. I cannot imagine coming home to a dirty and messy home. Now I understand when they say "Home is where the heart is." A happy home makes my heart happy.

I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions, but I will make this my personal guiding principle for 2005. H and I will strive to make my home more "homely" -- physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually.

Physically, we will try to keep it as clean and organized as we can, to keep it cozy or make it even cozier. We will try our best not to leave unwashed dishes in the sink. We will try to be more physically active, to put our exercise videos and rubber shoes to good use.

Emotionally, we will continue to leave negative thoughts and energies at the doorstep. Our home is our sanctuary. We will continue to fill it with happy thoughts and energies. We will think before we speak so as not to hurt other's feelings. We will listen to each other more. We will continue to be best friends and nourish our relationship as husband and wife.

Spiritually, we will try to strengthen our faith. We will continue to recognize the power of prayer and build our relationship with God. Though we are strong in faith individually, we feel we can do more in serving God together.

Intellectually, we will keep each other from being idle and sedentary. We will acknowledge our need for relaxation and quiet moments but will not abuse such free time. We will strive for personal growth and developing our talents. We will support each other's passions and continue to empower ourselves as a team.

This guiding principle calls for a lot of effort. Combining this with the 21-day habit-building idea, I believe that we can give our home even more heart. I have a good feeling about this year. :)

Cooking with Wifely Steps

2005-01-14T14:19:00.000+08:00

First, I just want to say that I'm really happy that blogging has helped me share a lot of my kitchen experiences. It warms my heart when I read how these recipes inspire you to learn how to cook, cook more often, and for others, step into the kitchen for the first time! I am no culinary expert. I am just a lady who enjoys eating food, preparing food, and better yet, learning how to prepare food.

My best teacher has definitely been experience. A healthy sense of curiosity and willingness to experiment have absolutely helped me become braver in the kitchen. I have a lot of experiments that turned kaput -- a Hot & Sour Tofu Soup that should've been entitled Hot & Bland, a Lemon Butter Shrimp dish that turned out tasting like it had been sitting in the ref for a week, a Sinigang na Tuyo dish that was overloaded with saltiness. But as I always tell H after a failed experiment, "Let's consider this a learning experience."

Wifely Steps isn't really a food blog. It just happens that a lot of my wifely experiences have been happening in the kitchen. Cooking is something I've come to embrace. Hey, I'll take cooking dinner over washing the dishes anytime!

Here are some recipes I've shared with you over the course of my blogging journey. They are all very simple. Enjoy them! Thanks for sharing these learning experiences with me. I look forward to creating more dishes with you in the future.

***
Corned Beef ala Wifely
Fluffy Rice
Yummy Emergency Soup
The Tips Archive
Buttery Applesauce
Buttery Bread Mush
Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Sinigang na Tuyo
Crab & Corn Soup
Quickie Healthy Snack
Papaya Shake
The Arugula Experiment
Roasted Herb & Garlic Chicken
Hummus
Skllet Eggplant Parmigiana
Toni's Cheesy Garlic Bread
Banana & Ice Cream Smoothie
Super Easy Petchay
Super Easy Pesto
Toasted Bread on a Skillet
Mom-in-law's Tinitim
Bread Pudding

***

Mommy's Tinitim

2005-01-13T10:13:00.000+08:00

My mother-in-law is a fantastic cook. She can whip up an elaborate dish in five minutes and even the simplest dishes turn out tasting out of this world. What's wonderful about her style of cooking is that she cracks jokes, tells stories, gestures wildly with her hands. Before you know it, the food is cooked! Her Tinitim is one of my favorite dishes.

What she puts in:
spring onion
shrimp
ground pork
2 eggs
1 cup water
* Mommy doesn't measure ingredients, she just throws things in randomly. I'm guessing the shrimp and ground pork is around 1/4 kilo each.

What she does:
Separate the green and white part of the onion. Saute the "whites" till brown. Add in shrimp and ground pork, saute. Sprinkle a little soy sauce. When cooked, transfer the saute into a bowl. Pour 2 beaten eggs into the bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in 1 cup of water. Just remember that 2 eggs is to 1 cup of water. Sprinkle with the greens of the onion. Place the bowl in a big saucepan. Pour water around the bowl. Cook for 30 minutes. Don't cover! When cooked, carefully lift the serving bowl out of the pan. Serve hot in little bowls. Perfect with rice.

