My Little Sister

I often miss my sister, I always feel there isn't enough time to bond with her like sisters often do. I'd love to meet up with her often, have lunch and spend the day shopping, or maybe even just have a quick coffee-and-doughnut time; just to tell her things that is normally shared only with a sister or with a best friend. 

What things?  "Wala lang"  ( nothing at all ). 

 Oh, no big deal there, maybe just to tell her flimsy things: like finding the right dress for a party;  or about the latest recipe I tried; the gorgeous pair of shoes she got for a bargain; incidents that bothered me hoping that telling her will set things right; or when I"m just having a bad hair day.

 But that is not happening since she lives in the US while I am in Asia.

She used to live with us since she started college and stayed on when she had a job.  But at 19 however, she got married and her husband brought her all the way to California.  As much as I was then happy for her, I missed having her around. 

One of the happiest and maybe the most memorable time I spent with her and her family was when my whole family went for vacation in the US.  She had nagged us to visit so finally, my husband made it happen. 

This picture of us was taken in her previous home in Vacaville.

That  first summer was Disneyland and Universal Studios excursions, including a tour around LA and a walk-through along the shops at Rodeo Drive. My children and their cousins had a grand time bonding and sharing jokes. 

This one of us was taken in Vegas that year. 

I feel nostalgic whenever I hear  "Lady in Red"  and I recall the show in Las Vegas, where a guy sang it  while a girl was coming down from a rope above, kept swirling, turning, swirling, turning until she reached the floor and she was wearing a red dress!   Lake Tahoe was where we truly enjoyed a seafood buffet.  I like the quaint little shops in Monterey and Pebble Beach was more for the guys who had a fascination for golf. We had wine tasting and looked at the shops in Napa.   

Of course we also made the rounds of San Francisco's  landmarks. We had a great time, but what amazed me so were the numerous trips to the outlets and the six balikbayan boxes full of shoes and clothes we bought. 

Oh my! Is this turning into a nostalgic narration? Do you mind?

 The next summer, her family and mine had a road trip from San Francisco to Vancouver and back stopping over in Portland, Oregon and Seattle.  My bother-in-law is the greatest tourist guide ever ! He patiently brought us to places worth seeing and took our pictures on important landmarks. He always said:  " come, I'll take your picture, pose here, the background is nice....".

This one was taken at Stanley Park in Vancouver.

Oh, those two summers were sooooo wonderful, having visited a lot of places, bonding with my sister and her family, I'd say, it's a dream come true.  In fact I put together our numerous pictures in a very thick and heavy album and called it "California Dreams".  Take a look at the cover.

End of nostalgia. Now, back to more current affairs. 

Late last year we had a great time when she came for my daughter's wedding. 

This picture was taken at the wedding reception right on the beach of Shangrila, Mactan, Philippines. 

While in Cebu, Philippines during the wedding weekend, we visited the place where Ferdinand. Magellan of Spain landed and met the Filipino chieftain, Lapu Lapu. Look at the marker, indicating it took place in the year 1521. 

Below are two pictures in Singapore:

Before last year's visit, I haven't seen her in 10 years, not until I invited her to go to Singapore with us two years ago. Here she posed at Marina Bay Sands with the Skypark in the background. 

She says she misses tropical fruits from Asia, so we bought these at the Tekka Mall, beside Little India in Singapore. Her favorite is lanzones, her breakfast that morning. 

My sister is a great person to be with, when she is around, we laugh a lot.  My children, together with our nieces and nephews would laugh while they tell about the latest family happenings and recall family jokes.  She values family a lot; wants to be in touch with everyone all the time in spite of the distance. 

She is a sociable person, she is funny, loves to dress up and shop, likes to go out with friends, try new restaurants and enjoys happy hour. 

She also loves to travel and see new places, here she is in Hawaii with a niece. 

She loves to cook, she is often in search of new recipes, always very curious how a new one would taste like; cooking is play to her.  She likes having company at home that's why she often invites relatives and friends. 

She is also a dotting grandma, look how she seems to enjoy carrying her grandkids.

I was 12 when she was born that's why she really looks up to me as the older sister.  Take a look at the photo below so you can imagine our age difference. 

As a baby, I took care of her. She was a sweet child, good tempered and smiled a lot.  My mama always brought her to parties and she always entertained everyone with her antics. 

When she was older, she didn't mind doing errands for me. She enjoys going to the marketplace across our house to buy goodies. Looking back, I feel bad whenever I remember that she loved the Ponkan (Chinese honey orange, tangerine variety) I brought home one vacation from college. 

