What's To Eat? (Once upon a time - IV)

Food and Filipinos are very interrelated. Everything that happens to a Filipino is celebrated around and with food. If there is a new child, with food, the family gather around the new mother. Families spend hours and hours planning the menu for a birthday, or a graduation, engagement, wedding, anniversary, even death, and yes, funeral. If you happen to visit someone, the first question asked is: "Have you eaten?" Even if the answer is yes, the host is still expected to prepare something to serve the guest. It is unacceptable not to.

And this custom hasn't changed a bit - I found out during my last vacation. For 6 whole weeks, my family and friends never gave me a chance to forget FOOD!!!

Bat and Super Men had landed !

===================Joshua as Superman+++++++++++++++++++Jacob as Batman -----------------------BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

How shocking!!!!

Why did it happen?

How did it happen?

Still can't believe it happened!!!

Ohmigosh! It really happened!

Do as I do

One requirement in my basic foods class is for each student to cook at home a dish similar, if not the same, with what they had just done in class and submit a report (written or oral) about it. Oscar, ( yes, there are several Oscars in my classes) for this week, topped it all for not only preparing a recipe (recorded in pictures that his mom took) but engaging his 6-year-old cousin to do the recipe with him, as well.

Another moment that convinces me to stay on teaching!!!

NOTE: His set of pictures show the steps from measuring the ingredients to cleaning up.

WELL DONE OSCAR!!!

Once Upon A Time - III

Once upon a time last summer I was in high school again with Baby, Paskie, Victor, Kinnie, Odie, Dolly, Caying, Bong, and Silvio.

We all met at Silvio's place where we had a sumptuous lunch prepared by his wife, Enggies. Then we proceeded to the new high school site to see the new walkway that members of our graduating class helped build.

=================The way we were

===========The old high school building - a former farm shop for college students.

========= The new University of the Philippines Rural High School building in Bay, Laguna. Under the walkway that our class donated. Do you see the yellow bell plant with red flowers? That was propagated in the UP College Agriculture. While waiting for or walking to their rides, the covered walkway will help students from the rain or too much sun.

===========The teachers that helped us shape our future.

Colors along the Sideways

One prominent change I saw in my homeland is the abundance of colors along the highways. In my youth, the only colors I can remember whenever I traveled were green, gray and brown. Some pastels, maybe. But now - WOW! Oranges, electric blues, lemon yellows, blood reds, emerald greens and more. Six years ago, when I saw a house painted in bright primary colors among the neutral ones, I thought - NO WAY! But last summer, when houses in candy colors are clustered, they actually looked nice - bright and happy! Filipinos have gone around the globe and from their trips they bring back new colors and shapes that help create a pleasant landscape.

These are the sights that caught my eyes: three ladies in their rainbow-colored attire enjoying a morning chat by the sidewalk; purple shallots and white garlic complemented by the color of the market walls; patterns formed by the arrangement of cut woodbranches; a horse-drawn carriage (calesa) competing with tricycles and cars; a richly colored tricycle any Ferrari would envy; the rust-orange roof of a house sunk by lahar from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption; and of course - houses in their delicious and glorious colors!!!

Even the clothelines changed!!!

Of course.......

Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments" Rose Kennedy

T-G-I-F

Today has been another exciting and happy day. Thank God it is Friday!!!

To emphasize how yeast acts as a leavening agent each group prepared a recipe for pizza dough yesterday. Today they finished the activity with their choice of toppings. Everyone came on time, some even came during nutrition and lunch break to start prepping. It was also a very busy day because the FAME SLC teachers were meeting and requested that we prepare an Asian lunch for them. As usual, Oscar acted as my Sous Chef. Very efficient, if I may add.

Bon appetit!!!

AN AWARD FOR ME ?!?!?!?!?!!