That's it. Of course you can use other cookware for this. What Mommy uses is her trusty kawali and a very durable serving bowl. You can use a steamer or your rice cooker. You can even try baking it instead of steaming it. Be creative!

Sparkling Discovery

2005-01-10T14:06:00.000+08:00

I've always been reluctant to try sparkling AND flavored water. So when my dear friend Grassie shared this tip with me, I was a bit of a skeptic. But being the curious cat that I am, I tried it anyway. I LOVED IT!!! I got the Apple Pear flavored one and it was so refreshing. The best part about it? This "Sparkling Water Beverage" is sugar free and caffeine free. And it's only around P13.50 in your local grocery. Not bad.

I like drinking this to put a little spike in my lunch hour. Since I am trying to say no to softdrinks, this looked like a nice replacement. Just a warning though. I THINK these kinds of drinks still have a lot of sodium in them so it is NOT a replacement for your regular H20. Drink moderately.

Bread Pudding

2005-01-06T10:40:00.000+08:00

"I like this one. It is not too sweet. Just right." -- Maymee, my discriminating and cooking expert grandma

I prepared this pudding for New Year's Eve AND New Year's Day. Everyone loved it. Yes! That's one more thing to add to my growing list of specialty dishes. The truth is, there's nothing special about the recipe or the ingredients. This is a very simple dish to prepare. No expertise needed! The smell of cinnamon while baking makes your home feel all warm and cozy.

This recipe serves 5. You'll need:
3 slices of day old bread
2 1/2 teaspoons of melted butter
3 1/2 tablespoons of raisins
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4c white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Here's what you'll do:
1. Preheat your oven.
2. Grab a baking pan. Tear the bread up into little pieces and scatter it on the pan.
3. Drizzle the melted butter over the bread.
4. Shower the bread with raisins.
5. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together.
6. Pour the wet mixture over the bread. Make sure all the bread is coated. You may need to press some pieces of bread down so they can absorb the egg mix.
7. Place the pudding in the oven and bake for an hour at 275 degrees. Since my little oven only goes up to 275 degrees, that's how long I bake it for. If your oven goes up to 300 degrees, 45 minutes will do.
8. When done, let cool just a wee bit. This is best eaten warm.

Just about 20 minutes or so into baking, the scent of cinnamon and vanilla will waft through the air. It will tease and comfort you at the same time. Once you take a bite into the freshly baked pudding, the warmth will make your toes tingle. Serve as a dessert or as an afternoon snack.

The story that should've been posted with yesterday's entry

2005-01-05T08:42:00.000+08:00

After tons of years, I attended an EB on the evening of Jan 3. I haven't attended an EB since two years ago, I think.

I'm amazed at the many things the WWW has to offer. Who would've known I would've made new friends via Blogger?

I met Tanya for the first time last nite. I've never even been to her blog before I met her in person. Despite that we clicked instantly last nite and even felt like we were kindred souls. We just couldn't place where we had met. Maybe we were sisters in a past life.

Din was hilarious. I met her for the first time too. But again, we instantly hit it off after just a couple of jokes and getting-to-know-you talk (hi, hello, what's your blog, etc). She was so jolly and kept me in stitches. And she had an awesome camera too! (I just HAD to say it, Din!!!)

I loved meeting Jet and Jay, the Singapore couple. Since I correspond with Jet often, I felt like was meeting an old friend. I found Batjay to be amazingly reserved, but then who knows? It was our first meeting. Baka nahihiya pa siya sa amin. Hehehe. Peace, Fafa Jay! Sadly the beloved Spidey wasn't with us. I am certain he would've gobbled up the orgasmic Pata Tim.

Dr. Emer and his soulmate were very warm and friendly. I've always admired Dr. E and yes! I finally met him. Before our dinner, I had already spotted him at Powerbooks but was hesitant to greet him. I might be wrong diba! But when I saw him during dinner I just had to blurt out "I saw you at Powerbooks!!!" To have hugged Dr. E a Happy New Year was a surreal experience. I felt like I was hugging a Blogger Idol. Well, oo nga! That was what I was doing!