She liked it a lot that she gave me part of what she saved from her allowance to buy some and send it back to her. Oh my, what was I thinking then that I failed her when she was so young and trusting?  I couldn't even remember exactly why I never really got to buy the ponkans, much less why I failed to send them. To this day, I still feel so guilty that I'm unable to forgive myself; I just hope she has forgiven me. 

Early on, we get in touch only on birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and New Year and when something important came up.  Nowadays however, I'm glad we are able to talk as often as we want since the advent of FaceTime and Skype.  We also take time to chat when we find ourselves both logged-in on Facebook.

But still, there is no substitute for seeing each other face to face,  beats FaceTime anytime!  When is her next visit or mine, who knows?  I'm sure I'll see her when I see her. 

By the way, she edited this blog, she is so conscious about how she looks in the pictures that she made me delete two.  

Novels: My All-time Entertainment

I've been reading books since I can remember.  My older brother and I were greatly influenced by our parents who were avid readers. I recall that my mama was always reading unless she was cooking, baking or crocheting.  My papa always read as well, if he did not tinker his car. When I was younger, we often took shopping trips to Manila.   You would think my mama lost herself on clothes, bags or shoes?  Oh no, not even jewelry!  Her most important stop was the bookstore!

I was introduced to novels as early as grade school, that's  when I read Loiuse May Alcott's The Little Women.   Who would miss reading that very famous book!  Soon after that my mama bought me the Emily Loring novels.  Oh yes, I had the entire collection; all of them in book bound; for it was only  sometime later that her novels came out in paperbacks. My brother got his collection of Tom Sawyer.  

Then there was Perry Mason, and soon after came Ian Fleming's James Bond Series.  They all got me hooked and from then on, I was never without a book. In fact, I was the most frequent borrower in the entire school's library. When I was in college, reading books was my past time, especially on weekends when I could finish a paperback. When I was working, I would read at least one bestseller a month. 

Why are books such a marvel? Books never fail to entice me. They are my all-time form of entertainment; very informative and very educational;  though, like the movies or TV programs, we should be very discriminate about what we read, especially with children. 

Books are the best alternative for travel; they transport us to places we never heard of, or have never seen before.  Of course nowadays, there's television but before it's advent, we solely relied on books. Oftentimes books make us feel part of the story, they make us laugh or cry, they get us excited, scared or inspired; they give us ideas that we never imagined possible. 

Some books have great value, famous First Editions are priceless, they are collectors items. Books have decorative value as well, especially when placed to compliment artifacts; arranged in bookshelves in attractive-colored background, they can aptly decorate an entire wall. They also make our tabletops more interesting. 

Today, I am reading more than ever, in fact, so much, much more, It is part and parcel of my days.  It is what I do for entertainment and relaxation, it helps me avoid worries and stress.  Oh, what I'd do without a book?   

At home there are books almost everywhere; in the bedroom and in the bathroom; I have a mini collection in my home office while I keep my cookbooks in the kitchen.  My husband has his own set of books; some about golf, some Readers Digest condensed books and novels usually enjoyed by men.  In the living room, we placed a big center table to display coffee table books. 

The great philosopher, Cicero once said: 

" a home without books is like a body without a soul". 

Since the advent of ebooks my husband and I slowed down buying books, we even started disposing old paperbacks.  We now read mostly from our iPads, though we never miss buying a great bestseller occasionally.  Fortunately, one of our daughters took it upon herself to make sure we always have ebooks to read. We always look forward with excitement to her emails of ebooks. Recently, we had a windfall of ebooks when our son brought his USB containing 300!  Now, that is like unearthing a treasure! 

The Sweetest Music I Hear!

My husband always referred to my convenience store as my hobby, after all, it is not our bread and butter. It's  just coffee money, he says.  It was opened early on when we were both busy with our careers; with the thought that we needed a fallback should we get tired of the rat race in the corporate world. 

Now that we are retired, the store is a good pass time, somewhere to go to after tinkering around the house and whenever we want a brief change of atmosphere. 

I knew I really enjoy selling things since I was 8 years old, though I recall that as early as 4, I would get the vegetable trimmings, arrange them in bunches and pretend being a vendor.  But the real thing started when I sold candies to my classmates for a profit.  I even sold rice cakes I made with my aunt during summer vacations. 

Fortunately our house in the province is located in a place prime for business since it is right in the middle of the "action", it being just across the market place and the bus terminal is within the block.  Moreover,  I also had a captive market since my papa belongs to a big clan so I always sold out, what with so many aunts and uncles; grandaunts and granduncles all over town!

In high school, I crocheted shawls, table runners and doilies to sell. I usually get orders from the townsfolk, they indicate the color they want and I get the yarn or thread from the city.  