Julie of teacherjulie surprised me with the Egel Nest Blog Award, an award started by Bradley Egel who described it as an "award to blog of excellence (eggscellence)". (only hope my blog is excellent enough) Thank you very much, Julie, for finding my blog inspirational. I am very much humbled and also sincerely grateful. My wish and hope is that I can inspire more. I proudly share this award with: Nancze - I feel her gentleness and caring ways everytime I read her posts. Rondah - she shows that working from 9 to 5 and beyond is no reason why one should stop pursuing a dream and still be an excellent full-time mother and wife. Virginia - her posts push me to think about writing, what to write, how to write, and to write, write, write..... I am sure she inspires so many more. Rachel - for being Rachel - soulful, thoughtful, inspiring, loving, caring ........ Yvonne - because of her site an intelligent and insightful community of bloggers is brought together.

Once Upon a Time........ Part II

The Churches of the North

I was always interested to see the old buildings of any town so when our vacation plans were finalized I told Ed that we should go to the North because it is noted for its old churches and buildings. And I was not disappointed. Please forgive me if I couldn't remember some of the churches' names. St. Augustine Church survived an earthquake while San Guillermo Church was almost buried in lahar from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The way bricks were layered and cemented together to hold the structure would seem crude by today's building standards but anyone will be amazed simply by seeing and feeling the strength within each block.

Once Upon a Time Last Summer - Part I

==================A farm scene that never stops to elicit nostalgia==================

Finally, a blog about my summer vacation! My summer vacation was capped with a 4-day tour of the northern provinces in the Philippines. While touring I would often talk loudly about my problem in remembering places and names and added that I might not be able to write about the experiences. My goddaughter Princess (yes, her mom named her after me!) heard me and offered to "recall” things for me. So mostly in her own words, this is how those 4 days went

==============================Patapat Bridge======================== July 19, 2007 One hour past midnight, we left Batangas and headed for our long trip to the Northern regions. Passing through the cities of Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija, we approached Nueva Vizcaya after cruising along the mountainous roads of Santa Fe. The cool, crisp morning breeze and the rays of the morning sun greeted us as we approached Solano, Ed’s hometown. Because they knew we would arrive just in time for breakfast. Roben, Ed’s youngest brother, and his wife Mafe, were ready with a hearty table of fried local longganiza, eggs and tomatoes and of course, rice. After some catching up with lost time, and visiting Ama, everybody took a short nap, had a hearty lunch and were off to Cagayan.. After 3 hours of driving through long paved roads sandwiched between carpets of green rice fields, rolling velvety hills, undulating mountains, towering trees and whispering creeks, we reached Tuguegarao. We were worried we wouldn’t find a good place to spend the night but Ivory Hotel didn’t disappoint any of us.

July 20, 2007 After a sound night rest, we packed and headed for another long trip ahead. But first, we had to eat! But where? Well, where else but at a Filipino’s favorite – Jollibee. After finishing the last drop of our piping hot coffee and some Kodak moments at the rotunda, we’re off again to the other side of the North – the Ilocos Province. The trip to Ilocos will not be complete without cruising through the Patapat Bridge. It is a suspended bridge where you see the vast ocean on one side and the mountain wall on the other side. I learned from my bro-in-law, Seibert, that military men built this bridge. It is quite a sight. By lunchtime we reached the famous virigin beaches of Pagudpud, Ilocos Sur. We had lunch at Saud Beach Resort (quite expensive, I think) after which we hit the blue waves. Indeed, it was a traveler’s dream destination . The sight of the powdery white sand against the white foamy waves on blue waters as the wind brushes against your face was very soothing and relaxing enough to put one to sleep. No wonder local and foreign tourists want a glimpse of this breathtaking scene. A memorable moment occurred when giant waves lashed at Ed unexpectedly forcing him to fall on his knees. Unfortunately, it happened so

quickly my camera couldn’t capture it. For the night we stayed in a “Homestay”. A house, more often that of a retiree, is rented out for a day or a week while the owner stays in a back room or with a relative. During our stay, a lady “entrepreneur” even came to sell necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings that she painstakingly handcrafted from local stones and shells. Dida, Tet and Marivic had a great time trying the trinkets!

