My Regular Bread

“What must you break apart in order to bring a family close together? Bread, of course.” 

― Jodi Picoult, The Storyteller

Eversince I discovered French bread drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with rosemary leaves, I've been eating this often.  I don't know which is addictive, olive oil or rosemary or the combination of both.

Did you ever try it? 

Lately, I always crave for this snacks.  Though I favor the regular French bread, I choose to get wheat French bread. I know my health is my own doing, nobody to blame but me; so I choose to be responsible. 

I always divide the long bread into two, put back half in its plastic wrap to keep in the freezer so they stay fresh until I will toast them. 

I slice the half French bread myself, I don't trust the guys at the bakery to cut it into equal sizes the way I want them to be. Being uniform in size matter so they will toast evenly. 

I lay each piece on a tray to dub with olive oil flavored with rosemary, 

then sprinkle rosemary leaves on each slice. 

now they are ready to pop in the oven.

It takes about 3 minutes to have a soft but crunchy bread; toasted on the outside but soft in the inside. It will take longer if you want it crunchier.  I'm not timing the oven, my cue is when that incredibly pleasant smell hits me that I know they are done. 

I spread salsa on them but pate or jam will be okay. My husband prefer to dip it in a meat dish with a thick sauce, like callos or beef stew or gambas. Sometimes I would eat them as is, with no spread whatsoever. 

"Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter."

James A. Garfield

Sunday Is My Market Day

This Little Piggy

   By mother goose

"This little piggy went to market,

This little piggy stayed home,

This little piggy had roast beef,

This little piggy had none.

This little piggy went ...

Wee, wee, wee,

all the way home!"

Source: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes and Other Action Rhymes (2002)

Sunday is my market day.  When I was employed, I market on a Saturday but there were so many people at the wet market near our place; it was hard to get what you want and there's a long queue at the fish and meat vendors, and  if I don't go early enough, they run out on the choice cuts of meat and the fish that I like. 

So, I changed my schedule and today, Sunday, I woke up early hoping to get a good parking slot, true enough, I was able to park right in front of my fruit vendor. 

My first stop was at the seafood vendor and I was able to get the seafoods I need: squid, shrimps, asojos, lapulapu (grouper),  oysters and scollops (both removed from their shells).

I will cook sinigang, (fish soup) with tomatoes, tamarind bouillon to give it a slightly sour taste; native leafy veggies will go in as well.

I cut the squid into rings, marinated with kalamansi juice, salt, pepper and wine; for my granddaughter's calamari this week; she is expecting this every week when she visits.   "That's your specialty, Nana", she says. 

I opened up and de-boned the asojos and marinated them will wine, salt and pepper, they are good for my husband's  breakfast any day.

 I steamed the shrimps for my husband's breakfast.  (he will eat it with fresh tomatoes and shrimp paste).

 I will reserve the scallops to stir fry tomorrow with some veggies as well; 

And the oysters?  They will swim in vinegar, chopped onions, ginger, and ground pepper; that is our appetizer for lunch today. 

I boiled the chunks of pork belly with spices for lechon kawali (deep fried pork belly);  while the pork belly slices will be marinated with some spices, wine and vinegar, this will keep in the refrigerator for 10 days, longer at the freezer.  It will be convenient to grill a few pieces when we feel like. 

  

The pork tenderloin, I cut into medallions and mixed into the Filipino barbecue marinade I made. Sometime this week I will grill them. This will go well with another veggie dish. 

, I divided the beef (that's almost two kilos) ; two-thirds will be for beef stew and one-third for beef steak with a lot of onion rings on the side. 

I only got these fruits, I prefer to get the others from the supermarket where there is a good variety to choose from.

For every meal, there is always a veggie dish, maybe what I got is enough, if not, there's always that vendor at the corner who has them fresh daily. 

That's it!  Guess I have enough to last me until next weekend.  I'm thinking that my husband often like to eat out at the spur of the moment anyway, so I may even have extras this week. 

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” 

― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

tags: food, love 1208 likes like

I Love Ducks

Here I go again, saying that my collection started as a gift. But it's true.  It was my office assistant who gave me a wooden duck for my birthday.  We were just talking about fixtures to decorate the house and I happened to mention that I like ducks, truly, I do.  