In college, I would spend the summer months crocheting bed covers, in fact even on one Christmas vacation; that's about 2 weeks, I crocheted an order of a double-bed cover.  My take was not much, but I had the time anyway.  I usually did this after the home chores were done when I would turn on the radio and crocheted the day away. 

At some point after I got married, when a braided yarn ribbon became a craze, would you believe that I made hundreds of those in different colors for sale?  Though the return was not really much, I enjoyed selling them anyway. 

Soon I realized that I've been selling all my life, so I opened a convenience store. Until now, I enjoy the activities in the store; some customers ask for recipes or ingredients to use and I share what I know. As I fill out my purchase order, I feel like I am shopping for myself, I often order things I use myself knowing they are of good quality.  When someone comes looking for something we don't have,  the item is listed as reference for the next purchase. 

Sometimes, I couldn't wait for the goods to arrive, like a child full of anticipation;  I would call or text to follow up.  When I receive deliveries, I feel so excited, it feels like Christmas morning every time I open a box. When customers put their chosen items in their baskets, that gives me another high as well; and when  I hear the ringing of the cash register, oh my! That's the sweetest music I always want to hear! 

As It Was In The Beginning......

A childhood friend who also lives in the same village as ours brought her cousin from the US for a visit. She knew that I'll enjoy visiting with her because we haven't seen each other since high school.  As they entered the front door this friend from the US said: " I just love your house, can you show me around?"  As I showed the rooms, my village friend said: " so no one stays in these rooms anymore now that your kids are grown, you're now an empty nest like us".  " Thats right", I said since my youngest who wasn't married then also works abroad. 

" Empty Nest"?   This does not sound good to me, it means nothing is left, right? As in abandoned!   Does it also mean that no life is left, and nothing ever happens anymore, nothing to look forward to?  Am I just being melodramatic?

"As-it-was-in-the-beginning ", sounds better to me, like it was before when there were just the two of us.

When our children left home to work abroad and/or got married, it was not easy, it took us quite awhile to get used to it.  Of course they are missed, a lot!  Really!  Some days are lonely and the next visit seem too far off.  But then that is how it should be,  isn't it.  They couldn't be staying with dad and mom, forever, right?  

Many couples sell their house when their children leave home. They often choose a smaller one, a place more manageable, something that wouldn't seem so empty.  My husband and I  earlier planned to put up a second floor on our house for more living space but somehow we never got on to it. Now we are relieved that we didn't do it at all. 

As we reached this season of our lives, we realized that it also has it's plusses.  For one, we own our time so much more, we can sleep late, wake up late with no worries that we have to prepare breakfast for anyone. When we decide to go somewhere on impulse we can be on our way in a minute. When we feel like going out meeting friends, we don't feel guilty that someone will have dinner alone.  When we travel, we don't worry that someone is left behind. 

 But the most rewarding part of it all is grand parenting. Luckily for us, our daughter who has a child lives in town, so we are very much a part of our granddaughter's life. When seniors get together, the major topic is grandchildren . If you don't have any, you feel self-conscious, deprived, left out even..A friend who enjoyed grand parenting so much once said:  " had I known that grandchildren are so much fun, I would have opted to have them first before my own children".  Hahaha!  Now, is that even logical? 

For us, parenting at this phase in our lives doesn't mean that we don't worry about our children anymore. They maybe out of sight but they are never out of our minds.  We are always in touch even though they are all grown up and had left home. Thanks to modern technology, we can talk to them anytime, wherever they are anywhere in the world. FaceTime and Skype allow us to catch up on each other's activities on a regular basis. When they go on business trips, we pray and keep our fingers crossed that they travel safe.  When there is opportunity for promotion at work,  we pray that they get the job.   Their concerns are still as much ours; we support their endeavors and we celebrate their triumphs. 

I guess parenting never ends, oftentimes we have to rearrange our formulas and assumptions,  and we need  to thread with caution;  we leave them alone to live their lives but we are there anyway when they need us. Most of the time we need to let go but never totally letting go. 

Resolutions For The New Year

 Every new year, we hear people express their New Year's resolution;  their commitment to change, to do better or at least to up what they started doing.  But why wait for the new year?  What better time than a new day? Isn't tomorrow just as good as any? Isn't a new tomorrow a new beginning, another opportunity to start fresh? 

Most of the new year's resolutions we hear are of dieting, getting more slim, more fit, more healthy; well, at least from ladies. A certain mall for one is encouraging people to stay fit; to be more conscious of their health and their appearance; hence their campaign slogan: 

" New year, new you: Be more awesome this 2014 ".