July 21, 2007 Today seemed to be a very very long day. Woke up early, had breakfast and started driving towards the town of Bangui where we saw 15 generating windmills that provide hydroelectric power supply to nearby towns and provinces. Through Tet’s research work, I now know that this is the first generating windmill farm in the country. Amazing! Against the shoreline, those white giant windmills were a sight to behold! (Unless you are on your way to San Francisco via Hwy 101 or 5)

After enjoying the spectacular sight and picking some shells and stones, we then proceeded to a historical landmark in Burgos, Ilocos Norte – the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse – the highest lighthouse in the Philippines above sea level and built from locally made bricks. There are about a hundred steps to the tower and once there one gets a panoramic view of the beach and mountains below. Climbing the steps is not for the faint hearted.

From the lighthouse we proceeded to Laoag City where we saw the sinking Bell Tower of St. William’s Cathedral. Then off we went to Batac to visit the ancestral home of a former President, and the Marcos Mausoleum where he is laid to rest. Then we went to Paoay to see one of the oldest churches in the country, St. Augustine Church. A church wealthy of historical inheritance and distinctive architecture, it has been named in one of UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Moving on, we hurried to our next destination, the Malacanang of the North. Formerly the official residence of Former President Ferdinand Marcos in Ilocos Norte, it is now a museum open to the public. Vigan completed our tour of the Ilocos Region. Vigan is unique in that it is able to maintain its Spanish culture and heritage as in their churches, houses and public buildings. The only sign of modernization is the presence of fast food chains in the plaza. Calesas or horse drawn carts still attracts tourists to click their cameras. It was sunset when we decided we should make a side trip to Baguio since we were already “there”. We ran through a number of Ilocos and La Union towns and cities, then scaled through Naguilian Road until finally we could feel the cool weather and the smell of pine trees and we knew we were in Baguio City. We spent a restful night at the Prince Plaza Hotel in preparation for another day’s trip.

A Friend

============ ========== Larry and his beautiful wife, Fina ====================

This post is about a friend who always pushes me to do my best or else he'll be on my back! In my last post I used the word ZIT as a synonym to nil, nada and do you know what he did? He got a dictionary and this is what he wrote me:

Hi Ms, my teacher,

I am not challenging your proficiency in the English Dictionary but I just did more research on the word ZIT and all I got was it is a SLANG for PIMPLE OR BOILER ON THE SKIN. There is one word I encountered which means the same thing as NADA OR NIL. The closest to ZIT is the word ZILCH. Both ZIT and ZILCH originated in the U.S. Other words for nothing are ZERO, CIPHER, NAUGHT. English words are really confusing especially when they are giving DIFFERENT SLANG MEANING. Sorry and don't consider this as questioning your knowledge about words but I want to learn how I can use this word I just learned from you correctly.

My friend's name is Larry. He is a Principal Accountant with the City of Los Angeles by day and a Dance Instructor by evenings, nights and/or weekends. He is as good an accountant as he is a DI. Students sign up with him for years. He once told me that dancing will make him enjoy retirement when it finally comes his way, and right now, is a very good mode of excercise. During their annual trips, Chechoslovakians, Greeks, English, Italians, Mexicans, Bulgarians, Austrians, Germans, French and many more, had seen him and his wife, Fina, display their dancing talents on cruise ships and dinner halls. I still can not imagine that only about a little more than a decade ago Larry couldn't distinguish between a cha-cha and a waltz. Gloria and I used to teach him the very basic steps, but guess what, he is now our tutor for those latest ballroom dancing moves! And Gloria and I? Well, we still know the very basic steps!!!

One thing about Larry is that when he puts his mind into a thing, whether it is buying a Lexus or a leather sofa for their living room, studying a new hobby like dancing or going to a new place, he would spend hours and hours researching (Have you read the quote?) about it before he finally buys, does or visits! I have learned so much from him when it comes to thinking twice or thrice before buying or doing anything. The only one big thing between him and me is that he sticks to his plans while I don't (chuckle)! (BTW, I stand corrected and have edited my last post.)