Then one day, she presented this duck to me, my first ever!  

"My husband bought this during his business trip, it's from both of us, happy birthday!":  she told me,  and I was so thrilled to have it. 

I can't explain my fondness for ducks, 

Maybe because I love country stlye in decorating the house, and ducks are often included.

Or because one of the bedtime stories I remember as a child is "The Ugly Duckling" , oh, I was sad about the duckling then, but when my mama came to the part where he blossomed into a beautiful swan, I always felt good and had a good night's sleep.

The ugly duckling

And ducks seem so gentle and tame, at least that's what I thought, not until I saw a movie where a duck defended his master along with his friend, a dog. So ducks are loyal too!

So I'm sure you would understand why I love this movie: 

My collection increased when I started buying wooden ducks one after another; I got a pair from a Christmas bazaar, another pair in an open market.  I remember I got some from my friends at the office, and the rest, I must have bought them as well. 

Except these flying ducks on the wall.  There used to be four but after I retired, I brought them home and my husband hung then on the wall outside our bedroom where we can see them often.  Here's  how I got them: 

As I entered my office on one birthday morning, I saw four flying wooden ducks hanging on the four walls with a note from each giver; the names of my staff:  Virgie, Joanne, Millet and Helen were on each of them.  Oh, what a pleasant surprise that was!  What touched me was their trouble getting them for me, their thoughtfulness was what mattered most. I can't thank them enough for the joy  getting this gift.

Today, I'm just sorry that I lost one, (due to old age, hahaha!). They weathered the sun and rain. I want to replace it so I'm always on the look out for something similar during bazaars but until now, I could not find any. 

My collection are just around the house. 

I placed the duck set for nuts and chips receptacles (given by my daughter-in-law one Christmas when she asked my son what I'm fond of and he said, "ducks") on one coffee table and joined by a celadon duck placed atop a book of Bill Clinton.

Some I placed on this dividing shelf and the ladder:

And on a wall perpendicular to the shelf as well as on the other end of this wall.

I want to put this collection together but until now I haven't figured out how to do it.  I once tried to line them up on a ledge and my husband joked that "they are like soldiers there", so until then, I guess I'll just move them around as I please. I really don't mind anyway, they're my " toys".

My Version of "Caldereta": Beef Stew With Pineapple

Today, my older daughter has no work, so she came for lunch.  I thought I would whip up something that she would like.  I decided to cook "caldereta"  (beef stew with pineapple).

First I fried the potatoes and set them aside.

Then I browned the Pamplona chorizo in a few drops of canola oil, and  sautéed the  garlic and onions.

The pineapple juice ( together with the pine tidbits)-marinated beef with soy, lemon juice, pepper and some herbs and spices were mixed in next.

After about 2 hours, and the beef was tender, I added the olives, frozen green peas and tomato paste. I made sure the beef was fully coated with tomato paste.

carrots, bell pepper and potatoes were added last. 

I like the sauce a little bit thick, so I dissolved a tablespoon of corn starch in half a cup of water. 

When it boiled, it was time to taste 

 I found I needed more pepper, fish sauce and a dash of salt.

And the dish was done!

But oops!  We need more veggies, so I sautéed garlic, onions, shrimps and pork bouillon in another pan.

Followed by the cut beans left over from my spring roll yesterday. 

Some pepper, then I tasted and it turned out the way I like it. 

Just as my maid was setting the table, I heard the gate open and my daughter came in. 

We had a good lunch!

Home Cooking

Home cooking is becoming very popular nowadays, what with so many cooking programs going on tv all day and all night? And not only that, isn't it handy that there is always google to consult? Besides, we are becoming more and more health conscious that we make sure the food we eat is healthy, devoid of so many calories. 

Even on special events we often choose to stay home and cook instead of eating out. Some dates are taking place in someone else's home instead of at a bar or a restaurant where dating partners prepare the food themselves, thus making it an activity in itself. Even buying the fresh ingredients from a local mom and pop is something to do together, like playing house. 