One of Tito Rolly's first greetings to me was "Dala mo yun name tags?" Huhuhu. I had promised to bring name tags to last month's Pinoybloggers EB but had to back out a day before. I felt a bit guilty about that. But our little dinner on that Monday night required no name tags as everyone remembered everyone else's name (at least I hope so. In case they don't remember mine, you can just call me WifelySteps). Tito Rolly was funny and charming! I've been told I should've stayed on for coffee because Tito Rolly kept everyone laughing. Aaaah, darn it. I missed that. Tito Rolly, sa susunod ha. Joke ka pa para marinig ko. Dalhan kita ng name tag para peace tayo. Heehee.

I heard that BongK was a fantastic storyteller. Since he was seated on the other side of the table, I wasn't able to interact with him as much. Nevertheless, I already thought he was a genius. He emanated this aura of great creative and intellectual passion. You can see that from the pictures too!

Mari, my seatmate, was quiet and ladylike. We discovered that we worked in the same area. Our buildings are so close I can walk to hers in ten minutes (don't worry, Mari, I won't do that!). And what?! You have kids na?! Mari was tall and svelte; the ramp model of that night's EB indeed!

Though most of us had met for the first time, there were no awkward moments. There wasn't a time when one said "May dumaan na anghel ha." One joke after another was cracked, and the only quiet moments where when we were chewing on our Pata Tim (I just can't write enough about that ulam). Walang hinto ang Kodakan. There were camera phones and digicams all around. Ang saya ng over mega super! Great fun! We all had a grand time. Even H enjoyed the company so much he wanted to start his own blog right after that evening. We'll see how that goes!

Good friends are hard to find. There are some golden nuggets of friendship hidden in this tangled cyberweb. I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful to have met you guys. Sa susunod na EB. O ano, Valentine's EB naman? I'm not volunteering for name tags na. Or maybe I should redeem myself and prepare them. Heehee.

Pictures and stories of that night's EB can be found here: Yesterday's Post, Dr. Emer's, Batjay's, Tito Rolly's, and Mari's.

P.S. I ran into AnP yesterday at the mall. At the first sight of her I just shouted, "AnP!!! AnP!!!" I introduced myself and ta-da! Si AnP nga! We'll meet again okay? This time not by chance na.

Last night's Mini-EB

2005-01-04T10:42:00.000+08:00

I finally met some of my blogmates last nite. I wanted to meet the sexiest blogger unfortunately he couldn't make it. Last night was filled with laughter, chikahan, loads of pata tim (the best I've ever tasted) and even more laughter. The best part of the evening was the new friends I made. I'm looking forward to the next one. Enjoy the pics below! Just click on them to enlarge.

Happy New Year!

2005-01-03T15:52:00.000+08:00

So how were your holidays?

Both my Christmas and New Year celebrations were spent in a quiet and intimate way with family. All gatherings were filled with love, laughter and family bonding, just the way I like it. I'm thinking of writing some 2004 reflections but I'm just not in the mood yet. I think I'm in denial that another year has started. Time flies so fast.

Instead of writing about that, let me write about one of my favorite Christmas presents. This was one of H's presents. He gave me a Magnetic Poetry Kit! I've been wanting one since I first learned about it (eons ago) but never thought it was available here in the Philippines till this year when we saw it at Hobbes (a toy and hobby store in Greenbelt).

I love tinkering with the kit. It's highly relaxing. I just pull a chair, sit in front of the ref and stare at my blank white "canvas" and then start putting up words randomly till a poem forms. It is so therapeutic.

This one I made to reflect my reason for writing. Click picture to enlarge.

This one captures my dream for 2005. Go figure what it is. Click picture to enlarge.

This one serves as a reminder so I stay away from those things that make me gain weight. It tells of what I'll be doing once I take a bite of fatty stuff. Tsk tsk. I hope this one works. Click picture to enlarge.

I hope that 2005 brings you your heart's whispers. :) Happy New Year!

Toodles for now

2004-12-22T17:22:00.000+08:00

Pick a present from under my Christmas tree! Just click on one of the 12 boxes below to find out what my Christmas wish for you is. Let me know what you get!

I'm signing off for the holidays. Merry Christmas dear friends. :)

The Notebook

2004-12-21T09:03:00.000+08:00

"The rough, flowing sound of sharp lead on clean, smooth paper is beautifully cathartic; the harmonious keyboard staccato strangely purifying." -- Toni the Writer

I've had about nine online journals, many of which no longer exist. I've had countless diaries. I got my first diary when I was in 5th grade. It was green and had a lock & key. I wrote a lot of short stories and poetry when I was a kid. I still do when the mood strikes. Writing has always been my passion. Well, that and my marriage. I believe that each one has to have a personal passion, whether it's completely just for herself or if it's a passion that directly benefits others. I consider writing a personal passion. I write mostly for myself.