As a friend, he is sincere, loyal and caring. For our twenty-fifth wedding anniversay, Ed and I decided we would not celebrate it because financially, we just couldn't afford it. Both of us lost our jobs and we just bought a house. We were surprised when on our anniversary day, friends and relatives from as far as Maryland, started coming with everything from food to dinner napkins, decor and music. Ed and I learned that Larry, together with Gloria, called them one by one and told them of our situation. That was the best anniversary we have ever had.

I am grateful to have you for a friend, Larry. I want to thank you immensely, too, for today, I have something to blog about (more chuckles!)

Blankenness.........

For the past whole week I've been having problems with my blog writing. Every morning as I drive to school, I make a mental list of what I will write about when I get home. But each time after turning on my computer and open up my blog, my thinking-writing mode goes nada, nil, zip! The composing side of my brain simply goes BLANK. Just right now, all I can write about is that I can not write about anything. (At least that is something I know at the moment.) I just visited Yvonne's weekend CAFE hoping to join in the discussion but I just couldn't think of what to write or how to comment. Same on Rachel's , so, after having the same experience on Nancze's I have to stop trying. Is this normal?

A Bit of Success

Today is parents conference day and I am contemplating on how to spend the three hours in-between. I tried this laptop so many times before but all I got was a warning in flashing RED saying that my request is not on the approved list of the district. So for the last two weeks I was just using this to take attendance. But I didn't want to give up just yet, This morning, I had extra time. After all I had written the agenda on the board, prepared the ingredients on the demo table and handed in my grades, so I started tinkering with the buttons I was rather unfamiliar with. You see, this is a Mac and I've only worked with a PC, when lo and behold I got through to my blog page! I got excited so I signed in. Got through again with no hitch. Went back to the sign-in page, added the site to the Bookmarks, then I thought of re-starting this ever cooperative machine. I hope no one saw me when I was able to sign in to this site again. My blood pressure would have shot up cuz I was hot all over. It felt like Eureka for me. Then the bell rang. Another tiny bit of success.

Rest in Peace, Dory

I received the news from our friend, Gloria. Apparently, our friend Dory attended mass last Sunday morning, passed by a market for some tomatoes and was walking to her house. Very typical of her. Everytime Gloria offered her a ride home, she would refuse. She always preferred to walk under the blistering sun even when her place is about three miles away from Glo's. The only time she would accept such an offer was when it was too late at night or if it was raining very hard for her umbrella. I can picture her that Sunday morning. She was walking briskly in her finest Sunday dress, either with a beribboned hat, or an umbrella, a plastic bag with tomatoes in one hand and a purse wrapped around her shoulder, and her pair of sandals clickety clacking silently on the cement. And, I will be surprised if she was not fanning herself, yes, even with her hands full! If it was windy, her silvery hair would be dancing with the wind and her cheeks would be bloody red for it was rather sunny and warm that morning. And, mind you she still has those cherubic complexion that many wish they had. But, Gloria's call was of a different picture. Dory was in the hospital. She suffered a massive stroke on the left side of her brain. She passed out on the pavement and fortunately, someone saw her. They found a number on her to a brother in Florida, who called another brother who is in San Francisco, who eventually called Gloria. I visited her on Monday afternoon and yesterday at 6:30 in the evening, she decided to go. Gloria and I have so many beautiful moments with her. She will be very hard to forget. May you rest in peace with the angels, our friend!!!

Yvonne's Writers Cafe

Yvonne of Grow Your Writing Business opened up a Writers Cafe where bloggers can meet and chat (you can talk about anything under the sun) with other bloggers and writers while enjoying her offerings of goodies. Request for anything that you desire for a relaxing weekend and she'll be glad to have it ready for you. You can even pick some on your way out. Last week I had muffins and coffee and, oh my, I tell you, you'll be praying for the next weekend to come sooner than the following day, not only for the sweet delights but for the exchange of ideas from other intelligent bloggers like her! Hmmm, wait a minute. Is that something with cinnamon-cardamom combination teasingly wafting in the air? I wonder what she's serving now. Come on, join the fun at Yvonne's weekend writers Cafe. And better hurry before it's too late. Those trays of goodies won't last!!! Have a great weekend, everyone.