To those who are reluctant to cook or afraid that the food won't turn out great, I suggest they heed the following advice of a famous American chef who introduced French cuisine to the American public:

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” 

― Julia Child

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” 

― Julia Child, My Life in France

I would say that it is best to start early. When my granddaughter was a little over three years old,  I made sure that we had an activity whenever she spent the day with us. She would cut veggie trimmings with a plastic knife; we would bake cookies or make cup cakes. She would break the eggs, cut the butter and measure the dry ingredients. 

Oh, she loves our chocolate cup cake recipe so much, she would lick not only what was left on the spatula but scoops some of the mixture to eat. She always say: "my Nana's cup cake is the best ever!", believe me, for her, there is no match to it, even at  parties, "the cup cakes are not as yummy as my Nana makes them".

Now that she is 8 years old, she loves to cook. On the way home from the grocery with her mom one afternoon, she wanted to make banana loaf so she googled a recipe: "this one must be good, mama, it earned 5 stars", she said. 

Here she is making her banana loaf

Just last week, she borrowed a cookbook from her school library and wanted to prepare a soup for next day's lunch.  She went to the grocery with her mom so she could get the ingredients herself. Look at her soup. 

Upper photo is her finished product, lower one is the cookbook page.

Speaking of home cooking, I couldn't be more proud of my two married daughters who are very enthusiastic cooks even with their demanding careers. Do you know that they cook everything from scratch, no mixes or pre-made sauces for them, no sir!  Not even salad dressings; making Caesar salad dressing is something they learned early on from their summer cooking class.  I guess they too, were very observant as teens, I know they often watch me cook, but they seldom did it themselves. Oh, they would whip up a pastry whenever they felt like eating or made cookies, but that was all. They never attempted to cook a meat or fish dish. 

When we had guests, their role was preparing the china, the silver, the napkins and the bowls for nuts or chips. They saw that the ice bucket is always filled and glasses and drinks are within the reach of everyone. Oh, sometimes, they cut veggies but no serious cooking for them. 

Nowadays, the three of us, including my sister in the US, share recipes of new dishes we prepare. I am often amazed how they make traditional recipes their own, they are so imaginative and creative.  They are also sticklers for healthy food, they often bake or grill using only a few drops of EVOO, (as Rachel Ray refers to extra virgin olive oil), to avoid too much cholesterol. When it is necessary to fry, they use canola oil. They find baking the dish more practical though, just pop the dish in the oven and wait for the timer to ring. Besides, there are less dishes to wash, they say. 

I'm sure that their husbands are happy that they can always look forward to a healthy and delicious home-cooked meal at the end of a stressful day at work. Isn't it true that:

 "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach"? 

Well, Stephen Colbert had something to add to this famous quote: .

."... Just make sure you thrust upward through his ribcage.”

Haha! Isn't that bringing it too far?

Color Palette

Do you know your color palette?  I didn't realize that I have one, and all of us for that matter until I read about it.  

Our color palette is manifested by our choice of personal things, our clothes, shoes and bags and all other accessories, even things around the house, so if only you will look closely, you will discover that there is a color or two that stand out, and most often, that's your favorite color. 

In painting our walls, don't we refer to a color chart or the color wheel as our guide?  It's true that many  of us are quite reluctant to choose, afraid that our choice combinations won't work, so we often rely on the interior decorator to do this task. 

I like one celebrity decorator who always ask his clients for an object that they like so much to ensure that they will like what he will do. He refers to that object to develop the color palette in decorating their room/home.  I watched one of his shows where the client gave him a printed dress and the color-coordination done was amazing, to the great satisfaction of the client. 

As early as grade school, we were often asked what our favorite color is. Don't you recall the slum books as well where that is one of the standard questions?  

“My teacher asked my favorite color. ... I said ‘Rainbow’.... and I was punished to stand out of my class.” ----Saket Assertive

"The vibrant colors of this rainbow set against lush surroundings, photographed near San Quirico d'Orcia, Tuscany, make it seem like an almost magical phenomenon. However, the science behind a rainbow is relatively simple as it's just a matter of refraction, or the bending of light." © iStockphoto.com/jbarkway )

When we mature however, our taste become more sophisticated and we either go for more subdued hues or get bold and choose brighter colors. 