I used to collect notebooks. I could never have enough of them. My fingers have a mind of their own and scribble on notepads like there's no tomorrow. When I'm in front of a computer, my fingers fly over the keyboard the way a pianist's does over ivory. There was one time I was trapped in a coffee shop, stranded by a storm and I desperately wanted to write. All I had was an eyeliner and a couple of table napkins. You can guess what happened next.

So what triggered this entry? A new notebook. One of my best friends, B, gave this to me as a Christmas present. This was on my wishlist and ta-da! She granted my wish. It's a really big notebook with Vincent Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night on the cover. I love Van Gogh's work and I love notebooks so this was a great combination! It's been awhile since I've written my thoughts and poetry on paper, and this notebook has made my fingers itch! I wanted to write in it last night but told myself I will start on this new journal in 2005.

Thanks B, for making my fingers itch again. I will search for the perfect pen now for writing on this perfect notebook.

Friends

2004-12-20T15:16:00.000+08:00

"Close friends...contribute to our personal pleasure, making the music sound sweeter, the wine taste richer, laughter ring louder because they are there." --Judith Viorst

Though I meet up with my friends quite often, our Christmas get-togethers are always very special. Approximately two weeks ago, one circle of friends celebrated Christmas with a Rainbow theme. Yes, that's us in the picture wearing our assigned rainbow colors. We videoke'd all night long, had our own parlor games and ate a lot. Yes, we also did sing songs with the word "Rainbow" or any of its colors in it, i.e. Somewhere over the rainbow, Rainbow Connection, Blue Kiss, Yellow Submarine, etc. Good fun, good fun.

Tonight I meet up with my college barkada. That's always a treat to look forward to. Back in college, we called ourselves LHC -- that stands for Lonely Hearts Club. Why we christened our group with that name I have forgotten. There were two couples in that group and the rest were single, maybe that's why. That name stuck anyway as we all sailed through various romances. Some of us are married now, some are single and hopefully, not a single one of us has a lonely heart.

Towards the end of the year, I hope to meet some of the new friends I've made online through this:

Will you be there? Batjay says he's gonna dance on top of a table if more than 150 come. Budget for dinner is P300 per head, and P150 for the exchange gift. Let's see who makes it!

Y-O-U

2004-12-17T16:17:00.000+08:00

As you rush into your Christmas shopping, don't forget about one of the most important people in your life --- YOURSELF! In the flurry of this gift-giving season, we can't help but put others before ourselves. To be selfless is a wonderful quality indeed but don't forget that you also deserve to be generous to yourself. Give yourself a present this Christmas too!

P.S. I gave myself a Red Cherry Peach Pie for Christmas. I could've gotten myself cosmetics or a book (again) but the pie seemed more like a Christmas treat. I ate a slice last night and it was delicious. Since I'm not one to keep such delicious things to myself, I'm sharing the rest of my pie with my family when I visit them tomorrow. Want a slice too? :)

Doctor, Doctor!

2004-12-16T13:00:00.000+08:00

He tells me to drink lots of OJ, especially during this particularly sick day of mine. He tells me to watch my sugar. He shares with us the different advancements in medical technology. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, they say. Can I skip my apple though so I can keep on reading his blog? I'm talking about nobody else but Dr. Emer! :)

Dr. Emer is hosting the 12th edition of medical Grand Rounds. What is this, you may ask? It is a weekly compendium of the choicest medical posts from the whole world. Dr. E is the first international host -- the past eleven weeks were hosted by American doctors. Congratulations, Dr. E! We're so proud of you. :) Click on this to see what our host has in store for us.

So who's the sick one now?

2004-12-16T10:14:00.000+08:00

ME. I got the chills two nights ago and skipped work yesterday. Ah, bah, humbug. I hope I get well in time for our Christmas party tomorrow. The good thing about being on sick leave is that I get to watch movies on DVD. Yey.

"The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you." Beautiful line, isn't it? That quote from Lost in Translation struck me the most. I think one needs to be in a quiet mood to really appreciate this movie.