This January, on weekend nights, dance sessions are being conducted at the grounds and the crowd participates.   A stage is set with sounds and moving lights and there is an exercise/dance guru showing everyone the right moves. 

As I walk for an hour around the mall, I see that people are seriously posting their resolve on a large board provided at the lobby.  I see a lot of resolutions written on different colored post-its.

 Its a contest!  One must turn in their plan to look more awesome this 2014, and the best plan wins!

There's a prize!   A make-over package and a shopping package! 

How awesome is that?

Why is losing weight and looking better the most common resolve? What about healthy and feeling better? Okay, maybe that will follow if one is fit. 

But how about our goals and dreams; are they not worth having a resolve as well?  Aren't they part and parcel of our well-being? What good is fit and beautiful if one is bored, with nothing to look forward to, nothing to energize, to inspire, to excite?  What can we do?  What would help us realize our goals, what boost do we need to get us going? 

I guess one good answer lies in Joan Lunden's book, "Wake-up Calls" where she relates how she started to follow her dreams after she left her work as anchor for two decades for Good Morning America.  Her collection of numerous quotes inspires me; leaving me with a feeling like I'm raring to go; wanting to do something! 

Joan Lunden wrote:   " we only hit at those things we aim at, so we better aim at something high. People succeed because they know where they are going ". 

She quotes Babe Ruth's philosophy to life: "never get your fear of striking out get in your way". And she had applied this philosophy to herself:   " and as he ( Babe ) would swing hard, we can set our goals with the same enthusiasm ".

Here are some more of her inspiring quotes from the compilation:

"Destiny is not a matter of chance: it is a matter of choice."

-William Jennings Bryan 

" Everything starts with yourself---with you making up your mind about what you're going to do with yourself ".--Tony Dorsett

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" ---Eleanor Roosevelt

"A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's heaven for? "

---Robert Browning

Now, did that stir you at all? Did you feel that you can at least try? 

No Time To Waste

Nowadays,  I feel it's high time not to miss the goings and comings of friends and family.  I also don't want to miss out on what's happening in the world and around me; what's new,  what's hip, what's fashionable, what's the latest of the latest!

Occasionally, my husband would get a call or a text message that a friend or a former colleague is seriously ill or have passed away.  Every call or text reminds me that life is short, and I should use my time wisely.

Two days ago, my husband lost a great buddy, and when I heard about it, again I told  myself that life is really short, I have no time to waste; I want to live!

When we are young don't we take time for granted?  We always believe that we have enough of it.  We just float along, oblivious of the beauty around us,  thinking that things are always there and that we could catch up on them later. Our parents nag us to do this, or do that, but we always say, "later". In school they teach us that

" procrastination is the enemy of time" 

and our teachers remind us that we :

"Must not put for tomorrow what we can do for today"

When we become adults however we think differently. We seem to be wired such that pursuing professional goals and being productive is the only way to live and to use time.  Don't we feel guilty when we are caught doing otherwise; like enjoying ourselves in a hobby, or just having coffee with friends? Don't our inner selves tell us it's a waste of time and there are better things to do? Don't we sometimes think that play is even illicit, that's why we only take a quick bite and move on?

When we reach our senior years, I can bet that our idea of time will take a drastic change. Then we really want to live! 

 I feel lucky and grateful that I ever lived to this day. Like any person my age, I just want to make use of this time to really "live"; to feel the enjoyment of every experience. Oh, I don't mean big things or expensive undertakings. I go for the ordinary; like

taking time to talk to a niece, 

walk with my husband for exercise and have a drink afterwards,

phone conversations first thing in the morning with My daughter and meet up with her at the mall to catch up with our lives first hand, 

FaceTime with Daughter and my sister who both live abroad,

breakfast with My son when he is in town for business,

have coffee with friends or like their post on Facebook, 

take  my granddaughter to lunch and eat spaghetti vongole, 

share with a customer in my store ideas to make and package native sausages, 

 grow more herbs for my home cooking; 

I

write interesting blogs and read a good book as well, 

go where I've never gone before, see what I never saw, hear what I never heard and love my family like I've never loved them before;

enjoy the view,    ..... walk on the beach,.....just feel the wind on my face and let my hair be blown away......watch the sunset....enjoy the stars and the entire constellation;

.....in other words, interacting with people and appreciating nature, now that's the way to live! 

My Celadon Collection

It all started with a table lamp I needed to put on a side table. So, I enticed my husband to go see with me some of the wares of a Korean lady in Greenhills shopping center.  It was a small place, the shelves were  full and overflow items were on the floor. 