I for one always liked yellow, like the sun, I feel it is a lucky color, giving a lot of light and life. Nowadays however, I favor very much the warm and vibrant colors of autumn; the greens, yellows, golds, oranges and the browns put together is something I'd like to see around the house.  

So I chose a slightly burnt orange as an accent wall for our bedroom and lighter tones for the other walls.  I only buy linens in shades of beige, yellow, gold, orange and brown so everything is coordinated, they will compliment and match and be interchangeable. For instance pillow cases in yellow will easily blend or contrast with a brown or an orange duvet and it's matching pillow cases.

Experts say that when in doubt, look at nature and see which colors work. In fact, most artists get their inspiration from nature.  I myself is often amazed at the birds' feathers, sometimes the combinations are bold but they look great, like those below:

These two pictures above and below are both from the gallery of Dan Nihiser.

The ocean taken together with the sky provides a great palette as well, it is a combination of relaxing hues of blue, aqua, gray and white, sometimes stones and sand turn yellowish with the glare of the sun.

This picture is so peaceful and serene, I have to give credit to my younger daughter who took it and shared it with the family during her honeymoon at Shangrila, Maldives late last year. 

Many people stay on the safe side and only use safe colors, like the neutrals: white, beige, gray; others though are very bold combining very strong colors together, but hey, does it really matter?  As long as they are happy living with it, then all is well.

My Chiropractic experience

This is prominently posted in the chiropractic clinic we visited.   

It was due to my husband's excruciating neck pain that led us to see a chiropractor because even a good massage can't fix it.  Contrary to what we initially thought as just some kind of a stiff neck due to a wrong sleeping position, it turned out to be something more complicated. 

"I'll be able to help you", the chiropractic doctor said. He assured my husband that he will feel better soon enough if he had an X-ray to confirm the initial diagnosis. We brought back the unread X-ray plates within an hour.  After a few minutes of serious review, he then turned my husband's neck with one strong force to the right and another to the left. Right away my husband felt a lot better, the pain was at least bearable as soon as he got up from the examination table.

While at the clinic, my husband encouraged me to have myself checked as well.  I've heard about this practice and had wanted to have myself checked earlier; but I felt a little reluctant. Nevertheless, I went through the initial interview including a quick physical check up.

The doctor told me that I was leaning a little bit on my left, that my left shoulder slightly droop; but what is more significant is the slight "subluxation", a misalignment on my hips needing adjustment.  We would probably do that in about 6-8 sessions; otherwise, the doctor proclaimed I'm good!  I have a healthy spinal column.  "I would swap my spinal column with yours for a million dollars", was his parting words. I wanted to believe him but I wondered too, whether he tells that to all his patients. We settled the bill for my husbands sessions as well as for my initial check up; and I'll tell you, it wasn't cheap either. 

Over the weekend, I told my daughter about the proposed sessions and my reluctance to go through it.  "Why are you scrimping, mom?", she asked, "it's your health".  "I'm not, I just haven't made up my mind" I replied but I wasn't telling her that I was a little scared.

 On my husbands next adjustment, I decided to go through the procedure; but there were questions I needed to ask.  By the way, the doctor's first name is "STORM", strong name, right? I mean literally, not that it's a popular name. 

"Here I am, walking, feeling strong, with no pain whatsoever; why do I need an adjustment"?, I asked.

"A part of your hipbone is slightly misaligned", Doc Storm replied.

"Why can't I leave it like that? I probably had that for years and it never bothered me." 

"If there is misalignment, the nervous system cannot function well; it has an effect in the body's overall well being.  A misalignment causes strain, hence there is less flexibility in movement;  if not corrected it may have future repercussions to your health, and you may experience pain, in 5 or ten years, maybe, who knows!".

"What if something goes wrong?, the spinal column is very sensitive". 

He then related the case of his Filipino father-in-law who spent the Christmas holidays with them. "Papang", as he fondly call him, is known as a grouchy, anti-social old man in his community. He can't walk; he was carried from his home in the province to a tricycle, to a Jeepney, to a bus, to Doc Storm's car from the terminal, and upstairs in the guest room. During the first few days, Papang kept to himself in the his room.  