How do you talk to an angel?. I also saw Date with An Angel. This is an old movie, circa 1987. I've seen this when I was a kid and was awed with Emmanuelle Beart's beauty. I would think from then on that all angels looked like her. I got bored watching it yesterday. I used the time to sweep the floor while the movie played. Yes, I did some housework even when I was sick. The mess bothered me.

Ooooh how primal Adam is... Finally, before I drifted off into my loooong nap, I watched About Adam. After those two flicks, I needed another one to fill in my hunk quota. My cup overfloweth for Stuart Townsend. Though I've seen this before I was still struck by Adam's foxiness. Roar! Or should that be purr? Or growl? What sound does a fox make?

So I'm back at work today with still some sniffles and teary eyes. I've been stuffing myself with liquids so I hope I get better by tomorrow. Our office party's theme is "Naughty or Nice" -- cute 'no? :) I got to draw "Nice" out of a hat and so I'm going as Nemo. Then my officemate reminded me that Nemo was a naughty fish. Whoops. Oh well too late, I have a costume na.

I'm rambling. Hope you're all feeling better than I am. What tips can I share today? Hmmm. Here you go: Watch Lost in Translation. Never hit your wife because you'll be the number one jerkazoid of all times -- did anyone catch Amazing Race last night? If you did, you'll know what I'm talking about. And last tip, drink lots of fluids even if you're not sick. Toodles!

These little things...

2004-12-14T09:51:00.000+08:00

I may not have scored a perfect 10 on the different husband needs that Tin posted about but at least I know that those lack in ratings don't compromise my being the best wifey in H's eyes. Hehehe. :) I love you Husby!

Cranberry Lady

2004-12-13T17:24:00.000+08:00

You may now call me the walking cranberry.

I love the smell of it. I love the taste of it. I love drinking cranberry juice. I jump at the chance to eat cranberry jelly -- though I can count on one hand the number of times I've eaten that, boo!). Is this available in local supermarkets?

I went to The Body Shop last weekend and discovered they had a Cranberry line! Aaaah! I went absolutely gaga over the goodies. Since I was Christmas shopping that meant I was shopping for other people. That meant I was not supposed to shop for myself. That meant all I could do was stare at the cranberry body butter, cranberry shower gel, cranberry lip balm...

Five minutes later I walked out of the store with a bar of Cranberry Shimmer Soap. There went my willpower. I told myself it was my own little treat for that day. I couldn't wait to take a shower when I got home! I did smell like a cranberry after my shower, but I heard no complaints from H, who doesn't really like overly sweet scents.

Are you a Cranberry lover just like me? Let me know and maybe we can exchange notes. :) If you aren't, do visit The Body Shop and see what I'm raving about!

Virgin Coconut Oil

2004-12-13T15:01:00.000+08:00

I got a bottle of this as a present. It's been sitting in my cupboard for quite some time now. I took it out last weekend and took a spoonful of it. Blech. I'm not too fond of it. Will it really help me lose weight? I wonder. I know that nothing's better than a good diet and exercise, but maybe taking some VCO along with it won't hurt.

What say you?

2004-12-10T10:52:00.000+08:00

No Toaster? No problem!

I don't have a toaster so this is how I toast my bread. I sprinkle some olive oil on the pan first and then heat the bread slices on both sides till they're a bit browned.

The finished product! Yum! This bread fingers are especially yummy with tuna. The sauteed tuna recipe's on the sidebar. Quick easy meal for me!

Last Call for Christmas Cards

I'm sending my last batch of cards soon. Writing Christmas Cards has been surprisingly therapeutic! I gave each envelope a little dose of my artistic streak -- Christmas doodles! Being able to have a more personal connection with friends through snail mail beats the convenience of e-cards anytime.

A pen, some glitter, pretty cards and happy thoughts are all I need when I write my Christmas Cards. I find myself smiling with each card I write. I bob my head to the music playing from my Michael Buble Christmas CD. Try this Christmas Card Therapy. It's good for the soul!

It's been a crazy work week. Will it even be a crazier weekend? I hope so! Crazy can be fun! Happy weekend dearest friends! :)

Mop Crop

2004-12-07T18:00:00.000+08:00

Ta-da! My new hair! I'm so happy. It's now wash and wear -- no need for that hairdryer anymore! Just pat it dry after a shower and it's good to go. The golden brown highlights can't be seen in the picture but trust me, there are highlights. After ten thousand years of my stylist asking me to get with the times, I finally gave in -- the shortest I've ever gone with and highlights to boot. I don't regret it at all! Whatcha think, whatcha think?! The funny thing is I feel ten thousand times more feminine with this so much shorter 'do. Who says you need long hair to feel all woman? Definitely not me!