We finally agreed on the table lamp of choice. But my husband is also fond of artifacts, and as he looked at the display one more time; he has a roving eye you know, (well, at least only for beautiful objects,  thank God for that ) asked if I wanted to get three vases of gradated sizes as well to put on our coffee table. I chose a set, carefully scrutinizing that they all bear the same design.

Did you know that these ceramic wares have designs on their outer  surfaces and bear meanings as well? For instance,  the chrysanthemum design means health and well being; duck: premier ranking; and lotus: sun and mercy of Budda. 

And not only that, the shape of the vases has a meaning as well; inspired by nature; like animals or even the human form: the long slender shape with a gentle slop at the bottom expresses the voluptuous beauty of femininity while the wide shoulder and stockiness of vases shows masculinity. 

But why call it celadon? Researchers say that the term celadon is somewhat misleading; it means green but it is also an acceptable term for Korean pottery. 

Back to my collection:

 On one birthday, a friend gave me 3 celadon miniature fishes ( less that 2 inches long ), swimming in what else, but a celadon sauce dish. 

 Christmas brought a set of 5 miniature ducks, almost the same size as the fishes. Oh, it was so much fun to see 2 of these little green-glazed ducks with tiny red ribbons around their necks! 

Then piece by piece, they came pouring in! Word  got around my office about my fondness for these ceramics ( though I over-heard a colleague sour-graping about the celadon being too pale for her liking); so what? We don't have to be too loud and bold on our decor all the time, right?  That Christmas I got a lot of them; vases, big and small; coasters, candle holders, ash trays, etc.; they were all over the house! 

It was only until recently that I thought of putting them together. Collecting is so much fun; for every piece acquired; a victory! It keeps  my adrenaline pumping!  I never tire looking at the arrangement. I even took a picture and posted it on Facebook. My granddaughter, cannot claim that I get minimal "likes" in fact I got a lot!

 Now and then, I move the pieces around,  like they are toys, but then again, maybe they are exactly that to me. I just love my collection! 

Oops! My husband reminds me that I didn't include other pieces around the house. 

As center arrangement for round table.

The vase, coaster and ash tray are on a side table in the living room.

 This vase is on a corner table of my wall gallery. 

 This vase below is in the bathroom placed alongside my supply of shampoo, lotion and other cosmetics.

My recurring dream

I had this recurring dream.... Some say that what you dream about is what's in your sub conscious mind. Some say that the meaning is most often than not, the opposite. In this dream, I hope not. 

I was still in grade school, still living in my papa's  ancestral  home when the dreams started.  In the dream I always found coins among the dirt, sand and gravel on the edge of our house. As I scratched on the dirt further and deeper with a wooden stick,  I see more and more coins!  The coins looked like the silver 10-centavo coins circulating at that time.  In every dream, I seem to gather about a handful.

 The dream comes back occasionally even when I got married.  When we moved to our new home the scene in dream took place there.  It went on for years. 

Why am I even having this dream? What does it mean, what is the dream telling me?

As we started furnishing our new home, I bought a "dama Juana ", a wooden chest, some old looking native baskets; things reminiscent of the past; items I can afford to decorate the house with. The dama Juana is big, about 10 inches in diameter at the bottom part and 2 feet tall.  

After a while I decided  to collect the silver 10-centavo coins to put inside the bottle. I thought it  is worth collecting these since they are precious having a great percentage of silver content. The entire family helped me collect them. My daughters' nanny went out of her way to help me collect the coins; she alerted friends and neighbors that we will replace coins they happen to get as change from their purchases. 

After sometime, I had the dream again and I  thought that maybe it is somehow connected to the " I dama Juana", only because I thought of collecting the silver coins to put inside it.  The collection stopped when the coins went out of circulation, having been replaced with less silver content. 

And the dream recurs! but this time the coins are found in public places, no longer at home. Even the coins are varied; 25-centavo coins appear, then 1-peso, even 5-pesos as well as 10-peso coins. Again, as I turn the soil, more coins are seen, all I had to do was pick up all I can handle. And the dream just ends as I continue picking up the coins. 

Now, the dama Juana holds a big twig, our Christmas tree this year. The coins are still inside. 

Today, I still wonder what that dream is all about. If it means money, when will I hit it big time? One can only dream, right?

My unique cheese board

I received a most amazing gift this Christmas!

I like it because it is unique, I haven't seen anything like it before.

I like it because it is recycled.

I like it because it is useful.

I like it because it is appropriate for cutting fruits.

I like it because it won't discolor, unlike plastic or wood. 

Because it is given by someone near and dear to me. 

She usually gives me coffee beans...or chocolates....or dates...or cookies.. But this Christmas she gave me a pleasant surprise. 

Thanks a lot Cherry Pie!