 Doctor Storm worked on him twice a day for a week, eventually he could walk!  He became more sociable; his disposition remarkably changed that for the rest of the three weeks left of his vacation he socialized with the rest of the household. When he went home, he could walk, to the amazement of his neighbors who noticed the big change in him. 

"It is safe", the doctor explained further;  "just like the airplane where the possibility of a crash is very slim.  "That's us, we're the airplane" he said. I guess that made me more apprehensive; since his name popped in my mind, Storm and airplanes? Hey, put them together and isn't that dangerous?  But then I was already there, why not give it a try, just this once, and I'll go from there, I told myself.

 "Dapa", he said in his American accent, meaning "lie on your stomach". He saw that my right foot was shorter than my left when put together, manifesting some kind of an imbalance. He checked my spine and before I knew it, I heard a cracking sound as he put heavy pressure on my upper back.  

"Now, lie on your right, bend the left knee, let the right leg follow close by and right shoulders forward", pulling my upper body and pushing the lower part;  I heard a snap as he applied pressure on my hips, then another snap when the left side was treated the same way. 

"The crackle and the snap is in no way dangerous even if it sounds like bones are breaking", he explained as he showed me the plastic model of a spine he had.  The sound is the result of the gas moving into space when the joints being moved become separated during adjustment. It is painless and harmless.

"Get up, now do you feel good?", he asked and I nodded my head, still stunned. "By the way, this session is free since we just talked last time.  Now, you like that, right?"; "thank you" I replied. 

That evening, I felt chilly, all night in fact. Even with two fleece blankets, I was still uncomfortably cold but there was no pain at all, I felt lighter as well. "The body reacts differently", he said on the next session. "Some even have hot flashes". By the way, Doc Storm comes out to the reception when he calls his next patient. As they approach, my husband noticed, he checks how they walk and most likely get a pretty good idea how the patient is doing. 

Oh, yes, I almost forgot, my husband had his feet scanned too. The scan showed that he may be totally flat-footed.  If he doesn't use an in-sole, this will also affect his over-all balance. They get a mold of each foot to custom-make the in-sole; costing  around US$300.00.  It's not cheap but fortunately, my husband has a pair given by his brother from his last trip to Vancouver, and Doc Storm said it is even of better quality. 

I completed my third session during this writing. Instead of having an adjustment last Wednesday, he said he will just see me on Saturday. Maybe he wants more time for my body to adjust and see if more adjustment is necessary. 

As I read more literature on chiropractic,  I feel more confident that this is a safe procedure.  It is really necessary to fix any subluxation for our health and well being. I also learned that:

Chiropractors do not prescribe medicine; it is a holistic approach.

Chiropractic is safe, the American Chiropractic Association, claims that: "statistically speaking, if you will travel more than a mile to your chiropractic appointment it is more likely that you will be seriously injured in a car accident than you will be injured during your chiropractic visit".

For neck and back pains, taking even the most conventional prescription drugs may do more harm to your health than have a chiropractic adjustment. 

The risk is very low because the force applied during adjustment is less than one-ninth of the force necessary to stretch or damage the vertebral artery, that is why the possibility of a very serious damage to the spine during this procedure is 1 to 4,000,000.

Today, my husband has about 6 more sessions to go since he brought up other discomfort and Doc Storm is addressing all of them. But he is feeling a lot better and lighter and his disposition brighter. As for me, I no longer droop to my left and I feel more at ease when I move; I am no longer lazy to pick up things from the floor;  like a young child, bending Is automatic. 

Looking back to about a week ago when my husband had that excruciating neck pain, and if we did not see a chiropractor, he may still be in a neck brace now and possibly taking drugs for pain. I would say, it must be a blessing in disguise, more so that his other discomforts are being addressed as well.   Besides, my subluxation would never have been corrected. Now I recall St. John's gospel, chapter 13: verse 7 which quotes Jesus talking to His disciples:

  "what I do thou knowest not now, but thou shall know hereafter"

And the 1st  verse:

"God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform; 

He plants His footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the Storm."

---William Cowper

What's A Day In My Life?

I always welcome a new day! It gives me another 24 hours to enjoy life; another opportunity to bond with family, do a good deed and continue to pursue things that I have started. 

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.” 
― A.A. Milne

What's my typical day?