The Fear of Being Closed In

2004-12-07T11:19:00.000+08:00

I just discovered I'm claustrophobic.

I was looking for a book in our very minute office library, moving bookshelves here and there to spot that book. Two minutes into my searching, I felt the room closing in on me. I was finding it hard to breathe. Good thing I still got hold of my senses and stepped out of that room. If I had spent a bit more time in there I would've probably blacked out!

Thinking that was just an isolated experience, I forgot about it. Claustrophobia creeped up on me last night when I was in Powerbooks Glorietta. I was in the Home Design section and I got that same feeling again -- I felt bookshelves were about to fall on me, that they were going to squeeze me flat... scary! Needless to say, I moved on to the roomier Children's Books section.

I've learned that breathing slowly in and out will calm me down. Any other tips? Another way to deal with claustrophobia is through hypnosis, but that's for extreme cases I would think. Mine is just a mild case.

No wonder I feel more at home in wide, open spaces. Or maybe I'm just scared of being surrounded by tall bookshelves.

Brownie points

2004-12-03T15:24:00.000+08:00

I don't have a sweet tooth, but I have a soft spot for brownies. I like brownies that have a gooey texture, a rich chocolate taste and lots of nuts. Oh yummy. My all-time favorite brownies are those that my sister bakes. Unfortunately, she doesn't bake them regularly so I can't snack on them as much as I want to.

I found another favorite in Becky's brownies. Becky's Kitchen is located in Manila and they bake the best commercial brownies ever. Unfortunately, their bakery is too far from where I stay, so I only get to taste Becky's brownies when friends send some sweets over to the office. Baaah. I had to find an alternative that was more easily accessible.

I found one in Goldilocks! Goldilock's brownies are so delicious. They're chunky, gooey, nutty so they're perfect for a brownie nut like me! They're not that expensive either, not more than 30 pesos I think. Ah see? I forgot the price. I just know that each bite into that brownie is heaven for me.

Why not try it for yourself? Drop by your nearest Goldilock's store and find out what I'm raving about. I should probably grab some brownies on the way home too. This entry's making me crave for them. Mmmmmm. Brownies.

The Week in Questions

2004-12-02T10:21:00.000+08:00

1. When you cry out of grief, are you crying for yourself or for the loved one you lost? The past week has been emotionally draining for me. We had our final services for Wowo, whose ashes were brought here to Manila by Mama and Maymee. I thought I had accepted his passing, but I broke down in tears after Mass last Monday. I saw a Knorr Sinigang sa Calamansi commercial that had an old couple and they reminded me so much of my grandparents -- they were that sweet to each other. I realized that I still had Wowo's cellphone number in my phonebook. I know I should be happy because he is at peace now, but I still cry out of sadness.

2. Do you believe in miracles? During yesterday's final service, Wowo's picture was placed on the altar beside his urn. After the Mass, Mama shared that she saw a halo over Wowo's head during the service. The nuns at the service said they also saw the same thing. Maymee saw it too. Nobody wanted to tell one another for fear of it being just a hallucination, but once Mama brought it up they all started saying that they saw the same thing. I was taking pictures the whole service so I immediately checked my digicam. I had only one picture of the altar with Wowo's picture on it. True enough, there was a halo. It could've been a reflection of light but I recalled that there were no candles or bright lights when I took that picture. We passed the picture around and Maymee got teary-eyed when Mama assured her that, "See? Wowo's telling you that he's okay! He's in Heaven with the angels!" I believe that is where he is right now and that picture was a message.

3. What's the biggest thing you learned about losing a loved one? Live life. I've always said that was my life's philosophy but sometimes I forget about it. Don't be scared to try new things. Don't be afraid to reveal your feelings for others, no matter how embarrassing. Life's too short to be afraid. Nobody ever got anywhere by not facing their fears. I got over another fear of mine this week: getting highlights for my hair. I had my hair cut REALLY short and had Armel (my favorite stylist) talk me into getting highlights. The result? A very short 'do with lots of spunk. I LOVE IT.

