#12daysoflove

    (Image courtesy of www.pinterest.com)

Twelve days from now, I and I (no, this is not some sort of narcissistic relationship. I is the boyfie/exercise guru/travel buddy/apple of the schoolgirl's eye) will be celebrating our second year anniversary. 2, TWO, years together. Wow. Some might say two years is just, well, two years and nothing to be all excited about. 

Well, not for me. Those two years with I has been nothing short of amazing. Why? Simply put, it's the first time I've fallen in love. And fell hard and deep I did. I is the first man I've said I love you to and meant it (I don't even remember saying it to any guy on a romantic level at all). He showed me how beautiful and liberating it is to love truly and deeply and have that love reciprocated. He makes me happy and brings out the giddy school girl in me. He is nothing short of amazing for me (feel the school girl mushiness right there?)

So, in honor of our two years together, which, incidentally (cue drums) falls on V-day (insert collective cringe here), I'm embarking on a little Christmas-inspired project with the very original title of #12daysoflove (don't forget the hashtag, of course, for purposes of social media posting).

For 12 days, starting today, I will surprise I with little and not so little reminders of the happy and beautiful memories we've shared in our two years together, the things I'm most thankful for about him and our relationship and whatever else my creative mind will come up with (good luck to the non-artist in this relationship). 

It has been quite a ride, one I'll never want to get off of. And as I, him not me, said earlier, "loving every minute of it including the times you're being difficult."

I'm one lucky girl but he's an even luckier man. ;)

     

Making Plans

I came across this piece years ago and kept it all this time. I've researched numerous times on who could have written such a beautiful, uplifting and heartwarming piece but although it's found all over the Internet, the author is largely unknown (most blogs where this is reposted title it as God's Plan). I have a feeling this is something that just finds its way to you when you need it most, when things don't go as planned (which is often the case) to let you know things happen for a reason and by God's grace and you just have to keep the faith. :)

MAKING PLANS
Author Unknown

Some things are beyond planning.
And life doesn't always turn out as planned.

You don't plan for a broken heart. You don't plan for a failed business venture.
You don't plan for an adulterous husband. You don't plan for an autistic child.
You don't plan for spinsterhood. You don't plan for a lump in your breast.

You plan to climb the corporate ladder.
You plan to be rich and powerful. You plan to be acclaimed and successful.
You plan to fall in love - and be loved forever.

You don't plan to be sad. You don't plan to be hurt.
You don't plan to be broke. You don't plan to be betrayed.
You don't plan to be alone in the world.

You plan to be happy. You don't plan to be shattered.

Sometimes if you work hard enough, you can get what you want.
But most times, what you want and what you get are two different things.

We, mortals, plan but so does God in the heavens.
Sometimes, it is difficult to understand God's plans – especially when His plans are not in consonance with ours. Often, when God sends us crisis, we turn to Him in anger.
True, we cannot choose the cross that God wishes us to carry but we can carry that cross with courage knowing that God will never abandon us nor send something we cannot cope with.

Sometimes, God breaks our spirit to save our soul.
Sometimes, He breaks our heart to make us whole.
Sometimes, God sends us pain so we can be stronger.
Sometimes, God sends us failure so we can be humble.

Sometimes God sends us illness so we can take better care of ourselves.
Sometimes, God takes everything away from us so we can learn the value of everything He gave us.

Make plans but understand that we live by God's grace.

Kids in the Kitchen

I love to eat. I get kilig (giddy) over food. I rave about favorite food places and restaurants. I'm a self-confessed foodie. That is, when unwanted and inconvenient pounds don't get in the way.

But I don't know how to cook or bake. Well, I've had several attempts. Some of them successful like my tried and tested tuna pasta with olives and a few failed ones like my ham and cheese omelette that looked like plain scrambled eggs. I always tell friends my "culinary masterpiece" is anything I can just pop into the microwave. ;)

But I had a eureka moment of some sorts this weekend - I want to seriously learn how to cook and bake!

Yes, you read it right. It's always been at the back of my mind, I guess. I enjoy watching cooking shows, browsing cook books and looking up quick and easy recipes online. But that's about it. I don't really put them to use. And besides, it's not that fun to cook for yourself only. I need someone else to affirm my pasta is indeed good. :D

So, what brought about the gastronomic realization? It's those truly amazing and talented kids in Pinoy Junior Masterchef, a reality cooking show franchise featuring kiddie kitchen geniuses. It's been airing for several weeks now but this weekend was the first time I caught it on TV and am I hooked!

I'm so amazed and impressed with the young kiddie chefs, who are able to instantly whip up sumptuous dishes even from a limited selection of ingredients and under time pressure at that. Yesterday's episode featured what many would consider exotic fare already (myself included), frog legs, but I would willingly try any of the imaginative and delicious recipes they came up with - from pasta with frog meat balls to squash bread pudding with apple caramel sauce and stir fried frog legs.