I always start with a little prayer of thanks that I'm still alive, that I can see, I can feel, I can walk and I can still dream. A good cup of coffee, decaf with nonfat milk is the first order of the day. Then I check out what my husband is up to, (he's always up ahead of me),  I would usually find him tending to his plants (he is in his best mood in the morning, that's probably the reason why his plants thrive well); polishing his golf clubs, cleaning his car or sun gazing. Yes, sun gazing for more energy and rejuvenation. 

My older daughter then calls, "hi mom, how are you? What's news?", to which I would reply: "nothing happened yet since we talked last",  "And what about next door, my cousins, anything new?". Then I would recall, "oh yes, One gave me our favorite native cake from Cavite yesterday"; "Another sent us macadamia chocolates from Hawaii",  I say.  " And, dad? What's he up to?".  "the same, he's tending to his plants". "You know..." She would then continue and  tell me the latest on her end, mostly about my granddaughter. This conversation goes on daily, sometimes twice a day, but I look forward to it since it assures me that everything is fine; it also gives my day a good boost. 

Breakfast follows, my usual rolled oats with banana slices and dried fruit bits, whatever is available though it's always a choice of raisins, dried cranberries, apricots, dates, pineapple or mango; mixed in with a tablespoon of nonfat milk. 

As I open Facebook, I see a message from my sister in the US, (we are on reverse time, nighttime for her), she wants to FaceTime and I type "ok" and she calls me.  We catch up on things, then she needs to work on-line and we say goodbye. 

I check if my maid prepared the veggies and ingredients I will cook, and whether she brought out the meat or fish from the freezer to thaw.  After my shower, I'm off to my convenient store and my workday starts. 

After lunch is my downtime, I read a book, write my blog, check and answer emails, read the latest posts on Facebook where I catch up with relatives and friends here and abroad; then I take a nap. (A must in our family).  Afternoon snacks with my husband is usually coffee with a sandwich or pasta. 

My favorite time is walking with my husband for an hour. This is what we do together, aside from taking our meals. This is when I get inspiration for my blog. I don't know about others but as I walk, I guess my mind starts moving as well; ideas pop in my mind, sentences come one after another that oftentimes, I have to take notes on my iPhone, otherwise I forget details as more ideas evolve. 

The walk is followed by a drink, my husband would read the newspaper where he finds the same news, having seen and heard them on tv earlier. I browse through a magazine and enjoy my green tea frap. 

After dinner, I catch up on paperwork for my store and if my son is at his home base, he would call to check on us, or if he needs to tell us something. I give the remote to my husband and I open the extension, typical parents getting a call from a child who lives far from home.  His call will give us something to talk about afterwards. 

As I open my iPad before bedtime, my younger daughter who lives abroad sent an iMessage probably sharing what new recipe she prepared for dinner that day or tell me about the new kitchen gadget she bought (she is so discriminate in buying for her condo, she doesn't want clutter) and I respond.  She will then message again and we get to chat about our latest. 

While the early morning call from my other daughter gives me a good boost, this chat concludes my day with a wonderful note!  Again, it reassures me that everything is fine in my world. 

Getting in touch with family whether personal or otherwise is the highlight of my day, it really gives me so much joy, making my life worth living. 

Is Being A Homemaker Enough For You?

Nowadays I find homemaking more exciting than when I was working. I guess  I have more time to play around and I've been doing household chores since I can remember.  I enjoy cooking new recipes, trying new household tips and sharing them with my sister and two daughters who run tiptop households themselves and are enthusiastic cooks as well. 

Part of my work as the head of administration in my former job was to interview about 300 applicants every year.  When married applicants were asked about their present occupation, each one was reluctant to admit that she is  "just a housewife or just a homemaker".  What's wrong with being  "just a housewife"? Isnt it is the most dignified, challenging and rewarding job ever?

One very sensible lady I hired to head a branch office stayed at home for sometime. Though her husband tried to convince her to help him run the family-owned lucrative business enterprise, still, she felt the need to be recognized for what she is worth outside the home. 

In our grandmothers' time, being a homemaker was the best option, if not the only option there was for married women.  In fact  their parents prepared them for this role; the upper class debutantes were sent abroad to exclusive girls' schools where courses on good housekeeping, cooking, sewing, gardening and other related subjects were emphasized. 