4. Can those who've passed away communicate to you through your dreams? I've been dreaming about Wowo several times. They all had the message of prayer and assurance of his peace. Maybe it's a message that I shouldn't be too sad anymore.

5. How would you like to be remembered? I wonder how I will be remembered when I pass away. I used to think that talking about death is morbid, a topic that should be avoided. But the passing on of Wowo has assured me that death is nothing to be afraid of. It's a part of life and we all eventually are gonna die. It's what we do while we are living that matters the most. I hope I will be remembered as someone who has made a positive difference in people's lives, even though I'm not rich or famous. I share what I can through this blog AND beyond this blog so many of my life experiences that I hope benefit others. Even though it's as simple as boiling an egg to something as complex as risking so much for love, I hope that these life experiences do touch the lives of others and create a significantly good difference in their lives.

It's been a long week full of questions and realizations. This is the first time I've lost someone very dear to me, and your answers to the above questions would really help me continue to deal with my sadness. As much as I share what I learn with you, I also learn so much from you. Thank you so much for the emotional support. *hugs*

2004-11-26T18:41:00.000+08:00

Listen to the mustn'ts, child.
Listen to the don'ts.
Listen to the shouldn'ts,
The impossibles, the won'ts.
Listen to the never haves,
Then listen close to me ...
Anything can happen, child.
Anything can be.

~Shel Silverstein

Sheer Silverstein genuis. Sheer truth. I leave you with some food for thought that hopefully will inspire you all to have a different kind of weekend. Here's to possibilities and can-be's! *hugs*

Recos and Answers

2004-11-25T20:05:00.000+08:00

Thanks for all the wonderful recommendations. They made me want to rush to the nearest bookstore, video store and music store to see what you all are talking about! Here’s the list of recommendations everyone shared. If something’s not on the list, it means I’ve read, seen or heard it already. And I had tons of fun answering the questions too!

The Recommendations:
Movies: Awakenings. Scent of a Woman. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Y Tu Mama Tambien. Mostly Martha. Tuesdays with Morrie. National Treasure. Behind the Sun. Christmas with the Kranks. Antonia's Line.
Books: Hangover Soup. A Short History of Nearly Everything. Pride and Prejudice. Ender’s Game. Quentin’s. 100 Years of Solitude. Love in Time of Cholera. Lovely Bones. Angels & Demons. The Last Juror. Summer Sisters. The Devil Wears Prada. Gerald's Game.
Music: Café del Mar. Songs of Moloko. Lobo. Coldplay’s Parachute. White Chicks OST. Hidden Agenda. The Company's Recycle II album.

The Answers:
-What do you do first thing in the morning? Check out what time it is.
-What's your favorite subject in college? French.
-What do you really want to be? I want to be a writer and a teacher.
-What is your idea of a perfect vacation? Exploring new sites with my Husby!
-Do you and your hubby change sleeping sides of the bed? Yes, it depends on his mood. I don’t mind, I’m comfortable on both sides of the bed.
-What sport do you play? Remote-control surfing. Bad, I know.
-Have you ever been on TV? Hahaha not that I know of!
-Have you been stalked by someone? Yes. It was a pretty creepy experience.
-Nanakawan ka na ba ng cell phone? Nope at sana never mangyari yan!
-What do you think is the best recipe for a lasting relationship? Respect + Trust + Constant Communication + Shared Values + Passion = Lasting Relationship
-What would you like to change in your life right now? I’d like to be more financially literate. (Naks, that’s the influence of Rich Dad, Poor Dad!)
-Will you give up your life for love? Yes.
-How are you today (whatever day you read this)? It’s 7:50 pm and I just arrived from a long meeting. I’m very tired.
-What is your husband's first name? You’ll find out when you get your Christmas card. I mailed it out the other day. ;)
-Do you like your job? Yup! I can wear jeans to work everyday – a little perk!
Was Ethan the more romantic than Julie in the movie? Definitely. I think he was more romantic because he was the more smitten one.
-If you were still single, will you do a Julie Delpy? Hmmm… do you mean will I have a Before Sunrise/Sunset romance? Oh yes. One should always take a chance with love.
-Do you believe in soulmates? Yes. But I don’t believe that each person just has one soulmate. Does that sound complicated?
-What drives you? Happiness. Hehehe, corny answer, but that’s it!
-Do you have children? If non, do you have plans of having children and when? Nope, I don’t have kids. But yes, H and I have plans of having kids. Coming soon at your favorite theaters!
-What really made you decide to take the plunge and get married? I felt I was ready to spend the rest of my life with another, and it was perfect because it was at that time that I met my perfect match. :)
-How many kids would you like to have? Five!!!
-How would you want to be remembered by your kids? A wonderful wife and mother.
-Who's number 1 in your speed dial list? A taxi service.
-What did you have for lunch today? Oh I had a yummy lunch. Shrimp Bisque, Crab Cakes, Surf and Turf, Profiterole for dessert.
-What makes you cry? Remembering my Grandfather.
-What makes you laugh? My husband and his crazy antics.
-What do you do? I’m an advertising gal. ;)
-Who do you admire most? My father because he’s a very strong and practical man with a quiet passion for life.
-What is this gift that you want to recieve this Christmas? I want a whole new wardrobe.
-What's your favorite dish? Sinigang na Baboy!!!
-Do you believe in reincarnation? Yes and no. Yes because I believe that we may have been somewhere in our past life, but no because we aren’t exactly who we were before, personality-wise, looks-wise, etc. What we had before are just little fragments of who we are today.
-Coffee or Tea? One large English Breakfast Latte please!
-What's you fave book? Veronika Decides to Die.
-What’s your fave movie? Before Sunrise.
-What’s your life philosophy? Live for love.
-Complete this sentence: "life is grand because ....? Life is grand because love is all around me.