We were happy.....

Everything went well with the Breakfast Burritos. I was totally surprised by the effort they put into plating their finished product! Quite a change and improvement, I might say. My only regret was I didn't bring my camera to remind me of how happy we all were. Today the Culinary Arts Club started preparing for tomorrow's Food Faire while my classes were busy practicing their knife techniques - well, actually they were just pretending to be cutting/slicing something on the cutting board. The emphasis was on how to handle and grip the knife properly. (Tomorrow, they will cut real frutis and vegetables). And again, they impressed me with their performance. I believe there is that good sign of what the semester is going to be.

My wish .........

WOW, didn't notice it's almost a week since my last post. I've been busy catching up on my reading and blog-hopping, I guess. The week went so fast, too. Been busy putting together my lessons for this semester, preparing for the Back to School Night last Thursday and planning on what to buy for their first cooking experience - a Breakfast Burrito - to test if they can apply what they learned in Safety in the Kitchen and also so I won't hear the question "When are we going to cook, Ms.?" ever again! I wish they understand (or, at least try to understand) the message of the course outline and syllabus - that it will be concerning and about food, tasting food, and not necessarily about eating (the food)! Well, I still can wish, can't I?

Having Problems? Read on..............

Hazel, my nephew Kirby's special friend, sent me this thru the e-mail and I thought I should share it: 5 Reasons GOD Permits Problems The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you—it makes you better or bitter depending on how YOU respond to them. Unfortunately, most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring. It is a choice (free will). Here are five reasons God May have Permitted the problems you experience in your life: 1. God permits problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God allowing this situation to get your attention? "Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways" Proverbs 20:30 2. God permits problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea bags ... if you want to know what's inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God tested your faith by allowing a problem or two into your life? What do problems reveal about you? "When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience." James 1:2-3 3. God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It's likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something...health, money, a relationship...by losing it. "It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws." Psalms 119:71-72 4. God permits problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem-but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management's actions were eventually discovered. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good"... Genesis 50:20 5. God permits problems to PERFECT you. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you're going to take with you into eternity. "We can rejoice when we run into problems...they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady." Romans 5:3-4 God is at work in your life-even when you do not recognize it or understand it. But it's much easier and profitable when you cooperate with Him..

Apple Moment

Jacob and Joshua having an apple moment this morning as Ed and I babysat them while Dad went to play golf and Mom went to work.

Like Father Like Son

A priceless picture of Jet and Matthew. Mattie (his dad's nickname for him) just turned 7 1/2 months old when this was taken.

We're grateful!