Nowadays however, when life is becoming very expensive, some families need two salaries of both father and mother to live comfortably and afford some luxuries. When the wife goes to work, either by choice or out of necessity; she is no longer "just the housewife", but she is still the homemaker and the burden of running the household remains her responsibility; even if she delegates the actual work to hired help. 

If you are a wife, especially if you are a mother, you will agree with me that we don't punch the bundy clock here, the job is 24/7, on call at all hours, with no breaktime if the situation warrants.  As my newly married daughter says: "house chores never end"; there's always the groceries to purchase, meals to plan and prepare;  clothes to load in the washer, to sort and to fold; the garden and plants to tend, dishes to wash, beds to make, and most importantly see to the children's needs and welfare.

In spite the fact that running a household is much, much more demanding than a regular job, I've always encouraged my daughters to pursue careers outside the home after college. I did that myself and I feel that they should also enjoy the best of both worlds.  Who says that a woman can't have it all?

Unfortunately some housewives are just too tired or too overwhelmed to think clearly what they want for themselves, they are stuck, deeply buried in that enormous heap of chores to take control of their lives.  Other women though are more imaginative that they see the in-between nooks and cranks in a tedious day at home where they can squeeze in the opportunity to pursue a hobby or do something for themselves. If one will just be more creative and gear her steps towards her dreams, then who knows what will come out of it? 

As Albert Einstein said:  "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity".

Take Julia Child for one, who had no idea how to cook enrolled in the famous Le Cordon Bleu just so she can cook well for her husband. She  took this so seriously with great determination; and little did she knew that she would eventually build a fabulous career out of it.  

Then again there is also the household diva, Martha Steward who elevated household drudgery into creative art by doing it in style.  She restored, renovated and decorated an old schoolhouse into its former glory, making it a comfortable home for her family.  She had no idea that this experience would lead to a vast multi-media business empire. 

Now, you'll tell me that we can't all be like Julia or Martha, why not?  Let us not forget that they too, were just like us; but they were eager to learn, persistent to try, patient to do things over and over again, and brave enough to embrace challenges; to take a step further and to make that commitment to succeed.  And that makes all the difference.

Finally, It is every woman's choice either to join the workforce or be a full-time homemaker. What's important is, every woman needs to find herself to be the best she can be. 

How do you celebrate Valentine's day?

Valentine's day is around the corner and there's some kind of excitement in the air.  In malls, the shops dress up their windows with hearts and cupids, magazines worth their circulation print articles about love and devote a section or two of valentine gift ideas "for her" and "for him"; restaurants are whipping up quick-to-prepare menus and improving their spread in keeping with the occasion.  Some people check out what's interesting in jewelry shops.  On the web, I've already read blogs about the "big" day; and not to be outdone, here I am typing my own.  

How do we celebrate valentine?

Many say it with flowers...

And chocolates...                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                            

Others give perfume...

Or jewelry

Still others like cuddly stuffed toys. 

For a change why not celebrate with sushi?

And a cocktail?

When I was in grade school, our teachers encouraged us to wear a  "heart-on-our-sleeve", or more accurately wear it like a corsage or a brooch.  They even taught us a song or two in keeping with the occasion.

At my dorm in college, we were all excited when this big day came around, we all looked forward with happy anticipation. There was always the question:  "Will it be red roses?", "chocolates, maybe". "Will he bring me to a dinner show?"  Having a hot date was a big deal.

Every valentine, my husband would often recall about a colleague who came to work in a red shirt and my! Was he the object of so much teasing until he couldn't take it anymore so he went home to change?

Then there was his officemate who was out of town on business and sent a telegram on valentine's day. ( no emails or text then).  When his wife got the telegram, it read:  "miss you, wish you were her", the last "e" was inadvertently omitted. What do you think happened when he got home?  Haha! I wouldn't like to know. 

On valentine's day earlier on, my husband would send me a big vase of roses at work, sometimes if his schedule allowed, he would even surprise me by showing up to bring me out to lunch.  In the evening we usually have dinner and watch a show or go dancing.  Nowadays however, for practical reasons, we choose to stay home instead.  We find the restaurants always full to the brim and food is not as reasonably good as they are on regular weekends.  So why join the crowd?  There are many ways to celebrate valentine, after all we can always celebrate it any other day or even everyday! 