Let's have some fun!

2004-11-24T09:58:00.000+08:00

(A) First, recommend to me:
1. a movie
2. a book
3. a musical artist, song, or album

(B) I want everyone who reads this to ask me three questions, no more, no less. Ask me anything you want.

(C) Then I want you to go to your journal, copy and paste this allowing your friends to ask you anything; say that you stole it from me.

I stole this from Daphne!

A Date with Daddy

2004-11-23T13:52:00.000+08:00

Inspired by one of Justice's posts last week, I tried something for the first time. I asked my father out on a date.

Because my father is non-confrontational, I invited him via SMS. "Are you free Sunday? Let's go on a date, just the two of us." He replied, "Ok... pick u up at 645." He picked me up last Sunday at around 7:30 pm (LATE!) but I didn't mind. The ride to Greenbelt was a bit quiet as we grappled for things to talk about. We talked about the upcoming family gatherings and my little cousin Maxine. Typical things we talk about. He and I aren't very close, but I know that there are things I can discuss only with him, and he with me.

We had dinner at Chili's, his favorite restaurant. We ordered onion rings as an appetizer, he got his favorite Club Sandwich and I got pasta. It was the first time I was treating him and him alone. The whole experience was new to me and I cherished every minute of it. He is a man of few words but he did most of the talking that night. I soaked up each story he shared -- the lessons he learned from work, his dreams for my sisters, his frustrations, the dreams he still wants to fulfill. I likewise shared my plans and frustrations with work and he gave me fatherly and professional advice. It was two hours of non-stop discussion. It was two hours of father-daughter bonding.

After he brought me back home, I said a little prayer for him. I also resolved to go on dates with him more often. Funny 'cause it's only when I got married and moved away from home that we started becoming more affectionate with each other. It's only now that I understand him so much better -- especially since it's also just now that I realize I'm growing up to be so much like him.

I guess words can only do so much to capture the magic of that evening. On the way home that night, fireworks started brightening up the sky. Turns out that Greenbelt has this Fireworks Festival of sorts during weekend nights. My Dad loves bright lights and firecrackers so it was a pretty awesome and personal way to end our date. A perfect ending it was and a wonderful beginning to hopefully, many more father-daughter dates we are yet to have.

2004-11-19T14:40:00.000+08:00

No matter how silly something looks, it's always worth trying. You'll never know what fun it can bring you if you don't try.

There was an inflatable boxing ring in the middle of the mall. The gigantic boxing gloves tempted us. H donned his eagerly, but I was apprehensive. "We'll look so stupid!" I complained. H goes, "Hon, it's okay! Let's play!" And so we started boxing. Those gloves were very heavy. I had trouble maintaining my balance. As I got the hang of it, I discovered it was fun trying to swing and punch each other playfully.

Playtime lasted only five minutes but it was one of the most unique fun moments I've shared with H.

Let the child in you run free. Do something silly to make this weekend special. Happy weekend dear friends!