Our vacation would have been ordinary if not for you, folks! * Dindo, Ate Baby's youngest son. He designated himself as our offficial driver during our whole stay in the Philippines inspite of the fact that he has to supervise everyday the building of houses he designed and work with Keats on the finishes of even more construction projects. We can not thank you enough because we wouldn't see the places we went to without your expert driving, even with your cell phone ringing no end! Driving and texting at the same time? And not a scratch on the car after 6 whole weeks? WOWWW! * Neil, Dindo's eldest brother, and his wife Jona, leaving Ken's room at our disposal and the unlimited use of their Pajero. In that weather and with Dindo's itinerary for us, your generosity, is worth even more than a million! Thank you, too, for those wonderful dinners at Leslie's (Alabang), Sonya's in Cavite and the Santa Rosa Blue Grill. * Mark, for those luscious, sweet, golden, juicy Japanese corns freshly harvested from your farm. I gained 10 pounds yata ah. * LenLen, Dindo's "sweetheart", and Gabe's mom - for making me feel like a Princess for six whole weeks! - you know what I mean. * Marivic, for your delicious ginisang bagoong, bags and wraps. I won't forget our "trip" to the market that one morning. Konting practice na lang, talo mo na akong mag-drive. * Nikko, Dindo's third older brother, for being our other designated driver. Boy, am I glad you don't text as much! * Tammi and Greg - that full body massage was truly a treat for Ed and me. That being my first added more to the fun, tickles and all!!! * Nor, for finding time to keep me company even when I know your hands are busy and full. BTW, the hairdo lasted me another day! Or two, counting the dateline leap. And those no-pins rollers, fantastic! * Apollo, for the exciting boat ride while shooting the rapids in Pagsanjan and a dining experience on a raft at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan. * August, for a tour of Nasugbu and another dining experience at Kainan sa Dalampasigan. * Fe, for a cultural experience at Villa Escudero. Masarap palang kumain na nakalubog ang mga paa sa ilog. * Jules and Rachel - for a sumptuous dinner that put Jules' culinary expertise in the kitchen on a center stage. I can still taste those tender, juicy ribs! BTW, loved your cozy nest. * Dida, for being around so we could feel again how it was before. Your anaks just don't know what they missed! * Tet - for the "research" work and for the bonding we had. * Tia Paring - for assuring me that when you worry less you live longer. She's already 93 years old and still looking and feeling great! * Keats and Ves - for making me love coffee even more * Baby, Cora, Jim, Gie and Vir - for your friendship and for filling Ed and me with childlike excitement as we travelled to our moments of yesteryears. *JayVee - for your philosophies in life and for being their Kuya and last but not least: * Ate Baby and Kuya Edes - for everything!!!

Sweet Little Angels

These little angels made our vacation young and memorable!!! Meet them: Meet Marcus, (4) my cousin Fe's first grandchild. His Batangas accent will put any Southerner smiling. He is a very smart, caring little boy. He never wanted me to leave his sight all the time we were in Villa Escudero and cried when I didn't ride with them on the way home. He's quite a story-teller, too, especially about his toys that his Mommy GemGem sends him.

Sofia, (8 mos.) at her Papu's arms is the youngest angel of all. She just woke up in this picture but still "gracious" to pose with grandma Tammi.

Meet, TamTam - (7) Ate Baby's first and only granddaughter. She created a welcome gift for us and shyly gave me another go-away gift so we will always remember her and Gabe.

Jaz, (7) right, with his brother Ken, is the techie of them all. He can work on his gameboy, ipod, etc. and still talk to me at the same time. If Tam has a problem with a game, he's always ready to guide her through. On our first night, he made sure we didn't forget that we could spend the night with him, his Kuya and his mom and dad. BTW, he even gave me some tips on how to go-cart race.

Tisha, (7), Tammi's first granchild, is quite a songbird. How she belts those high notes without breathing still amazes me whenever I think about her. How I wish I had more time to bond with her.

This is Gabe, (8) nickname for Gabriel. He never missed greeting me each morning with a big smile that emphasized his two dimples on each cheek. Yeah, I counted them and he has four! He loves collecting matchbox cars and duplicating each model with his Lego cubes. He is also Tam's "guardian". When Tam talks loud, he would remind her to keep quiet or when she would sit with her legs apart, he would coach her to sit properly like a girl should. If Tam wanted to play with him and it was his study time, he would tell her to go home and study more.

DeeDee, Keats and Ves' little darling, is the big sister to them all. The little ones look up to her for solutions to their own tiny problems.

And of course, Yohan, Rachel's own little angel. He is everything the way Rachel describes him - loving, active, smart, sweet.

Absent from the pictorial is Sam. (I'm still looking for his pic). He promised to write me so I won't forget that he likes matchbox racing cars for Christmas.

These little angels kept me young because they saw to it that I played with them, read with or to them, danced and sang when they did and still "eagerly" coached me if I was not doing anything right. And they all echoed each other's wish that we can stay even longer!!!

This is Tam's welcome bookmarker for us.Still going to take a pic of your going-away present, Tam.