Enjoy your valentine's day!

What I Did For Blog

Now it can be told. 

It all started when I made "Sankaya", baked custard inside a pumpkin. It was after thanksgiving and I made a post on Facebook telling my friends, especially those who live abroad to turn their decorative pumpkins into food.  

You see, I got these butternut squash on sale, and I thought they would be nice to display on my fruit tray.  I love to decorate with the "natural", and that explains my fondness for twigs and dried flowers as well. 

Then I saw a celebrity chef make Sankaya on tv and I wanted to try it. 

When my younger daughter saw the post she said that it is better appreciated in a blog and encouraged me to start blogging. She set up my account and sent me the data I needed to start. She gave me the necessary precautions on security and told me "not to post our family recipes, that's our secret", she said.  I followed her instructions, logged in and I was on my way!

By coincidence, a friend from kindergarten whom I haven't seen since high school came to visit and that gave me my first topic. 

 I was able to publish my second blog right away.  Everything seemed okay, my children gave words of praise and encouragement and urged me to go on.  My blog guru said:  "It's actually good"; "go on Mom, express yourself" said another and the eldest said: "it's well written, continue writing, it is therapeutic".

But the challenge was yet to come! 

 When I was about to publish my third blog, it all came out in one large paragraph! What did I do, everything seemed to be going fine, what now?  Who else would I turn to but my daughter, my blog guru, the creator of this project?  Of course I took time asking her, even though I was so restless and impatient to get going again for I knew she's so busy at work to bother her with my personal whim. 

After asking several questions, she said she can't help me, she doesn't know exactly what I did; so I have to resolve that myself.  What? I was stunned, all I wanted was for her to restore it to the original set up, the way I had it in the beginning. But NO!  She can't!  Oh, wow, is that it?  There goes my blog! 

I won't pretend, I'm definitely not a computer savvy:  just putting pictures to my blog is a trial-and-error thing, I just grope.  That's how some of us in my generation are; we depend a lot on our children or younger friends to guide us; we were educated without google and Wikipedia, remember?  But we try to keep up with the times because we know that the computer is here to stay; that everything in the future may depend on it. 

Now, can you appreciate my dilemma?

So what shall I do now?, I asked myself.   I thought about asking my other daughter, the one who set up my Facebook account and my Facebook guru. But NO, she doesn't know blogs! 

I left it for a while, then my blog guru said "look for alternative ways. Those things doesn't always work";  "Try to copy-paste; use your laptop, I use that when I make my blogs".  So I booted my laptop and several things started popping up, and I realized I haven't opened it since I got my iPad.  I was so confused...and I felt so helpless.  I also wanted to cry and be angry but then I thought, what good will it do? 

Then I recalled the purpose of my blog that I pledged "to be open-minded to experience the new and be optimistic in every situation".  So, being angry was out. 

But I knew I wasn't giving up, "I'll find a way", I told myself; but I wasn't telling anyone. 

Then my blog guru even challenged me, "are you going to give up, just for that?" And I thought, why should I?  But when she said that, I suspected she knew how to solve my problem and was tempted to help me already but she held back.  Having no one to turn to, my only recourse was Google. It took me sometime; read plenty of help instructions; went through as many comments of users on the matter as I could find; and eventually  after a lot of trial and error here and there, Whew! 

I finality made it right. On my own! 

Did I spill my guts out here? 

In retrospect, maybe my daughter was right after all; she didn't want to give me all the answers thinking that it would be best to discover it myself. It might not have been easy for her as well knowing that I was anxious.  Did she chose between giving me fish or teaching me how to fish?  Maybe. But was it worth my anxiety? And my sleepless nights?  Well, I guess my daughter knows me better than I know myself; that she knew all along that I would rise above the issue.  Whatever her reason, it doesn't matter now.  I feel I should even thank her.  And I remember the quote that I like:

"What is a triumph that is easily won?  Victory from the bitter dredge of life is the sweetest victory to me" 

As they say, "all is well that ends well". 

And my blog goes on!