In Sunday's episode, the challenge was baking the birthday cakes they want for themselves. I was watching with my mouth literally open - from amazement (amaze is such an overused word in this post) and hunger. The cakes looked so tempting and you can really see how much effort and imagination the kiddos put in every culinary creation.

After the show, I was texting family and friends about the uber gifted kiddie chefs and telling them how amazed (there goes that word again) and inspired I am by them. Maybe it's not yet too late for me to develop my almost non-existent cooking skills after all. And I think I'll start by working on my omelette fold first. ;)

Simple Joys

Like other women, I love my bags, shoes and other pretty and nice things that the female species just instinctly love. I haven't quite gotten to the "diamonds are a girl's best friend" yet (and it'll probably take some time before I do) but I have realized there's more joy to be found in simpler things and activities.

Here's my personal list of life's simple and quiet (and not so quiet) pleasures:

1. My all-time chocolate favorites - Nestle Kitkat and Chuckie.
2. Discovering new and secret food places with a delicious yet inexpensive menu, especially in cozy and quiet neighborhoods.
3. The smell of a new book, especially a riveting page turner.
4. Cleaning the bathroom and stepping back afterwards to see the tiles and floor spotless and gleaming brightly.
5. Sharing laughter-filled conversations with family and friends. Bonus points for belly-aching and tears-inducing laughs.
6. Getting lost while traveling and discovering quaint shops, charming cafes and other off-the-beaten paths.
7. Singing along to nostalgic songs while driving with friends.
8. Receiving greeting cards, handwritten notes and letters, especially on special occasions. Sadly, this is a rarity nowadays. :(
9. Hugs! And more hugs! And throw in little butterfly kisses too. :)
10. An unobscured view of the glorious sunrise and breathtaking sunset. Double the bliss when it's from some heady tropical haven or the top of a mountain (ok, I'll settle for Baguio or Tagaytay :D )
11. Going home and just staying in the house to be with family.
12. Introducing different sets of friends to one another and seeing them hit it off instantly.
13. Spontaneous plans to explore your area like a tourist and doing "touristy" stuff like visiting natural and cultural attractions such as the museum.
14. Sleeping in especially during rainy days.
15. Receiving a bouquet of flowers. Or buying colorful blooms to put on my desk at work - it makes working a lot easier and happier. :)
16. Spending time with my best girl friends. You know who you are. :)
17. Learning something new, whether an interesting trivia or a juicy piece of entertainment tidbit. :D
18. Surprise gifts and random, unexpected acts of kindness and thoughtfulness.
19. Catching my favorite show or movie on TV.
20. And last but definitely not the least, spending mommy time with Yoah - reading, playing, watching his favorite movies, doing arts and crafts, making sandcastles, walking under the rain (with an umbrella, of course), and simply holding him close. I love being a mom, it's the most beautiful blessing in this lifetime. :)

I could go on and on with the little things that make me smile and even make my heart skip several beats. There's so much to be thankful for every single day.

Life is beautiful. It gets crazy at times but I won't have it any other way.

A Song For Every Memory

I wrote this on my phone a few months back intending to post it here but never got to finish it. Until I heard a song earlier tonight, which prompted me to search for this particular note on my phone. And the rest, as they say, is history. Or is blogged. ;)

I accompanied S, a very dear friend and part mentor, one night to bring home G, a brilliant public servant friend, to the south suburbs after a night of shop talk over bottles of our favorite Chilean red wine. S tuned in to a local station and this classic song with hauntingly familiar lyrics serenaded us during the quick trip over the then newly-opened skyway.

G asked me if I know the song (the title and artist just escapes me now and my Google skills haven't been cooperative either) and I answered affirmatively after a few seconds of hesitation. It reminds me of D, a favorite older cousin and kuya, who "disappeared" a few years back. It was his favorite song. The details are too complicated and heartbreaking to go into but our family thrives on the unverified sightings of him . Whatever reasons he might have for choosing a path so totally different from what was expected of him and fighting for an unpopular cause are his own but I still hope to see him again one day. He was Papa's protege and and that is reason enough to cling on to the hope that someday, somehow he'll come back.

I don't know if it's because of Filipino sentimentality or my own dramatic tendencies but somehow, songs are like my personal bookmarks.

One Little Candle and Lea Salonga's Someone's Waiting For You calmed my childhood fears and the latter is especially meaningful as I used to sing it to Yoah when he was still a baby. Totally opposite my adolescent years anthem of the Eraserheads' iconic Pare Ko. It was probably the barkada concept of the song that I related to more than anything else. And thank God, those people are still are my very good friends to this day.

Alison Kraus' Baby, Now That I Found You was a sort of theme song between my high school crush and I, courtesy of a game we played aboard the Super Ferry one fun and educational summer (by educational, I mean we were on a school trip). Another teenage puppy love-induced ditty was Stephen Bishop's karaoke fave - It Might Be You. Take note of the operative word "might" so you know how it ended. And mind you, it wasn't my song of choice. ;)

College got me into reggae, ska, blues, and world music and a guy I met reinforced my life-long love affair with these genre of music. He took me to my first Fete dela Musique and started my unforgettable romance with the then popular Xaymaca Bar and Brownman Revival.

The most significant song, top of mind, is probably the cheesy (yes, I admit it) Somewhere Down The Road; M used to say it was our song. It was so telling at that time and I should have known. But, it doesn't matter now. What's more important is we are slowly rebuilding the friendship we once enjoyed and doing our best to be good parents to Yoah. :)

So, what inspired me to finish this post? Earlier I heard Kalapana's Real Thing and it brought back fond memories of City Jam along Katipunan Extension during U.P. days. My friends, sorority sisters, and I used to go there a lot and this really good acoustic band always had this song on their repertoire. It made me think of a conversation I had with a guy friend a couple of days ago; he was telling me I should learn how to read and understand the male psyche and know how to play games when needed. I told him I don't have the patience for either. I just want the REAL THING, no games, no complications. So, sue me. :D

And to wrap this up, I told my former officemates if and when I get married I would want The Company and Richard Poon to sing at my wedding, as mushy and cheesy as it may sound. This was after listening to my former boss play Richard Poon's CD over and over again for how many days. Still, I fell in love with his covers of For You and I'll Take Care of You and I definitely want those two songs on my big day. But I've always had eclectic taste in music so expect some rock and even good ol' Manila sound too. ;)

How about you? What songs are your personal bookmarks? :)

The Adow-bow Project

There we were on a lazy Friday night grabbing couples at our favorite watering hole in Rockwell when E, a terribly geeky, funny, and witty new friend of ours, suddenly asked if we know how to cook. He was the only guy in the group and as it turned out, knows more about the kitchen and cooking than the three of us supposedly independent women combined.

When asked to name at least one specialty of his, he answered "adow-bow" in this really cute and endearing way. We didn't let the "adow-bow" pass but when he started describing the different ways he cooks the dish in this seriously vivid and passionate manner, it was as if we could taste every little alluring flavor in our, by then, seduced and hypnotized palates. We had to make him promise to give us a sample of his mouthwatering "adow-bow" the next time we meet.

A few days after, a friend who worked in another country mentioned there are two must-haves for our Filipino expats - a magic sing and adobo, to assuage homesickness.

Which got me thinking, is the adobo our national food? I totally love adobo! I can never have enough of it and I know many Filipinos share the same sentiment. Even foreigners love adobo, for that matter.

So, I started googling adobo. I suddenly had the urge to know more about this perennial Filipino favorite - its history, the variants from different places and regions, and a really easy recipe I can try.

I came across interesting and informative essays and features on adobo and probably, a thousand and one recipes. But apparently, it's not the ultimate national dish as stated by historian Ambeth Ocampo based on a revolutionary essay by noted food critic, Doreen Fernandez. (click here to read)

Still, it doesn't discount the fact that the adobo is one of the all-time favorite Filipino food. Probably every region, province, city, and town has their own version of the adobo. It's not unlikely for friends who come from different places to compare their hometown's respective versions of the dish - from brown, soy sauce-laden adobo to one prepared with coconut milk topped with chili or even adobo cooked in sugar. The list goes on and on. Even other races and nationalities have noticed our archipelago's incomparable love affair with the globally famous adobo. (click here to read one sample) So popular has the adobo become that there are now a multitude of adobo-flavored food products - from nuts to chips to crackers and what have you.

In the meantime, I'm ditching all the "easy" recipes I got from the Internet. I'm just going to call Mama later and ask for her simple, no fuss recipe (the rich, brown adobo I've always loved). It's still the best tasting adobo in my book. If I get my adobo to taste half like Mama's, then I'll be one proud Pinay who knows how to at least whip up a decent adobo. Even if it's the only dish I get to master in this lifetime.

So, let the adow-bow project commence! ;)

Boracay Favorite: Puka Beach

No trip to Boracay is complete without going to Puka Beach. Away from the maddening summer crowd and unstoppable building craze in White Beach, it's the epitome of tropical paradise - a quiet and almost empty stretch of white sand beach extending into azure waters.

Photo by Sands Castro

A lovely picture in our favorite Puka with two of my best girls and constant travel buddies:

There are no chic restaurants, swanky bars or popular food stalls but there's this:

A personalized and cozy picnic set-up of delicious home-cooked Filipino dishes under the shade of trees.

I've never spent more than a few hours in Puka. But for my next Boracay getaway, I'll make sure to spend days lounging in this yet undisturbed piece of paradise.


Photos courtesy of Ms. Jean Borromeo :)